Alina

The Castle Of Grytia

She hadn't heard from Tristan all winter, even though they lived under the same roof.

The castle wasn't exactly small, and since she no longer served meals or cleaned chambers, her chances of accidently crossing paths with Tristan were almost gone. Almost. She still managed to see him on a few occasions when she went for a walk in the courtyard or passed through a main hallway. But that was all. She would just see him, and he would not even look at her. Just like he did earlier today when she went to meet Alexander.

Alina was standing with Alexander in one of the arched balconies near Jared's chamber, catching up on the latest news. She didn't really have much about to tell him about herself, except for how well she was getting along with the other entertainers. She could have told him how heartbroken she felt because of Tristan's neglect. But the mere thought brought tears to her eyes.

"You don't look very well to me Lina," Alexander frowned, reading right through her fake smile.

"I told you I am fine," her smile widened in assurance, looking even more fake.

"Is it because of Lord Tristan?" he asked. "Does he still not want to speak to you?"

"It's not like that... I mean... I don't want to speak to him either. If he doesn't care for me then why should I care for him?" she said, trying to sound confident despite the pain in her voice. "How's Jared anyway?" she quickly changed the subject.

"He's... doing much better," Alexander smiled, and Alina could tell his smile was fake as well. "He still can't walk on his own though... and his temper these days is worse than ever."

Thudding footsteps approached them, interrupting their conversation. They turned around and Alina held her breath as she saw Tristan. He was walking in the passageway behind them, apparently on his way to visit Jared.

"Lord Tristan," Alexander called and hurried before Tristan with a quick bow, while Alina stepped back further into the balcony, silently cursing Alexander for grabbing Tristan's attention. Tristan's cold eyes didn't even care to look her way, although her presence was quite noticeable even to the blind. And as if she didn't even exist, he turned all his attention to Alexander.

"What are you doing here, boy? Shouldn't you be by Jared's side?" Tristan frowned, a hint of reproach in his voice.

"Umm... yes... but I was just –"

"Come along now," Tristan ordered, grabbing Alexander's shoulder. Alexander barely threw a troubled back glance at Alina as Tristan steered him away from the balcony, leaving Alina alone, as if she were completely invisible.

Alina could no longer hold her tears as she buried her face against her pillow. Why was he doing this to her? She hated it. She hated that he ignored her. How cruel!

"What is it Alina?" a soft voice approached her.

Alina sniffled and quickly wiped her tears. She turned around and found Virginia by her side, smiling down at her with tenderness. It didn't help though, and Alina only found herself bursting into more sobs. Virginia took her in her arms, hushing her gently.

"How... could you... endure?" Alina sobbed, looking up at Virginia with desperate eyes.

"What?" Virginia frowned back at her in confusion.

"How could you... stand it... when Tr... Tristan... left you?"

"Oh," Virginia's blue eyes widened briefly in apprehension, before they narrowed with compassion. "Poor girl," she sighed as she drew Alina closer into her arms. "You've done a big mistake."

"What mistake?" Alina cried.

"Falling in love, dear," Virginia sighed. "It is the first thing they teach you when you start working as an entertainer. Never fall in love with a customer."

"But... Lord Tristan... is not a customer. This is...not a tavern."

"It's still the same concept. Your role is to entertain the man who asks for your services, be it a castle Lord, or a tavern customer. But you should never get your heart involved."

"Why?" Alina sobbed. "I mean... you can't help it if your heart falls for someone."

"Oh, you're still very young and inexperienced," Virginia sighed while Alina continued to cry.

Was it true? Was falling in love with Tristan a mistake?

***

It was late in the morning already and Alina still remained in bed, unwilling to rise or even open her eyes. She made sure to keep her whole body as well as her face buried beneath the covers, blocking out the bright light that filled the room, and the sounds of Jenna's loud singing and Esma's distracting giggles. Until she heard a familiar voice that forced the room into an uncomfortable silence.

"Where is Alina?" the voice asked.

"Oh, good morning Miss Klara," Esma responded. "She's hiding over there."

Alina cowered further beneath the covers at the sound of approaching footsteps, and without warning, the covers were snatched off her, leaving her completely exposed in her thin nightgown. She turned to Klara with an angry scowl.

"Get up and pack your things," Klara simply ordered, and a long silence fell over the place.

Alina blinked at Klara for a long moment as the words sunk in, before she slowly rose off her bed.

"Why?" she asked timidly, the most terrible thoughts whirling within her mind.

"No questions. Pack your things. I'll be back shortly to fetch you." And with that Klara left the room.

Alina's heart hammered against her chest, and she looked around her at the entertainers who stood watching her with troubled expressions.

"Are they... are they selling me away?" Alina whimpered.

"That's not likely," Virginia said with an assuring smile. "You wouldn't need to pack anything if you were being sold away."

"Maybe you're being moved back to the servants' quarters," Jenna pouted.

"Not likely either," Virginia still wore the same elegant smile. "Servants are not allowed to take our dresses and makeup to their quarters."

"Either way, you better just do as Klara said," Esma advised.

"Come, I'll help you. Which dresses do you want to take?" Virginia gently took Alina's shaking hand, leading her to the dressing chamber.

It didn't take her too long to pack, since she didn't really have many things. Just a couple of dresses and matching accessories. Barely any makeup, save for a single pan of red rouge and another of black eye powder.

Alina was shaking visibly when Klara came back to fetch her, and her legs barely supported her as she followed her outside the entertainers' chamber. She grabbed on tight to the small sack she held between her hands in an attempt to still her trembling. But it didn't really work. And the longer she walked behind Klara, the more terrified she grew. She didn't even notice where they were going, and she barely registered the long passages they walked through and the numerous chambers they passed, until Klara stood abruptly before one of the doors.

Alina's heart pounded hard as Klara took out a key. She unlocked the door and pushed it open, before she turned to Alina with a blank expression.

"Get in," she ordered, and Alina obeyed without a word.

Holding her breath, Alina entered the mysterious chamber, her heart racing and her whole body shaking. But her fear soon turned to intrigue as she took in her surroundings. What in the heavens was going on?

This was one of the most beautiful chambers she had ever seen. Small patterns of white and red painted the walls. Sky blue curtains framed the tall glass windows overlooking the East and the long terrace overlooking the West. A large bed stood in the middle of the room, enclosed in a red velvet canopy, and several white fur carpets spread over the blue tiled floor. Alina noticed another door next to the terrace, and as she looked through, she realized it opened into another adjacent room which occupied a large wooden chest, a dressing table with a gold framed mirror, a bath tub and –

"Do you like it?"

Alina would have gasped in surprise. But the deep familiar voice that spoke behind her knocked her out of breath, and out of all senses. She stood still for a long moment, wondering if the voice was real. The voice that sent her whole soul fluttering and her heart pounding.

She turned around slowly. And she saw him. Standing before her. Tall and intimidating. His eyes black as night, staring at her with a deep longing that unsettled her whole being. His large chest rose as he took in a deep breath, and he passed a hand through his long black hair. His lips parted slightly as he attempted to speak, and all she could think of was the long missed touch of those lips against hers. She hadn't realized that she stood there staring at him, completely lost, until she found him standing right before her, his big hands gently closing around her shaking arms.

"You are not just a slave," he said, his voice deep yet gentle, and she couldn't help the burning tears that rose within her eyes. "Come."

Alina let him lead her wherever he wanted. She was too weak to resist. Too nervous to even breathe. He took her hands and sat her down on the bed, taking his place beside her.

"I'm sorry," he said, still holding her hands. "You are not just a slave. You are not a plaything. And yes... I love you."

That was her undoing.

All her long held emotions. All the suffering. All the longing. All the love. Suddenly burst out in an intense gasping sob, while tears of relief streamed down her face. Tristan's strong arms closed around her, drawing her against his chest. Oh how much she had longed for this moment. She trembled within his embrace, while his hands gently caressed her shoulders and her back.

"I... I thought you hated me..." Alina cried as she still lay within his arms.

"I could never hate you," Tristan whispered through her hair.

"Then why did you ignore me all that time?"

"I was scared."

Alina pulled away and looked up at him curiously. Tristan scared?

"I was scared of the way I felt about you. I only loved one woman before, and when she left... I was so hurt, I felt that I was going to die... No, I was dead indeed. And I promised that I would never love any other woman again. But then you came, and I started to feel alive again. Then I got scared. Because I found myself breaking the promise I have taken.

"When you asked me that night, if I loved you, I was terrified. Because my heart knew too well that I loved you, but my mind just wanted to deny it. That was why I... I took my anger out on you. I thought if I acted like I didn't love you, I would eventually end up believing it. But I was a fool. If anything it only broke my heart. Every single day I was away from you, only crushed me further. And now... I can't stand being away from you any longer."

Alina had no words, and all she could do was stare at Tristan in awe as silent tears streamed down her face. Alina had always dreamed of the moment when Tristan finally told her that he loved her. But what she had never expected was to find him opening up to her that way. That touched her more than any confession of love.

Tristan didn't even wait for her to respond, and his mouth fell unto hers, taking her lips in a deep kiss that magically sucked out all her pain away.

"Tristan..." she breathed between their passionate kisses, indulging in the warmth and peace that enveloped her as he held her firm and kissed her deep. Finally, after all these long months of neglect...

"Enough for now," he suddenly broke the kiss. What? That was all? Her face fell in disappointment and she found him chuckling in response. "Come on, don't give me that face. I got work to do." He brushed his thumb against her temple. "But I'll see you this afternoon, alright? I want you to be ready before sunset, and wear something nice. Something not too revealing."

***

Alina waited nervously in the terrace of her new chamber, watching the late afternoon sun sink further towards the West. Tristan had not given her any explanations, and she had no idea what to expect. It was still a bit early for dinner, so it was unlikely that he was taking her to dine with him at the great hall. Not that he seemed like the type of person to do such a thing anyway. He did say he loved her, but she didn't really expect him to let her join his table with his friends and council yet...

"Ready love?" his voice startled her. She had been too lost in her thoughts that she did not notice when he entered the room.

She turned around and her heart thumped at his sight. He was dressed in a thin white shirt that hugged his muscled chest and arms, and tight midnight blue pants that traced his long powerful legs. A matching velvet cloak draped over his wide shoulders, secured at the front by two round silver clasps and a suspended chain in between. A light stubble covered his sharp jaw, adding more edge to his powerful aura. And his hair... oh his midnight black hair... A few long strands were neatly pulled backwards and gathered into a half updo, leaving the rest of his no-longer-tangled curls tumbling down his back.

"Come on love, the sun will set soon," Tristan urged, waking her from her brief trance. "And put on a cloak."

Alina almost gasped as she found Tristan leading her to the stables, a large glass domed structure like the one back in Nordenvania. No, he couldn't be serious! She hadn't flown a Pegasus since she had attempted to escape with Julian, and her throat constricted at the mere memory.

Her eyes widened with excitement as they entered the large stables, where at least a dozen Pegasi were flying beneath the massive glass dome, not to mention a dozen others feeding inside their stalls. Pegasi were very expensive, and there had never been that many back at Nordenvania. The most Bernard had ever owned were six, and even that was considered a huge extravagance.

"I thought you might have missed flying," Tristan smiled. "Come on, pick your ride."

Alina's heart swelled with emotion she thought it would explode. This must be the best thing Tristan had ever done to her. Without hesitation she pointed towards the biggest and strongest Pegasus she could spot, a temperamental black beast with huge black wings.

"Did you really have to pick the most dangerous one?" Tristan frowned.

"Well, you asked me to pick, you can't change your mind now," she smiled cheekily, growing a bit confident.

"Alright. I will let you have Nomad on the condition that I fly him and you will sit in front of me."

Alina would have protested. But the idea of Tristan sitting right behind her with his chest pressing against her back and his arms enclosing her did not sound very bad.

"Agreed," she smirked.

****************

Sorry for the abrupt ending here. So, there were supposed to be only three chapters left to finish this book, but for some reason these three chapters are getting much longer than I originally planned, and I had to end up splitting them. (That's why we got an awkward ending here). So now there should be around six chapters left (including this one), but I'll be posting two at a time.

Anyway, how did you feel about Tristan making up with Alina and opening up to her?

If you like this chapter, don't forget to leave a comment and vote!