To Stand Beside Her (57 page)

Nikias shook his head
no
.
“
H
e asked if I would escort you.
That’s all I know.”
Nikias could see his answer was not what she wanted to hear.

“Anatolio is a shy kid,”
Nikias
explained.
“This sort of thing is
too bold for him.
He would rather sit in the back of the room than on the stage.
He has always been like that
.
”
She
somehow didn’t think
Anatolio’s
shyness was the reason he was staying
away
from her.

They arrived at the ground floor of the amphitheater, and Nikias escorted Leila to the room behind the stage.
As soon as she was left alone for a moment, Leila snuck to the edge of the stage and peered from around the corner.
In the middle of the room were all the foreign dignitaries she had met days ago.
To each side were the nobles of Lior and the fourth and fifth sections were being filled from the people standing behind the seats.
Leila was relieved to see that her family was already seated in the front rows.
As she stepped back in the waiting room
,
she was surprised to see Roger.
Immediately
,
she hugged him.

“Finally some company,”
Leila
said to him.
“It is supposed to be the happiest day of my life, and I have been left sitting here alone.”

“I just wanted to stop by quick and give you this.”
He handed her a small vial.

“Anatolio explained to me the ceremony.
I don’t need you getting sick on me before you have to get everyone home to the
North Country
as I am using most of my resources to get y
our family back there tomorrow.
Now I have to get going also, otherwise there will be no seat for me.”
Quickly
Roger
hugged her and disappeared.

Leila sat and looked at the small vial.
She had used the stuff before
,
and
it
was
qui
t
e
effective
at
stop
ping
a cut from bleeding.
It was just like Roger to worry about a small cut.
Roger
tended to worry over nothing
,
but in his own way
,
he was trying his best to be useful.

When the time arrived,
Nikias took her to the right side of the stage, and she waited for the ceremony to begin.
Looking
across the way
,
she noticed Nalick was waiting also.
He did not see her
laugh
to herself.
Finally, a
t least I won’t be the only one a bit lacking in clothing
, she thought star
ing
at Nalick who was shirtless
and obviously uncomfortable with it
.

As soon as the ceremony started, Leila began to forget the world around her and the large audience that was there.
Even though it lasted hours, to her it felt like it only took a minute.
A
s soon as she held onto Nalick’s hand, she lost all the nervous regretful feelings.
Nalick
was as solid as a rock.
He did not waver in his decision in the least and had no regrets.
His desire to marry her outweighed the consequences of his actions.
There was nothing more
Nalick
desired in life than to stand by her side, no matter how
short
their time
together
would be.

In the back of the room, dressed in a disguise with the help of Roger, Anatolio watched the ceremony.
Below him
,
Leila nervously walk
ed
across the stage to meet Nalick.
She was as beautiful as the first day he saw her.
The gold
lines
on her arm glimmered in the few rays of sun light that penetrated the tent ceiling of the amphitheater.
Anatolio
could see her nervousness fade as soon
she
touch
ed
Nalick’s arm.
T
his was not something
Anatolio
could have done.
With just the look in his eyes, Nalick was able to calm Leila’s heart.
Someday,
it would have to be him, but
Anatolio
had no idea how
to
.

Leila was happy to see a full meal waiting for them when they returned
to the palace
with their children
.
The room was empty of servants
,
and Leila relished the quietness of the children laughing and enjoying their time together.

“That’s it for today right?”
Leila
asked Nalick.

“Well there is suppose
d
to be a third ceremony tonight
,
but I thought it was not necessary since,” he paused look
ing
at the children and didn’t finish his statement.

“They didn’t tell me about a third ceremony,” Leila replied
,
trying to remember any mention of a third ceremony.
Nalick
coughed to try to cover his laugh.

“Let’s just say the priests didn’t think the ceremony was needed tonight,” Nalick added
.
A
red faced
Leila nodded
in response
.
“So
,
instead I thought this would be a good time
;
we can spend just the five of us, undisturbed by anyone for the rest of tonight.
"
The children cheered.

After a night of games and stories, Ruth and Tim were the first to fall asleep as all five were lying on Nalick
’s
and Leila’s bed.
Leila watched as Phillip then fell asleep between his siblings.
Leila slowly stood to move to the other side of the bed and sat down next to Nalick who was also falling asleep.
He
wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down beside him.

“If I could freeze any moment and keep it that way forever, it would be this moment,”
Nalick
whispered.
“Thank you for marrying me.”
Leila studied his face as he talked.
She was trying to remember each detail to forever remember the moment.

“I love you Benét Leila.
I can only hope to
someday
make you as happy as you have made me.”

Leila kissed his forehead as he dozed off to sleep.

“
Silly man, you already have.
I love you too Nalick,” she whispered to the sleeping man before standing and going to the balcony.
Leila was also quite tired from her long day
,
but she didn’t feel like sleeping
yet
.
The sooner she fell asleep
,
the sooner
the
magic of the day would end.

Leila sat on the balcony in the dark
and
could see the last few remaining lights in the city still sparkling.
The situation for now was exactly how she wanted, but in time
that
would change.
What will life be like without him
?
she wondered
.
He made her happy for the first time since Erich died.
Leila heard the
door to the room quietly open
, and she turned to watch Anatolio quietly creep into the room.
He immediately noticed her on the balcony.
Leila stared across the darkness and could not read his expression.
Little by little he approached her as she continued to stare at him.

“Why?”
Leila
simply asked as
Anatolio
crossed over to lean against the railing of the balcony.
He did not face her as he answered knowing that she
would try
to read his expression.

“It was a day for you and Nalick,”
Anatolio
replied.

“Along with our family and friends,”
Leila
added.
“I guess I assumed you fit in that category though
,
which I am still a bit confused on.”

Anatolio smiled slightly.
She had always been friendly to him
,
but she was friendly towards everyone
who was
not
an
enemy
.
Anatolio
could not guess her feelings towards him.
H
e was just another young man admiring her.

“You’ve always been beside me, and yet today you seem to want nothing to do with me,” she added
,
wanting to go over and pull him to face her
.

“I just didn’t want to be a distraction,” he replied.
“You had enough to worry about for the day.
You didn’t need some kid following you around.”

“You’re not a distraction,” she replied
.
Anatolio was relieved to hear her say it.

“It just would have been nice to have you there,” she said quietly.
Anatolio could hear the disappointment in her voice.

Anatolio turned to leave and still did not look her in the eyes.
He bowed to her as he
came close
, and he stopped
to pick
up her hand.
Gently he kissed it.
“You were truly beautiful today,” he said as he looked down at Leila who smiled at him.

“Thank you,” she replied
,
shocked that he actually had gone to the wedding without her knowing.

Chapter
34

Leila anxiously
awaited
the next three days
in the palace
; she could not wait
to leave
for
the North Country.
She already had a plan of how to get Nalick, Phillip, Tim, and Ruth there without any problems, but she had to wait for Roger to escort her family back before she could leave with her own plans.
Leila was excited to finally get on a boat heading north.
She had told the children about her home, but to the three children who had never set foot outside Lexia, they could not understand what she was describing.
The children could see
Leila
’s
excitement
, and so they too were excited.
The night before they were going to leave, Leila double checked each bag she had packed.
With more than just herself to worry about, she didn’t want to forget anything.
Nalick was happy to sit and watch her hurry around making lists in her head.
I
n the years to come
,
it would be the same.
When Leila was finally satisfied that everything was ready, she quickly changed into common clothes.

“Now what?” Nalick asked
,
notic
ing
she was covering up the lines on her arm.

“I’m going to go check our ride,”
Leila
replied.

“Take Anatolio with
you
please,” Nalick begged
,
seeing that
she was going to leave without
Anatolio
.