Passion of the Different (16 page)

Chapter Twenty Four - The Event

While Ryan was given a large amount of freedom in the castle, there was always an armed guard within sight when he wasn't with Darya. Going into the city without express permission was forbidden. The armored fellow would point to a tapestry that hid a balcony every once and awhile to remind him of the
listeners
the queen employed. Such places were common throughout the large castle and privacy didn't exist. It was almost time for part two of his crazy quest for Darya to earn her pregnancy and he had to see just how far he could push her on this one. It would be within her power to grant the next phase, but she might be resistant. He had prepared arguments and counter points in his mind just in case the sexy queen of darkness proved overly stubborn.

He was more than sure though, after watching her sit through three bewildered feedings by his hand that she would do as asked. He told her she made a great accomplishment with him, and how much it made him happy. She glowed back when she had to, added happy expressions to her evil face only when expected. If she truly felt anything genuine for him, he didn't know nor did he care. What mattered is that she would fall for his trap and she was nearly there.

Later that afternoon he approached the lone guard. "I need to talk with a royal servant," and the nonspeaking fellow nodded, then glanced up at the hidden balconies and the
listeners
again. Darya was off tending to her war room and various generals which he wasn't allowed to join. That was both good and bad. It was bad because he knew they were discussing the eventual invasion of his adopted homeland. The good part was she wasn't around to countermand anything he requested, and he was to be granted anything within the rules they set up for him.

An orange robed fellow with blood red hair arrived in short order with a waxed tablet and stylus, the preferred manner in which official requests were received and recorded. He didn't bother asking anything, just cocked his head and waited for Ryan to speak.

"Does your realm have eight foot long darkwood fence posts?" he asked the little guy, who nodded after a moment's thought. "I'll need four of them in the castle courtyard tomorrow morning. The large
main
courtyard by the front gate, please," and as he continued with his shopping list and descriptions, the stylus darted back and forth on the wax tablet, recording every little detail in the flowing script Ryan couldn't read. After about ten minutes of talking and giving detailed instructions, he crossed his large arms and waited for any sign of refusal from the servant.

"I'll have everything in place tomorrow morning," his thin tenor promised. "Highly unusual, but orders are orders, my prince." Then the little fellow bustled off to do the tasks.

Ryan's eyebrows climbed his forehead in surprise. "My prince?" he asked the always present but silent guard. He shrugged and the armor lightly clanked. He couldn't care less who Ryan was, which showed the true level of such a worthless title.

It was after dinner in the common room where Darya gratefully fed herself that he sprang the next goal on his darling evil queen. "Tomorrow morning after breakfast, there's an event I have planned for us," he explained merrily. "It's the next step for us in our courtship, so I thought you might be happy to know about it, my queen."

"Oh my," Darya interjected with a half amused grin, unsure what to expect next. "Are you certain such an event, whatever it is you have in mind, is necessary?"

He grew solemn, almost saddened. "Dear me, yes," he explained gently, instantly looking worried. "It's important for us both, dear. Look, before we get involved physically we have to get involved up here." He tapped his forehead. "Mentally we must be prepared for each other. If not, I won't be able to do what's necessary. I won't be able to give you a child."

"Your wife did this event of yours?" Darya asked darkly, suspicion leaking into her strong soprano. "She did these without question?"

"She questioned them alright," he replied, pretending to remember out loud with a small dose of amusement. "Once Myra realized it was important to me, it became important to her. How else do you think she got pregnant? It doesn't work any other way with my people. I can't change that anymore than I can change how I look."

"I see," Darya replied, then nodded in reluctant acceptance. "If she did this event, then so can I. What is it?"

"Gather two of your strongest men and two of your fastest girls," Ryan told her, renewed hope riding his tone like a wild horse. "Send them to the main courtyard out in front of the castle. You and I both will go with as many guards as you wish. In fact, invite as many people as you can. The whole castle if possible, to watch from the walls and balconies. The rest will be a nice surprise, my darling queen."

Her beautiful dark eyes searched the eager expression on his face and he radiated dependence upon her acceptance. Then the edges of her mouth curled upwards into a tight smile. "Alright, you will have your event. After breakfast as you wish it." Ryan swelled with false pride.

The next morning there were several guards waiting outside of his bedchamber. He was stationed only one door down from Queen Darya's own luxurious suite in case he suddenly developed the desire to forgo his 'required' courtship. Usually there was only one guard and a servant, so the leader of the armed unit explained what was going on.

"The queen visited the main courtyard early to see what you had there, she is demanding you both be served at that location instead of the garden. She is perplexed and needs an explanation while you both have breakfast, my prince." He gave a formal Sanego salute, clenched fist thrust forward and slightly upward.

"Lead on," Ryan calmly ordered, trying his best to remain passive and calm.

The mixed crowd of pale people was extensive as they surrounded the main courtyard. The area itself wasn't small, a good fifty foot across its circular radius normally housed several vendors to the small castle population. Not today, not now. The area was cleared out and an eight foot wide track was roped off all the way around, making a slightly smaller circle within the larger area. Ryan took notice of the four darkwood posts in the center, a little lower than his waist and stretched out horizontally between two sets of stacked bricks. Perfect, they followed his instructions to the letter.

Two nervous looking women and two proud looking men sauntered near the front gate. Ryan knew what they waited for, though Darya was clueless by the expression on her sharp features. She sat near the east entrance at a smaller table with a large platter of finger foods. Hand picked and breaded vegetables fried in some type of peanut oil. He tried not to shudder as he approached her with a large smile.

"What is all of this?" she demanded of him when he sat in the seat next to her. Knowing it was placed there for him, he didn't dare not join her as expected.

"For us," he replied expansively. "Our courtship continues after breakfast as you promised, my queen. We're almost done with it after today, one last ritual left." He picked up a fried stalk of greens and crunched into it. His eyes dazzled with happiness and she sighed, clearly not understanding what was about to happen, yet too proud to say so.

"Almost done?" she said to him suddenly, head cocked to one side and looking cute as ever. He was glad she dressed in her green silk halter top blouse and shorts. Her feet were adorned with comfortable leather slippers. She crossed her shapely legs and looked impatient and hopeful at the same time. "One more thing after this and you'll finally give me what I desire of you?"

"Absolutely," he proudly announced. "If you like, I can start things off while you eat, my queen. I'm looking forward to doing this properly. For us, for you." For a moment he thought he played the vanity card a little too much as she stared at him.

"Please continue," she finally said, then gave him a deliberately slow blink. He couldn't read that type of expression and didn't know if it was good or bad, so he played along as if he was given high approval. She started to eat as he stood and raised his arms to the crowd, a call for silence. Used to years of strict obedience or the death penalty, the whispers and mumbles quickly vanished.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he orated professionally, wondering just what crazy part of his dark and mysterious memory such a twang originated from. It felt weird talking about himself in the third person, but it couldn't be helped. It simply came out that way. "Today you're going to witness the strength of your queen's chosen man, to prove once and for all that he can provide a worthy prince or princess to carry on her bloodline! Nobility through strength, honor through longevity!"

Ryan took a deep breath and continued, knowing this next part was going to shock the living crap out of Darya. "The second half of this royal event, you're going to witness the lovely grace and speed of your wonderful queen as she proves her ability to bear a child of immense strength! Fast as the wind, agile as a goddess, her remarkable power to outrun the fastest two women in the realm with a race around this very track you see, not once but twice over is her gift not just to me, but that of her people!"

The crowd erupted into a bawdy cheer and he turned with his best smile to Darya. She was frozen, still as a statue with her mouth half open and paused in mid chew of her food. If her eyes were opened any larger, he was certain they would have rolled right out of her head and onto the ground. Giving her an approving nod, he turned back to the crowd, half expecting a shout from her to put an end to the entire affair. To his relief she was too shocked to say anything.

"Now for the strength demonstration as I out perform not one, but
two
of your realm's strongest men!" Ryan continued, walking out to the middle where the heavy one hundred pound darkwood logs were laid across the bricks. He stripped off his green tunic and handed it to a common girl close to the rope and muttered, "Hold this for a moment, sweetheart." She clutched it while gawking at his muscular build. He gestured to the two men who were there thanks to Ryan's earlier instructions, they shucked off their tunics to display their own muscles.

Wire like hard straps across thin frames was the best they had, Ryan's own size made them seem weak just by appearances alone. The large man struck a few poses that came to mind without effort and his chest, back and biceps rippled. Never before had any of these people observed such a sight and they all gawked. Their cheers turned thunderous.

Ryan then held up his hand and the silence was again almost instant. He then turned and gestured to the two local strong men. "One log!"

The two guys got on each side and with visible effort and heavy breathing, they lifted one darkwood log and placed it back down. The clapping from the crowd was sparse, spattering from various directions but with no enthusiasm.

Ryan grabbed a darkwood log with both hands and lifted it high over his head. He shouted in triumph as he turned to show the entire crowd his strength. Then he faced Darya and bent his elbows for a moment, then straightened them again with renewed vigor and another victory shout. He smiled huge and chose very carefully not to pause over long while facing her.

She still had the serious look of bewildered shock on her features though her body language had changed, looking tense and ready to spring up. Ryan made sure she was watching his back again as he placed the log down, realized that this was probably the first time she had seen him with his shirt off. Good, let it sink in some as to what she had brought down upon herself.

"Two logs!" Ryan shouted to the crowd. The two men got some rope that was prepared ahead of time per the written instructions. They lashed two logs together tightly. Then they tried to lift the double load, one man on each side. They could barely get them off the bricks before setting them down, their own thin muscles strained so much they looked ready to snap.

Ryan approached the logs and roared in victory as he lifted them high over his head, making a repeat performance of his earlier display. The people completely lost it. Some in the crowd stopped clapping and raised their fists in the air, mocking his hold on the two strapped darkwood logs, letting out their own shouts of triumph. The big guy noticed Darya's paling expression at his ability to lift so much and the reaction he got from the crowd around him. In the few moments he faced her and had a savage look of effort on his features, he grinned a monster's smile as her hand settled on her upper chest. Those large dark eyes were still glazed but accepting. She must have decided to not interfere with his event after all. Good. He set the logs down with deliberate ease and faced the people again.

"Four logs!" he shouted, and the crowd gasped. He skipped three, knew full well the two guys couldn't pick them up if they could barely do two. The two men hustled as Ryan showboated by flexing his build with yet a different pose. They lifted the two remaining logs with strained effort, one at a time and stacked them. Then they used the last of their rope to lash all four darkwood logs together. They tested and retested the knots, then backed up and away without even trying to give all four a lift.

Ryan crouched and waddled beneath the logs between the two stacks of bricks. He didn't have to call for silence, it felt like the crowd of people were holding their breath. Each person there knew what those things weighed. No matter how big the unusual man was, he couldn't possibly be strong enough to lift
that
load.