Veronica clenched her teeth. This woman came from a backward culture that spent too much time seeking spirits or demons or whatever invisible entities they thought ran the world. If it weren't for her knowledge of poisons and gem magic, Veronica would have made Killian get rid of her years ago.
"Thank you, Princess," Veronica said, swiping the stones off the table and into a small bowl. "I have a meeting with the King now, so you'll have to excuse me."
Yamina stood up, blushing. It took all of Veronica's control not to roll her eyes.
"The needs of my King must come before all else," the younger woman said. "I, myself, have recently been summoned to him. In fact, I heard your carriage as I was stepping from a bath after being with your brother."
"Wonderful," Veronica said, wishing she could push that image out of her mind. "I must go. Please leave now."
"Of course." Yamina bowed. "I will speak to you later."
The King's Mistress left the apartment, and Veronica shuddered. She had to find a way to get this woman away from the palace. It wouldn't do for Yamina to find herself with child, and Veronica was running out of black holly to put in the other woman's tea to prevent such a thing.
Leaving her apartment for her meeting with Killian, Veronica sighed.
Josiah couldn't wear the crown too soon.
Chapter 4
Killian jumped up from his chair and hurried to Veronica's side almost before she'd gotten both feet into the King's private sitting room.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're here. I wanted to talk to you before, but your First Maid said you were out visiting the sick. Please, please, sit." He fussed around the room, pushing a chair closer to his own, straightening a doily on the end table, adjusting a figurine on the mantel.
"What is the matter with you?" she asked sternly. "You're as nervous as if Mother were still alive."
"Oh, right." Killian sat down, and Veronica did the same. His right toe tapped, and she stared at it.
Her brother swallowed, but his foot stopped moving.
"What did you want to see me about, Your Majesty?" Veronica asked.
Killian shook his head. "I still can't get used to that, you know. I'm over fifty years old. It's a little late to start a new life."
"I know how old you are, Killian. I'm the same age. What's this about?"
He took a deep breath, and to her shock, he blushed. "I have been thinking about how my life has changed in the last few months." He wrung his hands together on his lap. "I think now is the right time to make a few more changes."
"What are you talking about?"
"I want to get married again."
The air was sucked out of the room. That would explain why suddenly Veronica couldn't breathe. She stared at her brother, who had a stupid grin on his face like he was a child who'd figured out what he was getting for his birthday.
"You're surprised," he said after a moment, nodding. "I know it seems sudden, but I think it's time. Charlotte's been gone for a while, and I'm not too young to have more children."
That brought her out of her stupor. "That's what this is about? Children? You have two daughters, Killian."
"Well." He sighed and stood, walking to the other side of the room where a larger than life painting of their parents hung on the wall. "When the Ministers' Council came to me with the suggestion I marry again, it wasn't about children. It was about an alliance with one of our neighbors."
"Valborough." Veronica sat back in her chair, smoothing her skirts. Every problem Heyton had could be traced back to that upstart kingdom and their royal family. "I should have known the Ministers would want to turn tail and run now that a new Queen is on their throne."
"A Chaos Sensitive, Ronnie." Killian walked back toward her. "We don't want her as an enemy." His voice and demeanor changed. Gone was the giddy, hormonal teenager, and in his place was the King their mother had never thought he could be.
In spite of all she wanted for herself, Veronica had to smile. This was her twin brother, and she was proud of the man he'd become.
"I agree that with a Chaos Sensitive on the throne, Valborough could be a dangerous enemy," she said, "but Queen Mariana is married, and from what my spies tell me, quite pregnant. If you are intending to betroth yourself to an unborn infant, we might need to call in some kind of Elemental healer."
Killian laughed. "Of course not, Ronnie. Queen Mariana has an unmarried sister, Princess Ursula, and she is a strong Sensitive herself. Water and Air, possibly some Flora, but I'm not sure about that one."
"No one in the family is Water." Veronica scowled, thinking. "It might be useful."
"Gideon is a Water Sensitive. You know that. The Anamii gave him those bowls."
Bowls made of green and blue sapphires. Of course she remembered, but it was only Gideon, that crippled child of their sister Delthyn. He was a Prince by blood, but in every other way, he had no place at court.
Fortunately, his disability kept him from being a Knight Prince, a full member of the family, and potential Heir Supposed.
"Of course," she said after a moment. "How silly of me. He's been away so long, I suppose I forgot his Abilities. He doesn't use them for the Kingdom, though, does he?"
"That's not the point, Ronnie. I want to marry Princess Ursula."
"She's younger than Oriana." Veronica watched her brother's face as the footmen brought in a tray of cookies and a silver pot of tea. Killian snatched one of the treats before the servants had finished pouring.
"Princess Ursula's age isn't important," Killian said when they were alone again. "Oriana is my daughter, but neither of the girls need a mother any longer."
Veronica took a sip of tea, and tried to look pleased. Her tight jaw ached.
"I suppose an alliance with Valborough does make sense," Veronica said, "now that they are ruled by a Chaos Sensitive, but what will this do to Josiah's claim to the throne?" As soon as the words left her lips, she knew she'd overstepped. It wouldn't do to let Killian believe she was looking forward to the day he was dead.
"Nothing, yet." Killian's expression turned into a boyish grin, and Veronica relaxed just a bit. Of course, he could never believe she wanted anything other than to support the King.
Killian continued, "I can hope, of course, that Princess Ursula will be fertile enough for us to have children. I would like a son of my own."
"An heir, you mean." Even to herself, her voice was cold with a sharpness even her brother couldn't miss. If this upstart Valboroughan Princess agreed to marry Killian and had a son, all Veronica's plans would be trampled like dead flowers in the mud.
"Oh, Ronnie, I have an heir. Josiah has all the makings of a great warrior King, just like Father. I have no concerns about how he could rule Heyton, should it come to that."
"Then go before the Ministers' Council and declare him your heir. Sign and seal whatever papers are needed to make it official." Veronica kept smiling and made sure her tone remained conversational.
He was so excited about this new marriage that he was oblivious to her own feelings. At least she had that on her side. The last thing she needed was her brother getting annoyed with her about this. He tended to dig his heels in, and she couldn't afford to lose the ground she'd already gained by pretending to be pleased that he was looking to marry again.
"After all," she went on. "We have only recently made peace with Valborough. How do we know this Princess wouldn't marry you just to put her own son on the throne and let Valborough control us?"
Killian slurped his tea and munched on another cookie. "If I have a son, he will be my son and my heir. I won't go into a marriage already distrusting my wife's motives."
"And Josiah? What happens to him if this theoretical son is born?" Hidden in the folds of her skirt, she clenched her fists. Why couldn't he see the logic of her argument?
"Look, Ronnie, nothing has happened yet. Perhaps the Princess won't agree to marry me, although I don't know why she wouldn't. Maybe she won't give me sons." Killian stood, dusted co
okie crumbs off his widening belly, and kissed her forehead. "Let's not worry about who will be King after I die right now. That's some time down the road, Elements willing."
Princess Ursula paced her bedchamber. Messengers had arrived the night before with the news that a carriage bearing the royal seal of the King of Heyton had passed into Valborough. At the border checkpoint, they had gotten permission to enter the kingdom because the carriage contained the latest peace delegation sent by Mariana.
None of the previous delegations sent in the past year had returned this way. Always before, they'd come riding their own horses with unsigned treaties in their saddlebags.
If what the messengers said was true, that had to mean an agreement had been reached to release the prisoners. Ursula couldn't think of any other reason the King would have used his own carriage.
Suddenly, her Wardrobe Lady, Rebecca, burst into the room. "The carriage has arrived."
Ursula rushed to her sitting room window which over looked the front drive leading to the palace. The coach did indeed belong to the King of Heyton, as evidenced by the crest on the side; a stag standing on two legs over a fish, all on a blue background.
"They say a member of the royal family has come with them," Rebecca said.
Ursula moved away from the window. "Who is 'they?'"
"The footmen who greeted the carriage, Your Highness. One of them, Henrik, has been...well, he often sits beside me at the servants' table and..." Her voice died as color filled her cheeks.
The Princess grinned. "I see. And does Henrik know he will answer to me if he were to break your heart?"
"Oh, no, Your Highness. It isn't anything like that. We're friends."
"Very well. What else did Henrik tell you?"
Rebecca shook her head. "Nothing more. He only saw that a young man came with the delegation, and they referred to him as 'Your Highness.'"
"Thank you," Ursula said. "I should probably attend my sister. She may need my council."
"Of course." Rebecca dropped into a curtsy, then left the room.
Ursula reached the throne room wing just as the door to the receiving room opened, and Orlando came out.
Grand Prince Orlando was Mariana's husband, a former rebel and pig farmer who realized she was a Chaos Sensitive when the rest of the kingdom believed she had no magical Abilities. He was about ten years older than Ursula and her sister, with silver beginning to streak the sides of his light brown hair.
He wore his official uniform, a dark rose tunic scattered with saffron yellow fish, the symbol of one of the western ports he’d fought to protect when he was a soldier for King Jonathan, Ursula's father.
When Orlando and Mariana became the rulers of Valborough, he had chosen to keep this tunic to remind the people he was a fighter, if not a knight.
He wasn't happy, Ursula noticed. Why not? Getting Heyton to listen to their terms and release the prisoners had been his goal, his mission since before she'd met him. The arrival of an official delegation had to be good news.
"Princess Ursula, the Queen requests you attend the delegates in the throne room."
"Of course," she said, stunned, but she lifted her chin and put on her Royal Princess persona. Orlando spoke formally, which could mean there was something wrong. The veneer of protocol and ritual served to keep emotions from clouding any volatile situation.
Her heart beat faster as she walked into the throne room with as much dignity and calm as she could.
Mariana sat in the tall, gold-gilt, gem-encrusted chair on which their father, and all the sovereigns of Valborough before him, had sat. Ursula had tried the throne once when she was a child and declared it was the most uncomfortable chair she'd ever been in, and Mariana had agreed.
Today, though, no one would be able to tell that the Queen wasn't sitting on the softest pillows in the palace. She held her body straight but relaxed, her hand resting on the flame-colored scepter that constituted one of the three marks of her office.
Next to the Queen's throne was a smaller, less ornate one Orlando generally occupied. His had no gems on the arms or back, except for a border at the top. The colors of the stones represented the eight magical Elements.
The thrones sat on a raised platform, three steps above the floor of the room, which was tiled in a pattern of the eight Element colors. A long, black rug ran from the door of the room to the foot of the platform.
During King Jonathan's rule, the rug had been red to represent his Fire Sensitivity, and Mariana's decision to change it to black had been a controversial one. Black was the color given to anyone who had no magical Abilities, and for years, Mariana had worn a black sash to official functions.
Chaos Sensitivity had no symbolic color, as it was both rare and an Ability that affected all others. Therefore, the Queen had decided, in honor of all the years she and the whole kingdom had been deceived, she would make black her Sensitivity color.
At the bottom of the steps sat three bronze dragons, the center one both larger and longer than the other two. These statues had been in place for more generations than anyone living could count, and no one knew their true purpose.
Orlando often joked they were to keep people away from the King or Queen, but Ursula believed he was closer to the truth than he thought.
The walls of the throne room were decorated with huge tapestries depicting battle victories and other important historical events. Two spaces were empty, however, as Mariana had removed the newer ones that commemorated her father's own history.
Craftsmen were preparing one showing Mariana's success in the Sensitivity Challenge and her marriage to Orlando. The last space would remain blank until another major historical event took place. Ursula hoped it would be the prisoners returning.
"Princess Ursula," Mariana said when her sister entered the throne room. "May I present Prince Gideon, nephew of King Killian of Heyton? Prince Gideon, our sister, Princess Ursula."
What she saw before her was not her idea of a Prince. He leaned on a cane, and his sandy blond hair was messy. Locks of it stuck out in all directions as though it had never been styled by his valet.
His face was pleasant, she thought, or would be if he wasn't scowling, and if he had shaved the stubble off his cheeks before meeting with a Queen. What was most striking, however, were his almost turquoise eyes. She had to force herself to look away from them or be considered rude.
The clothes he wore were fine enough, Ursula supposed, except for road dust, which made her question the quality of the carriage he'd ridden in. The trip from the Heyton capital was at least a three day ride, so he must have had time to change at some point.
Did he not think Mariana worth the trouble of making himself presentable?
Prince Gideon hesitated before he acknowledged the introduction with a shallow bow. His eyes flitted down and back up as though he were examining an animal for purchase.
She resisted the urge to glare at him as she dropped into a curtsy. He might be rude, but she wouldn't respond in kind.
When she stood, he met her eyes, and his lips were a tight line. He watched her for a moment as though waiting for something, shook his head slightly and turned back to Mariana.
Ursula cleared her throat, drawing his attention back to her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Gideon." She tipped her head and gave him the best courtly face she could muster.
"Same," he said and closed his eyes with an exasperated sigh. "Queen Mariana, it would be best for everyone concerned if we can get this whole thing settled as quickly as possible."
"Agreed, but we aren't eager to rush into an agreement with Heyton that doesn't benefit all of the people of Valborough." Mariana bowed her head toward the Prince. "You've presented King Killian's offer, and we will consider it, discussing it with all the interested parties. In the meantime, we're certain you and your companions would like to freshen up and rest until dinner this evening."
The Queen motioned to one of the footmen. "Silas, please show Prince Gideon and his peo
ple to the guest quarters on the third floor. We believe the Air Suite has been made ready." She turned back to the Prince.
"Your servants will be given rooms on the lower floor, of course. If there is anything you need, please ring for one of the maids to assist you."
"Your Majesty," he said, "I would like to get everything settled as soon as possible. I was hoping we would be able to leave within the week."
Mariana's calm demeanor never wavered, but she said, "We will do our best to accommodate you, but besides the major issue with the Heyton proposal, there are dozens of little things that need to be handled. You can be assured we will take your hope into consideration." She nodded to Silas.
"If you'll follow me, Your Highness," the footman said.
Prince Gideon opened his mouth, then closed it as he stared at Ursula. After a moment, he shook his head and limped after Silas, his cane banging against the floor with each step.
When the door to the throne room closed behind them, Ursula faced her sister. "What was that about? What proposal? Are the prisoners coming home?"
Mariana and Orlando exchanged glances, then the Queen said, "It's not that simple, Ursula. Please take a seat." Orlando stood and Mariana motioned to the smaller throne.
Cautiously, Ursula moved to the chair and sat down. She bit her lip, then asked, "Are the prisoners coming home or not? How is it not simple?"
The Queen took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm afraid the King didn't mention the prisoners at all in his proposal."
"Then it's unacceptable," Ursula said, standing. "There isn't anything to discuss."
"Ursula, there's more." Orlando walked over to her and took her hands in his. "The King of Heyton is looking to get married again."
For a moment, Ursula didn't understand what this announcement had to do with the delegation. Then the truth hit her like the crashing of a wave against the rocks, and she pulled back.
"He wants to marry me?" She stared at Mariana.
Questionable Queen Page 4