chapter 2-Leia

Alexis walked down the green grassy slopes towards the white stone temple.it was a fine day,with clouds lining the horizon and a hint of thunder in the air.the air was oppressive and far away,the lines of the temple blurred in the heat haze.it was late afternoon and Alexis was going to meet Leia,the high priestess of Castalia and her childhood friend.as children she Andra and Leia,and for a while Icarus,had run wild in the forests and meadows of Castalia.she smiled a little,remembering the pranks she and Icarus had instigated between them,and how timid little Andra had joined in,frightened and pleading them to come home,but refusing to leave without them,and how Leia had joined in calmly,smiling happily,without question,her serene little face glowing even then with a kind of inner peace.

Alexis was smiling to herself,lost in the golden days of long ago,when life was so simple and every night she had gone to sleep with the sound of her parents talking and laughing in the next room.she had not known then that that safe and secure world would vanish one day like a bubble burst by a careless god.

Leia watched her coming from the gardens surrounding the temple.she had known when she woken up in the morning that one of her friends would be visiting her.not one of her famous visions,it had merely been a feeling of warm contentment which had made her look forward to the rest of the day with a sense of anticipation.

"Leia,you are working again in this heat,do you want to be laid up with the touch of the sun again?"demanded Alexis as she let herself in the garden gates
"i like working in the garden"said Leia simply as she stood up,her arms full of flowers,the hem of her azure robe stained with mud and grass.Leia was beautiful.there had never been any other word to describe her.her eyes were deeply blue,her mouth a perfect bow.her silky black hair brushed against sharp cheekbones the colour of peaches and she walked like an angel floating through clouds.

"By Zeus,Leia,sometimes i hate you"Alexis said with feeling as she took in the perfection that was her friend.one got almost used to Leia's beauty,and then one day suddenly it would dazzle her,like the sun suddenly breaking out of the clouds.
"i wish i looked half as good as you!do you ever sweat?"she enquired as Leia laughed and shook her head"Alexis,have you any idea how beautiful you are"she asked as she took her friend inside the cool sanctuary of the temple.

"Ha yes,so you always say"grumbled Alexis.Leia sighed and shook her head,knowing full well that Alexis was and had always been completely un aware of her attraction.she looked at her friend as Alexis paced the room,clearly restless and worried.she saw the masses of riotously curly black hair tumbling around a face dominated by a pair of large golden eyes,which could never hide any emotion.her mobile face was filled with a kind of charm which made it difficult to look away from her when she was animated,a gift that would outlast mere beauty.she radiated purpose and light and a kind of innate goodness which drew people to her like moths to a flame.Alexis,Leia decided,made people want to be more.

"what is worrying you,Alexis?"she asked finally.

"Everything!"Alexis said as she sank down on the elegant couch.she
looked accusingly at Leia." And don't pretend you don't know what i am
talking about!"
"it is true that things are..somewhat difficult at present"Leia said
slowly
"Difficult!"Alexis exclaimed"that's an understatement if there ever was
one.Leia,we are on the verge of a disaster.people are restless,and
..and Icarus has not found his feet yet..sometimes I'm not sure if he
even wants to..the
court is taking his defections mildly,too mildly if you ask me..the
people are losing faith in the governance,and no wonder!Queen mother
used to know everything that was going on in the kingdom and
Icarus..Icarus only knows the way to the whore houses!"

"That's not true and you know it"said Leia with her usual
calmness"Icarus will be a very able king..when he chooses to"

"chooses to!Leia,he doesn't have a choice!he has been born to it"
"i know"Leia said softly"poor Icarus..he hates not having choices"
"That is no excuse to let an entire kingdom go to rack and ruin!for
god's sake what kind of man abandons his own kingdom?!!"

"Sometimes i think"said Leia tentatively after a brief silence during
which Alexis visibly tried to control herself"that this world has
proved to be both too much and too little for Icarus.do you remember
how idealistic he used to be when we were all young?he lived in worlds
not quite real,and he believed in them Alexis,as passionately as he did
in tomorrow then"she looked across at her friend"you remember how he
used to say,always at the end of the day'there is always tomorrow!'.i
think somewhere along the way the real world failed him so badly that
he began to be scared of his tomorrows"

"i remember"Alexis said in a low voice"we all believed in dreams
then,Leia,we all woke up!it happens ,life happens.you grow up and
realise that the world is not a perfect place,that you are not a perfect person
but maybe ,just maybe,you can make the effort to make it so!you
fight!you don't get scared of tomorrow's!you fight,so that maybe tomorrow
can be better than today,you fight so that maybe some other child does
not have his illusions shattered by the world!"

Leia looked at her friend,saw the certainty and strenght radiating
from her and sighed"its not always so simple for everyone as it is for
you Alexis.you are lucky"

"Am i?"Alexis turned to walk upto the windows.there was a short
silence,then she said more calmly"thank gods at least the rains have
been sufficient this year..another bad harvest and im not sure what we
would have to face.what do you think about young Nestor?"

"Nestor..the son of Vulcan the wise"said Leia"he seems very polished"
"Hah yes!"Alexis said bitterly"slick as slime,and just about as
reliable.if that man turns out to be a informer,i wont be in the least
surprised!"
"An informer"Leia looked startled"for who?the Anoians?"

"Maybe"Alexis wandered around the room,restlessly"Cameron and his men
caught some Anoians sneaking into the forests miles inside the
border.they claimed that had been lost,and maybe they had..but..i dont
like it Leia.the other day,i was in the market place and i heard a
rumors of very rigorous training that the Anoian soldiers are
undergoing.i asked Cameron and he hummed and hawed but finally agreed
that he had heard the same,but reassured me that it meant nothing! that
Jupiter Alpetras was just trying to tighten up the regime,that it meant
nothing significant!"

"I have never met either Jupiter or Anteros Alpetras"said Leia"but i
remember meeting their father at the Ritual of the Banding .Demetrius
Alpetras was a very striking man.and a very wise one.i have often
wondered why we were not friendly with Anoia.it seems strange when you
think of it.we are neighbouring Kingdoms and we have always lived
amicably.and yet they dont visit on important occasions and we are
never invited to visit either.we dont even know the reigning king."

"They sent condolences at Queen mother's death and we did the same"said
Alexis"but you are right,there has never been any personal contact
between monarchs.we go for years without hearing of them and now
suddenly there is mention of them everywhere!it makes me
uneasy,Leia.they say Jupiter Alpetras is more ruthless and devious than
Demetrius,and ten times more ambitious!and Icarus will not wake up!"

Leia was silent for a few minutes.it was evident that her friend was
seriously worried but Leia was not still very certain that there was
any real cause for worry.Alexis sometimes let her imagination take
unjustified leaps to nightmare scenarios.

"you haven't had any visions or anything have you,Leia?"Alexis asked
hopefully,turning once more to her.
Leia laughed and shook her head no."you know it does not work that way"

Alexis sighed and prepared to leave"i know.take care of yourself"

"you too dearest"said Leia gently"by way,how is Andra?"

"Worrying herself sick over Icarus"Alexis said bluntly"you had better
go and see her sometime"
"Tell her i will come soon"promised Leia and watched as the slight
figure walked away.

Alexis had just reached the top of the knoll from which the meadow
dipped down when she heard the sound of a horses hoofs.she turned,her
hand at her dagger,when she recognised the big grey horse,cantering
idly towards her.Icarus drew the reins when he reached her and the big
grey whinnied.

"Hello,Blue"she softly stroked the horse and then looked up at its
rider"Icarus"

"Alexis"said Icarus"where is your horse?"
"Lady is in her stables,resting.she sprained a hock yesterday,if it is
any of your business"
"And so you decided that its perfectly acceptable to walk miles in this
weather to see Leia"asked Icarus in the tone of intelligent interest he
used to conceal biting anger
"as a matter of fact,i did"Alexis replied coolly"now if you will excuse
me,i have all those miles to walk back"
"i don't think so"said Icarus and in one smooth move he got off Blue and
stood in front of her.Alexis looked up into those dark eyes and stood
as though rooted.His smell,that of forests assaulted her senses and for
one moment she was transported back to that time so long ago,when he
had claimed to love her,when she had allowed herself to believe in
dreams because she had believed in him,unquestioningly.

"get out of my way"Alexis said calmly
"or else?"Icarus lifted his eyebrows mockingly
As an answer Alexis placed her hand on her dagger very
suggestively.Icarus broke into laughter"Alexis you wouldn't!"

"i would"Alexis affirmed and shoved him out of her way angrily,feeling
perilously close to tears.

"Lexi"Icarus said softly and turned her gently towards him.Alexis
froze,so long had it been since anyone had used that childhood
endearment and searched his face.she saw tenderness and amusement and
love and felt her resistance melt."Damn you to hell Icarus"she said but
her anger was gone and he was her childhood friend again"one day you
will fly too close to the sun!"
He chuckled at the warning which was as old as their friendship and
helped her mount Blue.He threw himself behind her and at a light touch
of the reins blue was speeding away towards the horizon.
"where are we going?"asked Alexis"the castle is back there"
"You will see!"
And within a few moments she did see.her face broke into a smile as she
recognised the path to the ridge which overlooked the valley through
which ran the river Ames,springing from the mountains which surrounded
three quarters of Castalia.they used to come here often,especially to
watch the sunset.Blue slowed down to a trot and then stopped close to
the ridge and began to graze.Alexis sat,wrapped in Icarus' arms and
watched the sun go down in a blazing riot of colour and glory.The peace
of the moment enveloped them and they sat together,silent,friends for
too long to need words to communicate.Suddenly in the last moments of
the setting sun,Icarus leaned forward and asked Alexis urgently"Are you
happy Lexi,right now,right at this moment,are you happy?"
and almost in a trance she answered with the truth"yes.."
There was a broken sigh from behind her as Icarus whispered with wonder in his voice"So am i.."