Serpent: Book II of the Asterian Trilogy

by Sarah Olson

  There were no windows, but the air was cool despite the torches burning on the walls. The servant pushed the door open, and a spring breeze swept through the doorway.

  "Thank you," I said as the servant set my bag down by the large wardrobe on the right wall.

  The servant bowed and left the room, the door thudding shut behind him.

  I scanned the luxurious cave-like room, my eyes falling on the massive round bed lined with marble columns that sat in the center. The blue and silver beaded bedspread glittered in the sunlight pouring through the open windows that overlooked the chamber’s balcony and onto the rocky mountainside. I walked around the bed and opened the door on the far wall. The cool air brushed my face as I stared into the fresh spring that bubbled in the bathing room.

  I shed my cloak, chain mail and clothing, eager for the refreshing water to envelop me. Layla loved these chambers far more than ours at the castle, and for good reason. When the door closed behind us, we could momentarily escape from the noise of our busy lives and enjoy a moment of peace high in the mountains. I had seen her longing to join me on this trip and had it not been for Aria’s upcoming wedding, I would have arranged for her to come along.

  I spent a while longer than intended in the fresh spring and had to rush out of the bathing room when a knock sounded at the bedroom door. I dug a robe out of the wardrobe, water dripping off my body and onto the stone floor, and put it on just as another knock—far more tentative this time—sounded on the wooden door.

  "Yes?" I said, pulling the door open.

  A young page stood in the hall, a mixed expression of embarrassment and fear on his face. "Forgive me, Your Majesty," he began, meekly, "I have some letters to deliver to you." He held out a handful of rolls of paper, each with a wax seal.

  "Thank you," I said, taking them from his trembling hand.

  He bowed and took off down the hall before I had even closed the door. I shook my head and then inspected the scrolls of paper. One was addressed to me, from Layla no doubt, another for Davorin and three for Thomas.

  I dropped them onto the vanity by the dresser and broke the seal of the one for me.

  Dear James,

  I hope you have reached Malan safely. I forgot to ask before you left if you could go to one of the jewelry shops in Kings City and pick out a necklace and matching earrings for Aria. I want us to give her something unique for her wedding, and you know how she adores Malanese jewelry. Wish I was there with you!

  Love, Layla

  I laughed to myself and placed the letter beside the others. Hopefully, she would be content with what I chose.

  Once I was dry and changed, I headed down the hall towards Thomas' room, his letters in hand. He opened the door after one knock, looking refreshed and ready to meet with King Darius.

  I held the three rolls of paper up. "Looks like you have an impatient fiancé back in Asteria."

  Thomas laughed and took the letters from me. "She’s nervous—I’m certain that’s what these are all about. She likes to write me about her day when I’m gone."

  I gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Head down to the Throne Room when you are ready. I’m sure the king will be meeting with us soon." I walked away before he could reply.

  Three letters? Even if Aria was nervous about the wedding and missing Thomas—she loathed writing letters. I brushed the thought away, since after all, she was getting married in less than two months and probably didn’t like her fiancé leaving for Malan while she remained planning the wedding.

  By the time I made it down to the Throne Room, my concern over the letters was gone, and I was ready to meet with King Darius. Two guards opened the doors, and I entered the cavernous Throne Room. Thick marble columns held the arching ceiling up, and I glanced at the statues in between them as I passed.

  "King James!" King Darius’s voice boomed from the end of the room. He stood from his shining gold throne, his arms outstretched in greeting. "It is good to see you."

  "It is good to see you, too," I said, reaching the stairs that led up to the throne.

  King Darius walked down, the gold and rubies of the crown upon his white hair glinting in the sunlight streaming through the windows. He reached out and pulled me into a tight embrace.

  "I hear congratulations are in order for Aria," he said, taking a step back. His teeth flashed brightly against his dark skin.

  "So it would seem," I said, forcing a smile.

  "Oh, don’t tell me you are giving Lord Thomas a hard time!" the king teased.

  "I just want what’s best for her. You will be attending the wedding, I hope?" I asked.

  "Yes, yes," King Darius replied. "Tell her I wouldn’t miss it."

  "She will be glad to hear it."

  The doors at the far end of the room opened again, and Davorin and Thomas stepped into the Throne Room.

  King Darius smiled at them and turned back to me. "Well, shall we get down to business?"

  Chapter 5

  Aria

  "A RIA, You will be the most beautiful bride ever!" Juliette exclaimed as the royal seamstress laced up the back of my gown.

  It had been roughly three weeks since Thomas had left, and my wedding gown was almost done.

  "I love the bodice," my mother commented.

  It was embroidered with silver thread and small silver beads to make the designs stand out. It had capped sleeves and a large, gently ruffled skirt. The seamstress had modeled it after my champagne gown from the engagement feast but had toned down the designs on the bodice. The train was long, and silver beading and embroidery ran up the sides of the gown from the hem.

  "What do you think?" the seamstress asked as I stared at myself in the three-way mirror.

  "It’s gorgeous," I said.

  "Elizabeth Fallon would be proud," my mother said to the seamstress.

  "Thank you," she replied. "I did my very best."

  Elizabeth Fallon, known as Betsy to those closest to her, had not only been the woman that raised my mother but a well-known seamstress in the kingdom. She had remained by my mother’s side after the war until two years ago when her illness finally caught up with her. Before her death, Betsy made it very clear to the new royal seamstress that my wedding gown had to be perfect for whenever the day came since Thomas had begun courting me around that time. I missed her very much, but I knew it was not as much as my mother did.

  "I absolutely love it," I said, knowing Betsy would have probably already found something she didn’t like and demanded I take the gown off so she could fix it. I smiled as I remembered that had been exactly what she had done on the day of my debut. I was terrified that I wouldn’t have a gown when she took it from me hours before the first guests arrived. I turned around in the mirror once more. "This is it—the gown I will wear to marry Thomas."

  ☐☐☐☐

  As the weeks passed, I had written Thomas a couple of times but only received one response. Kings City was far enough away, though, that I knew the letters would take some time to get there even if I sent them by raven. Chances were he was also busy with King Darius and my father.

  I saw Catherine a few times during that period, but not as often, since she usually had to bring Moira around, and chose to spare me of her unbearable presence.

  On the day Thomas and my father were expected back, Catherine finally made it over to the castle without Moira.

  "She said she was feeling ill, so my parents didn’t make her accompany me," Catherine said, following me out onto the balcony of my room.

  "Good," I said, sitting down on the canapé sofa.

  Catherine sat in the chair across from me.

  "Why does she have to follow you everywhere?" I asked.

  "Well, you know how you said she was a harlot?" Catherine asked.

  "Yes," I replied. "Something I shouldn’t have said, though."

  Catherine rolled her eyes. "Well, plenty of people think it, so apparently I’m supposed to watch her."

  "Can’t her brother do that?" I aske
d.

  "No," Catherine laughed. "He despises her more than you do."

  I raised my eyebrows. "Really?"

  Catherine nodded. "He blames her for many of their family’s problems."

  "Well, she did spend a ton of money when they were already having financial issues."

  "Yes, on gowns and jewelry so she could go gallivanting across the kingdom to every ball. But it didn’t stop there." Catherine lowered her voice. "Turns out her parents caught her a few times in bed with different men and had to pay them off so they wouldn’t say anything that would ruin her."

  "No!" I gasped.

  "Tea!" Lydia exclaimed, entering the balcony with a tray in her arms

  "Thank you," I said as she set it down and poured it for us.

  "Anything else?" she asked.

  "No, that will be all," I said, desperate for her to leave so I could learn more from Catherine.

  "Anyway," Catherine said when Lydia left the balcony, "that’s why I’m supposed to keep track of her. While her parents try to recoup their losses, my family is supposed to keep her in line until they can marry her off."

  "If they can find anyone for her to marry," I said.

  Catherine sighed. "She won’t be our problem soon, but sadly, she does taint our name."

  "I think every family has one of those."

  Catherine laughed. "Well, enough about Moira! You must tell me all about the wedding plans."

  While I was still hungry for more gossip, I conceded and shared Emma’s ideas with Catherine. I described the gown to her and how we were going to decorate the palace.

  "It’s going to be the wedding of the century!" Catherine exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "Just wait until Thomas gets back, he’ll be so excited!"

  "I’m certain he will! Can you imagine that in just one month I’m going to be married?"

  "It’s so unreal!"

  "I know—I still can’t wrap my head around it. And to think that right before Thomas left to Malan, I had some doubts."

  Catherine sighed. "I look forward to the day that I can be so in love as the two of you."

  "It will come," I said with a smile. "I’m certain there are plenty of young, eligible men attending the ball with the guest list my mother showed me yesterday!"

  Catherine gave me a sly smile.

  "Forgive me, Milady," Ethelyn said as she walked out onto the balcony. "Your father is home."

  "Finally!" I exclaimed. "Is Thomas with him?"

  "No," Ethelyn replied, and I tried to hide my disappointment. "I believe he went home before coming to the castle."

  "He must be tired," I said. "Catherine, will you excuse me for a few minutes?"

  "Of course," Catherine said, sipping her tea.

  I hurried from the room and headed to my father’s study. The door was ajar, and I spotted him and my mother sharing a long intimate kiss. I looked away to give them privacy. When I was younger, I probably would have burst in and held my nose in disgust. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Now their love was the type that I strove for. It was what I hoped Thomas and I would share once we were married.

  I gave them a few more minutes before knocking.

  "Come in," came my father’s voice.

  "Welcome home, Father!" I exclaimed, running into his arms as if I were a small child.

  He hugged me tightly, and I planted a kiss on his cheek.

  "How was Malan?" I asked.

  "Good," he said. "King Darius told me to let you know that he will be here for your wedding."

  "Wonderful!" I exclaimed. "Where’s Thomas?"

  "He went home but said he would try to come by tonight, and if not, in the morning. He was exhausted."

  "Well, it was a long journey," I said, still disappointed in not seeing him right away.

  "Long enough that you couldn’t stop writing him."

  I looked up at him, confused.

  "Aria, you sent him about ten different letters."

  My heart sank, but I kept a fake smile and pretended I knew what he was talking about. "I just missed him so much," I lied.

  Ten letters?

  "Is something wrong?" my mother asked.

  "No," I said. "I just wanted to welcome father back, and to let you know that I will be going over to Catherine’s for a few hours."

  My mother nodded, and I could see my father’s confusion. His icy blue eyes searched my face as if he knew I was hiding something.

  I excused myself before he could prod me further and hurried back to my chambers. "Catherine!" I exclaimed, surprising her. "We need to go!"

  "What’s wrong?" she gasped.

  "Someone sent letters to Thomas while he was in Malan and he told my father they were from me."

  She frowned. "But you wrote him."

  "Twice, and he received ten letters."

  Catherine’s jaw dropped. "What do you think that means?"

  "It means Moira was writing him."

  "You think so?"

  "It has to be her," I said as I threw a travelling cloak over my shoulders. "We need to find out."

  "We’re going to ask Moira?"

  "Yes."

  I sent Ethelyn to ready the carriage, and Catherine and I rode in silence most of the way to her home.

  "What if you’re wrong?" Catherine asked. "If you accuse her of this, she could hold it against you, and let it slip to the next person she talks to. And if you’re wrong and those letters are nothing, you could very well be accusing Thomas of something you might end up regretting."

  "If she doesn’t know what I’m talking about, then I won’t give her more information than she needs."

  Catherine sat back and shook her head. "I don’t know, Aria."

  I ignored her concern, glad that Ethelyn was sitting up front with the driver.

  When we reached Catherine’s home, the driver opened the door for us.

  "Wait here, Ethelyn," I said as Catherine made her way to the front door.

  The housekeeper opened the door and stared back at us in surprise. "Your Highness!" she exclaimed. "I did not know you would be visiting."

  "It will only be for a minute," Catherine said as we walked in. "Are my parents home?"

  "No," the housekeeper replied. She nervously ran her fingers through her gray hair.

  "What is the matter with you, Gretchen?" Catherine asked. "You look as if you have seen a ghost."

  "Forgive me," Gretchen said. "I’ll go ready some tea."

  "Don’t worry about it," I said. "We will not be long."

  "Come," Catherine said, casting the housekeeper a disapproving look.

  I followed Catherine up the creaking stairs. "Moira’s been staying in the guest room," she said as she led the way.

  As we reached the door, Catherine raised her hand to knock but stopped.

  "What is it?" I asked.

  Catherine listened carefully, and her face paled.

  The sound of a creaking bed echoed through the door, followed by a woman’s laughter.

  "Is that Moira?" I asked, incredulously.

  "Unbelievable!" Catherine said. "They leave her alone for a few minutes, and she does this."

  She pulled a key off the top of the doorpost and began to unlock the door. "This will be interesting."

  "Oh, Thomas!" Moira’s voice came through the door followed by giggling.

  I froze.

  "Aria . . . " Catherine trailed off.

  I pushed her from the door and swung it open before she could stop me, and nearly screamed at the sight I was greeted with. Thomas—my fiancé—was on top of Moira, tangled in bed sheets and completely unaware of my presence. Moira gasped, and a moan escaped her lips.

  I found myself unable to move and just stared. My blood went cold, and my stomach turned to lead. Was this really happening?

  "What the hell is this?" Catherine yelled, recovering much quicker than I.

  "Catherine!" Moira exclaimed as Thomas hastily got off her. "Don’t you knock?" Her eyes fell on me as Thomas tried to
cover himself with a pillow, still not noticing me.

  "Aria," Moira gasped. "I—I—what are you doing here?"

  Thomas glanced up at me, his face pale. "Aria."

  I turned and ran.

  "Aria, wait!" Thomas called.

  I fled down the stairs and out to the waiting carriage.

  "Is everything all right?" Ethelyn asked, startled, as I jumped into the carriage.

  "Just go!" I yelled as tears streamed down my face. "Now!"

  Ethelyn jumped in the carriage as it jolted to a start.

  Thomas cheated on me! How could this happen? He loves me! He said he loved me!

  "What’s wrong, Milady?" Ethelyn asked, her eyes full of concern.

  "Please!" I cried. "I just want to go home!"

  Ethelyn nodded, knowing it was pointless to push me.

  As we rolled down the road, the sound of horse hooves caught up.

  "Stop!" Thomas called out. He pulled his horse to the front of the carriage and blocked the road, so the driver had to pull the horses to a halt.

  "Aria!" Thomas exclaimed. "Let me explain."

  "Make him go away!" I screamed, my cheeks slick with tears.

  Ethelyn slid out of the carriage quickly and approached Thomas. "You need to go," she said fiercely.

  "Please," Thomas begged. "Just let me explain."

  I didn’t want to hear more, so I jumped out the other side of the carriage. I needed to get away from him.

  Thomas must have seen me, for he called out and brought his horse to the other side of the carriage and dismounted swiftly. "Aria!"

  I turned and ran into the forest. The underbrush pulled at my skirts as I stumbled over the tangle of roots. I could barely see through the tears blurring my eyes, and my mind spun, making it difficult to think straight. A twig snapped behind me, announcing Thomas' pursuit with Ethelyn at his heals.

  He grabbed my arm and spun me around so I could look at him. "What do I have to do to talk to you?" he exclaimed. His clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was disheveled, yet somehow he thought he could explain himself.