Marked by Honor - 7

Chapter 7

Halua laid back on the bed, knowing he had made a mistake. He couldn’t believe how foolish he was. What audacity! He probably just made a mess of the whole engagement! He had to apologize. But he couldn’t go right away; Reshar, if he was angry, would not accept such a quick turn around. He would be too stubborn, surely. A man’s temper was a delicate creature to handle. Halua had to play his cards right to tame the beast and win his favor.

But how? Sighing, he stared up at the ceiling. He hadn’t meant to leave such a bad impression first hand. Now he had to fix it.

He stayed sprawled in bed, wondering how he might approach Reshar. The man did not seem like the forgiving type, but he might excuse Halua if he said all the right words and humbled himself to Reshar’s liking.

Yet what exactly was to Reshar’s liking? Halua knew that the man did not like women in the slightest. He considered them weak and useless. Then would he like a woman who wasn’t weak or useless? The answer should have been yes, but Halua hesitated. Despite the plausibility of his theory, Reshar wasn’t the type to accept anyone of equal or higher command than him. Least of all a woman. Which in and of itself was a contradiction.

So what did Reshar appeal to? Halua groaned quietly. He would rather try and figure Banthus out than Reshar. The man was a mystery but at least he was more approachable.

Turning his head, Halua looked at the window of his room. He got up to open the screen and stared outside, feeling hopeless about the matter. He continued looking outside until he heard someone at his door. “Come in,” he called and turned to see who it was.

It was Mern, of course. The man approached the side of the bed where Halua was. “Have you met with Prince Reshar yet?”

Halua nodded. “I have. He came to me and we spoke.” When he saw the inquiring look Mern wore, Halua frowned. “We had a disagreement. I do not think we set off on the right foot.”

Mern returned the frown. Thankfully, he did not ask what the argument was about, for Halua felt awkward about the idea of telling him. “Is it possible to regain his favor?”

“I do not know. But I will try to.” He looked up at the old man. “I’m sorry, Mern.”

A hand touched his shoulder comfortingly. “I am aware that this is not easy for you. Try your best. If he does not yield, I will attempt to persuade him.” When Halua gave a small nod, he added, “The temple will be offering the prince and his party some food shortly. Perhaps you can use that opportunity to talk to him.”

“I will. Where will he be?”

“I believe Prince Reshar is being housed on the west side of the temple.”

“Thank you. I will visit him shortly. Tell me when the temple has served him.”

“As you wish, Princess.” With that, Mern took his leave.

Halua used what time he had alone to gather his wits and figure out what he might say to Reshar when they met up. His thinking brought him to the window again, where he leaned against the sill. He waited there until Mern returned, telling him when the temple had finished attending to the prince and his men.

Halua was escorted by the guard -- whose name he still didn’t know -- and carried out of the house to travel across temple grounds to where Reshar was staying. Along the way, Halua caught glimpse of a familiar figure standing in the distance, half hidden by one of the temple trees. Halua smiled at him discretely, silently promising that they would meet later.

When they came to the west house, Halua was let down. He told the guard to go back on his own. He would call for someone to take him back when the time was appropriate. The guard was hesitant, of course, but he obeyed without argue.

Halua delicately padded his way to the front door and knocked. He waited only a brief minute before someone answered, revealing a stocky man in an unfamiliar uniform. If Halua had to guess, this man was part of Reshar’s guards, or perhaps his military.

“I wish to speak with Prince Reshar.”

The man stood aside, gesturing within. “This way, Princess.” He guided Halua to the dining room where Reshar and one other man were seated and partaking of what food had been offered them.

When he saw Halua in the entryway, Reshar paused. The two exchanged no words at first, but then the prince stood up and politely nodded his head. “Princess Halua.”

“Prince Reshar,” Halua returned, bowing.

Reshar tilted a brow and gestured to the man at the table with him. “Excuse us.”

The man stood and saluted the prince before slipping out of the room, bowing to Halua as he left. When the door was closed behind him, Halua returned his attention back to the prince and approached the side of the table.

Reshar leveled him with an even look. “And what do I owe the honor of your visit?”

“I merely wish to speak with you.”

“Will I be scolded once more?” The question was almost accusatory, as thought he expected Halua to lash out at him. Considering his opinion towards women and how Halua had treated him last time, there was no doubt that in his eyes, Halua was uncouth.

“I do not scold. However, I will speak the truth if I am able.” Halua’s lips tightened slightly as he chose his words. “I am a person and wish to be respected as such, that is all.”

Reshar’s eyes raked over him, from head to toe and back again. He snorted, cocking his hand to his hip. “You are a brassy woman.”

Halua graced him with a smile. “You are not the only one who is disappointed with me.”

The man shook his head and gestured at the seat that his guard had just vacated. “Sit. You shouldn’t be on your feet.”

Halua took the offer and sat down, sighing in relief when he was able to rest. He saw the way Reshar looked at him when he heard him sigh and pressed his lips together in a manner that challenged the man to say something.

This wasn’t what he was supposed to be doing with Reshar, but at least the man was talking to him. Halua considered himself lucky that Reshar hadn’t been angry with him to the point of ignoring his existence. He could assume there was still hope.

Reshar leaned against the arm of his chair and studied him across the table. Halua studied him just the same before daring to say, “What customs must I be aware of and prepare for?”

Since Reshar thought him a “brassy woman” yet didn’t turn him away, he hoped that a willful attitude would serve in his favor. He didn’t believe that groveling at the man’s feet would put him in a favorable position; he could think of nothing else but try this approach and hope the results continued to be favorable.

“I am hardly familiar with customs of engagement,” Reshar supplied. “Or rather, I couldn’t care for them. Were there someone here who did, I would direct you to them. Since such a person is absent, you are free to follow your own customs. However, there is one thing that must be done.”

“What is that?”

Reshar leveled his gaze at him. He looked thoroughly irked at what he was about to say. “I must teach you the ways of pleasing me in preparation for when we are wed.”

Halua choked. “P-Pardon?” He thought Reshar wasn’t interested in taking him to bed...

Reshar leaned back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He cocked a brow at the expression Halua wore. “You will be in charge of making my life easier as I govern our people and lead the army. Anything I ask of you, be it simply to fetch me tea or tend to any paperwork in my stead, you must be capable of doing.”

So he was a crutch to lean on. That’s what he meant. Halua felt ridiculous as he realized his mistake. Reshar was not asking about pleasures in bed, but merely attending to him whenever it was deemed necessary. Much like a maid or assistant. Halua felt heat rise in his cheeks, embarrassed that he had misunderstood.

“Ah, I see,” he muttered. His gaze flickered to the side, unable to look at the man at the moment. “Is there anything else?”

Those pale eyes remained focused on him. “No, that is all.”

Halua cleared his throat delicately. “Then when might we start these lessons?”

“Later this eve. I wish to settle in first.”

“Then I will return after dinner, if that is suitable?” Halua risked looking at Reshar and saw him nod. “I will take my leave and allow you to finish your meal.” He stood up, eager to retreat from the room while he still had some dignity left.

“Ask one of my men if you need assistance.”

Halua only smiled his thanks, the corners of his mouth straining as he left the room. He did not call for one of Reshar’s men to aid him in returning to his side of the temple grounds. He had had enough embarrassment as is, and would have liked a moment of peace.

Paying no mind his own physical state, Halua walked across the bridged path between houses. He managed to make it part of the way before he stopped. Damn these blisters and sores. He wondered how much longer it would take for them to finish healing.

Shaking his head, Halua looked across the temple grounds and noticed he had circled to the northern side. A long path stretched to yet another house on the far side, but Halua couldn’t tell what it was used for. A large bell hung at the gate, a thick painted cord extending from the center. It was a bell meant to be rung, but for what reasons, he didn’t know.

“Should you be standing?”

The deep rumble of a voice behind him made Halua turn. He smiled instantly when he saw who it was. “Possibly not, but I suppose I’m being stubborn.”

Banthus held out a hand to him.

He blinked and glanced down at the hand. He couldn’t understand why, but this man’s gentlemanly ways were more appealing than when anyone else did it. He supposed it amused him to a point, since the mannerism was a peculiar juxtaposition with his appearance. It almost made Halua want to be treated like a fair woman even though the idea still bothered him as a whole.

Slipping his hand in Banthus’, he said with a teasing smile, “Be there to catch me if I stumble.”

Banthus nodded like a dutiful man and curled his fingers around Halua’s hand. Hand in hand they walked, Banthus close at Halua’s side like a guardian beast. If he could, Halua would have liked to employ him as his personal guard. He knew little of Banthus’ lifestyle, though, and he had doubts that the man would enjoy the confinement of a palace as opposed to his travels and freedoms.

Spotting a bench beneath a tree on the far side of the temple grounds, Halua suggested they go there. “I would return to my side of the temple, but I’d rather not run into my babysitters.”

“Will they come looking for you if you are away too long?”

Halua shook his head. “Eventually, but they assume me to be speaking with my... with Prince Reshar. They would not interrupt if unless it was deemed absolutely necessary.” They arrived at the bench and Halua smiled when Banthus guided him to sit down. “Thank you. They will never deem it necessary lest I say so.”

Banthus sat next to him, at last letting go of his hand. Halua, finding the touch all too comforting, felt strange when it went away. He was tempted to take Banthus’ hand back into his own, but he forced himself from giving into the temptation by folding his hands in his lap.

“Do you speak of Prince Reshar of Sselu?”

Halua nodded. “The very same.” He frowned slightly at the thought of the man and how their relationship had come to be.

“You do not seem to be in favor of the prince.”

Hearing that, Halua looked up at the man next to him. He sighed softly. “I won’t say I’m not in... favor of him, per se, but he and I have very different opinions. Were it not for our parents, we would not have been involved with each other in the slightest.” He gave Banthus a wry smile. “He is not an easy man to talk to.”

Banthus nodded slowly. “I have heard he is a very strict man. Disciplined. His reputation amongst soldiers is admirable, and he commands respect.”

Halua laughed dryly. “Yes, he has expressed deep pride in his armed forces. They are his life. Little else is of interest to him.”

The man gave him a long look, those dark eyes of his piercing through. Halua felt a shiver run up his spine, that familiar feeling coursing through him. “You and he are more than just simply involved,” he said.

Halua assumed the man to be guessing at his and Reshar’s relationship and nodded.

“Yet you do not feel for him fondly, nor does he you.”

“I suppose that is one way of saying it.” He shook his head. “But enough about that. I don’t want to talk about him. You promised me stories.”

The corner of Banthus’ mouth tipped slightly. It was almost a smile. Halua was curious to see what a real smile would look like on the man’s face.

“So I did. What would you like to know?”

He shrugged a shoulder. “Anything. Wherever you wish to start is perfect for me. Eventually I hope to hear all of your stories.”

Banthus looked at him in surprise, his brows rising at the smile on Halua’s lips. He studied his face, as if gauging whether or not that was just a joke, but upon seeing the serious tint in his eye, Banthus gave a low chuckle.

The sound was like magic. Halua loved the way it resonated, as if the very vibrations of his voice were buzzing within his body. Surprisingly pleased, and perhaps more than just that, he smiled warmly in return, silently hoping it wouldn’t be the last time he heard that laugh.

“I will tell you of the time I crossed the desert of Alnuut.”