I reached down to pat Reika’s neck as she pranced under me, picking up on the shift in my mood. My gaze turned to Lia, as I tried to imagine what thoughts raced through her mind. Her expression was stoic, her gaze focused on the sea beyond the palace. From the tension in her back, I knew her carefully contained exterior concealed turmoil. After a moment I saw her gaze shift to the far edge of the west wall, the sight where she was attacked. Returning to Lareem after all these years likely brought back memories she’d rather not ponder.
Pressing my outside calf against Reika’s side, I guided the mare closer to Khol. My knee bumped Lia’s and she turned to find the cause, probably thinking Reika had stumbled. A flash of desire washed through me as I remembered that day so many years ago, when we were newly in love, and Lia rode out to see me off from Lareem. Even furious with me, she couldn’t help but touch me, and had pressed her knee to mine. I held her gaze as the moment replayed in my mind. Lia blushed slightly, the tension easing from her back.
“Pet,” she whispered. “What are you thinking about?”
“Guess,” I replied, smiling at her.
Lia’s gaze slowly shifted over me, returning to my eyes. The sea wind had blown tendrils of my hair free from the braid I wore, allowing my unruly hair to whip across my face. When Lia reached out to tuck a loose section behind my ear, the backs of her fingers caressed my cheek. “I love you, Pet,” she whispered. “You don’t need to worry. I’m fine,” she added.
We rode on in silence, through the bustling streets of the Village of Lareem, past the High Temple that now bore Lore’s thirty-foot tall stone effigy, and the fountain where Lia and I had stopped to water our horses during our first ride together. The gates of Lareem Palace were open to us, as our imminent arrival was expected. Lia and I approached with our rather large cohort of fourteen guards, and several horses bearing trunks, as well as our traveling companions, Ania, Emma, Astrid and Jestine.
The girls, on their plodding little ponies, were chattering excitedly, as this was to be their first visit to the Fae Palace, not to mention their first Fae season. They were far too young to attend the balls, but they would witness the spectacle, the beautiful gowns, and jewels, not to mention the fanciful decorations. Though not her first visit, Emma was clearly uneasy. I was tempted to move up the line to the countess’s side, to reassure her, but then I noticed Ania had the situation well in hand. When I heard Ania’s teasing tone, and watched Emma smile at my cousin, I knew the countess would be fine. Lia’s voice brought my attention back to her.
“Why don’t you head out to the cliffs for your swim, while I get us settled into our apartment,” Lia offered. “We’ll share a bath when you return” she added, winking at me. “And you can make good on those promises you’ve been making with your eyes all morning.”
“I don’t need to go to this cliffs this time,” I replied.
“Of course you’re going, Pet. You always bathe in the gulf when you arrive at Lareem,” she replied.
“All right,” I agreed.
Both Queens waited on the entryway steps as we came to a halt before the palace. Grooms rushed forward to collect horses, and the returning princesses made their way forward to greet their mothers. Emma and the girls moved forward next, as I hung back, taking in a lungful of the salty air, and relishing that intense Lareem sun on my skin. Closing my eyes, I listened to the distant sounds of the sea birds, and the waves battering the cliffs. I took another deep breath, collecting as much of this magical place inside of me as I was able. Even after everything that had happened, Lareem was still a part of my soul. My heart knew this place. A gentle hand clasped mine and I opened my eyes to find Lore beside me.
“I’ve missed you, old friend,” Lore said by way of greeting. “I would offer you petou and a glass of torppa in the keeping room, but I think you’d rather visit the cliffs first,” she said gently.
“You know me too well,” I admitted.
The rest of my party was moving forward into the palace, but M’Tek hung back. She stepped down the stairs to me and gathered me in her arms for a warm hug.
“Thank you for coming, cousin,” she whispered next to my ear. “I know it can’t be easy returning after all that happened here.” I nodded my agreement. “Go bathe in the seawater. We’ll catch up later.” She released me and turned back toward the palace, but halted after a couple of steps. “Are you too tired to ride with me this afternoon?” M’Tek asked.
“Not at all,” I said, touched she was so eager to spend time with me. I was certainly not her only guest, and she must have had details to attend to before the opening of the season on the morrow.
“Wonderful,” M’Tek said, smiling. “I’ll find you after you have a chance to settle in,” she promised, turning back to return to the palace and the rest of her family.
“Well, I think I’ll head out to the cliffs,” I said to Lore, who was still beside me, for some reason.
“Would it be all right if I accompany you?” she asked, sounding almost shy. “I’d love a walk with you.”
“Of course, Lore. I’d like that,” I replied.
We set off in companionable silence toward my mother’s lookout point, and Lore passed an arm across my lower back, gathering me close to her side. When we reached the precipice, she relaxed her head against my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around her in a loose embrace. She sighed, gazing out at the Luminous Gulf below us, spilling away from us to the horizon. It was glowing, and reflecting the brilliant Lareem sunlight so brightly, I nearly turned my gaze away. Gradually my eyes adjusted, as we stood at the very edge, staring out into that endless expanse of brilliant blue.
As was part of my ritual, for just a moment, I unleashed my mind to ponder what it would feel like, plunging headlong over the cliff’s edge, falling freely toward the churning water and sharp white rocks below. I imagined my mother in those last moments, her bright red hair whipping her face, her dress flapping against her calves as she soared downward. For the first time I questioned how she could have done something so final, so irrevocable. In that moment, for the first time, I blamed her for what she had done. How could she have left this extraordinary world willingly? I took a deep breath and turned my face to kiss the top of my most beloved friend’s head.
“You gave me an extraordinary gift once, Lore, and I never thanked you,” I said into her light hair, breaking the silence between us. Lore lifted her head from my shoulder, appraising me with puzzled eyes. “In fact, I was actually ungracious.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked, smiling hesitantly. “You’re incapable of being ungracious,” she observed with a laugh.
“You saved my life, when you made me Lemu,” I whispered. “And you gave me a second chance at living in this world. You made me realize the infinite possibilities before me. You freed me to build the life I have now with Lia and Astrid.”
“My sweet Pet, we both know I didn’t do all that,” she said gently. “I saved you because I couldn’t let you go. Making you Lemu was the absolute most selfish act I’ve ever committed,” Lore added. “You simply made the best of the situation, as you always do.”
“It doesn’t matter why you did it,” I whispered. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, of course,” Lore said, grinning at me. She stepped back from my arms, seizing one of my hands in both of hers, and for a moment she wasn’t the commanding Noge Queen, but that sweet young girl I’d schooled all those years ago on how to wield power. “I thought we came out here to swim, not talk,” she pointed out before glancing over the edge of the cliff.
“Well, then, lead the way,” I replied, laughing.
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A Fortunate Woman (Fortune's Favor Book 2) Page 43