by A J Park
“I will. Thank you,” Shalyrie promised, and Karrah disappeared.
As soon as they were alone, Lorelei ran to Shalyrie and collapsed into a chair beside her. “Did you ever see a more gorgeous man?”
“Galenor?”
“Of course, Galenor. Who else would I be talking about? Those eyes! When he looks at you, it makes you feel like you’re melting. And he wasn’t even looking at me. How did it feel to you?”
Shalyrie didn’t want to confess that it had felt exactly like that. But she always told Lorelei everything. She smiled ruefully. “All right. He does make me feel like I’m melting.”
They laughed together.
“So you like him,” Lorelei pressed.
“I just met him,” Shalyrie protested.
Lorelei looked at her sternly.
“Yes, I like him,” she admitted. “But we came to tour the colony with the king, to support him and help him, not to…” she paused. “Well, not to get involved with the governor.”
“But his father was an old friend of the king. Surely King Telthan wouldn’t object if you were friends with Galenor?”
“Friends, no, of course, he wouldn’t object. But Galenor doesn’t look like he’s thinking about friendship.”
“I agree. So what are you going to do about it?”
That question occupied Shalyrie’s thoughts much of the rest of the night.
The next evening, Shalyrie wore a gown of aquamarine trimmed with silver. The color matched her eyes, blue in some lights and green in others. Lorelei had arranged Shalyrie’s hair, half pulled up with long curls framing her face and half hanging in golden waves down her back. She wore her mother’s favorite jewelry, sapphires set in silver. Long ago, it had been a gift from the king’s brother to his new bride.
“You look amazing,” Lorelei said loyally, squeezing her hand. “He’s going to fall over when he sees you.”
“You look wonderful too,” Shalyrie reminded her, brushing the skirt of Lorelei’s pale green dress. Lorelei’s crisp curls framed her wide cheekbones and slender chin. “Don’t forget there will be a whole room full of young soldiers in there who are very, very lonely.”
Lorelei smiled and blushed a little. “I haven’t forgotten.”
King Telthan and Olthorin joined them outside the doors to the hall, where they were waiting to be announced. The king looked fondly at Shalyrie. “You are beautiful, my dear.” He gave her a swift hug and kissed her cheek. “I hope you’ve left the first dance open for me?”
“Of course, Uncle,” she said. “The first dance is always yours.”
He offered his arm and then nodded to the man waiting at the doors. He threw them open wide and a fanfare announced the coming of the king. They entered the room and walked down the open aisle in the middle. The hall was packed with people: officers and their wives, merchants and business people of various sorts, but mostly soldiers in their blue uniforms. Even Shalyrie, who was very used to being in the public eye, felt she had never had so many people looking at her at once.
They paced down the length of the hall to where Governor Galenor was waiting to greet them. “Welcome to Newport, King Telthan Almorin of Almoria. And welcome, Lord Olthorin and Lady Shalyrie. All of Newport welcomes you!” Everyone cheered, and they turned to face the crowd.
“Thank you for your warm greeting,” King Telthan said. “And thank you for all the work you have done to build this colony.”
They all cheered again.
“We are honored to have you here tonight,” the king said to the crowd. “Eat, drink, dance! I have asked Lady Shalyrie to reserve the first dance for me.”
The music began, and Shalyrie commenced her dance with the king. “It looks like this will be quite a night,” he said in her ear. “This crowd makes me wonder if I should have assigned a dozen guards to you.”
She laughed. “It’s not that bad, is it?”
“It’s still a new colony,” the king said. “There aren’t many families here yet, but there are a great many young men. They’re already lonely, and now they are so dazzled by your beauty that every last one of them will be in love with you before the night is over.”
She laughed a little. “They wouldn’t feel that way if they had more choices.”
“Wouldn’t they?”
“You are prejudiced in my favor, Uncle,” she protested.
“Of course, I am,” he said. “And I plan to stay that way. You go and have a good time tonight, enjoy the attention, and I will get rid of any of them that linger too persistently at the end of the evening.”
“As you command,” she said, smiling.
It was true. When the first song ended, there was a throng of men wishing to ask her to dance. She moved graciously from partner to partner, thanking each of them for their interest. A man came forward and several of the others blended back into the crowd when they saw him. He had darker hair than was usual for an Almorian. He offered her his hand. “Will you consent to dance with me?” he asked.
“I would be honored,” she replied out of habit.
The music began again.
“I am Calreth, Captain of the Guard,” he said. “I report directly to Governor Galenor.”
“It’s very nice to meet you,” she said politely. “You must be deeply involved in all the work here.”
“Yes,” he said.
“Have you worked with Galenor long?” she asked.
“Several years now, since before Newport was colonized,” he said.
“Are you originally from Almoria?” she asked. The closer she looked at him, the more she thought that his features didn’t look Almorian.
“No,” he said, smiling a little. “I’ve traveled to many lands and settled here when Newport was founded. What do you think of our colony so far?” Calreth was looking at her and his gaze felt… appraising. What exactly was he trying to decide?
“I am very impressed with your work here so far,” she said. “I know there is still much to see.”
Calreth smiled. “Yes, very much more. Galenor and I agree that this land is a place of opportunity. We’ve built this colony into the strong city it is today. And we will do much more. Surely, the king will see the advantage of helping us grow.”
“I’m sure he does,” Shalyrie agreed. “He’s already done much to support you.”
“He has, but we have made sure he’s gained greatly from our efforts as well. But enough about business. You are here to enjoy yourself. We can talk about that another time. There are many people waiting to meet you.” Calreth smiled and bowed to her as the music ended.
She turned to see another young man standing behind her, waiting. He was tall and attractive. As she met his eyes, he smiled slowly and bowed. “Lady Shalyrie Almorin, will you dance with me?”
“I would be honored.”
His smile widened as she took his hand and they began to dance. “We’ve met before,” he said. “Back in Almoria. When I heard you were coming here, I couldn’t believe it.”
She looked at his face. Was he the one who had winked at her earlier? She couldn’t be sure. “What is your name?”
“Finn, my lady. I’ve been to King Telthan’s court many times with my father. You danced with me once before. It is a memory I treasure.”
She looked up at him. Maybe he looked vaguely familiar, but she really didn’t remember him. “How nice to see you again, Finn,” she said politely. “How do you like it here in Newport?”
“I haven’t been here very long,” he said, “but it’s a good place. Do you like it here so far?”
She could feel the warmth of his hand on her back. He was holding her a little more closely than was usual for polite dancing. She looked up at him again and could see the same warmth in his eyes. “You look beautiful,” he said frankly.
“Thank you,” she said, a litt
le taken aback. Was he serious? What would the king do if he thought Finn was being inappropriate? Maybe he would need to be removed at the end of the evening by the king’s guards, as they had joked about.
“Everyone wants you to like it here,” Finn said.
“They’ve all been very kind.”
“Good. And if there’s anything you need, you have only to ask.”
“Thank you, Finn,” she said.
The music was ending. He pulled her closer for just a moment. “This time, I want you to remember dancing with me,” he said in her ear.
The music ended and he vanished into the crowd.
She felt her cheeks color a little. What did he think he was doing? She was the king’s niece and she had come here with the king to tour the colony. Finn had no right to—
She took a deep breath and adopted a calm expression. Whatever else happened, he would get his wish. She would remember.
During a lull in the dancing, Shalyrie found Lorelei by a table full of food and drink. Her cheeks were very pink as she sipped from a cup.
“Are you having a good time?” Shalyrie asked her.
“Very! I’ve been asked to dance so many times that I haven’t had time to—”
“Excuse me,” a voice interrupted. They both turned to see an extremely handsome soldier. “I wondered if you would do me the honor of a dance?”
He was looking at Lorelei, clearly. But sweet, thoughtful Lorelei looked at him and then at Shalyrie, to make sure. Shalyrie smiled encouragingly and took a small step back. “Enjoy yourself.”
The soldier offered his hand to Lorelei and they began to dance.
Shalyrie turned to see Galenor. No one else was very near, but she could still see faces in the crowd looking at her and at Galenor. There was something about him. The others looked to him, respected him, and followed him. He had a presence about him. Everyone knew where he was. They watched him.
He caught her eye and smiled at her. He bowed gracefully and offered his hand. “If you are not too weary, Lady Shalyrie,” he said, “will you dance with me?”
“Yes,” she said, taking his hand. It was difficult to feel cool and controlled when he looked at her like that. The touch of his hand on her back made her feel very warm.
“Will you tell me more about yourself?” he asked.
“What would you like to know?” she asked in response.
“It would be a privilege to know you better,” he said with that slow smile. “I know already that the king is like a father to you. And that you love him and support him, and do everything you can to help him.”
“Yes,” she said. “He has been my father since my own father was lost.”
“And you have loved sailing with him.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
“I see the way you look into the distance,” he said. “You keep your eye on the horizon. You want to know what’s out there.”
She smiled up at him. “It’s true. I do want to know.”
“I want to show you everything we have done here,” he said. “We have everything we need here. This land is full of boundless potential.”
“And you have big plans,” she said.
“Of course,” he said. “Why shouldn’t I? Spend a few days here and you will see the potential too.”
“That is what we will do,” she said. “I look forward to it.”
They shared a few more dances before the evening was over and Galenor walked her back to her room.
Tired but excited, Shalyrie and Lorelei kicked off their shoes and took off their jewelry. Lorelei stretched back onto the bed with a deep sigh. “What a night,” she said, closing her eyes.
Shalyrie laughed. “It was, wasn’t it?”
“Did you ever see so many nice-looking, available, friendly men?”
Shalyrie lay back beside her, laughing, and Lorelei looked over at her and laughed too. “I’m glad you had fun,” Shalyrie said. “Was there someone in particular who you enjoyed meeting?”
“The one who came when we were at the table,” Lorelei said.
“Oh, yes,” Shalyrie agreed. “He was charming.”
“How about you?” Lorelei turned to look at Shalyrie. “Did you find any of them… charming?”
Shalyrie rolled her eyes, thinking of Finn. “Some of them were too charming,” she sighed.
The next morning, Galenor invited her to walk with him and see more of Newport. The morning air was fresh, and the sun was shining as they walked. There were several places in the city where building was in progress. They stopped to watch for a while. A man was expertly smoothing and shaping the stone. He was tall and had dark hair beginning to gray. He looked up when he saw them watching him. There was no expression on his face, only a flicker of resentment in the eyes. Something in his features reminded her of Karrah. He must have been one of her people.
“You do excellent work,” Shalyrie said. He nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing.
“There’s much more to see,” Galenor said. “This way.”
They made their way through the town and back into the fortress. There were many people engaged in various tasks in the large courtyard. Soldiers were drilling in one corner. Groups of men were working on building projects. One group was working on the wall just inside the gate. Shalyrie and Galenor strolled around the courtyard, watching the men work.
Suddenly, they heard cries and shouts as a man bolted past them toward the open gate and the empty road leading into the hills. Several guards moved to bar his way. The man was unarmed and dressed in rags, and he was dark-haired. As the guards tried to stop him, he fought them. A couple, he knocked down with his hands. Then he wrested a weapon from one of them. The man knew how to fight, that was obvious. But he was alone, and many more soldiers came to reinforce the first ones.
Shalyrie could see blood in several places on the man’s skin. The soldiers tackled him and tore the weapon from his hand. They held him down as he struggled. He was yelling in a language she couldn’t understand.
“Who is he?” Shalyrie asked, shocked by what she’d just seen.
“The man is a lunatic,” Galenor said, shaking his head sadly. “I’m sorry you had to see that, and we will keep you safe, of course. Don’t be afraid.”
She had not been worried for her personal safety. “I’m fine,” she said firmly. “What about him?”
“We’ll have to do something with him. He’s getting more dangerous all the time.”
“He’s attacked you before?”
“Not like this—but he’s tried several times. He’s crazy. I don’t know what we’ll do with him now.”
The soldiers were carrying the man away, still struggling and yelling.
Shalyrie turned to Galenor and put her hand on his arm. “Please! What will they do with him?”
“We’ll have to lock him up for a time. It’s not safe to leave him free.”
“They won’t hurt him? If he’s not in his right mind, then it’s not his fault.”
Galenor sighed, shaking his head in concern. “I’m not sure what to do with him.”
They followed the group of men through a doorway and down the stairs to a part of the fortress Shalyrie had not been to before. They turned and went down a long hall. She saw a row of empty cells with heavy iron bars. The soldiers threw the man inside and quickly locked him in.
The man jumped back to his feet and leaped for the door just as the guard with the keys secured the lock and stepped out of reach.
“Is everyone all right?”
As he turned toward her, she recognized Captain Calreth. “Lady Shalyrie, you shouldn’t be down here.” He looked at Galenor.
“She was worried about our friend here. Since he’s out of his mind, she was concerned that he be taken care of until he recovers. We felt we should do all we could to help hi
m.”
“What could we possibly do to help him?” Calreth protested. “He’s like a cornered animal. He’ll attack anyone who tries.”
“But he’s hurt,” Shalyrie pointed out. “Surely, we could bring him water and bandages, even if no one can help him?”
“Maybe,” Calreth said dubiously. He nodded at one of the soldiers, who bowed in response and disappeared down the corridor.
He quickly returned and set the supplies just inside the bars.
“He’s crazy,” Calreth said. “He won’t know what to do to help himself.”
“You’ll bring him food, of course.”
“Of course, my lady. I will have it done at once, if it pleases you.”
“Yes, thank you, Captain.”
The captain nodded at another of his men, who left and returned with a plate and cup, which he slid under the bars.
“There,” Galenor said. “He’ll be as comfortable as he can be. Your charity becomes you,” he said, smiling down at her.
“Please, promise me you’ll take care of him? That you’ll make sure he isn’t harmed?”
His eyes were intense. “I would promise you anything,” he said softly. “He will not be harmed. Now, if you will join me, they have prepared dinner. Your brother is waiting for us in my dining room.”
They found Olthorin waiting for them and they ate a wonderful meal, yet Shalyrie couldn’t help but remember the plate and cup they had shoved underneath the bars.
“Where did that man come from?” Shalyrie asked Galenor as they were finishing their dessert. “He didn’t look like an Almorian.”
Galenor smiled at her warmly and put his hand over hers. “You have a kind heart,” he said. “Your concern for others is admirable.” He turned to look at Olthorin, then explained, “There was an unfortunate incident this afternoon with one of our workers. His mind has been failing for some time, but today his reason left him and he attacked us. We had to lock him up.”
