The Heir of Depths
23

After a few days of tiredness and a lot of sleeping, Arline could finally walk normally without wanting to drop to the floor. She was weaker and slower, but as stubborn as always.

“Are you ever going to listen to me?” Merrick surprised her as she was putting her boots on the edge of the bed “You are not training” he reminded her.

“But I feel great” her face didn’t match her words in the slightest. Arline was still pale and had an empty look on her eyes.

“You can barely walk” he pointed out for her.

“I’m not staying in this room anymore” Arline complained.

“Come with me” Merrick offered her his hand and guided her carefully and slowly through the castle, as if it was his home.

When he opened the heavy, rock door it showed an almost identical War Room to the one on Reiska. Lara and Aidan were discussing formations around the map while other two identical men, who looked like the older versions of Aidan, were analyzing their strategy, while looking down at the figurines and nodding their heads in agreement.

All of them turned when they heard Merrick coming in, and when they looked at Arline, everyone’s faces noted calmness at the sight of her weak figure.

“Arline, these are Princes Cyrus and Ignatius Farjo, eldest sons of His Majesty” Merrick introduced her and Arline bowed her head as much as her body allowed her to.

The twins looked almost identical but their differences relied on their personalities. One easy way to tell them apart was Cyrus appeared calmer and didn’t enjoy socializing as much as Ignatius. Both brothers shared the position of General of their kingdom’s army, each one picking certain position to organize. The Farjo siblings had the greatest dynamic throughout the kingdoms because they couldn’t fight, each sibling was assigned a duty once they came of age and couldn’t interfere with the rest, keeping balance within the House.

“Please, Arline do not push yourself” Ignatius asked for her to sit with a very warm and welcoming tone on his voice, which earned him a murderous look from Merrick.

“Congratulations” Aidan said from behind the table “You are considered a goddess”

“Aidan, remember your manners” Cyrus reprimanded him.

“Hello Aidan” Arline just said.

“How are you feeling?” Lara approached Arline and grabbed her face, checking her up.

“I’m better, not entirely better but I needed to get out” Arline admitted and Lara nodded with a smile, happy to see her friend safe and sound “What have you been working on?” Arline asked while taking a glimpse at the map.

It was a neatly drawn map of the Kingdom of Reiska which had dispersed figurines all over it, resembling the soldiers of their own army and the enemy’s.

“We have been trying to come up with a way to surprise them” Aidan informed her.

“Do you have an advantage?” Arline sat down on a stool, she still couldn’t be up for a long time without feeling dizzy.

“You have taught her well Merrick” Cyrus smiled “We do, in fact, have several advantages” he introduced.

“The King is keeping us informed on the situation back on the Realm” Lara stepped on, before the rest.

“Those who are still loyal to me want to go against Larsin” Merrick clarified “Yet, a good number of soldiers sided with him, and he is threatening anyone who opposes”

“And we have you, of course” Aidan said “Larsin and his allies think you are dead”

“Before you question anything” Lara interceded once she read Arline’s expression of confusion and disagreement “Remember you are a Water Guardian, a Huntress and the Dark Prince’s right hand”

“I thought you were his right hand” Arline questioned her.

“You both are” Merrick interrupted them with a grin on his face.

Arline stayed focused on what was displayed in front of her, moving her gaze up and down. It almost seemed like she was trying to solve an impossible equation and she quickly realized her mind was totally blank and was just coming up with stupid scenarios.

“You want to ask something” Cyrus read her expression “Do it” he gently encouraged her.

“It is a stupid idea” she introduced “But how many chances do you have if you come from this mountain and border the shore?”The mountain she referred to happened to be the tallest mountain in the Kingdom, Mount Suvlic, not to mention it was the same mountain where Merrick asked her to run from his hellhounds.

“It is not stupid but we all know Larsin will send soldiers to fight in whatever corner of the Kingdom he wants, meaning you wouldn’t come close to the Palace” Lara warned her.

“Unless we have a decent battalion hiding in the woods to distract the opposition, lead by my right hand” Merrick suggested while looking at Arline.

“Your functional right hand is the one that can actually lift a sword” Arline glared at him.

“Lara will secure the perimeter on the Palace and guard me from the sentinels” Merrick said “I need you to keep that part of the kingdom distracted and secured”

“You are still exposed” Aidan interrupted their little rant.

“Not entirely, if you cover in the woods and surprise them there” Arline quickly suggested “You lead his army inside the woods and attack there, for what I know some soldiers are not fond of the terrain”

Merrick wasn’t going to lie, it was a decent plan, it just needed more shaping. But he was more glad and relieved that Arline was up and running again, at least mentally for now.

“When can I go back to train?” Arline asked him.

“Take a few more days, you are not ready yet” Merrick couldn’t look at her without feeling guilty of what had happened to her back in the Ball.

“This healing process is taking too long” she sighed under her breath loud enough for Merrick to hear.

“You got poisoned with silver, I am surprised you even have the energy to blink right now” he fought back at her. Arline was weak but she still wanted to test her endurance even if it meant regressing with her recovery.

“You can speed it up” Arline emphasized the first word a little too much, earning her a mad look from Merrick “Don’t look at me like you don’t know what I’m talking about”.

“I do know what you are talking about” he approached her “Don’t even consider it Arline, I will not do it”

“Do what?” Aidan was utterly confused about the topic of discussion.

“Stralious cleansing” Lara intervened with a worried expression on her face but a surprised tone on her voice, considering those books are ancient and almost incomprehensible to read. Stralious was an ancient process, more so the name of who invented it, used mostly during wars, that involved one guardian absorbing other guardian’s powers for a faster recovery or to just get stronger. It was practiced only by very experimented medics and, if done poorly, it could alter the guardian’s entire handling of its powers.

“I’m not very thrilled at the idea of you becoming an entity with blood lust” Merrick said “And my power would over take you, no matter how powerful you are”. Merrick had points, which Arline didn’t want to accept so she shut her mouth and crossed her arms.

Pozarite’s Army trained in a kind of massive greenhouse due to the heat of the desert day. It was highly equipped with every kind of imaginable weapons, training dummies, climbing rocks and everything else needed to create a complete set of soldiers ready to battle any enemy.

Once she was strong enough, Arline went back to basics. Training her hand-on-hand combat from scratch and was thankful for her aim to still being intact. She soon realized how much she needed it, to move her body and being out of breath. It was har way of releasing tension and not thinking, and Larsin had taken that from her, just for a moment.

“I figured a way to attack them” Merrick said to her after a sword fighting session. Her skin was boiling and she felt claustrophobic in her boots “You attack from above” he simply said.

“Do you mean from the top of a tree?” She looked at him, concerned “You are absolutely insane and delusional if you think I’ll do that”.

“Why… Wait” Arline sensed when the idea sparked on his mind “Don’t tell me you are scared”

“Of course I am” she admitted, losing her patience and left the greenhouse and her General with a surprise.

Arline was sitting against the wall while looking at the immense skylight on the ceiling of their shared chambers, hugging her knees, when Merrick came inside the room and fixated on her small figure hiding in the growing shadows.

“You shouldn’t stare” she said without moving her head.

“I am sorry” he responded, sitting next to her “You will do it Arline” he ordered.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. She didn’t want to fight and was ready to go to the bathroom when he grabbed her wrist to stop her.

“What?” She mumbled “Not used to someone being disrespectful?”

“I am only used to that” Merrick pulled her closer, to look at him “You don’t even make it on the scale of disrespectful, you are just acting childish”

“How?” Arline sounded angry and alarmed, all product of fear “How am I acting childish, Merrick? Because I don’t want to break my neck on a battle that is not mine, just because you have a hunch that the plan might work?”

“It was your idea”

“I didn’t know you were going to actually give it a second thought” she confessed.

“If I didn’t give a second thought to everything you say to me, I would be dead by now” he got up and stood in front of her.

“Sure” she narrowed her eyes, trying to see the lies overflowing his words, which were none.

“What are you so scared of anyway, Arline? You have done all of this before” Merrick understood the sudden wave of insecurity that overpowered her. She had been tampered with to such an extent she almost died. It was natural that she didn’t trust herself, but Merrick did and he needed his Huntress to feel the way he felt towards her abilities.

Arline looked close to tears and stepped away from him and hid her face, trying to make the wetness on her eyes to fade “Of failing, Merrick” she whispered and sat down, holding her head “If I fail, I’ll be guilty of you not retaking the throne” Arline buried her face on her arms and began crying.

That was her breaking point. After everything she had been through, she had barely complained. Yes, she had cried but only because it was a natural response, this latest event overflowed her body and took over her emotions.

“Arline” he squatted in front of her as he called for her, which always managed to calm her “I understand” he reassured her.

“Really?” She still didn’t want to look at him.

“Of course I do” he had to remind her, he was somehow human “I just brush it away and remember who I am”

Merrick gently took Arline’s hand and made her face him, slowly. He felt selfish for considering her the most beautiful human being even while looking in pain and hopeless. He brushed her tears away “Trust me Arline, I’m just as scared as you” Merrick whispered to her.

“Don’t look at me like that Merrick, please” she sounded hurt and begged him, almost in a whisper.

“How?” He was indeed looking at her sweetly. Since she had almost sacrificed her life for him, Merrick noticed every bit of her even more than before, so he happen to be hypnotized by her sometimes.

“The way Larsin used to” Arline knew those words stung and that she was being hard on him but she didn’t want to deal with anymore romantics from another Prince, more considering he could also betray her if he wanted to.

He could have kissed her and made her realize she could trust him and rely on him but he also knew she was his most valuable soldier and ally and Arline would never forgive him for doing that.

“I don’t even recognize myself anymore” Arline confessed to him.

“You are the same stubborn, smart and quick thinking woman my brother found on that island” he acknowledged “You haven’t changed”.

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“Neither do I, Arline” Merrick brushed her hand way too gently, almost the way a lover does under a table “It’s the only thing we have been consistent on since we met”.

“You are my General, Merrick” Arline noticed his touch and she quickly removed his hand.

“If I treated you like a common soldier, you would be on his side” He looked at her again “The only reason that I have softened with you is because you push yourself hard enough”.

“What do you need me to do?” She asked him.

“Learn to keep your balance while you shoot from the top of a tree” he exposed the challenge for her, knowing she would take it.

“How long do I have?”

“Not enough time like I would like”

“I will make it work” she dried her cheeks and headed to the bathroom. Merrick felt how his mind played tricks and almost followed her to join her. He had to remind himself even he could succumb to the ancient and hypnotizing beauty of Water Guardians.

His chambers were lonely and the fabrics on his bed didn’t help him to shut down his mind. And as he always did, the Crown Prince of Reiska began his day earlier than the rest of the castle.

“Have you seen her?” The Prince asked one of the twins once he entered the War Room.

“She spent the entire night at the greenhouse” Ignatius let him know without looking up from some papyruses.

Merrick didn’t waste anymore time and headed to the training building. It was dark when he entered, a cool breeze of air passed through one of the windows, making a whispering sound. The Prince stood still and called for her.

“Arline” he whispered as if an elevated tone could make the light pass through the blinds.

Merrick felt exactly when the arrow passed right next to his cheek and implanted itself on the rock wall behind him. His heart was pounding because of fear for the first in a while. He then heard a melodic whisper and the blinds were lifted, revealing some soldiers in still positions. Then his Huntress appeared by his side, with sleepy eyes and her bow and arrows.

“How did you even hear me?” Merrick asked her trying to hide his nervous tone and replace it with admiration to her.

“I was closing my eyes” she shrugged and took the arrow out of the wall.

“You could have killed me”

“If I wanted you dead, I wouldn’t have missed” she smirked at him.

“You didn’t sleep”

“I couldn’t”

“Does this mean you figured a way to do it?”

“Almost” she confessed “I need to work on my balance” Arline went straight back to the base of the climbing wall. She moved like a serpent while climbing up and gracefully stood guard like a gargoyle on the top a temple.

Merrick had the fun idea to let her aim at an apple on his head. He had a grin on his face and looked very silly when he placed the crimson fruit on top of him, as a crown. Arline aimed and shot, the arrow pierced the apple’s core but she wobbled a little above.

Arline didn’t rest. She continued practicing until her core was shaking and crying for her to stop. On her break, she could see the desert sky from the platform. It was clear, allowing to see every star on the galaxy.

She decided to make her way out of the training compound and laid outside, on the sand dunes for the first time. Arline felt like the smallest being in the universe. She could feel how the night sky covered her like a blanket and felt that if she made even the slightest move, the sand could grow a mouth and swallow her.

She was so focused on the landscape that she didn’t notice when the white dragon started approaching her. It was the first time she could be right next to it by herself. It was the purest shade of white, it had ivory horns with red stained ends and a pair of blood shot eyes. When the creature finally got in front of her, she dared to caress it, its head being almost the size of her body.

“Don’t try sneaking on me” Arline continued petting the dragon, not caring for the Prince.

“I wasn’t” Merrick said “Have you thought of a name?” He approached her side and carefully placed his hand on the dragon’s head, petting the bigger scales that decorated the tip of the creatures head all down to the tip of its tail.

“Zeydar” she said softly after a while “I don’t know if it means anything, it just suits her”

Zeydar opened her wings and flew over their heads, as they were making their way back to the imposing castle. Named Dry Rock, the castle was the complete opposite of the one in Reiska. It was a structure hidden in between the rocks of a cliff, with certain towers being exposed to the outside, but most of the castle was inside the rocks, protecting it and its people from the extreme heat.

“Why did you come to see me for?” She asked on their way to their room, climbing up the rugged stairs.

“We leave in a week” her heart skipped a beat and could feel how her stomach clenched. She was scared “It is the best time to strike” he explained.

“I’m not ready” she managed to say.

“I don’t need you to be perfect” he said “I just need you to kill some people to help me retrieve the throne”

“How will the soldiers react to a girl leading them?” This was the decision he had made that left her the most unsettled. Arline knew that if some sailors could turn on Merrick, what was left for a group of men who carried weapons to turn against her.

“You have proven your ability time and time again, here as well as in Reiska” he eased her mind “They will follow you because they trust you”.

“They’ll die Merrick” she was feeling a wave of remorse take over her.

“People die in wars, they know this when they sign up for the Army” he coldly said unlacing his linen shirt once in the bedroom “Anything else?”

“I’m not wearing an armor”

“Lara will take care of it, not to worry”

Arline cleaned the dust and sweat from her tired body. Despite feeling light as feather, she moved like she carried a bag full of rocks. She thought of going back and continue to train. The thought of falling down from one of the trees on the forest, terrified her. The thought of failing and losing the battle, made her sick. And the image of Merrick, defeated, with a disappointing expression, made her heart sink.

“Stay and rest” he advised her while taking off his shirt and revealing his naked and stone carved torso. Arline didn’t flinch, she had seen naked men before and Merrick felt comfortable enough to do that. She did narrow her eyes at some thin lines on his body that almost looked like golden threads.

“What are those?” She asked him softly while signaling his arm.

“Scars” he simply responded, not even giving them a second thought.

“You scar with gold?”

“No, we paint our battle scars” he smiled “It reminds us that we live on a mortal body” he expressed for her “You will have them too” he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

“If I don’t die”

“You won’t die” Merrick stated.

“You sound very sure about that” Arline sat in front of him, giving him her back “Can you braid it for me? Please” she desperately tried to change the gloomy subject.

“Of course”

They were in silence. None of them dared to speak. They wouldn’t admit how scared they were, so silence was their secret weapon against unwanted confessions.

Merrick grabbed her chin when he finished, to admire her beauty once again and satisfy his eyes. The room was in total silence and they were closer than ever before.

“Thank you” Arline whispered to him, thinking he would let her go.

“Don’t go Arline, please”

“What?”

He didn’t respond and almost got carried away by his instincts. After everything they have been through and how close their relationship had become, neither of them were going to deny the desire they felt through their bodies when they faced each other on the loneliness of certain rooms. But he had to stop himself and clear his mind, and gently stood up from the bed heading to the bathroom, leaving her on the floor. Arline almost felt a sense of calm across her limbs and was thankful of him not stepping further, but was in disbelief at what the Dark Prince could have done.

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