The next day was another flurry of preparations. It was as if the darkness had never reared its shadowed head at dance rehearsal the day before. If it hadn't been for the excess of guards plastered in every corridor, you'd never know that the castle was in great peril. It was possible that people responsible for her wedding coronation just hoped that completing the union would once again secure the kingdom.
The darkness hadn't been seen for at least as long as her father had been king. Mina was unsure of how long it had been, but didn't have time to toil in the records hall of the library to find out. Her father, however, seemed completely unbothered. She shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't breathe a word of it to her over dinner the day before. He'd never exactly cared for her well-being, but he wasn't showing any of his usual signs of panic and frustration at the idea that she might not join with her wielder.
"How are you?" Aurelius had just appeared out of nowhere, no doubt from one of many passages that he hadn't shown her yet. He frequently did his best to startle her under the guise of avoiding their father. Thankfully, before the telltale smell of sunflowers and myrrh had washed over her, their father had turned into his office after barking orders at her.
"It was the darkness," she whispered, again too worried that saying it out loud would rain terror over all of them. "How do you think I am? My toe is definitely broken and the darkness dropped a chandelier on my very fragile wielder."
"Your very fragile GORGEOUS wielder," he 'corrected'. "Honestly, I'm a little jealous. If I knew they made humans like that, I'd have found myself one a long time ago. It's not like I have to worry about muddying up the blood line."
"You stop that! He's going to be your king." She paused and made sure no one was nearby before whispering, "Only I'm allowed to talk about him like that." Her brother laughed his almost musical laugh and threw his arm around her like he had on so many occasions. Aurelius was truly the only man she knew she could trust. No loyalty to father. No eyes for the throne. Just a jovial man looking for a happy life with the right man… and maybe testing a few along the way. She was jealous, really. To have that freedom. It was something that she and her wielder would never know.
"So, who do you think is wielding the darkness? Could be father. He's chasing death and seems unconcerned. Then there's Eldon, who has had his eyes on your throne since he visited the court of that lesser royal family with the patriarchal lineage. That whole thing is silly, considering women are literal goddesses, and you can't prove patriarchal lineage. Or, perhaps your human? He's the only new person in the palace. One would think that if an existing member of the palace had control of the darkness, they would have struck before you were united with your fated partner," She listened to his theories with an amused smile before making a decision.
"Aurelius, I know that you tend to prefer to be free of all responsibility, but I have a favor of a lifetime to ask you." He stopped walking, sensing the seriousness in her voice, and turned to face her, light blue eyes digging deep into her dark ones.
"Anything, my little Queen," he said with genuine love, all traces of the sarcasm from a couple days before were gone. She knew she could always count on him.
"Be my advisor? I have no doubt that Eldon thinks it will be him, but I need you." He started walking again and her heart dropped. Then he stopped and turned around.
"Anything for you, my Queen." and he dropped into a very low and dramatic bow before standing back up. She ran up to him and threw her arms around him. She needed him if she was going to make it through this. He had always been her rock, her encouragement, her protector.
"Thanks, Aury," She whispered in his ear.
Today's big practice was for the ceremonial torch lighting. Both parties had to shoot a flaming arrow at the torch at the same time to light it. These feats were usually performed by people who were trained in battle or for hunting, not a man that had been imprisoned since he was 16. She was expecting to be just as frustrated as the day before, only to find herself a little impressed.
"Sorry, my queen, it's been a while." he said after loosing his arrow a second too slowly. The arrow had landed a half inch from hers.
"No need to apologize. Just do better this time." She pulled another arrow from her quiver and set it on her string, waiting for him to follow suit before drawing.
"Yes, my queen," He responded somewhat playfully. He drew his bow and waited for the count before loosing his bow, once again, a second too late. "It seems I continue to fail you."
"You only fail if you give up." A smile tugged at her lips. She quashed that immediately, but was certain he saw. She cursed at herself inwardly before firmly saying, "Again."
It only took a few more tries before they were able to move onto the torch itself. The torch stood on a pedestal across a field at the same distance as the target. If they didn't make the shot in sync, the torch was enchanted to not light. This was considered bad luck in a royal marriage. It had happened only once before, and the queen's reign was peppered with disasters. When she drew her arrow, she had to remind herself to breathe. Worrying that he would fail this task made her have to concentrate harder in order to not be distracted by watching him draw and checking his technique.
Her worries remained unwarranted. They loosed their arrows in time with each other and their arrows met their mark in unison. The torch burst into flames. In her excitement, she threw her arms around Van and he squeezed her as he lifted her off the ground. Her nostrils were filled with the scents of vanilla and rose. Seems that was his favorite combination. When he set her down she awkwardly smoothed her skirt and turned away to hide the warmth flooding her cheeks. She hated the pull to want him, to love him. She'd had her will circumvented at every step of her life and it was one more thing taking away her choices.
"Well, I guess that's one thing we can take off the list." She said calmly. She felt him come up behind her and saw his hands raised to touch her shoulders in her peripheral. He paused and dropped his hands without touching her.
"I'm glad to have pleased you, my queen." His voice was gentle and kind. She let out a sigh.
"You don't have to please me," she insisted and began her trudge towards the castle, leaving her gear behind for the staff to collect. He followed after her silently. "How are your wounds healing? None of this strain seems to be affecting them so far."
"Honestly, they aren't bothering me much at all. The doctor cleared me this morning, as you know. Those poultices really pack a punch. If only we'd had your doctor while my mother was still here." He was a little mournful. Mina reached up to rub his arm and switched gears quickly when she realized what she was doing. Suddenly she was grabbing his shirt to pull the sleeve aside and look at the wounds she had just cleaned out the day before.
"They look great. I guess at least if you have to be easy to break, you're also easy to fix." She teased, then more seriously said, "I wish your mother had had a doctor too."
"Thank you." He said quietly.
They stayed silent for the rest of their walk into the castle.