* * *
“Ah, the guest of honor!” the king boomed across the room as Katy entered the dining hall. Though Saraid had assured her that it was to be a small occasion held in one of the lesser dining rooms, Katy was now afraid to imagine what something larger might entail. The intimate crowd that had been described to her still numbered at least two dozen. The table was a long rectangle with the king at the head near one of the three fireplaces, and the other end against the wall just beneath a wide window.
Katy felt every eye on her as she walked in with Saraid. Peter stood to greet them, as did all the other men in the room. Even the king.
Katy’s face had never felt so red.
“Everyone, I would like to introduce my childhood friend and savior, Katrine McKine.” Peter dashed to their sides and took one girl on each arm. Katy ignored the nearly overwhelming desire to melt into his side and slide behind him to the cool respite of invisibility.
“Is that the same girl we rode with all that way?” Benjamin called out as Peter moved to seat them. “Saraid, you are a miracle worker!”
“Benjamin, mind your manners,” Saraid said. But her smile widened infinitesimally at the praise.
Katy felt her face redden even more. Had she truly looked that awful when the knights met her?
“Katy, you look lovely,” Peter said, pulling a chair out for her. Katy took it gratefully. Saraid sat between the king and Peter, and Katy sat on Peter’s other side. As soon as she was seated, servants appeared out of nowhere and began heaping her plate with all sorts of food she couldn’t even name. Small eggs of some sort, fruit, bread, what looked like potatoes, and three sorts of cheese. She was rather sure she’d never in her life seen so much food in one place at one time.
“So, your savior, you say,” one of the older women at the other end of the table called out. “What kind of saving did you need, exactly, Your Highness?”
“If it was your sense of fashion, I’ll believe that,” Tomas called with a smirk.
Peter laughed with the rest of the table. “In more ways than one, this young lady saved me from myself and more than her fair share of my boyish foolishness.”
“A story!” Briant slammed his mug of ale down so hard its contents sloshed out, as if he’d imbibed one too many drinks already. “Tell us a story, Miss McKine!”
Katy thought for a moment then looked hesitantly at Peter, who merely grinned and shrugged. “I suppose we can’t deny them one now.” Then he paused. “Wait, which one were you thinking?”
Katy tried to suppress a smile as she quickly gestured down with her eyes. Peter followed her gaze and then his smile melted. “Oh no. Not that one,” he groaned, placing his forehead against the wooden table and covering it with his arms. This, of course, brought a roar of laughter from the rest of the table. Even the king was chuckling.
“I fear you shall have to continue now,” he said, scratching his snow-white beard. “My nephew hasn’t been properly humbled in a long time.”
“Well,” Katy began, trying to find her voice. “We were out playing by the stream once, and Peter had climbed a tree.” Everyone was leaning forward in their seats, eyes bright. All except for Peter, who was shaking in a fit of silent laughter. So Katy continued.
“He had just reached the top branch and was determined to jump into the stream from that height. I told him not to, that it was too high, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“Sounds about right.” Antony quirked a brow at Peter.
“He hung from the branch and began to swing back and forth. But just before he let go, we heard an awful ripping sound.”
“Let me guess,” Saraid said. “Your trousers—”
“My trousers had caught on another branch, and the tree had ripped the entire back seam out.” Peter was gasping for breath. “The trousers were about as good as gone!”
Saraid rolled her eyes and tossed her napkin on her plate. “Leave it to you, Peter, to embarrass some poor girl like that.”
“Oh, but that wasn’t the best part!” Katy couldn’t help feeling a bit smug. “His father was entertaining some important guests that day, so I couldn’t sneak into his house to get him another pair. So I did the only thing I could think of.”
“Which was?” an older man called out.
By now, tears were streaming down Peter’s face as he tried to muffle his laughter.
“Well,” Katy said with a shrug, keeping her eyes on him, “Emma was making me a new dress, and since Peter refused to leave the ravine without trousers—”
By this time, the whole table was laughing so hard that it was impossible to finish the story. But she didn’t have to. Peter had nearly fallen out of his seat, and even the stern Antony had cracked a smile. As Katy looked around, however, she did find one person who didn’t seem to find the story quite as funny as everyone else.
It was clear Saraid was trying to laugh. A bright smile lit her face. But it didn’t touch her eyes. Instead, she was watching Peter closely, and every few seconds, her eyes would flicker to Katy.
Before Katy could study her further, the shutters of the window at the far end of the table banged open. Everyone jumped. As servants hurried to close the window again, something small floated onto its ledge. A servant picked it up and held it in the air.
“It’s a letter, sire!” he called.
“Well, bring it here!” the king scoffed.
Peter shot a questioning look at Katy, but Katy just shook her head. She was as stumped as he was.
The servant ran the parchment over to the king, who broke the seal and traced it with his finger. Then he tossed it at Peter with a growl. “Can’t read the blasted thing. The words are too small. You read it.”
Peter took the letter, but before Katy could peek at it over his shoulder, he’d stood and pushed his chair in.
“Excuse me, Uncle. Everyone.” He bowed to the king and then the rest of the table. Everyone stared as he left the room.
A few minutes passed before conversation resumed, and when it did, the talk wasn’t nearly as boisterous or as loud as it had been before. Everyone seemed too consumed with solving the mystery of the strange letter to remember that they had a new guest, and seemed content to simply whisper with their seat neighbors. This would have been fine with Katy, until Saraid finished talking with the king and leaned over to Katy.
“Try not to worry.” She reached out and put her hand on Katy’s. “He’ll tell me later, and I’ll share what I can with you.”
Katy returned the saccharine smile as best as she could. Not if she talked to him first.
20
Sour
Peter felt slightly guilty when he summoned the guardsman and one of the maidservants. The morning was early, even by his standards. The sun wouldn’t be rising for another hour at least. But the feather under his door had called to him all night, and he couldn’t wait a minute more.
Not that he was eager to discuss the contents of the letter from the night before, as he was sure that would be Katy’s ultimate purpose the next time they met. But at least she would be subtler than Saraid’s attempt. She had cornered him on his way to his uncle’s room the night before and begged and pleaded and then pouted when he wouldn’t tell her what had been in the note.
Not that he wanted to tell Katy, he mused to himself as he pulled his boots on. He especially didn’t want to tell Katy. But the signal that she wanted to talk was too tempting to pass up. He had spent eight years wishing she was there to hear him, to listen the way she had when they were children, and now she was just down the hall. The opportunity was too good to resist.
He couldn’t help smiling when Katy came to the door, wrapped in her robe with her hair strewn every which way and sleep still in her eyes.
“Peter?” She rubbed her face. “What hour is it?”
“The sun should rise in another hour.”
“Oh.”
He laughed. “You were the one who left the feather.”
“I meant I thought we
should talk at some decent hour.” She glared at him through bleary eyes, so he just laughed again.
“I know morning isn’t your favorite time, but there’s something I want to show you. Did they deliver your riding clothes yet?”
“Um, I think so. Let...let me see.”
Peter smothered another smile as she turned back into the dark room, only to hear a crash of some sort then her incoherent muttering. He turned and looked at the maidservant who had come to stand against the wall beside him. “Could you help her?”
The maidservant, who in the candlelight looked about as tired as Katy, nodded and yawned as she went in and closed the door behind her. A few minutes later, Katy emerged, fully dressed.
“What is it?” She yawned and gave him a tired smile. “You look confused.”
“I...I’m just not used to seeing you like this, I suppose.” He offered her his arm and she took it, hesitating briefly first. The guardsman and maidservant followed at a polite distance as they began walking down one of the dark halls, scattered torches their only light as they made their way into the east wing.
“Like what?” She looked down. “Lady Saraid said I’m going to get new clothes soon. I’m only borrowing it until the seamstress finishes mine.” She looked back up at him, her eyes large. “Does it fit badly?”
“No! No, that’s not it. I just mean that I’m not used to seeing you all grown up I suppose.” He laughed a little. “In my mind, you’re still just a skinny, pesky twelve-year-old girl.”
“Oh.” She looked ahead and her brow furrowed a little as they walked.
Peter wanted to slap himself. A skinny twelve-year-old? Hardly what any self-respecting woman would want to hear.
Of course, telling her the truth was out of the question as well. Katy looked every part a woman, particularly in her borrowed fitted clothes. Gentle curves now gave her the shape of a woman, albeit one that needed to eat more. Looking at her and what she had become made him want to shield her from the male eyes in the castle. He had heard enough talk in the stables and the training yard to know exactly what many of them would be thinking when they saw her.
It didn’t help that every time he saw her now, he wanted to look twice as well.
“So where are we going at such an hour?” Katy interrupted his thoughts.
“I have a favorite spot in the castle I’ve wanted to show you since I discovered it years ago. Up here.” He nudged her to the right when the hall split, where they came to the bottom of a set of winding stone stairs. They began their ascent slowly so she wouldn’t trip on the unfamiliar steps in the low light of the few torches above them. Still, he didn’t mind the slow pace. Every moment spent with her was like rain in a drought.
“I missed you, too, you know.” Her eyes stayed focused on her feet.
“I’m sure,” he said. “You only had grouchy old Emma for—”
“It was more than that.” She sighed. “I felt like I’d lost my breath, like all the air had left the isle, and there was none left to breathe.”
“I know.”
Moments of silence passed as they continued to climb, but Peter was nearly delirious with relief. This was what he had missed. Not having to explain himself. No simpering. No polite court manners. Just...existing, and having someone there to exist with.
“How tall is this tower?”
“The tallest in the castle.”
She let out a laugh. “So why am I wearing my riding boots?”
“Because doing this in slippers would be even worse.”
She nodded. “I will concede to that. Still, you could have warned me.”
“Do you remember when we were...I think I was nine, which would have made you seven. We had just discovered that giant tree at the edge of my father’s land.”
“The one with the oranges?”
“Apples.”
“It was oranges!” She gave him a little shove. “I know because one fell on my head the first time you climbed it.”
“It doesn’t matter! Would you just listen?” He was laughing now as she slapped his arm. “Anyhow, you were terrified of that tree. You wouldn’t set foot in it until I had dragged you halfway up.”
“And then dropped an orange on my head.”
“And then you loved the view so much you scrambled to the top.” They finally reached the door in the ceiling. Peter put his hand on it, but paused before pushing it open. “You’ve never imagined anything like this.”
He had the satisfaction of hearing her gasp when she emerged. The sun hadn’t risen yet, but there was just enough gray light to see the large platform and be awed by it. Ornate pillars, carved with scenes of ancient kings and queens were placed in each of the four corners and supported the canvas roof. A short wall of black granite, nearly as high as his thighs, encircled the rectangular perimeter on the three sides not touching the castle itself.
Katy darted from edge to edge to look down, her mouth open in awe, and for a moment, she looked like that little girl again.
“Awake now?” Peter laughed.
“What is this place?” She ran to yet another corner to look down.
“This is where the king makes his proclamations, and where important ceremonies occur. The platform was built so that the castle walls make the king’s words echo down to the people who watch from the city. He still has to speak up, of course, but it’s a way for everyone to see the grand events. The royal family and inner circle of the court usually sit up here as well.”
“It’s incredible! The entire city is visible from here!”
“I wanted you to see it in all its glory.” He nodded at the horizon, which was just beginning to pale. “The best viewing happens at sunrise. I come here a lot to clear my head before the day’s duties begin.”
She looked slightly crestfallen. Or was he imagining it? “Do you have many duties today?”
“Unfortunately, yes. I must meet with the men and my uncle to plan rotations with the knights and soldiers. The forest has begun growing again, and some have claimed they’ve sighted the olc that disappeared eight years ago.”
Katy turned away and looked back down at the ground again.
“Is everything all right?”
“Oh. Yes. It just has me thinking, that’s all.” She paused. “So...what did the letter say?”
“That we should enjoy the sunrise in peace and quiet.” Peter sat against the wall, closed his eyes, and leaned back.
“Peter.”
“Fine. It was rather vague.”
“You could at least tell me who it was from.”
“That’s just the thing.” He sat up again and opened his eyes. “It doesn’t say.”
“Well, what did it say?”
Instead of answering, Peter took a moment and studied her. Unlike Saraid the night before, Katy wore no pout. Nor did she look frightened or nervous. Rather, her blue eyes were almost...resigned, as if she knew the contents already. She was just waiting for what she knew to be confirmed.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It was a warning.”
More than a warning, it had been a threat.
Prince,
My brother tells me that you’ve aptly provided for her immediate needs. But I’m telling you now, don’t encourage her to form human ties. The breaking of friends will only make it harder on her when her time to separate arrives.
No, Peter wasn’t about to let Katy read the letter, and he definitely wasn’t going to cater to the whims of its mysterious author. The coward could come and try to take her from Peter himself. He wasn’t fetching a single hair on Katy’s head.
Besides, who delivered a letter on the wind anyway?
“Will you be telling the men?” Katy’s voice broke through his thoughts.
“I’ll tell them what they need to know.”
She was quiet for a moment. “I was quite impressed. The men trust you.”
He pulled a knife from his belt and fingered its hilt. “Because of my...unusual upbringing, I
’ve seen more than my fair share of magic. More than they have at least. Add that to my first journey here, and I’m fairly an expert.” He folded his hands behind his head, leaned back, and closed his eyes.
“Why did you do it?”
“Do what?” He didn’t open his eyes.
“Give it up for me?” He could hear the frustration in her voice. “Why did you agree to take the crown just for me?”
“Who told you that?”
“Lady Saraid.”
Annoyance flashed through Peter. He would have to have a talk with Saraid later. “I did it because I knew that if Odhran found you, he would have you dead by your birthday, which is in less than two months. So I think I had a good enough reason.”
“But you never wanted to be king.” She came and sat beside him.
“Did Saraid tell you that, too?”
She grimaced. “It doesn’t matter if she did. I would have known it anyway. You wanted to be a knight from the start.” Her sky-colored eyes bored into his own, and Peter felt his heart stumble just a little. “Saraid said the crown could have been passed to one of your younger cousins.” She leaned forward a little. “Why doom your own happiness forever?”
“Because you’re worth it.”
Katy frowned at him, but before she could respond, he put his finger on her lips. They were surprisingly soft.
But he mustn’t think about such things.
“Quiet. The sun is about to rise.”
Just as they turned to see the flaming ball rise against the distant tree line, they heard another voice behind the door they’d entered through.
It was Saraid. For some reason, Peter wanted to groan.
“I suppose they’re out there together?” the muffled voice said.
The guardsman said something indecipherable, but in a moment, the door was opened, and she waltzed out onto the platform.
The Autumn Fairy (The Autumn Fairy Trilogy Book 1) Page 12