hair.
It
took several minutes for her to completely comb through her tangled locks,
still slightly damp from the night before. When her hair reached a point of
manageability, Mara pulled the locks behind her and fastened them with a thick
black band. Then she proceeded to walk towards the closet, lined with a dozen
pair of identical dark jeans, slacks, and long-sleeved in varying degrees of
thickness, each marked with the silver symbol of the rose. She selected a thin,
long-sleeved shirt and a comfortable pair of dark slacks.
Once
dressed, Mara moved from her private quarters to a large office used by most
members of the Black Rose. Two of her fellow guardsmen were seated inside the
office, staring at computers on the left side of the room. Both stood at their
Captain’s entrance. Mara waved them back down. She walked toward the opposite
side of the room and entered a second door to her private office, closing the
door behind her. Several stacks of folders containing the daily reports lined
the dark desk.
Mara
ignored the folders and took a seat. She picked up the phone by her desk and
dialed the number for the Arum Court. She asked for Captain Regald. “I’m
sorry,” came the response, “Captain Regald is out of town for the next few
days.”
“Okay,”
she replied. “Then would you please transfer me to the King’s office?”
A
series of beeps come over the phone and a few minutes later, a feminine voice
answered. “King Mathew’s office. How may I help you?”
“This
is Captain Mara Sethian of the Black Rose Guard. I would like to speak to the
King.”
“Hold,
please.”
Mara
again heard a series of beeps and then proceeded to wait for several minutes.
This time, it was a masculine voice that came over the line. “Hello, Mara,” the
Arum King said. “It has been a long time.”
“Greetings,
your Majesty. Yes it has.”
“To
what do I owe the sound of your voice, Captain?”
“Edward.”
“Ah,
still sending you to make his threats, is he? Good to see some things never
change.”
Mara’s
voice grew constricted. “With all due respect, your Majesty, you cannot and
shall not harm the Captain of another court’s guard. You know that better than
anyone.”
“Don’t
you want to know why I did it, Mara? Or are you ready to jump to his defense no
matter what.”
“I
don’t give a shit what you think he did or did not do. You will not harm him
again. Do you understand me?”
A
moment of silence filled the line before the King replied. “Still in love with
him after all these years, Mara?” She did not answer. “You know he cannot love
you, right? He is incapable of doing so. Or is it Liza for whom you are doing
this? Do you think if you protect Edward, you can finally be forgiven for what
happened? It doesn’t work that way, Mara. You know it doesn’t.”
“Your
Majesty,” her words were slow, tight in her throat, “I will make this very
clear. If you or anyone on your guard raises so much as a finger against Edward
again, it will be the last mistake they ever make.”
“Are
you truly threatening a King, Captain?”
“Why
not? I’m the only one who can.”
“Mara.”
The King’s voice softened unexpectedly. “Have you ever thought about putting
down the sword, moving into the modern world? You could do it you know, come
have a place at court. Pass the mantle on to someone else for a while. Come,
Mara, we were friends once.”
“Thank
you for the concern, your Majesty. Did you really think I would not come for
him?”
Mara
heard the king draw a deep breath on the other end of the line. “I guess in a
way, I wanted to know.”
“Well,
now you do. Don’t touch him again, your Majesty. You’ll regret it.”
“Fearless
as ever.” He paused. “Mara, if you threaten me, then you are challenging the
entire Arum Court. Do you really want to do that?”
“Ask
the Muir Court,” she replied coldly.
The
line went quiet. Mara listened for several heartbeats, then the
It
took several minutes for her to completely comb through her tangled locks,
still slightly damp from the night before. When her hair reached a point of
manageability, Mara pulled the locks behind her and fastened them with a thick
black band. Then she proceeded to walk towards the closet, lined with a dozen
pair of identical dark jeans, slacks, and long-sleeved in varying degrees of
thickness, each marked with the silver symbol of the rose. She selected a thin,
long-sleeved shirt and a comfortable pair of dark slacks.
Once
dressed, Mara moved from her private quarters to a large office used by most
members of the Black Rose. Two of her fellow guardsmen were seated inside the
office, staring at computers on the left side of the room. Both stood at their
Captain’s entrance. Mara waved them back down. She walked toward the opposite
side of the room and entered a second door to her private office, closing the
door behind her. Several stacks of folders containing the daily reports lined
the dark desk.
Mara
ignored the folders and took a seat. She picked up the phone by her desk and
dialed the number for the Arum Court. She asked for Captain Regald. “I’m
sorry,” came the response, “Captain Regald is out of town for the next few
days.”
“Okay,”
she replied. “Then would you please transfer me to the King’s office?”
A
series of beeps come over the phone and a few minutes later, a feminine voice
answered. “King Mathew’s office. How may I help you?”
“This
is Captain Mara Sethian of the Black Rose Guard. I would like to speak to the
King.”
“Hold,
please.”
Mara
again heard a series of beeps and then proceeded to wait for several minutes.
This time, it was a masculine voice that came over the line. “Hello, Mara,” the
Arum King said. “It has been a long time.”
“Greetings,
your Majesty. Yes it has.”
“To
what do I owe the sound of your voice, Captain?”
“Edward.”
“Ah,
still sending you to make his threats, is he? Good to see some things never
change.”
Mara’s
voice grew constricted. “With all due respect, your Majesty, you cannot and
shall not harm the Captain of another court’s guard. You know that better than
anyone.”
“Don’t
you want to know why I did it, Mara? Or are you ready to jump to his defense no
matter what.”
“I
don’t give a shit what you think he did or did not do. You will not harm him
again. Do you understand me?”
A
moment of silence filled the line before the King replied. “Still in love with
him after all these years, Mara?” She did not answer. “You know he cannot love
you, right? He is incapable of doing so. Or is it Liza for whom you are doing
this? Do you think if you protect Edward, you can finally be forgiven for what
happened? It doesn’t work that way, Mara. You know it doesn’t.”
“Your
Majesty,” her words were slow, tight in her throat, “I will make this very
clear. If you or anyone on your guard raises so much as a finger against Edward
again, it will be the last mistake they ever make.”
“Are
you truly threatening a King, Captain?”
“Why
not? I’m the only one who can.”
“Mara.”
The King’s voice softened unexpectedly. “Have you ever thought about putting
down the sword, moving into the modern world? You could do it you know, come
have a place at court. Pass the mantle on to someone else for a while. Come,
Mara, we were friends once.”
“Thank
you for the concern, your Majesty. Did you really think I would not come for
him?”
Mara
heard the king draw a deep breath on the other end of the line. “I guess in a
way, I wanted to know.”
“Well,
now you do. Don’t touch him again, your Majesty. You’ll regret it.”
“Fearless
as ever.” He paused. “Mara, if you threaten me, then you are challenging the
entire Arum Court. Do you really want to do that?”
“Ask
the Muir Court,” she replied coldly.
The
line went quiet. Mara listened for several heartbeats, then the
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