Savage Splendor (Savage Lagonda 2)

by Constance O'Banyon

  The young girl smiled brightly. "You have made me very happy, my king."

  Matio looked crestfallen and prepared to leave. He bowed to his king and stepped back a pace.

  "Hold, Matio, I have not yet dismissed you. When you leave here, I want you to report to Jeffery, the head of my guard. Tell him that beginning tomorrow I want you to begin training to become one of my royal guards. It will be hard work, and many times you may wish you had never wanted to become a royal guard, but I see in you the makings of a good man, and I would like to have you in my personal guard."

  Matio's face lit up and his smile seemed to brighten the whole room. "I cannot believe my good fortune. I am most grateful, my king," he said, beaming happily.

  "After you have reported to Jeffery, return home to tell your parents of my judgment. Then bring your belongings and prepare to move into the palace with the other young men in training."

  "I cannot believe this, my king. It is what every young man hopes for but does not think will ever happen to him."

  "You do not yet have the position. You must first prove your ability and there will be many who will vie for the position. Few ever succeed."

  "I will succeed, my king."

  "I do not doubt it. I expect to see you wearing the silver and turquoise before too long."

  Tajarez's eyes moved to rest on Nina's face, which had lost its color. "Are you not happy with my decision, Nina?"

  "I may have been a bit hasty, my king. On thinking about it, I believe I would like to be Matio's wife after all." The young girl smiled prettily.

  Tajarez leaned toward Matio. "You can see that I have rendered you a favor, Matio. Would you like me to reverse my decision and allow you to marry Nina?"

  The young man looked into the eyes of his king with a fresh understanding of Nina's character. He could now see what his king had seen from the beginning. Nina was ambitious and calculating, and now that he had been offered a chance to try for the royal guard she had switched her loyalty once more, for the wife of a royal guard lived in the lower portion of the palace and was looked up to by all the populace. "No, my king, I would not like you to reverse your decision."

  "But Matio, you said you loved me," Nina said, reaching out to him pleadingly.

  "I am sorry for my brother, but grateful to him all the same, for my eyes are now open," Matio stated.

  Tajarez looked at Harset. "You may withdraw. I trust you will be happy with the decision which was rendered here today. It does not speak well when a man tries to take from his brother. I fear you may live to rue the day."

  Harset looked shamefaced and grabbed Nina by the hand, leading her from the anteroom. Tajarez smiled, thinking the fickle Nina would not have an easy time of it.

  Mara sat, thoughtful for a moment. Tajarez had learned well from his wise father, for he had looked below the surface of human nature and detected the truth as she had seen Hamez do on numerous occasions. Tajarez was a man worthy to rule in his father's place. He would be a great king, and she was the fortunate woman he had chosen as his wife. She rose to her feet, thinking it was time for the twins to awaken. Tajarez saw her and gave her a special smile that told her he would join her later.

  Palomas cleared a path through the crowd so Mara could pass. The people looked on her almost with reverence on their faces, and she smiled brightly at them as she passed. No one dared approach her, however, for it was forbidden to do so without her permission.

  When Mara reached the steps that led up to the second story where the royal chambers were located, she saw a woman sitting on the bottom step, holding a young child who seemed to be about the same age as the twins. The woman was startled when her queen sat down on the step beside her. "What a lovely child. I judge her to be about the age of my children," Mara said softly.

  The woman would have risen but Mara reached out and touched her arm. "Sit with me for a moment. I rarely get a chance to talk to anyone who has children the age of mine."

  The woman tried to speak but seemed speechless from the honor which the queen bestowed on her by talking to her. She was further startled when the queen reached for the baby and held her in her lap.

  "What is her name?"

  "T . . . Tinka, my queen."

  "Tinka. That is a lovely name. Is she teething?"

  "Yes, my queen. You must have care or she will dribble on your lovely gown."

  Mara laughed and planted a kiss on the child's fat round face. "I can assure you that I am used to being dribbled on. You must remember that I have two babies, so I have twice as much of everything."

  The woman looked at Mara in awe, and the look was one of worship. She knew her friends would never believe that she had spoken to the queen, and indeed that the queen had held her daughter in her lap.

  "What is your name?" Mara asked as she cuddled the child close to her.

  "I am known as Denes, wife of Sanco, the herdsman."

  "Tell me, Denes, is Tinka having any pain with her teething?"

  Palomas smiled. Trust Mara to do the unexpected. She was so warm and loving that she could not help but reach out to people. How young and unqueenlike she looked at the moment with the Indian child curled up in her lap. It was his honor to guard her, but her unorthodox behavior sometimes made it very difficult for him.

  Mara had not noticed that the crowd of people in the anteroom had moved around her, staring at the sight of their queen sitting on the step talking easily with Denes and holding her daughter in her arms.

  "Yes, my queen, I find she has pain sometimes and will cry excessively."

  "Palomas, go into the nursery and ask Vista to give you a container of the salve the medicine man gave me for Hamez."

  Palomas snapped his fingers to summon the guard who stood near by, and sent him for the salve.

  When would Mara learn, he wondered, that he was her protector and could not leave her side when she was among the people.

  "Little Hamez seemed to suffer greatly from his teething, while his sister did not suffer in the least. The medicine man gave me this salve to rub on his gums and it seems to help a great deal," Mara said.

  "I could never take the medicine of the prince royal, my queen. The honor is too great."

  Mara laughed delightedly, and the woman stared at her as her baby drooled down the front of the queen's gown. Mara did not seem overly concerned as she hugged the child.

  Mara was startled as she looked up to see the crowd of people that by now surrounded her. She had been so deep in conversation with Denes that she had not noticed that she had become the center of attention. Her eyes widened as she saw the crowd move aside and Tajarez stood over her frowning.

  Smiling, she stood up and held the baby out to him, and anyone could have heard his heartbeat as the mighty king took the herdsman's baby in his arms.

  "This is Denes, and her daughter, Tinka," Mara informed him.

  The woman, Denes, scrambled to her feet and bowed before the king.

  "Tinka is having trouble teething. I have sent someone to get a container of the salve the medicine man gave me for Hamez," Mara told him.

  Palomas folded his arms across his wide chest and smiled. Trust Mara to upset the judgment proceedings. He watched as his king's frown turned to a smile. Palomas knew his king was no more immune to Mara's loving kindness than anyone else.

  "A pretty child. What is her age, Denes?" Tajarez asked the woman.

  "She was born not a week before the royal twins, my king."

  Tajarez handed the child back to her mother. "I trust the salve will be of help to her." Then he lapsed into English so only Mara could understand. "You have a way of disturbing me even when I sit in judgment."

  She smiled sweetly. "I am sorry," she answered him in the same language.

  "I doubt that you are. If it is not asking too much, could you refrain from dispensing medicine while I am sitting in judgment?" His words were spoken harshly but the soft look in his eyes told their own story.

  By now the guard had re
turned, carrying the container of salve. Mara took it and handed it to the woman. "I would not give it to her unless her teeth are really bothering her."

  "I thank you, my queen, and may I say that I honor you as my queen?"

  Mara took her hand. "It is I who am honored, Denes. Now if you will excuse me, I believe my children may be awake and wondering where their mother is."

  "We will talk of this later, Mara," Tajarez said as he turned and made his way back to the raised dais where he conducted his business.

  Many eyes watched their lovely queen as she climbed the stairs, but none more adoringly than Denes. Word would spread that she had talked to the queen, and she would find favor as a result.

  "Tajarez did not seem well pleased that you made a shamble of the morning's judgments." Palomas was one of the few who was allowed to speak so familiarly to the queen. He adored her and had once even saved her life when she fell over a cliff. He had been chosen as her protector by Tajarez's father, Hamez, and had undergone an operation that had rendered him impotent so that he could be her guard. He had never regretted giving up his manhood on her behalf, for his happiness lay in seeing her happy, and Mara had indeed found great happiness with his king.

  Mara smiled. "It was not my intention to disrupt the proceedings. I merely wanted to talk to someone who has a baby so I could compare how my children are progressing. I live such a restricted life here in the palace, shut off from the people. Do you really think Tajarez was angry?"

  "I believe he was not overly concerned."

  Mara sighed. "It is very difficult at times to be a queen. I do so like the people of the Lagonda tribe and wish to get to know them better."

  "You are the queen whom they all adore. I, myself, would have you no different than you are."

  They had reached the top of the stairs and Mara looked at Palomas. "Do you really feel that way?" He smiled at her fondly. "It is so, my queen."

  Mara spent the rest of the day with the children. She laughed and played with them, and when it was time for Vista to put them to bed for the night, she kissed each of them and went downstairs, where she had promised to meet Sagas the Wise. When she reached the chamber, she saw him across the room looking at the gold sheeting on the wall. His long robe was the same color as the white of his hair, and he wore no ornaments of precious metals, but he was a man who wielded a great deal of power and commanded respect. He was somewhere over a hundred and twenty years old. No one, not even he, knew for sure what his age was.

  Mara was helping him decipher the hieroglyphics, and the two of them had become very close. Everyone, including Tajarez, was amazed at the way Sagas had warmed to Mara. His fondness for her was apparent. When she was with him his eyes would light up. He was thoughtful and considerate of her, two qualities Sagas was not noted for.

  To Mara, Sagas was as beloved as her own grandfather, who lived in Philadelphia. She and Sagas would have long conversations, and Mara found him to be, with the exception of Tajarez, the most fascinating person she had ever encountered, although Sagas's powers and insight often left her feeling apprehensive. He had predicted Mara's coming to the Seven Cities even before she had been born, and to many she was still referred to as the Golden One.

  Sagas smiled brightly as Mara approached, and she gave him her hand. "I understand you caused some excitement this morning while Tajarez was holding judgment," he told her.

  She sighed. "It seems when I do the simplest things they turn into a disaster. I fear Tajarez was not too pleased with me."

  The old man released her hand. "When I spoke to him he was indeed pleased with you. Never change, Mara. You will be a great queen, and the people love you well."

  "Are you speaking as my friend who wants to comfort me, or have you seen into the future and know I will be a great queen?" she asked, knowing that Sagas could indeed see the future, but very rarely revealed to anyone what he had seen.

  "I speak merely as one who has grown to know you and to see the effect you have on the people around you. Have I not seen Tajarez turn from a man seeking happiness that always eluded him to a man who has found love and contentment?"

  Mara smiled at the old man. "You would make a great diplomat, Sagas. I wonder why my husband has not considered using you in that capacity."

  "I am too old. I want to live out the rest of my life here with you as you reveal the secrets of the past."

  Mara looked at the gold sheeting on the wall. "We have already discovered that an ancient pharaoh fleeing death at the hands of his brother found the new world and was aided by the Lagonda tribe. They migrated to this hidden valley and began to build a great city. The Egyptians began to intermarry with the Lagonda tribe and produced the race of today. I have been working on the next part and have unraveled some of it," Mara told the old man.

  His eyes gleamed brightly. "Tell me what else you have discovered."

  "It seems the pharaoh was ailing and feared he would die. He called his council around him and declared that his rule would pass to his daughter and not his son, who he feared was weak and would be unable to rule. He then ordered his daughter to wed the chief of the Lagonda tribe."

  Sagas looked at Mara in disbelief. "He handed the rule to a woman, when he had a son?"

  "So it would seem, Sagas."

  The old man knotted his forehead in concentration. "Imagine, a woman ruling the Seven Cities."

  "You will have to remember, Sagas, there were not then seven cities. The construction had barely begun on one city."

  "This is truly a revelation. I must talk to Tajarez about this development. Perhaps he will want to change the charter to read that if a king has no male heir his rule can then pass to his daughter instead of to his brother."

  "Do you feel that you should do that? This was written many hundreds of years ago. I suspect the law was changed for a good reason."

  "Perhaps. I will think on it."

  Mara kissed the old man's cheek. "I am very fond of you. I have enjoyed working with you on the hieroglyphics, and you have infected me with your enthusiasm."

  Sagas tried not to show how pleased he was by her words, for he, like everyone who knew her, was her devoted slave. He had seen visions of her throughout the years, and had even seen her birth in a dream. He knew how surprised Mara would be if he told her how much he knew about her life before she came to the hidden valley. "I am going to bed now. I have much to think on," he told her as he strolled away from her with his hands clasped behind his back.

  Mara watched him fondly for a moment, then she climbed the stairs to the third floor of the palace where her brother Jeffery and his wife Sasha lived.

  Sasha greeted Mara with a hug. "I was hoping you would come to see me today. I have been bored doing nothing," her lovely sister-in-law told Mara. Sasha was expecting a child, so Mara had insisted she take it easy. In the past Sasha had been chosen to wait upon her, but Mara had gradually made Sasha more of a companion than a servant:

  "Where is Jeffery?" Mara asked.

  "As a matter of fact, he is with Tajarez. I believe they have ridden into the city."

  "How are you feeling, Sasha?"

  "I am in good health. I heard about the commotion you caused at the judgment today."

  Mara sighed. "Word gets around fast. It was nothing more than a harmless conversation with a young mother. I am afraid Tajarez was not well pleased with me. I fear I shall hear all about it tonight."

  "Was he angry with you?" Sasha asked, knowing she would not like to be the one to incur her cousin Tajarez's displeasure.

  "I believe he was."

  "Have you eaten?" Sasha asked, turning the conversation.

  "Yes, I ate with the children. I believe I will leave now. I find I am very tired."

  As Mara descended the stairs to the chamber she shared with Tajarez, she was frowning. From all that was being said about the incident in the anteroom she feared she would have to face recriminations later that night when Tajarez came home. She had convinced herself that he would
be very angry with her. She removed the soft white robe and climbed into bed, thinking she would pretend to be asleep when Tajarez came in. That way he would have a whole night to sleep on it, and perhaps his anger would ebb by morning. She had faced his anger on numerous occasions in the past, but not lately. Tajarez could be very formidable and every inch the king when the occasion called for it. Hearing the door open softly, she cringed on the inside and closed her eyes tightly, hoping he would think she was sleeping. She heard him remove his double crown of the cobra and place it on the stand beside her own crown. Tense moments passed and she knew he was removing his clothing. She felt him lie down beside her and she resisted the urge to peep at him through her eyelashes to see if he looked angry.

  She felt his hand close over her arm, but she did not respond.

  "Mara," he said in a deep voice. She willed herself to feign sleep.

  "Mara, I know you are not asleep. Palomas told me you just entered our room moments ahead of me."

  She opened her eyes, trying to see if he was angry with her.

  "You have been in the city," she said, unable to think of anything else to say at the moment.

  "What is wrong, beloved? Are you not feeling well?"

  She hesitated, not wishing to bring up the subject of this afternoon. "I am feeling fine."

  "Are you worried about something?"

  "No . . . yes. I am sorry about this afternoon, truly I am," she said in English.

  "Ah, I see," he said in the language of the Lagonda. "You think I might be angry with you."

  "It occurred to me," she said, lapsing into the Lagonda language.

  He shook with laughter, and pulled her into his arms. "I am not angry with you, and I would have you behave no differently than you do. My people love their kindhearted queen. I am convinced that the Seven Cities have never known a queen such as yourself. And where my people adore you, I, myself, worship you."

  "You are sure? You are not just saying that?"

  He raised an eyebrow. "Would I say it if it were not so?"