Chapter 10 Council

Ozmen's face contorted with a mix of anger and disbelief as he stood before Meera and Eryx in the small cabin. His piercing gaze bore into Meera, and his clenched fists betrayed the intensity of his emotions. The atmosphere in the room crackled with tension.

"Ozmen," Meera's eyes widened as her hand fell from Eryx's naked chest. She stepped away from the man and turned towards her cousin when Eryx suddenly reached out and grabbed her by the elbow, stopping her from moving.

Ozmen's jaw clenched, his voice sharp as he demanded an explanation. "What the hell are you doing here? Mother and Marcella are combing through the palace looking for you."

Meera, attempting to keep her composure, pulled her elbow free from Eryx's grasp. "Eryx, please," she implored, a plea in her eyes. When she turned back to look at Ozmen, his gaze bore into her. "How did you know I would be here?"

"Naya saw you leaving with Lady Zeya," Ozmen continued, his frustration evident. "She asked me to come get you before someone else found you here. You better thank your lucky stars that girl likes you so much."

Meera, still attempting to remain composed, explained herself. "I just needed to speak to Eryx."

"Alone?" Ozmen's tone was accusatory, and his eyes flickered disapprovingly between Meera and Eryx. "With his clothes off?"

Eryx, seemingly unbothered by the tension, rolled his eyes and interjected, "I was just showing the princess something."

"Spare me the details, will you?" Ozmen scoffed, a look of disgust etched on his face. "I have no interest in knowing what you were showing her. Let's go, Meera."

Meera sighed, attempting to diffuse the situation. "Ozmen, please. It's not what you think. I just needed a private conversation."

But Ozmen's anger simmered, his protective instincts flaring up. His anger and concern for Meera's reputation were evident as he swiftly took charge, grabbing Meera's hand and snatching up the cloak she had left behind. With a swift and determined motion, he draped the cloak over her shoulders, his actions a protective shield against potential judgment. Without waiting for Eryx's response, Ozmen began to guide Meera out of the cabin.

Eryx, unwilling to let Meera go without a fight, hurriedly followed them outside. His voice echoed in the crisp air, calling out to Meera.

"Meera, stay if you want to stay." He said.

Ozmen shot a warning look over his shoulder, a silent command for Meera to ignore Eryx's pleas. "Not a word, Meera," he cautioned, his tone firm.

Eryx, undeterred, continued to pursue them, his words filled with conviction. "He can't force you to go anywhere if you don't want to. You know you don't belong here. You belong with me, Meera."

The tension escalated as Ozmen turned sharply, facing Eryx with a fierce glare. "She's engaged!" he hissed, the urgency in his voice matching the intensity of his protective instincts. "I don't know how you do things back in your homeland, Eryx, but in Azmeera, everything you are saying right now can destroy Meera's life and her reputation."

"After everything he did, you still want her to marry that piece of shit?" Eryx demanded, his tall figure looming over Ozmen, his silvery eyes sparking like lightning with a fierce intensity.

"That's a decision that will be taken honorably at court," Ozmen declared, standing his ground. "Meera will come out of it without any fingers pointing towards her. But if you keep playing these games with her and people find out, she will be ruined."

"We're not playing games," Eryx insisted. "It's not what you think."

"No?" Ozmen asked skeptically, his gaze unwavering. "So you want to marry her?"

Meera, caught in the middle, felt her eyes widen in shock. "Oz... stop."

"How, Eryx?" Ozmen ignored his cousin's protests. "How will you marry Meera? Aren't you already engaged to another?"

Eryx's eyes flickered towards Meera, and he witnessed the sheer horror and embarrassment reflected in her eyes. She tugged on her cousin's arm, silently begging him to leave with her, desperate to escape the escalating confrontation.

"Stay away from her," Ozmen warned, his voice edged with a protective threat. "Or you will be responsible for what happens to her."

The air crackled with tension as the three of them stood in a charged standoff, emotions swirling like a storm. Meera was the first to let out the air in her lungs as she tugged on Ozmen's arm again. When she saw the flicker in Eryx's eyes and the desire in them to stop her, she shook her head silently. Her hand wrapped around Ozmen's arm as she hid her face in the cloak and hurried off the ship.

Meera's mind buzzed with a whirlwind of emotions as she swiftly climbed into the carriage at Ozmen's urging. The echoes of Ozmen's stern warnings lingered, and her heart raced with anxiety. The clatter of the carriage wheels against the cobbled streets seemed to match the disarray of her thoughts.

As she settled into the seat, her gaze flicked nervously to the bustling port around her. The once lively and vibrant scene now seemed ominous, with shadows of judgment lurking in every corner. The busy surroundings suddenly felt overwhelming, and a wave of fear gripped her.

What if someone she saw her with Eryx?

The weight of societal expectations and the potential consequences of gossip pressed down on her shoulders. Meera couldn't shake the worry that Ozmen's words might come true, tarnishing her reputation and causing irreparable damage.

She glanced around the crowded port, her eyes searching anxiously for familiar faces. Each passerby became a potential witness to her actions. The fear of judgment, gossip, and the disapproval of the people around her sank in, and Meera's confidence wavered.

"Don't you ever do something foolish like that ever again," Ozmen scolded. "We're not kids anymore. You can't just run out of the palace and think no one will think twice about it. You're about to get married. Do you have any idea what people will say if they saw you with him today? Do you know what they would call you?"

"I know! I know!" Meera felt the air in her lungs turn poisonous as she tried to keep the overwhelming thoughts under control.

"What were you thinking?" Ozmen shouted back, his own fears and worries making him angerier then he actually was. He knew Meera like the back of his own hand. He knew she would never do anything that would bring shame to the family. She was intelligent, kind, and level headed. But none of that mattered when he was face to face with the potential possibility of her whole future falling apart before her.

"I needed to speak to him," Meera said, lowering her voice because shouting would not help anyone feel better.

"About what?" Ozmen questioned.

"About the message he sent this morning," Meera began hesitantly. "I am not going to Voreios with him. I went to his ship to ask him why he was doing all this."

Ozmen regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "Did you get your answers?"

"I—" Meera paused, uncertainty etched across her features. She stared at her cousin, the weight of Eryx's words settling in her mind like a confusing fog. As she replayed their conversation, something shifted within her.

Suddenly, away from Eryx's snake-like gaze, the words that had seemed so real, so captivating, now felt like fragments of a story. The intensity of the emotions she experienced while speaking to Eryx seemed to dissipate, leaving her feeling disoriented and confused.

Meera's gaze turned blank as she attempted to reconcile the vivid emotions she thought were real with the newfound sense of unreality. She searched Ozmen's eyes, seeking answers in his steady gaze, as if he held the key to unraveling the confusion in her mind.

Had she really believed Eryx's tale? Was he speaking the truth when she confronted him on his ship?

The disconnect between the emotions that had surged through her during the conversation with Eryx and the current feeling of detachment left her in a state of inner turmoil. Meera grappled with the unsettling realization that the narrative woven by Eryx now seemed like a distant fantasy, casting doubt on the authenticity of the connection she thought she had with him.

"Well?" Ozmen waited.

"No," Meera managed to say. "I didn't get any answers."

"Don't go looking for any more either."

________________________

Knowing Meera wouldn't repeat her mistakes, Ozmen made the decision to keep everything that had happened btween themselves. With Naya's help, he snuck Meera back into the palace without anyone noticing. Naya was given strick orders from the Prince to keep an eye on Meera at all times.

Henry, on the other had, was not so easy to shake off Meera's trail. Wanting to fix his mistakes, Henry tired relentlessly to meet with Meera. He sent flowers, gifts, letters, anything under the sun he could think of. Meera read every letter and handed it to Naya to burn over the candle flames. On the third day, as the first bouquet of the morning arrived at Meera's door, Marcella arched her brow and lowered the tea she was sipping.

"More roses," Naya announced, bringing the basket out to the balcony where the princesses sat.

"Toss them with the rest, will you?" Meera smiled.

"Might be a note in there," Marcella said.

"You're right," Meera turned towards Naya. "Burn it, please."

"Meera," Marcella frowned with hesitation.

"What?" Meera questioned. "Do you really expect me to accept flowers from him after what he did to me and to you?"

Marcella tried to think of some responsible thing to say. She felt as if she needed to say something as the eldest daughter in the family. But when she couldn't think of anything to even falsly justify Henry's actions, her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"You're right," Marcella said. "Burn it all. Burn it to hell."

Naya bounced away happily with a menacing giggle. Meera laughed at her as she tossed her hair over her shoulders and leaned over the balcony. The salty breeze from the sea blew through her strands as the ghost of the pine and cedarwood scent mixed with it. Meera turned her head and took a deep inhale, hoping to catch the source of the scent. But everytime it left her wanting more, as if the air was teasing her.

"Has Henry's mother tried speaking to you?" Marcella asked, breaking off a slice of the rum cake before her.

"She has," Meera said, her chin resting upon her hand.

"And?"

"I listened," Meera said. "And then I said I needed time to think."

"Think about what?"

"I don't know," Meera sat up, frustrated by the ghostly scent in the air.

"Do you still want to marry him?" Marcella asked in all seriousness.

"No.....I don't want to," Meera said. "But...."

"Why won't you tell her that?"

"Because it's not simple," Meera said. "Henry and I didn't decide to get married on our own. It was decided for us for the betterment of both of our kingdoms. I don't think breaking off our treaty will be as easy as you think."

"Do you think father will still make you marry him?"

Meera felt her heart squeeze, "I don't know."

"Ozmen won't let it happen," Marcella announced. "You can be sure of that."

"How do you know?"

"Have you seen Henry's face?" Marcella laughed. "Who do you think is responsible for that?"

Meera's eyes widened, "What do you mean?"

Marcella continued to laugh, "When he found out from Naya what Henry did to you, Ozmen invited Henry out to have a drink. Henry got drunk and on their way home, a group of unidentified suspicious men attacked."

Meera gasped, "This is the first I'm hear of this. Why hasn't anyone told me? Are they looking for the men?"

"No," Marcella laughed. "Henry never reported the incident. He told everyone it was a drunken fight."

"Why would he do that?"

"Because," Marcella lowered her voice and leaned across the table. "If people were to find out the prince of Silverkeeps left the town's brothel drunk out of his mind, there would be an even bigger scandal then the one Eryx announced."

"Henry was at a brothel?"

"All the more reasons to not marry him," Marcella pointed out.

"I don't understand," Meera shook her head. "Ozmen did that? I thought - "

Marcella watched her cousine. She waited for Meera to finish her sentence.

"Nevermind," Meera shook her head once more, feeling more confused day by day.

"What's gotten into you?" Marcella asked. "Ozmen spoke to me, you know. About you and Eryx."

"There is no me and Eryx," Meera rolled her eyes.

"If there was," Marcella said. "You would tell me, right?"

"Of course, I would," Meera sighed and returned to the table.

"What's going on with you two?" Marcella wondered.

"Nothing at all..." Meera said. "Yet everything at once."

"Why did you go to see him?" Marcella asked. "Was it really to just speak to him?"

"What else would it be for?" Meera questioned.

"Was Zeya there?" Marcella asked, taking a small sip of her tea.

"Yes," Meera nodded.

"What's on your mind, Meera?" Marcella asked, seeing the look of bewilderment in Meera's eyes. "Talk to me."

"I don't know...." Meera spoke softly. "I've been having these strange thoughts and feelings."

"About?"

"About Eryx," Meera confessed.

"Oh?"

"You're the only one I'm going to share this with," Meera said, reaching across the small table and taking Marcella's hand. They had been the closest out of all the other siblings growing up. Meera knew she could trust Marcella with almost everything.

"What is it?" Marcella frowned, seeing the vulnerability in Meera's eyes.

"All this....everything Eryx is dong....it's not just to punish Henry," Meera said. "It's to take me with him."

"I don't understand."

"Eryx and Zeya believe I don't belong here in Azmeera," Meera confessed. "They want me to go with them to Voreios. And there are things that they have told me.....stories that sound like fables and myths."

"But Azmeera is your home," Marcella's frown deepened.

"I know," Meera nodded. "I know it's my home. But there's a part of me that believes them. I don't know why, but I feel as if they're here to help me."

"Help you with what?"

"I don't know!" Meera said with frustration. "I think I'm going crazy. I don't understand why I feel as if I know them....like I've known them my whole life."

"Maybe you've seen them before," Marcella offered.

"How could I have possibly seen them before, Marcella?" Meera huffed.

"Before..." Marcella said slowly. "When......the ships crashed."

Like a heavy stone falling off a cliff and disturbing the calm waves below, Meera felt the weight of her memories come tumbling down. Marcella's words acted as the catalyst, and the memories of her parents' death surged within her, an overwhelming tide threatening to drown her in sorrow. The emotions rose up like leaping water, breaking through the surface of her carefully guarded mind.

"I know you don't like talking about it," Marcella continued gently, her voice like a soothing breeze carrying the weight of concern. "And you've said you don't remember much of it. But what if you have met Eryx before?"

Meera's hand, which had been resting in Marcella's, slowly pulled back as a lump formed in her throat. "No," she uttered, her voice barely audible.

"Maybe Zeya—"

"I didn't see any of them!" Meera abruptly rose to her feet and walked to the edge of the balcony, as if seeking solace in the open air. The breeze brushed against her face, carrying with it the haunting echoes of the past. The back of her throat tightened, and the pressure inside her chest had no escape but to rise to her eyes.

As Meera stood at the balcony's edge, the tears welled up, threatening to spill over. Trembling, her breathing grew uneven, each inhale a struggle against the suffocating weight of grief. The memories of her parents, long buried beneath the surface, clawed their way into the forefront of her consciousness, unleashing a torrent of sorrow that overwhelmed her.

In the solitude of that moment, with the memories crashing like waves against the walls she had erected around her heart, Meera allowed herself to be vulnerable to the sadness that had long been suppressed.

"I don't want to make you upset," Marcella spoke softly. "I'll stop."

Grateful for her understanding, Meera nodded her head. She parted her lips and pulled air into her lungs, a conscious effort to keep herself from sniffling. The mere mention of the day her parents died had always been a source of pain for Meera. She hardly remembered anything from that tragedy, except her father looking into her eyes and telling her to take care of her people. It was a memory etched in the recesses of her mind, a burden she carried with a heavy heart.

As Meera grew older, she came to realize that her father knew all along he wasn't going to make it back to Azmeera. Meera was his last hope, and he had done everything in his power to save her, sending her back to his kingdom.

"Meera," Marcella rose from her chair and walked to where the girl stood. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Meera whispered, her voice a fragile thread holding back the emotions threatening to spill over. She placed her hand over Marcella's on her shoulder, finding solace in the shared sorrow.

"I miss them too," Marcella admitted, leaning her head down on Meera's shoulder.

Meera, unable to speak without letting the tears run down her face, slowly nodded her head. She turned away, seeking a momentary distraction, when suddenly her eyes caught on a group of twelve men dressed in silver robes entering the palace.

"Marcella?" Meera's brows knit together. "Who are they?"

Lifting her head, Marcella followed Meera's gaze and quickly straightened up. She stepped forward, her expression clouded with worry.

"Silver robes," Meera said, her voice tinged with concern. "The council from Silverkeeps?"

"Yes," Marcella confirmed, her voice laced with apprehension. "They're here for Henry's trial."

In that moment, the weight of personal grief intertwined with the looming trial, and Meera felt a surge of mixed emotions—sorrow for her parents, concern for the impending trial, and the realization that the challenges before her were far from over.

Happy New Year!