Chapter 8

Nia joins her in the carriage where she has been dumped and locked in for two hours at least.

Kiara turns her face away from her, to hide her tear stained face from the girl.

Nia doesn’t say anything.

The carriage begins to move, soon after, Kiara hears a whip crack furiously and various unintelligible sounds coming from the hostler.

“Where are we going?” She asks.

“Home.” Nia replies.

“What about court?”

Nia looks at Kiara, her features twisted in utter confusion.

“The Emperor said we had court this morning.” Kiara expatiates.

“You can’t hold court with people who no longer exist.” Nia’s voice is toneless and cold as she says this.

Kiara feels the tears pool in her eyes. She is the sole reason her people have been annihilated.

The sole reason. She cannot bring herself to make eye contact with Nia.

The carriage begins to move with neck-breaking speed on uneven road, the carriage jolts and soon Kiara has to steady herself by holding on to the seat.

The blinds are drawn over the windows so Kiara can not see the terrain or know how much time has passed, and she doesn’t dare open them. They ride on for a very long time, so long that the confines of the carriage grows darker by the minute, alerting Kiara that dusk is fast approaching. She lays down on the soft cushion of the seat, curling into a fetal position with the large cape covering her body, before she knows it, the rocking motion of the carriage gently puts her to sleep.

Nia gently shakes Kiara awake, when the girl opens her eyes, there is a look of confusion on her face before reality dawns on her. She jerks to a start, sitting upright and pulling the Emperor’s velvet cape around her.

“What’s wrong?” Asks Kiara.

“Nothing.” Nia says, “We’re here.”

“Oh…” Kiara follows Nia out of the carriage and sets her eyes upon a vast land of emptiness.

She turns around, looking left and right but cannot see anything aside from large sand dunes. This was it? His castle?

She turns to Nia, “I thought you said we were here?

“We are.” Nia says, huffing as she hurls large chests out of the carriage.

“There’s nothing here!”

Nia drops the chest she is carrying and walks up to Kiara. When she is close enough, she grabs Kiara by the shoulders and turns her around. In the distance, a great city stands. Even though it is night time, the city shines with bright lights, it is something unlike anything Kiara has ever seen before, atop the hill within the city, a giant castle stands. Even from this distance, Kiara can make out the large windows of the building.

Her attention is pulled away from the sight by soldiers struggling against the wind to set up a tent. Were they going to sleep out here in the desert?

Kiara pulls the cape tighter around her shoulders to protect herself from the wind and follows Nia who is dragging a chest into a tent.

“So, why aren’t we heading into the city?”

Nia rises to her full height, her hands are on her hips, she gives Kiara an incredulous look. “He is an Emperor, one that has just come back from a victorious campaign, conquering more than three kingdoms. He will not ride into his own city at the dead of night like a thief. He will ride into his city with the rising sun to be welcomed by his people like the ruler he is. And then there’s you. The people have to meet their Conqueror’s wife, after all”

Kiara looks down at the ground. Was she to be known as the Conqueror’s wife from now on? She doesn’t say anything but watches Nia prepare the tent she realizes is hers, with the help of soldiers.

When the soldiers leave the tent and everything is in place, Kiara crawls into the soft bed, ready to call it a night.

“Get up.” Nia tries to pull the cape away from Kiara but it is wrapped tightly around her body to budge.

“I’m tired.” Kiara’s voice is muffled by the pillow.

“You have to clean up.” Nia starts. “He might want to spend the night here, with you.”

“He’s injured…too injured to try anything for a while.” Kiara yawns.

“You don’t know that…”

“I’ll take the consequences if he comes in, whatever it may be.”

“Go to sleep, Nia.” Kiara says before Nia can protest.

Kiara looks over the bed when she hears rustling clothes. Nia lays on the floor, a thin sheet under her, her face to the entrance of the tent. Kiara knows she will not go to sleep, she would keep watch until the Emperor came in.

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The next morning Kiara realizes that Nia was not joking when she said the Emperor would enter the city with the rising sun. She is awoken by Nia and her assistants before the cock crows, not that there are any cocks in the desert, but it is the best reference to how early she is dragged out of bed and dumped into that large iron tub with steaming water and scrubbed until she is clean.

Out of the water, dry, and lathered with different scented oil, Kiara watches Nia mix the henna in various delicate bowls. Different shades of brown and one vibrant shade of red. Kiara watches the women draw intricate lines, spirals and designs over every inch of her body, the ink dries fast and doesn’t smudge when Kiara runs a finger over the lines on her palm. It is quality stuff, not the cheap ink she lathered herself with on her wedding day, an ink so cheap that it didn’t survive a round of scrubbing that very day.

Nia bends down to examine Kiara’s face. “Ordinary powder won’t do. We have to use something that will cover the bruises on her face.”

“What about the ceremonial masks?” One of the young girls asks.

“That’s a brilliant idea, I will have to inform the Emperor.” Nia says this with some form of discomfort. When she meets Kiara’s eyes she shrugs, “He will not like it but there is no other way.”

When Nia comes back into the tent, Kiara is dressed in red lace embroidered with gold threads. She keeps rubbing the material between her fingers, it is soft, rich, delicate, like a single pull would rip it. Kiara notices the box in Nia’s hand, when Nia opens it, Kiara sees an intricate mask sitting on a velvet pillow. The mask is white, designed all over with red and gold lines, matching the colours on her dress. there are two carved out slits for her eyes, but none for her mouth. Nia places the mask over her face and secures it in place, the mask’s nose fits snuggly over Kiara’s and she begins to panic that she won’t be able to breathe, air fills her nostrils from the perforated holes underneath the mask’s nose.

A heavy red head piece with gold spikes is placed atop her head and Kiara is certain her neck will break under the pressure. Kiara senses the urgency in her handmaiden’s actions and knows the time has come.

“Do not look around, do not slouch, do not lower your eyes to the ground, do not wave, that would be assuming the role of his equal. Just keep your head up, your shoulders high and walk to the castle, maintain this posture until the castle doors are closed shut.” Nia whispers in sharp tones as she put heavy gold bracelets and anklets on Kiara’s hands and feet.

She is led out of the tent by Nia after two small slip on shoes are put on her feet. A carriage waits for her, a soldier holds the door open. Kiara gets into it but turns around when she notices that Nia isn’t following. Nia gives her a quick, dismissive shooo with her hand and the soldiers slams the door in Kiara’s face before she can do anything.

She settles herself onto a seat in the roomie carriage and gets the shock of her life when her eyes adjust to the dark interior. The Emperor is seated on the opposite seat. He is dressed in full body armour, gold of course. The only difference this time is instead of his helmet. He is wearing an intricate mask, the matching pair to Kiara’s, but somehow, he makes it more menacing, sterner looking.

He doesn’t say anything to Kiara, the carriage begins to move, Kiara hears a herald a little distance away blowing on his trumpet, announcing the Emperor’s arrival. The roaring sound Kiara cannot place now becomes clear and makes sense. It is the sound of the inhabitants of the city, they were cheering, chanting, whistling. The sound gets louder with every minute they ride closer to the city.

Out of curiosity, Kiara pulls the blind of the carriage back to look out the window.

“Don’t.” The sharp reprimand startles her to her senses. “Stop behaving like a filthy commoner.”

She composes herself and folds her hand in her lap. The remark stings but she is determined not to cry.

The carriage comes to a stop and Kiara hears the herald blow his trumpet right outside the carriage.

“Sit still and don’t do anything stupid. Wait for me to exit first and do not move a single muscle until I reach for you. Keep your head up and walk to the doors, do nothing else.”

The carriage door opens and the Emperor exits, a large roar is heard, Kiara sees the Emperor’s gauntlet reach into the carriage. She places her hand in his, and he gently guides her down to a carpet that runs from the carriage to the magnificent building before her. She realizes she is craning her neck to look at the castle and stops herself immediately. She also notices that everyone is quiet, they were staring at her. They suddenly break out in a piercing cheer that almost makes Kiara jump out of her skin.

The Emperor links her arm in his and begins to walk down the carpet. People begin throwing flower petals at both of them, she keeps her head up and resists the urge to look around at the people reaching out to touch her.

Kiara is grateful for the mask she is wearing, because the inhabitants of the city would see the face of a terrified woman otherwise. She is overwhelmed by the throng of people on either side of her, men, women and children of all ages, some balanced on their parent’s shoulders. People of all social distinctions, were waving palm trees and throwing flower petals on the path for her to walk on. Kiara doesn’t realise her eyes are wandering, her head turned left to look at the people cheering at her, she doesn’t realise she is disobeying one of Nia’s rules until she feels the small sharp tug at her arm. She falters further by turning to look at the Emperor, who stares down at her with hard gold eyes. Kiara doesn’t need to see his features to know he is furious, she breaks eye contact and lowers her eyes to the ground, which earns her a more forceful tug on her arm. Her head shoots upright and tears threaten to fall, they finally reach the castle and ascend the steps.

The Emperor turns back to face the people, raising his right arm to wave at them, the crowd erupts in another round of cheers at this gesture and Kiara is content with herself that she remembers not to wave. The door is shut by the guards outside, cutting out the noise to a dull murmur. The Emperor rips his arm away from their union with so much force that Kiara is almost thrown to the ground, at some point through their short walk, she had held on tight, clinging to his arm like her life depended on it.

He takes his mask off, his face is expressionless as he looks at Kiara up, down and up again. He turns around and walks away without saying a single word. His cape billowing behind him.

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