“What?”
“When you were whispering...”
He gave me a dramatic, “Oh, that... He said you were the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, but not to tell Marian.”
“Liar.”
The smile fell from his face. “I am a great many things, Ray. A liar isn’t one of them.” He urged his horse forward. “And he’s right, by the way.”
My face heated. I was pale in a land of sunny hair and tanned skin. I certainly wasn’t beautiful. Maybe by some standards in Paruth, but not here. These people were sculpted from sun and sand. They were the beautiful ones.
“You coming, Ray?”
I eased a hand down my horse’s mane. “Let’s catch up with him, hmm?” I whispered.
I needed to think of a name for her.
Winter. She was as white as the freshly-fallen snow of home.
We caught up to Trevor, who somehow knew what I’d been thinking. “What’s her name?”
I smiled and shook my head. “How did you know?”
“That’s what best friends do.”
“Read each other’s minds?”
He smirked. “You had this look on your face, and it was like I could see the moment her name came to you.”
“Isn’t Aric your best friend?” I challenged.
“He’s a great friend, but not my best. That title is yours alone.”
With pride swelling in my chest, I gave him her name. “Her name is Winter.”
He nodded and locked eyes with me. “Fitting. A lovely name for a lovely creature.” Butterfly wings fluttered in my belly.
In Paruth, most of the buildings in town were clustered together. But in Galder, they were farther apart, dotting a quaint maze of streets and boasting green lawns. The tanner was located beside the leatherworker. The foul smell coming from the soaking hides stung my eyes. Farther into town was a sailmaker, located beside the ropemaker, a carpentry shop, and the seamstress’s shop. From outside, I could see bolts of silk in every color. Fragrant smells poured from the perfumery, and women worked in great vats outside the soapmaker’s cottage.
Trevor garnered the attention of everyone we passed. He stopped at a bakery and bought a few things, and when he returned, there was a gleam in his eyes. “Galder is small compared to many kingdoms. Is it smaller than Paruth?”
“I would say they’re comparable, from what I’ve seen.”
“We do have many who live in the countryside, but many come to market. The village will be teeming with people tomorrow.”
The thought excited and made me nervous at the same time.
“For now, I thought we could ride to the shore and have a snack.”
I wanted to throw my arms around him. I missed Tross. I missed the sea. And it was only my first full day here.
We rode back through the village, past beautiful lawns with fountains that spewed water into the sky, past hedge mazes and rolling carts, past the castle and port. Once the docked ships were behind us, a beautiful sandy beach opened up in front of us. Just hearing the waves and gulls calmed me. My muscles relaxed almost instantly. Trevor lashed our horses to a nearby fence and called out to two boys watching us from the dock. “See that they’re watered, and I’ll give you each two coins.”
Their faces lit up. “Right away, Prince Trevor!” one yelled as they raced to get fresh water.
Trevor grabbed a small bag and pulled me toward the sand. My feet sank into its softness and it filled my shoes, but it was the scent of the ocean that truly made me smile. The castle wasn’t far from the shore, but from my room, I couldn’t feel the breeze or smell the salty brine. Maybe I’d just gotten used to being so close to it.
“I didn’t bring a blanket for you to sit on,” he apologized.
I tugged on my breeches. “We don’t need one.”
I settled in the sand and he sat down beside me, pulling out a flask and easing it into the sand to hold it up. “This is a very fancy lunch, Princess.”
“I have no doubt,” I giggled.
With flourish, he held out our food. “Your bread and cheese, my lady.”
“Thank you,” I assented, taking the small loaf and wedge from his hands.
With a chunk of bread in his cheek, Trevor fastened his eyes on me and sincerely said, “I’m glad you’re here.”
“So am I.” It wasn’t a complete lie. I was glad to be off the island, and glad to be with him here. But I felt like a fish out of water. I didn’t know what to do with myself now. He would say I had nothing but time to figure it out, but I disagreed.
At some point, I would need to earn my keep. I’d either need to learn a trade or marry. I couldn’t stay in the castle for the rest of my life, and wouldn’t want to be around as Trevor and his new bride made their children. I wanted him happy, but seeing him with someone else wouldn’t make me happy at all.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
I tried to smile. “I was wondering where Tross is.”
“Hard to tell.”
“He’ll forget me soon enough.”
Trevor shook his head. “Impossible. He likes your kisses too much.” Trevor’s eyes fixed on my lips and I couldn’t help the blush that warmed my face and neck. I looked back toward the horses so he wouldn’t see.
He pulled a piece of bread from his loaf. “So, will you attend Aric’s wedding?”
“I was personally invited, so of course I will,” I teased.
“Then you really should meet with the seamstress tomorrow. Not that you don’t look fetching in a boy’s breeches and shirt.”
“These belong to a man, thank you very much.”
He smirked and leaned back, bracing his weight on his arms. “Those do not belong to a man.”
I growled, finishing off the cheese and last chunk of bread. He took a swig from the flask and held it out to me. My nose scrunched up. “What is it?”
“Try it and see,” he dared.
I grabbed it from him and took a small sip. “Ale?”
“It is. Have you ever had it?”
“No, my parents were strict about me not drinking it, even when other children were allowed a small tankard at dinner.”
He pouted his lips and motioned for me to take another sip. “Enjoy it now, then. You’re a woman. You can drink ale all day, if you’d like.”
“I’m sure your father would love that.”
“Stop worrying about my father, Ray. Right now, he worships the ground you walk on.”
In a few weeks, after I had new gowns that he insisted on, and ate food he had to purchase, and realized his son had given me a horse, would he feel the same?
The boys returned with a bucket of fresh water. “We brought water, Sire,” the tallest shouted as they ran toward us. They panted, catching their breath as he fished two coins out of his pocket for each of them.
They thanked him half a dozen times and ran back to the docks. I watched them run, laughing about how amazing it was to help the Prince, how important they were now, and what their father would say.
“Everyone here adores you,” I remarked kindly.
He looked at his boots in the sand. “Not everyone.”
“I haven’t seen anyone yet who doesn’t. Is your father as well-loved? I haven’t seen him interact with anyone but the servants this morning.”
“He doesn’t have time to know many of his people. It’s why I’ve always made it a point to go into the village often and speak with everyone I could. I’ve been gone so long, I can’t believe they still remember me.”
I nudged his arm. “It’s hard to forget when someone makes time for you and makes you feel important, Trevor.”
He brushed my fingers with his, and small bolts of lightning forked from the places he touched. “The horses probably need to be fed. Are you ready to go back?”
I wasn’t. I wasn’t ready for him to stop brushing my skin or to leave the ocean and the sound and scents of it behind, but he probably had things to do that didn’t include sitting in
the sand with me. I could always sneak back down later. “Sure.”
We walked side by side, close enough to touch, but not touching. I could still feel something between us. If he felt it, it didn’t show on his face.
I raked my fingers through Winter’s mane, telling her what a pretty girl she was. We rode to the stables, retired to our rooms, and I stayed there until my lady’s maid announced a visitor early in the afternoon.
Chapter eighteen
TREVOR
I stopped by Raya’s room before dinner, but her maid shooed me away, saying she was busy. Judging by the giggles coming from behind the door, there were a few women inside with her. She’d made friends quickly. And she was worried she wouldn’t fit in here.
I dined with my father and his advisors. The routine in place before Father and I left for Tierney all those years ago was the same. “We have news from Tierney, Sire,” his general spoke.
Father and I moved at the same time, sitting up straighter in our seats. “What news?” Father asked.
“King Stefan has fallen ill and isn’t expected to last more than a few days. William will succeed him.”
We’d had spies in Tierney for years, watching and reporting back to our soldiers in the bordering woods. They’d never reported that Stefan was ill before, so whatever took him down did so suddenly. Carden was Stefan’s eldest son, but in the battle for Aelawyn he defied his father’s orders, and Stefan was mad enough to order his own men to beat him to death. Carden managed to get a hold of a horse and ride away, seeking asylum in Aelawyn.
Ella placed him in the dungeon, and he seemed content to stay there for a long time. When I took over and saw he was no threat, I let him out.
“Does Carden know?” I voiced.
Everyone froze.
“He could challenge William for the throne.”
“Would he?” Father asked me.
I didn’t have the answer to that. I set him free and told him never to step foot in Aelawyn again. To make sure he followed my directive, I made a scout trail him for weeks. He was living in the northern forest, in a cabin just inside the border of Waverly.
“There’s only one way to find out, assuming we have time to get word to him. If Stefan’s as bad as they say, we may not be able to get to him in time for him to do anything.”
Father and I had spoken at length about the successors to Tierney’s throne. I spent some time with William years ago, when we first went to Tierney in search of Ella. He was a spoiled child, but he wasn’t cruel. Of course, that was years ago, and I wasn’t sure what sort of man he’d become.
Carden, however, lost everything and had to humble himself quite a bit just to ask for mercy. If he ruled Tierney, peace between our kingdoms would be guaranteed. It would be beneficial for him to take his father’s place and ascend the throne. Not just for Galder, but for all the surrounding kingdoms, as well.
“I’ll need an exact location,” the general agreed. “I’ll send my best men to speak with him, post haste.” He excused himself from the table. The rest of his men followed, leaving Father and me alone.
“How is Raya?” Father asked out of the blue.
“She’s doing well.”
“I sent the seamstress to her chamber this afternoon.”
That explained the giggles. The seamstress was a boisterous woman, and so were the girls who helped her.
“Son, I’m not sure how you feel about Raya—”
“She’s my best friend.”
“Good, good. I was just concerned that you might have developed feelings for her. She’s a beautiful young woman, you’re a young man, and you were stuck on that island for a time together.” He picked at his napkin.
I sat up straighter and cleared my throat. “Nothing romantic happened between us, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“I wondered, because you seem very friendly with each other. It just wouldn’t be prudent for you to get too close. It wouldn’t benefit Galder for the two of you to marry.”
I bristled at the statement. “Not that I’ve considered it, but why wouldn’t I be able to marry her? You asked for royalty, or at the very least, a noblewoman. She is a princess.” Actually, it was a bald-faced lie to say I hadn’t considered it. Truthfully, I considered nearly every possibility when it came to Raya, but in the end, he was right. She didn’t have feelings for me beyond friendship, and I couldn’t push a marriage on her and ruin the amazing friendship we had.
“She is the heir to a dead kingdom, son. A match with her wouldn’t be... advantageous for our kingdom.”
“I can’t believe you!” I sputtered. “This morning, you told her she’d never want for anything as long as you lived. It was a good speech, I suppose, but it must have meant nothing to you if you can so easily throw the tragedy of her past in her face. You know, she was also a victim of the plague. She may not have died, but it completely upended her life. It took years away from her, and robbed her of much more than time could ever measure. Can’t you see that?”
“I can,” he admitted, leveling a glare at me. “I can also see that you’re attached to her. But a strategic marriage between a northern kingdom and ours is still the wisest course of action.”
“I’ve barely been home a week and you’re already asking me to leave and go look for a wife?” Disgusting. He had to try to control every single facet of my life. I took the napkin off my lap and threw it on the table beside my plate.
“I don’t want you to leave,” he refuted. “I just want you to keep an open mind at the Midsummer Ball. That’s all I’m asking, and I don’t think it’s too much. Perhaps Raya should keep an open mind, too. There will be plenty of eligible suitors in attendance.”
I stood and scooted my chair back. “If you’ll excuse me.”
He nodded and sat back in his seat as I strode past him without a backwards glance.
RAYA
King Yurak graciously sent his seamstress to measure me for dresses and gowns, but I was relieved when the gaggle of gossiping women finally left my room. The seamstress measured me for day gowns, evening gowns, a gown for the Midsummer Ball—which she promised would be the most beautiful thing I’d ever set eyes on—and undergarments and robes that would be made just for me.
She and her helpers cut fabric and pinned it into place, careful not to stick me in the process. They told jokes and fed each other information about the inhabitants of the castle, most of whom I didn’t know, and after I heard what they were accused of, wasn’t sure I wanted to meet.
The women left, only after I promised I would go into town to the cobbler shop to be fitted for shoes right away. She and her assistants would work on the dresses, but each dress’s hem would be shortened to fit me in whatever shoes I chose to wear.
I slipped out of my room, down the hallway, and out of the castle, making my way back to the sand and sea. There, I sat until stars glittered in the sky, winking down at me from the heavens. I wanted to see Tross, wanted to pet his soft feathers and give him kisses. Despite being in a kingdom of people, it was all I wanted.
That, and to see Trevor.
As if I’d conjured him, he plopped down in the sand beside me. “Thought I might find you here. Your lady’s maid was upset that you hadn’t returned.”
“I didn’t mean to scare her.” I really didn’t need help getting in and out of my clothes or brushing my hair.
“Will you attend church services with us in the morning?” Us meant he and his father.
“I think I’d rather meet you at the market afterward, if that’s okay,” I answered. It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the sanctity of church or his offer, but I had nothing to wear. While I didn’t care and Trevor didn’t either, something told me Yurak would mind if I showed up in a simple gown to sit beside them. I’d heard him speaking with his seamstress before she came in, and he was very clear about how he expected me to look. I wasn’t sure that all the fine fabric in the world would cover the fact that though I was royalty, I didn’t know
how to act the part.
“You okay, Ray?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You will be,” he promised. And then he snorted. I turned to face him, watching the grin split his face. “Father suggested that you keep your eyes open for suitors at the Midsummer Ball.”
My brows raised. “Is he trying to get rid of me so soon?”
“Not just you,” he hinted, letting sand sift through his fingers.
“Is he pressuring you to head north again?” I knew he’d leave eventually. He had a life to attend to, a life that didn’t include me in it. While we were on the island, I was the only other person there, so I had his undivided attention and he had mine. But now, an entire kingdom depended on him. Life was moving on faster than I imagined, but moving on, nonetheless. I assumed we’d have a period to adjust, but maybe that was my naiveté showing.
He walked me back to the castle and back to my chamber, both of us quiet as we strolled along, neither of us in a hurry to sleep. I wondered if another nightmare would seize him. I decided not to ask for my chamber to be moved because I was afraid he would need someone in the middle of the night, and he didn’t bring it up again.
He paused at my door, lingering for a moment, brushing his hand against mine and setting me on fire. “Night, Ray.”
“Goodnight.” He pivoted on his heels and turned toward his room, slowly walking away. I opened my door and sank back against the wood after it closed.
This was bad. I wanted someone I couldn’t have, and who didn’t want me back. I was just like him.
Chapter nineteen
RAYA
I rarely dreamed of my parents. Most of the time I could barely remember what color their eyes were, but at the market, I felt my mother beside me. So many people had come in from the countryside to set up their booths and sell their wares, the tiny village swelled to four times its size overnight. There were temporary tents and carts, as well as the permanent shop owners who set up tables outside, filled to the brim with goods.
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