Tie It With a Ribbon

“We have narrowed it down to three men, my Queen,” an Imperial Guard informed me, bowing courteously and remaining on one knee even after the document left his hands.

I nodded, still not entirely sane. Zanzibar smiled gratefully, raising a hand of acknowledgement in his guard’s favor. The guard stood gracefully.

“It is much appreciated,” he informed him, glancing towards me cautiously. “I personally thank you for your overtime.”

“Thank you, milord. I only hope that you will discover that which you seek so earnestly.”

He was dismissed with but a wave of my husband’s hand, and soon we were alone yet again. The halls seemed to echo the silence back into our ears, and the simplest movement seemed harsh to the air.

“Who are the men?” I asked quietly, my throat catching at the words. In other terms: who were my possible fathers?

His eyes scanned over the paper, and he sighed exhaustively. “There is a William, a Wallace, and a Weston Summons. Thankfully your mother did not choose a common surname to bestow upon her illegitimate child—not to say that…” He let out a breath. “I cannot fix that which I have just said, but I will have you know that a Leonian father would explain quite a bit in regards to the mystery that is Alena.”

My arms dropped uselessly at my sides, and he smiled innocently. He seemed so excited about the fact that my world had been turned upside-down, and yet he was supposedly a charismatic, sympathetic man?

He took my hand and led me out of the Den, the page safely cradled in his hand.

“I happen to know Weston Summons personally. He is actually a guard Camille knows very personally as well…” A light growl carried through his voice, but he shook off the dark mood. “At any rate, I do not believe he is your mother’s lover, because he is on the younger side. He also offered openly to kill Nadia to avenge Carmen’s death, which Camille had finally accepted with much difficulty. I would much rather look into William and Wallace, though I do not know who is more likely. I would say that William is more towards the age we are looking for, but I do not know how your mother likes her men.”

I glanced up at him with an annoyed gaze, and he only shrugged obliviously. “Then we shall look into William Summons. I have no idea how to go about this, however.”

Zanzibar pulled me along, checking the paper periodically to know where we were going. I followed blindly, because it had worked fairly well for much of our short marriage.

He knocked quickly on the door in front of us, squeezing my hand reassuringly. I wished I had taken back the note W. Summons had written to my mother, but I hadn’t thought about taking it back from her when she had told us to leave at that second.

A youthful, optimistic-looking man answered the door, and he looked absolutely shocked to see us. Zanzibar greeted him warmly, yet I could only muster an awkward, coy smile.

“Oh, but do come in!” he beamed, innocence plastered to his inviting face as he stepped out of the way.

His home was but a cozy cottage, and yet it seemed to have a family feel to it. Though no one else appeared to live with him, I could imagine a happy family sitting and conversing happily.

I tried to find similarities between us, but I could not see many. His hair was much like my own: the color of chestnuts and thick enough to warrant a good brushing every morning. It was cut short, as was traditional of Leonians. His skin was much tanner than my own, and he was also much taller and muscular than I. I could not see any distinctions between us, because my mother also had dark hair—and I certainly held her Aquilan eyes. I suppose I had always been my mother’s child, not a “Daddy’s girl” in the least.

“To what do I owe this honor, milord and milady?” William Summons asked, smiling brilliantly as he led us into the den area. He politely offered us the seats on the couch, sitting carefully in the single recliner.

Zanzibar and I glanced to each other, both of us begging the other to speak first and break the antagonizing silence.

“Is it that bad?” he asked quietly, watching us carefully.

I reached out and caught Zanzibar’s hand for reassurance, and he offered only a sympathetic gaze, allowing me to fight this battle on my own.

“Actually, I was talking to my mother, Nadia.” I paused, but he did not appear to recognize the name personally. “And she mentioned a William Summons being a friend of hers, and she said that I might wish to get to know him—being a family friend and all. She said you’re like family.” I smiled timidly, hoping he would buy my story.

His smile returned, only much broader. “Ah, how is milady Nadia? Well, I should hope.”

I nodded. “She is perfectly fine. Just out of curiosity, how do you know my mother?”

“Oh, we were childhood friends. I know it sounds unorthodox, but I simply adored her—then again, I’m sure you understand.”

His gaze drifted to our clasped hands, and I could not help but notice that a small smile formed on Zanzibar’s lips as we locked eyes for but one second.

“We managed to stay in contact after that chance meeting in the forest, but it entailed sneaking away from our homes every now and then. She was like a sister to me…and that Cain… Forgive me, my Queen, but I did not much care for your father. He was so cold, so distant. Yes, he could protect her so readily, but I did not see this ‘love’ or ‘affection’ she claimed that he held for her. But I just wanted my best friend to be happy. Of course, after the coronation ceremony we fell out of touch for quite some time. Cain did not care for me either.” He sighed. “But what is done is done. I certainly am not enthralled by the fact that you lost your father, nor am I glad that Nadia lost her betrothed.”

“You were close, then, hmm?” Zanzibar asked, that sympathetic charisma pulling through for him yet again.

“Oh, of course.” He smiled in remembrance. “But those days are gone. We have not spoken for so around sixteen years, and I do not believe we will ever again. I am okay with that, however: I have my memories.”

“Why did you stop talking?” Hopefully I wasn’t digging too much too fast.

His striking eyes clouded over for a moment. “Oh, milady, it is much too painful.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” I apologized quietly, looking down.

“No, no. It is not—sometimes people just fall out of touch. But I’m sure you two must have much more important business than to mingle with the likes of such simple folk.”

I tried to argue against him, but Zanzibar had this look in his eye—like he knew something I did not know just yet. I nodded, standing carefully and pulling Zanzibar along with me.

“Thank you for inviting us into your home,” Zanzibar said warmly, bowing carefully.

“Thank you for visiting. I do hope you won’t be strangers.”

He glanced to me, and I smiled as he bowed. “Of course not. I would love to see you more often.”

“Yes, of course, my Queen.”

I shook my head. “No, no. Alena will work perfectly.”

Everything about him was so inviting, and I acted without thinking. This curt bow was not what I wanted, no. So, without thought, I embraced him. And he held me back, much like a loving...father.