Arın (The Uniformed Man)
Ever since making the blood bond agreement, Arın had been feeling strange. He had expected something to change, of course, but he had never imagined it would actually work. What was happening to him was impossible... even by the standards of this world.
Or... at least, it should have been.
For years, he had never slept of his own free will. Sometimes his master, Veyra, would order him to sleep. He had never understood the reason for that command, but he had never been able to disobey it. Yet that night, after hearing İlyara murmuring in her sleep and going to her side, something different had happened.
İlyara had gripped his hand tightly.
That soft little hand was nothing like his own. Hers was incredibly delicate. It was trembling.
The black mist surrounding her continued to flow into Arın as it always had.
But that wasn't the problem.
He had fallen asleep while holding her hand.
How was that even possible?
He was a Morhena...
Wasn't he?
On top of that, his heart had begun behaving more and more strangely. Whenever he drew close to İlyara, it came back to life. The farther away he was from her, the weaker its beats became. Last night, while chasing the shadow outside the window, he had felt his heartbeat disappear completely.
But he hadn't paid it any mind.
It wasn't supposed to beat in the first place.
That was the way it was supposed to be.
That was how it had to remain.
Now they were traveling side by side in the carriage. Just as he had expected, the children had betrayed İlyara. They were supposed to die there that day.
Yet İlyara seemed indifferent to whatever awaited her.
Perhaps she had truly wanted to die.
But he couldn't allow that.
Why?
Frowning, he scratched his head roughly.
"Are you alright, Arın?"
Realizing what he had been doing at the sound of İlyara's voice, Arın lowered his hand from his hair and looked down at his palm.
"I'm fine," he said, continuing to examine it.
Why had he scratched his head?
"Do you know the Council President?"
There was that as well.
A white-armored Taşkan claimed to be the Council's Head Guard. It had been a long time since Arın had encountered any of them. The Council Guards rarely ever left the palace. The last time he had seen one of them had been before he died.
But when had that been?
"Ah."
A sharp pain suddenly shot through his head.
"Are you alright?"
İlyara quickly grabbed his arm and looked at him.
"A sharp pain just shot through my head," Arın said in disbelief. "That's impossible."
Frowning, İlyara reached up and placed her hand against his forehead.
"Why?"
The moment Arın felt her fingers against his forehead, his body tensed. His heart immediately began racing again. Shifting uneasily, he gently moved her hand away.
"I don't feel pain," he said, his brows knitting together.
İlyara studied him in silence for a few moments. Then she straightened in her seat and suddenly slapped him across the face.
Arın's head turned to the side. Then he looked back at İlyara with empty eyes.
Why had she done that?
Had he made a mistake?
Startled, İlyara quickly pulled back and began waving her hand in front of her.
"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. Her eyes kept darting from side to side, as though she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze. "I wanted to see whether you could actually feel pain."
Then she looked at him again.
"I didn't think I'd hit you that hard."
Arın gave a small nod. For a brief moment, he touched the cheek İlyara had slapped.
"No... I didn't feel any pain."
At Arın's words, İlyara gave a slight nod before turning toward the window and gazing outside.
"Would it have made you happy if I could feel pain?"
Where had that question come from?
Why did İlyara's happiness matter to him?
This bond had to be far stronger than he had imagined. He kept finding himself being unusually careful toward İlyara.
Perhaps they really were fated mates.
Mates...
What was it like to have one?
"No," İlyara said. A single tear slipped down her cheek. "Never feel pain."
His heart skipped another beat.
Arın reached out and gently brushed the tear from İlyara's cheek with his thumb.
"You can give your pain to me," he said, withdrawing his hand. "That's what I'm here for."
İlyara looked at him in silence for a long moment.
"Maybe I should never have given you those emotions."
---
İlyara
Throughout the journey, İlyara couldn't stop wondering why Elna had summoned her to the Council Palace. Had she been lying to her all this time?
But the problem wasn't Elna.
The problem was that she trusted people far too easily.
Elna had become like an older sister to her.
The older sister she had never had...
And now, she found herself questioning who Elna truly was.
Even so, the nights they had slept in the same bed and the long conversations they had shared came back to her one after another. Elna's warmth... her kindness...
İlyara didn't want to believe that any of it had been fake.
She knew Elna's warmth had been genuine.
She didn't know how... But she could feel it.
"I think we're getting close."
Pulled from her thoughts by Arın's voice, İlyara turned her head and looked out the window.
This place was quite far from the city. Shouldn't the Council Palace have been close to the city... or even within it if possible?
Then again, this wasn't the world she knew.
Ahead of them stood a massive white iron gate. At its center was a black four-leaf clover engraved into the metal. The very same emblem was displayed on the chest of Kortegin's armor.
The guard urged his horse forward.
"Open the gate," he called in a commanding voice. "It's Kortegin."
The heavy iron gates slowly swung open. Once the guard returned to his place, the carriage began moving again.
As they passed through the entrance, a vast garden stretched out before them. The trees had been carefully trimmed into intricate shapes. A short while later, the palace came into view.
It was white as well.
İlyara had expected something far grander. Instead, the building before her was nothing like she had imagined. It was simple, yet impeccably maintained. A broad, four-story structure.
The closer they drew to the palace, the stronger the uneasiness growing inside her became.
Was it because she was about to see Elna again?
She wasn't sure.
When the carriage came to a stop, İlyara turned toward Arın.
He was gone.
The only thing she saw was the carriage door slowly swinging shut.
Just then, she heard the door on her side open and flinched as she turned toward it.
"İlyara."
Arın stood there with his hand outstretched, waiting for her.
Taking a deep breath, İlyara reached out and took his hand before stepping down from the carriage. After the long journey, simply standing on her own feet again brought her a sense of relief.
She tensed when Arın leaned close and whispered into her ear.
"Don't leave my side."
He was being overly protective. Throughout the journey, he had examined every corner of the carriage and watched the roads they traveled as though trying to memorize each one.
"It's alright," İlyara said.
Though she didn't even believe her own words.
"You're with me."
Then she smiled at Arın before turning her attention to Kortegin, who had been silently watching them.
"I'll show you to your room first," the guard said.
"When can I see Elna... I mean, the Council President?" İlyara interrupted.
Without a word, the guard stepped in front of İlyara, casting her into his shadow. Because of his helmet, she still couldn't make out his eyes.
"She will meet with you during dinner," he replied before turning away.
Once they reached her room, Arın insisted on staying with İlyara. However, the guard refused, explaining that it was against the Council's rules.
İlyara wanted Arın to stay with her as well. But lately, she had started feeling strange whenever she was with him.
She took a long shower to wash away the smell of smoke that still clung to her. Afterward, one of the maids brought her a white dress.
What did these people have against any color but white? İlyara wondered. Every corner of both the room and the bathroom was white. If the smallest thing fell to the floor, it would stand out immediately.
By the time there was a knock at the door, she was already dressed and had dried her hair. When she looked at herself in the mirror, she realized how worn out she looked.
But none of that mattered.
First, she would talk to Elna and learn the truth. Perhaps after that, they could even find a way to send her back to her own world.
After all, she was the Council President.
When the door opened, Arın was the first to step inside. The guard appeared right behind him. The moment he saw Arın, his eyes widened with fear, and he quietly stepped aside.
This guard wasn't Kortegin. He wasn't nearly as broad as him. Besides, it was obvious from every part of his demeanor that he was afraid of Arın. He wasn't wearing a helmet, either.
As for Arın, he looked as though he hadn't changed his uniform at all.
He might not have even taken a shower.
"Lady İlyara," the guard said with a slight bow. "The Council President is waiting for you in the dining hall."
İlyara answered with a nod, and the guard turned toward the door. She glanced at Arın for a brief moment before following the guard out of the room together with him.
When they reached the doors of the dining hall, two guards stood watch at the entrance. Their escort stepped forward and entered first.
"Lady İlyara has arrived."
Then she heard her voice.
"Bring her in at once."
Elna's voice hadn't changed at all.
It was still as confident and commanding as ever.
The moment İlyara heard that voice, her heart began to race. She stood frozen for a few moments, unable to take a single step.
Then Arın gently touched her back, urging her forward.
Drawing courage from Arın, İlyara stepped through the doorway.
"Welcome, İlyara."