Chapter 8: The Nobles
When the sky darkened, Kaira had started playing her tranquil tunes. Guests tired from dancing all day were settling down at the table prepared for dinner. Alven and Dawn were quite exhausted, but the smiles on their faces and the happiness in their eyes overshadowed it. Hesna and Bilun had taken their places at the table. I hadn't seen Eva since our last conversation. Çağın, who hadn't left my side since our dance with Hesna, touched my shoulder saying, “What are you waiting for, let’s go.”
Pointing with my chin towards the empty chair next to Hesna, I said, “You could sit there if you want,” not sure what I was thinking. I bit the inside of my cheek. I was acting just like Eva wanted me to. Aside from making me doubt Hesna, she had said, “You will fight with those you trust,” casting suspicion even on the few people I trusted.
“Why didn't your voice sound like you were joking?” Çağın frowned at me, trying to figure out what was wrong. Curiosity was evident in his narrowed eyes.
I scrunched my face. Despite knowing what Eva was trying to do, I couldn't shake off the doubt inside me. I couldn’t blame myself. We had been taught to fight and to doubt from the games played with us as little kids. We were constantly pitted against each other, taught that winning was the only thing that mattered, hearing it with every defeat. Knowing she was following a strategy to mislead me, I had to pursue it anyway.
“Are you okay?” Stepping in front of me and placing his other hand on my shoulder, Çağın bent his knees to match our heights. Worry was slowly seeping into his eyes.
“Did something happen between you and Hesna while I was on Earth?” He raised his eyebrows, curled his lips slightly, looked at me as if trying to measure my seriousness, and then laughed.
“Working hard hasn’t been good for you…” he teased. Seeing me give him a flat look, he took a deep breath. “When you were on Earth, I spent most of my time there too. Have you forgotten? Where did this come from?”
I shrugged. “You two seemed pretty close while dancing,” making up an excuse.
His answer made sense. Even if something was going on between them, why should it bother me? As long as it didn’t go against my interests and they were happy, I couldn’t care less. I ran my tongue over my lips. Eva had come at me with a war tactic I didn’t expect. It frightened me because I couldn’t think clearly…
Çağın withdrew his hands from my shoulder, putting them in his pockets. Stepping back to give me a brief once-over, he then spoke: “You couldn’t possibly be jealous, could you?”
Laughing mockingly, I said, “Forget it…” “I don’t even know what I’m saying, I’m just exhausted from the past two days.”
After looking at me for a while, he murmured, “If you say so.” He didn’t press on not because he believed the excuse I made up but because he knew I had been hiding something since the day my father’s body disappeared. Yet, he wasn’t pressing me to spill it.
“Come on, let’s eat and leave,” I said as I walked past him towards the table.
At one end of the table sat Dawn and Alven, and at the other, Çağın and I. Once everyone settled, our host stood up. “Thank you for joining us today…” Dawn began, concluding his speech by expressing his gratitude towards Hesna sitting across from Alven.
Clearing his throat, Alven took over: “Also, we thank our heir for honoring us by joining our tradition.” I smiled. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I slightly bowed my head to acknowledge his thanks while spearing a piece of meat on my fork.
“It’s an honor for me to sit at the same table with the noble families of Elysian…” I started, sensing Çağın shifting beside me. He was always on edge when I spoke, knowing my impulsive nature.
Like a breeze that gently caresses the waves before a storm, I smiled as I said, “But…” “You haven’t yet visited my throne to introduce yourselves.” I reached for my glass. Everyone at the long table was watching me intently as I took a sip of my water. After placing my glass down, I raised my eyebrows looking at them. “I’m afraid if you delay it any further, I’ll have to consider it disrespectful.”
Without turning my head, I glanced at Çağın through the corner of my eye. He had raised his hand under the table as if to say this was enough. Following his advice, I lifted my fork with meat on it. With a flirtatious laugh, I said, “Bon appétit,” and brought the fork to my mouth to chew the meat.
I enjoyed seeing Dawn’s displeased smile. My comments must have stressed his guests during his ceremony. Bilun, sitting across from him, touched his shoulder trying to calm him down. To understand Bilun’s plan, I needed to know the positions of Şafak and his family in Elysian. After all, if Bilun kept this woman by his side, he must have a plan with her.
The meal continued in silence. When Eva suddenly appeared in her black dress, sweeping the floor as she joined us, our quiet was broken. Sitting across from Çağın, she smirked, “What did I miss?” and chuckled to herself.
A man with fiery red, curly hair, empowered by Eva’s presence, spoke up. “I heard there’s a term called ‘dispensing justice’ on Earth, my heir was trying to explain that for a few minutes you missed.”
I raised my eyebrows and laughed while examining the man. His skin was covered in freckles, especially concentrated around his neck but less so on his forehead. The master of the emotions simmering in his red eyes was Eva, evident in the smug smile on his full lips. Çağın, leaning over his right shoulder to me, whispered his introduction. “Renan, only he and his family know the rate of emotions sown, apart from the Holy Spirits and rulers.”
I probably knew his grandfather Ruha, who had died while I was on Earth, but I didn’t know the last heirs of the noble families. “I didn’t like his grandfather either,” I whispered back and immediately, “Me neither,” he replied, causing me to chuckle.
“The rules and terms of Earth do not apply here,” said another noble, looking at me. His long black hair brushed his shoulders, and his eyes were as dark and shiny as the night. His long lashes fluttering over his well-shaped eyebrows made him quite handsome.
Çağın approached to introduce him, but I signaled that it wasn’t necessary. Looking into the man’s eyes, I asked, “May I know your name?”
“Noyan.”
“Noyan…” I repeated. “Do you know what I’ve been thinking since I arrived?” He shook his head nonchalantly. “How much Elysian has come to resemble Earth in my absence. And…”
I continued as I picked up the napkin from the edge of my plate. After gently wiping my lips, I added: “…since when have the nobles started taking sides?”
Rising from my chair, I looked at each of them in turn. “On Earth, they have many names for discrimination. They call it racism, sexism, politics, or policy. Have you coined a term for it?” I paused, giving them a chance to respond.
Their choice to remain silent made me laugh. “Good…” I murmured. “Don’t bother, because under my reign in Elysian, there won’t be a need for it.”
The focus of their gazes shifted. Most looked at Eva as if seeking assurance, while some looked at Bilun for an explanation. A few smiled at Hesna and me. Thinking this was enough without touching their nerves, I concluded, “Well! I think I’ve talked enough, it’s time for me to leave.” Trying to disperse the changed atmosphere, I bid Alven and Dawn, “Happiness again…” and whispered the magical words to teleport myself to the palace courtyard.
A few days ago, I stood in front of the lake carrying my father’s lifeless body. The colorful leaves of the trees reflected on the water, taking on the night’s color, making the lake look like a palette with mixed paints. I took off my boots and placed them on the ground before walking into the lake.
I couldn’t bless the spirit of my father, who had forsaken being a Holy Spirit for me. I didn’t know how to repay him; I didn’t know if I would see him again or where to find him. All I knew was that I must not disappoint him.
When the water reached my height, my feet didn’t lift off the ground. The water rose above my head. It wasn’t guiding me; it was leaving me to myself. As I walked to the center of the lake, I savored the water running through my hair, the pebbles biting into my feet, and the water creatures greeting me. When I grew tired of walking, I lay on my back on the ground.
I looked up for a few seconds. I couldn’t see the beautiful lake from under the water. I saw small fish escaping from a big fish. I saw creatures lured by the leaves’ beautiful colors, rising up only to become food for a bird. I saw colorful plants frantically swaying to break free from the pebbles they were rooted in, yearning to reach the sky they were curious about. I giggled. Everything we looked at from the surface seemed so beautiful to us.
Was I looking at the monarchy from the surface? Was this why all these experiences felt so difficult to me? Shaking my head, I answered myself. I truly wanted the monarchy. I wanted to shoulder this responsibility and bear its hardships.
Every day, the things I had to struggle with were increasing. While trying to understand Bilun’s complicated plan, I felt like I was falling into Eva’s trap. Despite this feeling, I couldn’t stop myself from doubting. I had to be cautious about Hesna, avoid communicating with Arel and Alven unless necessary. Maybe the palace wasn’t as safe as I thought, and I shouldn’t articulate everything there. What about Çağın? Should I add Çağın to the list of people I need to distance myself from?
I furrowed my brow. Observing the life under the water, I tried to distance myself from the doubt Eva had planted in me. Maybe that was her goal. She wanted me to lose the truly reliable people around me by doubting them. No, no… Such a plan could have been made by Bilun, but not by Eva. She was evil and didn’t feel the need to hide her malevolence. She had been playing her cards openly from the beginning.
I felt it. Betrayal would come from an unexpected place. Eva wouldn’t betray me because we had never been loyal to each other.
***
Elysian took eleven people before it. It left the blood of monarchy in one and made the others its representatives, giving each a power to be passed down through generations. It commanded the monarch to protect the people and the ten nobles to oversee the monarch.
Time corrupted these commands.
“I don’t want the heir,” grumbled Renan, breaking the silence as he descended Kaira’s stone steps, hands in the pockets of his fabric pants.
“Is there really anyone among us who truly wants the heir?” Arya leaned against a stone step. She was supposed to start planting dreams in Ravi soon. Yet, she didn’t bother to lift her languid body, sprawling more and more.
“There is…” whispered Dawn, turning his gaze to Ova. Until he uttered, “The spirit of the four elements…” Ova, playing with the earth charm on her neck, looked over her shoulder at the source of the voice. As she scanned his pink hair and matching eyes, she thought this color didn’t suit a warrior like Dawn. Elysian had given such a soft color to a fierce woman; she would have suited the burning red of fire much better.
Despite being aware of the recent conversation, she chose to act as if she hadn’t heard. “Dawn?” she inquired.
Dawn, despite her distant demeanor, smiled. He desperately wanted to sway Ova to Bilun’s side, but it was impossible. Renan was siding with the snake because he was in love with Eva. Arya had entered Eva’s service when her power peaked. A few foolish lovers were on Hesna’s side. Ova, however, had not sided with anyone so far. She served everyone but was free from all. The bright earth charm on her neck shone as much as the air chain on her wrist. Her fire-red hair was kept in check by the water key on her ankle. Removing any of these would lose control of the four elements, and Ova, acting as if she didn’t possess such power, roamed freely without a specific task.
Sitting next to Ova, Dawn asked, “Have you visited our heir?”
“Yes.” After standing up from her seat, she politely asked, “And you?” planning to leave immediately after.
Dawn answered: “Not yet.”
Not visiting the heir after the dinner a few hours ago would be foolish. Ova was sure everyone thought this. Therefore, instead of expressing it, she simply said, “I understand…” Then, after surveying all the nobles, she softly said, “Excuse me…” and turned into a gust of wind with a touch to her air chain.
Among the jealous and angry glares of many nobles, one tried to feel the wind mixed with his beloved woman as Ova left. There was no need for him to tolerate the others any longer. As he stood up, a few eyes turned to the Elysian Reaper. Unlike Ova, Noyan left without a word, not even glancing at anyone’s face, heading to the farthest place in Kaira to claim the soul of a fresh corpse.
No one cared about the absence of this reticent man, and the trio that had been talking continued their conversation. “I don’t think Ova wants the heir, she adapts to everyone. The only one glued to the heir’s side is Çağın,” Renan said with his cheeky voice,
“Don’t forget, Hesna also became the heir’s puppet,” Arya replied.
Realizing the jab was aimed at her, Amila, as a climate fairy should, controlled her emotions. She usually wasn’t the target of hatred, always a smiling woman. She didn’t want to bring a storm to Elysian by disrupting her positive streak during these tense times. “Arya…” she said, widening her always present smile. “The people are about to dream through Ravi, shouldn’t you be going?”
Arya straightened up, leaning her elbows on the stone step. “Are you meddling in my business?” she said with a threatening tone.
“I was just reminding you, you seemed to have forgotten,” Lara, the magic ambassador, couldn’t keep silent any longer. Although she didn’t openly choose a side, most nobles could guess she would stand with the heir. Renan voiced this guess, “I bet Lara was the first noble to visit the heir…”
Lara raised an eyebrow in challenge: “And what if I was?”
“What did humans call people like you… Ah, yes, a sycophant!”
“A sycophant would be you, you fool! None of you will stand by Eva when she loses her power. We all know that,” Darya, the servant of the Great Forest Avar, couldn’t remain silent any longer. Her only goal was to serve Elysian and its forest as best as she could. She would stand by the person who best facilitated the right conditions, and she was sure it wasn’t Eva.
“It seems the heir has more supporters than we thought…” Arya spoke sarcastically, breaking her prolonged silence. “When Eva takes the throne, she won’t care for any of you!”
Amila’s voice, as delicate as a fairy’s, was heard: “No ruler can punish their people or nobles for their thoughts.”
“Look at you… Now you’re meddling in the ruler’s business!” Arya’s audacious attitude heated up the argument. Dawn stepped back a few steps and began to watch the nobles’ scuffle. There were people somewhat similar to nobles on Earth. They had been called delegates, deputies, representatives from yesterday to today. Though their names changed over time, across universes, even races, their disputes were always the same. Aware of this, Dawn rolled his eyes and walked away from the quarreling nobles.
His steps led him to the door of the woman he admired. After diving into the water, which took the color of Bilun’s eyes, a few seconds later his body emerged from the water, first hitting the air then the rocks. Reaching Bilun’s place was indeed hard! He stood up and looked at the water waving in the sky. Blue, dim light shimmered in this cave hidden under the ocean.
Adjusting his disheveled dress, he headed to the library, thinking he might find Bilun there. As he guessed, she was between the shelves. Her blond hair fell over her blue dress down to her waist. The small owl mark in her eye socket had a weak blue light. The blue of her eyes was a shade darker than this mark. The wisdom of the mature wise woman was etched in her expressions. When she felt Şafak entering her home minutes ago, she skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. “Have you visited the heir?”
“I can’t stand him,” Şafak replied without hesitation, making the representative of wisdom and justice smile. Taking strength from this smile, Şafak added, “Why don’t we implement our plan right away?”
Bilun answered in a soft voice, “Everything has its time.”
“Then why isn’t this the time?” Şafak, usually not such an impatient woman, intelligent enough to know the right move at the right time, was fed up with the ignorance-filled arguments and the pompous, vain royal daughters roaming around.
“To execute our plan, we need to spill someone’s blood…” Bilun reminded, moving towards the woman a few steps away, pulling a paper from her chest and extending it to Şafak as she concluded, “Deliver what’s written here to him. Also, please don’t question our plan again. If your impatience puts us at risk, I’ll hurt you.”
