The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga)

by Rachel Rossano

  Give me something to reassure me, please.

  Nothing.

  “Don't look so frightened,” the king whispered. She tried to relax against her body's instinctive recoiling. “I won't drop you. You look as though I intended to throw you down the stairs.”

  The suggestion invoked memories and a frantic urge to fight. She battled against instinct. He paused in his movement toward the door.

  “Princess?”

  She closed her eyes against the memories, a futile effort. Her muscles tensed for the panic of free fall ending in agony. A phantom ache settled in her chest, reminder of the broken rib.

  “Princess? Lirth, are you alright?” His voice grew concerned. “No one will hurt you. You are safe now.”

  Except from you?

  The thought rose unbidden and she shivered. He waited for a response. Finally, she managed a nod.

  Outside, from the base of the tower came muffled shouts. Ireic’s voice called her attention back to him.

  “I need you to act like you are in the safest place in the world. Pretend I am the love of your life.”

  Lirth could feel her mouth widening in a sarcastic smile. How I wish. Love the man she met a moment ago, this stranger to whom she was betrothed?

  “Don't overdo it, though.” His voice whispered low and gentle with mild amusement at her cool reception. “Just look enamored enough so I can tell my men it was love at first sight.”

  He started forward again and Lirth ducked her head to hide her face against his shoulder. If the confusion she felt shone in her eyes, she did not want anyone to see. Not him. Not yet.

  His men preceded them down the rickety stairs. From the sounds of their collective feet she would guess at least five men waited on the small landing outside her door.

  The moment Ireic's foot touched the solid earth, a small disturbance erupted ahead of them. He strode forward. Beyond the protection of the tower walls the air whipped around them, biting through her worn layers to nip at her back.

  “Going down,” he warned softly in her ear. He lowered her feet to the ground. The cold stone beneath her thin slippers sent shivers up her spine. She clenched her teeth and struggled not to shake. He did not withdraw. Lirth welcomed the warmth of the solid arm he placed across her shoulders.

  As she steadied herself and gathered her wayward cloak about her, one voice rose above the rest clamoring for attention.

  “My king!”

  After some scuffling, Lirth guessed the one of the men was shoved to the front.

  Surprisingly Ireic addressed the man directly. “What news do you bring?”

  “An armed party is headed this way, your majesty.”

  “How many?”

  “At least one hundred on horseback. They will reach us in an hour.”

  The arm holding her tightened, a reflection of the tension in the man.

  “Trahern,” Ireic called. Someone moved nearer on their right. “Take half the men and head northwest until you reach the northern trade road. Follow it to the border. We will meet you in the capital.” He turned; Lirth almost lost her balance. “Captain?”

  The king steadied her as a new man responded a few feet to their left. “Aye.” Weariness filled the man’s voice.

  Ireic continued his instructions. “Head due west on the most direct route to Ana City. Both of you move as quickly as possible. Any questions?”

  After a brief and heavy silence, Ireic dismissed them. The rush of men moving assaulted her ears. Over the noise, Ireic asked, “Have you ever ridden a horse?”

  “Yes. My brothers would take me out with them when we were young. I would ride behind them.”

  With his arm guiding her, the king started walking. “I am going to have you ride in front of me on this trip.”

  They approached a horse. She could hear the sound of air being blown in and out of the beast's nose.

  “I am going to mount first,” he warned.

  The king withdrew. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders, bending her head into the wind. Metal struck stone and the saddle creaked as horse and gear adjusted to their new load.

  “Here, your highness.” A new voice spoke. She jumped as a large gloved hand caught hers and laid it on the warm shoulder of the horse. “If you would just raise your right foot...” Out of habit, she obeyed. With expert care, he guided her foot to the king's boot in the stirrup. And before she could be sure what happened, she was sitting securely in the saddle with the king's arm anchoring her in place.

  Ireic's breath brushed her cheek. “Hold onto the pommel.” He guided her hand to the smooth surface of the leather-covered raised front of the saddle. “Got it?” His question was almost drowned in the noise of a bugle sounding a march.

  She nodded.

  The horse sidestepped as another horse drew abreast. “Ready, sire?” It was the man who helped her onto the horse.

  “Aye.”

  Arms came around her from both sides. One hand took the reins and the other settled loosely around her waist. The horse turned and they were off. As they cleared what Lirth guessed was the outside wall, Ireic tightened his hold and kicked the horse into a gallop.

  __________

  Chapter Two

  Ireic could feel her ribs through at least five layers of cloth. True, they were threadbare layers. Even if they weren’t, he considered her too thin to be healthy. Cautious not to hurt her, he clamped her securely to his chest with his left arm while guiding the horse with his right. She clung to the horn of the saddle. He felt her efforts to relax against him and not fight the movement of the horse.

  Ireic glanced at his companion and bodyguard, Isack Welling, keeping pace on his older stallion. For a brief moment, their eyes met and Ireic nodded. Isack took the lead. Ireic needed most of his concentration for the frail woman in his arms.

  They traveled at a gallop for a while with Isack in front and Ireic and Lirth bringing up the tail. When the horses began to indicate they needed a break, Isack brought them down to a walk.

  “Why are you king and not your brother?” Lirth asked.

  Ireic straightened a bit in surprise.

  “I was only curious. If I remember correctly, Prince Trahern is older and first in line to the Anavrean throne.”

  “It is a long story, Princess.”

  “Give me the shortened version, then.”

  “He didn’t want to be king.”

  She leaned back as if to look up at him. “And you did?”

  “No.”

  They rode in silence for a few minutes. The late afternoon waned in a blaze of color. Isack rode almost even with Ireic and Lirth.

  “Then why did you accept the crown?”

  It was a question that had plagued him in the year since he stepped into his father’s shoes. An easy answer still evaded him.

  “Partially for Anavrea, partially for Trahern, but mostly I did it for Eve.”

  “Eve?”

  “My sister-in-law, Trahern’s wife.”

  “Oh. I am not sure how that explains it.”

  Ireic sighed. “Before my father died, he banished Trahern, put a price on his head and declared me the sole heir to the crown. Trahern married Eve while he was on the run. When our father died, I tried to convince Trahern to take the throne, but he refused.”

  “And you accepted the crown because someone had to?”

  “Exactly.”

  She yawned. “That doesn’t explain how Eve came into your decision.”

  Her head rested in the hollow of his shoulder as her limbs grew heavier. Within minutes, she would be asleep. Ireic adjusted his cloak so it covered her as well.

  “If I kept Trahern in Ana City, it would have killed her. Not physically, but emotionally. Just the few months they have spent at court left mark enough. Constantly living there would strain her to breaking. The court shuns her for her birth. Trahern refuses to bring her to visit anymore. I don’t blame him.”

  Lirth relaxed against Ireic. Finally her head di
pped as she gave in to fatigue. Ireic glanced around for Isack.

  Now they traveled in full darkness. Isack was nowhere in sight at the moment, off on one of his occasional circling trips to ensure they were not being followed.

  Slowing his stallion even more, Ireic tried to shift Lirth’s weight as her head dipped again. The movement woke her enough to protest when he loosened her grip on the horn.

  “Are we stopping?”

  “Not yet.” Ireic wished very much that they were. “Can you do me a great favor?”

  A slender hand slipped from his grasp and touched his chin. Ireic brought the horse to a halt.

  ~~~~~~

  The roughness of a few days’ worth of scruff caught at the sensitive skin of her fingertips. Gasping at the discomfort, Lirth tried to pull herself back to reality, but it slipped from her like moonlight. He was real. The sensation of his beard and warm skin proved it. Her heart hammered against her ribs. No matter how she tried, she could not swallow the lump in her throat.

  So tired... I feel so tired. She could not tell if they had stopped or not due to the swimming of her head and it frightened her. A warm hand closed around hers and a voice that she knew belonged to the man behind her asked her to shift positions. Obediently she followed his directions.

  “Can I go back to sleep now?”

  “Yes,” the voice said. Lirth slipped back into the oblivion of sleep and the blessed warmth holding her.

  ~~~~~~

  Her skin burned beneath his fingertips. Ireic could feel the fever's heat even after he readjusted his thicker cloak around her thin shoulders. Delirious and lost in her version of reality, she murmured nonsense occasionally. He cradled her head against his shoulder. It was the best he could think of in such a situation. She needed food, warmth, and sleep. Just as he was about to urge the horse into motion again, Isack approached.

  “Your brother sends word that the hound has followed the southern rabbit.” Isack drew alongside as Ireic's mount began to move. “Is she alright? She appears too frail for this type of travel.”

  “I agree.” Ireic pulled her a little closer than before. “How far are Trahern's men from us?”

  “About a mile north.”

  “Bring him to me please.” Ireic gazed out into the night. “I need to ask him something about a change in plans.”

  With a brief, “Aye,” Isack turned and disappeared into the night.

  Ireic continued along the vague trail and planned how to best handle the process of introducing his future queen to his council. His people did not worry him. They would love her because she was beautiful and his wife, a symbol of future stability. She represented hope for heirs, sons to smoothly follow in his path.

  Very few of his subjects knew he had already provided for a smooth transition. In the event of his untimely death, Trahern's son, Seth Theodoric would become king with his father acting as regent until he was of age.

  Ireic’s thoughts were dragged back to the present by the dull thunder of approaching horses. He greeted his brother and bodyguard as they all came to a halt.

  “I wish to change course for the school,” Ireic declared as soon as the two were within hearing. “The princess is ill, and I don't believe that it will go well if the council gets fed all the bad news at once.”

  Trahern frowned at the dark head visible beneath the cloak. “I will send a messenger ahead to warn Eve. We can reach the school by dawn tomorrow. Will she make it?”

  “Eve is of equal importance.” Ireic met his brother's eyes. “Is it really safe to bring sickness into the house?”

  “As long as it is not contagious.” Trahern guided his horse closer so he could see Lirth’s face within the cloak. “Is she asleep?”

  “Yes.” Ireic drew the cloak’s folds back so Trahern could view for himself the feverish coloring in her cheeks. “She is underfed and weak. She said they didn’t let her out of that room for at least a year.” Ireic tried to contain the anger that rose with the thought. The way she had flinched when he moved to touch her spoke more eloquently than any words of their treatment of her. Looking up, he recognized matching indignation in his brother's eyes. “Is the man who held her prisoner dead?”

  Trahern nodded. “I am glad. I would not have enjoyed chasing you chasing him.” Ignoring Ireic's new questioning look, Trahern drew away. “I will see you there.” Then turning his steed, he departed in the direction that he had come.

  “The school, sire?” Isack asked.

  “The school.” Ireic rearranged the wrappings around his bride and urged his horse into a trot. They would plan the best course of action after they all rested.

  ~~~~~~

  The sun cleared the eastern horizon as Ireic, Lirth, and Isack crested the ridge overlooking Trahern’s school. The red glow painted the mountains gold and lifted fog from their slopes. Relief rose in Ireic's heart when he spotted the peaked roof above the trees.

  Lirth remained unconscious, but she was no longer peaceful. She occasionally fought his supporting arm, and once her thrashing had forced him to stop and drop the reins or lose his grip on her. Twice during these scuffles, she called him Waren. The pleading desperation in her voice brought up his ire against Baron Tor and her father.

  Ireic was thankful she was silent for the moment when he saw who was coming out to greet them.

  The great house sat on a broad expanse of lawn, making it easy to see those approaching it from all sides. The inhabitants must have been watching. A group of people had already walked halfway across the lawn to greet them.

  “Is that Lady Eve, Sire?” Isack, who had never met Ireic's sister-in-law, was looking quite shocked as their greeters drew closer.

  “Yes, Isack,” Ireic answered with a rueful smile. “That is her. I hope Trahern does not see her out here.” Lirth stirred against Ireic’s shoulder. He adjusted his grip on her waist.

  Ireic finished settling Lirth a moment before Eve and two of the students reached them. He looked up in time to observe his bright-eyed and smiling sister-in-law come to a slightly breathless halt.

  “Welcome Ireic, We have been expecting you.”

  “Has Trahern arrived?”

  Ireic frowned down at Eve. Heavy with child, her small frame seemed inadequate for the precious burden it carried. So small that she began to show almost immediately, she now looked ready to burst. Ireic, counting back, estimated her to be just entering her eighth month.

  He rarely had the benefit of seeing the beauty of a mother-to-be. Noble women withdrew from society once they entered their fourth month. Even now, the unmarried Isack shifted uncomfortably and averted his eyes.

  “Labren’s messenger said that he would be right behind you.”

  She tended to refer to her husband as Labren, the name he went by when they met. Concern darkened her green eyes. “Is he the one who needs medical attention?”

  “No.” Ireic nodded toward the woman in his arms. “This is your patient. If you tell me which room to take her to, I will see she is settled there.”

  “I prepared your usual rooms, but Trahern did not mention a need for more accommodations in the house.” Unconsciously pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders against the chill of the morning, Eve paused to think.

  “Are you short on rooms?” Ireic asked.

  Nodding absentmindedly, Eve frowned. “Yes, we are unusually full this year. Labren plans to build, but we are waiting for spring to break ground.”

  “You need to get out of the cold.”

  King or no king, Trahern would have Ireic’s head if he came upon them like this.

  “I will go ahead. We can work out the accommodations when we reach the house.” Ireic turned to Isack. “Escort Lady Eve back to the house before Trahern sees her.” Then turning his horse as best he could with one hand, he urged the beast toward the distant house.

  It took only a few moments to reach the large front door. It opened as he approached, and Trahern appeared from within.

  Catching sight o
f his brother, Trahern opened his mouth to ask something, but Ireic did not allow him the chance.

  “Your wife came to meet us. Help me down before you go fetch her.”

  A small flash of surprise flickered across Trahern's face. He replaced it with a frown of determination. Stepping forward to take Lirth while Ireic dismounted, Trahern impatiently waited to hand her back.

  “I will take care of the horse.” Trahern called after Ireic as he negotiated Lirth’s feet through the door.

  Ireic glanced back in time to see Trahern kick the horse into a gallop.

  “I should have never taken him away from Eve.”

  Lirth, as if sensing the regret in his heart, pushed away from him. Ireic almost dropped her. Shoving aside his family concerns, he focused on her. She needs me more right now.

  Adjusting his hold, Ireic headed for the wide winding stairs to the second floor. Eve and Trahern have each other, but I am all Lirth has.

  What kind of marriage could one build on such a tenuous thread of need? He didn’t know anything about her. She could be a gossip, a whiner, or a manipulator. He shivered at the thought of the last. His mother played his father from the moment they met. Her schemes had almost cost Trahern’s life, a fact Ireic couldn’t detach from his memories of her.

  ~~~~~~

  A day later, the red glow of the setting sun greeted Ireic when he entered the school library. He could not help the fond memories the long shadows evoked. It had only been a few years since he and Trahern spent long afternoons in this room planning the restructuring of Anavrea's monarchy. As he made his way between the long heavy tables, Ireic spotted his brother leaning over the same desk they had used then.

  “How is the princess?” Trahern did not look up as he spoke, but continued to study the large tome open before him.

  “Hard to say.” Ireic pulled a chair away from one of the nearby tables and sank into it. His body settled into the molded seat. Traveling all night and day took more out of him each time he did it. A day later and he still felt weary. “Eve says the bruises and other signs seem to indicate that Lirth was beaten occasionally and fed sparingly.”