by AE Watson
People bowed as I passed them, noticing me though I looked like everyone else.
When I got to the forest, the air swirled around me, causing the snow to drift and move as if it were snowing. He landed with a thud and I hurried to his back. The warmth and smell of him made my skin tingle, and not just with our touch.
“Thanks for coming,” I whispered as he leapt into the sky, grunting and mumbling. He was done with the North. Tired of the snow. I agreed, though we wouldn’t find much warmth in the Black Keep or Castletown. Ettelbruck was a cold place. Artan preferred the swamps of Marana.
The wind blew past us, smelling increasingly like dense woods. Artan pushed his wings harder, soaring into the clouds that were so thick I felt us enter and exit them.
The frigid air forced my face down as I nestled into him, draining warmth and comfort from his body that only seemed to heat up in the cold temperature.
Closing my eyes, images danced about in my head. Maddox and Grayson had both bid me farewell. One wishing never to see me again and the other taking on a task I’d accidentally saddled him with that he had no desire to be part of. I wondered if I would ever see either of them again.
Grayson would win the war with Anamay. He would free his people, defeat her, and with our luck, end up on the throne of the Southern Isles. A place I couldn’t go. The realization that my brothers would always need me had begun to sink in.
As did the comprehension that there was no mending my relationship with Maddox.
It was as Clarabelle had said. The prophecy. Mending the continent and the kingdom would require sacrifice.
And apparently all the sacrifices were mine.
Chapter 7
“Be good and I’ll bring you some charred lamb later,” I whispered and kissed Artan’s face, savoring the familiar hum of our connection.
He grunted and walked deeper into the woods, his woods.
I turned and headed for the castle, excited to see Michael and give him the good news.
“Your Grace.” The guards at the back gate bowed as deeply as their armor would allow. “Welcome home, Princess.”
“Thank you, it’s good to be home.” I smiled and hurried into the back lot where the door to the kitchen was. The kitchen staff turned to protest my entry until they saw me. Then faces lit up.
“Princess, you’re home!” Cook hurried over, offering a hug. She smelled of meats and spices and home. I sighed, taking a little something from the embrace. She was good for the weary heart.
“How have things been in my absence?” I asked, stealing a piece of roasted lamb from a platter next to me. Clearly, Michael had enjoyed a good lunch.
“Things have been interesting around here. How is Prince Edward?”
“Settled. Apparently, Keanna has joined him there. The wedding date is eminent.” I raised my eyebrows at her, making her chuckle.
“I never thought I’d see the day.”
“You and me both. Though he does have to maintain fealty to her before we have to give him credit for anything. Any old rogue can get married.” I stole another piece of lamb and sauntered out to the chorus of their laughter.
I didn’t bother going to my bedroom and instead hurried for the great hall in hopes of finding Michael. He was there, in Father’s chair, appearing forlorn as Father often did. He was lost in thought when I entered. My footsteps drew his stare and immediately his face brightened.
“Millia, you’re home.” He rose quickly and hurried for me.
I clung to him.
“How are you? Egar said you have been to see him?” He pulled me back and waited for my explanation.
“I have.” I paused, trying to word it nicely, “Ed asked me to find Maddox so he could get married—”
“How is a wedding more important than everything else going on? Does he honestly not see that marrying someone from Firth would benefit us more right now?” he groaned and stepped back, taking a deep breath and staring at the ceiling for a moment. Everything I’d said to Egar about Michael not wanting to force arranged marriages on us was erased. “He never told me he had set a date.”
“He said you knew. You blessed the engagement.” My insides fluttered with unease. Particularly since I’d told that to Egar.
“No. I blessed his being with her. I told him not to bring her to Firth and to focus on the job at hand.” He covered his eyes with his hands and took a couple of heavier inhales. “All right. Finish your story about finding Maddox.”
He was our father’s son.
“I went to all the places we’d been before, trying to find him. Marana, Florents, Lupinton, and I had the aunts check the grove and Clarabelle confirmed he wasn’t with them north of the mountain range. He was nowhere. Until I was staying at an inn in Strath and a bird flew straight in the window and landed on my bed. He dropped a coin he was holding in his mouth. I picked it up and Katy’s voice whispered through the room, saying they heard Maddox was in Norstad.”
“From a coin?”
“Yeah,” I said with a laugh. “Then the bird vanished. Absolutely bizarre.”
“So you went to Egar. Did you discuss him becoming the steward?”
“Of course. He agreed, reluctantly.”
“Good. Father always said a reluctant leader usually turned out to be an honest one.” His eyes met mine again. “Though it’s Egar. We know he’s honest.”
“Too honest sometimes. I should mention that I met Prince Erick while there. They’re friends, he and Egar.”
“Yes, we were in school together as boys.” Without even cracking a smile he asked the question I wanted to avoid, “Have you given any thought to marrying him?”
“No!”
“Millia, this is not the time to be choosy.” He switched personas, becoming Mother. “And I don’t want to hear about that nonsensical dream of yours where you and Artan disappear into the woods to live like old hermits. You and I need to align the kingdoms and marriage is the easiest way. Look at Ed. Yes, with him on the steward’s throne of Firth, we can be fairly sure he will charm his way into their hearts but marrying someone from there would have secured that much quicker.”
“He might be marrying, but it’s Ed. Chances are good he will have a mistress or two from there. He might not make his way into their hearts but surely their beds count for something.” I raised an eyebrow and he nodded.
“Right. Well, we can hope that occurs.” He winced, realizing what he had wished on Keanna. But this life was not for the faint of heart. Something none of us would ever be again. “At least we don’t need to worry about Ettelbruck. Egar is loyal and the people here love our family.”
“For the most part,” I muttered.
“Indeed. I suppose Roland still has some supporters drifting about.”
“But regardless of our need to align the kingdoms, I don’t want to marry anyone, Michael. I—”
“Neither do I, Millia,” he said as if this should be obvious. “I have no desire to take a wife and allow someone access into our inner circle. The notion terrifies me if I’m being honest. And I know I said we should all marry for love. But that was before I really thought about all of this.” His candor was unexpected. “But we have been given a great responsibility to heal this continent and bring the people together. This was our parents’ dream, and I will be damned if we fail to do the one thing they didn’t manage before being murdered.”
My insides twisted with guilt.
“You think you’re the only one who doesn’t want this life?” His eyes burned. “I don’t want to be king. I never did. I don’t want to rule Enderoth. I want to fish and hunt and leisurely fall in love. I’d like nothing more than to switch places with Egar. But that is not my destiny. And it’s not yours either.”
My heart sank.
“I’m sorry this is the lot we have been handed, but I’m not willing to fail our parents or our people. Are you?”
Slowly, I shook my head.
“Then we move on from this nonsense of never mar
rying and fleeing to the woods to live a quiet life. And we strategize how to successfully merge seven kingdoms into one. We have armies to prepare. A castle to build. Councils to arrange. And stewards to seat. I can’t do it all on my own.” The burning annoyance faded into something else, sadness perhaps. “Don’t make me.”
“I won’t,” I whispered, fighting the anger inside me. It was irrational. I wanted to rage on our parents for starting this and setting us on this bloody trail. I wanted to ask, Why us? But I knew the answers. “I will marry who you say I should.”
“Erick makes the most sense. He’s kind, handsome, connected to all the people we have angered as you’ve slaughtered your way across Enderoth.” He chuckled weakly.
“What about you?”
“There is a highborn lady in Florents.” His right eye twitched. “You killed her parents at the Benoit home—”
“Oh.”
“She is connected to Marana, Florents, and Firth quite strongly. Her name is Lady Kandace Alejandra. Her father, Lord Alejandra, was part of the betrayal against our parents—”
“Don’t make any moves on her yet, Brother,” I spoke softly. “Let me check on her first to ensure there is loyalty.”
“You don’t need to—”
“I do. I will be discreet, I promise. But after Anamay, I think we should be careful who we invite into our inner circle. I’ll send word to Clarabelle today too. She made me something, it stops magic from being used on me. I’ve asked her for more of them.”
“If they’re not difficult to make, get one for each of the stewards,” he added.
“All right.”
“Will Max take the steward’s position in Midland?”
“Yes, but under the agreement that you will always be the one who sees him,” I muttered, hating the stipulation and his anger at me while understanding both. “And if you must send an attaché, it not be me.”
“I see.” Michael nodded once.
“He will be at the wedding, I’m sure you can discuss it with him then. I’ll go to the aunts’ tomorrow to set up the doorways for everyone so we can attend without traveling. I need to sort Marana anyway.” I yawned as if a response to the idea of more travel.
“Calling them ‘aunts’ again, I see.” He winked.
“I haven’t forgiven them yet. But they are our aunts.”
“All right,” he chided. “But yes, you do need to go to Marana. Once we officially seat stewards in Marana and Midland, you and Grandmother will figure out a permanent person for Florents. Unless you wish to take it as your own.”
“I do not,” I said softly but with certainty.
“Of course you don’t. I look forward to the day we have the last seat filled and we can begin to rebuild.” He chuckled again and linked his arm in mine, leading me to the great staircase. “You look quite tired. I imagine you would like to see your room.”
“Yes, I think I will freshen up and take a nap. It was a late night at Egar’s. Will we be having a Yule feast for the second night?”
“Of course, all the lords and ladies are coming. So rest up and be down here for dinner.”
“Yes, sir.” I placed a kiss on his cheek and walked away, my heart sat thumping like a lump in my throat as I replayed our entire conversation.
When I reached my bedroom, some of the dread Michael had filled me with dissipated as I took in the beautiful room. It was stunning. Fit for a princess. Which was far better than fit for a queen. I needed to be grateful Michael was the king and that all I had to do was marry one person. My life would never look the way I wanted, but at least I wasn’t the bloody queen of Enderoth.
Chapter 8
Exiting the forest outside Watergate City, almost the exact spot I’d once hidden Artan as I hunted for the golden army, I stripped off my cloak and carried it. It was warm here, even during the last day of Yule.
My swords clanged at my sides but this time I didn’t hide them. There was no point. My face was infamous here in the cobbled streets of the now humbled city of ruthless men and women.
The corruption here still stunk up the city enough that I worried how many of my days would be spent cleaning it up. I dreaded that but knew Michael would need this port city to work for us. Ships would refuse to enter if there were uprisings or chaos.
Eyes widened as the people in the streets recognized me. My last visit hadn’t exactly been a joyful one. Most of them would have watched as I sacked the city with monsters, slaughtering the army and sending the royal family into hiding.
The familiar smell of spices and greasy market foods wafted at me, making my stomach rumble. But I was saving myself for a meal at the one place I would find a friendly face or two.
When I reached the inn, I pushed open the wide door of the Inn of Her Lady’s Grace. The sign should have read “Grayse” for Grayson. But he was the one thing missing from the inn the moment I stepped inside.
Instead of a friendly face, one I didn’t imagine would be here snarled at me, “Get out!” Mabel, Grayson’s stepmom, screamed and backed away. The greeting was similar to the first one we’d had, only this time she feared me. “You have no right to be here!”
My rage sat just below the surface, always accessible and ready to launch itself at anyone I saw fit. Mabel was exactly that sort of person. I wasted no time, marching at her. She cowered and screamed as I grabbed her arm.
“Hey!” a voice shouted from behind me somewhere. “Unhand her!”
I turned, growling, “Get back.”
A face I knew too well greeted me after we stared for a heartbeat in confusion.
“Millia?” Hans asked.
“Hans!” I gasped, dragging Mabel with me into an embrace with him.
“Get off me!” she shouted and struggled but I gripped her arm tighter.
“Shut up!” I barked at her before turning to Hans. “Will you give me a minute?”
“Ya, ‘course. Where’s Grayse?”
“That’s a long story. I’ll be right back.” I dragged whimpering Mabel up the stairs to the room I knew was hers. It was the nicest in the building. I shoved her at the door, hitting her into the wood. “Pack your things. You have one hour to be out of this inn and this city or I will slay you in cold blood in the streets.”
Her eyes widened but I could see the hatching of a plan in them. She was about to bargain or blackmail or some other nonsense.
“Do you understand me? Grayson never wants to see you again. I never want to see you again. If you were smart, you would get a ship to Lupinton. Because if I find out you’re in Enderoth, if I so much as hear a whisper of your name, I will come and find you.” I leaned in, sneering, “Is anything I’m saying confusing for you?”
She stared for a moment before shaking her head.
“One hour to be out of this city and on your way to being out of this kingdom.” I couldn’t believe I was sparing her life. It felt wrong but she was Grayson’s stepmother. Her death should be his choice.
Her hands shook as she used the key to unlock her door and rushed inside, slamming it behind her so hard the walls trembled.
Vibrating with rage and blood lust, I forced myself to take deep breaths as I walked back to where Hans sat. Guy was there too.
“Millia! Lass, we didn’t imagine seeing ya ‘round these parts anytime soon.” Guy shot up and wrapped himself around me.
“Well, I suspect you’ll be seeing a lot more of me than you bargained for.” I grinned, enjoying the sight of them both. “But I’m starved—is Vic still working in the kitchen? I could go for one of his pies.”
“He is, indeed. One of the few lucky to still have a job. Though I had heard Mabel was thinking about letting him go. She’s gotten rid of everyone. Little Tim was let go a month ago. Poor lad, this was his home. I’ll fetch us all a pie and an ale.” Hans sighed and walked to the back.
“Has it been bad here since the siege on the city?” I asked Guy.
His eyes betrayed his lie. “Not so bad. Streets are a little to
ugher than before.”
“Tell me the truth, I need to know what my brother has to fix.”
“Your brother?”
“He’s the King of Enderoth now.”
“Enderoth, is it?” Guy’s stare widened. “Taking back the whole continent, is he?”
“Yeah, he has to. These border wars and bad trade deals and the rich getting richer while the poor starve has to end. One kingdom, one king. That’s the goal.” I followed him to the table he was sitting at.
“And what ‘bout the king here? Will ya end him?”
“Have you heard from him or his family at all? Or have they been hiding in their castle, letting the city fall apart?”
“Who, the king?” Hans asked as he placed three pints of ale on the table. “He’s been hiding in that castle for months. Heard the royal family from Midland is there too. Bunch of cowards. The arena is destroyed, mostly thanks to you, and the gambling has gone tits up.” He winked and lifted his mug. “To your chaos, Millia!”
Guy and I raised ours and clanked the glasses together though my chaos hadn’t done any of us a favor.
“The whores have been in hiding. No Mr. D to protect them has turned it into a messy profession filled with abuses and deaths. I’ve heard tell of brothels where the girls aren’t paid but rather held there against their will. The markets are barely surviving. The military was disbanded, half of them leaving for the Southern Isles with that crazy witch ya fought.”
“Anamay.”
“That’s her.” Hans nodded. “City’s a mess. No ships coming into the harbor for fear they’ll be looted—”
“I’m here to fix it all on my brother’s orders.” I sighed into my ale. “I honestly don’t know where to start.”
“How can we help?” Guy asked.
“Stay here, run the inn. Turn it back into a profitable business. Grayse wouldn’t want to see it empty and falling apart. It was his dad’s.” I almost laughed as I said it. His dad . . .
“You’re giving us the inn?” Hans furrowed his heavy brow.
“I am. And I need you to make me a list of people who need to—disappear.” The words were cold as my heart iced over. “People who would not help this city be reborn from its ashes.”