Serpent: Book II of the Asterian Trilogy

by Sarah Olson

  Mitchell shrugged. "I wasn’t watching him."

  I rolled my eyes.

  Mitchell was Charlotte’s son from her first husband, Mitchell Anderson, who had been killed some time during the Asterian Revolution—as they called it now. Charlotte married Davorin a few years later, and Mitchell had managed to get his stepfather’s carefree spirit.

  "Well, Mitchell," my mother said, "you may join your parents, but I am afraid Gabriel needs to return to the children’s room."

  "I am not a child!" Gabriel exclaimed. "I’ll be sixteen in a month!"

  "Gabriel, that is enough," my father interjected. "Listen to your mother."

  Gabriel began to argue again, but one look from my father silenced him.

  "I apologize for bringing him in here," Mitchell said politely.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his false tone.

  "I only wanted to wish Princess Aria and Lord Thomas my congratulations," he said.

  Thomas smiled. "Thank you, Mitchell."

  Mitchell bowed theatrically, and the two made their way to the double doors, but not before sneaking a few of the desserts off the tables.

  "You know they only came in here for dessert," Thomas said, as the two boys hurried from the Great Hall.

  "I know," I said, shaking my head. Gabriel and Mitchell would never cease to amuse me.

  When the feast ended, the guests finished their conversations and left the castle with wine-tainted laughter. I was glad that none of the governors or lords had opposed the engagement and that most seemed quite thrilled by it.

  "Tomorrow we get to stand before the entire kingdom," Thomas said as he escorted me back to my chambers.

  "I know," I said. "And then it’s time to plan the wedding." I opened the door, and he followed me through my private parlor and into my bedroom. "Did you have a good time tonight?"

  "You know I did," Thomas said brushing my cheek. "It was wonderful. Tonight made me realize that this is finally happening—we are getting married!"

  "And with the kingdom’s approval," I said, rising on my toes so I could kiss him.

  He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I felt warmth and happiness in his embrace, and his kiss filled me with desire. His hands found their way to the back of my gown, and his fingers fumbled with the laces. I felt his lips travel down to my neck.

  "Thomas," I gasped.

  "What?" he whispered.

  "Stop," I said. "I’m serious," I said again when I felt the bodice of my gown loosen. I pushed him away gently. "I told you I’m not doing that."

  He took a step back and sighed. "Why, Aria? We are getting married."

  "In two months."

  "You’re really going to make me wait that long?" he asked, rolling his eyes.

  "Are we really going to do this again?" I asked incredulously.

  Thomas shook his head, annoyance flickering across his face. "I just don’t understand what the problem is. I’m not going to leave you the way Prince Richard left your mother—don’t you trust me?"

  "Don’t bring my mother into this," I snapped. "This is up to me, and it has nothing to do with Richard."

  "You certain?" Thomas asked. "Because if you ask me, it seems like you’re afraid I’ll get you pregnant and then leave you, the way he left her."

  "Get out."

  Thomas didn't move.

  "Now," I said, feeling the sudden onslaught of anger rising in my chest.

  He took a step forward. "Aria look—"

  "She said now," a voice rang from the shadows.

  Thomas' hard gaze shifted towards the voice as my handmaiden Ethelyn stepped away from the door that led into my bathing room.

  "This is none of your concern," Thomas said. "You know better than to spy on the princess."

  Ethelyn took another step forward.

  "It’s all right, Ethelyn," I said. "Thomas was just leaving."

  Thomas clenched his jaw. "Fine." He turned and stomped out of the room.

  Ethelyn closed the door behind him. "Are you all right, Milady?" she asked as I sat down heavily on the bed.

  "You should make your presence known," I whispered, suddenly exhausted.

  "Forgive me, Milady," Ethelyn said. "I did not mean to spy."

  I sighed. "Help me out of this gown." I stood up, and Ethelyn finished unlacing it.

  When I was ready to sleep, Ethelyn sat on the end of my bed. She was only a few years older than me. Her skin was darker than mine as her mother had been of Malanese descent, and her black hair was pulled back in an intricate braid. Her gray eyes were alert and full of concern. I had no doubt that she could have taken Thomas down if he had not stopped.

  "What is it?" I asked her as she watched me intently.

  "He was wrong to do that," she whispered.

  I sighed, knowing she would force me into the conversation sooner or later.

  Even though Ethelyn was a handmaiden, she was not like Lydia. Ethelyn was one of the few highly trained female bodyguards assigned to the women of the royal family. Davorin had come up with the idea, and while my mother was not fond of it, my father was. They put Charlotte in charge of choosing the women and training them. They were taught to protect the royal family at all costs but blend in as ladies-in-waiting. Only those directly involved with the handmaidens knew their real purpose. While a lady-in-waiting would normally turn a blind eye to a private argument, a handmaiden would not. She would become involved as soon as she felt harm could come to her mistress.

  "Don’t worry about it," I said. "It was my fault—I’ve made him court me for two years, and now he has to wait another two months."

  "That is not your fault," Ethelyn said. "If your father saw that, he would have had him banished from the castle."

  "You are not to tell anyone," I snapped.

  Ethelyn’s gray eyes locked onto mine. "I will not, Milady."

  "Good," I replied, rubbing my eyes. "I just hate it when he brings my mother into it. She was younger than I when she was engaged to Prince Richard."

  "Your real father," she said quietly.

  My head shot up. "He is not my father. When he abandoned my mother, he abandoned me. James is my father."

  "Forgive me," Ethelyn said. "I meant no offense."

  I looked away. "I would like to be alone now."

  "Of course, Milady. Sleep well." She silently left the room and closed the door behind her.

  I lay back into the soft mattress as a tear slid down my cheek.

  Tonight was not the first time Thomas had tried to get me to sleep with him—but this was the first time he had been so persistent. It was not that I didn’t want to, because I did. I just needed to wait for our marriage. How was it that he managed to make it look like I was wrong for not allowing him into my bed?

  I pulled the sheets up to my chin and closed my eyes. I would not worry about this tonight.

  Chapter 2

  T HE NEXT MORNING, I opened my eyes to find Juliette sitting at the end of my bed. Her bright green eyes watched me curiously as she pushed a brown lock of hair behind her ear.

  "Good morning, sleepy head," she said with a smile.

  I sat up slowly and looked at her. "Good morning." I glanced around the room, at the pale green walls brightening in the sun’s rays streaming through the window. "What are you doing in here?"

  "It’s time for breakfast."

  "Yes," I said. "But why in my room?"

  "I wanted to eat with you," she said shyly, suddenly looking afraid I would ask her to leave. "I told Lydia I wanted to have breakfast with you before the big announcement."

  "So I can tell you all about last night?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Yes," she said smugly. "Since I’m not old enough to go to the feast, I want to know everything that happened."

  "Fine, you can stay, but I am afraid the feast was not all that exciting. Just a lot of important people eating food and congratulating us."

  "I’m certain it was more exciting than being in the chil
dren’s room."

  "Are you, now?" I asked, getting up and slipping into my robe. I walked over to the window and stared out at the expanse of forest lining the cliffs high above the ocean. "After all, Mitchell was there."

  "So?"

  I turned back around to find her blushing.

  "Breakfast!" Lydia exclaimed, bursting through the door with a silver tray of food.

  Ethelyn followed behind with a pitcher of milk.

  "Good morning, Milady!" Lydia said, placing the tray down on a table.

  "Good morning," I said, my stomach rumbling at the delicious smell wafting up from the food "I’m starving."

  Juliette and I sat down at the table as Ethelyn filled our cups.

  "Thank you," I said.

  "You are most welcome, Milady," Ethelyn said. "Are you feeling better this morning?"

  I caught her concerned look and nodded. "I’m just fine, Ethelyn."

  "Well, enjoy your breakfast!" Lydia said as she and Ethelyn exited the room.

  "You were unwell?" Juliette asked as she cut into the ham topped with a fried egg.

  My mind wandered back to Thomas' insistence to find that it bothered me much more than it ever had in the past. I took some grapes and put them on my plate. "It was nothing; but getting back to what I was saying earlier . . . "

  "Please, Aria," Juliette begged. "Can we not talk about Mitchell?"

  "Why not?" I asked, laughing. I needed the momentary distraction, even if it was at Juliette’s expense. "I get the feeling he didn’t attend the feast because he’d rather be around you."

  "That is not true!" Juliette exclaimed. "He barely spoke to me. I was with Rosalie for most of the night, while he and Gabriel fooled around. If anything, Rosalie spoke to Gabriel more than Mitchell spoke to me."

  "Why does that not surprise me?"

  Rosalie was Mitchell’s younger sister. She was a year older than Juliette and far more outgoing. She fancied Gabriel, but the feeling—at least to my knowledge—was not mutual.

  "Anyway," Juliette said, rolling her eyes. "How was the feast—really?"

  "It was nice," I replied. "Not as extravagant as a ball, but still enjoyable."

  "Did anything interesting happen?"

  "No. As I said, I ate food and spoke to many different people."

  "How was Thomas?"

  "I believe he enjoyed himself very much."

  Juliette smiled. "He is going to be a good husband, right?"

  "Are you concerned?" I asked, attempting to keep the incident from the night before from giving me something to be concerned about. "I am certain he will be an excellent husband. I love him very much."

  She put her bread down and looked up at me. There was something strange about her eyes all of a sudden—as if she were older than her mere thirteen years. "I’m just worried."

  "About what?"

  "That you don’t love him the way you should."

  "Why on earth would you say that?" I exclaimed. "Was it not you from the beginning that wanted me to marry him?"

  "Yes," she replied. "It’s just—you don’t look at him the way Mother looks at Father."

  "Where is this coming from, Jules?" I asked. "I thought you were happy about this?"

  "I am, but you’re my sister, and I don’t want you to make a mistake."

  "I’m your older sister. I think I know what I’m doing. If I were uncertain, I wouldn’t go through with it. If Father even thought for a moment this marriage was a bad idea, you know he would’ve already insisted I end things with Thomas. Everyone seems certain that it will work out, so you should too."

  "But don’t you think about it?" she asked. "Don’t you ever have a moment where you begin to rethink things?"

  I suddenly understood from where this was coming. Juliette had always known that she and I were only half-sisters, but it was not until recently our mother had sat her down and explained everything that had happened.

  I stood up and knelt beside her chair, taking her hand in mine. "This is about what mother told you," I whispered.

  She nodded. "Mother thought she knew what she was doing when she was engaged to that prince."

  "Yes, and she’d only known him for a couple of months. I’ve known Thomas for years . . . plenty of time to think about this."

  Juliette smiled. "You’re right."

  I squeezed her hand. "Thank you for caring, Jules."

  When we finished our breakfast, Juliette’s lady-in-waiting, Martha, came to fetch her. It was time to get ready for the announcement.

  Lydia chose a pale green satin gown that was perfect for the event. Once I was bathed and the gown was on, Ethelyn worked on my make-up while Lydia brushed my hair. My tiara and a matching necklace, dripping with diamonds, were the finishing touches.

  "Beautiful," Lydia said, taking a step back and admiring her and Ethelyn’s handiwork. "I will let the king and queen know that you are ready! This is terribly exciting! You should see the crowds that have gathered in the courtyard!"

  I smiled and looked at myself in the mirror as Lydia headed into the parlor. This was it—the announcement to the kingdom would make my engagement official. The ring on my finger suddenly felt heavy as I thought of Juliette’s words. You don’t look at him the way Mother looks at Father. I shook the thought away. I was going to marry Thomas because we loved each other.

  "Lord Thomas!" Lydia said as she opened the door to leave. "I thought you were waiting with the royal family."

  "I was," I heard Thomas say, "I just wanted to see Aria for a moment."

  "Of course."

  He crossed through the parlor and stepped into my room as Lydia closed the door.

  "Aria," he said, a kind smile on his lips, "you look beautiful."

  "Thank you," I replied. Usually, I would have run to him and kissed him, but suddenly, I couldn’t. "Ethelyn," I said.

  Ethelyn bowed her head, acknowledging the dismissal, and left the room, but not before casting a dark look in Thomas’ direction.

  He clenched his jaw for a second and then walked over to me once there was a door between us and Ethelyn’s presence. "Aria, I’m sorry about last night. I don’t know what got into me. It was disrespectful, especially when from the beginning I have known your values. I can’t even begin to try and explain my actions because that is what they still were—mine."

  I looked into his gray eyes and saw that he was sincere. "I forgive you. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. It was a tiresome day, and we both had too much wine, I think."

  "But that’s no excuse," he said, taking my hand.

  I smiled and brushed my fingers over his cheek. "I forgive you, Thomas." I leaned in and gently kissed his lips. "Now, shall we go? I believe they are ready for us."

  Thomas gave me a crooked grin. "After you, Your Highness."

    ☐☐☐☐

  Standing on the castle balcony and looking down at the hundreds of people filling the courtyard was thrilling. They cheered as my father announced my engagement to Thomas. My mother had said it would be something for the people of Asteria to celebrate, and it was indeed. The happiness of my people pushed aside any doubts I harbored about the marriage. Thomas and I would be perfect together, and we had the kingdom's blessing.

  That night, we had a much smaller feast with Thomas' family to celebrate the announcement. Only his parents had attended the one the night before, so this time I got a chance to meet the rest of his relatives. They were elated to be in the castle, meeting my family and me, and ecstatic for the wedding.

  "Where will it be held?" his Aunt Jane asked me. She’d been going on and on about how beautifully decorated the dining room was and how honored she was for being invited, only to turn the conversation into a hunt for every wedding detail she could extract from us.

  "At the Council’s Palace," my mother answered.

  "King Luther’s old palace?" she asked, surprised.

  "Well, it no longer belongs to him, Aunt Jane," Thomas said with a laugh. "It is the Council’s m
eeting place."

  "It has the loveliest Sunroom," I added. "It overlooks the gardens."

  "And the ballroom is much larger than the one we have here," my mother said. "If there was anything Luther did right, it was that he sure knew how to build a palace."

  "I am certain it will be beautiful then," Jane said.

  I had been surprised when my parents made no opposition to my getting married in the Sunroom at the Council’s Palace. They had loathed King Luther, and I thought they would not want me marrying in the palace he’d built.

  But my father had simply said, "We overthrew him and reclaimed the throne making that palace ours. Your mother didn’t have the heart to let it waste away to ruin. So if that is where you want your wedding, that’s where it shall be."

  "Tomorrow we begin planning everything," my mother continued. "It will not be last minute, like mine."

  We all laughed.

  "Though I suppose a last minute one is much simpler," Thomas said.

  "Perhaps when you are in the rebel villages before a war," I said. "My mother and father only had a few thousand to please, but now we have a whole kingdom expecting a grand occasion."

  "Not that every citizen is invited!" Jane exclaimed.

  "Of course not," my mother laughed. "But we will be holding celebrations in the largest town of each province after the honeymoon to present the newlyweds to the people."

  "Oh, that will be wonderful!" Jane said, clapping her hands together in delight.

  My father walked over to us and smiled. "I apologize for interrupting, but Thomas, would you join your father and I for a moment?"

  "Of course," Thomas said. He kissed my cheek and excused himself.

  I watched him curiously as he followed my father and Lord Windsor from the dining room.

  "I wonder what that is about," Jane said, the question unmistakable in her tone.

  "I am certain it is nothing," my mother said. "Anyway, the Kingdom will be celebrating the marriage for months—well that depends on how long they take for their honeymoon."

  "Mother!" I exclaimed, blushing.

  My mother and Jane laughed.

  "Do you know where you will spend it?" Jane asked.

  "No," I replied. "Thomas wants to surprise me."

  "How romantic."