Not letting go of her hand, he led her around the table, retrieved her cloak from the back of a chair and helped her on with it. She was so different than when he’d first met her. She was so assured, so strong then. She’d intimidated him just as much as she intrigued him. Now, he saw that she visibly relaxed in his presence. She was accommodating in every way. She’d mellowed, and he knew that his influence had caused the change. Bredych had all but insinuated it, but Erhard could tell she was completely devoted to him.
Three moons ago she could have made an interesting lover. Now she’d make an excellent queen. The best of both worlds.
“Is everything okay?” Ilythra reached to smooth his forehead.
“Yes, my love. Everything is perfect.”
“It will be.” She glanced down. He could see a blush on her cheeks. His heart sped. “Erhard, I’ve considered your offer.”
His heart stopped.
She met his gaze. Her eyes shone. “I’ll marry you.”
Erhard crushed her to his chest.
“If I can’t breathe, I won’t be able to marry you.” Ilythra laughed.
“Of course.” He held her at arm’s length. “A winter wedding?”
She shrugged. “Whatever you like.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Her clothing seemed to be multiplying all by itself, though she supposed she had Cassia to blame, or thank, depending on her mood. As she pulled out a fur-lined cloak from the wardrobe, she decided definitely to thank the girl. Removing the cloak left a blank spot in the wardrobe, revealing her sword and practice sword. She paused. How long had it been since she practiced? Tried to meditate? She reached for the sword but didn’t move to touch it.
A knock preceded Cassia’s entrance into the room. “The king sends word he’s going to be late—” She moved between Ilythra and the wardrobe to close the door. “While you wait, would you like me to fix your hair?”
“My hair?” Ilythra glanced from the closed door to Cassia.
“Yes.”
Ilythra pulled the long braid over her shoulder. A memory tried to surface. She saw dark eyes flash but then the image faded. Was there something she should—
“Come on, sit.”
Ilythra moved to the indicated chair. It probably wasn’t important. Besides, she knew Erhard liked her hair up off her neck. It would please him, and he’d been so good to her. Erhard, her husband. The castle was already abuzz with the news, servants bowing and nodding as though she was already somebody new. A queen. It didn’t seem real. But it was. In less than two moons, she’d be Erhard’s wife. She wondered, not for the first time, why that fact didn’t fill her with emotion, any emotion.
* * *
Erhard held her arm as they walked the garden path. She breathed deeply, lost in the satisfaction she felt near him. The king signaled to the guards walking behind. She’d become so used to Erhard’s shadows, she scarcely noticed them anymore.
One of the guards neared, bowed and then waited.
“We’re strolling to the lake. Keep a distance.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The wind whistled through the trees, and Ilythra shuddered.
“Are you cold, dear?” He adjusted the white fur collar of her cloak.
She leaned into him. “No.”
“Good.” He patted her arm and led her toward a side gate when she heard a commotion on the other side of the moss-covered wall.
“What’s that?”
Erhard shrugged. “Nothing.”
She extricated her arm from his. The unmistakable sound of heavy blows against flesh sounded in the cool morning air. “That’s not nothing.” She ran toward the noise, ducking under the arched doorway between the inner and outer courtyards, Erhard close behind.
A cart stood in front of the stables, loaded with men. As she drew near, she saw the bindings around their hands and feet. Two soldiers carried a limp man toward the cart and tossed him in.
Ilythra turned to Erhard.
“Prisoners,” he pronounced.
The guards caught up with them at the same time the prisoners saw the king. A ripple went through the group. Waves of unspoken anger washed over her. The guards moved between the prisoners and the king, as though the monarch could be harmed by their ill will.
“What have they done?”
Erhard shrugged, attempting to steer Ilythra away. “They are guilty of various crimes.”
Ilythra resisted. Something tickled her consciousness. “Where are they being taken?”
“To the mines.” He indicated the Har Neider Mountains looming in the distance. “The sages were right. Thaw has come early. The passes are open again. It’s time to replace the workers we lost throughout the winter.” He smiled down at her. “It hasn’t crossed my mind to tell you. The prisoners work off their sentences in hard labor digging for gems, a little gold. Nothing you should concern yourself with.” Erhard drew near, his scent enveloping her. “Unless you desire a bauble or two.”
Ilythra shook her head. That wasn’t what she meant. She gazed into Erhard’s blue eyes and suddenly, the world condensed to only him. She smiled. “I believe you promised me a walk in the gardens, Your Majesty.”
“How are the wedding plans?” Erhard patted her arm.
Ilythra shrugged. “I’m out of my element.”
Erhard reached for her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ll get someone to help you.” A frown creased his brow. “Ilythra, I assumed...but well, perhaps I shouldn’t. Do you want children?”
“Yes. Dozens.” She smiled up at him. The smile faded. There was something she’d meant to ask him about. Cassia.
“What’s wrong?” He stopped and turned her to face him. “Is it about Aclan? I assure you he will accept you as his mother and love any brother or sister we produce.”
“No, not Aclan. Cassia.”
Erhard stiffened, and she raised her head to look at him. “I suppose you deserve to know.” He breathed out, the air a puff of smoke in the cold. “It’s a long story,” he began softly.
She nodded.
“When I was not much older than Aclan, I fell in love with a beautiful girl.” His eyes softened. “I knew my parents would not approve, so we married secretly. I was foolish enough to believe that if we were already married, my parents would accept her.” His smile was cynical. “When I brought her home, they refused to acknowledge the marriage. It seems they’d already signed a contract with the neighboring kingdom of Hirion.” An edge of bitterness entered his voice. “I was to marry a princess. And as this woman I fell in love with wasn’t even a noble, well...she was only the blacksmith’s daughter, not fit for a future king.” He looked up at Ilythra. “For a time, I thought that they’d reconsidered. Mara and I, we... They sent me on a diplomatic journey and when I returned they said that she’d run away with another man. I searched for her, but it was in vain. I never found her. I married the princess of Hirion, and she bore me Aclan, but always I wondered...”
He drifted off again. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she waited.
“After my father died, my mother told me the truth. They had sent her away. I searched for her and with Bredych’s help, I found where she lived. She was long dead but there was a child. To this day, I don’t know if the child is mine.”
“Cassia?”
“Yes. She was being cared for by a family with too many mouths to feed. They gladly gave her to me. I brought her to the castle for the sake of the love I had for her mother, not because I thought she was mine.”
“But her eyes?”
Erhard shrugged. “The color is not that unusual here in the mountains. But my wife had the same thoughts you now have. She took an instant dislike to Cassia, so I gave her to the cook to raise as her own. I kept Cassia on as a servant, where I could make sure she’
d never lack food and shelter. It is a better life than she would have had, had I left her where I found her.”
“Does Cassia know?”
Erhard shook his head. “I’ve never told her and I doubt she’d remember anything before I brought her to the castle. She was very young. Only Bredych knew the reason I left that summer and why I came back with a small child.”
Bredych. A splinter of unease challenged the peace she felt with the king.
“Does this change the way you feel?” he asked.
“No. If anything, it convinces me that you are a kind man.”
Erhard beamed. “Let’s see if you still think me kind when I beat you at Crist.”
“Would you mind if I made Cassia my personal servant? She’s been such a help to me.”
He rose and drew her to him. “I couldn’t deny you anything.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
As the brush moved rhythmically through her hair, Ilythra let her mind go blank. There were so many things she needed to do to prepare for the wedding, and she couldn’t seem to focus. She stared out the window to the familiar view of the mountains. For a moment, she couldn’t remember any other life.
Ilythra reached up and held Cassia’s hand midstroke. “How long have I been here?”
Cassia’s hand paused. “What do you mean?”
“In Greton. How long have I been in Greton?”
“Not long, milady. Three, four moons now.”
“Is that all? It seems so much longer.”
“Are you still going into town today?” She could hear the disapproval in the girl’s voice.
“You sound like Erhard. The villagers expect me.”
“It’s just not proper.”
“I think it very proper to take care of your subjects.”
“I won’t be arguing with you.” Cassia patted Ilythra’s hair. “You’re done.”
Ilythra stepped away, accepting the earrings from Cassia’s outstretched hand. “Thank you.”
* * *
“What’s your name?” Ilythra held the man’s arm up to the scant light, inspecting the burn. Initially, it hadn’t been severe, but his wife had insulated it by applying thick grease and furthering the damage. The wound was now infected. It had to be cleaned and bandaged.
“Nor, milady. That’s me wife, Teila.”
Ilythra looked up to the woman who fed a small child in the corner of the cabin near the stove. Rags were stuffed in every crack between the boards of the small house, but the cold wind still managed to slip in and steal the warmth from the room.
It had been the wife who had entered the inn and asked if Ilythra could come and have a look at her husband’s arm.
“Well, Nor, this is going to hurt.”
The man nodded. “I was kinda figuring it was goin’ to.”
Ilythra prepared the herbs she would use to treat the burn then used a soft brush and water infused with calendula flowers to clean the wound. She applied a thin layer of aloe vera to the angry flesh when the door burst open. A figure flew into the room and threw herself at Ilythra’s feet. “Please, milady.”
“Nenya. What’s wrong? Is it the baby?” Ilythra asked.
“No.” The woman lifted a tearstained face. “They’ve taken him.”
“Taken who?”
“Res. They’ve taken my husband.”
Ilythra led Nenya to a chair. Teila made a noise low in her throat, poured liquid from a brown bottle into a cup and thrust it in Nenya’s hand. She drank it without a word.
“Who took your husband?” Ilythra asked again.
“The soldiers. Res left for the barn this morning to feed the cow. I was nursing the baby when I heard a scuffle outside. I ran to the door, and four or five soldiers held him, while another hit him.” Nenya started to cry.
Ilythra glanced at the anger burning in the couple’s eyes. “But why?”
Nenya shook her head. “They said he stole something from a noble. But he didn’t. He wouldn’t. He’s a good man. He wouldn’t steal nuthin’.”
“Shh. I know. I know he’s a good man.”
“I tried to stop them, but they told me if I didn’t get back in the house, they’d take me too and that I didn’t want to know what happened to women in the mines. The baby was screaming, and Res kept telling me to go inside.” She brought pain-filled eyes up to Ilythra. “I closed the door. I let them take him.”
“You did the right thing.” Ilythra patted the woman’s hand.
“Bastards,” Nor grumbled, then glanced at Ilythra, his eyes widening.
“What do you want me to do?” she asked.
“Go, talk to the king. He’ll listen to you. Res isn’t a criminal. He wouldn’t have stolen anything. It has to be a mistake.”
“I will.” Ilythra rose to her feet. “Go home to the baby.” She glanced to Teila. “Will you—”
“I’ll take her, milady.”
“Thank you.” Ilythra faced Nor. “Keep that burn clean. There’s more salve in the jar. I’ll leave it with you and come to check it in a week or so.”
“Right kind of you. I have little—”
Ilythra held up a hand. “We’ll discuss payment later.” Then she thought about it. “I tell you what, if you see to Nenya and the baby for the next few days, make sure they have plenty of wood and some food, we’ll call it even.”
“Yes, milady.”
Ilythra gathered her things and moved toward the entrance. The wind almost blew the door out of her hand.
“Be careful. A storm’s coming,” Teila called.
Ilythra nodded, shut the door and retrieved Melior. She wanted to get to the castle in a hurry. There must be some mistake.
* * *
Ilythra ran up the castle steps and into her room. There was still some water in the bowl sitting on the table. She splashed the icy liquid on her face then combed her hair and braided it. There wasn’t time to find Cassia to do a proper job. She shook the dust out of her dress then left to find Erhard. She knocked on the door to his office.
“Come.”
Ilythra opened the heavy wooden door and stepped inside. The room was lit with a dusty yellow light from half a dozen candles burning on a candelabra stand, highlighting the wooden desk and a pile of parchments held in place with a large metal weight.
“Ilythra.” Erhard stood from behind his desk and moved to kiss her cheek. “What a pleasant surprise. I was just thinking about you. But then, that is a common enough occurrence these days.”
“I have something I wish to discuss.” Ilythra ran suddenly clammy hands over her dress to smooth it and fought not to brush an errant hair behind her ear.
“Anything you like.” Erhard leaned against his desk and crossed his ankles. “Tell me.”
“I was in town today, and one of the women told me that her husband was arrested this morning.”
His eyebrow rose. “Go on,” he prompted.
“The guards threatened her and her baby.”
“Did they touch her in any way?” Erhard leaned forward.
“No.”
“Then no harm was done. They were empty threats.” He relaxed against the desk.
She blinked in shock. “She believed them.”
“It wouldn’t have worked if she hadn’t.”
Frustration tinged her words. “I know this man. He’s no thief.”
“Ilythra,” he spoke slowly. “Just because you’ve met him once or twice doesn’t mean you know him. Many of the villagers see the nobles, and envy distorts their better sense. I must be firm, or there would be more thievery and worse.”
Frustration became anger. Who does he think I am? A child? “He wouldn’t even take charity.”
“That is a twisted moral I’ve
noticed among the peasants. They won’t take charity because it’s given, but they will take what they want. Maybe somehow in stealing it they think they’ve earned it. They are wrong. And I will not allow such behavior in my kingdom.”
“I don’t condone stealing.”
“Then are you questioning my judgment?” The creases at the sides of his eyes deepened. His body tensed.
“No, of course not.” How to make him understand? “But I have spent time with this man. I delivered his son not too long ago.”
“Ah, I see.” He nodded in understanding. “This is pity for the woman and babe as well.” Erhard stepped forward, placing his hands on her shoulders. “If it means that much to you, I’ll review the case. Who is this would-be thief?”
She opened her mouth to tell him what she thought of his condescension, but her anger melted away. “His name is Res.” Ilythra’s shoulders relaxed and she let out a breath.
Erhard returned to his desk, shuffled parchments around and lifted one. “Res. Here he is. I heard his case this morning. I’m afraid he’s already been taken to the mines. There was evidence against him.”
“What evidence? So soon?” She stepped foreword.
“Would you rather me delay trial and let them rot in the dungeons away from the sun and sky? I think that would be cruel.”
“It’s just...he was only arrested this morning.” Her resolve wavered until she couldn’t quite grasp it.
“I am not idle, my dear. I will send a messenger to have him returned. It will take some time, but if you like, you can be present at his next trial.”
“I-I thought the passes were closed.”
Erhard smiled. “No. Opened. Remember?”
Ilythra shook her head. She didn’t.
“One more thing.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t want you to go into the village anymore unless you take a guard with you.”
“Why? I’m capable of taking care of myself. Besides, if the villagers don’t trust the guards, how are they going to trust me if I’m always in their company?”
“I know you can take care of yourself, but you are to be a queen and that makes you a target.”
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