by Rebecca Rode
“I have a plan. I’ll need someone to give Elyss a message, and we’ll have to smuggle in a knife, but I’m sure it will work.”
“There’s a knife hidden in the queen’s chambers,” Magie said, still signing for the queen’s sake. She shrugged when Aden shot her a dark look.
“Rasmus’s reputation is more important to him than you think,” I told Aden. “You have to trust me.”
“I can’t,” Aden said, running a hand angrily through his hair. “I won’t subject either of you to this. There has to be a way to get everyone out before the ceremony.”
Magie shook her head slowly. “There isn’t. Not unless we jump out the window to our deaths. But even that wouldn’t stop Rasmus from taking over.”
The queen smacked her hand on the armrest, emitting a sharp crack. Aden jumped, then walked back to her with a frown. His mother signed faster than ever.
“She wants to speak with him alone,” Magie said, pulling me toward the door. “Come. We’ll wait in the sitting room.”
As the minutes passed, my nerves were too ragged to let me sit long. I kept glancing at the closed door, wondering what Aden and his mother’s conversation would decide. Finally, I made my way to the window, clasping my hands to keep them from shaking. Moonlight fell on the waves far below. I could see why Magie had joked about making the leap. A fall from this height would kill a person surely as tumbling down any cliff.
I frowned at my reflection in the glass. Just weeks ago, I’d been reluctant to help Aden at all. Now I was volunteering to face a mad dictator alone and unarmed. Was it my feelings for Aden, or did I have something to prove to myself?
Twenty minutes later, Aden emerged. His jaw was set in anger, yet his eyes looked haunted. His hands clasped into fists and then opened again. He paced back and forth for a few seconds before he stalked through a second door and closed it firmly behind him.
“He’s retreated to Her Highness’s bedchamber,” Magie explained. “I think that means you’ve won.” She rose and returned to the queen. I hesitated at Aden’s door, wishing I could comfort him. He’d already suffered so much. It hurt to think that a portion of the pain he suffered now was for me.
I felt as though a stone were lodged in my throat. I swallowed and entered the dressing room.
The queen stood now, holding the red gown, tall and regal, a commander more than a prisoner. This was a woman who had suffered much but refused defeat. Her eyes bored past my unkempt appearance and into my soul. Then her hands began to move.
“Aden sees the wisdom in your plan, though it hurts him to admit it,” Magie interpreted. “Thank you for reuniting us and arranging our escape. We will not forget your sacrifice, regardless of the outcome.”
The full meaning of her words wasn’t lost on me. There were only two outcomes here, life and death. Neither meant I could have Aden. I’d come intending to help him save his family, and I would. But there were no promises for after that. If Aden uttered such a thing, it’d be a lie, as would my acceptance of it. We both knew I could never stay.
I glanced toward the door. Still closed.
“He has withdrawn to give us privacy,” Magie said with a sad smile. “That gown will need a few alterations. Her Highness wishes to teach you protocol and a few basic signs, and you’ll practice training your movements to match a queen’s grace.”
I remembered Magie’s continual reminders about my stride and grimaced.
She wrinkled her nose. “But first, a long soak in the bath. With a lot of soap.”
Several hours later, as the first rays of sunlight entered the room, I stood in front of the mirror once again. Only this time, the image in the glass was unrecognizable.
The red dress, hastily taken in to fit my smaller bust, accentuated all the parts I was used to hiding. The neckline was too low and the waist clung to my hips before flaring out and falling softly to the floor. The sleeves didn’t have tassels, thankfully, but the cut was distinctly Messaun. I adjusted the neckline for a third time.
“I’ll bet Khral Rasmus chose it himself,” Magie muttered, frowning. “Must have thought displaying Eurion’s widow as a half-naked trophy would reflect well on him.”
“At least nobody will be looking too closely at the veil,” I said, forcing a chuckle. Inside, my body had decided to rearrange itself. My stomach had crept to my feet and my heart pounded in my ears.
I’d had the brilliant idea to use makeup to imitate the queen’s bruises. Now dark spots were barely evident through the thin cloth veil. Once removed, the differences would be obvious, but hopefully it would ensure Rasmus left it on until after the ceremony.
Then my plan would begin. Magie had agreed to fetch Elyss to help. She’d even retreated to the sitting room to explain it to Aden in her most reassuring manner. It was the only comfort I could give him. Aden’s mother was asleep in her bedchamber now, gaining strength for her journey.
I gave my hair a pat. Magie had styled it in a pile of curls atop my head, fastened into place with the comb she’d found in my discarded clothes. Captain Dayorn’s warning had made me hold my breath as Magie placed the comb, but thankfully, the woman didn’t react to it at all. She likely assumed I’d stolen it. The veil covered how short my hair was, although I was pleased to see that it shone like the queen’s now, a warm auburn color. I’d never given it a good look before. It was almost… pretty.
“Enough staring,” Magie said, turning back to the dressing room. “Now, let’s practice your walk again. Can’t have you stumbling around and falling on your face while we’re smuggling the royal family out.”
Since my shoes wouldn’t be seen, I’d chosen the most practical from the queen’s collection, a sturdy pair of boots with a low heel. That hadn’t stopped me from walking like a man, apparently.
“We’ve been at this for hours. I need a break.” I’d absorbed as much of the woman’s lessons as possible under the circumstances, but it all felt so unnatural and awkward. It was like teaching a rock to dance.
The maid clapped her hands. “One last turn about the room first.”
I sighed and began to walk, focusing on setting my feet down softly.
“Hips,” Magie instructed.
I blinked and started to sway with an exaggerated motion.
“You seem drunk,” Aden said from the doorway. “A sailor girl told me that once.”
Magie laughed, though there was a nervous tinge to it. It seemed I couldn’t pass as the queen from sheer determination alone.
“I’ll take it from here,” he told Magie.
“You?” She looked skeptical before seeming to remember who she addressed. “Yes, Sire.” Magie stepped out quickly and gave us one last worried look before closing the door.
Aden came over to me, examining the dress with little expression. My cheeks were ablaze now. I turned away, feeling humiliated and exposed.
Aden leaned forward. “There’s never been a woman more beautiful than you, Laney.” His voice was a whisper. He lifted his fingers and let them trace down my arm. It left a trail of heat behind.
A shiver shot through me. “It’s a costume. A disguise.” Different from the one I’d worn most of my life, but a disguise all the same. A lie.
“The dress itself is dreadful, I’ll give you that. But you are radiant. I’ve never seen your eyes shine like they are now.”
I looked up at him, startled. I’d expected him to object, to threaten, to stop this plan from going forward. But instead of seeing anger in his gaze, I saw admiration. Respect. And a tiny glint of that same determination I’d seen in his mother. Magie must have given him a remarkable talking-to.
“Magie’s overwhelming you, isn’t she?” Aden asked.
“Maybe a little,” I admitted.
“You were my teacher once. Now it’s my turn.” He gave me a sideways look. “She means well, but that crowd gathering down there are mostly men. You don’t want them watching your hips while you walk. You want them to see you. Your confidence, your regal beari
ng. Show them you deserve more than they’re giving you.” He swept a piece of my wayward hair aside and let his hand linger against my face.
“I thought I was supposed to look like your mother,” I said with a weak smile.
“That’s exactly what she would do—hold her head high and show Rasmus what he’s dealing with. Now show me the signs you learned.”
I reviewed them, stumbling over the motions. Aden positioned himself behind me, my back solidly against his chest, and took my hands in his. His breath against the back of my neck sent sparks jumping along my skin.
“When the officiator asks for your name,” he said softly, “you’ll do this. Sweep your heart with your left hand, then tap your three fingers together in a line across your body.”
“What does it mean?” I asked, ignoring how my heart pounded through my back, as if trying to reach him.
“Marina. Lover of the sea.”
Another reason to like the woman. I nodded, grateful he couldn’t see my cheeks flush at being in such an intimate position. And me in a dress. “What else?”
“He’ll ask whether you agree to the terms of marriage. You’ll make a fist and nudge it forward.”
I smirked. “Maybe you should show me that too.”
I felt his laugh more than heard it, a deep rumble in his chest near my ear. But instead of taking my hand again, he wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my head.
I leaned into his touch, letting my head fall back against his chest. His kisses moved downward to my temple, then my cheek, then my jawline. He spent a long moment there, sending my heart fluttering until I was sure it would stop altogether.
“This wasn’t how I saw our grand rescue going,” Aden whispered. His voice was rough, almost shaky. “I knew I’d never deserve you, but I’d hoped for more time to try.”
Him deserve me? I hadn’t heard correctly. My head was too light to get a grasp on any of this.
“I said I’d never send you where I didn’t dare go, yet here we are.” A wry chuckle. “I know it makes you uncomfortable, but I can’t let you enter that room without telling you how I feel. You’ve changed me, Laney Garrow. You opened my eyes long before those pirates came. And then they made me a prisoner, and I thought I was alone in the world, but you jumped through that window… well, it made me decide something. If we do survive this, my first act as king will be to rescind my father’s Edict. I don’t know much about ruling a country, but I do refuse to become a monster. Women like you deserve as much freedom in this world as any man. I won’t be the one to take it away.”
The thrill at his words ignited into something much warmer as he moved his hands on my stomach, turning me around to face him. Then he began again, leaving a trail of hot kisses down my neck. Just when I couldn’t bear it any longer, he placed a gentle hand behind my neck and tilted my head upward.
His lips were a soft whisper against mine. His arms encircled my back, cradling me like I was some infinitely precious treasure. I sank into him, feeling my heart yield until I wondered if it had always been his. And then his hand tightened and his chin was rough against my face and he wanted more, demanded more. The very air was aflame, singeing through me with every desperate, shuddering breath I managed to steal.
This kiss contained the thousands of moments we should have had, if only the world would let us be. I clung to him, the only solid part of a wavering, uncertain reality. I’d been wrong about one very important thing.
Some kisses were worth risking your life for.
I barely heard the distant knock. It came once, then again. The outside door. I pulled away with a start.
Magie ran in, eyes round. “They’re here! Quick, the veil.”
Aden stepped back while I dashed over to the veil and slid it on. Magie secured it in place, giving it a few more pins than necessary. Then she peeked into the queen’s bedchamber to ensure Aden’s mother was hidden. The knocking gave way to pounding.
Aden took my hand as I headed for the door. “Show them,” he whispered, his eyes so intense I nearly fell right into them. Then he disappeared into the bedchamber.
I felt as if he’d taken a part of me with him. I followed Magie to the door as she brushed invisible dirt off the dress and checked my hair one last time.
Show them. Rasmus wanted a beaten, defeated bride. Well, he was in for a surprise. I had everything in the world to fight for.
The door opened before Magie turned the handle, and she had to leap backward against the wall to avoid the man striding inside. His hair was patched with gray and he had the squarest jaw I’d ever seen. His vulgar gaze fell on me. I had an overwhelming urge to cover myself.
I straightened. Aden was right. Yesterday I had been a sailor girl, but today I had to be a queen.
“It’s time.” His words were clipped.
I dipped my head in acceptance, grateful I didn’t have to speak today. I couldn’t have done it convincingly, not after Aden’s devastating kiss. I could still taste him on my lips.
I swept past the man and into the corridor, holding my head high. An entire contingent of guards waited outside. Their gazes swept down my body as the door closed behind me. Someone cleared his throat. Many of them smirked.
I halted and leveled my gaze at them, almost daring them to speak. The guards’ smiles faded and they looked away.
“Follow me,” the gruff man said.
Paval once said my mother wore green to her wedding.
A small, intimate ceremony with a few family members and friends, he’d called it. My parents spent the next few days at an inn owned by a friend, less than a mile from the docks. Father bought her a home in the poorer section of town and furnished it with a few secondhand pieces before setting sail for the islands. He returned seven months later to find his wife ill and living at her parents’ house, heavy with child.
The thought of Mum suffering alone all those months should have made me sad for her, but it didn’t. At least she had her family. My father had no one. By law, he couldn’t bring his wife onto his own ship. They both would have been executed, child or not.
Had any of that occurred to Mum as she walked down an aisle much like this one in her fancy green dress? Had she felt a little thrill at seeing him in his best suit? Had she known what would be required of her?
Why was it my mum who drew my thoughts now, while guards escorted me to a murderer’s side? I didn’t know where I’d be next year. Lands, I didn’t know where I’d be tomorrow. But one thing was certain—I wouldn’t be visiting that woman. She’d chosen to face her troubles alone.
Yet I couldn’t help but wonder. Would Mum be disappointed to know her daughter sailed on ships she wasn’t allowed to board, surviving battles she wasn’t supposed to survive, and loving men she wasn’t allowed to marry? And now that girl would stand in the place of a queen.
The throne room I’d admired earlier was no longer empty. Chairs extended all the way back despite the fact that only half were full, and a wide aisle had been created in the center. Guards lined every wall, standing at attention with dull eyes. I recognized the man nearest the door. He’d been the one to make that disgusting proposition last night.
The front was even more heavily guarded. Two entire rows stood behind the figures at the front. The officiator was easy to identify. He wore only black and looked nervous. That meant the other man was Rasmus. His white-blond hair was braided back, and he wore a sickly red suit with an elaborate golden cape. He watched with a practiced smile as I walked. It looked more like a smirk.
It swept the nervousness from me in an instant. He was just a man, and I could fool men. I’d been doing it my entire life.
I slowed my steps, pretending to be overwhelmed by the intensity of the moment. I was a proud, mourning widow. A queen who wouldn’t hurry to take another husband. The seconds passed slowly. Aden would be on his way to the dungeon by now. He needed every moment I could give him.
The officiator stood directly in front of the throne. A crown rested o
n the throne’s cushion. This was more than a wedding, then. It was also a coronation.
“Move faster, woman,” the escort growled behind me.
“She can’t hear you,” the other guard said.
The audience lowered their heads as I passed each row. There were a few Hughen traitors in the crowd, but they kept their eyes trained on the ground. I recognized King LeZar near the front. High Advisor Varnen stared at the wall, looking bored. I fought back the urge to strangle both men.
Perhaps it would be best if I didn’t look too closely at the audience.
I kept my pace slow and careful but reached the front too soon. The officiator nodded to the audience, who sat. Rustling and whispers filled the giant room like a long sigh. Then the man dressed in black began to speak, slowly and deliberately, as his hands signed the words. At least he was respectful.
I settled in to listen, keeping my posture straight. The eyes of hundreds bore down upon my back. My part was simple now. Watch me carefully, guests. Don’t think about the dungeon. Don’t—
My gaze fell upon a guest in the front row beside me, and my heart leaped into a furious rhythm. A man with long white-blond hair pulled into one long braid. He wore an intense expression as he watched the officiator, hands resting in his lap. He wore a deep gray gentleman’s suit that barely fit.
Captain Belza.
Familiar faces dotted the row around him. Their clothing was more ragged and obviously thrown together at the last moment, but they’d all made an attempt at smoothing their appearances. They looked as bored as Varnen. I took a deep breath to slow my pounding heart and tried to calm the panic gripping my mind.
Of course they would be here. Belza had likely been ordered to attend by Khral Rasmus himself, and Aden’s rescue obviously hadn’t deterred them. The pirate captain’s eyes flicked to me. I pulled my gaze away, breathing hard, feeling more exposed than ever before. My knees actually shook. Why hadn’t I prepared for this possibility?
“Please state your name, Your Highness,” the officiator said to Rasmus.