The Ones Who Serve

by Jennifer Kenny

  Glais shut the door after his father, more to preserve the room and the mysterious air it seemed to have than any desire to shut his father out. While Glais had been in the room several times in his life, there was something mysterious in the way the place was spoken about. He knew there was no truth in it, but he wanted to keep the servants guessing about the artefacts that adorned the walls.

  “Were you really looking for me?” Kyleigh asked, and Glais nodded. “I will say I am surprised.”

  “And I am sorry that it is so surprising.” Glais took the seat by his mother, never daring to take his father’s place. It seemed rude to do so, and Glais felt like a child pretending to be someone he wasn’t whenever he was tempted to try the comfort of the chair. “I have questions about Evangeline, and I already fear to bring it to Father's attention.”

  “Why do you call her that?” Kyleigh asked suddenly.

  “Evangeline?” Glais was surprised by the question.

  “Yes.” Kyleigh set her work aside. “You know she prefers the name, Eva.”

  Glais blinked, surprised with the passion this simple exchange was bringing out of his mother. “I love her full name. I find it elegant and exceptional.”

  Kyleigh sat in her chair for a moment while she gathered her thoughts and finally had to accept how her son felt. “I am quite afraid Glais that I do not have any advice on how best to negotiate Eva with your father. She has become such a sore spot for us. As of late just mentioning her name is enough to cause an argument.”

  Glais nodded. “And I am so sorry for that. I know I should be better at being a husband, but it seems to be a skill that I am quite horrible at actually.” Kyleigh chuckled, and Glais found himself laughing along with her.

  “Oh Son, there is no hard and fast rule you could hope to learn,” Kyleigh promised. “but please, for the sake of my own sanity do not allow her to collect any more ladies on her own.”

  Glais shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “I told you, mother, Sable was my idea. She is just a sweet local girl who seemed to have bonded with Evangeline and needed the court protection. Bringing her here as Evangeline’s lady in waiting was a blessing to all our lives.” He had created the lie spontaneously when he had first been questioned about Sable’s immediate appointment within the castle. He repeated it now, almost word for word and with the same inflexions as the first time.

  Kyleigh nodded. “Yes, and your father would want to believe that but Glais I know your wife, and she would never accept anything that was your idea.” Kyleigh sighed and settled back in her seat, looking at the dead fireplace, a casual hand draped over her stomach as she relaxed. Glais had to admit that she was right about Evangeline, although he didn’t like to acknowledge it. “Sable was not your idea, and I do not need servant whispers to confirm it for me.”

  Glais lowered his head. “I apologise in attempting to deceive you.”

  Kyleigh looked at her son and shook her head. “I understand why you did it, and I hold no ill-will against you for it. Your father is intense and has already threatened her livelihood once. You are fighting in the best ways you know how to keep her safe. I am tempted to say that you are doing your husbandly duties well enough.”

  Glais turned away from her suddenly to hide the blush that heated his typically chilled skin. “Those are the things I wished to speak of.” He said, clearing his throat, sitting straighter and attempting to cover up any action that could be seen as improper. “Evangeline and I are yet to be intimate.” He could not look at his mother while he spoke. He was uncertain what details he might spot in her face.

  Kyleigh was surprised, opened her mouth to speak but decided to reconsider her words. She tended to speak too freely about some things, and her mind reeled at the very idea that Glais would ever bring this up to her in the first place. “Is it a problem with you?” she asked as gently as possible.

  “No.” Glais was quick to answer, squinting as he tried to remind himself why he thought this was a good idea in the first place. Was it simply too late to escape the room and this conversation? “We only just started sharing a bed within the past week or so. Since our visit to Crimah, actually.”

  “Evangeline fears you.” Kyleigh gasped, and the relief in her voice made them both laugh. “Oh Glais, the curse, it is quite something for any person to adjust to.” She felt for her son, but she also understood better than most how Evangeline was feeling. “The circumstances surrounding how she was exposed to your habits are sure to haunt her still.”

  Glais nodded. “I am afraid it will tarnish any relationship we may have had forever.” Glais cleared his throat into his hand before he leant forward in his chair. This was still an uncomfortable conversation for him to have with his mother, but there were so few options available to him. It was freeing to have a friendly ear to hold his words with. “She tells me there will never be love between us. That she will tolerate me as best as she can and keep up the appearance of a blessed life, but it will all be false in her heart.”

  “Oh, Glais.” Kyleigh rose from her chair and knelt before him. Raising his head softly with a gentle touch, she looked at him. “She does not mean such things.” She assured her son.

  “I wish I could believe that.” Glais pulled his chin out of his mother hands and helped her up off the ground, standing with her now. The castle was cold, and his mother was getting older. The red colour of her hair was fading, and the faint lines of concern were growing deeper. Glais had never been ignorant to the cycle of life even if Kyleigh did all she could in an attempt to hide her age, but Glais knew the truth. It would not do anyone any good should the Queen become ill.

  Glais felt his mother’s hand come up to swipe softly at his face. While she may seem fragile, the action was sure, and he couldn’t help but smile. It was a short-lived moment. “I believe that Evangeline does mean it. She is resigned to it. Any amorous move towards her feels deceptive to me now.” He confessed.

  Kyleigh nodded. “I believe that.” Kyleigh patted her son's hand. “How do you feel for her?” Kyleigh asked.

  He sighed. It should not have been such a question that required much thought. They had been married for some time and had been allowed to spend time together. And yet he struggled with producing an answer while his mother continued to watch Glais with every patience. “I think,” Glais started the sentence weakly, and he cringed before forcing himself to sit straighter and command his own thoughts. “We could find love if given the right timing to seek it out.” He hated the way the words sounded to his own ears. He could not bear to consider what his mother thought upon hearing it.

  Glais would be the first to admit that his life was not a very romantic one. He knew that part of being King, and living with the curse, meant that often he would be called away from Evangeline. He could never include her in all aspects of his life, and she could not expect that kind of devotion. There would be duties of her that would come to pass where she would have to act alone as a representative of their shared power.

  “I know that there is something between us. Something that frightens her but…” Glais struggled to put words to the memories he held most dear. “There was a moment, at Crimah, when I thought we both loved each other,” He relived the vision of her in the bed beside him, her face hidden and the outline of Evangeline’s body was unmistakable. The gentle nature in her words, and the way her lips pouted, Glais would swear to every God who dared speak otherwise that she had wanted of him in that same moment. He met the eyes of his mother, and he knew he did not need to speak. She understood him better with nothing being passed between them. Mother’s had a way of understanding the slightest change in their children, and she nodded as if she knew his thoughts.

  “Did you feel it before then?” Kyleigh asked.

  Glais nodded, “Yes, but the moments are fleeting, casual and easy to dismiss as wishful rather than a fact.” He shrugged, unsure of anything he had ever imagined coming from Evangeline had been true. “I am at a loss, and I have no one I can s
peak to on such matters.” And, Glais took a moment to think about it, he half wished he had never started this conversation at all. Kyleigh’s eyes were full of love, but there was the darkness in knowing that her child was hurt. He hated that he had been the one to bring this news to her.

  “You cannot force her mind if she is not open to it. To think you can manipulate her is foolish Glais, but you are not a monster. You have grown so much and better understand your condition than even you realise.” Kyleigh wished Glais could see himself in the ways she saw him. Only in the recent months did Kyleigh stop seeing her small child made of dark colours and sharp angles. He had blossomed with Evangeline at his side. There was a change in them both, even if neither of them saw it. Kyleigh hoped stubborn behaviours would not hurt the delicate balance that was forming.

  “I am not as strong as you think I am.” Glais quietly confessed in a hurried whisper, although he did not elaborate further. No one knew of his weakness in the woods. A low churning in his stomach rose at the memory, and he felt disgusted once more by his desires. He did not want to know what could have come to pass if Thomas had not happened by at the opportune moment to interrupt Evangeline volunteering to be his victim. He shook his head at his memory of it, wishing he could forget it himself. But there were times when Glais would lay awake at night and watch Evangeline sleep, that he would remember moments that had never happened. The gasping breath from her mouth, the resistance in her skin before finally it broke and the warm coppery scent was all he could focus on. Glais swallowed hard, looking away from Kyleigh. What she might think of him if she knew what had almost happened? “Evangeline will never accept me.” He told his mother and hid from the emotion reflected out of her eyes.

  “These moments might be fleeting, but I believe that these are moments that are genuine Glais.” She paused, watching him struggle and knowing there was nothing she could do to make this right. “Do you know how your father won me over?” she asked.

  Glais shrugged. “Showed you the jewel room?” he joked.

  She smiled but shook her head. “He made time for me, at times when it suited me. All these other women he uses, I know people do not understand it, but those women work on his time. I work on my time. And your father works around that.” She supposed there was some difference in that she enjoyed her time with Quintus and found the curse of Braykith to be intriguing and not repulsive, but it was the only advice she could think to offer her son. “Do not rush it Glais. It will happen on its own.”

  Glais nodded. “But will it happen before Father find a replacement?” Kyleigh and Glais both fell into sombre silence, neither certain they could give an answer to that question.

  “If Evangeline is willing to make the sacrifices…” She lifted her hand and silenced her sons’ objection to her word choice. She was speaking as Evangeline would see the situation and not on her feelings regarding it. “When Evangeline has finally opened up her bed to you Glais, then you must be willing to perform and do your duties as future king. In whatever manner that works best for you. After all, that is precisely what we are asking Evangeline to do.”

  Glais felt that Kyleigh was scolding him, but he did not contradict her. He had come to Kyleigh looking for advice, and she had given it. This was a complicated and unique problem, and he knew it was childish to think he had already done all that he could to reverse damages. The hear it coming from his mother’s lips, to know that he may need to make peace with his situation and do as was expected was a harsh lesson. He could not wish ill on his mother for not having a cure.

  “I simply want Braykith to inherit a united King and Queen when the time comes,” Glais said his words stiff as he spoke.

  “I know you do Glais, and it might mean making sacrifices you never deemed necessary until this moment.” Kyleigh squeezed her son’s hands. “There is so much you will both learn from each other.” She promised. “Now, take me to kitchens. I need cake, and tea before your father returns to bore me with more talk.” She laughed, and Glais forced himself to echo her even though his heart was not in it.

  He had never actually considered the rumours about his mother’s faded mind. He had always thought that she was just a little dull, and his father had benefitted greatly from that. She showed great kindness and respect to those around her, but no one would consider the Queen of Braykith to be an excellent academic. Glais had wondered himself if the continued donations she offered Quintus had indeed made an impact that no one suspected. Was this the future that would come to claim Evangeline as well? He shuddered at the thought.

  Glais offered his mother his arm, and she gratefully took it as he accompanied her to the kitchens. He had come to Kyleigh for answers, but he feared that he had only found more questions and more reasons to fear the curse that ran deeply through the veins of the Braykith bloodline.

  CHAPTER TWO

  T homas stood in the private room that was his own. He had received the privilege only days before Evangeline’s arrival. There was no ceremony involved in his duties. There had been no discussions or great fanfare. Thomas had been taken aside by the King’s Guard captain and was told he would be given a private chamber to call his own. The rest was implied and never spoken directly about. He had suspected for some time that he may be given the job, but nothing could have prepared him for the changes in his life. He never could imagine guarding the future Queen would twist his heart to such contortions.

  The Braykith uniform freshly pressed and fitting him to the perfection that was expected seemed to be suffocating. His skin itched, and while he knew it had nothing to do with the handiwork of the mysterious seamstress of the kingdom, Thomas still wished he could remove it. Once, this was never a concern. Of course, Thomas had noticed other women. He had his own share of flings and short-term relationships that dotted his young life. Evangeline did not count as one of them.

  She remained something of a mystery to himself, and Thomas would only dare consider a life where their roles were taken from them, and they were free from the crown and allowed to be together. He closed his eyes, the warmth of the nearby candles being absorbed into his chilled skin as he pushed away from the memory of her. He could remember with absolute clarity the taste of her mouth, the shape of her lips and how Evangeline had shown no remorse in her actions. His eyes closed tighter as if that act alone could force the images away, but they only became more explicit.

  Thomas drew in a breath and let it out slowly, opening his eyes and forcing a calm through his body. This had become a daily ritual that sustained his interactions with Evangeline on most days. The desire never ceased, but Thomas seemed to feel like he could bring some control to his action. It was a small blessing, but one he kept close to his heart. He knew that Evangeline could never be his, not as he wished her to be, but he would be her confidant, and friend until they were forcibly parted from this world. It was not perfect, but it was something. Thomas refused to believe a society could exist without Evangeline in it in some form.

  He came to her bedroom chambers and bowed his head as Glais emerged from it. They met eyes for the smallest of moments, but there was no longer a wave of dark anger to his features. Glais appeared tired and worn around the edges. Once, Thomas would have seen this as a sign of an argument, but he knew now what Glais worried over. It was the same thing that had kept Thomas awake.

  Sable had done nothing to hurt Evangeline, and Thomas knew Glais would be watching for signs of it just as he was. Everyone seemed to be on edge about the new girl who Evangeline had appointed as a lady in waiting. Before her appearance, Glais and Thomas could barely manage to make eye contact. Now there was a lingering glance between them as Glais passed him. He had done his watch, and he trusted Thomas to keep Evangeline safe for him until his return. No words were given but they did not need them.

  Thomas stayed in the hallway outside Evangeline’s chambers and did his best to keep his mind blank. It was no easy task. Soft noises came to him from beneath the door. The voices could not be understo
od. However there was no mistaking the sound of women gossiping. Thomas continued to stare dutifully ahead, the voices mixing and floating softly into the world. But even that slowly came to an end, and after a moment of quiet, the door opened.

  Evangeline took Thomas’ breath away. Any concerns for Sable, the questions and shared concern he had against the girl were taken from him as Evangeline stood in her doorway. She wore a dress that was perfectly form fitting. However the cape that had been added to her shoulders seemed to hide most of her body from prying eyes. She could not stay completely covered though, and Thomas felt a physical ache for her.

  “Thomas?” Evangeline asked, her voice even but her cheeks betrayed her emotions. A blush spread among them, and there was nothing she could do to stop that. Guards stood along the corridor, ignoring, but never quite ignoring, the exchange that was taking place between them.

  Thomas cleared his throat. “Is Sable joining you today?” He asked, glad that he had thought of the question because there was nothing reasonable going on inside his head at this moment.

  “I have given Wick instructions. I cannot give Quintus a moment to believe that Sable has been hired for any reason beyond the obvious. She needs practice, and Wick will be sure to see it through.” Evangeline started walking, and after a moment of staying behind her, Thomas joined her at her side. “I had feared for a moment that I might need to remind you.” Evangeline tried to sound light, but there was a strangeness in her voice.

  “Some lessons are hard to unlearn.” Thomas smiled, and as they walked, their hands brushed lightly against the other. Every gesture caught his heart and squeezed a beat from it. He looked at Evangeline carefully, but she was staring straight ahead of them as if nothing was going on. Evangeline did not hide away from his touch, but she did not encourage it either. For anyone viewing them, they might never realise that there was an exchange taking place at all, and for their safety, Thomas hoped no one suspected.