Chapter Twenty-Three
Taryn had done a good job of ignoring the stares in the corridors, but as she and Kason approached the towering double doors to the main hall, her heart beat double-time. Being on the arm of one prince and trying to charm another was going to put her in the center of attention. And not all of it was going to be good, especially as Evaine had remained on the Kelderan ship and Taryn would be the only Jasvarian at the event.
You can do this, Taryn. Remember, you’re representing your planet.
Taking a deep breath, she gripped Kason’s arm a little tighter. He glanced down at her. “What’s wrong? With the interpreting device in your ear that you received from the ECA, you’ll at least be able to understand what’s going on. And I will translate when needed.”
She shook her head. “I’m not too worried about that. Me not being able to speak Kelderan means I won’t have to suffer too much small talk.” Kason raised his brows and Taryn continued, “I can handle people staring at me, that’s not the issue. The problem is many are going to hate me for forcing you to retire your commission. From what I’ve gathered, you’re quite notorious as a warrior here.”
He took her free hand. “I doubt they will hate you, zyla. Your planet is going to ease the overpopulation of mine.”
“Rationally, I’m sure they realize that. But an alien stealing one of their princes? I’m sure some will see that as a traitorous act. I’m also worried about the antimonarchy groups using us as a means to promote their own causes.”
“They may try. But that is for my father, brother, and the council to handle. Tonight, you represent Jasvar. You need to show the people of Keldera what I already know—that you are a strong, intelligent, and caring leader.”
She smiled at her prince. “I’ll try, although I did leave all but one of my daggers back in the room so I can’t impress them with my dagger-flinging skills.”
He snorted. “That might be for the best. Otherwise, you might give the females some bad ideas.”
“I’ll let that slide for now. But eventually, they should learn how to defend themselves. It’ll come in handy if and when your enemies attack.”
“I’ll make sure to mention it to Keltor. But first, we need to find him.” Kason motioned toward the doors. “Are you ready?”
She nodded and the two males at either side of the hall opened the doors.
The room was nearly as big as the cargo bay back on the Kelderan ship, but there was one major difference—the walls and ceilings were made entirely out of view screens. Currently, they displayed dancing lights and patterns. The Kelderans in the room paid them little attention since most of the eyes were on her and Kason.
Keeping her head high, she allowed Kason to guide her through the throng of people up toward the front of the room. King Kastor sat in a huge, intricately carved chair and to his right was a male who looked a lot like Kason with golden skin and dark blue hair, although he was leaner and not quite as muscled.
Kason whispered, “That’s Keltor next to my father.”
Keltor met Taryn’s gaze. The man’s face was expressionless. He and Kason had that ability in common.
But the closer they drew to him, the more differences she noticed. Yes, they both had the same golden skin and dark blue hair, but Keltor’s nose was more like Kalahn’s and his eyes were like Kastor’s. Kason must have inherited his from their mother.
And even though Keltor was handsome in his own right with his square jaw and broad shoulders, he didn’t quite live up to her own prince. Of course, Taryn was a bit biased. Nova would no doubt find Keltor sexy.
They finally ascended the dais and stood next to Keltor and Kastor. Both remained seated, but it didn’t bother Taryn. She bowed her head and said in Kelderan, “Nice to meet you.”
Keltor’s deep voice answered in CEL, “So this is the human leader of our future colony planet.”
Kason wrapped an arm around her waist. “She is also your sister now, too.”
As the brothers stared at one another, Kastor spoke up. “Once I announce Taryn as Kason’s bride, you three may go to the room behind us to talk.”
“There’s nothing to discuss, Father,” Keltor stated.
“There is. And you will talk.”
Even Taryn could hear the steel in Kastor’s voice.
Both Kason and Keltor mumbled their assent and the king nodded. “Good.” He motioned to his left side. “Then take your places next to me. I’m going to announce Kason’s proclamation.”
Taryn asked, “What about the future colony?”
“I will do that once you are on your way to Jasvar. I don’t want to risk any sort of sabotage beforehand.”
Taryn nodded. She and Kason moved to Kastor’s left.
The king signaled one of the guards on the dais and a boom reverberated through the room. The voices died down and all eyes focused on Kason’s father.
Kastor raised his voice and spoke in Kelderan. Taryn was grateful for the device in her ear as he said, “Tonight we are here to celebrate the proclamation of my second son, Kason. He has found his bride.” Kastor motioned toward Taryn. “Her name is Taryn Demara. While human, she has proven herself. Just recently, she helped to avoid war with the Earth Colony Alliance. I wish her and my son a fruitful union and eternal happiness.”
The king made a fist and pounded it over his heart. Most of the people in the crowd did the same, although not quite all.
To be honest, more people had followed the king’s blessing than Taryn had anticipated.
Kastor continued, “Many of you have questions and want to bless the couple. They will make the rounds in a short while. In the meantime, enjoy the food and drink. It’s not often we have such a special event to celebrate.”
With a wave of his hand, Kastor signaled the music to resume. Once the crowd settled back to enjoying the evening, he turned toward Kason and Taryn. “You must go now to talk with Keltor.” He looked to his oldest son. “Settle your differences.”
The two brothers merely grunted. Keltor led the way. Kason and Taryn followed.
She wondered what had happened between the two brothers. If things got out of hand, she only hoped she could help.
~~~
Kason wanted nothing more than to take a few minutes to plan escape routes in case things went awry when he and Taryn accepted congratulations and mingled with the people in the great hall.
Instead, he was following his older brother into the back room. And once the door shut, everyone stood in silence.
At least, until Taryn spoke up. “So? What’s the cause of your big fallout?”
He’d rather have had the discussion in Kelderan, but he wouldn’t shut out his bride; the translator in her ear could always make a mistake. “Keltor tried to shirk his duty.”
Keltor’s face remained impassive, which was a surprise given his brother’s emotional nature as a teenager. “I was nineteen and in love. Maybe now you understand why I wanted to give up the crown.”
Kason took a step forward. “You are the heir and honor bound to secure the royal line with a suitable bride. The daughter of a shop assistant would have torn the kingdom in two.”
“In the end, I had no choice but to give her up. Although I will never forgive you for scaring her away.”
Taryn chimed in. “Wait, what did you do, Kason?”
Keltor looked to Taryn. “He told her that I was betrothed to another and that if she didn’t want her father to lose his position, she needed to forget I existed.”
“It was for the best of the kingdom,” Kason gritted out.
“It still wasn’t right, Kason,” Taryn pointed out.
“If I hadn’t already been enlisted in the armed forces, we might be having a different conversation right now, Keltor. But I was set on my path and there was no room for an abdication, especially since females can’t take over the crown.” Kason forced his anger down a notch. “If it had happened later in life, then perhaps I would’ve acted differently. But it was over fifteen years ago. It’s time to let it go. What with Father’s health and the troublemakers trying to overthrow the monarchy, we have bigger problems.”
“I hear you’re going to head the colony?” Kason kept the confusion from his face as he nodded. Keltor continued, “Then we shall stay out of each other’s way. I know more about the kingdom than almost anyone alive. All I have is duty now, with Kalahn gone. Only contact me when it’s related to our people on Jasvar. Now, excuse me, I have people to meet with.”
Keltor brushed past them and out the door.
Kason sighed. “I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. I hope my father doesn’t try to meddle anymore.”
Taryn faced him. “Why did you do it, Kason? I understand duty and that you were young, but Keltor should’ve had his chance to decide his future.”
“At sixteen, duty was everything to me. The war with the Brevkan was just dying down and everyone was afraid our society would crumble. I didn’t want to disappoint our recently departed mother. So, full of arrogance and pride, I went to father and tried to handle the situation.”
“So your father knew about this?”
“Yes, although Keltor always blamed me. Father probably never would’ve known about the female until it was too late if it weren’t for me.”
“You need to apologize, Kason. Even if Keltor brushes it off, it might help your brother heal a little.”
Even a few months ago, Kason would’ve ignored the request. Too much time had passed. Keltor should’ve moved on.
But as Taryn searched his eyes, he was afraid of disappointment filling her gaze.
Besides, the small voice in his head told him it was the right thing to do.
He brushed her cheek with his forefinger. “While you hammer out the negotiations later tonight, I will find Keltor and apologize.”
“Good. Although that’s only the first step. At some point, we’re coming back to Keldera to win over your brother. After all, he will be responsible for supplies and people coming to Jasvar. From a diplomatic standpoint, we need to have good relations.”
“He will never abandon Kalahn, who will probably end up joining the colony, so I doubt he will forsake us.”
“Kason.”
He sighed. “Okay, I will try. Although the female he once loved has disappeared, so if he still wants her, I can’t help him reconnect.”
She smiled. “So you tried to track her down? That tells me you regretted your actions.”
He grunted. “I never would’ve meddled in someone’s love life as an adult.”
“Then tell Keltor you tried to find her. It may make all the difference in the world to him.”
He put out an arm. “I don’t know what will happen with my brother, but I do know that if we don’t head out into the main hall soon, people will feel neglected. Come, zyla. The sooner we finish this duty, the sooner you can hash out your negotiations and I can try to sort things out with my brother.”
Taryn threaded her arm through his. “Okay, but try to keep our time mingling as short as possible. I’d much rather have more time to discuss the colony agreement. Besides, smiling and fluttering my eyelashes really isn’t my thing.”
“Just be yourself. Well, for the most part. We’ll save your fighting skills for later. It’ll give you an element of surprise in case something goes wrong before we leave.”
His female nodded, and Kason escorted her into the main hall. He did a quick scan but didn’t see Keltor anywhere. Finding his brother was going to be interesting since all the royal siblings were good at hiding when they didn’t want to be found.
Still, he would seek out Keltor and try to make things right. Yes, for the colony, but more importantly, for his bride. He wasn’t about to disappoint her.