Trust to Hope- Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Sleep eluded Ulquiorra. If he were alone in the bed, he would have tossed and turned, but there was Orihime lying on the other side of the bed. He didn't think his nerves could stand it if he accidentally touched her and she jumped up screaming. He had a feeling that if that happened now, he would snap. He lay as still as he could for almost an hour but sleep just wouldn't come to him. He sighed, pushed the sheet from himself and got off the bed. He walked over to the veranda that looked into the Queen's garden. Beyond the tall hedges he could see the Lake of Las Noches which reflected the sickle moon. The lake was the lifeline of Hueco Mundo. He remembered when as a child of five he had fallen in the lake while playing and had almost drowned in it. He had hated the lake at that time and had screamed at it. His mother had slapped him hard and told him to learn to accept his own mistakes and not blame others for his own mistake, the lake was there long before he was born and would be there long after he's gone. It was his own stupidity that had landed him in the lake and in a potentially life threatening situation, he couldn't blame it on the lake. That was one of the most valuable lesson he had learned in his life, one he now lived by.

He inhaled deeply and let out the breath in one big gust. He ran a hand over his face and continued his silent vigil on the lake. He thought back to the attack earlier that afternoon. A dozen people attacking a bridal entourage never stood a chance. He briefly wondered what prompted the rebels to make such a suicidal move. His mind was made up, he was going to talk to the man they had captured as soon as the man was in a condition to talk. It had been a month since had had taken over Hueco Mundo's throne. In that month, he had been in Hueco Mundo for only three weeks. In those three weeks all he had really done was survive from one day to the next. So engrossed was he in small things that he really had no time to address the bigger issues that plagued his Kingdom. He had entered into a sort of a rut from which he couldn't get himself out and it had frustrated him to no end. The week he spent in Karakura helped him to set his thoughts straight and he knew that he had to focus on bigger things. His marriage had brought him some much needed breath of fresh air in the form of his dowry. A part of him was reluctant to use the dowry because of how his wife was behaving, but the practical side of him told him to use the funds to help Hueco Mundo. Hueco Mundo was above everything else; him, his wife, her fears- everything. Just as he was debating whether or not to sleep, he heard her speak.
"My lord."
He spun on his heels, surprised. Orihime was sitting on the bed, her head bent low so he couldn't see her expression.
"How may I help you, Madam?"
"My lord," she repeated, "I…I wanted to…"
He waited patiently for her to regain her confidence.
"I wanted to apologize," she said after a while, her head still bent "I know I haven't been at the best of my behavior. I know I have been a little rude with you and that it was uncalled for."
"Madam…" He started but she shook her head.
"Please Sire, I request you to let me say what's on my mind. I fear that the courage this dark night and the distance between us have given me will abandon me soon. I want to be nicer to you, politer if you please. It's not like I did not want to marry you. The truth is, the day my father announced our marriage, I realized that I was not ready to get married. I have nothing against you, but…" She couldn't continue any further.
"But…" Ulquiorra prompted gently. From the little light that the moon and the two candles provided, he could see her open her mouth and close it again. Apparently, whatever source of courage that she had been tapping into had exhausted and now she was back to being scared and mute.
"But I scare you, is it not?" Ulquiorra said with a small tilt of his lips.
She nodded her head in agreement. From what he could see, he thought she was blushing.
"I am sorry." She murmured her voice barely audible.
"Don't worry about it madam. You are not the first person to react to me this fashion." He replied honestly. "Now that you are talking, tell me, are you uncomfortable? Do you want me to look into annulment of the marriage?"
She shook her to decline his offer, her eyes still fixated on the ground.
"I…" She said haltingly, "I just need…time."
"Take all the time you need. From this day forth, Las Noches is your home. I hope you can get adjusted to your new home."
She nodded slowly. He noticed that her fingers were tied in a knot, she was obviously still anxious about something.
"Is there something else?" He asked.
She mumbled something incoherent. While he couldn't hear most of it, he could make out the word 'heir' in her sentence and guessed what was on her mind.
"Do not be worried. I am a man of my word. I promised you that I would not touch you and I will not."
She relaxed visibly as she quietly lay down on the bed, taking care that she did not meet his gaze. Ulquiorra looked at her for a while and then resumed his silent watch over the lake.

****

"So what did he say to that?" Tatsuki asked as she made Orihime's hair the next morning.
"He said he promised that he would not touch me and that he would keep the promise."
"That's nice," the black haired girl said smiling, "I think he may not be as bad a man as you originally thought. I mean he hasn't done anything to you. Imagine if you were married to one of those 'foot stomping, self-righteous politicians'?"
Orihime smiled as Tatsuki giggled. The red-haired girl looked at herself in the mirror. Today was her bridal parade, the day she would be introduced to Hueco Mundo as a Queen. She looked at her reflection and saw the same face look back at her, one that had always resided in the mirror. The girl in the mirror had not changed one bit. She didn't feel any different but she knew something had changed. Something that was very basic, very fundamental. Her identity had changed. She was no longer Orihime Inoue, the princess of Karakura. Now she was Orihime Schiffer, the Queen of Hueco Mundo. She tossed her new name over and over again in her mind, trying to get used to it, but couldn't. It just didn't feel… right. If that wasn't enough to bother her, her dreams last night had been plagued by a severed hand and the nauseating stench of blood. Even now when she closed her eyes, the brutal scene would present itself in front of her. She could still feel shiver run down her spine every time she thought about the attack.
"There!" Tatsuki said, interrupting Orihime's introspection, "All done. Oh my! You look like a Water Nymph! Stand up, let me see you."
Orihime stood up to let Tatsuki inspect her handiwork. She did indeed look like a Water Nymph. Her long hair was piled on top of her head, with a few tendrils framing her face. A small sapphire studded tiara signified her position; her coronation was due later this afternoon. A sapphire necklace graced her delicate neck. The square neckline showed a small hint of her ample cleavage. The bodice was green, with intricate patterns embroidered in blue. The simple skirt had blue and green silk sewn together in such a manner that when she moved, the two colors played with each other, giving the impression of flowing water.
"You look delightful! Now smile, you have a long day ahead."
Tatsuki called on to her maids and asked them to take their mistress to the carriage. Orihime was led down Las Noches' marble corridors down to the entrance of the palace, where Ulquiorra would meet her. When she saw him waiting by the entrance to guide her to the carriage, her breath hitched slightly. There he was, dressed in a black outfit with gold piping, looking absolutely impeccable. Her husband was a handsome man, which was an undeniable fact. As was that his eyes still had the same mind numbing effect on her. But she lifted her chin up and walked on. He was keeping his promise to her; she would keep her word to him. She would try and be civil to him. She tried to give him a small smile, but it ended up looking like a grimace causing her face to redden in embarrassment. She saw a tiny hint of amusement flicker on his face before it reverted back to the expressionless face that was normal for him. He held out a hand for her and she extended her own shaky hand to him. It was then that Orihime discovered the extent to which Ulquiorra was true to his word. To an onlooker, it would seem that he was holding her hand and guiding her, however only they knew that he had indeed not touched her but kept a small gap between the two hands. She could feel the warmth emanating from his hand, she also felt a small feather like feel of his hand as his fingers brushed against hers but she could never really say that he had indeed touched her. She shot him a small grateful look which he acknowledged with a blink.

The carriage that was supposed to take the Royal couple on the bridal parade was decorated elaborately and was being dragged by two armored black horses. The heavily guarded parade was to march through the main streets of Hueco Mundo and end at the temple where the new Queen was to be coronated. From there the King and Queen were to return to Las Noches in a much less conspicuous and a more private carriage.
The start of the parade was signaled with the blare of twenty-four trumpets. With a small jolt the procession started to move. It wound its way through the wide pathway of Las Noches and inched forward with much fanfare. As the procession left Las Noches and hit the main street of Hueco Mundo, Orihime noticed that the streets were jammed with people who had come to see the new Queen. She smiled and waved at them, as was expected. It was after about half an hour that Orihime felt beads of perspiration form at the back of her neck. The Sun of Hueco Mundo was harsh and her delicate skin was beginning to feel it. She looked up once at the Sun and wiped her brow with her kerchief. Suddenly she noticed a movement from the corner of her eyes. Turning her head she saw that Ulquiorra had pulled up the hood of the carriage half way through so that she would still be visible to the people but out of the Sun.
She wanted to thank him, wanted to ask him how he could be so courteous with her when she had been so rude to him, but her courage failed her yet again. 'You have to be able to talk to him Orihime,' she told herself as she waved at the crowd, 'he's a part of your life now. You have to accept that.'
The parade reached the temple shortly afterward. The temple was surrounded with a lot of people, everyone craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the new bride. As soon as she had stepped into the yard of the temple, she felt like something was wrong. It was as if something inside her was telling her that she shouldn't be here. The last time she had felt this way was when her mother had passed away. Unaware of what she was doing, Orihime inched closer to Ulquiorra as they walked over to the altar. Her eyes darted around nervously as if she was looking for something but she had no idea what she was looking for.
"Relax." Ulquiorra whispered in her ears, "This will be over soon."
Orihime was startled at how close his voice sounded. It was then that she realized how little the distance was between the two of them. She stepped away from him and climbed over to the altar, dismissing the strange uneasy feeling that was at the back of her mind.

****

His Water Nymph! He smiled as he saw her climb off the carriage, looking like a fairy. The blue and green dress she had on was making her look divine. Those delicate curls that cascaded around her angelic face made him want to run his fingers through her hair. He wanted to nuzzle into that fragile neck. He wanted to kiss those lips, hear his name tumble from them. He looked at those milky arms that he wanted around him. Last night he had found a slave girl who had a vague resemblance to her, but she did nothing to ease the raging fire within him. All she succeeded in doing was temporarily satisfy his lust but it wasn't what he was looking for. He wanted her. Only she could satiate him and his desires. Then he saw something that made his blood boil. She moved closer to him- the man who was her husband only by some strange quirk of fate. His fists clenched painfully when he saw him lean down and whisper something in her ears. It was he who rightfully belonged next to her, not that green-eyed bastard. It pleased him to see her move away from him. As he looked on she climbed up the altar and sat on her throne. The priest intoned a long chant and took his time in telling how blessed Hueco Mundo was to get a new queen but all he could see was her. Her flaming hair, her beautiful face, the way the blue-green silk looked against her creamy skin. He couldn't help but notice that the sapphires shone brilliantly against her porcelain skin. He saw the way her eyes searched the crowd, perhaps looking for him, but he had hidden himself in the crowd. Then the priest took her smaller tiara off and placed the ceremonial crown on her head. She stood up and smiled at the crowd, waving her hand at them. And then it happened. All of a sudden she screamed and collapsed on the altar.

****

For Ulquiorra it seemed that time itself had slowed down. He saw her wave her hand to the crowd, then her hand flew to her neck, she let out a scream and he saw her slowly fall down on the altar. He then saw her whole body spasm uncontrollably. It was then that he sprang into action. He quickly crouched next to her and turned her around. Her eyes had rolled back into her skull and her hand was wrapped around her throat as if she was choking. He unclasped her hand from her throat and discovered the dart that was lodged there. He also saw something that chilled his very bones, around the wound her skin had started to turn blue. Szayel was next to her immediately, as were Gin Ichimaru, Lord Grimmjow Jagerjaquez and Lord Starrk.
"She's been poisoned." Ulquiorra said as he removed the dart from her neck and handed it to Szayel for identification of the poison.
"Bleed her wound, Sire, let the poison flow out." The healer said urgently, bringing the dart close to his eyes for examining it.
Steadying her semi-conscious body in one hand, Ulquiorra brought out a dagger from the folds of his clothes. He made a swift incision at the entry wound and squeezed the wound to let the blood out.
"I think we should take her away from here." Lord Jagerjaquez ventured seriously.
Ulquiorra nodded. "Lord Starrk, can I trust you to handle the situation here?"
"Yes your Majesty." Starrk replied.
"Gin Ichimaru, I want you to set up an investigation immediately."
"Yes your Majesty." Gin replied, for once not smiling.
"Thank you."  Saying so, he picked up his wife and started walking towards the carriage flanked by Szayel and Grimmjow.
With some help from Lord Jagerjaquez, Ulquiorra managed to put her into the carriage and climbed it himself. He was joined by the two lords, with Lord Jagerjaquez barking at the coach man to head home on the double.
"Lord Granz, any progress on the identification of the poison?" Ulquiorra asked.
"I have narrowed my choices down to two poisons, My Lord. I need to perform one test to be sure which one this is." Szayel replied.
"She will be alright, won't she?" Lord Jagerjaquez asked, "Hueco Mundo has just got a new Queen. Who would do something like this?"
Szayel frowned as he said, "Good thing is the dart did not hit any blood vessel or the poison would have spread immediately. Also we have managed to bleed the wound out so her body should have thrown out quite a bit of the poison. Bad thing is, I am still not sure what poison it is and therefore I cannot give her the antidote. Also, the test I need to perform will take time."
"So you are saying there's half a chance that she might…" Ulquiorra asked with a frown.
"We should hope for the best, Sire." The healer replied earnestly.
Ulquiorra said nothing, chose to look at his wife's chalk white face instead. She lay absolutely still on his lap, her chest barely moving with each labored breath. Wanting to seem more useful than he felt at that moment, he reached behind her neck and unclasped her necklace. This woman was his responsibility. Her father had handed her over to him with the hopes that he would take care of her and what had he done so far? Shown her a bloodbath and had managed to bring her to a place where there was an assassination attempt on her. If he couldn't take care of one woman who had been entrusted to him, how was he supposed to take care of an entire kingdom?

****

Ulquiorra sat in his privy chamber with his head in his hands. The attack had shaken him more than he was willing to admit. The attack had been close, very close. There was still no news about the Queen. By his own orders, except her chief lady in waiting and Szayel, no one was to go near her. Looking at her deathly pale body lying still had made him feel completely useless. He had told Szayel to inform him as soon as there was any change in her condition, regardless of where he was and what he was doing. An usher quietly announced the arrival of Lord Starrk. Ulquiorra signaled to let him in.
"Your Majesty." Starrk bowed in front of him.
Ulquiorra waved a hand indicating him to take a seat.
"The assassin managed to lose himself in the crowd, Sire."
"I can't say I did not expect that." Ulquiorra replied slowly, "I hope there was no panic in the temple."
"Nothing significant Your Majesty. I managed to control the panic with the help of Lord Barragan. The Prime Minister is himself looking into the matter as we speak, Sire."
"Good work, Starrk." He said sounding tired. Although it was only late in the afternoon, the day had been very long. He longed to close his eyes and lay his head on the table, but he wouldn't do that, not when he had company. It was another thing that his mother had taught him. Showing any sort of weakness to anyone would be handing them an upper hand over him and weakness was something he wouldn't allow himself to show to his subordinates.
"What happened to that prisoner we took?"
"Last I knew, he was unconscious, Your Majesty." Starrk replied.
"Find out how he's doing and when he wakes up, I want to talk to him."
If Starrk was surprised by the request, he didn't show it. "Yes your Majesty."
Ulquiorra waved his hand to indicate that he was dismissed. Just as Starrk was leaving, Szayel entered the privy chamber.
"Your Majesty," The healer looked pleased, "the Queen is out of danger. She is sleeping now but the antidote has worked. It was also great that we bled her when we did. It stopped the poison from spreading."
Ulquiorra breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at a guard and said "Tell the chief lady in waiting that I want to meet the Queen as soon as she wakes up, no matter what time of the day it is."
The guard bowed and left. Ulquiorra then turned to Szayel, "Thank you, Lord Granz for all your help."
Szayel bowed and left. Ulquiorra briefly wondered where Lord Jagerjaquez was, but decided it did not matter. He had disappeared amidst all the confusion that occurred when the Queen had been brought in. He figured he would see him again in the court. Now that he was finally all alone, he closed his eyes and laid his head on the table.