Return of Ikrah: Solaren's Envy

.....She set the basket of flowers onto the stone bench in the garden. Sitting down, she frowned sadly. She was beyond tears now, having cried on the long journey from Tare all the way here. Queen Stone Bird even made a point to send the full Company of Royal Guards to escort her, too. It was a display of respect to Falshire. Her own parents had nothing to say about any of that. Sighing, she began to pick the flowers to make her perfume, smelling the petals along the way. Suddenly, her peripheral vision caught sight of the silhouette of a tall man walking through the other side of the bushes. She was curious as to who it was as he had dark blonde hair, but dismissed what she saw for her strong imagination over reminiscing about Little Phoenix. Moments later, the imperial handmaidens were shuffling along in tow picking up his trail. She stood up to walk to the bushes. Tipping on her toes, she peered over them catching a glimpse of the procession from behind. That man's bearing seemed familiar to her. She soon recalled where she had seen him before. He was heavily wounded in Tare's infirmary not too long ago. He had certainly recovered remarkably in just half a year. But more importantly, what was he doing here? He was neither Falshiren or Tarennei. In fact, he had fought against them to have earned himself in the prison infirmary. Very curious. She grabbed hold of her basket of flowers before making her way around the wall of bushes. By the time she was through, they were too far ahead beyond her reach. Disappointment came over her face as she believed she had missed her chance to ascertain his identity. She let out a long sigh as she walked along the trail of hibiscus trying to remember where the jasmines were. However, she wasn't giving up just yet. She returned to the imperial gardens gathering flowers regularly since in hopes of seeing him again. In a week, she managed to observe his visits between breakfast and lunch, after mid-day tea break, and a brisk walk before dinner. Silvas, her handmaiden, had to come fetch her to come to dinner one day as she forgot the time chasing after this stranger in Falshire. "Your Highness...." Silvas was hesitant as they walked along the way. Solaren picked up her steps to avoid being reminded of her tardiness. "His name is Warvisn. He is the Tribal King of the incumbent Aze Kingdom." "What?" She halted, turning to face the informant. "Yes, the guest of the Emperor and Empress. He has a wife and a newly born son." "Ah." Solaren tried not to care, though she was very interested in knowing more. "How did you know about all that?" she asked walking again. "Who hasn't, my Lady? All the servants speak about them. They reside in The Stork Manor. Honeymoon suite and all in that exclusive mansion." She thought about those things she never got to enjoy in her marriage. Clearing her throat, she continued. "We best be going. I have so much to do tomorrow." "Yes, of course, my Lady." She arrived at the table with the family having commenced eating. Her parents, her brother, his wife, and their growing child that had learned to crawl and was eating solids already----all a straight reminder how sad a failure she was. They were quiet during the meal. She ate wordlessly, skipping the wine so she could stay up late tonight. Getting up, she placed her napkin on the plate with her utensils. "Solaren, aren't you staying for dessert?" Sky Fall called out. "No. I'm full." "Let her be, son." Their mother said. Solaren looked upon her brother and his sweet little family with a quivering frown. She had to turn away to hide the tears welling up in her eyes as the lump in her throat was too hard to swallow in that moment. She envied him very much with a heavy ache of self-pity. The laboratory came back to life as she lit up the candelabra. Baskets and baskets of fresh flowers were strewn everywhere wherever a space was available. Shelves were overstuffed stacks of them. There were even satchels of potpourri hanging on the walls that kept the place smelling pleasant while she was gone, but now it was overwhelmed by the flowers. She went to the standing desk where her tome of perfumery lay closed in the last seven years. She undid the leather buckle and opened it. Every note, every drawing, every name, and every known fact about a flower or plant was written in it. A huge table contained her instruments of distillery, featuring intricate tubes that connected several small vats over flasks. She skimmed through the pages to the section that was her last experiment. It depicted the rose, hyacinth, jasmine, and one dangerous ingredient known as blackthorn. The final item was used by the northerners to keep the Tarennei people at bay than to revolt against the Gorran occupation. She had yet to get a hold of it in order to start this project. In the mean time.... She closed the book sighing indifferently. She toiled away with working on extracting scents. After that, she stored them in viles with labels. The hours poured into days and before long, she was preoccupied for two weeks until she hit an obstacle. Incense. She had no idea how to make that. Along side with that, she wanted to go into candle making as well to expand her fragrance uses. Now, she would either go into the trades for apprenticeship or be taught privately through hired skilled masters. However, she was unsure how to fit any of that into her time as she had grown very obsessed over what she was working on. She went to the garden bench sitting down to let her mind wander during the day. Sunlight touched her golden hair giving her a soft glow in contrast to her black-grey dress. She was a somber figure in the idyllic scenery for the approaching summer. "Good day to you, Princess Solaren." She looked up in surprise. Lady Revvine was the least expected person to visit her today or at all. Her sister-by-law was ravishing in a dark maroon dress. She nodded pleasantly as practiced in courtly etiquette. "Lady Revvine, a pleasant surprise. What brings you by?" "My Lord advised me to visit you, dear Sister. He believes we have something in common." Solaren giggled dryly, expression gone wry. "His concerns are over-rated." "Regardless, I am here to consult you on...." Revvine craned her neck tipping on her toes to check their surrounding. "Perfumery." To this, Solaren's brow jumped up with peaked interest. "Go on." "It is a lost art among us lesser gender." "Hmm...I wouldn't say that...Sister." She scooted over taking the basket off the bench to make room. "Please sit with me." Revvine sat down easily beside her, measuring her with those pretty brown eyes her brother adored so much. "I have been nursing, so I hadn't spent time experimenting on fragrances. You are subtle for one who works with scents." "I experiment and make discoveries. I don't wear perfume as those other ladies do." A soft giggle escaped Revvine modestly. "They can be the best customers if one makes a line of scents that suit their needs." "Oh? What would you know of that?" "I used to peddle to them." Solaren leaned over to whisper into Revvine's ear. "You never worked for them, did you?" Her brother's wife was hardly offended. "If I did I wouldn't be able to walk in public as I am. But I met a number of them during my escapade as The Poisoned Rose. They funded my efforts until your brother stopped me." Now, Revvine's nose turned up with her sour frown. "Now I'm just a woman trapped to these halls waiting for his next seedling and bear him another child." Just as quickly, Revvine corrected herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to complain like that to you----" "I'd love to have your luck, Revvine of Grace. Have a man who wants to sire his children with one of my aptitude." "Your aptitude?" "I am born adverse to magery. How about you?" "Me? Magery is foreign to my bloodline. Father always said to excel in something to fight the good cause. Not with magic or sword where I am short." "You mean the Grace Captain?" "Yes." Revvine smiled proudly. "I know he only married my mother last year, but I've always wanted to call him that." "He is your blood uncle." "Mm-hmmmm," Revvine uttered slowly, smiling pluckily still. "I would have been happier if only he had been my true father." "How can you be so open about this?" The dark haired woman lifted a brow and narrowed one eye. "Don't you feel the same pride with your own father?" Solaren smiled as politely as possible, looking away. Revvine continued speaking, unperturbed. "I know it seems unnatural for me to have that level of adoration for my blood uncle. However, he is the standard I hold to any man...idealistically." "And my brother?" Revvine darkened in consideration. "He has proven to be adept as a man." "You're angry with him." "I'm still angry with him. And yet, he is resourceful in this game of love. I hate the fact that he is winning so far." "Is that how you see your marriage?" "It's what we Gorrans do. Although...I hadn't expected him to be such a vibrant rival. I am truly impressed." Solaren thought a moment, daring to risk it in asking out loud. "Do you intend to betray him?" Revvine laughed incredulously. "I have no reason to." "I am curious. What do Gorran women do when they go behind their lord's back?" "Why, death, of course." As Solaren grew nervous, the other continued. "It is the utmost honor to shame their lord with the ultimate death in the presence of honorable witnesses. Her grievances will be spoken. Her children will be told and raised by other relatives to exact her revenge. Only a Lady of her House can invoke that, or course. Slaves don't have that kind of privilege, but they do it in other ways." The Princess of Falshire swallowed nervously. What she heard there was an eye opener. No wonder Revvine had perpetrated two miscarriages before agreeing to bearing her nephew into the world. And that was after with agreement from the House of Grace that she was willing to do so. It wasn't with their permission so much as some compromise or concession was made. Such was the intricacy of Gorran political marriages, or as they would put it, House Rules. Revvine measured her again with those dark eyes. "I don't appreciate you plotting against my cousin, dear Sister," Revvine said softly, expression cold and unreadable. "You did him justice to divorce him in pursuit of one that suits you. However, in case you do, I will do my part to protect his interest." "Sky Fall should know where your heart lies." "Oh, he does. I have been very frank with him on that." "So you came here to threaten me?" "No. My Lord expects me to carry out my duty as the House Rules allow." "Which means what exactly?" "Guide you, of course." "In what?" "The House Rules. You need to brush up on your politics. Those were his words, not mine. And I am only doing this as a favor to him." "May I know what that entails?" "The favor? No. It's private." Solaren reddened. She recovered to speak up again, changing the subject. "House Rules. Just what are they?" "It's philosophy, politics, values, and a game all in one set of laws-----" Revvine gave out several dry coughs. "Oh, my it's such a windy day today. Perhaps we should continue this talk another day, Sister." "Rev----" Warvisn made his appearance through the opening of the hedges. Revvine curtsied at them both and left without further comment. He stared after that woman intently, quite intrigued even. Ergo, her chances at winning him over, Solaren thought sunkenly in heart. He turned on her next. She stood to make her bow and curtsie. "Your majesty," she greeted calmly. "You know who I am," he inquired. She smiled. "Who doesn't?" she replied near giggling. "May I know your name, then?" "Solaren of Falshire." He frowned at a loss. Her name didn't ring a bell to him. "Everyone has Falshire for their name here. Whose clan do you belong to?" "Falshire's Crown, of course." Now, that sparked his interest. Within moments, epiphany scrawled onto his face. "You are The Royal Princess of Falshire." "Indeed." She nodded. "Who is she?" "The Lady Revvine of Grace, wife to my brother, The Crown Prince of Falshire." "Does she come here, often?" "No." He chuckled. "You don't approve of my interest in her." "I answered your question, that is all." "Where does she usually go to make her appearances?" "My brother's bed and the nursery." "Outside of her marital obligations?" "Family dinner. You may join us if I invite you." "Then, will you invite me?" "On one condition." "Which would be...?" "I need a man's opinion on an experiment. Would you indulge me?" "What does it involve?" "Your nose." He laughed out loud, amused by the proposal. "Just my nose?" "And time. It is a long project." "Tell me more on this...project. Is it a campaign?" Pause. "One might say that. I make perfumes. I need to find the one scent to counter a substance.... What? Are you laughing at me?" He shook his head. "I've never met one who boasts about her hobby." "Well, we've only met. I was hoping that we become friends before we eat at the same table." "Friends?" She dared to look upon him, picking up her lips into a smile. "Friends."