The Arranged Marriage (17 page)

“Order a small collection of men to
travel with me to the Moors,” Rohesia heard Ison say as he relayed
his orders to someone from inside of the kitchens. She edged closer
to the doorway to listen more intently. “I have received acceptance
for a meeting with Fabian early this morning,” He continued. “We
are to leave here once we have broken our fast.”

“
Glad we’re eating first,”
Josa replied. “Just in case we get Mookai cursed for entering their
sacred land.” He teased. Rohesia found this an appropriate moment
to enter the kitchens.

“Let me come with you.” She said
quickly, as she approached the two men conversing. She noticed her
father who was eating at one of the tables next to them. He seemed
to be breaking his fast in here a lot of late instead of in the
dining room. She wondered why.

“Rohesia?” Her father demanded before
Ison could get a word out of his own mouth. “What are you doing up?
You are supposed to be resting.”

“I am fine father and I have been
resting since yesterday. Why are you going to see the
Mookai?”

“
Rohesia you need to go
back to bed. We have all the business in hand.” Ison told her, his
patience running out at her constant neglect to look after herself.
She didn’t back down.

“I am not going back to bed my lord so
cease nagging,” She snapped back at his condescending tone. “I just
want to know what is going on. Does involving the Mookai have
anything to do with the attack?”

Josa picked up on the tension and
decided to take charge of the situation.

“My lady, do not alarm yourself,” He
advised her, feeling quite wise. “We are only going to warn the
Mookai about the attacks and request their help with the
tunnels.”

She smiled at him in gratitude,
grateful that someone was willing not to treat her like a child.
But the way Josa looked back at her with a smitten look on his face
made Ison tighten his hands around the book he was holding, rather
than taking hold of Josa’s throat. Rohesia intervened before he
could say anything.

“So you’ve decided to search the
tunnels after all? That is a good notion my lord.” She smiled at
him in a different way, a way that said she was his, and it made
him want to grab her and kiss her for it.

“I felt it the best notion,” He
purposely coughed to clear his head. “But we need more manpower
from the village so we can open up the tunnels and map them out
before blocking them for good. It is important that we know where
they lead so we are less vulnerable to any further attacks. The
Mookai might be able to help with that.” He hoped he had said
enough to encourage her back to bed.

“I would like to go back to my earlier
request of coming with you my lord,” She stated, making him groan
inwardly. “I have been meaning to call upon Fabian for a while but
it has always been considered improper to do so.” She threw a look
towards her father as if to blame him for her not being able to
visit before. Ison picked up on the accusation in her
voice.

He quickly considered her request. If
he said no to her right now then she would most likely blame him
for keeping her away from Fabian, suddenly wondering what the
relationship had been between them anyway. She would then
undoubtedly make his life a misery if he refused and he could do
without that right now. He was growing soft, he thought.

Making comfort with the fact that he
would only be humouring her in order to find what the relationship
was she held with Fabian, he decided to announce that she could
join them.

“Very well Princess,” He said whilst
putting the book down to stand tall. He needed emphasis for his
next words. “You may join us, but there will be
conditions.”

Rohesia couldn’t believe he was not
going to argue further with her, and she was suddenly very excited
about seeing her old friend again. Her heart started to beat
quicker at the gesture. Her father didn’t look so sure.

“Very well. What conditions?” She
asked.

Ison stared at her for a moment as if
considering how much to tell her.

“You do not speak unless spoken to and
consider your answers carefully. You know how temperamental the
Mookai can be,” He said, his face impassive. “And, my lady, we are
not to let it be known we believe the tunnels end at the Mount, do
you understand?”

She understood very quickly but didn’t
feel comfortable with lying to her friend to manipulate the Mookai
into helping them.

“Surely there is another way to get
them on board?” She pleaded. “You know they will not be very happy
when they learn that you have deceived them.”

“You know the Mookai Rohesia, they
only look after their own. We need their instincts and their man
power if we are to ensure the safety of Centurias,” He shrugged.
“Plus, if we all keep our mouths shut there is no way of them
knowing that they end at the Mount. We can just act ignorant to the
fact.”

Rohesia shook her head.

“I can’t lie to him, he will
know.”

“Rohesia,” He demanded, not liking her
kinship to Fabian. He knew how attractive the man was to the
females of the Mookai. “We are not yet certain the tunnels continue
on the other side of the Mount so it is not exactly a lie is it?
Now those are my terms and if they do not suit, do not
come.”

She thought fast. The Mookai had no
way of blaming them, if they themselves were not certain if the
Mookai were in danger. In fact they would be doing them a
favour.

“Very well,” She finally said to them.
“I accept your terms. I will ride with you.”

He was marvelled at how she made it
look as if he had been trying to get her to ride with them, and not
the other way around. He looked at her warily before nodding
towards Josa to head towards the table to break their
fast.

Argarth hid one of his smiles as they
joined him at the table. A little smug that Ison’s feelings were
deepening towards his daughter, even if he didn’t know it
yet.

The journey to the Moors had been a
quiet one, Rohesia reflected as they made their way through the
border. The anticipation of seeing Fabian again was overwhelming,
but she was careful not to let it show for Ison’s sake.

As they travelled past The Loyal she
allowed herself to think back to their goodbye, when Fabian had
told her the devastating news. The news that his inherited
leadership would no longer allow them to see one another. They had
both cried in each other’s arms at the thought of losing the one
person in their lives who understood them.

It had been hard following their duty,
and Rohesia had been willing to boycott hers in order for them to
be friends, but to Fabian the leadership was an honour that he
could not sacrifice. His people were not as willing as hers to
forgive any sway from tradition and Fabian had known this. Their
goodbye had been the last time they had seen each other.

Ison looked over in her direction as
they rode together, and very quickly wished he hadn’t when he
witnessed her deep in thought. He decided to break the silence as
the potent jealousy rang through him.

“It should not be long now Princess,
we are to head toward,”

“The Traja Oak,” She finished for him.
“We are to wait there until the Mookai choose the time to meet with
us. Then their leader should follow.” She spoke as if reading from
a book, obviously trying to be nonchalant for his sake. He didn’t
know whether to be touched, or very worried.

“Yes,” He continued where she left
off.” “We obey their orders when we get there. Our arms are to be
left at the oak before we travel further into the Moors. Are you
well with that?”

“Of course, but I do not have any arms
to surrender.” She teased with a smile lightening the air. Ison was
suddenly thrown off course as the spell of her beauty reached right
through to his soul. He didn’t know what the damnation was
happening to him ever since she had swam into his life, but what he
did know is that the voices had stopped, and he was starting to
slowly believe he deserved a bit of happiness; especially if his
happiness was with her.

“
We’re here,” He announced
as the large oak tree came into view. The name Traja was Mookai for
‘Blessed’ as it was rumoured the old tree held great power due to
how long it had stood unharmed. It was honoured throughout all of
the Mookai, and whenever permission was requested for a visit into
the Moors, it was tradition to wait by it whilst being assessed by
hidden Mookai. This would give them an advantage to see if there
were any threats to their people. To dishonour it meant
dishonouring the Mookai traditions.

“Lay down your weapons and dismount
from your horses,” Ison ordered the small group of men who had
journeyed with them. “Stand free with your hands in the open and do
not make any sudden movements.” He had lowered his voice as
everyone, including Rohesia, followed his orders.

“Who wishes to come here?” The voice
came from the trees. Ison looked on this as a good sign that they
were acknowledged promptly. It was known that some visitors had
been left waiting until they had been forced to make
camp.

“
It is Prince Ison,
previously Sir Ison of Mull. Your leader has accepted our request
to meet with him today.”

“And who rides with you?” The voice
demanded.

“Princess Rohesia of Ecripian,” She
announced before Ison had the opportunity to introduce her. “And
our small band of honourable men whose desire is only to guide us
well here.”

He watched as she knelt deep into a
curtsy and held her pose for a moment before rising to full height.
He felt the pride run through him.

“Very well,” The voice came again,
before five men with long dark hair walked out through the trees.
Ison noticed they were armed as they walked towards
them.

“We announce Fabian, the leader of the
Mookai.” The tallest man said before they all moved to the side,
creating a pathway for their leader to move forward.

Fabian Woodfayre came forward to greet
his guests, his stature taller than the others and his long hair
golden; the defining characteristic that had been shared by each
leader of the Mookai through the generations.

His age was not far from that of
Rohesia, but upon the sight of him she was aware of the harsh lines
that had reached his eyes. He looked tired.

“Welcome my friends,” He addressed
them as he bowed to show his reception to their visit. He then
turned to face his own men.

“Please take our visitors to have
something to eat and make them welcome whilst I talk with Prince
Ison, and Princess Rohesia,” He turned back to face them. “You must
be hungry?”

Ison smiled in response and then
ordered his men to follow the Mookai. He was confident they would
be well, and Josa would be no trouble as long he was
fed.

Rohesia couldn’t contain her
excitement. Seeing Fabian again was having an odd effect on her
senses, as if she was meeting with a brother that she had not seen
for a long time. She had loved him as such and couldn’t wait to
talk to him without all of the proprietary nonsense. She waited
patiently for his men and theirs to leave before taking the
opportunity to run into Fabian’s arms. His gleeful acceptance of
her was evident as he whirled her around in response. It was clear
he was as happy to see her as she was to see him.

“Oh it is so good to see you Fabian.”
She announced once he finally put her down on solid ground. He
quickly took the chance of her closeness to kiss her full on the
lips. She didn’t expect the sudden intimacy and regretted not being
able to move it into a more subtle kiss in time. She just hoped
Ison didn’t sense anything more beyond the kiss than she
did.

Ison felt like killing him. He
actually thought that maybe he should kill him, right here and now,
but reasoning sunk in fast due to not wanting a war with the Mookai
through the death of their leader. He reigned in his control as he
watched Fabian manhandle his wife, and Rohesia’s obvious pleasure
to see Fabian again. As he glared at them both he noticed how low
the front of Rohesia’s gown was as her shawl fell past her
shoulders. Her cloak had been removed part way through the journey
due to the warm eve, but the shawl had kept the front of the gown
hidden, until now.

What was she trying to achieve
exactly? He asked himself as the swirling feeling rushed around his
mind. She had persuaded him to take her with them to a man who
could have been her first love for all he knew, and she had worn an
evening gown to an occasion such as this that she had hidden from
him? She had happily slung herself into another man’s arms and let
him kiss her, upon the lips, right in front of him. Was he being
made a fool of? He thought, as the anger cascaded through his
mind.

Rohesia vowed she could feel the
animosity orb around Ison the moment Fabian had released her from
his grip. She looked down at the direction of his eyes and felt an
unexpected wave of heat flood through her cheeks. The cleavage of
her bosom was exposed to a man before her who was not her husband,
making her feel terribly embarrassed. She delicately moved back
towards Ison before making the introduction.