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Chapter 18: Confession at Lake Neyriz
The next day, Queen Mariam and Darina set sail through Lake Neyriz. The sail of their boat is filled with the scent of ivory. They had maidservants and musicians with them. They had a personal discourse about their fine dresses and their memories with each other.
Queen Mariam held Darina's hand. She felt a faint heaviness in her heart as she saw Darina's hand with a few scars. Some of it maybe were wounds of training, some by the swords fight, and the remaining ones were due to the fire incident when Darina was seventeen years old. The queen could only keep the blame in herself as to what happened to Darina.
Darina glanced at the fine features of Queen Mariam as she lets her hold her hand. What Darina saw is a queenly countenance flared by the sepia lights of the setting sun. Her fine chiseled cheekbones faintly beam in red, and her nose delights the hands of the cunning sculptors. The tips of her hair covered with shoal gently glide through the Neyriz winds. The sme
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Jewels of The Crown Chapter 19: Vexation
The words of the Queen and her sincere appeal never did anything better to Darina except to make her wish that she heard it wrong. Yet, she cannot fulfill her own wish because she knew it all along. She denied it in herself that such suspicion is possible to the extent of disallowing Rowen and Marsden to report this important thing to her. It was in those moments that Darina felt her world suspended and has brought her in an inordinate vexation. Teardrops escaped Darina’s eyes as Queen Mariam called her name again. Her heart aches to reveal that her Royal Knight title is her sole foothold to remain in Clapestris… that she may not be disposed of because of being a freeloader. Yet, Darina chooses to restrain her thoughts. She cannot find enough words that can disclose what foreboding thought was haunting her for many years. It is never that she loses confidence in sharing sentiments with the Queen but she cannot find the right reasons to do it either. So as she
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 20: Precious Brotherhood
In a commoner’s amusement place, it is filled with noise and laughter. Yet, it is Darina’s second fine choice right after Farrah’s villa. Other than these two places, Darina cannot name something any better. A boy familiar to Rowen came with food for them in the exclusive room. Darina noticed that the boy was a new sight. “Who is this retak?” Darina asked, amused that the boy behaves meticulously as he places the platters upon their oak table. “I had not seen him before.” The retak greeted Darina formally as he grips the tray against his chest. “I am Ganzorig, Your Highness. I am a brother to the cavalry captain.” He said, pertaining to Rowen as he introduced himself. Recalling that Rowen had no siblings, Darina wondered. “Rowen, I thought your life was akin to mine?” “It is true that he is not my brother by lineage, Your Highness. But Brother Rowen redeemed me from being a slave at Sindhur. He brought me to Clapestris. Yet I did not stay for
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 21: A Subtle Confrontation
In the guise of a military mission, Darina chooses to not take her rest at the palace. With Rowen, she went outside the amusement place to find a place to stay. They decided to go to an inn which is situated half a farsang away. While they are standing at the wide-open double doors of the inn, they noticed how the workers are busy preparing the grand hall. There are dancers in their fine dresses assisting each other to keep their fashion intact. Darina walks in while observing the people around her. A dancer whose gaze met hers stood in awe. “Dilruba?” Darina called her as she steps closer. “How can a court dancer be in this place?” “We will perform for a court official, Your Highness,” Dilruba replied while keeping her hands upon the embroidered kerchief that covers the lower half of her face. Darina felt her eyes quiver involuntarily at such aggravating thought that the court dancers who are meant exclusively for the internal court are performing at
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 22: Filial Respect
Indeed, Darina saw herself in Ardeshir when he asked for a chance to prove every candid portion of his service. When Robert the chiliarch secretly told her that she is summoned to the internal courts, her stance did not perturb. She can receive the thing that she did not forbear, and that is mercy. Darina believes that there is no trouble even though the chiliarch is covered in sweat and dread. The king's voice brought the chiliarch to apprehension on behalf of Darina. While gasping for air, the chiliarch hopes that Darina will not receive great indignation. "How can I not dread when he has not poured his anger in me? I'm afraid that His Majesty reserves all his rage against your highness." "Resign your fears, chiliarch," Darina replied. "All is well."
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 23: Calm Waters
The very first thing Darina and her company noticed about Shahin was his character, timid and reserved. While they observe him from afar, Darina’s company cannot help themselves but talk about him. “I did not expect that he was Prince Ozroes’ half-brother. I can barely see any resemblance of Chief Marcus in him,” Marsden commented. He noticed that the chief Amyrgians there have aspen-red hair. But Shahin has a brown one. “It is because he is a stepson to Chief Marcus. Chief Marcus took Shahin’s mother after the former chief wife died. Shahin is older than Ozroes but Ozroes is the chief prince,” Ardeshir explained. Hearing their conversation in this manner, Darina was enraged. “Both of you must cut your comments. What is it anyway if he bears no resemblance to Chief Marcus or has no blood relation with the chief Amyrgian line? Isn’t it enough that Shahin must be known as a brother of Ozroes? You are indirectly rejecting him. You seem to not care of your master
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 24: Hoax War and Honor
At night, Rowen beckoned Ardeshir because of Darina’s silence after the question about the practice war. They proceeded to the palace library for their secret conversation. “Don’t you think it unnecessary to ask that, Prince Ardeshir?” Rowen confronted. “It is necessary. We must see them prepared.” “Why?” “What if Minister Hazper will raise unto King Rashal about making the practice war as the criterion of the royal knight decision? I just don’t want Darina to count the practice war trivial. It is her chance to secure her title. If she wins the title, I by myself will usher it to the king to consider the winner as the only royal knight of Clapestris.” “Why not suggest this to the king before the event?” “It is a mind game, Cavalry Captain. Minister Hazper was the one who suggested the necessity of the royal knights to participate. He did not suggest this as the basis yet. He wants to make sure that his desired royal knight will win fir
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 25: Vicissitudes
No man yet was able to compare how fast could be the time is for one person and slow to another. One thing to Clapestris is for sure, that the fastest of all was all the vicissitudes that happened, in her capital and outside her palaces.While Darina and Prince Thariem are away, the warfare game prevailed. There are many red dyes slashed through from both sides that almost every one of them seemed defeated on their own. Many were serious about taking the combat and a few made it for entertainment. The same few soldiers were the first to notice the lone traveler heading towards them, and a trail of thick dust is following him. These soldiers called the deputy leaders to look at the coming person.Rowen received the letter from him. As he reads it, his hands clutched the paper. King Rashal requires reinforcement from those who are participating in the practice war for his campaign against the Egeans.“We need to help His Majesty,” the deputy leader for
Jewels of The Crown Chapter 26: The Falcon
Before the troubles of the capital and her woes pounded the land, Darina had lost all her time in trying to find Prince Thariem. The reckoning of her subconscious demands to get the search done. Taking familiar routes, breaking abandoned barriers, and racing with the unknown, Darina got nothing to think at all but to see Prince Thariem. There, at the higher place of Zagros Mountains, that she saw him pouring his grief. She kept on calling the prince, pleading him to return. “For what Darina? To be your laughingstock? Why are you enthusiastic about the game? To get your desires against me done?” Prince Thariem retorted. He laid back as he met Darina’s terrified gaze. The prince gathered all his guilt to be sorry right away to Darina. “Forgive me. If only I can plead for the game to not happen and it would be better.” “Even if it has to happen, I will do something for your sake. So do not think that I forgot you in my works,” Darina simply replied as she gets n
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