by Cara Coe
“So what now?” Amelie asked.
“Now I negotiate your release with the Draeden king.” The queen turned to Prince Seth who watched the exchange with curious eyes. “Why have you burst in here unchaperoned?” she asked him.
“I didn’t realize that would be the situation,” Prince Seth answered coolly. “Normally there would be guards present.”
Amelie stifled a small laugh at how effective the guards have been at chaperoning the two of them the past few nights. The Prince gave nothing away.
“Oh, yes. Them.” The queen gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “I released them.”
“You are a guest in this kingdom and a respected one at that so I will overlook the fact that you stepped out of bounds when you ordered the guards away. This once. Do not make the mistake of overstepping again, your Majesty.”
The Prince’s direct tone caused the queen to raise an amused eyebrow. “So much like your mother,” she murmured.
“Come, your Majesty,” Prince Seth said, gesturing towards the door. “I believe there is an escort at your chamber now to take you to the negotiations but since you are here, I will gladly fill that role.”
“My daughter?”
“Is still a prisoner,” the prince answered. His tone held an edge as if frustrated that Amelie was still cast in that light. “By law, she cannot attend unless her testimony is called upon by the king.”
The queen swept out of the room much in the same manner as she entered and the prince followed, sparing Amelie a troubled glance before closing the door behind them.
Chapter 28
Amelie
The morning, the afternoon and the late evening were spent behind closed doors for the delegation. Twice Captain Lucas joined her in the garden where she read, paced, sat, hummed, waited. The second time he came he sat next to her on a stone bench. She lit a pipe for him and he rested his elbows on his knees and kept his head bent low. He thumb traced a line back and forth across his forehead and smoke billowed up and away from his mouth into the cooling air.
“Am I to hang?” she joked. Half joked.
“No,” he said. “Worse.”
“What’s worse than death, Captain?”
“I fight my urges to you when I work with you, your Highness. I know what’s magic and what’s real. Those fools in there do not.” He took another puff of his pipe. “You know what’s worse than death.”
Amelie grew silent. “Yes, Captain. I do.”
He was gone then and stayed that way until morning. Henna clucked over her charge as she had been since Amelie first came, unconscious and near death. She took great care in getting her dressed, choosing one of the three dresses that had been found in the castle that fit. Amelie always let her choose. If she wasn’t to be outfitted in riding gear, she did not care what she wore.
The knock on the door came as Henna finished braiding Amelie’s hair. Sir Duncan and Captain Lucas entered and Amelie could not help the elation she knew was shining on her face.
“Sir Duncan!” she exclaimed, running to him and all but hugging him. “It has been ages since I’ve seen you last. I haven’t had a chance to tell you. I have a second power. Some sort of healing power, it seems. I’ve used it only once, but-"
He held up a single hand.
“I’ve come to escort you into the Great Hall,” he said. “To answer to your charge.”
“Oh.” Amelie stopped short. “I see.”
“We haven’t much time. The guards will be demanding your presence at any moment.” He lowered his voice. “I came to prepare you for what you are about to hear. Understand, please, this was the only way to avoid war.”
“What is the only way?” Amelie could not contain her confusion. “You are speaking about outcomes you have not yet told me.”
“And I cannot. The king must give the decree. I know you well. I have come to warn you that you must not react. You must concede to the decision they lay before you. You must continue to serve your kingdom. Promise me this. I told King Byron I would bring you back safely and I intend to. Promise me this.”
“Sir Duncan?”
“Let’s go.” He did not allow her any more words. Amelie resigned herself to his warning. He had always been upfront with her. Never kept anything from her that he could share, and even sometimes things he couldn’t share. He was a fair man, loyal to his kingdom, and a support for Amelie. She needed to trust his warning.
Amelie entered the Great Hall flanked by Captain Lucas and Sir Duncan on either side of her. The men in the room bowed respectfully and King Armiss gestured to a chair situated at the long table which she took, her two escorts standing behind her.
“We’ve come to an agreement, Princess, that should benefit both kingdoms.”
Amelie let her eyes graze around the room at the other faces. Kernan, Seth, and her mother sat at the table with them as well as a few scattered faces she didn't know. Kernan looked pleased. Seth refused to meet her eyes and looked ashen.
“What is the decision, your Majesty?” she asked the king. He rose and came around to where she sat, taking one of her hands. He gave her knuckles a gentle stroke and kissed them slowly, his eyes never leaving her face. She felt Seth stiffen from across the table. Puzzled she looked from her prince to the king.
“The decision is this: a merging of the two kingdoms. A marriage between our royals.”
Amelie grinned. Relief and happiness washed over and she turned to share it with Seth, but again his eyes were downcast.
“Prince Kernan is heir to Draeden and his marriage has already been previously arranged to a Draeden noble, so he will remain here. Candor has no male heirs, so naturally it was decided the best way to smooth our current situation regarding you would be to give our kingdoms a common goal. Prince Seth and Princess Claudia will be united. Claudia will ascend the throne. And you can continue to be of service to both kingdoms with your…unique abilities.”
Amelie snatched her hand back and stood abruptly. “Come again, sir?” she asked, an edge lurking in her voice.
“With the marriage of your sister to our Prince, we will have the advantage of a strong alliance over the other three kingdoms. When King Byron calls on you to serve Candor, you will answer. We have agreed you will pass the autumn and winter months in his kingdom, and when the snow has cleared the ground for travel you will return to Draeden.”
Amelie struggled to breathe. Knowing her delegation was outnumbered remembering Sir Duncan’s warning, she willed herself to remain calm.
“I beg you, sir, to think about your motivations for this alliance. It is the spell that speaks for you. You know that marriage to my sister is not the most advantageous move for your kingdom. I am the elder sister. My husband is set to inherit.”
“I am aware of your…precarious inheritance, Princess,” King Armiss said. “The true heir, Prince Phillip passed and your mother married your king after your birth. Since you are not King Byron’s true daughter, the decision is left to him which daughter inherits. King Byron has agreed to lift your inheritance to facilitate this treaty.”
Amelie gripped the edge of the table in a controlled rage. She did not care to rule the kingdom, but was only livid over the plots behind this so called treaty in attempt for the two foolish kings to share her.
“Or the more straightforward and logical answer would be for me to marry your prince,” she answered evenly, daring him to challenge the obvious with her stare.
“Prince Seth has already argued that fact and it won’t do. No one can trust a woman who can bend the will of men so easily.”
“Because my will is detrimental to my kingdom? No, your Majesty, my will is in line with the good of my people. Besides which, Prince Seth is impervious to magic.”
“The other kingdoms won’t have it. It will make them nervous, your ability to sway them.”
“The other kingdoms won’t have this alliance to begin with. For two hundred years we’ve lived separately. My abilities will be the least of thei
r worries. My swaying magic can be accomplished whether or not I sit on the throne. At least they can be assured these mental attacks will not enjoy the cover of stealth.”
King Armiss strolled to his high-backed chair and set his hands upon the top of it giving her a final look. “It is decided and it is done. This was not a negotiation, Princess, but a debriefing. You will remain in the palace for the remainder of the season until the wedding at which time you’ll be under the service of Candor again.”
“I will not.” Amelie rose stood, her eyes defiant and her head raised.
“That is quite enough,” Sir Duncan hissed quietly from behind her.
Amelie’s fight stilled to stone. Her gaze bore into Prince Seth. He could not meet it. He stared at the oak table in front of him.
“The decision is made. King Byron would never accept the marriage either. You are too valuable to our kingdoms in your current role. It is the only way to pardon you, Princess.” He paused and waited until she lifted her defeated eyes to his. “You will begin showing your allegiance to this kingdom by accepting this request.”
Amelie waited, giving Prince Seth the space to refuse this decision. She was the one on trial but he was a Prince of Draeden. He had weight in this decision and however little it was, it was more than hers. It was at least worth a breath. When nothing came from him, she bowed deeply to the king and kept her eyes on the marbled floor.
“Then I request, your Majesty, that I join my delegation on the trip back to Candor so that I may spend these last moments alone with my sister in preparation for her wedding. Until the marriage, I am still wholly loyal to my kingdom so this request is a courtesy to your position, sir.”
The king’s face looked torn at this, but he gathered himself and nodded curtly. “Very well. But you will return shortly after.”
Amelie gave a final bow and turned to leave the room. Her anger singed dry any tears that welled in her eyes as her shoes clicked and echoed loudly throughout the castle halls.
Chapter 29
Seth
Seth plunged his steel sword deep into the breast of an upright stack of hay.
“I think it’s dead,” Talon called from where he lounged, munching on a fallen apple from the orchard. Derrick shoved him hard in the shoulder from behind.
Seth withdrew his sword and started swinging again, going through the basic offensive blows before ending the series with a swipe across the neck for the imaginary beheading. His muscles responded instantly due to years of conditioning to these movements. He was sweating profusely. But not enough. Red anger still boiled in him and these exercises weren’t tempering it.
Initially, he had felt betrayed by Amelie’s omission. He felt the imbalance between them. He shared with her willingly and she took that confidence without revealing who she really was. After their encounter at the stables, he’d run alongside the stream in the northern pastures until he reached the edge of their lands. Then he’d lain out underneath the sky until it pinked with streaks of orange signaling the end of the day. His anger faded with the daylight. His hurt gave way to understanding. She’d had years of remaining anonymous, years of secrecy. Her time with him was spent surrounded by soldiers in a foreign land as a prisoner and what? She was supposed to open up and confess everything to him after a handful of days?
He remembered seeing her sleeping peacefully a few feet away from him that last morning and the elated burst of happiness that split his chest. He hadn’t known what to expect when he opened his eyes after deciding to leave her untied. He hoped she would still be there, but not because he was worried about a prisoner escaping. He wanted her to choose him. To choose to trust him. To talk to him. He wanted to open his eyes and see that she had some reason to stay.
And there she was. What did that mean that she hadn’t slinked off in the night? He had almost reached over and stroked her raven hair but didn’t want to wake her. He had woken Derrick instead, silently nodding in the direction of the lake before heading down to take a long dip and wash off the road dirt that had accumulated on his skin.
Seth had cringed at the memory of that day at the lake. His horror as he cradled her, his shirt inking red with her blood.
When she used her own life to protect his at the lake, did that not count for something? What was he thinking chastising her for holding onto her secrets when she’d already given so much?
By morning, Seth ran to his quarters to scrub and wash and then could hardly contain himself as he made his way to her rooms. He would apologize. He would make it right. His surprise at finding the queen floundered him and he regretfully left without being able to express to her his realization.
And then everything went to shit.
Seth restacked the hay, piecing together bits and tufts until it resembled an opponent. Then he began slashing again.
Talon and Derrick exchanged a look.
“What happened?” Talon asked.
Prince Seth kept swinging, hay flying from the stack in scratchy pieces.
Talon threw his apple core into the field and stepped in front of Seth’s swing. Seth let out a cry as he diverted it, the tip of the knife banging into the ground.
“Are you mad?” he demanded.
“I saw Amelie walking down by the creek and when I tried to talk to her, she nearly shoved me into it in her hurry to get away from me. I’ve been watching you tear at that thing for over an hour just to stuff it again and start over. I’ve been waiting for you to get it out so you could talk about it. I’m tired of waiting.”
Seth threw his sword down and leaned against a tree. The fight had left him.
“Amelie is a princess. Of Candor.”
“We figured she was something after that row you two had at the stables. Does this mean her punishment for spying will be worse? Surely, if enough of us spoke for her-”
“She will not be punished. Not by standard methods, anyway,” Seth added with a growl. He wiped at his brow with a dirty sleeve. The afternoon sun heated his already hot mood. “I’m to marry Princess Claudia of Candor. Form the first alliance in two hundred years. Amelie will continue using her talents to spy for both of our kingdoms. This has not yet been announced. Tell no one.”
“Understood,” Derrick replied and Talon nodded, wide-eyed.
“If this Claudia looks anything like her sister…” Talon nudged the prince’s ribs. “Eh?”
The look Seth shot him could wither the fiercest wolf. Talon pursed his lips and nodded. “I know. Too soon for jokes.”
“There will never be a time when I can look upon this situation with humor,” Seth said quietly.
“You love her.”
“I didn’t realize how much until I almost lost her in the forest. Now the kings will dangle her in front of me, out of my reach. Already the suffering seems unbearable.”
Talon clapped a hand on Seth’s shoulder. “You are more than my prince. You are my friend. If I could carry this pain for you…”
“I would never wish this on you, Talon. But I know. I know you would.”
Chapter 30
Amelie
Amelie sat in a bath of warm water and Henna scrubbed her back with quick, rough movements that still somehow soothed her skin. She leaned into the treatment with a sigh. That was the most emotion she let out of her body since the king’s decision rained down on her in shackles.
More shackles.
New shackles.
Another kingdom to bend to.
More summons.
More missions.
More unwanted attention from yet another king. Her next sigh carried a sob and her soapy hands clutched at the hair on her temples.
“I had a son once,” Henna said quietly as her strokes increased in pressure. Amelie’s back was glistening clean but the strokes continued. “Maybe ten years your senior by the looks of you.”
“What was his name?”
“Names hardly matter now. It hurts to speak it. You have his spirit. His determination. He would’ve liked yo
u if things had been different.”
“What happened to him?”
Henna sighed, took a break from scrubbing Amelie’s back and smoothed her dark, wet hair. “I don’t have him anymore. But I’ll tell you what I told him. Your traits may set you apart from others and cause you to be more careful about the company you keep, but they are you. You can’t wish it otherwise or it’d be like wishing yourself away. Embrace them and the heartache that comes with them. If you do that, you will be on the right path. Things will work themselves out in the end.”
Shoulders next. Henna took extra long on each piece of Amelie. Normally, Amelie scrubbed herself and brushed off Henna’s anxious need to help. But tonight Amelie didn’t have the strength to brush Henna off. Or the strength to bathe herself. She scarcely had the strength to draw a breath. She felt so trapped. Henna tried to scrub away her troubles.
“I remember when the Queen passed. Prince Seth felt the loss most of all. He doesn’t grieve like the others. When he’s hurting he becomes withdrawn and silent.”
“He is already so,” Amelie muttered, not wishing to talk about the royalty.
“Yes. But he does even more so. He did then.” Henna paused to rinse. “Just as he’s doing now.”
Amelie stiffened. This old woman misses nothing. A last sigh and then Amelie put it away, washed off the silk of sadness into the bathwater.
“I’m clean now, Henna.”
* * *
Scrubbed clean and in a freshly laundered shift, Amelie sat on the stone balcony letting the breeze wash over her. It was the only thing she felt. It tickled the back of her neck and soothed caresses on her cheeks. Everything else was numb. She feared if she allowed herself to feel even a sliver of the emotion raging underneath the surface she would tear apart anything she could touch in a path of destruction from here to Candor.