To Stand Beside Her (42 page)

“Too bad there are no trees for you here,”
Leila
said to Anatolio approach
ing
him from behind.
She
sat on one of the benches
while
Anatolio sat on the ground with his back to a large planter filled with tall grasses.
The
position was strategically chosen
so
he could sit and talk to her but be unseen to anyone who approached from below.

“
I guess it is j
ust a little too much noise for the morning
after all
,” Anatolio added.
“It might take some getting use
d
to.”

Leila shrugged.
“I can’t say it is bad
,
since it made a great diversion to get away from them.”

P
alace life was not for
Leila
.
She was not the kind of girl that enjoy
ed
being fussed over and pampered.
“But isn’t playing dress up so much fun?”
h
e teased.

“It is when you are six,” she replied.
“I don’t know how any grown woman could enjoy being dressed so fancy with so many decorations
and so little fabric
.
I understand it is hot here, but give me a break.”
Anatolio laughed again.

L
eila looked over the young man. He tossed his blond hair aside as he laughed. When they were alone everything was comfortable. There was an air about Anatolio that changed when others were around. Somehow she understood that this was the real man behind the boy.

“Do you know what Nalick is not telling me?”
s
he asked changing the subject.

The twinkle in his eyes left
,
and he gave her a one word reply, “Yes.”

“And I suppose you are not going to tell me?” she asked
,
raising her eyebrows.
She already knew the answer but somehow hoped he would anyway.

“I was told he would tell you when he was ready,” Anatolio replied
,
still looking her in the eyes.
Leila could read his reaction
,
and he
,
as much as Nalick
,
did not want to tell her what Nalick was hiding.

“I don’t get it,” she said
,
closing her eye
s
and leaning her head back.
She was not going to get even a clue from him.
“What could he be so scared to tell me?
It’s not like I have not dealt with enough in my life to be able to handle something new.
I am not made of glass.”

“He knows that.
I guess maybe, he is just as afraid to tell you because he doesn’t want you to get hurt
or
he doesn’t want to admit the truth to himself either,” Anatolio explained.
“Sometimes life just doesn’t turn out the way you want it to.”
Leila opened her eyes and looked at the young man in front of her.
She could not tell if he was talking about Nalick or himself.

“So when do we get to start training again?” he asked
,
changing the subject on her.
S
he was analyzing him
,
and he didn’t want the conversation to continue.
Anatolio
wanted to keep his promise to Nalick.

“As soon as you want,” Leila said with a smile.
“In fact in a week or so I will be able to show you how to do things myself and not have to use Macarius or Theo.”
Anatolio was happily waiting to be taught directly from her.

“I am looking forward to the opportunity to test everything I’ve learn
t
with you,” Anatolio replied.
He began to say something else but stopped
when
he heard footsteps coming up the side staircase.

“Oh, thank goodness
.
” Elena approached.
She did not know Anatolio was behind the plant as she continued to talk as normally,
and
if she
had seen
him
,
she would
have
turn
ed
several shade
s
of red and hide.
Most of the maids were shy around Anatolio.
“Mauve sent me to find you.
She wants to get you and Ruth dressed first as the boys are both bathing.”

Leila reluctantly stood and followed Elena back down the stairs.
Anatolio chuckled at the disappointed face she made as she left the garden.
He, on
-
the
-
other
-
hand, was happy for it to be quiet again.
Anatolio
had almost told her too much.
I
f he lied, she would know, but he also didn’t have a way to keep her from asking.

It took Mauve over two hours to get everyone dressed to her satisfaction.
Leila tried her best to set a good example for the children, but
it
was
hard
.
She waited as her hair was fixed
for a second time,
and Mauve checked everyone over.
As they left to follow Nalick to the meeting room, Leila removed several of the bracelets around her wrist and handed them to Elena.
Nalick went inside the meeting first.
Leila and the children sat outside the room as
Nalick began the meeting without them
.
Macarius stood and watched over the four of them.

Phillip paced the hallway as he waited.
H
e was anxious
,
but
Leila
did not know how to calm the boy.
Every now and then, Phillip would stop by the door and try to hear what was going on inside.
Macarius stopped Phillip’s pacing as he placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

“There is nothing to worry about.
Everything is already done.
Nalick just wants to introduce you three to everyone
.
Nobody will stop it from happening
.
”
Macarius could relate to the young man.
Phillip stopped pacing and sat down beside Leila and Ruth.

“Why do Ma
carius or Theo follow you every
where you go?” Phillip asked
,
trying to get his mind off of what was going to happen.

“Nalick wants them to watch over and protect me,” Leila replied.
“Anatolio is
also
always here.”
Leila nod
ded her head to the shadow near
by but Phillip did not see him.
Anatolio stepped out of the shadow so that Phillip could see he was standing there
and then returned to his hidden spot
.

“How did you know he was there?” Phillip was amazed that Leila knew
Anatolio
was there as
Phillip
could not see him at all.

“He’s always close
, so it is easy for me to spot him.
Besides, he doesn’t hide from me, just everyone else,” Leila explained.
“Out of the three men, he truly is my personal guard.
Theo and Macarius just keep me company.
Anatolio is always watching over me.”

“But he can’t be much older than me,” Phillip said
,
trying to find Anatolio again in the dark corner
.

“He isn’t
,” Leila explained.
“But don’t be fooled.
He is much stronger and better trained than most men twice his age.”
Anatolio could hear the conversation and tried to suppress the smile forming.

“How long have you trained?” Phillip asked
,
moving back to Leila as the subject of conversation
.

“Eight years,” she replied.
Ruth tried to slide off her lap, but Leila kept a firm hold on the little girl so that she would not tumble to the ground.

“So that would make you only
eighteen
,” Phillip said in awe as he counted on his fingers.
“You’re not much older than me either.”
Leila smiled at the young man.
She was only
a few
years older than him, but she had lived enough life for several life times in the last four years alone.

Soon the side door opened and Theo came out.
Leila stood and picked up Ruth.
Phillip followed her
tightly
holding onto Tim’s hand.
Leila heard him whisper before they entered the room.

“Tim
,
please behave.
Remember you promised,” Phillip told his younger brother.

Phillip was surprised as they entered the room to see how many people were there.
He followed as Leila led them all to the stage that Nalick was sitting at.
Nalick stood and took Ruth from Leila as she carefully climbed the stairs
.
Phillip’s grandparents knew who Phillip was
immediately
.
Nalick offered Leila his seat
,
and she gladly sat down.
Nalick went to hand her Ruth
,
but the small child held onto him tightly.
He smiled as Phillip stood next to Leila
,
and Tim energetically hopped on her lap instead.

“For the last point of today’s meeting, I wanted to use the opportunity to introduce everyone here to our
new
children,” Nalick said.
“I would like to introduce Prince Phillip,” Nalick pointed to Phillip.
“Prince Tim,” Leila lift
ed
Tim’s hand
,
and he waved to everyone. “And Princess Ruth,” Nalick tried to get Ruth to look at the people seated in front of him, but she just nuzzled her face into his shirt while her curls bounced.
The crowd just chuckled at the small child’s shyness.
While
icy
stares greeted the boys, no one could resist the little girl.
“That is it for today’s meeting.
There will be no meeting next month as the wedding celebrations will already have begun.”

Nalick nodded his head and the people all slowly began to leave.
Some people stopped along the way to greet old friends and others hurried to the door.
Leila watched as near the back of the room, Emma was trying to make her way up to the stage.
Emma bowed to both Nalick and Leila.

“I’m so happy to see you can walk again
,
Queen Eia
,”
Emma
said.
“
Thank you so much for knowing it was not me that wanted you gone. I am so sorry my parents put you through that. Thanks to you I got to get married finally.
I wanted you to meet Dareios, but I couldn’t get him to come up here with me.”
Leila smiled as Emma waved at a man who was waiting in the back of the room.
“I can’t thank you enough.”
Emma
noticed
Nalick approaching and quickly stood and bowed again to him before hurrying away.

“Here Leila,”
Nalick
said handing her Ruth.
“I need to take Phillip with me for a second.”
Ruth sat on one knee and Tim on the other
,
while
Nalick whisked Phillip away.
He
stood close enough for Leila to overhear the conversation.

“Lady and Lord Pillas, I wanted you to meet my son Phillip,” Nalick said
,
and Phillip shook each of their hands.
Phillip was amazed by how happy it made him feel to have Nalick call him his son.
He had never really known his own father as he died when he was quite young
,
and Tim and Ruth’s father never acknowledged that Phillip even existed.

“Lord Pillas trains horses,” Nalick explained to Phillip.
“He even taught me how to ride when I was a little younger than you are now.
I was hoping he would be able to teach you how to ride also.”
Phillip grinned ear to ear.
Everything was becoming more real to him as Nalick talked about teaching him how to be a prince.
“Of course it will have to be after your classes and all, if Lord Pillas could fit you into his schedule.”

“For you
,
my king, anything,” Lord Pillas replied.