by Emily Deady
Ashlin turned back towards Onric, looking anywhere but at his face.
“You slept in my barn,” she repeated, trying to take in the reality of that statement. Would there be repercussions for not properly offering their best accommodations to members of the royal family? “I criticized your brother’s policy!”
“I’m sorry for not telling you who we were,” the prince stammered, “but we had no wish to trouble you any further than we already had.”
She finally looked up at his face, hoping that the dim light of the candle would not show how red her cheeks surely were. How could she ever live with herself knowing that the crown prince and his brother had slept in her barn?
He must have seen the terror in her eyes, as he tried to reassure her again. “Please, do not be distressed. You did nothing wrong.” He moved towards her, looking down at her. “But who are you? And what are you doing here? I’ve not seen you at the castle before.”
“I asked the steward for work.” She dropped her eyes, hiding her face in shame. If her cheeks were warm before, they were probably hot enough to ignite the rest of the torches in the castle at this point. She reached up to both cover and cool them with the back of her hand, ignoring the first part of his question. Her stepmother would be devastated if the prince himself found out that they were destitute.
As if sensing her embarrassment, the prince glanced towards the floor. Seeing the candle she had dropped when he had startled her, he bent down and picked it up. Looking back at her and the single lit torch in the stairwell, he seemed to assess the situation quickly.
A moment later, he was standing on the step next to her, reaching over her head to easily remove the lit candle from its torch on the wall. She held her breath until he moved away to light the remaining five torches.
Not wanting to face him again, she dropped to her knees and resumed scrubbing the final step. When he had lit the last torch at the top, she heard his footsteps coming back down towards her. But even when his leather boots stopped within her eyesight, she did not raise her head.
He touched her shoulder lightly. “And you are?” His voice was quiet, gentle.
She stood and dipped into a curtsy, keeping her face pointed at the ground. “I’m sorry, my Lord. I have instructions not to talk to the royal family.” She dipped a curtsy again and dropped to her knees, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
She continued scrubbing the same spot repeatedly, though it was now quite void of any dirt. After a few moments, his shoes disappeared and she heard the sound of the upper door closing softly.
Chapter 4
Onric slipped through the door and strode past his older brother, who was leaning against the wall.
“Waiting for me?” Onric muttered, expecting a teasing jab.
“Well, yes,” Ian responded, matching his stride. “Shall we continue our conversation?”
“Ah . . . right.” Onric brought his mind back to their previous conversation.
“I know you feel the weight of this responsibility keenly—”
“As should you,” Onric said, cutting his brother off.
“I do—you know that. But I’m also not going to risk expulsion from our only source of protection by blatantly disrespecting their laws.”
Onric stopped, spinning around to face his older brother. “Then why did you come yesterday?”
Ian reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Because I’m also not above escaping the castle to spend some time with my favorite brother.” He glanced quickly around the hallway. “Don’t tell the others.” He winked.
Onric took a calming breath. His emotions were still swirling. He had not necessarily planned on seeing the young woman from last night again, but suddenly she was scrubbing his stairs. “They have had eons of time to figure this out. We are their first defense.”
“They are detailing their findings at this session. We’ll know what the plan is as soon as Mum and Dad get back.”
“Unless they do the same as they did last session.”
“They won’t. We will be prepared. We are a kingdom of warriors; our knights are better trained than they ever have been. We’ve always been the first line of defense, and we won’t fail now.”
Ian was the second-in-command of all the troops in Iseldis, which was regarded as the military might of the five kingdoms. Of course he was satisfied with their preparation. “You . . . have something to do.” Onric deflated. As the second son, he was the captain of the castle guard, though it was mostly an honorary title. Their real leader was an old knight who had served under his grandfather.
“If it makes you feel any better, there is one thing I’m failing at.” Ian lost his smile.
“Mum’s not here to berate you about that, so why do it to yourself?” Onric resumed his walk down the hall.
“It’s not as though I want to take over the kingdom by myself.”
“You’re only six and twenty, you’ve got plenty of time.”
“Unless Mum and Dad get killed in the Return.”
Onric elbowed his brother. “Don’t joke about things that could be true.”
“It’s not true, and it won’t be true. How about you? You could woo that lovely servant girl you can’t keep your eyes off of and divert Mum’s attention from me for a while . . .”
Onric refused to give that comment the dignity of a response. He had not even realized how much he had appreciated the simple, direct conversation with the maid in question until he had seen the same woman react to his status. His chest tightened at the memory of her reserved face and averted gaze in the stairwell.
He entered his room, Ian still right behind him. Their younger brother, Aden, was lying on Onric’s bed while scratching the ears of a very excited young puppy.
“Will you let us see it?” Aden inquired.
“Get off my bed, you beast,” Onric teased, with only a hint of real annoyance. “And take the pup too.”
“Haha.” Aden scooped up his puppy and settled on a cushioned chair in front of the roaring fireplace. “Very funny.”
“Yes,” Ian said, answering Aden’s initial question while throwing a sidelong glance at Onric. “But we are not using it.”
“Can I see it?” Aden asked.
“It’s harmless, Ian.” Onric reached into the pocket of his jerkin and withdrew a small silver case that fit easily in the palm of his hand. It was cylindrical in shape, delicately constructed of thin silver panels that had been embossed with a pattern of trailing leaves.
“That’s it?” Aden sounded disappointed.
Onric carefully pressed his thumb against an indentation along one side, and the cylinder opened up to reveal a simple iron needle. Its dark color and rough texture contrasted with the elegant case it was sitting in. He picked it up, carefully turning it over. “It’s a needle. What were you expecting?”
“I don’t know. Something a little more flashy.” Aden stood to get a closer look.
“Enchanted items were commonplace back then,” Onric explained, still examining the rough needle.
“And now they are highly illegal, and we are going to send it to the Council per the Edict of Cleansing.” Ian had not moved further into the room, but he spoke with the easy authority that one who is both the crown prince and the eldest of five siblings is naturally accustomed to.
“We do not even know if it is spelled.” Onric placed the needle back in its elegant case. “Should we not find that out before wasting the Council’s time?”
“The law states that all items suspected of being enchanted are to be turned in for inspection and confiscation. They are too dangerous to be trifled with.”
Onric knew the law. And he knew that Ian knew that he knew the law. They had taken all the same classes together. “It’s just a needle. We’ll ask Mum and Dad when they return.” He put the case back in his pocket, hoping that by alluding to their parents he had satisfied Ian’s high moral standards.
“They’re back!” The door to his room slam
med open and his younger sister, Meena, bounced in. At eighteen years old, she was the spoiled baby of the family but Onric respected her for her fierce confidence.
“Who is back?”
“Mum and Dad!” Twenty-year-old Erich followed Meena into the room. “And they want to see us all. Now.”
Onric followed his two younger siblings to their parents’ spacious suite. The salon attached to their rooms was the preferred family meeting place, away from the palace visitors and staff. A place for family alone. Mostly it was where they relaxed together, but occasionally it was used as a meeting place for more important things the family needed to discuss. And when one was part of a royal family, there were a lot of important discussions.
Walking quickly, Onric passed his younger siblings, even though Erich was taller than him, and entered the salon first. His parents were seated on a velvet-covered bench and rose as he entered the room. He encompassed his mother in a warm hug.
“Welcome home, Mum,” he said.
“I missed you.” She hugged him back. She was a head shorter than Onric, but she could easily command any room with the natural dignity of a queen. Then again, she was a queen. After a close embrace, she released him to hug her other children.
As Onric turned towards his father, he realized they were not alone.
An unassuming middle-aged man stood outside the cozy circle of chairs. His hands rested on the back of one as he watched the family reunion. He immediately seemed out of place. Whether it was his fair skin and light hair, which marked him as a foreigner, or just the way he had separated himself from everyone else in the room, Onric could not tell.
Noticing that Onric had seen him, however, he dipped his head in acknowledgment.
Onric responded with a curt nod but continued towards his father to welcome him home. Though he felt uncomfortable with the stranger’s eyes on him, he gave his father a hug. King Frederich was taller than all four of his sons, although Erich had nearly caught up with him. “Welcome back, Dad.”
“I’m sure we were sorely missed.” His father’s low voice held a hint of sarcasm.
“Of course you were,” Onric responded, feigning hurt. He stepped out of the way when his father turned to hug Ian, settling on a comfortably padded wooden chair where he could keep the stranger in full view. His parents would introduce the man when they were ready.
His eyes wandered back to his parents, noticing the weariness in their posture even as they joyfully hugged each of their children. The lines around his mother’s eyes seemed to have deepened. Both of his parents seemed frighteningly aged, despite having been gone for only five weeks.
If they had invited a stranger into the family salon, then this meeting was for more than just a welcome home conversation. Guessing at what they might say, Onric felt justified in his search for the spelled needle.
“While it is good to see you all again,” his father said, catching the first pause in conversation, “your mother and I do have some news to share before we retire, which we are eager to do.”
Ian, Aden, Erich, and Meena settled into the comfortable seats surrounding the cozy room, noticing the stranger for the first time.
King Frederich invited the man forward. “This is Lord Munney, from Chendas. He is a senior member of the Council of Five Kingdoms, and he is the official delegate to Iseldis to advise us during the Return.”
Lord Munney bowed again, then settled into the remaining chair.
Onric nodded again, this time with more welcome. That would explain the light complexion. Chendas was the largest of the five kingdoms, and at the center of the continent. While it did not border the sea, it had the wealthiest trading economy as it connected the four other kingdoms around its borders. The king of Chendas was the head of the Council of Five Kingdoms.
“We will hold a special session with all the advisors tomorrow to relay what happened at the latest session,” his mother cut in, “but we wanted to introduce him to the family as soon as possible and give him a warm welcome to Iseldis.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Lord Munney said.
“We are thankful you have come.” Ian spoke first, as he usually took responsibility for his siblings. “If there is anything we can help you with as you adjust to life here, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“What I have seen of your small kingdom is quite beautiful. I am pleased to be here.”
Onric was ready to move past the pleasantries. “Can you share any news of the Council tonight?”
“We do have one other important note that we would prefer to discuss with you privately first . . .” King Frederich turned towards his wife, his face uncharacteristically reluctant.
Queen Cara sighed, looking at Ian. “The Council has asked us each to take extra responsibility during this time of preparation.” She moved her gaze to each of her children before returning it to Ian. “For some of us, especially the older ones, this means taking on extra weight that might be uncomfortable.”
Ian’s face was impassive, but Onric knew his brother well enough to see he was leaning slightly too far forward. He was ready to perform whatever service would be required of him, but he was waiting for their mother to get to the point.
“The Council has asked that we hold a ball to help restore excitement and community amongst the five kingdoms.”
Onric watched his brother, seeing his eyes narrow. This still didn’t apply directly to him. Meena and Erich looked excited, but Aden appeared as bored as Onric.
“The ball will be an excellent time and place for Ian to choose his crown princess.”
So that was it. Ian’s face was still impassive, but his eyes had tensed.
“I know this is asking a lot, but you are well beyond the age to . . .”
Ian cut her off, nodding his head curtly. “I’ll do it.”
Onric wanted to box his brother across the ears. If he was too dutiful to fight for himself, Onric had no problem doing it for him. “The Majis are returning in three hundred days and the Council has commanded us to throw a party?”
His mother turned towards him, pursing her lips. His tone was not appropriate in front of their guest. If he was merely her royal subject, that look alone would have had him on his knees begging for forgiveness. It was not that her face was vicious—far from it. Rather, she carried such a confidence that it was impossible not to defer to her. But as her son, Onric had learned how to pick his battles with her. And this was a battle he was willing to fight for his brother.
However, his father intervened. Reaching out, he squeezed his wife’s hand and addressed all five of his children. “While we are preparing as best we can, if something should happen to your mother and I during the Return, then it is in everyone’s best interest to leave the kingdom in capable hands. You know Ian cannot take the crown without a princess.”
“That law is ridiculous.” Onric did not want to cede to his father’s good point.
“Taking the crown is too large a burden for any one person.” His father’s words were pointed, and he kept his hand firmly wrapped around his wife’s. His meaning was clear, and Onric could not argue against it.
“So that’s all the news you need to share tonight?” Ian interjected, his face still unreadable.
King Frederich nodded.
“I’m glad to see you back safely.” Ian stood up and bowed lightly to Lord Munney. “Goodnight.”
“I’m sorry that this is so abrupt, Ian,” King Frederich started, but Ian had already disappeared through the door.
Onric bristled with frustration for his brother. That was it? The Council had lasted for weeks, and the only defense plan they had issued was to throw a party? He reined in his frustration and faced the advisor. “What of the spelled defense that the king of Chendas promised us at the last session?”
“Unfortunately, our examiners are still working on a magical defense. They have had some promising results from studying the spelled items, but they are still working on a solution that is safe to be shared.”
“That’s exactly what they said a year ago.” Onric glanced towards his parents for support.
“Enough.” His father’s voice held a warning. Not a warning against Onric’s inquiry, rather his tone seemed to warn Onric that this discussion was not appropriate in the current company.
“Your father and I have had a long journey,” his mother interjected, quietly but firmly.
Aden, Erich, and Meena took her diplomatic hint and stood up to say goodnight. Onric hung back until they were out of the room.
His father’s face grew serious, taking on the weight of a king. “You are right to be concerned for the safety of our people,” he said to Onric.
“It is most admirable,” Lord Munney added.
“And while we abide by the laws of the Council,” his father continued, “as their foresight binds all our kingdoms together into a stronger whole, I would be sorely unjustified in stopping anyone who wished to do what they personally could to aid us in this time of uncertainty.”
For a king, those words were vague, but Onric felt that his father was trying to convey some meaning through them. The fact that he did not want to speak freely in front of the advisor told Onric everything he needed to know about what had happened at the Council session.
“I’m so happy to hear you say that, sir.” Onric could not keep the hint of a smile from his face as his hand made its way into his pocket, feeling the needle case enclosed there. “You know I am at the service of our people.”
The king relaxed his face into a fatherly smile. “I expect you had a little fun during our absence.”
“Perhaps.” Onric bobbed his head elusively. “Goodnight.” He gave his parents another round of hugs, nodded to Lord Munney, and returned to his room.
Chapter 5
Ashlin awoke the next morning to the sound of shattering glass. Groggy and disoriented, she opened her eyes to find herself on the kitchen floor. The last thing she remembered was arriving home late in the night and stopping to warm herself by the dying coals of the kitchen fire before she went up to her cold room.