The Light of Miera: A Guard's Request (Book 1)

1 - Chapter Five

Reyla successfully maintained her composure for the rest of her shift, but it was a task.

Returning to the palace offered her little relief. Their usual silence taunted her with frenzied thoughts as she searched desperately for a way to repent her sins.

She knew she had to fix things before it was too late. Before their secret was found out.

Her heart hadn't stopped racing since the twins'. Her senses screamed at her as her anxiety raged on, ready to burst forth at any moment. Every breath more despicable than the last.

She hated herself.

How could she be so selfish?

How did she not see?

They arrived at Arafrey's bedroom, her usual anticipation replaced with a pang of sickening guilt. It tore her apart inside.

Arafrey closed the door behind them with gusto, throwing her arms around Reyla.

"We have some time before your shift ends," she purred, a wide smile over her blushed cheeks. Arafrey's hands were like silk, brushing over Reyla as she pulled in close, placing a soft kiss on her green lips.

Reyla remained quiet, her eyes empty as Arafrey pulled at her armour. Her heart cold. It was now or never.

Reyla stopped Arafrey. Her fingers wrapped around the princess' delicate wrists as she held Arafrey still, her grasp feeble.

"Princess... I... We..." Reyla forced out a whisper, eyes to the floor. Her strength quickly failing, she searched desperately for the correct words to say.

"Reyla?" Arafrey's voice wavered with uncertainty, already she suspected something was wrong.

"My Princess, I will always protect you, but I..." Reyla paused, catching her breath, the words ripping through her like daggers. "I always knew we could never... And if we were found out..."

Reyla had never been good with words. Feelings were hard for her to convey. It wasn't that she didn't feel these things, more she never expressed them before or spent most her time trying to forget them. Between working in the castle and joining the army, she never really had time to figure that kind of thing out. It wasn't like she had many friends to talk to either. All she ever had was her Princess, which made things so much harder.

She tightened her hand and continued. "I didn't care. I was willing to risk it all to be with you."

"But Reyla, I l-"

"Ara, please..." she burst, pushing Arafrey away. "This whole time I was so busy not caring what would happen to me; when I should've been worried about what would happen to you."

"You-" Arafrey hesitated at the use of her name. "You can't listen to those girls. They were just gossiping!"

"But they were right," Reyla snapped. "Like it or not, you are the Princess and you have your role to play in this kingdom's future."

Reyla tried not to look away as tears bubbled in Arafrey's emerald eyes. It was hard for her to hurt Arafrey like this, but she made up her mind. She was sure she was doing the right thing. She couldn't afford to lose her resolve now.

"Please, Reyla," Arafrey sobbed quietly, although Reyla suspected she very much wanted to scream the palace down.

"I'm serious this time," Reyla asserted, finally managing to hold eye contact, her face set, determined despite the pain in her chest. "It's time we accept that role doesn't... can't... involve me..."

Tears streamed down Arafrey's face as Reyla turned to leave.

"Please... don't do this..." she whimpered.

* * *

Reyla trudged towards the barracks, replaying her conversation with the Princess in her mind.

She felt hollow inside. Every step leading away from the Princess' bedroom grew harder than the last.

If she ran back now maybe they could come up with a plan. Maybe they could run away together as they had always dreamed. They could run, never look back, live off the lands in peace and -

No.

No, she was doing the right thing.

She was certain.

Reyla's internal struggle continued as she walked. The muscles in her back tightened to form one giant knot as she curled deeper into herself.

Soul tortured. Heart still.

"REEEEEEEYLA!"

Reyla was so wrapped up in her quandary, she failed to notice the excited yelling following her.

"Hey! Reyla!"

A young Frey ran up to her. He wore the same uniform, but with the red cloak and motifs of the Queen's Guard.

"Hey, Tharin. What's up?"

Tharin had been on the Princess guard when Reyla first received her promotion. They became fast friends despite his noble background and Reyla had grown rather fond of him.

The youngest of three sons, Tharin was a charismatic Frey with eyes a perennial blue and cheek dimples you could stick your thumbs in whenever he smiled. He wore his hair short like common Frey on the Guard, a caramel blonde that sprang from the right into an impossibly tidy fringe.

A self-proclaimed ladies man, Tharin was often found with a gaggle of girls fawning over him in the local tavern, much to the displeasure of his girlfriend. He calmed down over recent years and, at twenty-five, had started thinking about settling down, however, Reyla was sure he would always be the same goof-ball.

Tharin was overly excited, even for him.

"So. There I am, on duty, right. Then all these sick guys start showing up out of nowhere." Despite his noble heritage, Tharin spent a lot of time with the commoners on the Palace Guard, as such his vocabulary was often at odds with his posher accent. "And then the Queen turns to Mika and is like." He changed his voice to do a poor impression. "We need additional guards during this crisis." He continued in his own voice, "and then the Queen hands him this list and tells him everyone on it is to be reassigned immediately to the Queen's Guard as of tomorrow. And do you know who's name was on the top of that list?"

"No, why don't you tell me?" asked Reyla, fast-growing tired of her friends' rambling.

"It. Was. You."

"Oh?"

She frowned. She heard what he said, but it hadn't registered. Was that good news?

"Come on that's awesome! We get to be on duty together." he grinned. "I even wrangled us the first night shift! Will be just like old times!"

He grabbed Reyla into a hug, tussling her shaggy mane. She slunk out of her depression enough to give him a forced smile and laugh.

"Come on, let's go toast your promotion! We need to get you in the proper colours too," he said pulling on her green cape. "You can at least look like you're part of the Queen's Guard while you're here!"

Reyla touched the green sigil of the Princess Guard on her breast. She had worked for the Princess so long it was going to be strange wearing different colours.

Perhaps it was time for her to move on.

"We need ale!" Tharin declared. "Lots of it!"

* * *