By the time he followed them up the stairs, he had to watch his feet carefully on the steps, just to make sure he wasn’t going to miss one and trip over himself.
He didn’t even pay attention to where they were taking him, but somehow he ended up sitting on a couch in the very back in what seemed like some kind of really large family room with a kitchen in it. There were a lot of people in and out – mostly kids and teenagers, and some lady with a baby left after he’d been there for a few minutes.
Owen was more excited than he’d ever seen him; all of the kids shrieked when they saw him, and they fawned over him, pulling him in and out of the room. After a while, Zander mostly gave up trying to keep track of him.
Linnea had disappeared as soon as they got upstairs, but Thomas only left for a few minutes, and when he returned, he was carrying a silver tray with a lid, which he set on the table in front of Zander before uncovering it to reveal a plate full of food.
“Owen’s probably hungry, too,” Zander said.
Thomas held the plate out toward him. “He’s eating already.”
“I don’t even need to take care of him here, do I?”
“Not really. My brothers and sisters are all excited to see him, and my parents will be more than happy to see to all of his needs.”
Zander nodded. He was sort of hungry, but nothing on the plate looked familiar to him. There was some sort of meat covered in creamy gravy, and mixed vegetables – but he could only recognize carrots in there. He did find himself picking at the meat a little. It wasn’t terrible. The vegetables scared him, though.
“So you have six brothers?” Never had he imagined William Rose with siblings – let alone that many of them.
“Yes.”
“And how many sisters?” He wondered if it was just the one.
“Six.”
He nearly choked on the bite he’d taken. “Thirteen?”
“That always surprises people. It is a lot, I suppose – even for my world.”
“Are these them?” he asked, gesturing at a couple of the children who’d just run back into the room to retrieve something.
“Some of them, yes. That’s Emma, there, who just ran out the door.”
“I won’t remember that.” He took another bite of the meat.
And then, there she was again. Quinn had just appeared in the doorway. Again, she was with William. He had his hand in hers, and he appeared to be looking for something – someone? in the room, but he didn’t seem to find whatever it was. Zander found himself unable to look away as William bent down and kissed Quinn – not on the lips, he noticed, but on the cheek, and then he left.
Zander sat up straight as Quinn headed right for the corner where they were sitting. He felt awkward as Thomas stood to greet her. They stayed close enough that Zander could hear everything they were saying. He concentrated on his food.
“You okay?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah. Will’s going to track down Alice, and then Emma and Ben.”
Thomas nodded. “Are you hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I’ll go and get you a plate – unless you want me to stay.” He glanced at Zander.
She shook her head. “That’s okay. Mia hasn’t come looking for me, has she?”
“No. I just talked to her a few minutes ago actually. Everything is fine. You’ve got a little more time, I think.”
“Okay, good. Thank you.”
Zander set his plate back down on the tray as Quinn sank into an armchair across from him. He didn’t think he was going to be able to eat any more right then.
Quinn, on the other hand, was eyeing his dinner. “You didn’t even touch those,” she said, looking at the vegetables.
“I barely eat vegetables I can identify at home. I’m not quite brave enough for those. You want them?”
“If they’re going to go to waste anyway…” she said, and she reached to grab the little bowl and one of the extra forks off Zander’s tray.
“Help yourself,” he muttered.
“Where are my parents?” she asked. “How do you have Owen?”
“Your parents are in Atlanta for the weekend, looking for a house there. Owen was staying with us.”
“So Jeff did take that job.”
“Yes. Have you not been in contact with them at all, Quinn?”
“Yeah, I Skype them every weekend.” She held up her hand, gesturing around the room, at a wood-burning stove behind a long counter, and the fireplace at the other end. “Really, we barely have enough electricity here to keep the lights on. And most parts of this world don’t even have that much. Where I live, we don’t have electricity at all.”
“Where you live? I thought you lived here.”
“I don’t. We’re just visiting – for Ben and Linnea’s wedding, actually – did you meet Linnea?”
“Yes. For a few minutes.”
“Good – I guess. Anyway, it’s turned into kind of a longer trip than we expected, but it’s still just a visit.”
He was silent for several seconds – not wanting to ask the question he had now. But eventually, he had to know the answer. It couldn’t be any worse than what he was thinking, anyway.
“When you say we’re just visiting, you mean…”
“I mean me and William.” She paused, letting that sink in, and he dared the glance at her left hand he’d been avoiding. Although it wasn’t as flashy as he would have expected to see inside a flipping castle, it was there. Two silver-and-gold braided bands on that finger.
“There are some other people who came with us,” she was saying, “Ben and Marcus, namely – but that wasn’t what you were asking, was it?”
His head felt like it was disconnected from his body as he moved it from side to side.
“You’re married. You married William Rose.”
“Yes.”
“You married him.”
“Yes, Zander. I married him. He’s my husband.”
“You’re sixteen. That’s not even old enough to get married.”
“I’m seventeen. I had a birthday.”
He knew that. He’d remembered the day, even – by shoving the heart necklace he’d bought for her into the back of his closet along with the memory card. Now, he noticed the sparkling gold of a new chain peeking out from the collar of her blouse. Probably a necklace from William.
“Seventeen is still not old enough.”
“It is here. Sixteen is, actually.”
Of course it was. Here in this weird world, why wouldn’t it be? Heck, if one day in his world equaled ten here, that made seventeen like a hundred and seventy. Old enough to be married. Why not? “Does your mom know?”
“Yes. She was at my wedding.”
“What about your dad?”
“Jeff wasn’t here, no, but I assume my mom told him. She said she was going to.”
“And Owen? Annie?” He was getting desperate.
“They were here, Zander. But even if they weren’t – what does it matter? This isn’t something you can argue me out of. It’s done. I married him. A while ago, now, in this world’s time.”
Right. The time thing again. Quinn was a hundred and seventy, and she was married. He stood up, trying to take a deep breath, but it wasn’t working – the air couldn’t get past his throat.
Quinn was just looking at him; she was calm as could be, still eating the vegetables and waiting to see what his reaction was, he supposed. And this was too much.
Without even thinking about what he was doing, he turned and walked out of the room.
~ 18 ~
History
Rosewood Castle, Eirentheos
OF COURSE, THE second time he turned a corner, Zander realized his mistake. He was in a castle. An unfamiliar castle. And he was starting down a long, wood-paneled hallway he didn’t recognize at all. He didn’t know where he was, or what he was doing, and now he was lost.
Sighing, he slumped backward against a wall, though he had to be wary even in tha
t gesture so he wouldn’t bump into one of the little shelves inset in the paneling every few feet. The shelves each held a little oil-filled lamp – Quinn must have been serious about the lights.
He didn’t understand this. None of this could be real – it wasn’t even possible. Quinn married? To William Rose, who turned out to be not just a weird, reclusive kid, but a prince who came from a castle in an imaginary world? Just thinking about it was making him dizzy. He slid down to the floor, pulling his knees up to his chest and dropping his head into his hands, trying to breathe.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been there when he was startled by the sound of footsteps on the marble floor. Scrambling to his feet, he tried to make sure he was composed before looking to see who was coming – probably it was going to be a guard with a sword, coming to arrest him for trespassing where he didn’t belong.
He was half correct. The figure was unfamiliar at first, because he was wearing black pants and an un-tucked white button-down shirt instead of the green tunic that made him recognizable, but after a few seconds, Zander realized who it was.
Ben came to a stop right in front of him. “Is everything all right?”
No. That was such an absurd question that he ignored it. “Did they send you here looking for me?”
“No. My wife and I were almost to the common room when I saw you leave and go in this direction. It looked like you might need a few minutes, so I took the long way around in following you.”
That was … nice. Weird, but nice. Weren’t guards supposed to chase down people who went where they didn’t belong immediately? “Am I in trouble?”
“For what? Getting upset and needing a breather? If they beheaded people for that in this castle, we’d all be dead.”
“I meant for taking off and coming somewhere I’m not supposed to be.”
“King Stephen has declared you a guest, Sir Zander. He’s not one for imposing undue restrictions on the activities of his guests.”
“So, what? I can just go anywhere I want in the castle?”
Ben frowned. “His Majesty is rather protective of his family – the children in particular. I wouldn’t go into their private quarters uninvited. And you will run into guards near the areas where he conducts his business. But,” he glanced around them, “you’re welcome to use the hallways in the guest areas however you need.”
“Is that what this is? A guest area?”
“Indeed. Although these rooms are empty at the moment. The occupied guest rooms are in the next hall. I believe they’re just about finished opening and preparing a room for you there.”
“I thought they were putting me under guard – near you.”
“They’re putting you in one of the empty guest suites that happen to be near the ones my father and I are using at the moment, yes.”
“Are you a guest here?”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I suppose I am. I grew up in this castle – though I lived in a much different area, one reserved for the families of King Stephen’s personal guards – but now, yes, I’m a guest here.”
“Marrying the king’s daughter upgraded you to guest?”
“No,” Ben answered, frowning. “My new position as personal guard to the Queen moved me out of this castle. I’m a guest now because I don’t live here anymore.”
Zanders head was spinning again. He shouldn’t have asked. “The king and queen live in different places?” He wondered how they’d managed to have so many children.
But Ben looked very confused. He stared at Zander for several seconds before his expression shifted into one of understanding. “Oh,” he said, “you don’t know.”
“There is, apparently, an entire world of stuff I don’t know tonight, Ben. Which thing do I not know at this moment?”
“I’m sorry. It isn’t my place to get involved in these matters.”
“Well, then, don’t. I don’t want you to get beheaded by your queen or something on my account.”
Ben’s stoic façade slipped for just a second, and Zander saw the corner of his lip twitch. “I’m in no danger of that. Her Majesty has yet to order anyone beheaded, not even the one man I’d personally like to stand over while his head is on the block.”
He swallowed. He’d only met Ben this evening, but the idea of him wanting to behead someone surprised – and frightened – him. “Well, whatever your ‘Majesty’ would do to you, don’t let it be on my account.”
Unexpectedly, Ben cracked a grin. “I doubt she’d even be upset at me, to be honest. I know her well enough to know she’d probably appreciate my taking the burden of explaining things off her shoulders – she’s had enough to deal with tonight and recently. It’s merely that I rather thought Prince Owen would have told you about this one.”
“Yeah, well, Prince Owen didn’t even tell me where we were coming, so…”
“And yet you came with him.”
“He said Quinn was in trouble.”
“Yes.” Ben was studying him intently. “You care about her.”
His shoulders stiffened. “What’s it to you?”
“I care about her, too – not in the way that you think you still do – I don’t have romantic feelings for her, but I care very much for Quinn as my friend, my sister … and as my queen.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me correctly, Zander. We both know that. I serve as personal guard to Her Majesty, Quinn Katriel Rose, Queen of Philotheum.”
Zander was glad he was still standing close enough to the wall to lean against it for support. The name didn’t sound right, but it was obvious enough what Ben was trying to tell him. “Quinn is the Queen? My Quinn?”
Ben’s eyebrow went up again. “The only Quinn here.”
“Is the queen of this … wherever we are?”
“No. Not of this kingdom. She is the queen of Philotheum. It’s a different kingdom than the one we’re in right now.”
“Is that why she married William? So she could be a queen?”
The look Ben gave him then made him want to crawl into a hole. “I’m going to remember that you’re upset and disoriented, so I’ll ignore your tone – this once. And then I will ask you to remember you are speaking of my queen and my king, both of whom I love and respect.”
Zander swallowed and nodded.
“The answer to your real question is no. King William was a fourth-born prince and as such, is only king by virtue of his marriage – not the other way around. And while we’re at it – no – he married her because he loves her. Queen Quinn’s real father was from our world, he was the first-born son of King Jonathan, and the true heir to the throne of Philotheum. When Her Majesty discovered this world, she also learned the truth about herself – that when her father died, she became the new heir. It wasn’t easy for her, for many reasons, but eventually she chose to accept her place and her throne.”
“This is for real.”
“Yes, it’s very real. I’m sure you must have trouble understanding it.”
“Trouble – yeah. That’s one word for it, I suppose.” His voice was starting to sound faraway and small, even to him.
Ben cast him a sympathetic glance, which felt even stranger. “I would think you’ve had enough new information for one evening. I could escort you to your room if you’d like.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” Zander wondered as he followed Ben through the twists and turns of the hallways. They didn’t need to worry about guarding him – there was no way he’d be able to navigate this place by himself.
“Why shouldn’t I be kind to you? I don’t know what issues you may have had with Her Majesty in the past, but here, to me, you’re the man who saved my king’s life, and possibly mine.”
A man – nobody had ever called Zander that before – not in a meaningful way as Ben just had.
“Was William really exposed to rabies?”
“Yes. Quite severely. You can’t imagine what he and the queen – and the rest of us – have been through in the l
ast few days. His little sister – Princess Alice – was bitten by the rabid fox as well, but we had enough of the medicine left for one person.”
Ouch. “Who had to decide that?”
“There wasn’t really a discussion about it. It all happened quite quickly. We knew William and Alice had both been bitten badly, but they were treating the little girl first. Nathaniel and William gave her some medicine to put her to sleep so they wouldn’t hurt her. Then … I don’t even know if I realized when William disappeared for a few minutes, but by the time the rest of us understood that there was only enough medicine for one person, William had already given her the first dose.
“He knew.”
“Yes, he knew exactly what he was doing. He and Nathaniel and another healer here have been working frantically to make a batch of medicine, and they’ve been optimistic about it, but it’s still possible the medicine they’ve been making either won’t work, or won’t be safe, or won’t be ready on time.”
“Wait. How did William know how to give it to her?”
Ben looked confused again. “Because he’s a healer.”
“Pardon?”
“You say doctor in your world, I’m sorry. The term is becoming more widely used here as well – because of Nathaniel and William.”
Zander rubbed at his temples with his fingers. “I suppose in this world he’s old enough to be a real healer or whatever, right?”
“Yes, although only just. However, William has always been so talented at healing that he’s been working at it for much longer than is typical. I think he was still really a child when Nathaniel began allowing him to assist with real duties in the clinic.”
Fantastic. William Rose was a king and a doctor, and the kind of guy who would sacrifice his own life for his little sister. He probably rode around the kingdom on a talking unicorn that pooped rainbows, too. So much for any fantasies Zander might have been entertaining about showing Quinn that he was a better guy than William and that she’d made the wrong choice.
“What do you mean I possibly saved your life?” he asked, ready to change the subject.
Ben took a few more steps down the hall and then stopped and turned around, pushing up one of his loose sleeves to reveal a large, thick piece of gauze taped to the side of his forearm. “I got a scratch on my arm when I killed the fox – we were never sure that it actually came from the fox, but William and Nathaniel both say they consider it an exposure. Will just gave me a ridiculous amount of the medicine you brought.”
Canes of Divergence (Dusk Gate Chronicles) Page 15