Duty and Destiny
Chapter 7

What’s so funny?” Xander had been listening to the back-and-forth banter Archer and Adalia had been having. He especially like the part when Adalia was angry but when they started laughing, he knew he had to do something.

Xander’s father had once been the pride and glory of the South Kingdom. He had fought alongside Gabrielle’s father for many years. His father had a wife and a couple of mistresses, and he was a product of the mistresses. He wasn’t acknowledged by his father’s family, but his prowess and industrious nature had made him his father’s favorite. The first time he was brought to the palace was when Gabrielle’s father had fallen ill and was slowly dying. He met a little girl in the garden, dressed in amour with a sword that belonged to the king in her hand, she was crying. Xander picked up a stick and began a sword game with the little girl and ever since they were best of friends.

When his father died Adalia was the one who comforted him. Gabrielle made sure that he was brought up as one of his knights, he had been turned into somebody from the bastard child he once was. Ever since Gabrielle had been like a father to him and Adalia had graduated from being his best friend to his girlfriend. It was because of this romance that Gabrielle had sent him away for over twelve months.

He had looked forward to seeing Adalia. All he thought about when he was away were her lips, her hair and her smile. And now he risked losing her to a man who had only known her for an average of five minutes. Xander had watched in pain as they were presented and accepted by the families. His mind went back to the day Gabrielle had sent him away.

Xander had asked for her hand in marriage, but Gabrielle quickly declined. “We need the alliance,” he had said. The rebels by then had become a huge pain for both kingdoms and they were slowly growing in number. They would need both armies to fight them, but he didn’t understand why his love for Adalia had to suffer. Why it had to be the sacrificial lamb, but he couldn’t go against the king. For twelve months he had fought in the forests, trying his best to decrease the number, to convince the militia to join the royal army with promises of gold, silver and land. He had made progress, but it seemed with every hundred he managed to scout, five hundred would be recruited.

Now he risked losing her to a little boy who hadn’t seen the sight of blood except for his own. Xander didn’t know how to lose and what made it worse was that he was beginning to feel like nothing compared to the Crown prince of the Northern kingdom.

He now stood in between them. Xander could feel the tiny daggers Archer’s eyes shot out drive into his skin. They were in private and there was nothing he could do to him then.

“It doesn’t concern you,” Archer shouted.

***

Adalia felt chocked by the thick tension in the air. She had the option of filling Xander in on the joke or taking the side of her future husband. She chose the latter. “It’s nothing,” she stepped around Xander and stood beside Archer. “Are you enjoying the feast?”

“Yes, I am,” he wished he could drive a continent in between the two.

“We should go inside, I’m sure our parents are wondering where we are,” respectfully Archer took her hand. Although he felt angry, she was sure he wasn’t about to act like a brute in front of her.

“We’ll talk later,” Adalia promised Xander.

As she walked away with Archer, she felt part of her being torn away. She was going to wait, she decided. She was going to wait until the whole castle was still then she would meet up with Xander. Adalia convinced herself that she wouldn’t be betraying Archer. Yes, they had a moment. And in that moment Adalia felt like she could be happy at Archer’s side. However, her feelings for Xander and they made her even more confused.

When they got back to the dining room they were met with good news. Everyone was on their feet cheering at their siblings who stood in the middle of the room. Archer and Adalia made their wall through the wall of bodies to the center where their family stood.

“Mother,” Adalia walked to her mother’s side. “What’s going on?”

“Your brother wants to marry,” Leora pointed out with a smile.

Adalia finally noticed the loving way in which Novia hooked her arm into Randi’s. It was like she was floating. And if it wasn’t for the fact Adalia knew otherwise she would have been convinced that under the grand ball gown Novia’s feet weren’t touching the ground.

“Brother?”

***

“Novia, what is this?” Archer went to his little sister’s side, and for the first time that night feeling a sense of animosity for a man other than Xander. Novia was his little sister. It wasn’t as if he thought she would never marry. But that didn’t mean that she wasn’t his little jewel. He had vowed to protect her, ever since he had seen her tiny button nose and Rose bud lips, for the first time.

“I want to marry him Archer,” she chirped.

He gently took her arm and dragged her to the side. He lifted his head and saw Gabrielle and his father in a corner whispering to each other. A chill ran through his veins, the two premiers were considering it.

“You are only seventeen Novia,” he stroked her rosy cheeks and tucked a stray strand of platinum blonde hair behind her ear. “You are still a baby.”

“I am not,” she blew air into her cheeks and pouted her lip confirming her brother’s view of her.

Archer pressed his index fingers into her cheeks and deflated them. “You are too young.”

“But you are getting married,” she fussed. “Adalia is only two years older than I am.”

“She’s the same age as I am. We are both old enough to marry. Besides, our marriage is for the kingdom,” he said with a weary sigh. If only they wanted to marry each other for other reasons. Like the fact that he thought he was falling hard for Adalia.

“Our marriage is for love.”

Archer groaned. What did his little sister know about love? He blamed her chamber maids, and all their fairy tale stories. He blamed his father for giving into her every whim, and his mother for making her as beautiful as she was.

***

Adalia stood next to her brother and just gazed at him. They had this way of talking with their eyes. With just one look they could say a thousand words or have a whole conversation with each other. They were close and it was this same closeness she wished she would have with her husband. The look in his eyes said it all, and the smile he bore on his lips confirmed it. She wrapped her arms around him and congratulated him.