Ashen hesitated for a few seconds, caressing her cheek with a solemn look.
“...I know. But... I am afraid I’m going to involve you in something you shouldn’t have to go through if it wasn’t for me. Given a couple more years... maybe you could have come when I had finally pacified this Kingdom.”
“And m-maybe you wouldn’t b-be able to d-do it without me,” Cessilia calmly retorted. “Ashen, I chose to c-come here. It was n-not on a whim, b-but by my own choice. It’s n-not just about you. I have some things to p-prove to myself t-too. I j-just chose to d-do it b-by your side.”
The King remained silent for a little while. A part of him was still desperate to protect her at any cost. Since he had learned what she had gone through after he left, and what had happened to her dragon, Ashen felt an even bigger sense of responsibility toward Cessilia. In his mind, he had already been granted a miracle just to be able to meet her once more and to have her by his side. But if anything happened to her because of this Kingdom’s political intrigues, it would be entirely his fault...
While he was lost in some dark thoughts, the Princess unexpectedly slipped her hand into his. He glanced down, a bit surprised, but Cessilia looked very calm, simply leading their little stroll away from his childhood house. He held her hand a bit tighter and they kept walking in silence, just enjoying each other’s presence, and the quiet streets around them. With no one willing to stay out late, it looked as if time had stopped in the streets of the Capital. The night sky was beautiful too. The moon was bright and full, only obscured once in a while by a lonely cloud.
“I really like th-this city,” she whispered.
“It wasn’t always this calm and quiet. Ten years ago, you couldn’t walk three streets without risking being robbed or getting into a fight... The wealthier people hid in their houses and could pay for their security, but for everyone else, it was quite the challenge just to survive...”
“Nana t-told us about her childhood here too...”
“Yeah, she probably experienced it from a... more privileged point of view. At the very least, the clans, even if they were still more tribes back then, could protect each other. For people with only their families to rely on, it was... hard.”
Cessilia nodded, and they kept walking. Knowing the history of this place made her even prouder about what Ashen had managed to do with it... Bringing back peace and security had probably been the very first step to healing this country from its deep wounds. Even if it was just beginning with the Capital, it could at least show that with time and the proper measures and leaders, the other cities would improve too. It was just a matter of time, and if they could find the right people...
“What about C-Counselor Yassim?” Cessilia asked. “I heard a b-bit from him about his r-relationship with you, b-but...”
Ashen grimaced a bit.
“He told you he used to be my teacher?”
“Yes...”
“He was also my father’s way of watching me. For as long as I stayed in the castle, Yassim would be stuck to me. On the surface, he did teach me a lot of things, and gave me an education but... he also reported every single one of my movements to my father. I never really knew which side he stood on, and while I grew under his watch, I felt like this cunning old man was watching me as much as my father was. He was grooming me to become the perfect prince. I had one of the sharpest educations thanks to him, and I caught up on everything in a matter of months under his teachings. My mother had taught me the basics of how to read, calculate, and write, but Yassim took me to the level of this Kingdom’s scholars... For this, at least, I am grateful to him.”
“Was he ever s-strict?”
“Yes. But he wasn’t... inflexible, or too rude. At times, he was even the one to suggest I go back to the field, to take a break from my studies. It was as if he knew exactly which point he could push me to before I’d really give up, or get mad. At that time, I was working like crazy. If I wasn’t fighting, I was studying. I knew my brother’s survival and mine relied a lot on how useful we were to our father. I only had in mind to grow strong enough to protect my brother and try not to upset my father... too much. You remember my father was... looking for heirs, at some point?”
“Yes? B-but... It was just your b-brother and you, wasn’t it?”
“Not exactly. In terms of blood-related sons, yes. However, my father had other... sons. Orphans that he had chosen himself, and who were trained every day to become stronger. I think he always had a hunch that my brother and I might not be enough, or... devoted enough to him. I barely met them, but unlike me, those men were desperate to please my father and to become his real heir. Me coming into the picture didn’t really please them, and they were constantly looking to annoy me or my younger brother. Yassim taught three other boys, as well as me.”
“What happened t-to them? Yassim said he helped you escape the C-Capital, but...”
Ashen scoffed.
“...That’s what he claims. I don’t know what the truth is, but I do think a cunning old man like him could easily try and lie his way out of it. As I said, I lost consciousness when my body hit the sea... but my father sent men to find me, and kill me. His other sons, to be exact... Yassim said he saw me fall from another window of the castle. He went to find my father, but found him in a rage, yelling orders to either confirm my death... or finish the job. When he understood that his students were sent out to kill me, he rushed out of the castle to try and save me. According to him, they could see my body drifting... He claims he tried to stop them, and stood between me and their weapons. As their former teacher, it did make sense they were reluctant to shoot him. He stood there until my body disappeared across the waves, but more of my father’s men arrived before he could search for me, and he was taken and jailed.”
“I see... So you really d-don’t know if he d-did try to save you?”
Ashen shrugged. They were now slowly heading southeast, following some of the larger streets, but Cessilia thought she recognized the way to the Fish Market or at least its general direction. The smell of the sea was getting stronger around them too, and she could hear the waves, their sound growing from afar.
“No. Everyone else who was involved was either killed or fled god-knows-where away from here. He could very well be saying this to keep his head. I was reluctant to kill my former teacher, but... he keeps doing things that go against my will, and putting the little trust I have in him in jeopardy.”
“Like when you sent him t-to find you a... princess?”
Cessilia’s eyes were full of kindness, which made Ashen hesitate. He could see she already believed in the old Counselor’s upright character, but he didn’t think the same. In fact, when Yassim had come back with her, Ashen was even more furious. Although it was easy to make the link between his fake death and disappearance of two years in the Dragon Empire, how could Yassim have known about his tie with the Imperial Family? He hated that the Counselor had brought Cessilia, of all people. Not because he didn’t want to see her again, but because it made him worry about the old man’s intentions toward her. Despite his gentle smile and clear eyes, Yassim was harder to decipher than anybody else. He had begged Ashen to spare two of his former adopted brothers upon his return and even hid them, the same ones that had tried to kill him... And when he had tried to banish the old Counselor once and for all, he came back with the most unforeseen candidate of all. Thinking back now, it felt more and more like the Counselor had his own plans, and intended to use Cessilia against him.
“Just... don’t trust him,” he finally said. “Most of the time, I feel like that old man is just ready to do anything to save his neck... He is the only counselor that used to serve my father that I kept alive. Even the Clan Leaders are wary of him. Most of them don’t understand why I kept that cunning old man alive when I cleared out most of my father’s followers. Sometimes, I wonder the same. But I just... He did protect me from my father’s wrath a few times. He was also my brother’s teacher, and I know I owe him for being half of the King I am today.”
Cessilia smiled, and gently caressed the back of his hand with her thumb.
“It’s g-good that you are giving him the b-benefit of the doubt,” she said. “Maybe the C-Counselor just wants to stay alive, b-but... if he was really a b-bad person, I don’t think he would have t-traveled all the way to the Empire to ask me to c-come.”
“Don’t you think he did it to use you against me?”
Cessilia sighed. After years of being involved in political conflicts and war, it couldn’t be helped that the King was so doubtful of everyone’s intentions. Even more so for a man who had once been his father’s advisor too... However, Cessilia thought of herself as a pretty good judge of character, and she never felt any ill intent from the old Counselor. In fact, Yassim seemed to genuinely care for the King, enough to risk his own life to bring him a new potential wife... He could have been killed so many times on his way to and from the Empire.
“He d-didn’t know about our relationship, Ashen,” she muttered, gently grabbing his arm with her other hand to get closer. “...I think Yassim is just hoping t-to show you there are... other p-paths than the one you’ve t-taken.”
The King remained silent for a while. For some reason, he didn’t like Cessilia defending another man. After a while, he shook his head.
“...Let’s stop talking about the old man. We’re almost where I wanted to take you.”
“To t-take me?” she repeated, a bit surprised.
She hadn’t realized he had been purposely guiding their steps until now. Earlier, she had realized they were clearly headed toward the sea, but to her surprise, Ashen took her away from the port and the Fish Market, even farther east, to the end of the island that constituted the Inner Capital. For a while, it seemed like they were going to reach the coast, but, as they reached the last lines of houses, Ashen took her through smaller, narrower streets. She had never been to this neighborhood before, and the fact that they were headed to a destination he had picked made her heart flutter. The paths between the houses became so narrow that she had to let go of his arm, and while still holding hands, they went one behind the other through the little paths.
“Where are we g-going...?” she whispered, a bit excited.
“You’ll see.”
The smile on his face when he glanced over his shoulder made her heart skip a beat. Ashen didn’t smile often, but he was irresistible when he did. He was usually so serious, closed, and stern, his smile was even hard to imagine. Yet when he did, he suddenly seemed a lot younger, and so handsome that he made Cessilia blush instantly. He was like a young god in all his glory. She held his hand a bit tighter, and followed him with the excitement building up in her stomach.
