BW - Chapter II: Rebellious Fate

Ronan was different in the light than I had imagined. He was handsome but dirt covered a lot of his skin. He had these gorgeous blue eyes. They weren't sky blue. No, they were a sea blue. A mixture of blue and green swirling in an orb. His hair was a dusty brown, probably because of all the sand. I imagined his hair to be darker, a black like the darkness.
         “Hurry up, Jane. You’re falling behind.” Ronan called to me as I had slowly made my way through the crowd. The people had no longer given me the same look as they did when I had first arrived. Was it because of the clothes? I wore what Ronan called ‘slave’s rags’. A brown soft tattered cloth wrapped around my body. It was better than nothing but never as good as my jeans.
         “I’m hurrying. Just hold up.” I answered as I met up with him. We were in the marketplace shopping for the feast. I had to carry the basket of food so far. It was heavy. I sighed and dropped the basket into his hands. He didn’t even flinch.
         “Jane. You can’t do that. You can’t be slow, not when you’re a slave.”
         “I know, Ronan. I just… need a moment to rest. I’ll pick up the speed in a minute.”
         “We don’t have a minute. We have to hurry and get the rest of the ingredients for the feast. You and I will both get the whip if we don’t hurry.”
         “Alright. Can you at least help me? I mean, answer some of my questions as we go.”
         “Sure, if it’ll make you move faster.”
         ” Yeah” I laughed slightly taking the basket back. We began walking again, moving swiftly through the throng of people. We passed stall after stall, none of them having food. I decided to start simple with my questions.
         “Ronan, can you tell me more about Leosia?”
         “I don’t know much. I am after all a Spadein. I do know some things though…Leosia was formed long ago after the Great War.” He paused going up to a stall and purchasing three loaves of bread.
         “What was the great war?” I asked before he could go on.
         “The Great War was the war that tore apart the lands. Back then, five kingdoms existed. Diante, Etavarium, Ahamnir, Leosh, and Siayri. It was the war when Etavarium’s city of Lemarsh started to question the teachings of Fey.” He paused once more, buying another item from another stall. I waited patiently, silently urging him to go on. “Fey was said to be the Mother of everything. She collaborated with the goddess Eta to form the seas and the land beneath our feet. She worked with the god Diante to create the night sky and the goddess Siayri to create the sun. With Leosh she created the deserts. With Aham he created the winter wonderlands in the north.
         “ Everyone was taught to follow the teachings of Fey. They said that salvation would come to those who do. There’s a copy of the book of salvation down in the slave quarters if you want to read it.” He stopped talking suddenly, allowing his gaze to go down.
         “What else can you tell me, Ronan?”
         “Jane. Head down. The overseer is watching.” He whispered to me. My eyes wandered up and caught the gaze of the man from before. The one who had brought me to the king and queen. I tightened me hands around the basket and looked down. Mostly looking at Ronan, I followed him though the crowd.
         "Ronan, we've got everything on the list. Where do we take it?" I had asked as soon as we were clear of the overseer. We had indeed finished our shopping.
         "To the Royal Kitchen. Just follow me."
         "Ronan can you tell me anything more?"
         "I'll tell you more tonight, ok?"
         "Alright." I sighed, disappointed. Sadly, I followed even deeper through the crowd. No one seemed to even glance down at us. We were just servants, slaves to the royal family. We had long ago abolished slavery in America but what about this place? What about Leosia? Do people even know it exists?
         I had been so deep within my own thoughts that I was surprised when I heard a voice call out to me.
         “Jane…Jane…Jane…” I looked to Ronan who was the only person here that I had told my name. He stared straight ahead as we walked and I was sure his lips didn’t move at the utterance of each ‘Jane’. The voice repeated itself and I grew a little nervous.
         “Ronan?”
         “Yeah?”
         “Are you calling my name?”
         “No, why?” He carried a concerned look in his eyes as we stopped. We had stopped in an alley like place and shadows lurked around us.
         “I hear someone calling my name over and over again.” I said looking around us to see if anyone had followed us there. No one was in sight.
         “Do you still hear it?” He asked as I looked around. My only reply was a silent nod. I was frightened to speak. She clearly heard her name being repeated over and over but she just couldn’t see anyone saying it. It seemed so close too, like a whisper.
         “Ronan, I don’t know what to do. Am I going crazy?” He gave a sort of half smile at me, a smile where just the tips of your lips curve up.
         “ Don’t worry. It’s probably just the wind, c’mon.” His words comforted me only slightly. It was his eyes that gave away what he truly thought. He didn’t think it was just the wind. He thought it was something more.
         “Alright Ronan.” I said softly, still looking around. I followed him out of the alleys and back onto the crowded streets. I followed him closely. The voice continued.
         “Jane…Come, Jane…Come, help us… Jane…” I bit my lower lip and walked faster. We were almost safe. We were almost to the palace.
         “Ronan, hurry.” Without hesitation he quickened his pace slightly. A few seconds later and we burst through the doors of the palace breathing hard. I looked down at the basket in my hand. From the running we did, I had lost a loaf of bread and bag of tomatoes.
         “I dropped some stuff.” I said softly, looking up at Ronan. I couldn’t believe the look he had on his face. He looked furious.
                “Fine, I’ll go fetch some more. Take what we have to the kitchens. Down the stairs, the first door on your right.” He looked like he was holding back somewhat, trying not to yell. My face fell and I felt like I had let him down. We ran away from some voice that probably didn’t even exist. Then again, none of this should exist. It was, illogical. Before I could utter an apology Ronan was off, the doors shutting gently behind him.
                I sighed as I started walking. I took the stairs one at a time, just to waste time. My eyes were on the basket I held, staring at the colorful fruits that I didn’t know the names of. I was so absent minded I didn’t hear the hurried footsteps of a man ahead. Nor did he see or hear me. We collided instantly, flying backwards and landing hard on the floor. I frowned before I turned to glare at the person that had bumped into me. I was surprised to see him picking up the fruits that had fallen from the basket. He was cursing under his breath, a frown creasing his forehead.
              “I’m sorry. You don’t have to help me pick it up if you don’t want to.” I said as I reached out and started picking up the little seeds that looked a lot like sesame seeds.
            “No, I should apologize miss. I was foolish enough to not watch where I was going.” He looked up and gave me a smile. I couldn’t help but stare as he held out the basket full of fruit. His eyes were a startling color of auburn. I couldn’t quite comprehend how handsome he looked.
              “I-I…um, thank you.” I quickly looked down as I replied, grabbing the basket with my hands shaking. I was sure my face was bright red. I looked up when I heard shouts in the distance. I frowned slightly, hoping I didn’t do anything wrong. He stood up quickly when he heard them too. I sat the basket down by the side of the wall and stood up as well.
              “I’m Nae.” He said, holding out his hand. My eyes returned to his and I hesitantly reached out and shook his hand. He seemed a little puzzled by the gesture but withdrew his hand politely.
              “My name’s Jane.”
              “Ah, the new slave. Welcome to Leosia, Jane.” It really looked like he meant it too. He gave me another of his smiles before looking over his shoulder. His rich brown hair filled the spot where I had been staring.
              “Is someone chasing you?”
              “Just some guards…”
              “I can show you a place to hide. I may have just arrived but I get so lost no one can find me…” I looked around slowly. I had gone down another flight of stairs and through a door that was pretty far from the royal kitchens. I heard him chuckle softly and when I turned back to face him, I was staring at his gorgeous eyes again.
              “Sure. Lead the way.” he did a little bow holding out his hand for me to lead the way. I hesitated and smiled slightly, just a little curve of the lips.
                “Alright, lets see.” I looked around again for a way to go and smiled when I saw another staircase leading up this time. I grabbed his hand without thinking, pulling him gently as I ran up the stairs. It didn’t take us long before I had gotten us lost. He just seemed to smile politely and waited for me to take him somewhere else. “I do believe…I’m lost.” I said proudly.
                He laughed softly, a smile lingering on his face long after the laughter died away down the halls. He just pulled me in another direction, leaving me with a puzzled expression. Nae suddenly pulled me into a room, darkened by the lack of windows. I just frowned, even more confused than before. I couldn’t help myself but to be frightened by the pitch blackness. It was like my eyes were broken and they just wouldn’t open. It wasn’t the dark I feared but the things that lurked in it’s hideaways.
                “Nae?” I called out as I blindly took a step forward. Without warning, a light pierced the darkness, sending away the little demons of fear. I put my heads up to cover my eyes but not before the damage was already done. I couldn’t see any more than I could before the light. My eyes blinked repeatedly until vision was restored. That was when I noticed where he had taken me. The room was vast, not a window in sight but everything else imaginable. A large canopy bed sat in the middle of the room, draped in red. Come to think of it, everything seemed to be red. The walls were a orange like red and so was another fabric that hung along the walls. It was amazingly beautiful and clean. Despite having a large room, whomever slept in it had nothing upon its floors. The walls, were another story. Knives, daggers, swords, blades of every kind lined the wall behind the bed. It was marvelous how the light from the candle glinted off the blades of the ones in view, reflecting the light to various parts of the room. At that time, I noticed the best part of the room. He stood by a stand beside the bed, his face aglow with the candlelight.
                “It’s impolite to stare.” Nae commented with a chuckle. I felt my face heat up and I lowered my gaze. He was still chuckling softly as he walked over and sat upon the bed. I hesitantly looked back up at him, afraid my face would turn red with the slightest sight of him. Nae sat with his fore arms resting on his thighs, his hands hanged loosely in between each leg. His eyes watched me as if waiting for me to say something. I couldn’t really think of anything to say. My thoughts just vanished when I saw his eyes. They were hypnotizing.
                “I-I’m con-confused.” I managed to stammer my words, somehow reacting. It was hard to even get the words out.
                “Oh? How so?” He asked his question with a hint of actually caring. It surprised me really. Was he just playing stupid or something?
                  “Where are we?” I said, breaking the spell temporarily as I looked around again. He seemed almost comfortable here in this room. Who was this guy? He was hesitant to respond, looking closely at me as I tried to avoid his gaze.
                    “I never expected to run into a slave like you… You seem different, like you don’t belong here. Are you from a kingdom farther west?” I glared at the wall of weapons as he changed the spotlight onto me. Why was he avoiding my question? Was he scared? If so, of what?
                    “I’m not from around here.” I responded reluctantly, ”I’ve been accused of being a Spadein which I still haven’t figured out what it is or what’s so bad about being one.” I glared at the weapons each in turn, forcing my hatred of confusion and mystery onto each blade. Why did life have to be so difficult? I could hear him growling to himself softly and I couldn’t help but looked back over at him curiously. He wasn’t looking at me anymore. His hands were clenched into fists and he was glaring at the floor. Did I say something wrong?
                    “Everybody here just jumps to conclusions. They never stop to think….” He went silent, a puzzled look upon his face. His gaze lifted up and fell upon me. “If you’re not Leosian nor Spadein, how did you get within the walls of the capital?” I was definitely confused now.
                    “I dunno…The gates just opened when I touched the walls.” My voice sounded weak as I forcibly removed my eyes from his, staring again at another part of the room.
                    “You’re Leosian then, or Spadein. Only certain people from those two races have the genes necessary to operate the mechanism…Well, actually, you’d have to be pretty old to have opened the door yourself or a descendant of one of…” He tailed off and my eyes rested again back on him. He had been talking to himself, thinking aloud. I decided to join in his little conversation.
                    “One of?” He looked up as if just now remembering I was there.
                    “Jane… I’m not very good when it comes to my studies but this is something I do know. You’re either Leosian or Spadein whether you know it or not. We have a special code in our genes, in our DNA. It allows us to operate certain devices. The gates can’t be opened by any outsider or traveler. That’s why we have the guards stationed inside the gates facing into the city, to watch over the town….Where did you say you where from?” I just stared at him dumbly. So I was special? Yeah, right.
                      “I didn’t…I’m from New York in the U.S.A.” Now it was his turn to look at me dumbly. He titled his head slightly to the side, a puzzled look upon his face.
                      “That’s nowhere I’ve heard of before. How far away is it?”
                        “I don’t know. I came through a door in our basement then, there was this field of flowers. I walked through the desert for an hour or so until I came to this place.”
                      “Flowers? There aren’t any flowers for miles except for my sister’s garden.”
                      “If you say so. I’m just trying to stay alive so I’ll agree with whatever anyone says.” I saw him smile warmly at me, a sympathetic smile.
                      “I’ll make it easier for you. I’ll have my father send you up to work for me.” I was confused again. His father? Then it hit me and my eyes went wide with both shock and fear.
                      “Y-You’re the p-prince?” I stammered as I quickly thought of what to do. I remembered how the guard had made me bow before the king and queen so I figured that I was supposed to do the same for the prince. I fell to my knees, lowering my head to cover my steadily growing red face. I heard him sigh heavily and then the creak of the bed alerted me to his moving. I stayed still just hoping not to get punished or anything. His footsteps sounded pretty loud in the large room.
                        “Hey. You don’t have to do this Jane. I’m on you’re side.” His words were right next to my ear and I shivered slightly.
                        “I’m sorry. I’ll return to my- wait what?” I hadn’t expected such a response. This place just seemed to get me more and more confusing. I raised my head and stared at him, waiting for him to explain. I hadn’t realized he was so close, our noses almost touched.
                        “I’m on your side. I work with the rebel group to try and change my parent’s thoughts on slavery. I personally find it disgraceful.” he rolled his eyes slightly at the mention of his father and mother.
                          “Rebel group?”
                          “The Spadeins…They’ve been forced to work for my family for generations. It was after the gates were sealed and Leosh was changed to Leosia. Not a big change really.”
                          “Ronan said that it was because of the Great-oh my gosh! Ronan! I’m supposed to meet up with him after I deliver the food to the kitchen!” My eyes went wide with realization. All the food was still not delivered to the kitchen. I jumped up quickly, which wasn’t a good idea. If you stand up to fast you get this head rush kind of thing. I was dizzy and I stumbled, falling forward into Nae. He caught me without a word, his arm around my waist to steady me.
                          “Maybe you should slow down. Don’t worry about the food. I’ll send someone else after it. Is it for my sister’s birthday?”
                          “That’s what Ronan said.”
                          “Ronan?”
                          “He’s the first person here I met that wasn’t angry at me though I think he’s mad at me now. I made him run and we ended up dropping a lot of the food in the marketplace.”
                          “Why were you running? Were you late or something?” I was hesitant to answer his questions. What if he thought I was crazy?
                          “I-um…heard someone calling my name. Ronan was the only one I had told my name and he wasn’t calling me nor did he hear it. It’s probably nothing, just the wind.” I looked over to see his face a pale white. Once again confusion washed over me.
                          “Voices? “ He fell silent for a moment, contemplating probably. “Do you mind if I let you go back to work? I need time to think.” I stared at him for a moment until his auburn eyes fell over on me. He smiled slightly. “Are you alright to stand now?”
                          “I-uh- yeah. I’m sorry and no I don’t mind really.” Nae gently removed his hand from around my waist and went to open the door. I grabbed his forearm before he reached the door. Why had I done that? I was at a lost of words again when he turned his gaze to me again.
                          “Don’t worry. My guards will show you the way.” I hesitated, not letting go.
                          “You think I’m crazy, don’t you? Well, hearing voices is just adding onto the pile of crap that makes me an outcast and I don’t care what you think. You want me out so bad? I’ll leave myself.” I was glaring at him. I didn’t even think I could glare at such a beautiful face such as his. He just stared at me for a moment before his laughter filled the room. He was laughing at me. I glared at him with more intensity. “Don’t laugh at me.” My words sounded cold and full of anger. He fell silent, a smile still upon his face.
                          “I don’t think you’re crazy…I think there are other forces at work here. And I only want you out because you’ll distract me from concentrating on figuring this out.” I felt my face heat up as his words hit me. I could see his cheeks turn a rosy pink with a blush as well and we were both silent. My arm fell back to my side and I bowed my head.
                          “As you wish, your highness.” My voice was soft as I raised my head back up. My eyes fell on his momentarily before staring straight at the door. He reached over and opened it for me, a soft smile upon his face. I nodded once, forcing my smile into hiding. It pained me to take each step it took to walk out of the room. With each step, a thought screamed in my head. HE MIGHT KNOW SOMETHING! It didn’t do me any good. I couldn’t say no to the prince of Leosia, a place that held me captive. I sighed as I started walking aimlessly down the hall. It occurred to me, halfway down the hall, that I didn’t hear the door close behind me. I stopped silently and looked back behind me just as the door closed. Then, I giggled. Something I’d never do. I bit my lower lip and made myself stop and continue down the hall. I had to find Ronan. Actually, I had to figure out how to get home. Then again, this was what I wanted. I wanted to escape the monotony of the hiding from the attacks. More is what I wanted. Leosia is what I had hoped for. The only thing was, this was all real. I could die. My life could be spent forever as a slave to the royals.
                            Drip. Drip. Drip. My brow furrowed. The noise caught me off guard. It was out of place here in this desert landscape. It sounded like water dripping. Wasn’t water supposed to be scarce in the desert? My head turned from side to side as I looked around the small hallway. There weren’t any cracks in the walls. There weren’t any doors…Yes, there was actually. Only one. Was the sound coming from inside, on the other side of the door? My feet made little sound as I crept up slowly to the entrance. Gently, I opened the door, peaking around it’s hard frame. The sight inside caught me even farther off guard than the sound of the water. Plants covered the floor, climbing up the walls. The flowers were beautifully unknown and exotic. One lonely canopy bed rested in the right corner of the room, allowing more room for the plants to grow. I was surprised to see a little lake like feature in the top left corner, an oasis. That was where the water sound came from. Then, there was the fact that the ceiling was missing. Sunshine poured in from the outside.
                        “What has my father sent a slave for this time?” The voice seemed to spring up from the tall growing plants, causing me to jump. I was about to just slip back out when I saw her. She was gorgeous. She was the kind of girl that everyone would be envious of. Her hair was a deep, dark red, each strand falling over her shoulders. Strangely, amethyst eyes stared at me, glaring. I stammered, stuck in place by her gaze.
                        “I-I….Y-y-your f-father d-didn’t s-send m-me.”
                        “Well then, why are you here?” Her voice was cold and fierce like a dagger. I wanted to run and get as far away as possible.
                        “Y-you’re brother has s-sent me.” I said the first thing to come off the top of my head.
                        “Nae?” She seemed surprised by this and a puzzled look replaced her angry one.
                        “Yes.”
                        “What did he send me a slave for?”
                          “H-he said…that I am to serve you for the day seeing how it is your birthday.” Her purple eyes narrowed and glared again at me.
                          “I have my own slaves…Go to Nae and tell him I don’t need his sympathy.” She continued to glare at me as I quickly fled. The door quietly clicked behind me as I ran down the hall. Curiosity killed the cat. I don’t think I wanted to be the cat. I was too busy looking behind me to see if she’d follow me, to make sure I was going back to Nae’s room, that I wasn’t paying attention in front of me. My legs carried me straight into a wall, bouncing me back onto the ground once again.
                          “Ouch.” I rubbed my forehead gently, cursing under my breath at my own foolishness at running into a wall.
                          “You said it.”  My eyes widened slightly as I realized I hadn’t actually ran into a wall but a person. The voice was familiar too.
                            “Ronan?” A smile returned to my face when I saw him staring at me.
                            “Jane…” He blinked, a little confused.
                            “Oh, I’m sorry for running into you.” I bet we looked kind of stupid just sitting on the floor.
                              “It’s fine. Where’d you go, anyway? I went to the kitchen to find the food and another slave handed it to me. ” He held the same puzzled look upon his face. He must have expected me to stay there. I had forgotten all about him when I met Nae. I bit my lower lip, uncertain if I should tell Ronan about him.
                              “I-uh-just got lost. That’s all.” He narrowed his eyes, trying to see if there was anything more to my story. I hesitated again, afraid of how he’d react to the rest. A sighed escaped my lips and I looked down, away from his searching gaze. “Ok…I did get lost though. I ran into someone and I helped him hide from the guards. His name’s Nae and we talked.”
                                “What did the prince have to say?” He surprised me by staying calm.
                                “Uh-that he was on my side and he was going to try and figure this all out. You know, about how I got into the city and the crazy voices in my head.” I shrugged, watching his expression carefully. A loud noise from down the hall then made me jump.
                                “You there! Get back to work!” I turned my head to see four figures striding down the hall. Two of them were muscular body guards. A rather tall figure stood in between them, Nae, and a little slave girl walked behind them all. I stood up quickly bowing my head gently, both out of respect and as a nod.
                                “Na-” Something grabbed onto my arm, cutting my words off. I wanted to go to Nae and talk to him, to see if he had found anything out yet. My head turned to see Ronan glaring at me.
                                “Jane, no. Not now.” He whispered fiercely, pulling me backwards, to get away from the group approaching.  I frowned slightly but followed him when he let go of my arm. I glanced back over my shoulder to see Nae and his group continuing on as if they had never seen them. Ronan and I continued walking in silence. I wanted to apologize again and I wanted to talk to him like we had before we had separated. He suddenly stopped, not even looking at me. We were at the kitchens, wonderful aromas wafted out into the hall.
                                “Ronan, I-” He cut me off again.
                                “I’m sorry.”
                                “What?” I couldn’t really believe he was the one apologizing. I didn’t think he knew the word. He looked up, staring straight into my eyes.
                                “I’m sorry.” He really meant it.
                                  “Wha-Why?” I blinked, confused.
                                “I…” He sighed before continuing on, “I should have told you things. Things you need to know…The gate which you entered, it’s not there anymore. We, the people of Fyrn and I that is, brought you here. We thought, the ancestor of Fey would appear and once again unite the kingdoms into one. Something went wrong during the incantation and thus, someone from another world was summoned. I’ve consulted with my elders and they are almost sure the interruption was that of Sano. We think he might of tried to stop our ritual and therefore caused it to go awry.” He watched me for another moment. He held a look on his face. A look that said he had more to tell but couldn’t. I wondered if he’d tell me more if I asked.
                                “Ronan, who’s Sano?”
                                “He’s the emperor of Siay. He aims to unite the kingdoms as well. Under his rule….The kingdom of Siay is in terrible shape. He forces his way of thinking onto the inhabitants and refuses to let anyone leave.  People starve on the streets while he eats boarosh. Whole villages are wiped out if he feels like doing so.”
I kept quiet after hearing his words. I didn’t understand it all. So, in another kingdom they were trying to bring forth the ancestor of Fey but they got me instead? Did that mean I’m not supposed to be here? Was I meant to have died in the bombings? I wanted to voice my questions that welled up inside of me. I was about to even. My mouth opened to speak but before a single word to be utter I was interrupted.
                              “We’ll talk later, alright? We’ve got work to do. I-I don’t want you to have to suffer any lashings for my behavior.” he smiled weakly. Before I knew it, Ronan grabbed my hand and pulled me into the kitchen.