“We have him!” Jess shouted, her voice wild with joy and relief. “He’s safe!”
Thousands of voices lifted in cheer. Dazed, Dev opened his eyes to the sight of the army arrayed around the tower, banners flapping in the stiff wind. Tanvir set him on the ground and a physician in heavy blue robes hurried forward, dropping to her knees to examine him. He couldn’t muster the strength to protest as she poked and prodded at him.
“He’s exhausted, dehydrated, and half-starved, but there don’t appear to be any serious injuries. I will need to have a closer look at him,” she said, directing the words at Jess.
“I’ll take him to my tent,” Tanvir said.
“No carrying,” Dev protested.
“Stop being such a baby,” Jess said, but her words didn’t sting because they were so laced with love. She was on her knees beside him, and he could see tears shimmering in her eyes. He found the strength to reach up and place his palm against her cheek.
“You’re bleeding,” he rasped.
“I’m fine,” she said, placing her own palm against his cheek. “Now that you’re safe, I’m fine.”
“And the tower?” Tanvir asked.
“We are to destroy it, by order of His Majesty, King Mallaric,” a new voice replied.
Turning his head, Dev saw it belonged to Farah, who studied him with a concerned look. “I’m so relieved to see you safe, Prince Devaran,” the queen said.
Dev had never been so happy to see the warrior queen, but all he could muster was a slight nod. Jess bent forward, burying her face in the side of his neck, her tears wetting his skin.
“I’ll see to the tower,” the queen said, flicking the reins and galloping away.
“We should get him to the tent, Your Highness,” the physician said, her voice gentle.
“Of course,” Jess said, straightening and wiping her tears away with the side of her hand.
Two men brought a stretcher forth, and everyone ignored Dev’s protests as they loaded him on it and set off, jouncing him as they crossed the uneven terrain. Jess held one of his hands and Tanvir the other, and Dev decided to just go with it. Closing his eyes, he must have dozed, because when he opened them again he was on a soft bed in a tent, and Jess was carefully removing his clothes.
“Is this a dream?” he asked.
Her laughter gave way to sobs, and Tanvir took her by the shoulders and steered her away. The physician continued undressing Dev, her fingers deft and sure as she looked him over, cleaning his wounds and smearing them with smelly salves, taking stock of his bruises.
“They kept me drugged,” Dev said, forcing the words past his raw throat.
The physician frowned, looking concerned. “We shall have to keep an eye on you for a few days, ensure you suffer no ill effects. Have you any idea what they gave you?”
“No.”
She pursed her lips and gave him a curt nod before continuing with her examination. Jess joined them a moment later.
“I’m sorry, Dev. I just—”
He put a finger to her lips and gave her a tired smile. “I know,” he said, his words so faint he wasn’t sure she heard them, but then she gave him a tremulous smile.
It was a relief when the physician finished. As grateful as he was for her presence, he was so tired he felt as if he could sleep forever. Though he fought to stay awake, wanting to tell Jess how happy he was to see her, how much he loved her, he was unable to stop himself from dozing, even as her gentle hands washed the filth from his skin, as she spooned broth into his mouth and coaxed him into drinking a few sips of water. At last, he was unable to fight any longer, and he let sleep take him.
When he woke it was dark outside, the tent dimly lit by a brazier and a few flickering candles. It was so quiet he knew it had to be the middle of the night.
He felt better, stronger, though he was still so weary. Looking to his left, he saw Jess curled up in a nearby chair, a thin red line running down her left cheek. He lay there for a long time, making no sound, just drinking in the sight of her. Some instinct must have awakened her, though, because her eyes opened and found his.
“Dev,” she breathed, slipping from the chair and coming to kneel at his side. He opened his arms and she needed no further invitation. Moving with care, she settled herself next to him, lying on her side and looking into his eyes.
“You were hurt,” he said, his fingers skimming over the red line on her cheek.
“It’s nothing,” she said.
“And your leg? It was bleeding.”
“The physician assures me it will heal well.”
Satisfied, he kept quiet for a few minutes, running his fingers over her cheek, her jawline, her lips. Tears slid from the corners of her eyes, making slow progress down her cheeks, and he wiped them away.
“Are you all right?” he asked her.
He didn’t have to elaborate; she knew he wasn’t talking about her physical wounds. “We lost Pala,” she replied, her voice tight.
Regret washed over him, and he closed his eyes. “I’m sorry, Jess, so sorry. I know how faithful and loyal a guard she was.”
“She was,” Jess said, swallowing visibly. “I will honor her when we return to Lyrane. But what about you?”
Drawing in a deep breath, Dev thought about the question for a moment. Speaking was easier now, his throat not as raw as it had been. “I’m happier to see you than words can say. I thought…I was so afraid I’d lose you. I didn’t worry about dying—not that I’m in any hurry, mind you. It was more that I was so afraid of what would happen to you. I knew you would come for me, and, in a way, that frightened me more than anything.”
“I understand,” she whispered. Her lips moved against his neck, their warmth causing him to close his eyes again.
“I don’t want to dwell on it. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.”
“You’re safe as well.” She stroked a hand over his head, and it felt different somehow. His confusion must have shown in his eyes because she said, “We had to shave your hair. I’m sorry. It was infested.”
“Thank the gods. I never thought I would be happy to be without hair, but it feels much better now. I thought that infernal itching would drive me mad.” The lightness of his tone caused her to smile, just as he had hoped it would. “Now you have a taste of what you’re getting yourself into, should I go bald when I’m old.”
“I don’t care if you lose every last hair on your head,” she said. Her smile wavered and her tears ran more freely. “I was so afraid I’d lost you. How could I have let her snatch you from me like that? I failed you.”
“No, don’t do that,” he insisted, wiping her tears away. “What happened wasn’t your fault, it was Ellaria’s. She was mad, Jess. There was nothing you could have done to stop her. We’re fortunate she didn’t do something much worse.”
“Was it horrible?” The question was hesitant, as if she wasn’t sure she should ask.
“It was and it wasn’t.” He stroked her hair.
“It wasn’t?” She looked taken aback, and something flickered in her eyes that made him curse himself for his clumsy words.
“It’s all right. You needn’t worry.” He let the silken strands of her hair slide between his fingers, as he’d fantasized about doing ever since he had been taken from her. “What I meant was, when I slept, it wasn’t horrible at all. I dreamed about when we were younger, and they were such beautiful dreams. It was like reliving our entire relationship. How could that have been anything less than wonderful?”
She lowered her mouth to his, kissing him with exquisite gentleness, and he wound his fingers in her hair, urging her closer. “And when you were awake?” she asked when they parted at last.
“It was hard,” he admitted. “I was frightened for you, and angry. Ellaria used some sort of drug that made it impossible for me to move, and I hated that most of all. I hated the feeling of being helpless, hated knowing that my helplessness put you in danger.”
“Shall I repe
at what you said to me? It wasn’t your fault.”
He gave her a rueful smile. “I suppose I made it sound far easier to let go than it is, didn’t I?”
“It’s over now,” she said, her hand brushing over his cheek. “She can never again hurt us.”
“What of the drugs? Do you know what they were?” he asked. It was the question he feared most. What if his strength never fully returned? What if whatever she had given him had done irreparable harm?
“That servant girl, Tansy, was able to tell us. Your physician consulted several others, and all agree that the effects should disappear completely in time, but you may have spells of tiredness and weakness over the next several months.”
“That’s not as bad as I might have feared,” Dev said, relieved.
“How do you feel now?”
“Far better than I have since Ellaria abducted me from Lyrane. And what of Tansy?”
“She wishes to come with us when we leave, and I have promised her a place. She saved your life, Dev. I can never repay that debt.”
“Nor can I. Has she said what she might like as a reward?”
“Just to live as a free woman, with enough coin to make her independent.”
“Far too small a price to pay,” Dev said.
“It is,” Jess agreed.
She nestled closer to him, a comfortable silence falling between them as he reveled in the peace, the sense of utter contentment he felt at being with her at last. Drowsiness pressed on his lids, but he didn’t want to sleep just yet. He wanted to hold onto the moment for as long as he could, savor the feeling of Jess in his arms once more, her body close to his. It surprised him that he didn’t feel impatient with his own limitations, but he knew they had time, and it soothed him. He was in no hurry when it came to Jess. He wanted only to cherish every moment they had to spend together.
“I have something of yours,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. She pushed herself into a sitting position, pulling out a chain she’d hidden under her gown. A red glow skittered over the surface of his ring as she took it from the chain, lifted his hand, and slid it onto his finger. “Look before you leap.”
“Not when it comes to loving you,” he said, drawing her back down into his arms, his mouth searching for hers. “When it comes to loving you, I want to leap, and to fly.”
Chapter 46
It was a glorious day, as if the weather itself was in the mood for a celebration. All across Lyrane the trees blazed with fall colors: reds, golds, and oranges so spectacular they almost looked unreal. Even though she had forbidden herself from thinking about it during Dev’s captivity, as Jess gazed out her window, she reflected on how this day might never have happened at all. It seemed miraculous to her that they hadn’t had to change the date of their wedding, that everything had worked out just as it should, as if nothing had changed at all.
But a great deal had changed. Jess’s chambers were at the back of Mashala Palace, overlooking the gardens, but she could still hear the roar of the crowd outside, the voices of people from all five of the Realms joining the chorus as her people sang the customary marriage ballad. The sound brought a smile to Jess’s face and tears to her eyes. Now more than ever, she was aware of just how historical, how monumental her union with Dev would be.
“Your Highness, Her Majesty the queen is here,” a maid said, her soft voice interrupting Jess’s reverie.
“Send her in,” Jess said, blinking a few times to bring herself back to the present. She moved away from her window, turning toward the door.
“Oh, Jessmyn,” her mother breathed, coming to a stop just inside Jess’s doorway. She stared at her daughter as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
The wedding gown was a vision in pale blue and cloth of silver. Fitted to the waist, it came down to a vee and flowed out from her hips, layers of lacy silver petticoats making the skirt voluminous. Her sleeves puffed at her shoulders and were loose on her upper arms before tapering to a close fit at her elbow, ending in a point over the tops of her hands. Silver embroidery edged the blue sleeves, which were slashed on her upper arms to allow cloth of silver to peek through. More intricate embroidery set off the simple, square cut of the neckline. On her head Jess wore a delicately worked platinum tiara set with pale blue sapphires, and a veil of sheer, pale blue silk sparkling with hundreds of tiny diamonds.
“It’s not plate armor but it’ll do,” Jess said lightly.
Farah laughed and walked into the chamber, taking her daughter by the shoulders and kissing her cheeks. “One does feel a bit vulnerable without plate,” she agreed.
Jess smiled and hugged her mother. If anyone would understand, it was her mother. As happy as she was, this day left Jess feeling raw, vulnerable, and she knew it was because, for the first time, this day was more than mere ceremony to her.
“Do you hear them singing?” Jess asked.
“I do. It’s a nice gesture, isn’t it?” Farah wound her arm around her daughter’s waist, and Jess leaned her head against her mother’s shoulder.
“It’s strange to think that the thing that brings me such happiness is what brings happiness to the people out there.”
Farah dropped a gentle kiss on the top of her daughter’s head, careful not to muss Jess’s elaborate hairstyle and veil. “They’re grateful to you for saving them from what would have been a terrible fate.”
A stab of guilt pierced Jess. “I did it to save Dev. He was the only thing on my mind the whole time,” she said softly.
Squeezing her daughter, Farah asked, “Do you feel their adulation is misplaced?”
“Perhaps a little,” Jess admitted.
The queen smiled. “Ah, but that’s where you’re wrong. Your subjects have always loved you for being a fair and just princess, but now they love you all the more because they know the extremes you’ll go to in order to fight for what you love. It inspires them, Jess, it moves them. Haven’t you heard any of the new ballads?”
Embarrassed, Jess shrugged. “They make it all sound far more heroic than it was.”
“That’s always the case, isn’t it, my Jess? When has war ever been as glorious as the songs make it sound?” Farah’s voice was sober now, haunted, and Jess knew her mother was thinking of everything she’d lost in the heat of battle.
“That’s true.” Jess put her own arm around her mother’s waist and leaned a little more of her weight into her mother’s side. There was a heaviness in her heart at the thought that Pala wasn’t with them to see the day. The songs soared with moving descriptions of Pala’s noble sacrifice, but all Jess could feel when she thought of her trusted guard was pain. Pala had been much more than some mythical figure whose fame would be enshrined in Lyranian song for centuries to come. It seemed so unfair to Jess that everything Pala had been, all the things she had done, had been distilled down to a few lines in song.
But Jess was resolved not to allow Pala to be forgotten. When they’d finally returned from Moritan, Jess had given Pala a hero’s funeral and laid her to rest in a new crypt Jess had built to honor those who had performed a great service to Lyrane. She had also commissioned a memorial garden, complete with a statue of Pala in the center; work had begun on it just a few weeks ago. It would provide a place of beauty and serenity that would be open to all. Jess thought Pala would have liked that.
Lastly, Jess had begun to write a history of Dev’s abduction and the siege on Skyhold. The storytellers already made good coin in the taverns with their liberally embellished versions of the tale, and Jess wanted to be sure an accurate representation of what had happened would survive. Pala’s name would rest in history’s annals as a shining example of how a faithful knight is one of a Realm’s most precious assets.
Holding her melancholy thoughts close for one last instant, Jess released them. “Have you seen Dev yet?” she asked. She’d never forget Pala, but Pala had given her life to see Jess reunited with Dev, and, to honor her guard, Jess would seize her own happiness.
; “I have, for a brief moment. He looks incredibly well today. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look this happy, not even when he was getting up to some mischief that was bound to result in injury to either himself or you.”
Jess laughed. In some respects it was a precarious thing to be marrying a man her parents had known since he was a child. Precious little was secret, and they knew about many of his foibles. On the other hand, though, Jess’s parents had long loved Dev as if he were their son, and now he truly would be.
“Has he started complaining yet?” Jess teased.
“Not in my hearing, though judging by how harried Nishana looks, he must be driving her mad.” Turning to look at her mother, Jess saw that Farah’s eyes were sparkling, and there was a deep happiness within them that filled Jess with warmth.
“I love you, Mama,” Jess said, embracing her mother and kissing her cheek. “Thank you, for everything. You and Papa both. You’re the most wonderful parents I could imagine.”
“You’ve brought such joy to our lives, my Jess,” Farah said, tears shining in her eyes.
“Where’s Papa?”
“I’m here,” he said, and they both turned to find him standing in the doorway watching them.
“Papa!” Jess exclaimed, hurrying over to her father and embracing him. “Why didn’t you tell us you were there?”
“I wanted to watch you two, the two most important women in my life,” he said, his eyes shining as well.
“Stop, both of you! If you start crying, I will as well,” Jess exclaimed, dismayed.
“My darling Jess. I love you so,” her father said, touching her cheek fondly before embracing her. “You look so lovely. The only woman who’s ever looked anywhere near as stunning as you was your mother, on our wedding day.”
[Fairytale 02] - Asleep (2013) Page 27