A Gift Freely Given (The Tahaerin Chronicles Book 1)

by J. Ellen Ross

  She frowned and shook her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. You’re still guessing. He knew where to find you. He told me where you were. You’re looking at this the wrong way.”

  Because you’ve lost your objectivity. He heard her unspoken accusation and it made him angry and defensive. Damn his oaths and damn her finger pointing. None of it mattered.

  Seeing his scowl, she said, “Look, I’m not saying he wasn’t here. And I’m not saying he’s not dangerous or not hunting Leisha. I don’t know enough about what she can or can’t do to say if I believe her story about feeling his presence here.

  “What I’m saying is perhaps he wasn’t involved in the plot with Ladvik. Perhaps there’s another conspiracy at work. That someone else sent him here. It’s a possibility we should investigate.”

  “But why come to you? Why follow you to Achym? Why attack you?” Even as it looked less and less likely, he knew he grasped at anything pointing to Fellnin working for Ladvik. Bolek said there was a single assassin in the castle, Fidelis confessed to it, and the evidence in his room bore out the truth. Was Fellnin’s presence in Achym just a coincidence?

  Aniska shook her head. “I never said he attacked me. I said he stalked me. I woke up in the house and he was sitting at the end of the bed. He said he’d always loved me and wanted to talk about old times. I told him to get out, we struggled, and I stabbed him. Let’s be honest, it’s not a stretch to go from Kajetan to Achym to Lida. It’s a long ride, but if Lida were his destination, the other towns wouldn’t be out of his way.”

  Zaraki leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, looking down at his hands. Shit, he thought, knowing this was the reason for Cezar’s prohibitions on becoming entangled with one’s employer. The very thought of Fellnin had sent him into a panic and instead of tracing the other man’s movements in Achym, Zaraki had insisted on racing back to Lida. He let his fear dictate how he viewed all the pieces and he brought Aniska into Leisha’s service because he felt convinced Fellnin was involved with Ladvik’s plot. He allowed his feelings to cloud his objectivity and now he was hopelessly compromised.

  Compromised. He remembered when Aniska accused him of that two years ago and hated she had been right. He knew he should leave. His oaths demanded it. He could not do the job Leisha paid him for, but Ani could take over what he had built. She could be trusted to serve as he did; her oaths demanded it as well. And unlike him, she kept her oaths.

  He started to congratulate her on her promotion but stopped himself, unable to continue.

  It hurt too much to consider. Regardless of how he tried to deny it, Symon, Leisha, Andelko—they were his family now, just as Symon had said. At the thought of never seeing Leisha again, he felt a hand wring the breath from his lungs. He had enough self-awareness to understand she had become a surrogate for the family he could not save. She had become a cause he could fight for and, perhaps foolishly, he allowed himself to grow comfortable and to make a home here in Lida.

  Shutting his mouth, he promised himself he would do better. Jan, Eli and Ani would investigate Fellnin’s movements here in Lida. Then he would send two of them to Achym and Kajetan, if possible. He would stay out of the whole thing and forget he ever knew Fellnin. And he would put his feelings back into the little box, where they belonged.

  “I have a job for you now. When you’re done, I’d like to buy you a tavern here and set you up like in Kajetan. I’ll give it to you, make you the owner—you won’t be a barmaid anymore. Just tell me what you hear.”

  “The owner? I’d be in charge?” He heard wonder in her voice. In Lida, an upscale tavern could make a fortune.

  ***

  Andelko ordered men to Tarnow, Ladvik’s holding. They arrived with documents ordering his arrest and the detention of his wife and children. All of them would be brought back to Lida, though his family traveled in better conditions than Ladvik himself.

  When they arrived, Leisha ordered Astra and the children held in apartments in the castle. Ladvik would never see the outside of a cell again. To his wife, Leisha offered to appoint a governor to rule until her eldest child came of age. They would be allowed to live in Tarnow, but would have no say over anything for another twelve years. Astra agreed and promised not to cause any problems. Leisha chose Fridrick, the brother of Lord Bartolo, who had recently become a rather staunch and very powerful ally to oversee Tarnow.

  For Ladvik, Andelko recommended he live out his sentence at Moraval. The remote castle sat on a promontory overlooking the sea north of Lida. Her father often traveled there, but she had never found the time. She agreed it sounded like a lovely place for her first prisoner.

  Wedding

  Two years after Ladvik’s plot, Leisha’s crown rested safely enough for her to turn her attention to other matters, such as a disintegrating Castle Branik. Years before his death, Davos commissioned elaborate plans to restore the ancient fortress, but corruption and mismanagement meant he never had funds available. Now, as she and Symon inspected renovations she had commissioned on the facade of the main entrance, a messenger trotted through the gate with his retinue, all bearing bright banners and ringing bells. Two standard-bearers brought flags out with the white hart of Otokar emblazoned on them. All around the courtyard people stopped working to watch the joyous spectacle.

  Symon excused himself to make them welcome. Once a servant help settle their horses, he ushered them to Leisha.

  “Greetings. To what do we owe such an entrance?” she asked.

  The messenger performed a bow and a flourish, removing his ribbon-covered cap. “Your Majesty, Lord Lovek of Otokar wishes to announce the marriage of his daughter, the fair and lovely Lady Brigitta,” he declared to all who could hear him.

  A cheer rose from everyone nearby. Many of the men in his entourage were tumblers, and they began to move through the crowd, displaying their talents. Backflips and acrobatics drew appreciative whistles and claps.

  “Lord Lovek also wishes to invite you to the wedding, Your Majesty. As you know, his daughter is your cousin by marriage. She and the groom would be honored if you were there to bless their union.”

  Leisha gave him a polite smile. Despite the invitation, Lovek did not want her attending his daughter’s wedding. As of late, he had taken to withholding the taxes levied on his horse fairs because, he claimed, they were not fairs at all. Instead, he presented them as chances for buyers to see what would be available in the future. If they happened to put money down on something to would be delivered later, well, that did not constitute a fair. “That sounds lovely. Please give the couple my sincerest wishes for their happiness. As for attending, let me consider it. I’ll have an answer for you this evening before meal time.”

  After finding suitable accommodations for the messenger and his retinue, Symon went to find Leisha and Zaraki. There would be discussions about this invitation, he knew.

  “Symon, good. Sit and talk about this upcoming wedding with us. I’ll state the obvious: Lord Lovek isn’t my strongest ally,” she said.

  Zaraki chuckled and agreed. “I would consider him lukewarm at best, my lady.”

  “He also hates paying taxes,” Leisha said. “He argues his horse fairs aren’t meant to generate sales. Apparently, they’re just to highlight his stock, so they shouldn’t be subject to fees. Perhaps a visit would help remind him of his obligations. It would at least be an imposition and annoyance to him. Would it be safe, Zaraki?”

  He considered. “I have a few agents there and they have never reported anything to suggest Lovek’s an outright enemy. I can send Jan and Eli there well before you arrive and they can ferret out any problems. I doubt he would allow anything to occur during his daughter’s wedding, though.”

  “I could move the household for two months while the renovations are occurring outside. Lovek will pay ten times the taxes he owes to host me.”

  Zaraki laughed again. “He’ll regret inviting you, my lady.”

  ***

  While Leisha kept a fa
r smaller court than most other monarchs did, and smaller even than most of her nobles, moving it and her household was no small feat. It took Symon weeks to organize all the wagons, carriages and horses needed. After that, he spent days arguing with household members about how much space was allotted to them in the caravan. If they wished to hire their own teams to carry extra baggage they could, but he would lend no hand to that. Once he purchased the extra wagons and had teams of horses brought in from the countryside, Symon made assignments of who would ride in which carriage, which caused more headaches.

  Zaraki dispatched Jan and Eli to scout the city ahead of their arrival. Leisha’s household would arrive two weeks before the wedding and stay for a month afterwards, to visit other nobles and lordlings in the area. He and the other two men had a great deal of work ahead of them.

  He traveled with the column of wagons and carriages for a few days as they crept towards Otokar. As they neared Ola, he asked for permission to visit his farm and Leisha laughed.

  “Yes, of course,” she said. “Why would I ever tell you no? Andelko will watch over me in your absence. Go.”

  Zaraki had not made time to visit Ola since he first took over the horse farm and the little town still looked much the same. Lush pastureland stretched as far as he could see, perfect for grazing the animals that made the area famous. The finest horses in Tahaerin came from Ola, not just his Aulerons.

  Outside of town, Zaraki found the road to his farm and followed it to a collection of low buildings. Barns and small stone houses stood huddled together, ringed by large corrals and fenced meadows, filled with horses – his horses. Several men walked between the buildings while two trainers had young animals walking on long ropes. One caught sight of him and walked over, just as Zaraki dismounted.

  “Welcome back, sir. I didn’t recognize you at first, but I do I know this fellow. How is Lida, friend?” he asked Capar and offered the horse a small carrot from his pocket.

  “Stefan, right?”

  “Yes, sir,” the man said, please his master remembered him. “We didn’t know you were coming. Otherwise, we’d have things set up for you.”

  Zaraki waved his hand. “Please, don’t worry. The queen is passing nearby on her way to Otokar. I didn’t decide to come by until a few nights ago. I just wanted to see how things were and if there was anything you all needed.”

  Stefan gave him the grand tour, introducing him to all the men who worked here and to all the horses. In the fields, Zaraki saw seven lovely foals with their mothers, most of them black as night, like Capar. He kept their numbers low, just as Davos had done. In one of the barns, he saw the geldings meant as riding stock. They would go up for auction at the end of the summer, once his trainers felt satisfied with their work. Zaraki got better prices for his geldings by selling them gentled, broken and well trained.

  The men asked him to spend the night and though he wanted to return to Leisha’s procession of carriages and wagons, he agreed. One by one, the men excused themselves after dinner. Chores would see them out of bed early and once everyone retired for the night, Zaraki sat out under the stars alone.

  Seeing everything in order, everything he owned and had built, he felt content and satisfied. At twenty-six, he was happy. Last year, he had bought a vineyard outside Prem and two taverns in Lida. Along with his brewery and the horses, he had more money than he knew what to do with. He had the safety and security he always craved and knew he would not go hungry if disaster befell him.

  Zaraki felt as though he had finally found peace with his life in Tahaerin and with Leisha. She might not love him, but she needed him and valued his work. Most days, he thought that would be enough, even though he still longed for her at times.

  ***

  The next morning, Zaraki rose with the men and headed back towards Otokar. Finding a queen on the move was not difficult and he spotted a long line of horses and soldiers in the late afternoon. He stayed with the procession for a few days, but once the great city came into view, he turned Capar east. Kicking the gelding into a trot, he rode to the inn where he would meet Eli or Jan, to be briefed ahead of Leisha’s arrival in a few days. Assuming all went well, he would rejoin them in a week after visiting agents in Stesha and Kolya. Then he would pass through Oltesh, Troian and Lejin before returning to meet up with them once the train departed for Lida.

  Eli met Zaraki at the Bear and Boar, an inn on the road between Otokar and Stesha, and both men left satisfied with all their preparations. Zaraki put Capar on the road again, hoping to find a quiet place to sleep before nightfall. He always preferred camping out when he could.

  Two hours later, he turned his horse down a footpath running alongside a wall dividing two farm fields. In one, long rows of rye grew. On the other side of the low wall lay a field of... lavender. It smelled just as she had the day she threw herself in his arms. That day he held her and felt her along the length of his body. It always happened like this and always took him by surprise. He tipped his head back, closed his eyes and remembered her.

  ***

  Trumpets blared as Leisha’s coach, pulled by a team of four glossy chestnut horses, rolled up to the gates of Otokar. All over the city rooftops flags flapped in the slight breeze. True to tradition, Lord Lovek awaited them, dressed in black velvet robes that stifled him in the heat. Behind him, a compliment of soldiers in full armor knelt in two rows, their helmets on the ground. Lovek sat astride an enormous black warhorse, holding his sword across his lap. As the royal carriage stopped, he climbed down.

  A servant rushed to lay a thick rug on the ground and hold open the door for Leisha. Resplendent in gold and white, she stepped down without assistance. A small circlet wound around with pearls held her dark hair back. Though she could have met him halfway, as a sign of friendship, she chose to stand, proud and aloof, waiting for Lovek to approach her.

  From atop the carriage, where he could direct the servants, Symon thought how she had grown into a young woman, full of confidence and self-assurance. So unlike her father, who struggled each day with doubt, Leisha needed no comfort or encouragement. She acted, sure in her decisions. Like today, where she would humble a fractious noble.

  The big man grimaced and came forward, his arms held out in front of him with his grandfather’s great sword across them, once it was clear she was not going to move. Upon reaching her, Lovek struggled to his knees and knelt in the dirt, holding the sword out. It was humiliating to be forced to pay obeisance to her in front of his own city. Which was, he knew, why she chose to do it. To prove she could. He tried not to sound bitter as he gave the traditional greeting. “Your Highness, please be welcome. My city opens its gates to you. May you find shelter here.”

  “I’m well pleased, Lord Lovek. Otokar shines today.” She laid her hand on the hilt, acknowledging her right to take the sword, and then withdrew it. “Please rise. I’m here to celebrate the marriage of your daughter.”

  “Tonight, I’m hosting a feast in your honor, Your Majesty.” He paused but realized inviting him to ride in her carriage was another sign of friendship she would not extend to him. Very well. Lovek rose on creaking legs and moved back to his horse. Two grooms helped him into the saddle and he turned the animal’s head towards the city gates. His other royal guest had not arrived yet, and he still needed to figure out how to smooth that over. The queen would not be happy.

  The carriages began rolling once more and passed under the great gates of Otokar. From the windows, Leisha saw the city was filled with flowers. Everywhere, window boxes, pots, and barrels burst with every color imaginable. Streamers and ribbons hung from all the doors they passed. Polite throngs of people lined the roads to see their queen, or at least to catch a glimpse of her carriage. Earlier, Leisha had considered riding through town, but, once again, a horrified look from Zaraki convinced her the carriage would be sufficient for the trip to the castle.

  Lovek’s steward rushed out to meet the royal procession and then showed Leisha and her maids to their lavis
h rooms. Servants began hauling trunks and cases holding her wardrobe up the stairs. With only a few hours before the dinner in her honor, her maids pulled out dress after dress before choosing a gown in rich red velvet with cream embroidered panels. They styled her hair with pins studded with rubies that once belonged to her mother. Symon declared it lovely.

  Fashionably late best described their arrival to the feast. As she and Symon approached the doors to the great dining hall, a herald turned and called out, “Her Majesty, Leisha, Queen of Tahaerin.” All around the hall, people rose from their seats and bowed or curtsied. Leisha moved through the silence of the hall as her gown rustled at her feet. Symon escorted her to her seat on the dais and only then did she release them, reminding everyone she was queen here, just as in Lida.

  Symon took his place at her left side where normally a senior butler would have attended to her needs. However, his knowledge of noble lines and their members exceeded anyone else’s. Other nobles continued to appear in the doorway, but most of them ranked too low to announce. Leisha tried to place those she could and asked Symon for help when their names eluded her.

  She saw the herald turn once more, as he announced, “His Highness, Lukas, Prince of Embriel.” Straightening in her seat, she glanced up at Symon, surprised and irritated. Lukas was the son Andrzej sent to Tahaerin as a hostage, and she had received no request from Lukas to enter her lands.

  Symon leaned in close to her ear. “Interesting. I believe he and the groom, Lorant, are childhood friends.”

  The prince looked a great deal like his father and his older brother, Sternal—attractive, tall and dark haired. Leisha did not enjoy seeing the resemblance or the stamp of Embriel on his features. “He doesn’t have my permission to be here,” she said. Annoyed now, she rose to wait for the attention of her uninvited guest.

  All talk ceased as soon as the herald announced Lukas and people turned to catch a glimpse of the foreign prince. He strode into the hall, a great smile spread across his face as he caught sight of his boyhood friend. Waving, he headed towards the spot where Brigitta and Lorant stood, greeting other guests. Leisha saw one of his retainers tap his shoulder and gesture in her direction, and then he changed his course, stopping below her seat.