by Fiona Wilde
"There are none to match them that I've heard of," Lenora said. "She reached up to pluck a juicy peach for herself and then, as if by an afterthought, reached up and plucked one for Kier as well."
He exclaimed in pleasure as he took a bite. "Wonderful," he said.
"Indeed," she said. "My father only selected the very best rootstock for the garden. Just as he only selected the best horses for his stables."
"And the prettiest woman in the kingdom to wed," Kier added. "I've seen your mother's portraits around the castle. She's breathtaking. You look just like her."
Lenora smiled. Were it not true she'd accuse him of class flattery.
"She left us far too early, and without giving my father what he really wanted," she said.
"Which was?"
"A son, of course," she replied. "My father loves us but we represent his only five failures."
"Come now," he said. "I'm sure he doesn't feel that way."
"You of all people should know I speak the truth," she replied. "Had your father lived you would already be running your kingdom. And yet I - with equal intelligence and determination - am nothing more than bait for whatever man he deems to be a potential ruler. As you pointed out, if you fail then he'll simply find someone else. My father will do anything to avoid respecting us as thinking humans."
She sounded so sad, and Kier ached to take her in his arms, to hold her and reassure her that he did indeed believe she was capable, just as she said. But he didn't want to do that. To acknowledge that she should be allowed rule the kingdom with her sisters would only make Lenora more determined to do just that. And Kier's first responsibility was to his brothers and himself.
"If we marry, you'll still be Queen," he said encouragingly.
"In title only," she said. "I'll still be relegated to long days of embroidery or entertaining at insufferably boring teas. I'll have no say as to the state of this kingdom."
"What of motherhood?" he asked. "Do you not think that will keep you happily occupied? It would be hard to mother and rule."
"Do you intend to stop ruling once you become a father?"
"No," he said. "That's silly. Why should I? I'll not need to. I'll have you to give all the care to our children."
She stopped. "Exactly. However, if I'm to be a broodmare, you should house me in the stables."
"It's not like that," he protested.
"Isn't it?" she asked. "Put yourself in our shoes for once. Imagine that things were reversed and you were told to bury your intelligence, your potential, your good ideas because all you were good for was producing children. Or if those children were all girls, then nothing at all." She sighed. "Sometimes I think perhaps I would be better off just leaving, just going somewhere far away where no one knows me. Perhaps I could live in the woods and become a herbalist and tend to the sick. At least that way people would need me for something besides my womb."
Kier shook his head and reached out to push a tendril of hair away from her face. "Your beauty would give you away."
She scoffed anew. "My beauty comes as much from being pampered as from heredity, Prince Kier. I've never seen a hard winter, or a hard day's work, for that matter. I've never slept a night outside a feather bed, have never experienced cold or loss - save my mother's death - nor hunger, plague or any of the ills that rob women of their looks. It's illusion, Kier," she said. "Nothing more. The really beautiful women are those who retain their good hearts amidst challenge. I cannot even find a good heart amid plenty."
"Perhaps realizing that is the first step towards making that happen."
"Maybe," she said. "But I do not think I can do it here."
"Why not here, and why not as my queen?" Kier asked then. "Why could you not rule by my side and do the good you want to do?"
She looked at him suspiciously. "The man who spanks me as a child now sees me as fit to partner with him on the throne. How convenient."
"You think I'm lying," he said.
"I think you'll say or do whatever you need to win my hand," she replied.
Lenora turned away and began walking towards the pond. Kier stood there, conflicted. He was being sincere, and was angry with her for rebuffing his offer. But when he did as she suggested and thought about things from her perspective he could see why she might be suspicious.
"I don't blame you," he said after her and she stopped and turned. He jogged up to her.
"I don't blame you," he repeated in case she had not heard. "I am without title or lands. My brothers and I have nothing now but the clothes on our backs. If we fail to win your hands we'll be reduced to living as peasants and our fortunes will depend on what living we can scrape from the soil. That's a frightening prospect for someone told all his life that he was born to rule."
"You are right to be suspect of my words," he said. "Which is why I shall seek to prove that I mean what I say."
"And how," she asked, crossing her arms. "Do you intend to do that?"
"My brothers," he said. "They are attempting to tame your sisters as we speak. I fear for them."
"My sisters can take care of themselves. Don't fear for them," she said.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "You don't understand. It's my brothers I fear for. They lack the maturity to stop and listen. I need your advice, Lenora. How can my brothers reach your princesses? How can they win them?"
She raised an eyebrow. "You expect me to help your brothers prevail over my own flesh and blood?"
"Please," he said.
She considered this. "If I do, what will you do for me?"
"Anything," he said. "Anything. Your heart's desire - riches, jewels, fine horses."
Lenora threw back her head and laughed. "You have nothing!" she said. "All you stand to gain now belongs to my father! You would take what is rightfully my inheritance and give it to me as a gift?"
Kier reddened with embarrassment. She was right. He sounded like a complete fool.
"Try again" she said. "You want to marry me. Show me how well you know me. Tell me, Prince Kier. What is my heart's desire?"
"To be recognized as being as smart as if you'd been born a male," he said. "And to rule alongside me should I become king."
Lenora walked up to Kier, stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips ever so slightly against his cheek.
"Yes, Prince," she said. "That is exactly what I want. I am a strong woman. But I will require a strong man if I am to rule with him and not over him. Find that balance and you shall win my hand."
She turned again and walked down the path. He watched her and his heart quickened. He'd set off to conquer her and instead she was conquering him. Kier was falling in love with Princess Lenora, and he was powerless to stop it.
* * *
In the evening they took their meals together in the suites.
"Will I never see my sisters again?" Lenora asked, looking at him cagily.
"I should hope we'll all see our siblings again, soon," he said. "Have you thought any more about whether you will help me?"
"I have," she said. "And I am inclined to say yes save for one thing."
"What is that?" he asked.
"I do not know whether I can trust you. What do you have to lose by lying, after all?"
"What every true prince fears losing the most, his honor." Kier looked down at the ring his father had given him before his death. "My father raised me and my brothers to be men of honor. If I were to break my promise to you then it would be the same as spitting on his memory."
"So you will swear it then?" she asked. "You will swear that I will have a place of leadership by your side?"
He walked to her and knelt, taking her hand. "Princess Lenora," he said. "Help my brothers understand how to tame and win your sisters and when I am king you will rule by my side as my queen. You will be neither more nor less than I, and I shall be neither more nor less than you."
She smiled. "Rise, prince."
He did, pulling her to stand along with him.
"And now," he s
aid, "I would taste that beautiful mouth. All day have your lips beckoned and teased me. I can wait no longer."
"You would kiss me without my leave?" she asked, indignant.
"Indeed I would," he said. "We may rule as king and queen one day, but in matters of love and lust I shall always take the lead."
And his kiss was, indeed, masterful. Lenora had never been kissed, and the pressure and warmth of his mouth on hers made her frightfully weak in the knees. His arms encircled her, holding her up until she found the strength and bravery to return his kiss.
Tentatively at first, her arms went around him and then his hand was entwined in her long, glossy hair, the fragrant waves spilling through his fingers like a golden tide.
"Lenora," he said. "Beautiful Lenora."
He wanted to do more. A hand went about her waist. She was so supple, so firm. His fingers ached to touch bare skin, to see her spill from the bodice that fitted her so tightly that her breasts swelled above the neckline.
"No." He tore his lips away.
She stepped back. "Have I displeased you?" she asked.
"No, he said. "Indeed you please me greatly. But I gave my word to your father that I would not dishonor you."
"My father does not have to know," Lenora said. "He's an old man who's forgotten such feelings."
"I made a promise," he said.
Lenora made a pouty face. "Oh, I quite forgot I'm incapable of making such decisions for myself."
"That's not it," Kier said. "But I gave my word."
She smiled. "It would appear that your honor cuts both ways."
"Yes it does."
"Will you insist on the same honor from me?" she asked.
"I will," he replied.
"And if I do not display it?"
"As queen you will be subject to me, even if you rule beside me. Dishonor me and I will spank you red and raw."
Lenora surveyed him with an aloof expression. "Indeed?" she asked. "And if I object to such manhandling?"
"I don't think you will," he replied. "I think in your heart you know you need someone to keep you on the righteous path."
She laughed at this. "And you are man enough to do it?"
He grabbed her and his face then went from patient to warning.
"Test me not, my beauty," he said. "I'm fully willing and capable of administering correction this very moment."
She smirked. "Even if it risks our agreement, and your chance at becoming king?"
"Why would it?" he asked. "You vowed to help me. Are you a woman of honor?"
Her eyes flashed. "Of course I am."
"Good," he said. "Then you will understand why I hold you to your word, even as I commit myself to your continued training. Behave well and we will be a force of two. Disobey and you will feel my wrath on your pretty bottom."
Lenora would not tell him how his words excited her. But they did. She'd met Kier thinking him a week, bungling - if not handsome - idiot. But the striking prince had been persistent and creative in dealing with her. He had pursued her, even as he rallied his brothers to do the same with her sisters. He had sought to conquer her without breaking her spirit. He'd confirmed his respect for her, yet established his role as male leader. He was dancing a time-old dance and seemed to know all the right steps.
She had to admit that she was also falling in love with him. But it was not an admission she was ready to make out loud. For Princess Lenora was proud, and part of her still feared that he would double cross her to get what he wanted. If that happened, not only would her chances of being Queen be shattered, but so would her heart.
She was vulnerable to this prince, and that scared and exhilarated her to the core.
As she stood there, she wondered how her siblings were doing. Were they faring as well? Were they compromising? Or were they resisting the princes who sought to tame and woo them?
She'd promised Kier she would help him, and she would. She would offer advice to his brothers, but that wouldn't be enough. They'd still have to win the princesses on their own. And as Kier had seen - while it could be done - it was never easy.
Chapter Five
Fiona and Justin
Kier was correct in fearing for his brothers, even if at the moment he sought Lenora's advice the second-born prince was falling prey to the same false bravado that the eldest had abandoned.
"Face it, Princess Fiona," Justin said, his voice dripping with confidence. Resistance is an exercise in futility. Your father would have not tasked us with establishing our authority over you and your sisters did he not think we were up for the challenge. You may be clever, but you're still just females.
Fiona had a temper. All the princesses did. But along with the subtle art of manipulation she'd learned to mask her emotions entirely. Now even as she seethed, she managed to smile sweetly.
"Indeed we may just be females, but we are the gateway to all that men desire - companionship, comfort, legacy. For one seeking to guarantee that in his life you seem committed to closing the door where I am concerned."
Justin frowned. Her calm demeanor unnerved him. He preferred Fiona to show some emotion, to get angry even. If she was calm she was rational. If she was rational she was plotting. She'd already managed to play him like a fiddle when she'd set him against his own brother. He was wary of her and felt frustrated that she was refusing to be baited.
"I could make this easier for you, though, if you would care to listen," she said.
"Listen? To you?" He snorted derisively. "The last time we listened to you we ended up at one another's throats."
Fiona sighed and shook her head sadly. "That happens in families that where strength is unequal. My sisters and I are fortunate to be equally matched, even if our gifts are different. With you and your brothers there are some who are strong and some who are weak. The pecking order is constantly being challenged."
She shrugged languidly and picked up her embroidery, falling silent as she did. Justin stood and watched her, waiting for more but she just pulled the needle through the cloth. He considered her words, rolling them over in his head. He knew he should not examine them too carefully. Fiona's words had already proven dangerous. But what if....
"We are united," he said.
She looked up and gave him a smile. A slightly sympathetic smile. "Well, of course you are..."
"We are."
"Am I arguing?" she asked. "I have no reason to doubt you, Justin. Your father's defeat and your exile likely had nothing to do with the rumored turmoil that kept you all from rallying as one to the defense of your kingdom."
This was, of course, a complete lie. Fiona had never heard such rumors. In fact, she herself had no interest in the politics of neighboring kingdoms and knew little of Randor's troubles. But Justin did not know that.
"Rumors? What rumors?"
"Really, I'd rather not say. I would not want you to think ill of my father."
"Your father?" He stood up. "Why would I think ill of your father?"
"Do I really need to spell it out for you? He pities you princes. It's widely known that your reputations were destroyed by your inability to agree on a strategy in time to come back and aid your father. The counselors who advise my father made great talk of it. It was well known what happened, but my father is a good man and simply dismissed your weakness as folly of youth..."
"No..that's not true! Justin's face was pained. "There was no weakness. We were away! We were away on travels as ambassadors for Randor. A plea for help from our father was intercepted by enemies...."
Fiona stood, taking him by the shoulders.
"Come now," she said. "Everyone understands why you would tell such a story. After all, the truth that you let your father down is so hard to bear. I personally think your plan to concoct such an explanation should have bee more appreciated by your brothers..."
"My...? My plan?"
Fiona put her hand over her mouth. "Oh dear. I've said too much..."
She gestured to the chair. "Please, Ju
stin. Please sit down. It will do no good for you to get angry with your brothers. I can understand especially why Kier sought to distance himself from the story when other kingdoms began to say that it was nothing more than a way for the sons of Randor to explain away their inability to rally together..."
"Kier?" He glared down at her, shaking his head now.
"Oh no. Oh no you don't," he said. "I know what you're doing, princess. And it won't work this time. Do you hear me?"
"As you wish," she said. "Were I in your shoes I'd probably blame the messenger as well. It's far easier than facing the reality of the situation."
He turned away, brooding. But she knew the damage had already been done. Justin was preoccupied now with new suspicions about his brother. Had something been said to suggest that they were to blame for King Salazar's overthrow? They did bicker from time to time, that as true. But he'd always thought they didn't disagree any more than any other group of brothers.
Justin glanced at Fiona and she looked up again to shoot him another sympathetic smile. How he hated that smile. He did not want this woman's pity; he wanted her respect. He wanted her obedience. If she thought he was an incompetent dupe of his older brother then he would never get that kind of respect.
"I need to go out for a moment." Justin walked to the door.
"Whatever for?" Fiona asked innocently.
"That is my own private matter," he replied, his voice choked with anger. Justin wanted to confront his brother immediately and find out whether what Fiona had said was true. Had Kier heard these rumors, perhaps, and sought to shift blame to him. It would make sense. As the second born he was the most direct threat to Kier.
"Would you like me to accompany you, Prince Justin?"
"No," he said hastily. "You will keep to your chamber. Is that understood."
"As you command," she said. "I know it must be s important to have someone listen to you. For once..."
He turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him. Justin was livid. He hoped he could calm down before reaching his brother, but by the time he arrived at Prince Kier's chamber he was nearly shaking with rage.