The Arranged Marriage (18 page)

“Fabian, this is my husband, Ison, as
I understand you have met before.” Fabian bowed in Ison’s direction
and Ison forced himself to do the same due to what was at stake.
Whatever new rivalries that surrounded Rohesia must be pushed
aside. They were here on business.

“Ison,” She continued, addressing him.
“This is my old friend, Fabian.”

“Thank you for accepting us here.” He
advised through gritted teeth. He could not bring himself to look
at her for the fear of his blood boiling. There was going to be a
torture to pay once they got back home for her trying to humiliate
him like this.

“You are very welcome,” Fabian
retorted, having noticed that Ison had not declared the Mookai
dagger at the oak. He remembered presenting Ison with the dagger
upon the rescue of his younger brother and he sensed no danger from
it.

“I understand what we have to discuss
is of grave importance. Oh, and may I take this opportunity to
congratulate you on your marriage little sister, brother.” He
nodded towards Ison.

“Thank you,” He replied before
relaxing a little. He sensed Fabian was testing him, not only on
his worth, but also on his match to Rohesia. “We fear what we have
discovered in Ecripian may stretch out to the Moors and affect you
here. In return to solving this problem we will need extra manpower
from all aspects of Centurias, including the Mookai,” He was swift
with his explanations. “Is there somewhere we can go to discuss it
further?”

“Of course,” Fabian advised,
understanding he wanted to exclude Rohesia. “Rohesia, my mother has
missed you greatly. Will you go see her if I direct
you?”

She thought for the moment, not
wanting to leave the two men alone, but she had missed Hara as much
as she had missed Fabian; remembering the times when Hara had aided
in their secret meetings. She hesitantly resolved to leave them to
it and nodded.

After talking things over and
contemplating the threat that was laid before him, Fabian was
uncertain if he would be able to offer the aid he needed. He knew
the past still affected his people greatly and it would not be an
easy task getting any of them to leave the Moors. However, he had
not only spent their time listening and conversing about Ecripian’s
concerns, he had also been assessing Ison himself, using his Mookai
instinct to see through the veneer of Ison Mondar. Fabian had liked
what he had seen, his initial decision to decline whatever was
being asked of the visit, now wavering.

“She loves you dearly yet you are
unsure of your feelings for her.” Fabian announced without warning
once their conversation had ceased. Ison felt off guard.

“I do not understand your meaning.” He
said, and quickly supped on the wine he had been offered earlier.
Fabian hid a smile.

“You will come to know exactly what I
mean, do not fret. I sense the feelings inside you are very strong
for her and you will know what to define them as when the time is
right.”

Ison didn’t know what to say, not
understanding this abrupt change of mood from Fabian. The only
thing he could do when confronted with his like for Rohesia was to
nod in agreement to whatever they were saying. All the words
whirling in his head regarding her never seemed to make enough
sense when they came out of his mouth.

“She is very special our Rohesia,”
Fabian continued. “A pain in the rear at times, but still very
unique and beautiful.” He paused for a moment with a light grin on
his lips. He had sensed the twinge of discomfort from Ison the
moment he had commented on Rohesia’s beauty. Their passion was
great, he sensed, but she would have to guide him through the dark
tunnel of his mind until he got to the point where he did not look
down his nose at love.

Ison just nodded again in response.
Fabian continued.

“We were never lovers.” He declared as
if to ease some of the tension between them.

“I know.” He replied. He had been
given proof of that.

“I mean in the way of the heart, not
of the lay down kind,” The smile stayed on Fabian’s lips as if he
was enjoying every moment. “We were close friends, like brother and
sister, but closer. She is the only non-Mookai I have ever come
across to share a connection with me that wasn’t spoken. She
listens to everything inside of her when her mind is
clear.”

“Tell that to me when she does stupid
things to risk her life. Is she listening then?” He sniped without
ill intent.

“Sometimes what is inside of us is
irrational, but that’s not to say it isn’t right.”

Ison felt his patience grow short at
Fabian’s meaningless ramblings. Even if he was Mookai he obviously
didn’t know him well enough to understand that this melodic way of
speaking was not to his liking.

“That woman is a hazard to herself,
and as I understand it from her father, she always has been. She
needs reigning in.” He felt his temper getting the better of him.
Fabian remained passive.

“Deep down you agree with that less
than I do. You are just too angry and bitter to admit it. You are
falling in love with her whether you like it or not, and if all of
you who supposedly ‘love’ Rohesia truly care for her, you would
look at her. I mean really look at her, and try to learn who she is
instead of expecting her to fit in with every other’s ideals.
Honestly,” He continued. “You people fall in love with this woman
because of what she stands for, and then you try to mould and
change her into something else. You are trying to rid her of the
very essence that you fell for in the first place,” He stepped
closer to Ison. “To yet I understand she has fought the changes
people have tried to make. She has run from them and stayed with
what she believes, but,” He pointed towards Ison. “Her heart is
with you now, she has fallen deeply for you; and if you continue to
push her you will succeed in turning her into what you think she
should be. She cares for you, and she will only run so far. Just
keep that in mind when you get home.” He made a point to emphasise
on the word ‘home’ and then gently patted Ison’s back. He sensed
the stir of emotions now wading through Ison and he was satisfied
with what he had said.

“Now come, let us make the
arrangements of what is to be done and then we will eat. Your wife
will be waiting for you.”

It had been an exhausting journey, and
Rohesia was glad to see home when they directed their horses into
the stables upon their return. Ison had been quiet during the meal
they had attended with the Mookai, and when he did speak he only
chose to do so with either Fabian or Josa.

The travelling had been even worse
with the silence he had conveyed on the way back. Her stomach had
tightened every time she had tried to start a conversation with him
to have it either deterred to Josa or ignored. Her own anger had
reached its limits by the time Ecripian had come into
sight.

“Good eve my lady,” Ison nodded to
her, ready to walk away once the stable lads took their horses to
be groomed, but she had, had enough. She managed to throw the only
thing that she had on her at him; her shawl. Ison felt the material
softly hit the back of his head as she stormed up to meet him. He
had been waiting for this.

“How dare you be so insolent to me
Ison, you damn fool.” She shouted, not quite knowing what else to
say, but it was all he needed to spark the odd feeling he had been
sensing since meeting with Fabian.

“Me? The fool? Yes I probably am to
you aren’t I my lady? Here, take your shawl, there is no point
shaking those things at me this eve.” He threw the shawl back at
her and tried for a second time to walk away. He knew he was acting
completely out of order but the way she had run into Fabian’s arms
was still eating away at him.

“How dare you,” She shouted as she
felt a burning in her throat from the threat of tears. Her anger
pushed them away. “How dare you insult me like that,” She held
tight on to his arm to stop him from moving from her. “You
obviously think so little of me to treat me in such a
manner.”

“No my lady, I am not the one who wore
the gown of a hoyden to visit her long lost love. You dare to kiss
him and flaunt your love for him not long after declaring your love
to me. You made me look like a fool.” He kept his voice quiet but
it did nothing to hide the anger in his voice. Rohesia softened a
little.

“I only wore this gown because it was
the easiest one for me to get into this morning without alerting
Kaya. I wanted to come down to you without any resistance to stay
in bed. I grabbed the shawl to cover me up and then I guess I
forgot about it,” Ison shrugged her arm away as she continued.
“Fabian and I are just friends, I didn’t realise he would greet me
like that my lord. For that I am sorry.”

Ison wanted to believe her. From what
he knew of Rohesia he knew she would never intentionally hurt him,
but what if he was wrong? He didn’t feel in the mood to be taking
that type of risk.

“No Rohesia,” He said. “I am sorry,
for making you think that I was an easy target to be manipulated by
a woman. Now as your husband, I order you to take off that gown and
go dress into something more fitting to your station.” His temper
was still simmering as he continued. “And I also suggest that you
work on your etiquette and manners now that you are a wife.” He
moved away quickly to escape her, feeling torn at his own harsh
words and the need to be alone.

Rohesia felt the first tear fall as
Ison’s words hit her slowly and she wrapped the shawl in her hands,
sinking to her knees. Her stomach hurt as the tears started to fall
and the sobs wracked her body.

What a fool she was to have ever
believed that Ison was capable of loving her back. What an idiot
she had been for falling so deeply for this man who had no qualms
in hurting her with his words this way. This was the first time in
Rohesia’s life that she could not, would not, see it from another’s
eyes, from Ison’s eyes, as the hurt drove through her. She would
show him, she thought as the sobs subsided and her temper flared
into life. No man had told her yet what to do and succeeded, and
Ison wasn’t about to either. She got up carefully from the stable
floor and shook her skirts free. She wiped her eyes with the shawl
and made herself move. Right now, she would move off to her chamber
to sleep and rest as Ison had advised; but as for Ison’s other
advice, she would also take note. In the morning she would go and
visit Chester and tell him that the design for the pink disaster of
Yena’s would be scrapped, and that she would be dressing in a gown
to suit her so-called station after all.

Chapter Eleven

Ison looked around the ballroom as the
celebration got under way for their wedding ball. The turnout was
huge and even his father had made the trip to bless the
union.

It had taken Ison a while to come up
with his idea for an apology, and a lot of conspiring with Kaya;
but after feeling terribly guilty at hurting Rohesia the way that
he had, he hoped he had come up with something that would please
her. His reaction in the stables the other eve had been so unlike
him, uncontrolled, and he didn’t like it. He was a strategist, a
man who never showed his emotions; but that eve he had let loose
every damn emotion full force. Marriage really was having a strange
effect on him. She had only spoken to him with a forced politeness
since, and she had been asleep every eve before he had come to bed.
Admittedly he had always come to bed late and rose early in order
to avoid her himself; cowardice was another strange trait he had
seemed to adopt lately when it came to her. He sighed, wishing that
he didn’t have to undergo the agony of sharing a bed with a wife
who was in a sulk. A deserving sulk, his thoughts added as his
guilt increased. He was stood with Josa awaiting his wife’s
arrival, with anticipation at seeing her face when he gave her the
surprise.

He didn’t have to wait long when the
fanfare alerted them of her arrival, and he couldn’t stop the
ripples of excitement as the footman announced the appearance of
Princess Rohesia, his wife.

The sight that met Ison as Rohesia
made her arrival at the top of the stairwell made him feel a
volatile mix of lust and rage, all in one wave. She was not wearing
the pink shade of gown that Yena had apparently designed for
her.

She stood bold on top of the stairs
whilst waiting for her moment to descend. Her hair had been left
down past her shoulders with only a small section clipped up
against the back, with black and red feathers supporting it. He
also noticed the new colours she had chosen, his own of black and
red.

The top part of her gown held no
sleeves and slightly pushed up her bosom to display an elegant
cleavage. It boasted a crimson corset decorated with three black
flicks that were etched from the waist up, and the long black skirt
of the gown had been made with many layers of a netted material. It
didn’t miss Ison’s notice that many of the women in the audience
held tight on to their husbands as she made her way down the
stairs.

He knew then what was going through
the minds every man in the room, and he felt like drawing his sword
to every one of them. Even Josa’s mouth had fallen agape and Ison
couldn’t resist from pushing it shut before making his way to greet
his wife. He was very tempted to just race up the stairs and drag
her off to their chamber to make her change but decided against it.
If she wanted to play games with him it didn’t hurt for two to
play.