’My dear beloved,
It has been so long since I last laid my eyes on you. If it had not been for your short letters which you send, I would have been worried about your well being. But I am glad you are fairing well. As for me, I am still holding on here. I want you to know that I am trying every means possible to do what you have asked and...’ Neriah paused. She looked at the little piece of paper she was writing on, staring blankly at it as ink dropped from her quill pen, covering the last word she had written down.
Neriah readjusted her hair behind her ear as the cool noon breeze swept into the room, bringing a somewhat distant but loud chant with it. That sort of chant was probably coming from the training ground, Neriah thought as she stared at the quill pen in her hand.
This was the third time this week she was trying to compose this letter. She always stopped at this part. And that was solely because she had no idea what to write next!
The more she thought about it, the more she came to the conclusion that there really was nothing new to report! Her husband’s schedule remained the same. He was always hovering around the royal castle. From training ground to the King’s court, then back to his palace. That was his routine.
The few times he actually left the castle were usually spontaneous. He never gave a prior notice about his outings... there was no routine, there were no schedules!
She had personally gone to Farhan as the crown princess and Lady of the Kadan-Rana palace, stylishly demanding that the man explain her husband’s schedules for her, but what he gave her were things she had figured out herself! It wasn’t like he chose a certain time of the day to step out of the palace. He just went out whenever he pleased.
What sort of crown prince has no duties that would constantly and systematically need his attention outside the palace at certain stipulated times?!
And also, he once told her he was the duke of some place. What kind of duke never visited his dukedom?! At least if he were to go on such a long journey, he would inform her and then she would have something to give to Lyle!
It was beyond frustrating to be sincere.
"Ahh!" She screamed, squeezing and tearing the paper up in her hands.
"Your highness are you alright?!" Aria asked as she entered the room with a tray of cookies to refill the empty plate that laid before Neriah.
"I am fine. I am just trying to write down something, but the right words just seem to elude me." She said without giving Aria the entire detail. She still had not come clean about meeting Lyle. She was waiting for the right moment.
When that was, she had no idea. But it would come... Eventually.
"What are you trying to write? Give me some details, perhaps I might be of help to you." Aria offered, but Neriah waved her hand in the air, waving the suggestion away too as she dumped the quill pen into the ink jar, tore the piece of paper into smaller bits than what she had torn before, then tossed it into the bin near the table.
"Just forget it." She rose to her feet as Aria reached her, placing the new plate of cookies on the desk and picking up the empty one.
"Where is Riri?" Neriah asked.
"Oh, she is just sitting by the window in the room. She refuses to step out today." Aria shrugged.
At some point, Neriah had wanted to tell them the truth, that Barak had never beaten her. That it was all a lie. Everytime she saw Riri in a sad mood— which by the way had become very usual— she really wanted to tell them the truth.
After that day, when Aria had brought up the topic of her escaping again, Neriah had lied again and told her that she was going to try to make her marriage work. She had somehow convinced Aria and the lady adhered to her mistresses wishes.
But Riri was not happy that Neriah wished to stay even though she was being beaten.
Neriah had told that lie to tear Riri away from the Tragonians, especially Barak and she had gotten the best result from her lie. But she didn’t like the Riri she was seeing. A depressed Riri was not fun to behold.
Neriah sighed as she picked up a piece of cookie and was about to put her teeth into it when another loud chant echoed throughout the place. This time much more louder than the last.
"What in the heavens is going on today? They have been screaming all morning? Do they have to keep reminding me that I am living amidst barbarians?!" She hissed, turning her head in the direction of the window as if she could see them from where she stood.
"Oh, I heard they are having a fun contest today. A test of skills. Swordsmanship, fistfight, archery, even throwing of spears. It is just a fun competition, but I heard His Highness put some sort of precious prize for the winners... Even though he is also participating."
"Is he planning to win the prize that he personally put forward?" Neriah could not believe how petty her husband was. What kind of person participates in a competition they had personally set a prize for? She just could not understand the man.
"You sound like you are certain he would win, My princess." Aria pointed out.
"Well is that not obvious? I have witnessed some of their training sessions, and believe me when I tell you, none of them can hold a candle against him."
"Really? Well I believe there must be someone among the knights who most definitely is better than the prince." Aria said and Neriah chuckled so loudly that she held her belly because it hurt.
"Take my word for it Aria, none of them matches up to My husband. You only say that because you did not see him battle those monsters in that forest back in Avelah. He was fast and smooth, swinging his sword so brilliantly. The voices of those monster quaked before him. I am telling you, he will win all the prizes. Every single one." She said and Aria just stared at her mistress without saying a single word.
"What?" Neriah asked as she seated herself on the edge of the desk and munched on a cookie. "What?" Neriah asked again, wondering why the lady was staring at her like that.
After a while the somewhat shocked expression on Aria’s face switched to a smile, "Nothing. I just pity the knights who are probably giving their best only to lose all the prizes in the end."
At her words, it seemed a candle was suddenly lit inside Neriah’s brain. She jumped down from the desk and clapped her hands together. "Not all the prizes." She suddenly said and looked at Aria with a big mischievous smile, "at least not if I can help it."
"M_my Lady, I do not like the look on your face. What are you planning?" Aria took some steps back as Neriah moved closer to her.
"Aria, go on, get Riri. We are going to frustrate a dragon prince." She chuckled.
...
The training ground echoed with the roaring of excited knights, men and women alike cheering on the contestants. They had just finished the Test of Swordsmanship, and a young man who had faced a female opponent in the final rounds had come out victorious.
For each tests, there were ten contestants. All the knights wished to participate in the contests, and considering it was just a fun contest nothing formal, to make it fair and free of any favoritism, all interested knights were made to write down their names in a piece of paper and drop it into a box that had the name of whatever test they wished to partake in.
After that, a random person was chosen from the audience and blindfolded. Then he or she would pick out ten different names from a one box. The ten lucky names would be called out onto the training ground, and divided into two equal fives.
The pieces of papers that carries the names of one half of the ten are burnt up leaving ten men still standing but five written names left.
These written five names are then shuffled again and given to those five whose names had been burnt. They each pick a piece of paper, and the owner of the name on the paper would be their opponent.
They then go on to fight, eliminating each other from one round to the next till it was just two people left and they too would face each other and whoever was left standing was proclaimed the winner.