Of the Past and the Present Ch. 01

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Half a decade later, royalty faces off.
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Looking for an editor! If you're interested, send me an email with anything you think I'd need to know-- casual interaction is good with me. Also, not sure if I'll be able to finish this series because I'm not sure where it's going. Feel free to leave any feedback. Cheers!

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Sea cliffs towered above her. In the dark, she could barely make out the palace's high domes that shot into the night. Keara, still wet from her ocean swim, turned back towards the waves. For the past two weeks, Keara been cooped up in the castle for too long. She had to swim tonight, especially before the ball. Kai would there tonight, and it'd been five years.

Keara inhaled and relished the solitude. She'd been betrayed once by a man she thought was loyal, intelligent, witty, caring, humorous, eloquent, and thoughtful! He was even a prince! She scoffed sadly; unfortunately, now he was a king—or rather emperor as they called him in Andros. She understood the pains of service, but she knew he wouldn't consider it service. The man relished power.

Keara held her flippers in one hand as she moved easily over the rocks—her feet strongly calloused from past experiences. As she sat down, ocean winds whipped around her body. They stripped away her layers—a princess, a daughter, a woman. Here, she was just a soul searching for—well, she didn't know. Keara smiled at her small existential crisis, gazing up at the star-freckled night sky. She felt her eyes clear as she consumed the purity of the sky. The sentimental nothingness in which one could easily get lost. Her eyes drifted towards the large yellow moon. She knew that the moon always appeared bigger in her kingdom of Élamen. It had something to do with complicated arithmetic and calculations and other things that she must have learned in her youth.

Keara stood up and turned around. Her home—that palace—was carved from and into a mountainside. Keara picked up her flippers and started back to the castle base. When she arrived, she hid her flippers under the loose rock on her left and pulled out her hidden mask. Looking up at the wall, Keara tied the mask around her. It was time.

Unfortunately, her rope had given way while she descended the wall earlier that night. She knew she shouldn't have used the aged rope, but perhaps she wanted the danger of it.

She inhaled deeply. In all the six and twenty summers of her life, she'd only scaled this wall once without a rope. She had been twelve and had not known fear. Some would argue she still didn't know fear. She wasn't fool enough to believe that.

"Once done, can be done again," Keara reminded herself.

After shaking out her arms and legs, Keara placed her left foot in the small crook of the first rock. She tightened her calves and pushed upwards. Three fingers from her right hand clung onto a tiny protruding rock, and two fingers from her left wedged themselves into a groove.

She would climb this wall.

"Push Keara. Death will not win today," she reminded herself.

Keara took shallow breaths and willed her limbs to serve her: one leg pushed and one arm pulled.

Repeat.

Push.

Pull.

Feel.

Strength.

Freedom.

Light.

Light—Keara could see the light that flooded from beyond the wall.

Keara glanced down. Jagged rocks threatened from beneath, and she strengthened her grip on the mountain. She turned towards the ocean when suddenly a rush of tranquility and pleasure surged through her limbs, shooting out from her hands and feet. Although Keara continued to tighten her grip on the cliff, her body no longer contained her. She could see herself glued to the mountainside edge: a black speck turned and staring at the sea. Between the mountaintop facades, her home, that gargantuan palace ruled. Terraced levels of pointed stone towers protected the center domes while flying buttresses supported the castle base. Bridges extended across spaces to connect edifices. Lights poured out from sky-high windows, and busy shadows hustled by.

The sky, usually painted a cloudy night, sparkled with the stars' twinkle and the moon's light. Ocean waves tumbled forth and broke across rocks' backs. The sounds from gulls echoed from a far, and Keara wished to have this for an eternity, but duty called.

Her hands hauled her body from the smallest of notches as the stone's hard surface gnawed at her skin. Every fiber in her thighs and calves propelled her forward as she only saw one goal in mind. The top.

When her hand finally grasped the first corner, Keara looked up. She planted her other hand next to the first and pulled herself up. Keara tumbled over and landed flat-backed on the cold stone floor. She made it to the top of the wall.

Eight. Thousand. Feet.

Keara turned her head and saw the systems of bridges that connecting everything. How she missed swimming already. Tonight, her father had invited all of the nine kingdoms. Andros, where Kai ruled, would make its first formal appearance in decades. And of course Kuris would attend. Edward had told her months in advance.

Keara brushed her black hair away from her face and closed her eyes. She raised her arms, looking at the sweat droplets on her ebony skin. The cold seeped into her body, and Keara felt herself regaining focus. Suddenly, the bells rang. The ball would start in one hour!

Jumping up, Keara scanned the bridges and ran towards the far left one that rose to the left tower of the sixth terrace level. She sprinted across, thrust open a door, and descended the stairs to the third level. Rising voices shouting commands about chicken and napkin placement filled her ears. She was too late to use the shortcut through the pantry—they were already preparing dinner. Of course they were! She only had one hour left!

Keara turned around and rushed back to the fourth floor. That was the entrance to the ballroom balcony. Considering that the food was soon to be finished, most people would be in the main ballroom where the butlers served.

Keara turned the corner and quickly checked the long isle before stepping out from the tower and onto the balcony. The decorations paralyzed her. Damien, her younger twin brother, had outdone himself. Out of her three brothers, Damien had the impeccable sense of palace décor. The white curtains billowed in the soft wind and refurbished gold on pillars now glinted in the moonlight. The gold stems laced around the pillar in an upward spiral with stemmed veined olive leaves.

She knew she only had an hour, but she couldn't resist. She walked further down the hallway, until she stood at the top of the ballroom. Enclosed in darkness, Keara could see everything. Sparkling gowns and dazzling suits covered the ballroom floor. The high lights that sat on the ballroom ceiling shined with same strength of the room's excitement. The orchestra was playing Elanor, or rather Nor, her best friend's, favorite tune.

Keara knew she shouldn't, but she couldn't resist. She scanned the floor for a man dressed in evergreen and silver. Black hair. At least six-foot. There—no, that was black and white. Perhaps he hadn't arrived yet. But not tonight. Tonight was too important.

Her gaze washed over the main ballroom and moved to the center front, second level. Her father stood there on the ballroom balcony. She stood two levels above him. She spied Nor standing with a few other acquaintances in Keara's own balcony box. Likely Nor was waiting for her to return from her ocean rendezvous. Keara scanned the room once more and didn't spot Kai.

"Careful now," a low voice murmured behind her.

Keara stood paralyzed as the chills crawled up her back. Even though she wore a mask, she felt her hands itch to cover her face. He had found her.

"They've asked a woman to sneak into the castle," he continued. "Not a bad idea considering you likely have more room to hide a disguise beneath those clothes." Suddenly, he reached into the bosom of his evergreen coat and pulled out a dagger. He twirled it around his long fingers as he continued on about spy missions.

But Keara's breath stopped short. Her head was only filled with one thought. How dare he. How dare he carry around that dagger. How dare he carry it as if he cared for that person. How dare he—

"I see that you're surprised I managed to sneak a weapon past the Élamen guards."

Keara blinked. That was not at all what she was thinking.

He must have noticed her change from caution to confusion, for he hesitated before speaking.

In fact, Kai was positively frozen.

Moments passed before the hand holding the knife eventually disappeared back into the coat until the dagger was once again hidden. Keara didn't move—or at least she tried to, but was it her fault that her body reacted defensive whenever she saw him? Keara felt her knees crouch and her arms tense ready for attack.

"You recognize this dagger," he said flatly. He took a step forward. "And how do you recognize this dagger?"

Keara saw that he took a deep breath before speaking. He was nervous.

Her body slightly relaxed upon that realization. What was he nervous about? That she recognized the dagger? On the surface it would seem that he was worried she knew who gave him the dagger. The fact that he concealed it—hid it in the bosom of his jacket would tell the world a personal side of him no one knew.

On the other hand, he may have brought it strategically—to manipulate her, when he would see her later tonight as Princess Keara.

"I'll give you a deal. You tell me how you recognize this dagger and there will be no bloodshed tonight."

He expected an answer, and if Keara didn't respond, he would react, physically. She tried to keep her breath shallow and calm as she spoke, "Princess Keara is to have a warning about tonight's events after all."

Despite the dim lighting, Keara saw him blanch. His face reflected shock and then anger. However, Keara fled the balcony before he could catch her. It seemed that she would have to sneak past the kitchen after all.

_______

Kai felt the cool ocean breeze channel through the hollowness he felt. That woman was going to kill Keara. How would he tell her? He wasn't on positive speaking terms, or any speaking terms for matter, with anyone in her family. They hadn't spoken for the past five years, and he knew he was invited to this diplomatic mission because the King of Élamen was celebrating Keara's accomplishments tonight. After all, it was the 5-year anniversary since the rebellion. His rebellion.

Even from afar, Kai could list Keara's accomplishments. She created a centralized bank, increased taxes on the top earners in her country to build better public services, improved literacy rates from 45% to 92%, reduced poverty from 20% to 10%, and so many more that he dared not to list. Dared not to admit that he knew.

Kai looked at the beautiful balcony once more before returning to the ballroom. He would have to approach her directly.

Two hours had passed since he spotted the woman in black. An hour passed since the start of the ball. Throughout the two hours, Kai went through the multiple scenarios in which that woman could kill Keara. Unbeknownst to many, Kai was extremely familiar with the layout of the palace. Most familiar with that of Keara's bedchambers. But if he could never sneak into Keara's chambers without getting caught by Keara (even when she was asleep), that woman never had a chance.

And that was the only thought that kept him sane. That kept him from roaring and beating his fists against the marble walls. That kept him waiting.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the room and the orchestra stopped playing. When he spotted her, Kai's heart beat like a humming bird's wings, and he retreated even further, trying to find refuge in the darkness but unable to escape the ballroom lights.

He saw Keara standing at the top of the stairs. Her ebony skin glowed as she descended in an elegant, royal blue dress. Even from a distance, he noticed her strong frame—her square shoulders and straight back. Her gloved, toned arms that poised gracefully at her sides. Keara never really had a full bosom, not that he minded because he knew where else she was full.

He didn't want to be thinking these things, but he stood powerless as the wealth of memories assaulted him. They attacked him with their purity, their nostalgia, their familiarity, their longing.

But they never were pure were they. Later. That was for later.

Kai was aware that he had been standing alone in the corner for quite a while. He didn't notice the many females that passed by him, some more frequently than others. He only stared at Keara. This seemed to somehow draw Keara's attention for she started to approach him. Refusing to immediately straighten up like a lazy palace guard caught off duty by the king, Kai continued to casually lean on the wall until he came face to face with her.

He'd never forgotten how beautiful her almond-shaped eyes were. The delicate shaped eyes were always filled with a vivid, bright, brown gaze. Her face was fuller, grown-in now—a stronger jawline and slightly higher cheekbones. She wore a nude lip-paint while her black hair tumbled down in tresses, past her shoulders and settled mid-back.

Kai knew that she didn't inherit her mother's tall genes. She remained the same height, but he didn't. He was considerably taller and stronger since she last saw him. From all the military endeavors of the past seven years, Kai developed a physique few had.

"It is an honor Princess Keara," Kai greeting, bowing deeply.

"Greetings Your Highness," Keara responded.

"Please, just Emperor Kai of Andros will suffice." To his surprise, Keara smiled. There was no way that clichéd phrase would charm her. And then he recognized that smile. It was the one she offered to every other person in the room; the smile full of pleasantries and banal discussion of how nice the weather was. He was going to break that calm when he broke the news to her.

"Princess Keara, I would be honored to have the first dance," he sad, nearly demanded.

"It would be my pleasure," she responded without a moment's pause.

Kai smiled, bowed, and tried not to stare as she walked away.

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