Sapphire

by Sarah Olson

  “Is she asleep?” I heard Robert ask.

  “Yes,” Betsy replied. “Do you think this will work? It’s not like we can just leave Eagle’s Nest now, it’s too soon and suspicious.”

  “I know,” Robert sighed, “and especially after what happened to Conrad, I’m not sure Malan is safe yet.”

  Leave? Why would they want to leave?

  “The new general has things under control. I would not worry too much about safety, but you are right, Mrs. Fallon—it is too soon. Even though, as you said Mr. Fallon,” Mitchell’s voice said, “it could work to our benefit—right under their nose. They will never see it coming.”

  “But it’s so dangerous,” Betsy said. “Too much of a risk. And if it fails, we will have done everything for nothing.”

  Were they talking about Richard and me? Who was Conrad? Why was Malan not safe? Their conversation went on like this drowning me in confusion to the point I gave up trying to put the pieces together. I crept back to my bed and fell asleep to their murmurs.

  Chapter 10

  AS THE WEEK continued, I counted down the days until seeing Richard again. When Friday finally arrived, I stayed in my room for hours, making sure I looked my best.

  “The carriage is here!” Betsy called up to me.

  “I’m coming!” I exclaimed.

  I heard Betsy open the door and greet Richard as I checked my appearance in the mirror. I was wearing a burgundy dress with long sleeves, just off the shoulder, and fine lace lining the neckline. Betsy had said it was perfect for an informal introduction to the king and queen.

  I took one final look at myself in the mirror and headed down the stairs.

  “You look stunning,” Richard said.

  “Thank you,” I said as Richard gave me his arm and led me out to the carriage, black with gold carvings.

  Before getting in, I hugged Robert and Betsy goodbye. I said my goodbyes to Mitchell as well, for he too was leaving.

  “Take care of her,” Robert said to Richard.

  “I will,” Richard replied.

  “Please be careful, dear,” Betsy said. “Don’t do anything foolish.”

  “I won’t!” I exclaimed. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

  “Of course,” she said, wiping her eyes.

  “She will be back by nightfall,” Robert told her.

  I hugged him. “Thank you so much for letting me go!”

  I planted a kiss on both of their cheeks and then jumped into the carriage, followed by Richard. The driver closed the door and we were off. I waved out the window and then sat back in the seat impatiently.

  “Are you excited?” Richard asked.

  “Yes, I’m just worried about meeting your parents.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that,” Richard said with a smile. “Either way, they can use a distraction.”

  “A distraction from what?”

  “Different things. My father is just stressed.”

  “Why? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  Richard stayed quiet for a moment. “It’s not like it’s a secret or anything, but those rumors of a rebel force building an army are spreading much quicker, and he doesn’t know if they are reliable.”

  “I heard about them too,” I said.

  “From who?”

  “Rupert, your cousin Emily’s fiancé,” I replied, realizing I had spoken too soon. Richard could not know I had a rebel staying in my home.

  “When did you talk to him?” Richard asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “It was at the ball, but he wasn’t really talking to me. He was telling Emily why you had him attend a meeting for the nobles. I just overheard the conversation.”

  Richard sighed. “That meeting was to clear up the rumors. My father does not want those people on the Malanese border referred to as rebels but as refugees, because that is what they are. Rupert just has this idea that they plan to attack one day so he can use his damn sword.”

  I laughed as I pictured Rupert in a duel. “But if your father doesn’t believe the rumors, why worry about them?”

  “Whatever I tell you stays between the two of us, understand?”

  I nodded.

  “The refugees live in villages right off the Glacier River. The king of Malan claims they are not rebels, but there have been conflicts between them and our scouts who get too close, some even ending in the deaths of my father’s men. That is not enough proof for the nobles that the refugees are creating an army. Our spies have gone in and reported that many of them have been training, but their numbers are small—too small to take on my father’s army. In reality, they may not be a real threat, but the rumors create unrest in the kingdom.”

  My mind flew to Charlotte and Mitchell, the refugees Richard spoke of. Had I not had such close ties to these refugees, I would have asked why King Luther did not just send in his armies and wipe them out.

  “I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Richard said suddenly. “This is going to be a great day and I don’t want to ruin it with completely meaningless rumors.”

  He smiled at me and I returned it; however, all it took was one glance to know that to him, the rumors were not meaningless.

  He sat back and I lay my head on his shoulder. We stayed like that in silence as I let the rhythm of the carriage over the dirt roads rock me into a light sleep.

  When the carriage rolled up to the iron gates, I could not help but stare. The palace was much more spectacular in the daytime. All the torches had been put out and the sun danced around the perfectly trimmed hedges with a statue of King Luther in the center of the courtyard.

  The wheels of the carriage bumped over the uneven cobblestone and came to a stop at the bottom of the stone stairs. A servant hurried over to help us out. Richard hopped down smoothly and the servants in sight bowed.

  “Welcome back, my Prince,” the one at the door of the carriage said.

  “Thank you,” Richard said as he took my hand and helped me out.

  Richard took my arm and led me through the same grand doors I had entered the night of the ball and down the right staircase to the marble floor. We walked straight through a pair of ornate double doors into a large room with beautiful furniture and paintings of the king, queen and prince. Tall windows with red velvet curtains lined the room. A grand fireplace stood between the two middle windows with a quiet flame licking up the wood.

  “This is where my parents meet with their special guests,” Richard said. “Here, sit down.” He led me to a settee with embroidered red fabric and delicately carved arms and legs that had been painted gold. I sat down on the soft cushion as Richard turned to two guards standing by another pair of double doors at the end of the room. “Have word sent to the king that I am here and awaiting his and the queen’s presence in the southern sitting room.”

  “Yes, my Prince,” one of them said and disappeared behind the door.

  “The southern one?” I asked running my fingers across the soft fabric of the settee.

  “What else would you expect from a palace?” he said, kissing my forehead.

  I blushed and turned to gaze out the window at the garden I had walked through during the ball. The night sky had hidden its true beauty.

  Richard noticed what held my gaze and said, “Don’t worry, we will walk through it later.”

  I jumped as the double doors opened and King Luther and Queen Alyssa entered the room. I moved swiftly from the settee into a low curtsy. “I am honored my King and Queen,” I said quietly, beginning to feel my bones shake.

  “No need to bow, my dear. You are an honored guest of our son. You may rise,” said King Luther.

  I rose slowly and stayed standing until the king and queen sat down.

  King Luther had dark blonde hair and a beard. His facial features were similar to Richard’s, the only difference being his gray eyes. Queen Alyssa was quite beautiful. She did not match up to the beauty of Queen Aria, but her blonde hair was in an elegant bun and her brown eyes spark
led, just like her son’s.

  “You have brought us a very polite and beautiful young woman,” Queen Alyssa said, eyeing me carefully.

  “And it’s about time,” King Luther added. “He keeps disappearing on us every day to go see you, but wouldn’t let us meet.”

  “Until now, that is,” Queen Alyssa finished. “Tell us about yourself.”

  “I, well—I,” I stammered.

  “Layla is very nervous, Mother. The only royalty she has been around is me,” Richard said.

  “Of course,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “That’s understandable.”

  “Forgive me, your Highness,” I got out. “He’s right—I have only been around him and those I met at the ball. My name is Layla Fallon and I’m from the outskirts of Eagle’s Nest in Maplewood Forest.”

  “The outskirts of Eagle’s Nest?” asked the king, turning his gaze on Richard.

  “Yes, Father,” Richard said, staring back. “She lives on a farm with her aunt and uncle.”

  I could not help but think Richard was challenging his father.

  King Luther turned his gaze back to me.

  “Well, that’s different,” said the queen. “Actually, quite interesting. I have never been able to talk to anyone, especially a girl, about what living on a farm is like. Do you like it?”

  She surprised me with the sudden genuine interest her voice portrayed.

  “It’s all right,” I replied. “I like it because it can be so peaceful at times, but at other times lonely. It’s difficult to meet many people because no one really travels our way unless they have some business with us.”

  “I assume the ball was quite a change for you then,” the king said.

  “Yes, it was. Everyone was so lovely. I really do miss the time I spent here.”

  “Well, you are here now,” the queen said, smiling.

  I could not tell whether or not Richard’s parents were actually being nice to me or just trying hard because I was important to him.

  “So where are your parents?” asked the king.

  “They died shortly after I was born,” I replied.

  “Pity,” Queen Alyssa said, shaking her head. “I would have very much liked to have met the parents of such a wonderfully polite girl.”

  The compliment made my heart throb. I really felt like I was being accepted.

  “But I’m sure your aunt and uncle have a lot to do with that as well. Tell me, dear, what do they do for income?”

  “My aunt, Elizabeth, is a seamstress, I’m sure you’ve heard of her . . .” I trailed off hoping they had.

  “Elizabeth Fallon?” the queen exclaimed. “She has never done work for my gowns, but I have very good friends that have gone out of their way to have her make theirs.”

  “Yes,” I said, blushing, “that is my aunt.”

  “She made Layla’s gown for the ball,” said Richard, beaming. “I wish you could’ve seen it, Mother, it was really something.”

  “Perhaps one day you can show it to me,” the queen said warmly.

  “I would love to.”

  “Do you like flowers, Layla?” King Luther asked.

  “I love them.”

  “Have you seen our garden?”

  “I’m afraid I have only seen it at night.”

  “Then allow me to show you,” Queen Alyssa said, standing. “You will not be disappointed. You must see the flowers before the cold withers them.”

  “I would be delighted!” I exclaimed and then looked to Richard for approval.

  He nodded.

  The queen took my arm and led me from the room, into the ballroom and out the same doors Richard had taken me through almost two months before.

  As my eyes adjusted to the bright sun, I took in the beautiful mazes of the flowers and trim hedges stretching out before me among autumn colored trees.

  “Normally, flowers would not last this long,” the queen said, “but, you see, our gardeners went throughout all the land to find the ones that could and planted them here. It was a gift from my husband. I love flowers, and when he became king, this was his present to me.”

  “In the sunlight it is so much more spectacular than I could have imagined,” I said, lightly brushing my fingers on the petals of a bright pink rose. “I could spend all day here.”

  “It is where I spend most of mine to think,” Queen Alyssa said, smiling. “In all honesty, I have been thinking a lot lately, since Richard came to me and asked us to meet you,” she paused and then looked at me seriously. “Do you love him?”

  I averted my eyes.

  “Because you must know he is seriously considering marrying you.”

  “I know,” I whispered.

  “I realize you are young, but if he were to ask you, would you say yes? If not, it is better to end this now, especially since he is supposed to announce an engagement in less than two months.”

  I had told myself for the past week now that I would marry him. I told Robert and Betsy I would and in my heart, I knew it was true. I looked her straight in the eyes. “I would.”

  She nodded. “Good, because it’s about time we begin to ready the nobles to the idea that their new princess may be a commoner. I do not have anything against you being one, but I just had to make sure this is about love and not money and power. Just remember that this is not official until Richard asks you marry him and my husband announces it to the kingdom.”

  “How does King Luther feel about this?” I asked.

  “You do not have to worry about him because it doesn’t matter. The two of us have agreed to accept whomever Richard wants, unless it was preposterous,” she said with a wave of her hand.

  A servant came up behind us. “Your Majesty, forgive me, but I was told to tell you lunch has been served in the Sunroom.”

  “Thank you. Come, Layla,” Queen Alyssa said as she turned and headed back to the palace.

  I followed her to a section of the palace made entirely of glass. It glittered in the sunlight and I was swept up into a state of awe.

  “Layla,” the queen said, smiling, “it’s much more stunning inside.”

  I blushed and followed her inside onto a white marble floor that shone so nicely I saw my reflection. A table was set in the center with our lunch. Richard and the king were already seated. They smiled and greeted us.

  I sat down facing the heavily windowed wall and followed it all the way to the ceiling, which was made of glass. I could see the sun, clouds, and the entire garden while eating. “It’s incredible,” I breathed.

  “It took ten years to build it,” King Luther said proudly. “It was very difficult to achieve, but my master builders are very skilled.”

  “They must be. How did they get it to be so . . . perfect?”

  “That my dear, is what makes it a secret,” the queen said, laughing.

  “It’s their way of making a competition out of things,” Richard told me, shaking his head. “The idea is for another king of another land to see this room and want to make one of his own, but since he doesn’t know how, he would have to experiment for years.”

  “Richard, it’s about making your palace unique,” Queen Alyssa admonished. “King Darius has his built into the Northern Mountains, and the old castle of Asteria was built on the cliffs of the Western Sea. We wanted ours to have something special, and since I refused to stay in that old dump of a castle, we built a new one with a different, magnificent sort of uniqueness.”

  I gulped at her description of the old castle. “It truly is marvelous and it would not surprise me if many have come for miles just to see it.”

  She smiled and began to eat.

  I started my meal with the small bowl of fruit and gazed out the windows as their sweetness burst in my mouth with every bite. “Do you eat every meal in here?”

  “Only breakfast and lunch,” Richard answered. “We do not allow the use of candles in here because the whole purpose of this room is for the sun to light it up. It’s too dark to eat dinner here.
”

  “Of course,” I laughed.

  “After you’re finished eating, I would like to take you on a tour of the palace,” he continued.

  “I would love that!” I exclaimed, excited I would be able to explore a castle that was in excellent condition, without worrying whether the floor beneath me would hold my weight.

  The rest of lunch went rather well. Small talk was made and the king and queen questioned me on the things I liked to do, what types of books I read, and places I had traveled to. To my embarrassment, I had to tell them I had never been past the Northern Mountains.

  “I’ll have to make sure then to take you on a trip with me sometime,” Richard had said reassuringly.

  After about an hour, the king and queen said their farewells.

  “It was a pleasure to meet you and I hope to see you again soon,” Queen Alyssa said.

  “Thank you,” I replied.

  “I’m glad to have met you,” King Luther said.

  “The pleasure was all mine,” I said with a curtsy.

  “Enjoy the palace tour, dear,” the queen said.

  “Do you like them?” Richard asked once they left.

  “I really do,” I replied. “I wasn’t sure what to expect but you were right for me not to be nervous. Do you think they liked me?”

  “I’m positive my mother is becoming fond of you.”

  “And your father?” I asked nervously.

  Richard sighed. “He is difficult to read so I cannot really tell if he did or not. I think he gets nervous when I begin to court someone.”

  “Sounds like you have courted quite a few women,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

  ”Only a few,” he said with a wink.

  “Will you tell me who else you have been interested in?”

  “I have had to meet a lot of important people’s daughters. Some of us got along well and others of us did not, but in the end, they never worked out—I mean, I have never felt the way I feel about you with any of them.”

  “So you are very serious about the way you feel about me?” I whispered.