War Bound

by Tara Grayce

  “He is.” Essie resisted the urge to glance over her shoulder.

  Paige giggled. “I’ve never seen you look so swoony.”

  Essie’s cheeks hurt from her grinning. “Well, he is very easy to swoon over.”

  They shared another giggle. Then Paige’s smile faded. “Are you happy? Truly?”

  “Yes. I really am. I can’t wait until you visit Estyra. It’s the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen, and the elven palace is lovely. There’s something so peaceful about it. It’s like camping, but a much more luxury version, all the time.”

  As they neared the palace, Paige steered Essie down a side path in the garden. “I have a surprise to show you. Actually, it’s Averett’s and your mother’s surprise, but I was sent to fetch you.”

  “What is it?” Essie asked, even though she didn’t really expect Paige to answer.

  Paige just grinned and led the way under a trellis arch. They exited onto a broader path that connected the main Winstead Palace with Buckmore Cottage, the place traditionally reserved for the Queen Mother, if she was still living when her son assumed the throne.

  “Wait, are we going to Buckmore?” Essie hadn’t stepped foot inside in three years, not since her grandmother had passed away. At that time, her mother could have moved into the cottage, but Essie had been still seventeen, and Averett hadn’t wanted to break up their family. Thankfully, Paige and Mother had never needed the distance that some young queens wanted from their mothers-in-law.

  “It’s built of wood, not stone.” Paige gestured as the first glimpses became visible between the trees.

  How had Essie forgotten about that? She hurried forward, stepping from the shadowed path into the garden of Buckmore Cottage. This garden was less formal, left wild with large maple trees growing so close to the cottage their branches had to be periodically trimmed back by the castle staff.

  Mother stood at the back door, directing servants in opening windows, cleaning rugs, and hauling out a mountain of outdated, ugly furniture.

  “But...” Essie halted next to Mother, tucked against the wall to stay out of the way. “You’re loaning it to me?”

  “Actually, Avie is giving it to you. As much as the crown can gift anything, that is.” Paige waved at it. “It can function as a sort of elven embassy when you aren’t using it. Don’t think I haven’t noticed how your Farrendel isn’t the only one uncomfortable at Winstead Palace. His sister Princess Jalissa also doesn’t seem to be faring well either. This way, you can see to making Buckmore Cottage a place elves are comfortable visiting, something that should be necessary with this new peace and hopefully stronger alliance.”

  “You’re both all right with this? Mother? This is supposed to be your home if you want it.” Essie wasn’t sure why she was arguing. The cottage was wood, except for the stone foundation. It was within easy walking distance along the path that connected it to Winstead Palace. It would be within sight, if it weren’t for the screening pine trees.

  The surrounding pines, oaks, and maples gave it a cozy, private feeling. Something Farrendel would love. He would have easy access to the forest each morning without worrying about guards constantly patrolling the corridors.

  The front of Buckmore Cottage faced the street, so she and Farrendel could go into town if they wished. Yet it was still enclosed behind the stone wall that surrounded the entire Winstead Palace complex and grounds, along with a guarded gate, making Buckmore Cottage nearly as secure as the palace itself.

  Mother shook her head. “You need this place far more than I do. Besides, Winstead Palace has been my home since I married your father. I’m not ready to be shunted off into my dotage just yet. As long as Paige doesn’t mind having me around, I’ll stay at the palace.”

  “I love having a babysitter around so that I can leave the children with you rather than a nanny.” Paige smirked. “Besides, it won’t be too much longer before you will be dividing your time between grandchildren in Escarland and grandchildren in Tarenhiel.”

  “Eventually.” Essie huffed. She and Farrendel had been married for all of three months. They were still working toward being closer, much less thinking about children.

  “All in good time.” Mother patted Essie’s arm. “Let’s get this place cleaned out and organized.”

  It took the rest of the morning and into the afternoon to help a horde of servants haul all the clutter and extra furniture from Buckmore Cottage. It had become something of a dumping ground for unwanted, mostly ugly furniture over the years.

  While the servants finished cleaning the cottage, Essie returned to the palace. She would need to pack her and Farrendel’s things and decide what from her old room she would like moved to the cottage. On her way to her room, she let Jalissa know to start packing for a move to a new place. Jalissa’s tight expression relaxed somewhat, the only sign she was relieved to be leaving all the stone behind.

  In her old room, Essie set her travel sack on the bed and began stuffing the dresses, shirts, and tunics she’d taken with her from Tarenhiel.

  The door opened and closed behind her. Moments later, Farrendel perched on the end of the bed, sitting cross-legged. “Why are you packing? Did my brother send another message?”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s a surprise. A good surprise.” Essie placed the last dress inside her bag. “Did you have a good time with my brothers?”

  “Yes.” Farrendel’s smile crossed his face. “I like your family.”

  “I’m glad.” Essie leaned over and kissed his forehead. Even though she was curious, she didn’t ask what her brothers and Farrendel had done all morning. He wasn’t likely to tell her. It was brother code, after all. “If you want to pack your things, I can show you your surprise.”

  Farrendel raised his eyebrow at her, but he set to work packing.

  As soon as he was packed, Essie led him from the palace, collecting Jalissa and her guard along the way.

  Essie held Farrendel’s hand as they strolled down the path connecting Winstead Palace with Buckmore Cottage. Farrendel didn’t ask her where they were going with their bags slung over their shoulders.

  The trees cleared, and Buckmore Cottage appeared before them. A turret formed one of the corners while gingerbread molding stood out white against the light blue paint. White trimmed all the windows and doors.

  “Welcome to Buckmore Cottage.” Essie tugged Farrendel forward. “It’s the dower cottage for the Queen Mother, but Mother and Averett both agreed and gifted it to me. It will be our home while we are here, and the elven embassy when needed.”

  Jalissa joined them, standing on Farrendel’s other side. “This will be adequate.”

  “It’s mine, Jalissa. Averett gave me permission to renovate it however I want. And I want to make this as comfortable for visiting elves as possible.” Essie waved to the cottage.

  “I see. In that case...” Jalissa glided forward and rested a hand on the doorpost. A faint green light glowed around her hand, then flowed into the wood. Moments later, saplings sprang from the earth. Vines climbed the cottage. Branches and leaves even grew from some of the formerly dead wood of the doorways and window frames.

  The green glow ended, and Jalissa pulled her hand from the wood.

  Essie forced her smile to stay in place. “It’s beautiful, Jalissa.”

  It wasn’t. The cottage now looked like the forest was trying to eat it, but perhaps with time the elven magic would transform the cottage into a more cohesive union of Escarlish and Tarenhieli architecture.

  “It will do for now.” Jalissa eyed her handiwork, her mouth pressed in a line as if she wasn’t exactly happy with the result either.

  “Come on. Let me show you the inside. I’ve claimed the turret room for Farrendel and myself, but you can have any of the other rooms.” Essie stepped around Jalissa and reached for the door, dragging Farrendel by the hand behind her. Farrendel gave his sister something of an elven shrug as he was hauled past.

  Essie gave Farrendel and Jalissa a
tour of the cottage, starting with the main floor, including the kitchen.

  “We won’t have any servants staying here. A few of the maids will drop by during the day to clean, but that will be it. So feel free to wander however you like.” Essie waved at the cozy kitchen with a rustic table with a thick, butcher block top dominating the center of the room. “I had the ice box and pantry stocked, so there will be breakfast here whenever you want it.”

  Jalissa nodded as if the announcement was a grave matter, but Farrendel gave Essie his small smile.

  The tour continued on the second floor. While Jalissa left to wander through the rooms to pick her favorite, Essie pulled Farrendel to the last door at the end of the corridor. It opened onto the round turret room facing the forested grounds.

  Five windows were set into each of the turret’s walls while the sixth wall held the door. Gauzy white curtains were pulled back against the blue and white patterned wallpaper. Most of the furniture had been removed, leaving only an oak armoire for their clothes, a settee beneath one of the windows, a small bookshelf, an ivory-painted dressing table, and the bed pushed along one of the walls below a window. All the rugs had been removed except for a dark blue one patterned with white flowers next to the bed.

  Essie crossed the room and pointed toward one of the windows. One of the thick branches from the nearby oak tree passed within three feet of the windowsill. “I think you can jump from here to the tree, if you don’t want to go all the way downstairs to get outside.”

  Farrendel halted next to her, unlatched the window, and pushed the leaded panes open, letting in the breeze, laden with scents of city mixed with woodsy smells. He leaned out the window, his hair falling over his shoulders.

  But he wasn’t saying anything. Was that a good sign or a bad? Essie shifted from foot to foot. “Well, what do you think? Is this better? Do you like it?”

  Farrendel pulled back into the room and faced her. He lightly touched her cheek, brow wrinkling. “I do not want to make you lose your home yet again.”

  It was so sweet of him to worry. He needed to stay here for his sanity. He didn’t have a choice. He could have simply accepted the cottage and new room without thinking about her.

  She wrapped her arms around her waist. “I’m excited. I have Buckmore Cottage to redecorate and make it mine in a way I couldn’t do even with my rooms in Winstead Palace. I didn’t realize how used to having my own place I’d become in Estyra. I’m glad to have a bit of space. Besides, my family is a short walk away.”

  Compared to the long walk across the tree branches that led to Farrendel’s out-of-the-way rooms in the elven palace, the nice, flat path to Winstead Palace was a dream come true.

  Essie leaned into Farrendel’s hand, hugging him closer. “Truly. I’m happy with this. Neither of us could relax at Winstead Palace, and I think this will be good for us.”

  “Then, yes. This is better.” Farrendel closed the distance between them. His kiss was soft, gentle.

  Essie kissed him back, tingles in her stomach, lightness in her head.

  Yes, Buckmore Cottage was exactly what they needed.

  THE BIRDS WERE SINGING. The sunlight splashed across the bed, warm and cozy. Essie stretched, truly refreshed and relaxed for the first time in a week. A nightmare-free night for both her and Farrendel. She wouldn’t take it for granted again.

  Like expected, Farrendel’s side of the bed was empty. She propped herself onto her elbows and peered out the nearest window. About a hundred feet away, barely visible in the foliage, Farrendel’s silver-blond hair flashed in the morning sunlight as he back flipped from one branch to another.

  The perfect morning. As nice as it would be to linger, she needed to be ready when Farrendel returned. After rolling out of bed, she picked out clothing from the armoire. Elven tunic and trousers with a human-style skirt on top. Her people probably weren’t ready for a woman in trousers strolling through their capital city just yet. It would be enough of a shock to see elves.

  As she sat at the dressing table in front of the mirror, Farrendel swung through the window, landing lightly on his feet. With barely a pause, he crossed the room and kissed her temple.

  “You seem happy this morning.” Essie tried to smile up at him while her hands were filled with her partially braided hair. This was the Farrendel she’d begun to see at the elven retreat of Lethorel. Not to mention, it must be a good sign of his relaxation that he wasn’t wearing his shirt. He’d felt secure enough here that he hadn’t covered his scars.

  “Yes.” Farrendel sat cross-legged on the floor next to her. “What are we doing today?”

  Essie hurried to finish her braid. It was hard to appreciate Farrendel’s muscles while watching what she was doing to her hair. “I was thinking it would be a good day to visit the market in Aldon. If we drop in unannounced, we shouldn’t have problems with protestors. I have several places I’d like to take you. And after the market, we can exit the far side of the city and take the horses for a run. I arranged with the palace maintenance staff to install shower spigots in Buckmore Cottage while we’re gone, and I figured you wouldn’t want to be here for the bustling. I think they understood what I was asking them to do. We’ll see when we get back, I guess.”

  Farrendel was giving her his look. The far-too-blank expression that said he was internally laughing at her while she rambled on.

  Essie would’ve shaken her head, but she was gripping the end of her braid. She picked up a hair ribbon to tie it off, but it would be easier if she had both hands free. She held out the end of her braid to Farrendel. “Can you hold this?”

  His expression didn’t so much as flicker as he pinched her braid just below her fingers. With Farrendel holding her braid, she tied the green ribbon tightly.

  “Thanks for your help.” She smiled, her head still cocked as Farrendel gripped her braid.

  He gave her hair a slight tug, his mouth tipping into something almost like a smirk.

  “Don’t you start! You spent too long with my brothers yesterday.” Essie leaned closer, intending to tug his hair in return. But the move put her face only inches from Farrendel’s. Her breath caught with his nearness. Even if he was sweaty after his morning routine. Sweaty, and still shirtless.

  He closed the distance, his kiss starting gentle before deepening. His hand traced across her cheek into her hair. Her hands found their way into his long, silky hair, her thumb skimming the top of his pointed ear.

  She should’ve thought to move to Buckmore Cottage before. No brothers to interrupt. No servants to barge in. Only Jalissa somewhere down the hall, and she had far too much sense to come charging in.

  When he pulled back, she leaned her forehead against his and said the first thing that came to mind. “You’re all sweaty and gross.”

  “Sorry.” Farrendel’s smile didn’t look all that sorry. He snatched one more kiss before he stood.

  “The water closet is down the hall.” Essie turned back to the mirror and grimaced. “You messed up my braid.”

  Farrendel gave her that almost smirk again as he grabbed clothes and strolled from their room.

  Essie tucked her hair back into place as best she could without redoing the braid. She didn’t want to undo the ribbon Farrendel had helped her tie.

  Once both she and Farrendel were presentable, she organized their trip to the market. Jalissa accepted her invitation to go along. Avie couldn’t come. He couldn’t manage two days off in a row. Nor could Julien. But Edmund decided to tag along. Probably to spend time with Jalissa more than Essie, but at least that would leave Essie free to focus on Farrendel.

  Of course, an escort of guards had to come as well. By the time they were done, they had a party of nearly twenty headed into Aldon. A far cry from the relaxed stroll just she and Farrendel had taken through Estyra.

  Compared to the elven capitol city, Aldon was a massive, sprawling thing bustling with nearly as many people as the entire population of Tarenhiel. Aldon wasn’t the type of city that ro
yalty could just stroll through without some preparation.

  By the time they rode through the gate in front of Buckmore Cottage, Farrendel was getting his restless, slightly grumpy look that meant he needed breakfast soon.

  The guards obligingly cleared the way to the market. As they rode through the streets, Farrendel and Jalissa glanced around, crowding their horses close to Essie and Edmund.

  As they waited for a wagon to rumble by, Jalissa leaned closer to Farrendel and whispered in elvish, “The humans breed like rabbits.”

  Edmund snorted, and his voice lowered as he also spoke in elvish. “I don’t think we’re as bad as all that.”

  Jalissa’s nose wrinkled in a delicate line as she gazed around them with raised eyebrows. Except for the small bubble of space provided by their cordon of guards, the streets were choked with people on foot, on horseback, and riding in carriages. Gawkers stopping to stare at the elves further snared the traffic. Jalissa gave a sniff. “No, you are worse than rabbits.”

  Edmund smirked. The wagon cleared from their path, and they nudged their horses forward once again, ending the conversation.

  Farrendel’s gaze flicked around at their surroundings, his face blank, his shoulders stiff.

  Essie reached out and touched his arm. “Relax. The guards will keep us safe. Besides, most people are friendly.”

  “Are you certain?” Farrendel edged his horse closer to Essie on the mare he had given her in Tarenhiel.

  “Yes. You’ll see.” Essie patted his arm again. She had to remind herself how foreign this was to him. She’d grown up in this city. She was used to the bustle, the smells, and the noise in a way he wasn’t.

  A few of the people hustling along the boardwalks stopped and waved. Essie waved back, doing her best to keep her waves slow and regal instead of wildly exuberant as was her tendency. People called her name, prompting more waving. Even some cheering.

  Essie leaned closer to Farrendel. “Do your best to smile. Maybe even wave. Try to be a friendly elf. Not an angry elf.”