The ambassadors looked at one-another, shocked by what they were hearing.
“My lady, Queen Virala will not take this news lightly after the betrothal was already accepted. She had been very eager at the prospect of marrying her son to a Camridian princess,” J’rillo N’va said.
Siah R’no almost pleaded with Katryna. “We cannot bring such an offensive update back to Ember!”
“You are both smart men, I’m sure you will figure something out,” Katryna said assuredly yet almost sarcastically.
She did not know if the decision she had made was right. But what was done was now done- she trusted her gut, and her gut did not like the way her father and brother had gone behind her back to use her as a political pawn.
There was no way she would ever agree to such a deal. Her independence was hers alone, and that meant it was her decision to make, no one else’s.
The highborns in the hall were baffled by Katryna’s forwardness. It was almost coming across as arrogant and rude to them.
“My lady, this is the very definition of brash,” Ser Arthus said firmly, appearing at her side once again. “Ember is our closest neighbour. Such an insult will not go down lightly with them. You are risking future repercussions.”
“Ambassadors,” Katryna called out as they began turning to leave. “Tell your queen that if she wants to marry me to her son, she can come and negotiate with me in person next time. I will not be insulted by having strange men do dealings about my future for me.”
The ambassadors hurried out with stern gaits, shaking their heads by the insults being hurled their way.
Katryna stood up from the throne and left with Ser Arthus and Finn following her and an assortment of Infinity Guardsmen tailing them.
The people in the throne hall began to clear out as Katryna left. The court was left wide-eyed and scratching their heads at what they had just witnessed and heard.
“Kat, what in the Creator’s name are you doing?” Finn said as they stepped through a doorway into an offshoot of the throne hall for some privacy.
Katryna did not slow down. “I am doing what has to be done.”
“You’ve gone mad! Do you realise what you have done?”
She stared ahead as they walked at a brisk pace down the hallway, refusing to look at Finn or even reply.
“Wait, stop walking away from me,” Finn huffed. He reached out and tugged against her forearm, forcing her to turn towards he and Ser Arthus.
“What do you want from me, Finn!?” Katryna shouted. “What would you have me do?”
“I’d have you think for a damned second before locking up our remaining family members and hurling dangerous insults at our very powerful neighbour!” Finn yelled, waving his hand around.
“Uncle Hectar and Aunt Ellene were speaking nonsense in front of all those people. What will they think of me when I am also trying to tell them that their prince is a killer?”
“All you did was serve to prove that they were right to mistrust and fear you, Kat. You acted self-righteously. Dangerously. You only made yourself look bad in front of the court.”
Katryna huffed to herself. Maybe Finn was right- she could have handled her aunt and uncle better… perhaps. At least, in front of the court.
But they deserved it!
What did the people think of her now? Had she come across as some sort of tyrant?
“And for Creator’s sake, Kat,” Finn continued, “you may as well have sent some cow dung with the ambassadors for the queen of Ember.”
It was there that Katryna felt she snapped with Finn. Her once charming and loveable little brother had become a source of intense frustration for her, questioning her every move.
While she may have acted impulsively and fearfully with Uncle Hectar and Aunt Ellene, she was sure she was making the right decisions regarding Ember.
She would never allow herself to be used in such a way.
“They were using me, Finn! They have been using me all this time for Rowan’s succession. I’ve never been anything more than a whore for them to sell.”
“Oh, come on, Kat! You know that’s not true. Father would have never-”
“Father allowed this to happen, just as much as Rowan did. I will not let men dictate my life for me, not now, not ever.”
“My lady,” Ser Arthus said, stepping in. She had almost forgotten that he was there with them and a few other guards. “I understand your frustrations, but you must remember that it is the responsibility of the fathers in Camridia to marry their daughters off to good suitors.”
Katryna could only shake her head and rub her temples. What sort of custom allowed for this? How had she never even considered that this could happen to her?
Did she have a right to be angry?
Katryna felt as though she wanted to rip her hair out. Her eyes stung with tears and her nose was dripping. She shook her head vehemently, bubbling with frustration.
“We need to make this right, Katryna,” Finn said, attempting to comfort her with a hand on her back as she held back from crying.
It was all becoming too much.
Mother. Father. Aunt Rashel. Rowan. Her aunt and uncle’s insults. Being married off to a stranger. Where was she to even begin?
“The second we stepped into father’s quarters and found him there, all of this shit fell onto my shoulders, Finn,” Katryna muttered as her emotions flooded out.
“Our shoulders, Kat. Our shoulders, not just your shoulders. You don’t think I feel it too?” Finn’s eyes began to tear up.
She had never heard him so upset before, but why was he coming after her for all this?
“You are not alone on this, stop acting like you are!” Finn demanded.
Katryna wept as the pain ramped up. Finn was not wrong- she was trying too hard; she was carrying too much of the burden by herself.
“Since the night you got home, you have tried taking this whole fucked-up situation head on. You may have delegated some tasks and responsibilities to others, but you have carried the bulk of the burden by yourself.”
Finn grabbed his sister by the shoulders, staring into her eyes with his own sea-blue eyes. It was as if he was speaking through all the barriers she had put up over the years, directly to her.
“The night you came home to Ravenrock, do you remember the conversation we had after you and Rowan were arguing?” Finn asked.
Katryna thought back to the night. The overwhelming amount of dread and anxiety she had felt. The crippling pain of returning home.
And the talk she had had with Finn about family.
Katryna nodded. “You said that ‘blood means everything’.”
“I also told you that we are in this together, every step of the way. You and I. I am always going to have your back, but you must also have mine.”
Ser Arthus handed Katryna a handkerchief and she wiped her teary cheeks.
“We can do this, but we need to do it together, Kat.”
She hugged Finn firmly and purposefully, sinking her face into his neck. “You’re right.”
“No more bearing all this weight by yourself.”
“No more.”
Finn smirked. “And no more insulting foreign dignitaries. At least, not without speaking with me about it first.”
Katryna nodded. “Alright.”
“Let’s do this together.”
Katryna looked to the High Sword. “Have our aunt and uncle released.”
“At once, my lady.”
“And have a scribe write a formal letter of refusal to the Queen of Ember, on behalf of my sister,” Finn added.
Katryna felt a smile spread across her face. Finn could only return the expression. It felt good to have him on her side, for real this time. He truly cared about her well-being, it seemed.
Katryna took her brother’s hand and they continued down the corridor, while Ser Arthus made his way back to follow through on their requests.
“I think I have a good lead on Rowan,” Katryna ad
mitted to Finn.
“Oh? What is it?”
“Before we discovered father and Aunt Rashel, a boy came to me in the stables and warned me that I was in danger.”
“A boy?”
“His name is Sniff. We met him outside of town the day we arrived in Ravenrock. He helped Tulip after she injured her hoof,” Katryna explained.
“So, what did he say exactly?”
“He told me that I should leave at once, that I was in terrible danger. I think he may know something about Rowan.”
Finn scratched his head. “It definitely sounds suspicious. Do you know where we can find him?”
Katryna pictured the stable, just outside of Ravenrock’s walls. The hanging iron sign. The arched roof of thatch. The smell of horsehair, mud, and manure.
“I know where we can start.”
Finn nodded, looking at Katryna with certainty. “Well then, let’s go pay him a visit, shall we?”
Katryna squeezed his hand. “Together.”
Chapter 32 - Confinement
Wesley Seynard leant against the same stone balustrade enclosing his balcony that he had rested upon the night of his wedding. Despite all that had happened in those last few days, he still felt much the same.
Miserable. Angry.
Weak.
He held his chin with both hands as he watched his father’s soldiers marching through the city towards the north gates in long, organised columns. A thousand soldiers rallied from the garrison, city watch and surrounding towns by Ser Isec Batir in only a few days. It was an impressive feat.
The man was capable, even if Wesley refused to admit it.
The lack of sea breeze on this day made even resting out in the sun almost unbearably hot, but Wesley felt almost obliged to see the army leaving Andervale.
The army he should have be leading.
It was always a spectacle, their shimmering steel armour, orderly ranks, and the sound of hundreds of men marching in unison. Trumpets sounded as townspeople watched in support as the soldiers exited Andervale. Women cheered and swooned for their husbands and sons. Children waved small Caldaean flags.
It would have felt magnificent to be marching with the army. The desire of all those women and the envy of all those children.
“I should be down there,” Wesley huffed, hitting his fist against the balustrade. He could not understand why he was still confined to his quarters. Father had not let him leave in days and he was becoming more than frustrated.
But with King Tobius and his closest advisors, Oren Harrin and Hart Moralis, leading the force to the armistice with the Blacktrees, Wesley would have to be left in charge of Andervale. He would finally be able to leave his wretched quarters and get some time away from his insufferable new wife.
Ciana Blacktree was laying on the couch, her feet up over the armrest. She had a wet cloth over her forehead to try and escape the intolerable heat.
“Shouldn’t you be out there with them?” Ciana said in a hurtful tone. The sweet, polite girl he had met on his wedding night had all but vanished.
Ciana had changed just about as much as Wesley had since their wedding. The two were no longer recognisable from the quiet, polite children they had attempted to portray themselves as in front of their families.
Wesley stepped back inside, shutting the doors behind him. “Father wants me to remain in Andervale, to… oversee things.”
“That’s funny, I don’t recall your father visiting and telling you that?”
“He doesn’t need to tell me. I am his heir; the city is my responsibility while he is gone.”
At least, that’s what Wesley was forcing himself to believe.
“Mhm, I’m sure that’s why he’s asked you to stay.” Ciana said sarcastically. She did not even bother to look up as they spoke.
Wesley hated any conversation with Ciana, and they had been forced to stay locked in the same room for days. His head was still solely focused on Jodie, and on everything that happened between the two of them.
He tried all he could to change her mind and win her back. He bared his heart out, he wept, he even fought her husband to win her honour- yet the woman fled at the first mention of their relationship to others.
Still, no one knew where Jodie Blacktree had vanished to. The woman had always been an enigma, but her disappearance reeked of something stranger.
Shame, perhaps? No, Wesley thought. It can’t be that.
Wesley poured a cup of warm, cherry-flavoured wine for himself, downing it in a single gulp.
Why did she leave me? What is wrong with her?
He shook his head, sighing, and swallowed another glassful of wine. Wesley’s body seemed to warm up from within, yet it did little to quell his anger.
Everything they had been through growing up had all for nothing. Running off together to find places to hide, sneaking into her quarters whenever her family came to visit Andervale, exploring each other’s bodies for the first time.
All for nothing.
“Careful with that wine,” Ciana said, “you don’t want to end up like your father. Your family is already troubled enough with one babbling drunkard.”
She had such a venomous way of speaking now, as if she was purposefully trying to insult Wesley with each and every word that slipped from her cherry-red lips.
Wesley rolled his eyes. Despite his loathing for his father, he would not tolerate such disrespect. “He is our father, now.”
“He is still a babbling drunkard.”
“Need I remind you that you are living in his castle? Yet you continue to insist on insulting the man every chance you get.”
“What can I say? I have lost my fondness for your family ever since you tried to kill my brother.”
Still, Ciana remained on the couch with her eyes covered.
Wesley slammed his cup down on the serving tray. “What do you want me to say!? Your brother is a… he’s a…”
“Come on then, spit it out, W-W-Wesley,” Ciana said mockingly, sitting up in her seat.
Wesley smacked the cup, sending it toppling to the floor. He clenched his teeth, refusing to look at his wife.
“You are my wife, now, you hear me?” Wesley shouted. “You will do as I say! You will stand by my side, you will become my queen, and you will bare my children. You will not mock me!”
“Where’d you learn that from? ‘The Official Prince’s Guide to Being a Royal Cunt’?”
“You will not talk to me that way, Ciana!”
“I will do as I please, my prince. I am not your wife; I am your prisoner. Until the day you die, I will not lay one finger on you ever again,” Ciana spat. “The second I can leave this shit-heap you call a castle I am gone, you hear me? What you did to my family is unforgivable.”
Ciana laid back down with the cloth over her face, effectively ending the conversation before Wesley could even have a chance to reply.
He stormed out the door red-faced and bitter, slamming it behind him. The nerve of that girl!
In the corridor outside was Ser Isec Batir, leaning against the wall. Wesley had not even realised that Isec had been left behind- he’d assumed he’d be going to the armistice with Tobius.
“Everything alright, Wesley?” Isec asked.
Wesley struggled to even formulate a sentence. “It’s ‘my prince’ to you, Batir. Not ‘Wesley’. I am your prince!”
Isec nodded, cocking an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
Wesley did not want to explain what was happening to Isec Batir. The man had always had a way of looking down upon him, always putting Wesley down. Treating him like a child, rather than a prince. Ridiculously, his father let the man get away with it, even to this day.
“I’m going to the markets,” Wesley said. “Make sure she doesn’t leave this room.”
Isec stepped forward into Wesley’s path with a hand out. “My prince, your father has ordered you to remain in your quarters until his return to Andervale.”
“My father has left the
capital, Batir. That means I am in charge,” Wesley scoffed.
Wesley again went to step forward, but Isec blocked his way. “I’m sorry, Wesley, but your father is the king and I take my orders from him. He has left others in the city to handle his responsibilities.”
Wesley, wide-eyed and stunned, stared straight into Isec’s hazel eyes. He looked the captain up and down. Despite Isec being nearly a foot taller than Wesley, far more brutish, and clad in light armour, all the prince wanted to do was shove him out of the way.
Instead, he shook his head in disbelief. “Are you really giving orders to me? Your prince?”
Isec nodded. “I am.”
“Have you any idea what I can do?”
“With all due respect, I saw quite plainly at the Uniting Tourney what you can do. I saw how irresponsible, naïve and impulsive you can be.”
“And that doesn’t worry you?” Wesley crowed.
“Not in the slightest, my prince. In fact, that is why your father was so stringent with his orders. Now please, go back into your room.”
Wesley was gobsmacked. He turned back, feeling defeated, opening the door to his room a sliver. He could not win this battle. Isec was fiercely loyal to his father, and Wesley did not want to get on his father’s wrong side again.
Honourable cunt. Who the fuck does Batir think he is?!
Before he stepped back inside, Wesley spun back around.
“If your orders were that I could not leave my quarters,” Wesley said, “then I assume father also mentioned ensuring that I am kept happy while remaining in here?”
Isec nodded. “The king said to bring you anything you wanted, so that all your needs are met. As long as you stay inside.”
Wesley sneered upon thinking of a way he could get back at Batir for his insolence.
What better way to destroy an honourable man than to take away his honour? That would be a source of entertainment, for the time-being.
“I have a request of you, Batir. No… an order,” Wesley said.
“Aye, my prince?”
“You will go to one of the brothels down in Scourge Alley. The filthiest, most dimly-lit, worst-smelling, most unsavoury brothel you can find,” Wesley commanded.
Starfall (The Fables of Chaos Book 1) Page 38