by Laura R Cole
CHAPTER 14
At dinner that night, the heralds both clinked on their glasses in unison to make an announcement. Phoenix paused in her conversation and quieted along with the rest of the room to hear what they had to say.
“We must return to our homeland as it is a most sacred time, the celebration of Her Favor, and we need to be present for the preparations. We would, however, like to extend an invitation for a group of your people to come let us show you our hospitality as you have so graciously bestowed yours upon us.” Herald Siajan waved his hand across the table, indicating their majesties.
Queen Layna bowed her head appreciatively. “We would welcome such a visit so that our two lands may continue to learn more about one another,” she officially accepted the offer, though this same conversation had been made previously in private. She did not, Phoenix noted, expound upon who would be making this journey.
The room broke out in excited chattering. Once it had died down, Layna and Gryffon stood. The King spoke, raising his glass towards the heralds.
“You have been most welcome guests, and will be sorely missed upon your departure. Despite your discovery of our lands being an accident, you acted with utmost grace and acceptance and have given us hope that our two lands will move forward as prosperous allies.” A murmur of approval spread over the tables. “Therefore, we would like to throw a feast in your honor before you leave and also a parade to let our citizens join in our appreciation.” The murmur grew louder, and half the room broke out in applause while the other half shushed them to let the King finish. “Please join us tomorrow for the parade and the night after tomorrow in feast to give us the chance to demonstrate our friendship with the empire.”
The entire room burst into applause now, and Siajan smiled, lifting his glass in salute to the King and Queen before drinking. Everyone else followed suit. Phoenix took a sip of her wine and watched her mother carefully. The woman was avoiding eye contact with Phoenix so she couldn’t tell if they had made up their mind whether or not to send her to the empire. She didn’t see how they couldn’t.
Her thoughts were interrupted as someone brushed up against her arm. She looked up to find Wren standing next to her, biting his lip. The lady with whom she had been speaking before the announcement rose and curtsied. Then she offered Wren the seat before grabbing a young man’s arm and dragging him to the dance floor.
Wren nodded to the lady graciously and sat on the edge of the abandoned seat. Phoenix watched him curiously. When he didn’t immediately speak she took another drink and looked straight forward, commenting, “You’ve been avoiding me.”
Without her gaze boring into him, she felt him relax slightly. “I know,” he replied. “And I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to be sorry,” Phoenix assured him, “I know…” she trailed off, not wanting to reiterate the reason for his avoidance.
“But I abandoned you in a time when you needed friends,” Wren pressed on. Phoenix was touched. She knew how difficult this was for him and a tear sprang to her eye. It was reassuring to know that she did still have friends who wouldn’t betray her. “I should not have let my embarrassment override my better judgment that a friend was in need.” He was silent for a long moment before clearing his throat. “I just wanted you to know that I still consider you a friend and hope that my actions haven’t ruined that friendship.”
Phoenix turned to him and hugged him, ignoring the raised eyebrows from some of the older ladies. “Of course we’re still friends. Thank you for being there for me. It means the world.”
Wren grunted and rose as she released him from her embrace. He bowed to her and finally met her eye as he raised his head. He gave her a small smile which she returned.
He walked off, and Phoenix caught her mother watching her. Layna’s eyes darted off as soon as Phoenix looked in her direction, however, and the woman started up a conversation with the King.
After dinner, Phoenix sank onto her bed, lying backwards with arms outstretched and letting her maid Alisha ready her for sleep.
“I’m so glad all that nasty business is over with,” Alisha said as she bustled around carrying Phoenix’s nightclothes. “I never did like that Gavin. Got a funny feeling from him.”
Phoenix smiled, but didn’t open her eyes. As she recalled, Alisha had been rather fond of a match made between the two of them. Her smile disappeared at the thought. She could only imagine what would have happened if Noam and Gavin had decided to go through with a marriage. Would she have permanently become a slave in her own body like the day on the battlements? She still couldn’t believe how twisted Gavin had been and how elegantly he’d fooled them all. The last of the conspirators had been weeded out. Apparently along with the two men who were attacked there was one other contact who had been discovered. The name was not one that Phoenix recognized.
Both of the attacked men, Lord Havensford and Lord Donnovan were under constant supervision though both were still in unconscious states. Phoenix had been horrified to learn that Lord Havensford had been acting under duress. Through Rhys’s and his mentor, Levi, Havensford’s daughter had been found to have been kidnapped by Noam. They lived fairly close to where Gavin had been raised and the girl was well-known to take frequent trips. Noam took advantage of this fact, surprising her while she traveled so that she wouldn’t be missed right away and therefore no one would go looking for her. Despite the family not realizing her disappearance, Noam was able to prove well enough to Havensford that he had her by her jewelry in order to scare him into doing whatever they asked.
They had done a fairly good job of covering their tracks, but not good enough. Once the palace investigators teamed up with Rhys and Levi, nothing was left undiscovered. Phoenix shivered at the thought of the elaborate nature of the plans that had gone into trying to discredit and eventually kill her.
“Are you cold, Princess?” Alisha asked, bringing Phoenix back to the present.
“What? Oh, no. Thank you, Alisha.” She dutifully sat up and put her hands over her head so that the maid could dress her in her nightclothes. “I was just thinking about how much trouble they went to to make sure that people didn’t like me.”
Alisha clicked her tongue. “Don’t worry, Princess. Those rumors may have had a few members of the court fooled, but the people know your heart is true. Mark my words, no one’ll love you any less for this mess.”
“I hope you’re right,” Phoenix sighed, snuggling down into the covers.
Alisha straightened them out and tucked the edges underneath Phoenix. “Of course I’m right. I’m always right.” She gave Phoenix a wink.
The next morning, the palace was abuzz again with everyone getting ready for the parade. Phoenix sat quietly through the routine of getting dressed and having her hair done, and escaped the moment the maids were finished to seek out some solitude in the stables.
She was stroking the nose of her horse, when a heavily-laden stable-boy rounded the corner. Robert dropped the headpiece – an elaborate decoration made to make the horse look like a dragon – and stammered, “Your Highness.” He fell to a knee.
Phoenix gave him a smile and held out a hand to help him stand. “Since when did you get so formal, Robert?” she asked lightly.
“I- I didn’t want to say that about you,” Robert said, hastening to pick up the dropped headpiece before it got even dirtier.
“You told the truth,” Phoenix stated. “You did nothing wrong.” She helped him lift the heavy decoration into place. The boy smiled at her.
“I never believed you could do that,” he stated firmly.
Someone cleared their throat at the stable doors and Phoenix was surprised to find Baron Winters standing in the doorway.
“I wanted to convey my apologies as well, Princess, for the accusation that I made of you.”
Phoenix was silent a moment. The baron didn’t particularly look sorry, and Phoenix saw her parents standing menacingl
y behind him. He obviously was being forced into the apology. She sighed.
“Thank you, Baron Winters,” she finally answered. He bowed and quickly slipped away. Phoenix’s mother and father came to stand beside her, and Layna laid a hand on Robert’s shoulder.
Robert tightened the last of the straps for the horses and disappeared, leaving Phoenix with her parents. “Ready for the send-off parade?” she asked them genially.
“Any chance to ride Axel,” Gryffon said, going over and patting the neck of his horse. The animal was apparently the offspring of a battle horse he’d owned when he and Phoenix’s mother had first met named Battle Axe. Phoenix found it funny that he complained about the deceased horse’s name, and yet had named its descendants after it. There was Axel and also Axis, who the Queen now rode.
All three horses were currently decked out to resemble dragons and Phoenix and her parents mounted carefully to avoid ruining all of Robert’s hard work. Once they got situated, they maneuvered their mounts to the square to meet up with the rest of the parade.
The heralds were already in attendance, surrounded by their guards and servants, and flanked by Nathiwen. The boy was looking handsome in his finery and fidgeting slightly on his horse.
Siajan beamed at their approach. “Your Highnesses! This is going to be such a glorious day!” He looked around at the people already gathered at the gates to witness the parade. “Your people have been so welcoming and gracious, we will be sad to go.”
“As are we.” Gryffon clapped him on the back and shook Herald Kedum’s hand. “Are we ready?” The King glanced over his shoulder and at his daughter and wife’s nods, he started the procession.
The gates opened and guards streamed out, creating a corridor through the masses of people. The citizens were also dressed in their finest clothes, many with wreaths of flowers on their heads. They threw petals and confetti towards the parade and cheered with abandon.
As they paraded through the streets, Phoenix gradually gained confidence that the people had not believed the rumors about her. The faces of any she met eyes with held only love and excitement, with no hint of malice. She eventually overcame her fear and sidled her horse closer to the edge of the crowd. People’s hands immediately reached out towards her, brushing against her leg and grabbing hold of her outstretched hand. An ill-looking woman pushed her way to the front and Phoenix slowed her mount to let the woman reach her. She laid a hand on the woman’s feverish forehead and immediately felt it cool.
Phoenix smiled at the woman, whose features softened noticeably as her pain subsided. More people pushed to the front and Phoenix held out both hands, touching all those that stretched through the guards to reach her. A wave of cheers spread out behind her and Phoenix’s heart soared. Alisha had been correct after all. It appeared that the people did not believe the rumors.
“You’re stealing our show, Princess,” Herald Siajan joked from behind her.
She turned to him and flushed. “I apologize,” she began, but he cut her off.
“I am only teasing you,” he said. “I’m glad to see that the recent unfortunate events do not seem to have reached past the palace walls. It only goes to show where the real heart of a country is.”
Phoenix grinned at him and looked back at the sea of eager faces gazing up at her.
“Indeed,” she agreed.