by Ryder Bailey
One of the record keepers came forward and introduced the rest of those who would be timing the duels and recording the points earned by each competitor. Then he introduced the three champions, who had been given seats at the edge of the arena to rest between duels. With them was healer and a barrel, which Wildas assumed was filled with water.
They each fought one duel and sat so the next could fight, starting with Rohan and ending with Coulta. Wildas could see that each entrant who fought Coulta appeared hesitant at first, and he was fascinated by the way Coulta would first put his opponent more at ease by using an attack that was easy to block, but from there he'd draw the entrant into a fight intense enough to distract the opponent from who he was fighting. He'd switch his sword hand frequently and sometimes used a dagger in his other hand. His opponents often scored highest because of the number of blocks and attacks involved, though the duels were shorter than Yvona and Rohan's.
"You're watching him a little too intensely for the public eye," Anil quietly said from beside him at one point.
He glanced at her and cleared his throat. "Right."
From behind him he heard Shelton chuckle.
There was a break at midday for lunch, then the duels continued into the evening. As dusk set in, Shelton set spells to give the arena lighting that mimicked the sun, so that no one could argue their scores because they had had poor lighting while the others had not. The sun had set completely by the time the final duel ended and they could leave.
Coulta met them at the base of the stairs to the platform, looking far more tired than he had seemed while fighting his final duel. Rohan and Yvona both looked the same, despite their own final duels. None of them had lost a single round. Coulta allowed Ralix to place his crown back on his head, despite the fact that he looked even less like a king now that his hair was matted with sweat and he was covered in arena sand.
They ate a late dinner when they returned to the castle, which Coulta ate so much of Wildas hoped he wouldn't be sick. When they returned to their rooms, Coulta went to bathe while Wildas struggled to change out of his courtly clothes for something more comfortable, with some help from Star. Anil hadn't been feeling well and Myri had gone with her to Anil's room to keep her company and make her some tea, after they had each given Wildas a kiss goodnight and asked him to tell Coulta goodnight for them.
When Coulta hadn't returned from his room after some time, Wildas went to look for him. It wasn't like Coulta not to wish them all a goodnight, even if he wanted to sleep in his own bed. Wildas found him asleep in his bath, which must have gone cold by then. Coulta's face had the same pained look it frequently had when he slept, and Wildas knew he was dreaming of the innocent lives he'd been forced to take as Varin's cursed pawn.
Not wanting to startle him, Wildas stroked his hand through Coulta's damp black hair until Coulta slowly opened his eyes and looked up at him.
Coulta grimaced and quietly muttered, "Cold in here."
Wildas smiled and kissed Coulta's forehead before getting him a towel. "Do you want anything from Myri?"
Coulta thanked him and got out of the tub. "No, I just need to sleep." He looked at Wildas and added, "Will you stay? I'm exhausted, but being close to you makes sleep a little easier."
Wildas nodded. "Of course."
2
Coulta felt completely recovered the next morning. A full day of sword duels had been as enjoyable as he'd expected, but it had also been exhausting. He hadn't used magic at all against his opponents, out of fairness because Rohan and Yvona didn't have magic. He still hadn't lost any of his duels, and only Rohan had come close to losing any of his.
The rest of the tournament wouldn't be as enjoyable for him, though. The second day was the archery contest over which Wildas had to watch with all of his spouses. At least Coulta was able to dress more comfortably than Wildas could, in black and silver velvet. The only disadvantage was that he got hot in the summer sun, despite the canopy over the platform where he sat beside Wildas. Servants brought food and drink frequently, but it didn't help the fact that the day was the warmest they'd had so far, despite it being the middle of summer. Both Anil and Myri had hand fans, but Anil eventually asked to return to her room with her lady-in-waiting, which Wildas was happy to allow.
"If people mutter about it, we'll make the formal announcement," Wildas told Coulta and Myri after Anil had left. "Normally it wouldn't be announced until next month, though."
"Why wait that long?" Coulta asked, curious.
"To make sure she doesn't lose the baby early," Myri explained. "It happens occasionally. Better to announce it when she's less likely to have a miscarriage."
The rest of the day consisted of watching the contestants shoot fifteen arrows each at targets that were positioned at varying distances and angles. A few entrants were much better than others and earned more attention from the spectators, but most only got mild applause for their efforts.
Coulta was thankful when the day's contest was over, and they were able to return to the castle for the evening.
"Did you notice anyone questioning Anil's absence with your improved hearing?" Myri asked as they walked back to the castle with Shelton, Rohan, and Yvona.
"Nothing truly serious," Wildas explained. "Just a few, 'oh I wonder where the queen went' comments that didn't progress into any false ideas."
"Why is court such a difficult place?" Myri questioned.
Shelton snorted behind them. "Because it's full of old fools who think they need to prevent things from happening that they don't want to happen. Because people like to believe they have real power, when really they have very little. The Grand King doesn't need to listen to them. He only listens to keep everyone happy. As long as he does what his aunts and uncles want, things aren't difficult. When he doesn't, he'll need to assert his power to keep the dogs at heel. It was like this when Deandre came to power. Whispers and grumbles from the court until he had both had an heir and proven himself worthy of their loyalty. It would be easier if we weren't being faced with impending war."
"Hopefully I prove myself to them soon," Wildas grumbled.
"It will get easier as your aunts and uncles retire and are replaced at court by your brothers and sisters," Shelton assured him. "And once you have an heir."
Coulta hoped, for all their sakes, that Anil's child would be a son. Wildas had enough to deal with without constant nagging on the part of his advisers, none of whom ever seemed to agree on anything, except that Wildas needed to be molded to their needs and not his own. At least, that's how it seemed to be to Coulta.
***
Anil had enjoyed watching Coulta fight the contestants on the first day of the tournament, but the archery hadn't been as interesting to watch, especially when she started to feel ill again. Watching the mounted contest was much more pleasant, aside from the fact that it was raining. They were dry under the canopy on the platform, but the air still felt damp. She didn't mind, though, because watching the Ryal warhorses doing what they had been trained for was so enjoyable to watch.
"How does this contest go?" she had asked after seating herself beside Wildas.
"Each person is assigned a horse to ride," he explained. "At a canter they first have to slice the apple on the top of that narrow podium with their swords."
He pointed to a pole set upright in the arena sand that was just wide enough to hold the apple sitting atop it.
"Then they must collect all three of those hanging metal rings on their swords and drop them in the barrel."
His finger moved to another set of poles that held three rings suspended in the air by narrow ropes, then to a barrel at the other side of the arena.
"Then they switch to the bow and shoot each of those three targets."
These were identical to the targets from the day before, and a translucent purple wall shimmered behind them. Shelton must have put it there in case the contestants missed and fired into the spectators, of which there weren't as many today, likely because of th
e rain, she assumed.
"They earn points based on how well they execute each of these tasks. A point is lost for falls, but they are allowed to get back on and start again on the part of the course they fell at. The rain will be an extra challenge today, but it should challenge all of them equally."
"What if a horse acts up?" Myri asked from Anil's other side. She was leaning on the arm of her chair and listening.
Wildas shrugged. "When they do, it's usually because of poor riding. The entrants don't lose points for that, because it usually results in poorer performance with one of the challenges."
Anil truly enjoyed watching the powerful horses move through the arena. The entrants were mostly good riders but only a few did perfectly in all parts of the contest. Some couldn't slice the apple perfectly or catch all of the rings, and a couple of competitors missed the barrel with at least one ring. Very few entrants could accurately shoot from horseback, and it was a good thing that Shelton had put a barrier between the targets and the spectators.
By the end of the day, Anil felt exhausted. She thought perhaps she shouldn't have waved off Myri's repeated suggestions that she return to her room for the rest of the day. She could barely eat any of her dinner and her spouses seemed concerned. Finally, she let Dala, her lady-in-waiting, take her to her room and help her change for the night.
Myri joined her a short time later, while Anil was reading by the hearth. She had changed from her own gown and into one for sleeping. Anil allowed her to fuss over her and willingly drank the tea Myri made her to cut the chill from the damp air.
"I don't want you catching sick," Myri told her as she added another piece of wood to the fire. "Wildas is worrying about you, too."
"I wonder why," Anil said quietly, then blushed when she realized how that sounded.
Myri gave her a confused look. "What do you mean? He cares about you."
Anil looked down at the mug of tea in her hands. Firelight shone on the polished metal of her wedding ring with its four small diamonds. "Does he worry because he cares about me, or only because I may be carrying his heir?"
"Why would you wonder such a silly thing?" Myri questioned. "Of course he wants the baby to be born healthy, and I'm sure he'd prefer it to be a son so that the worry of having an heir is gone, but he also cares about you."
Anil nodded. "I'm sorry. Sometimes the doubt comes from nowhere. We may be married, but we still only met a few months ago."
"Yes, and he decided he wanted you to be his wife in that short amount of time. He wouldn't have married someone he didn't care at all about."
"It wasn't just that he had finally met Coulta and needed wives so he could marry him? He and Coulta are soul-partners after all."
Myri shook her head. "Certainly the soul-link between them makes his need for Coulta somewhat stronger, but that doesn't mean he cares less for you. His love for Coulta has existed all his life, they just didn't know each other. His love for you is new and growing."
There was a knock on the door that halted their conversation. Myri went to answer it and Anil felt horribly guilty when she saw it was Wildas. Had he been able to hear their conversation even through the thick door with his power of enhanced hearing?
The look on his face said that he had.
He walked slowly to where she sat and wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind, pressing his face to her neck. "I'm sorry you're still doubting me," he whispered.
The pain in his voice cut through her deeper than she could have imagined. Her foolish thoughts were hurting him, and she hadn't even considered that they could. Gods, she wasn't even a good friend, let alone a good wife.
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm sorry if this isn't what you wanted and now you're trapped. I'm sorry, Anil. I'm so sorry."
Oh gods, he was crying.
"No," she whispered, and grasped one of his hands with her own. "I'm a fool. I'm sorry. I don't know why I said those things."
"Pregnancy can do strange things to a woman's mind," Myri said gently, coming forward to place a hand on each of them.
Her words didn't seem to do anything for Wildas, so Anil tightened her hold on his hand and used some of her own magic from Coulta to calm him just like she did for the upset horses when she worked in the stables.
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I don't truly doubt you. I'm still adjusting to things here."
He nodded and kissed her cheek. "I'm still going to do what I can to make sure you never doubt me. I care, Anil. And I love you."
Anil blushed and squeezed his hand tighter. "I love you," she whispered.
***
Wildas found Coulta sitting in his bedchamber on a cushioned chair by the hearth when he left Anil's room. Coulta appeared to be practicing magic, from what Wildas could tell. At least, he couldn't think of any other explanation for a fire starting and going out repeatedly in the hearth that was absent of all wood at the moment. It was too warm now that summer had come for the hearth to be used frequently, despite the current touch of chill from the rainy weather.
Coulta glanced up when he heard Wildas come into the room, and he looked concerned. "Is she well?"
Wildas sighed and sat down in a chair beside his husband. "I hope so. She's worried I may have only married her for convenience. Maybe even because I was sympathetic. If I wanted convenience I would have married before meeting any of you."
"That would have made things difficult."
Wildas knew it had been the soul link that had kept him from marrying. It hadn't felt right until he'd finally met Coulta. But he also knew that he hadn't chosen Anil or Myri for convenience. They were his friends.
"I'm sure it's just hard for her," Coulta assured him, reaching over to grasp his hand. "It's only been a few months since we all met you. Now we're married and she's pregnant."
Wildas nodded and squeezed Coulta's hand. "I just hope I can be a good enough husband to make her see that she's important to me. All of you are."
***
They continued the tournament the next day. Coulta was happy to work with Rohan and Yvona again, this time in hand-to-hand combat without weapons. He didn't enjoy it quite as much as sword fighting, mainly because he was better with swords than his bare hands, but it was a good excuse to be active and not confined to the seat beside Wildas.
Like Yvona and Rohan, Coulta wore plain clothes instead of his usual fighting leathers for the contest, and he'd left his sword belt behind. Nothing about any of them looked royal, but the contestants were still clearly intimidated. The list of contestants had been altered so that no one fought the same person they had fought in the sword duels, and Coulta found himself working harder again to get his challengers comfortable enough to actually fight him. By the end of the day he was sweaty, covered in arena sand, and bruised from allowing a few more hits than he had originally planned.
As they were walking back to the castle Wildas leaned close to Coulta and said quietly, "Don't fall asleep in the bath this time. I thought of something that might make Anil happy. And I want you and Myri to come with us."
Coulta was not feeling the desire to travel very far. "To where?"
"We'll still be in the castle," Wildas assured him.
Coulta was still curious but chose to wait and see what Wildas had planned. Trusting Wildas came naturally after all.
***
Anil was surprised when Wildas told her they were going for a walk when they returned from dinner.
"We aren't going far," he assured her. "I just thought you'd like to see the courtyard at night."
Myri seemed to know whatever he meant by that, because she was obviously excited. "Will we get to see them? Whenever I've picked herbs with Sara they've avoided us."
Wildas smiled slightly. "They don't like Sara. She doesn't talk to them, she just picks her herbs. If it wasn't for the promise between us, they'd be pestering her all the time."
"What are you talking about?" Anil asked, utterly confused.
"You'll see," Wildas said and
gently grasped her hand.
Coulta joined them a moment later, running his hands through his wet hair. He was wearing black as usual, and had his sword belt on. Anil was sure he had just taken the fastest bath anyone was capable of.
"Ready to go?" Wildas asked as he stood. Anil and Myri stood with him.
"I think I still have sand in my hair," Coulta commented, but nodded.
"I'm surprised you can't use your magic to clean yourself, as powerful as you are," Myri said with a smile.
Coulta gave her a thoughtful look. "I never thought to try."
"You can try later," Wildas said as he turned to the door.
Anil wasn't expecting Wildas to take her hand as they walked through the castle, but when he did she smiled at him. She knew he was trying for her because she had admitted to doubting his reasons for marrying her, and it made her feel ashamed. She deeply regretted saying those things, even though she hadn't intended for him to hear her.
The courtyard was lit by an odd, pale glow. Anil knew the moon shouldn't be shining so brightly in the enclosed space, but then she noticed the elegant metal poles scattered around the courtyard from which hung glowing white orbs.
"They're called moon crystals," Myri explained. "They simulate moonlight to help the night herbs grow. The dark orbs hanging beside them are the sun crystals. They do the same during the day. Otherwise it's too shadowy in here except at midday for most plants to grow this well."
Wildas led them along a narrow cobbled path to a fountain at the center of the courtyard. There were several benches arranged around the fountain, but Wildas sat on the edge of the fountain itself. As Anil sat beside him she noticed the sheer number of plants around her – small trees, vines, shrubs, small leafy plants, flowering plants – and all were perfectly arranged and tended. Myri sat down beside her, and Coulta sat on Wildas's other side. Anil had noticed that, despite the curse no longer forcing him to protect Wildas, Coulta still considered himself their husband's protector and wouldn't allow him to be exposed even as they sat in the courtyard.