Tie It With a Ribbon
A Bed of Nails
Zanzibar looked very weary as he returned to us, a notebook in his hand, but he smiled upon seeing me. I rushed up to meet him.
“Zanzibar, I must speak with my mother,” I told him, urgency in my eyes.
He looked puzzled for a moment. “What happened?”
I glanced back to Camille, and she hurried up to us, placing the note in Zanzibar’s hands. His eyes glanced over the paper quickly, but then he seemed to do a double-take with his eyes. He held the paper more firmly, reading it again as if daring it to say the same things to him.
Even he grew embarrassed. “Wow,” he breathed, glancing up to me. “I thought your father’s name was Cain, not W. Summons?”
“It is!” I exclaimed, taking the note and attempting to read it. I groaned out of frustration. “I cannot read this! What does it say?” They both looked away from me. “What? Is it that bad?”
“You may want to speak with your mother, Alena,” Camille told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I think you should ask her about your father.”
“Why? What about Cain?”
Camille looked away, and Zanzibar sighed, stepping forward. “Love, I… Your mother seems to have, well, slept with, oh, a Leonian man—during the course of her marriage with Cain.”
My mouth dropped, and I stumbled to find words. “Well, is there a date? How do you know?”
“How long is the typical Aquilan pregnancy?”
“Stop it,” I demanded, not wishing to listen any longer. “Do not dare consider it!”
“Would you like to return to the Nest, Alena? We can have a word with her, and then we can return here for the night, in case you do not like the answer,” Zanzibar murmured, kissing me gently. “All right?”
I nodded, taking his hand quickly and taking the note and placing it in my pocket. We did not speak the entire walk through the forest, and thankfully Zanzibar understood. He did not fight my silence, but there was one question I wished to ask.
“What was the date on the letter?” I asked quietly, glancing up to him anxiously.
“January,” he stated simply, obviously having already thought of this.
A July-born Aquilan child would have been conceived around January. My grip on his hand tightened, and he kissed my cheek softly.
“But if you are, Alena, the child of a Leonian… That would mean a hybrid child has already been born.” He sounded as if he was walking on a bed of nails: extremely careful about each step, so he would not lose his footing.
“It would also mean that my mother has been lying to me for so many years,” I retorted, immediately regretting my harsh tone. “I’m sorry, but you understand that this is not such good news to me. How would the Aquilans feel if a hybrid was already taking over their throne? Our child would be more Leonian than Aquilan, and something tells me it was already risky enough when it was just a fifty-fifty split.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Alena. I’m right here, I promise, and I am not going anywhere.”
Words left me as we entered the marketplace, and a confused Reginald greeted us.
“My Queen, I thought you were staying at the Den for the night.”
I could not bring myself to chitchat with him, but Zanzibar stepped forward.
“We are looking for Nadia. Where is she at the present moment?” he asked, his concerned gaze returning to me.
“I believe she should be up in her room, retired for the night. This cannot wait?”
“Absolutely not,” I growled, brushing past him and walking hurriedly towards the front gate with Zanzibar at my heels.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” he asked wearily, breathing quickly as we ascended the stairs. “What are you going to say to her?”
“What is there to say at this point?” I asked, knocking loudly on her door with the note in my free hand. “I only have to show her this.”
My mother opened the door, smiling sleepily. “Oh, Alena and Zanzibar. What a pleasant surprise. But aren’t you supposed to be at the Den?”
I was fuming at how proper she pretended to be, so Zanzibar stepped forward again. “Actually, do you mind if we come inside for a moment?”
Her smile faltered. “Oh. Well, of course.” She moved out of the way, and I led Zanzibar through the door. “So, how can I help you two?”
Zanzibar glanced over to me, deciding to take the paper out of my hand as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Actually, I think you would like to see this first and explain it before I can allow Alena to speak as freely as she would like.”
My mother took the paper with slight confusion, and her brow furrowed as she read the Leonian writing.
“What did you make of this?”
“That you had an affair,” Zanzibar said calmly, though I was ready to explode.
“Alena, do you agree with your husband?”
“It certainly is incriminating evidence,” I growled, scowling at her.
“I am your mother,” she informed me. “Is it so strange that the Leonians would have tried to break the source of Aquilan power by breaking the marriage of the throne?” Zanzibar tried to object, but she smiled apologetic. “Please keep in mind that this happened when times were not so peaceful.”
“Mother, are you saying that this is a lie? Because it managed to make even my lions blush at the sight. You do not know a Mr. W. Summons?”
I could not help but notice a change in her facial expression at the mention of the name. “I loved Cain, Alena, and I cannot believe that you are here accusing me of such a thing,” she told me, her eyes hardening. “I have been very understanding with you, have I not? And yet here you are, accusing me of such scandal!”
“I deserve to know if I am truly an Aquilan, mother!” I argued, growing angrier. I had lost my calm mask, because I had been around the Leonians so long.
“You will not raise your voice at me. I do not think you are fit to talk to me at this current state, Alena. Please leave.”
I tried to argue further, but Zanzibar tried to reason further with me. When that did not work, he pulled me out of her bedroom. The door locked behind us.
“She is lying to me, Zanzibar,” I told him through clenched teeth. “I want a record of every Summons in your kingdom, every male within reasonable age.”
“Of course, but, Alena, perhaps we should discuss this at the Den,” he murmured, glancing towards Reginald, who was standing at the bottom of the staircase. His gaze was full of accusation and distrust.
“Zanzibar, I must speak with my mother,” I told him, urgency in my eyes.
He looked puzzled for a moment. “What happened?”
I glanced back to Camille, and she hurried up to us, placing the note in Zanzibar’s hands. His eyes glanced over the paper quickly, but then he seemed to do a double-take with his eyes. He held the paper more firmly, reading it again as if daring it to say the same things to him.
Even he grew embarrassed. “Wow,” he breathed, glancing up to me. “I thought your father’s name was Cain, not W. Summons?”
“It is!” I exclaimed, taking the note and attempting to read it. I groaned out of frustration. “I cannot read this! What does it say?” They both looked away from me. “What? Is it that bad?”
“You may want to speak with your mother, Alena,” Camille told me, placing a hand on my shoulder. “I think you should ask her about your father.”
“Why? What about Cain?”
Camille looked away, and Zanzibar sighed, stepping forward. “Love, I… Your mother seems to have, well, slept with, oh, a Leonian man—during the course of her marriage with Cain.”
My mouth dropped, and I stumbled to find words. “Well, is there a date? How do you know?”
“How long is the typical Aquilan pregnancy?”
“Stop it,” I demanded, not wishing to listen any longer. “Do not dare consider it!”
“Would you like to return to the Nest, Alena? We can have a word with her, and then we can return here for the night, in case you do not like the answer,” Zanzibar murmured, kissing me gently. “All right?”
I nodded, taking his hand quickly and taking the note and placing it in my pocket. We did not speak the entire walk through the forest, and thankfully Zanzibar understood. He did not fight my silence, but there was one question I wished to ask.
“What was the date on the letter?” I asked quietly, glancing up to him anxiously.
“January,” he stated simply, obviously having already thought of this.
A July-born Aquilan child would have been conceived around January. My grip on his hand tightened, and he kissed my cheek softly.
“But if you are, Alena, the child of a Leonian… That would mean a hybrid child has already been born.” He sounded as if he was walking on a bed of nails: extremely careful about each step, so he would not lose his footing.
“It would also mean that my mother has been lying to me for so many years,” I retorted, immediately regretting my harsh tone. “I’m sorry, but you understand that this is not such good news to me. How would the Aquilans feel if a hybrid was already taking over their throne? Our child would be more Leonian than Aquilan, and something tells me it was already risky enough when it was just a fifty-fifty split.”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, Alena. I’m right here, I promise, and I am not going anywhere.”
Words left me as we entered the marketplace, and a confused Reginald greeted us.
“My Queen, I thought you were staying at the Den for the night.”
I could not bring myself to chitchat with him, but Zanzibar stepped forward.
“We are looking for Nadia. Where is she at the present moment?” he asked, his concerned gaze returning to me.
“I believe she should be up in her room, retired for the night. This cannot wait?”
“Absolutely not,” I growled, brushing past him and walking hurriedly towards the front gate with Zanzibar at my heels.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” he asked wearily, breathing quickly as we ascended the stairs. “What are you going to say to her?”
“What is there to say at this point?” I asked, knocking loudly on her door with the note in my free hand. “I only have to show her this.”
My mother opened the door, smiling sleepily. “Oh, Alena and Zanzibar. What a pleasant surprise. But aren’t you supposed to be at the Den?”
I was fuming at how proper she pretended to be, so Zanzibar stepped forward again. “Actually, do you mind if we come inside for a moment?”
Her smile faltered. “Oh. Well, of course.” She moved out of the way, and I led Zanzibar through the door. “So, how can I help you two?”
Zanzibar glanced over to me, deciding to take the paper out of my hand as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“Actually, I think you would like to see this first and explain it before I can allow Alena to speak as freely as she would like.”
My mother took the paper with slight confusion, and her brow furrowed as she read the Leonian writing.
“What did you make of this?”
“That you had an affair,” Zanzibar said calmly, though I was ready to explode.
“Alena, do you agree with your husband?”
“It certainly is incriminating evidence,” I growled, scowling at her.
“I am your mother,” she informed me. “Is it so strange that the Leonians would have tried to break the source of Aquilan power by breaking the marriage of the throne?” Zanzibar tried to object, but she smiled apologetic. “Please keep in mind that this happened when times were not so peaceful.”
“Mother, are you saying that this is a lie? Because it managed to make even my lions blush at the sight. You do not know a Mr. W. Summons?”
I could not help but notice a change in her facial expression at the mention of the name. “I loved Cain, Alena, and I cannot believe that you are here accusing me of such a thing,” she told me, her eyes hardening. “I have been very understanding with you, have I not? And yet here you are, accusing me of such scandal!”
“I deserve to know if I am truly an Aquilan, mother!” I argued, growing angrier. I had lost my calm mask, because I had been around the Leonians so long.
“You will not raise your voice at me. I do not think you are fit to talk to me at this current state, Alena. Please leave.”
I tried to argue further, but Zanzibar tried to reason further with me. When that did not work, he pulled me out of her bedroom. The door locked behind us.
“She is lying to me, Zanzibar,” I told him through clenched teeth. “I want a record of every Summons in your kingdom, every male within reasonable age.”
“Of course, but, Alena, perhaps we should discuss this at the Den,” he murmured, glancing towards Reginald, who was standing at the bottom of the staircase. His gaze was full of accusation and distrust.