Chapter 2

“One dance or more. Two dances, shake the core. Three dances make the dream. Four dances, shall it be”

Marina

The washing board was not doing enough to help my wavering mind. Even though I was using the last drop of flour keneri that we had for dinner in my blood to produce a truck load of energy. Wasting it upon the pile of clothes I had gathered to be laundered and returned by tomorrow.

Gruup…. Gruup… Gruup…

Was the sound the board made each time it came into contact with my hands. I was on my knees and elbows deep into the washing basin.

Still I couldn’t help my thoughts.

“Are you really going to keep sulking for the rest of your life because his royal highness did not allow you to be his booty call?” Jeneva’s voice broke through my silence.

I glanced towards the direction it came from and I saw her passing between some yellow linen I had pegged to the clothing lines that belonged to Madam Swede. Seeing the clothing reminded me that Madam had requested after laundry fragrance and if I forget to put that in, I couldn’t charge her extra.

“Jeneva, I’m kinda busy right now” I say. Definitely not in the mood for any of her conversations at the moment.

“I can see that. The same way I can see that you’ve been drowning yourself in chores ever since you returned from the Flame Cycle Request Meeting. You’ve had your knees to the ground for at least twenty hours out of the twenty four hours we have been blessed with in a day. Are you seriously going to remain like this?” She plopped down on the unwashed pile of clothing I had kept before me. Her concern was a bit too evident in her voice.

I released a sigh and bit down on my lower lip to hide the fact that I was on the verge of tears.

I had a lot to regret from that night.

Beginning with the well of embarrassment that had been dug deep within my chest after watching the King walk out on my request. The snickers and hidden chuckles that followed after caused my temperature to burn.

Suddenly, the heat within me outweighed the cold winter breeze from the North and I was too hot in my dress that I could not wait to get home and rip it off my body.

The second is the fact that I had used all I had, to prepare for that day. Only for it to turn out to be an absolute flop. My hopes did a total of seventy times ten somersaults in the air and landed face flat in the mud. I had used the last bronze coins from my savings to order a carriage ride back to town.

Now I was down to zero coins. It’ll take me four whole years to be able to save up for my classes once again.

Then, it had been two whole weeks since the Flame Cycle Request Meeting. Two weeks since I sacrificed all I had to disgrace myself in the throne room, before hundreds of people.

The gossips in the market were already whispering about how delusional I was to think the King would actually consider my offer. Especially, since all consorts were chosen and not auditioned.

There was also the undertalk saying that my mother’s illness had made me a mad woman, for me to seek being a consort to King Xanthanius. The man had a very dark history among us commons.

It is known that the blood of royals is immortal. Meaning, once you’re a royal, wedded to a royal and sealed by blood covenant or born of a royal. You would live eternally.

There was only one plant, of which its name is always only known by the King and the Chief Healer of the castle, could kill a royal. It is said its venom is slid into the hilt of a dagger and when it is very necessary, the royal would be stabbed directly in his/her heart to put an end to their lives.

But five hundred years ago, according to stories that filled up the books of Aspena history in the community library, King Xanthanius, then prince, was the only royal who had been stabbed in his heart against his will and submission over an act of treason.

It was said, he gave up vital warrior information to the enemy camp and as punishment, was killed.

Killed by whom? No one knows.

Records stated that his father had tried to avert the punishment as Xanthanius was his only son and heir, but the prince was later found assassinated in his room.

Five hundred years after. After generations of commoners had come and gone. Xanthanius strangely arose from the dead and comes back for the throne. Then killed his father and imprisoned his mother. In the same breath, orders the execution of the high adviser and many other elected members of the castle parliament.

Then he crowned himself the King of Aspena with no one to refute.

How dare you anyway?

Somehow, I did believe I was insane to want to be a consort to someone of such caliber. My desperation was driving me to extreme edges.

It was a great surprise that my older sister was yet to have a huge talk with me. I’m certain the news had gotten to her hearing by now.

Truly, there was no time to shed tears but Jeneva was right. I had been overworking myself ever since. I tried hard to convince myself that I just needed the extra money to be able to get my savings back up but deep down, I knew even if it was part of the reason. It was not the major reason.

The actual reason was, I wanted to constantly remind myself that this was the life of languish the gods had chosen for me and it would be of better good that I accepted it with open arms and worked my arse off while at it.

“Marina” two hands landed over mine as I scrub a purple camisole that stunk of horse excreta down the washing board.

“Remind me to change the water after this conversation” I said to Jeneva as she stared into my face, hands still on mine.

“You cannot continue like this”

“What other choice do I have?” It almost came out like a lash and I noticed she flinched a little. “I’m sorry. It’s just-“

“I know Marina. I do not blame you but with the strain you’re putting on yourself these days, you could have a seizure soon and that would be another health chaos to your home”

She was right. We couldn’t afford another sick person. That would mean sending my father straight to his grave and have my mother follow suit.

“I used everything…” it came out almost short of a sob. My vision was now blurred by tears.

“We know. You did what you felt was best. Just come inside for a cup of tea? Madam Mongolia doesn’t want you passing out on her property” that was her boss’s odd way of saying ‘I care about you’.

Madam had no idea that I had been asking questions about the consortship because I had plans to seek the position. She thought it was just out of mere curiosity and interest that the girl who made use of the back yard of her fashionere would be invested in her stories.

In as much as I was, I also had a deeper motive.

But now, the news of my request had made rounds with a bit of attuning to suit the gossip monger’s taste, and she had not only heard of them but had asked Jeneva if the speculations were true.

I felt ashamed to face her in person once more and my routine for the past two weeks had made that easy. Rally up an enormous pile of clothing and begin the laundry before she arrived at work, then leave after she had left for home because that apparently coincides with when I would be done.

Another reason I feared facing her was because I didn’t want to get Jeneva in trouble. The back yard was gifted to me by Madam because Jeneva had put in a good word for me and she trusted Jeneva. With any other person, I was to pay for the space but she doesn’t collect as much as a copper coin.

Currently, it looked like I came under her nose to steal information. Which was not true. I had only developed interest in the role of a consort after Madam had given us a glimpse of her world as the King’s consort and it seemed like what a dream world would look like for me.

My selfishness may have implicated the one good friend that I had.

“You’re zoning out a lot more these days. Come in for tea?” Jeneva’s voice, once again, broke through my train of thoughts.

“What kind?” I ask, knowing fully well it wasn’t an offer to make tea for me but an offer to join them for what they were having.

“Lavender. Madam Mongolia added a little buckleberry pulp in the teapot and my goodness, it smells divine”

The little smile that escaped my lips at her expression reminded me of how long it had been since I did that.

“Maybe tea doesn’t seem bad”