My Obligation - Chapter 4

My Obligation
Chapter 4: Desire the Heart

“I. Look. Amazing.”

A broad grin broke over his face as he examined himself in the mirror. Ephraim was dressed formally, and most likely more formal than anyone else who would be attending the night’s event. He wore a deep cerulean shade that complimented his perfectly set hair. The cut of his outfit was scarcely different from what he’d worn on the battlefield, but it was refined. Ephraim, between the two siblings had always been the more formal, and the more suited for the throne. Or it might have been because he was more appropriate, he was more formal than his charming sister with the impeccable smile.

“Hey,” Forde began, his tone dripping with approval, “I say that every day that I get up.”

Kyle resisted the temptation to grown. Even for formal events, the man he called his best friend was going to make a mockery out of things. “…That’s because you’re utterly convinced that you are the best looking man in Magvel. It wouldn’t matter what anyone else said, Forde. You’re fairly set in your ways.”

He ignored the implied chiding behind his companion’s tone. Lifting his hands, he began to brush off himself off. In the end, it didn’t really matter what he looked like tonight. He wasn’t the one who had a plan going on that wasn’t allowed to fail. His plans were most likely to get stupefied on wine, or whatever the drink of the evening would be, and then to bother the hell out of Kyle, who would eventually abandon him for more intellectually stimulating conversation.

“All arrogance aside, Prince, you do look nice. I think it will be an impressive turn out this evening,” Kyle commented.

“Yes,” Ephraim nodded and he turned to the other two, casually holding half of his cloak over his right arm. “I agree. We should not delay any longer, however. We are considered to be the ‘life of the party’ as they say. If we dally further, there will be no party for us to attend to.”

As they left his personal chambers for the banquet hall, the corridors were filled with light. Sweet music swept through the rooms, and the quiet echoes of voices could be heard, even by someone who was simply passing by. All of Renais must have known of the gathering this evening, for it was the talk of the town. It was said that even the crowned ruler of Jehanna, Joshua, was attending with his wife, the beautiful priestess, Natasha. The celebrations in Renais were always the popular topic, as many of the allies that Renais had made during the war would come and attend, even if briefly.

In the main hall, Ephraim was greeted by Seth, who appeared to be looking over the festivities in a chaperone-like fashion. Without Eirika at his side, he appeared to be a bit diminished, though the three who spoke with him were wise enough not to mention this.

“Seth, you look becoming as always,” the prince commented thoughtfully on Seth’s dark uniform. “You also, however, always look as though you’re prepared for battle. These are times of peace. I think you ought to find something that offers you that feeling as well.” He smiled to encourage the older man.

The Silver Knight dropped his gaze to his apparel. Did he really seem so pessimistic? He supposed he could understand where Ephraim was coming from. If he always dressed for battle, it implied that he didn’t believe in the idea of a Magvel with no war. That clearly wasn’t the case, though. Before the War of the Stones, Renais was a very peaceful kingdom, with strong alliances with Frelia and Grado. Peace had existed before, which meant it would exist again.

“…Aye, Milord,” he commented softly while inclining his head with respect.

Ephraim looked around once. His halls were filled with his people. These were the very same people who cheered for him and his sister when they had reclaimed the kingdom from the clutches of the insane Orson and his reanimated wife. As he stood there, taking in every sound, he was reminded of how it felt that day to stand on the balcony of the palace with Eirika and listen to the applause.

“Hooray for Prince of Renais! Hooray for the King of Renais!”

Seth had been there that day as well, and the prince was reasonably certain that when the knight allowed their eyes to meet, he knew exactly what was going through his head.

“Nostalgia,” Ephraim explained. Then he smiled comfortably, “Seth, has my dear sister shown herself yet?”

His auburn hair adjusted as he shook his head. “No. I have not heard from her at all today, nor have I seen her. Would you like for me to locate her and have her escorted?”

Kyle and Forde exchanged glances, wondering for a brief moment if it was possible that in the midst of excitement, Eirika had either wandered off, or if she had fallen victim to some sort of assault. They hadn’t considered it before, but with a gathering, it was the perfect diversion to infiltrate and accomplish something of that devious nature. What kind of person, or people, would want to plunge the kingdom into war so soon?

Ephraim shook his head. There was no need to jump to conclusions. Not yet anyway. For all he knew, Eirika was making a last-minute decision on what dress to wear. She was a female, after all, and it was expected that she would obsess about how she looked that night.

“No, Seth,” he resisted from sighing. “I’m sure she will arrive soon. Are you enjoying yourself so far?”

And he straightened his posture once again, trying to stand as tall as Seth, although it seemed he had a few more years to go. As he listened to the retainer speak, he could not help but wonder what sort of fate had befallen his twin.

xxx

Innes groaned inwardly. She was taking way too long. He paced back and forth in front of her door. He knew she was still inside, because he could hear her shuffling. At least, he thought he could hear her. This would, perhaps, be the only time he’d agree to escorting her, he thought. He seemed to forget, however, that it was his idea in the first place, so perhaps it was karma’s way of telling him he held no possibility to laying claim on her heart.

When he thought he couldn’t take it any longer, he showed himself in the direction of her door. Reaching for the handle, Eirika nearly stumbled into him.

“Eirika!” his temptation to scold her was momentarily placed on pause. He took her by the arms, scarcely wincing when he realized they were bare, and examined her closely. She had worn it, the dress that he’d requested, the one that made her look like a faerie from the cream puff land. When his eyes rested upon hers, he took note of the flushing cheeks.

“Very beautiful,” he murmured as he stared at those plush lips. Inclining his head, his nose grazed hers. Not yet. That couldn’t happen just yet. Instead, he withdrew and regained his composure. Fortunately for the both of them, they were the only ones in the hall.

She wriggled out of his grasp and stared at him expectantly. When he offered his arm, she curled hers around loosely. “You waited this entire time? You should have gone without me.”

Innes shook his head, “I said I was going to escort you. That means from the time of designated pick-up, it is my obligation to present you upon my arm. Besides, it would have wounded my pride to show up alone. Not having you there would have implied a great deal of things I’d rather not deal with.” He looked her over again as he pulled her into the direction of the banquet hall.

This was the perfect time, he believed, to make conversation with her. On the fields of battle, it had been nearly impossible to get any reaction out of her. On one side was always Seth, the man who seemed absolutely adamant on not letting her out of his sight. The other side was either a rotation of people like his sister or that annoying priestess who would go on about Divine Providence or some balderdash like that. L’Arachel. Right. L’Arachel of Rausten. Chances were, she’d be at the gala as well. In that case, he’d make sure Eirika was glued to him.

“What took you so long?” he finally asked, after staring at her for what seemed like an eternity.

Eirika blushed and painfully obvious at that. Inclining her head, she shifted her weight between her feet, taking delicate steps in her slippers. “Well… It’s going to sound silly… It was actually two things. The first… was that I didn’t think my dress looked right on me. And the second was that I was disappointed with my hair.”

Her companion looked unamused. He leaned into her vaguely and nodded. Sure enough, she was wearing her hair down, but the top had been pulled behind her ears and was held in place by an intricate pearl coloured barrette. “The dress looks fine and your hair looks beautiful.” It was rather simply put. He heard enough of these concerns from his younger sister. Tana was always worrying about something like that, and he couldn’t understand it because they rarely had company.

Her expression darkened only a little, “Have you seen my brother, Innes?” When she received a shake of the head as a response, she offered a soft sigh. She was worried about Ephraim, of course, just as she always had been. Tonight was his night, after all, and she was hoping with all of her heart that Tana would simply do the painless thing and accept his proposal.

The Frelian prince had a feeling he knew what was clouding her mind. He chose not to address it, however, for by the time he’d considered questioning her, they’d found the entrance to the dining hall. He could hear the music on the other side, a pleasant combination of strings and wind instruments. It was strangely serene and complimented the evening perfectly.

“Come on then,” he said as he used his free hand to open the door.

xxx

Ephraim had been making his rounds with Forde and Kyle. Tana was sitting at the table which would later house the royalty and potential royalty of Renais. In the middle of conversation with L’Arachel, who was still being accompanied by Dozla and Rennac, he was prodded by the green-haired knight. Turning his attention to the door, he rested his eyes upon his sister. Her cheeks were flushed, and her wrist strangely stiff, most likely due to the idea that she would soon become the centre of attention, like himself.

“Oh, my!” L’Arachel exclaimed with a rather broad grin, “Divine Providence has surely smiled upon you today of all days, Lord Ephraim! It would seem Frelia is destined to be intertwined with Renais. Of course, I foresaw this, and tonight seems to only emphasize exactly how right I am!”

Forde snickered to himself quietly, until he realized that Ephraim had excused himself, leaving him in L’Arachel’s company. She’d wasted no time in beginning another subject, and one that he was only half listening to.

“Eirika,” Ephraim breathed when he confronted her and Innes. There were not enough words for him to express how pleased he was to see her, in spite of the idea that she was carried on the arm of his rival. His blue eyes looked between the two in silent appraisal and then he nodded. He had to admit that they did appear nice together, a rather beautiful couple. “You both look very nice. I was concerned you wouldn’t show.”

“I had every intention of arriving on time and perhaps even early, however, your darling sister had a malfunction and was suffering a lack of self-confidence. As you can see, I pieced her back together. She’s sorry for her tardy nature,” Innes explained.

The prince of Renais regarded him carefully. Innes was speaking for his sister, something that Ephraim did not appreciate. She was more than fully capable of expressing her own ideas and beliefs. Of course, if she truly had a conflict with it, he wanted to believe she would bring it up. When she remained silent, he nodded once more and extended a hand to her.

“May I?” he asked the fine archer.

Innes resisted every urge to sigh with disbelief. It never failed. He would get to be with Eirika in public perhaps five minutes before she would be passed from one person to the next. That was as equally embarrassing as showing up alone. Never being one to stand down so easily, however, he released her arm and offered a rather charming bow before gesturing to his sister.

“I will be joining Tana now. Ephraim, I fully expect to receive my companion back later. Please do not monopolise her. You have your own; don’t be consumed by gluttony.”

Her brother resisted rolling his eyes in that adolescent manner. He turned his attention back onto her. Lifting his hands to her cheeks, he ensured his touch was very gentle. “You look absolutely radiant. Has he been treating you well? He seems to be very much in control. It’s not like you to be so subservient.”

Eirika could read that concern as clear as the midday sky. She darkened a few shades, well aware that there were at least one set of eyes burning into the two of them. “…I felt guilty. I was worrying about how I looked and Prince Innes didn’t want me to come here alone, so he waited for me. He’s been nothing but kind to me.” Her lips upturned and she looked around. Then she leaned into his left ear and softened her tone, offering a string of whispered words.

Ephraim’s eyebrows rose. He was surprised for only a moment. It was only natural for her to be concerned, however, about as much as her counterpart. “Yes, he’s here. I saw him earlier, though I don’t know where he is at this particular moment.” He began to pull away from her, and then paused as he turned his attention back onto her, “Are you always going to ask about him? Suppose you and Innes really decided to marry. You do realize you couldn’t ask about Seth. At least, not without obtaining some strange looks as a response.”

Yes, she knew this. Eirika also didn’t believe she would marry Innes, or anyone else for that matter. She really didn’t want to marry. After all, Ephraim was the one who needed to be. He was facing his coronation as king, and in order to fully attain that title, he had to cross that threshold of matrimony. After all, that’s why he was holding the event that night in the first place. He had plans of asking for Tana’s hand, and Eirika was feeling giddy about it.

“…I am not married, brother, and therefore I am still allowed to ask for him as I wish. He’s my retainer. It’s proper that I know where he is at all times, just as he knows where I am. Father would have wanted it that way,” she responded firmly, ignoring the growing flush of her cheeks.

How many times will you use that excuse, Eirika? Your retainer… Would you simply admit how you feel about him? What happened that put distance between you two so? You speak of him and your expression brightens, but there is a strange sadness in your eyes. I only hope that you can come to terms with things before anything regretful happens.

“Yes. You’re right. Father would want it that way.” There was no sense in arguing with her, and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her. Perhaps she wouldn’t get married to Innes at all. If the archer had those intentions, however, he wasn’t going to give up on her without a fight, and in the end if it came down to Ephraim giving his seal of approval, he’d most likely hand it over if Innes truly put effort into proving himself worthy.

“Come,” he said, offering her his hand. “I’d better take you back to Innes before he decides that a temper tantrum is in progress. He’s such a child.”

xxx

“You looked awfully cozy with her,” Tana commented with a shy smile. She scooted her chair closer to her brother’s and inclined her head as she hooked her arm around his affectionately.

Innes peered down at her, quiet for a moment. It was the first time in their conversation he had pulled his eyes away from the princess in question. As he watched Ephraim’s lips move, he was almost one hundred percent certain that he was saying something bad about him. Perhaps. The probability was high, at any rate.

“Tana,” he began in a quiet tone, “Why are you clinging to me? You did this when we first arrived. You haven’t done this since you were a child. It’s obnoxious.”

Her lips turned down in distaste and she contorted her expression at him. He was so serious, and at times so apathetic. Most of the time she ignored it, but when she was around Eirika and Ephraim, she had a difficult time simply overlooking it. “I thought it would be nice if we could be more affectionate with each other like they are. I know we’re not twins, but sometimes we don’t even act like we’re related.”

He looked back over to the two siblings and scowled. In his opinion, he was repulsed by their relationship with one another. On second thought, it wasn’t so much the relationship he loathed, it was Ephraim. It was exactly as he had told Eirika before. Her brother served as a ward against potential suitors. The average man could not measure up to Ephraim’s ability to emotionally and physically protect his sibling. This often caused intimidation among those who’d placed eyes upon her. Being the young sister of the future king subjected those interested to the highest and harshest critique. Ephraim was going to want the very best for her, which meant anyone dedicated to the idea of holding her was going to be the subject of many grueling tasks, most of which were probably going to be aimed at coercing the guinea pig into giving up.

What very well may have bothered him most was the look of adoration that the two shared between each other. It was not something easily picked out, but he’d spent more than enough time staring at the princess to understand her thoughts, ideas, and beliefs, especially those regarding her brother and her allies. The way she often looked at him, the way she often admired him, was not the purity of a maiden, and if it was, then she was a very naïve maiden (certainly plausible, though not entirely probable). Ephraim, being the intelligent young man he was, knew better, and if he didn’t bother to explain to her that to hold those feelings towards members of the family was faintly impure, then he was somewhat held accountable. Then again, they were simply feelings. From what Innes knew, they weren’t acted upon.

At least… He certainly hoped not. And if they were, then he didn’t want to know about it. Brothers and sisters marrying one another weren’t uncommon pairings in that time. That seemed to only happen in drastic measures though, and not because the siblings had fallen in love with one another. It was also common for those sibling marriages to result in procreation for heirs, though that often ended in misfortune for the parents due to birthing difficulties and physical ailments.

“I prefer us the way we are,” he said sternly as he pried her arm off of him. Lifting a hand as she began to pout again, he ruffled her hair, which only invoked an endearing blush. “There. Affection. That’s all you’re getting from me.”

Then his expression became serious—assuming it hadn’t been before—and he eyes her closely. “Tana, surely you know why we’re here, yes?” If she hadn’t been paying attention, he was going to wait until they were alone and then bonk her on the head. Even Eirika had known what was going on, it seemed, and if there was hope for her, then there was hope for everyone.

His younger sister coloured vividly and she leaned onto the table, using her elbows to support her midsection. Her hands spread over her cheeks and her lips upturned. “Yes! Ephraim is facing his coronation as the king of Renais!” She dared not to continue lest she swooned. She had been inwardly hoping he would bestow upon her the greatest privilege.

Ephraim had ignored her as a child. Well, not so much ignored as it was consumed by his rivalry with Innes. He’d gone and grown up on her, however, and knowing this, she held faith in him believing he would turn his attention from childish banter into what she believed could blossom into true love. It was not to say that she did not already care for him to a great extent, but rather that it would increase one hundred fold given the appropriate time and effort.

Being an older brother had its advantages. Innes could tell with a single glance that Tana knew what was coming, or at least what was potentially coming. He had imagined this moment many times before, and inside he’d wanted terribly to tell Ephraim that his place was not in Frelia’s kingdom and he would not be taking Tana to his. He had resisted this, however, at the request of his sister, who held an invisible grasp upon him, much the same way Eirika did (though were he to admit this, he felt it was possible he might very well die of humiliation).

“Very good then,” he finally responded with some type of defeat in his tone. His features brightened when Ephraim and Eirika finally made themselves through the crowd and up to their table.

He rose to his feet and pulled out a chair for Eirika, before sitting down once again. She sat beside him at his implied request and offered a rather pleased smile. Innes was unsure if it was of a mockery, or sincerity, and he looked towards his rival who nodded with reassurance. It was around the time that he realized Ephraim was still standing.

The crowned prince of Renais reached for his wine glass and lifted it for all to see. His voice bellowed out over the crowd, invoking a great silence, following the echo of his words.

“Citizens of Magvel, I, Prince Ephraim of the kingdom of Renais, do humbly request your attention…”