Third word

“Liorit! Why didn’t you tell me?!” Fati exclaimed, near slipping on her way down the stairs. 

I stepped into the foyer of her family’s apartment at the Court of Gaidos. I mentioned to you that they no longer live there—or I might’ve intentionally omitted it. Talking about Fati is difficult for me. 

Regardless, our evening plans to go to dinner were thwarted by her sudden distress. 

“I’m sorry, tell you about what?” I asked, running through all the latest happenings that I knew of.  

Gossip flowed through the halls like blood pumping through veins. The circulation of life and gossip is what Gaidos has built its brand on, and there were three concurrent happenings that she could’ve been alluding to. 

“Valkom is engaged to that rat-faced Rudarian! You had to know, he tells you everything.” She loomed over me from the fourth step up from the bottom, her waiting expression meeting me at eye level on the third.

I made a face at the near slur. His engagement was one of the said three events, and I thought the announcement was rather self-explanatory. 

“He did. He had to, we are trying to avoid going to war,” I said, placating her.

Months had passed since Valkom’s assertion regarding our fates. Tensions were high between Bevij and the Ruda, a large nomadic colony that resided in Bevij throughout the year. Neither side could afford the consequences of going to war. The Ruda had a currency few nations accepted as valid tender, and Bevij was one of the few. 

Meanwhile, Bevij was on the eve of signing in to an alliance with the northern countries, all which were in good standings with the Ruda. But this was a feud that preceded all of time. The fact that this union had been enough to quell both sides was phenomenal. 

But my offhandedness offended her. She beckoned me up the stairs, leading the way to her room. 

“Why aren’t you upset? He was supposed to marry you,” she asked.

I took a seat on the one empty chair in her room, the rest were covered in dresses. She must’ve been mid-outfit change when she received the news.

“I don’t know, we talked about it a while ago. He told me he wouldn’t marry me because it’s what my father wanted and not what I wanted.” 

I thought I had mentioned this to her. I knew her to be forgetful at times, though, so perhaps she had forgotten.  

“It’s not? What will you do now—” She froze at her realization. Something that we were forever conscious of and chose to put behind us—or I put behind us. 

Maybe she’d always been mindful of the fact. The fact that her family’s future depended on her marrying well. She didn’t have the luxury I had: the luxury of not caring. 

You have to believe me, Canelle, when I say that it gutted me. Whatever I was feeling, she was feeling it twice over. 

She fell into the chair by her dresser, exhausted, wordlessly gawking at the floor. “W-why am I so stupid?”

“Fati you’re not—”

“You’re the only person who doesn’t think so, Lior,” she snapped. 

She was unraveling. I had witnessed this many times before, and every time I talked her through it. 

“I’m just… tired of trying so hard… of knowing that I’ll never be good enough. No one here likes me because I don’t have the nice clothes or the nice jewels everyone else does. You don’t care about that stuff because you’re not shallow, I—” she sniffled and brought her hands to her face. 

“Fati, you’re still here. You and your family have good health. We will get through this.”  I pulled my chair up next to her. “Have faith in yourself. You are capable of more than you think.” 

She shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. “Not everyone is like you, Liorit… not everyone is as strong as you. I’m tired of hearing that money isn’t everything, when it very clearly is.”

It was wrong of me to tell her that I wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. I know what having great wealth does to people, and the lengths they’ll go to amass it. Yet that didn’t stop me from doing exactly that.

“Fati, I won’t let anything bad happen to you here.”

She stopped sniffling and reflected in her eyes was a hint of hope. “Have you seen her? Does she look like a rat?” 

It was a joke… I think. One that made me uncomfortable.

The people of Ruda were often regarded as ‘rats’ as a racial slur. Some of their facial features carried a reported resemblance to those of a rat. 

I attempted to dissuade her from using the word again. “Fati, we are trying to create peace between us and Ruda.” 

She nodded facetiously, “I know, I know, but seriously, have you seen her?”

“I haven't. He is bringing her over for dinner tomorrow if you want to come.” I extended the invitation, fully expecting her to decline. 

“Oh god no. Best of luck with that. I hope you’re serving dog.”

I flinched at the sharpness of her tone. It was another misconception that the people of Ruda ate dog. I didn’t correct her, I was afraid it would trigger another onslaught of emotions. I don’t regret not calling her out, I regret not calling myself out for believing it was fine.

Fourth word

Chaya, Champion of the Ruda Ridge, arrived five minutes to five, the communicated time. What Valkom failed to communicate, however, was that he wouldn’t be arriving with her. And from the look of it, he hadn’t communicated it to her either. 

 Looking at her, I prayed that Valkom wouldn’t be a complete ass to her. She was a striking young woman, Fati would be disappointed that she did not in fact look like a rat. Her features were soft for a champion, a title the people of the Ruda competed for via physical combat. Her nose did have the subtle bend in it that the Ruda were known for.

The dress she was wearing was horrendous, obviously gifted to her by our court, the Ruda dressed fashionably but with dexterity in mind. Bevij, on the other hand, strived to be the antithesis of everything already existing and rolled around in what had been already rejected by fashion.

Nowhere else in the world was as gaudy as Bevij. In everything, fashion, architecture, and social norms. 

“Many apologies,” she said post-introductions. “The hour he gave me was five in the evening. I’m not familiar with your customs, is it usual for guests to arrive late?”

“No, but this is in character for Valkom. Please, come in, sit.” I called for drinks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic, in case she had a preference. “I overlook his tardiness because I’ve known him for a long time, but for him to do it to you is disrespectful.”

“All things considered, I’ve been treated well enough,” she mused. Her voice was clear and carried well. “We have an expression back home that loosely translates to ‘thank you for opening your doors to me’. So thank you, Miss Liorit, you live up to the name. I don’t know if you know, but Valkom speaks fondly of you. Your friendship is a solid one, yes?”

“Yes. Sorry, I didn’t mean to start with my criticisms of his behavior, he is a good friend. He goes out of his way to spite his father and tends to rope others into it, that is all.” I glanced at the clock. If Valkom was going to be late, I might as well make good use of the time and help Chaya get a better read of his character. 

I continued, “I can’t say that he doesn’t consider other people’s feelings. He does. But he’ll look past them if it means getting a rise out of his father.” 

“I did get the impression that he’s not super inclined to be married.” She mused after some stagnant silence. “Which is fair I suppose, this is all for politics… and I hear this affected you as well. You were to wed Valkom is that right? I hope it isn’t something you resent me for.” 

The walls talk. I couldn’t feign surprise at the revelation. Of course, she knew. I didn’t want her to feel bad on my behalf, though, I wanted her to laugh.

“If anything, I owe you a favor,” I winked. “It wasn't an arrangement I was looking forward to, and as you’ve said, it’s all politics. I can do as I wish now” 

I assumed her laughter was her being polite. 

“If that’s the case, sit with me tomorrow at the formal. I expect that others won't be as accepting of a Rudarian Princess and would appreciate your support.” 

The servants in Gaidos were already running around setting up for the formal announcement celebration. A two-week-long festivity, to celebrate the engagement of the sole son of the King. Even Valkom’s father, who hated Gaidos and all it represented, was taking part in spite of it all. 

What she said was true, like Fati, others weren’t as open-minded about the idea of having a Rudarian princess. Their conflicts with Bevij went as far back as the beginning of written history, and the people of Bevij held onto it with a clutched iron fist. For some, it was part of their identity.  

“They won’t be kind,” I asserted. “But you have more power here than they ever will, so try to keep that in mind when they say hurtful things. I, on the other hand, see your invitation as an honor. Thank you, I’d love to sit at your table.” In an effort to get another laugh out of her, I tacked on, “And if anyone gives you a hard time, I can tell you the dirt I have on them.”

The visitor complied with light laughter. “You sound like you’ve given this speech before, but you don’t strike me as unpopular.” 

I did tend to give Fati regular pep talks.  

“Right, I do have a friend who is considered a bit of an outsider.”

“Ah,” she nodded. “Then I hope to meet this friend. Us outsiders should stick together.” 

I prayed that the doubt I had didn’t show on my face. She had good intentions, and in another version of our world, she would have a point. But knowing Fati, I couldn’t picture her opening up to Chaya anytime soon. I nodded and smiled. I liked Chaya and I wanted her to stick around. 

Small talk was made until finally the prodigal son graced us with his presence.

“Am I late?” he winked, and I made a display of disapproval. “She hasn’t been trashing my character, has she? If so, it’s all hearsay.”

She laughed again, and that was enough to convince me that she really was only laughing at our jokes to be polite.

Upon Valkom’s arrival, the staff began to serve the meal, so we migrated to the dining area. My father was back in Zapide, on our estate, making it only the three of us. Chaya was amiable through the evening. She commented on the differences between our customs and hers, and was overall pleasant company. 

Approaching the night’s conclusion, Valkom turned to Chaya and spoke openly, “I hope you enjoyed yourself this evening.” His face was flushed from the wine he ought to have stopped drinking a couple of glasses ago. “I expect it will be tough for you to adjust to life in Gaidos, not everyone is as welcoming as Lior. 

“The Court of Gaidos is full of sharks. I implore you to disregard anything they might say about you. If you ever need an honest-to-god, trustworthy opinion, Lior is the only person capable of giving that around here. So tomorrow, if at some point you’re tired of everyone’s bullshitary, I can’t leave. But Lior will happily save you from the ordeal if need be.”

I co-signed the statement with a nod, “My door is always open to you should you require anything.”

She met my eyes and I felt a warmness in my neck. 

“Thank you, Miss Liorit.”