Once my guard halted, I slipped from M’Tek’s embrace, making my way over to Lord Roland as he dismounted. “Was the pass difficult?” I asked.
“No, my Queen. We crossed easily,” he replied.
“It’s good to see you, Lord Roland,” I offered. He gave a deep Vilken bow from the waist.
“I’m relieved you’re in good health, my Queen,” he replied, making reference to our last conversation, when he’d been reluctant to leave me in the company of M’Tek and her guard.
“Yes, as you can see, M’Tek has protected me well,” I replied, offering a smile, as I moved on to my beloved Pet, who had only just dismounted.
Pet threw her arms around me, nearly squeezing the life out of me. “How could you abandon me to the mercy of all these Vilkerlings for so long?” she asked sharply and in Noge. “I refuse to speak that hideous language again for at least three full months,” she concluded, releasing me. “If I didn’t love you so well, I’d be cross with you.”
“I’ve missed you too, Pet,” I admitted.
Behind me I heard M’Tek offering a formal welcome to these people she almost certainly detested. I turned to meet M’Tek’s eye, to offer a smile of gratitude, and Kieran wrapped her arms around me from behind.
“Lore,” she exclaimed excitedly into my ear. “I thought we’d never arrive.”
I watched M’Tek’s expression turn slightly dangerous, as I extricated myself from Kieran’s grasp. “Where’s Kolten?” I asked, turning around, trying to smooth over Kieran’s lack of decorum. Kolten was standing a few feet away, holding both Kieran’s horse and his own. I walked over to greet him.
“Kolten, it’s good to see you,” I offered. A grin spread across his boyish face, his dark eyes widening.
“Yes, my Queen, I mean, Lore,” he stammered, remembering I preferred informality to protocol.
“I think you’ll enjoy the Fae season,” I replied, turning to find M’Tek engaged in conversation with Pet, with only half her attention on me. “I’ll see you both tonight, at the banquet,” I concluded, turning to rejoin M’Tek and reclaim her full attention.
I stood beside M’Tek as she tried to mollify her cousin. Pet was upset with her, I could tell, over having kept me at Lareem so long. I tuned out their conversation, focusing on Kolten. He was tall, and lean, not thick like the members of my guard. His hair was shiny and black, and his eyes dark brown, appearing almost burgundy when the sunlight struck his face. I decided he was handsome, though nothing in my body stirred when I watched him.
My gaze shifted from Kolten to Lord Roland. Lord Roland was of higher birth. His family had once been the most powerful in all of Vilkerland. A joining with him would be celebrated. Still, I found him too thick through the shoulders. I liked the mass of dark hair that fell across his eyes when the wind caught it, and his face was still clean-shaven, except for his chin. His eyes were warm and gentle, the color of caramel. I decided most women would find him handsome. He caught me scrutinizing him and nodded to me, before smiling and heading over.
“Is there something you need, my Queen?” Lord Roland asked, grinning.
“No, I’ve just missed my countrymen,” I replied. “It’s good to be reunited with you.”
M’Tek abruptly stopped speaking and turned from her cousin to stare at me. I smiled as the grin on Lord Roland’s face was soon accompanied by a slight shift in his coloring, his cheeks growing red. M’Tek placed her hand on my shoulder, her fingers tightening.
“Lore,” she said, before Lord Roland could reply. “Will you come with me to check on the seating arrangements for this evening?” she asked in a curt tone. I glanced over at her. “Pet has some suggestions we’d like your approval over.”
“Of course,” I replied to M’Tek. “I’ll see you this evening, Lord Roland,” I offered as M’Tek ushered me away from him.
“What was that about?” she asked, as we entered the palace through the entry hall.
“I’m greeting my guests,” I replied.
“I’m not blind, Lore,” she said. “Just tell me.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I said calmly.
“Then I’ll tell you what I saw. You’re trying to decide which of them you could tolerate,” she observed.
“M’Tek, don’t,” I said, trying to stop her.
“Well, that’s what you were doing. I can read you, Lore,” she added. “I’ll tell you now. You won’t tolerate any of them, not for my sake, and not as long as I’m still breathing.”
“I don’t have a choice,” I snapped.
“You made your choice months ago, my love,” she replied. “You chose me,” she concluded, taking my hand and lifting it to her lips. “After I’m gone, you can do as you please. Until then, we belong to each other.”
“M’Tek, stop,” I said, jerking my hand away. “You do not own me.” She stood facing me for a moment, before turning abruptly, and walking away in the direction of her office.
“What was that about?” Pet asked from behind me.
My eyes started filling with tears, and my nose burned. I sniffed, and wiped my hand across my face before turning to face her. “A disagreement over seating arrangements at the banquet tonight,” I replied. Pet looked surprised. “M’Tek tells me you have some suggestions,” I added.
“Yes. Well, it’s only that I’ve been minding these ruffians for you, and some are good friends, while others barely tolerate one another,” she replied. “I thought if I could have control over where they sit, I might prevent bloodshed this evening,” Pet explained.
“Do what you need to do, Pet,” I replied.
I turned away from her. “Lore,” Pet said gently, her hand clasping my arm to prevent my retreat. “You weren’t arguing about seating arrangements,” she observed. I pulled away from her and started walking in the direction of the cliffs while Pet trotted to catch up with me. “Whatever she did, you have to forgive her. You must know she loves you,” Pet said as she came alongside of me. “Everyone knows she loves you. She’s made no secret of it.”
“Of course she loves me. The entire palace smells of oranges,” I whispered under my breath. “It’s not about that.”
“Then what?” Pet asked.
“What do you think?” I snapped, turning to face Pet. “She’s jealous,” I added. “And I don’t blame her. If I were in her position I would show far less grace. She doesn’t want me to take a consort.”
“Well, that’s easy enough to solve. Don’t take a consort,” Pet replied. “Your throne isn’t at risk yet. Wait. I know what she said before, about it not mattering to her if you were to join. Clearly, it matters.”
“When did she say it didn’t matter?” I asked, stunned.
“When she commanded me to find you a consort,” Pet explained. “We argued about it. She claimed it didn’t matter how she felt about you. All that mattered was that your throne was secure. You’ll need a consort and an heir for that. My cousin was right about your need for an heir, but not the urgency.”
“I couldn’t care less about my throne,” I said calmly. Pet’s expression shifted from concern to astonishment. “If I could give up Vilkerland today to live a long and quiet life with M’Tek, I would. I’d do it without a second thought,” I added, before turning to continue my progress out to the cliffs.
-CH 10-
The season began with the first palace ball. The most beautiful flowers from all over Vilkerland had been gathered and arranged throughout the ballroom. The Vilkerlings were being treated as honored guests. Their lack of manners in certain areas was excused, since the Fae already knew them to be a coarse and uncivilized people. Still, they were shown every courtesy by their hosts. When a Vilkerling asked a Fae to dance, protocol was overlooked, and the offer accepted, even if a proper introduction had never taken place. Watching the accepting behavior displayed by the Fae made me ashamed of how the Vilkerlings had treated M’Tek and her guests when they visited Vilkerdam Palace.
M’Tek made no effort t
o hide our relationship, actually making a point of it, by toasting me, and my guests, and referring to the Fae and Vilken people as our family, and calling me her love. Her fervent words spurred the Fae nobility toward even greater heights of magnanimity. I stood back and watched it unfold in shock, waiting for the first great cultural conflict to spark.
That spark never ignited, however, as the season progressed, and the Fae constantly gave way to the Vilkerlings. I began to believe perhaps M’Tek had been correct in her assessment of her people as peaceful. One evening, after M’Tek and I had escaped from a ball at a nearby estate, to walk the gardens in solitude, I brought my observations to her attention.
“I think you were right about the Fae people,” I told her, when she stopped to pluck a wildflower that had grown in an incongruous place among a neat row of orange lilies. She brought the flower to her nose and then handed it to me. It was the palest gold, with a dark blue center. I lifted it to my nose to smell a faint honey scent.
“Elaborate, please, my love,” she said.
“You told me the Fae are a peaceful people. I’ve witnessed a hundred slights committed by my Vilken guests, and yet, the Fae remain kind, and excessively forgiving.” M’Tek started laughing. “What?” I asked, confused.
“Well, excessive is certainly the right word,” M’Tek replied. “Have you never wondered if possibly the Fae might be patronizing your Vilkerlings?” she asked. “Imagine how infuriating it would be to keep trying to cause offense, only to be treated with gracious condescension and charity.” M’Tek grinned. “Fae use manners as weapons. The Fae nobility have elevated this practice to an art form,” she pointed out. “Maybe your Vilkerlings are just more honest than we are.”
“That’s the most generous observation you’ve ever made about the Vilken people,” I observed.
“I didn’t mean to be inconsistent,” she replied, the light from the ballroom catching in her pale eyes. I laughed for a moment, but then something occurred to me.
“Were they using their manners against me?” I asked.
“Of course not,” she assured me. “Everyone knows you’re no more Vilken than I am, my love. My people love and respect you, as they should a Noge Queen.”
“Good, because I feel far more comfortable around the Fae than with either the Noge or Vilkerlings,” I confessed.
“It shows, but probably not to the Vilkerlings. They’re proving to be quite dense,” she added.
“M’Tek!” I said sharply, smacking her shoulder.
“I’m only trying to regain my consistency,” she offered, obviously teasing me.
****
M’Tek and I never discussed what I was planning, or the difficult decision I was facing. When I danced with Lord Roland, or Kolten, she turned a blind eye. She satisfied herself with the knowledge that I danced every other dance with her, and spent every night in her bed, something that had become an open secret among the Fae. When she was overtly affectionate with me, I allowed it, reasoning that when I took a consort, he would have to know I belonged to her, not him.
Still, the pressure of trying to decide between the two men was wearing me down, likely, because I didn’t want either of them even remotely. Kieran hung about me whenever she caught me alone, trying to capture my attention again, striving for that camaraderie we once shared. It had been irrevocably lost though, in the stable, when my shield was activated by her attempted kiss. She started dressing in her brother’s clothes about halfway through the season, causing a sensation among the Fae. A few of the more fashionable young Fae girls imitated her style, dressing in the garb of their brothers and dancing only with other girls.
Strangely enough, it was Kieran, finally, who swayed me in my choice of consort. During the final month of the season I agreed, finally, to the rematch between her little chestnut mare and Sabea. I made my way down to the stable on the allotted afternoon. M’Tek was working and I thought she might not notice, or at least mind, my absence. I meant to fulfill my commitment to Kieran and be done with her. Kieran and Kolten waited for me, Kieran tacking her mare, Kolten holding Sabea who, inexplicably, was already saddled.
“I had one of the stable boys see to your mare, my Queen,” Kolten offered as he handed me the reins, bowing with excessive flourish.
“How thoughtful,” I replied, my gaze scanning the area for the unlucky groom who had saddled my horse without my permission. Though inwardly, I fumed, I offered a smile to Kolten. I didn’t like the idea of anyone handling my horse. He might have chosen to ride her. I made a mental note to discuss the situation with the head groom when I returned from my ride, and insure that no one would attempt to touch Sabea again, without my consent. Kieran finished tacking her mare and joined us.
“We haven’t discussed the prize,” Kieran commented as we made our way from the stable to the paddock.
“But we never needed prizes before,” I pointed out.
“Are you scared you’ll lose?” she asked, baiting me.
“What do you want, Kieran?” I asked, wanting to get the whole fiasco over with.
“If I win, a kiss for me, and one for Kolten, since he saddled Sabea for you,” she said, winking at her brother.
“Your brother told me one of the grooms saddled her,” I replied, growing even more incensed at the idea he had simply taken it upon himself to handle my horse.
“Kolten is shy sometimes,” Kieran replied, grinning. Not nearly shy enough, I decided, as I glanced over at Kolten, who was glaring at his twin sister.
“There will be no prizes,” I said. “If I choose to kiss someone, it will not be because I lost a horse race,” I said sharply.
“Fine. Are you ready?” she asked, rolling her eyes. After I nodded, Kieran was on her mare quickly, determined to beat me this time. I lifted myself into my saddle lightly, gathered my reins, and patted Sabea’s shoulder.
“I don’t want to run Sabea without warming her up a bit first,” I called over my shoulder as I trotted away.
I prepared myself for the race, moving Sabea in a few tight circles, asking her to bend, so she would be loose. When I returned, Kieran was still waiting in the exact same spot. I moved Sabea beside her, and we both waited for Kolten to give the command.
In the end, Sabea won an easy victory against the fast little chestnut mare. Kieran was furious. Kolten did his best to stay out of his sister’s way as we made our way back into the stable. I took the saddle from Sabea myself, unwilling to allow Kolten, or anyone else for that matter, near my horse. I then led Sabea over to the wash area and scraped the light coating of sweat from her coat, walking her out, paying little attention to the fuming Kieran, scowling and ranting, and the bashful Kolten, doing his best to mollify his sister.
After I returned Sabea to her stall, I headed back toward the palace. Kieran came running up behind me. “When are you going to make up your mind?” she asked, as she came alongside me.
“I don’t understand your question,” I said calmly.
“We all know you’re deciding on a consort during the Fae season, and that it’s between Kolten and Lord Roland. Which are you planning to choose?” she asked pointedly. “We used to get along really well, you and I. I think we could again. And Lord Roland is what, twice your age?”
“Don’t, Kieran,” I warned her. “You’re pushing me too far,” I added. I stopped my progress toward the palace, and Kieran circled in front of me. I heard Kolten’s quick steps as he trotted up behind me.
“I told my brother you’re like me,” she said. “He doesn’t mind. Do you think Lord Roland would?” she asked, taunting me. I started walking again, and she fell in step beside me, matching my quick pace. “I know you’re in love with the Fae Queen. And you should know, you’re not doing a very good job of concealing it, Lore,” she said, a note of false concern in her tone. I stopped again, itching to slap this obtrusive woman. “Kolten and I figured it out right away, didn’t we?” she said, including her brother with a quick glance over her shoulder in his direction
. “It’s obvious from the way she touches you, and especially from the way you so obviously enjoy it. She’s never been thrown across the room by your shield for getting too close. And she’s always too close to you, whispering in your ear, making you laugh, freely caressing you, even pressing quick kisses to your cheeks, and always unchecked.”
“You need to get away from me,” I said coldly. “Now.”
Kieran’s expression hardened. “Do you think the Vilken people will stand for this sort of behavior from their Queen?” she asked. “It’s disgusting, not to mention humiliating, to think of our beloved, virtuous, Queen with one of those disgusting Fae creatures. You must realize; we’re only here because you summoned us. You need to think about what you’re doing before you lose the respect of your people,” she said, clearly threatening me by that point. “You’d never be able to join with her, even if she weren’t Fae. No Vilken Queen, or even a Noge one, has ever taken a woman for a consort.”
I took a deep breath, pictured the view of the Luminous Gulf from the window of my bedchamber out by the cliffs, and M’Tek stretched out on our bed, alongside of me, sleeping. I imagined lifting her brilliant white hair back from her face to press my lips to hers. The image comforted me. I smiled at Kieran.
“You leave me no choice but to command you to leave Lareem Palace,” I said calmly.
“We’re the guests of the Fae Queen. This isn’t your palace,” she said sharply. “You can’t send me away.”
“Kieran, you are here at my invitation, not M’Tek’s, and you have shown yourself to be ungracious. You will leave no later than tomorrow morning. I’ll have a portion of my personal guard, as well as a few Fae soldiers, accompany you through Smugglers Pass and see you arrive back at Vilkerdam safely. You are then to collect your belongings from Vilkerdam Palace, and vacate, not later than two days after your arrival there. I will send instructions ahead to Dame Kessa, so that she may be of assistance to you in the packing of your belongings within the time I’ve allowed,” I said evenly. “This is my command. Failure to comply will be viewed as treason, which will bring your inheritance into question,” I said finally.
The Changeling Page 20
