“Please.”
“Your Majesty, I don’t think it has been made clear to you yet the danger we have put you in by agreeing to stay in the Grey Palace as guests.” Ohrig’s voice was low and his tone was serious. “The Marchant Prince is not only in political exile from the Court of the Golden Palace and St. Lucidis society, but he is also a bachelor. Just as you are unmarried.” Ohrig cleared his throat, obviously uncomfortable with what he was about to say next. “If anything should… If he were to force himself upon you, well the consequences could be disastrous.”
“What?” Adele choked on her tea. “Are you saying you think the Prince would, or could, do that? That he would force himself on me… sexually?”
General Ohrig leaned forward and looked Adele directly in the eye. “We are in the Grey Palace, Your Majesty, on Marchant land. This property does not fall under the authority of the Crown. If anything should happen to you here, then the Court would have little or no recourse to detain the Prince. On his land, Prince Rainere is the King.”
Adele chewed her bottom lip. Rainere had said much the same thing to her last night, but she had been too distracted to really pay attention to him.
“If the Prince should decide to, he could take you to his bed and claim the act as a betrothal agreement. He could then marry you without even needing your consent and lay claim to your Throne as your legal husband. Such is the way of Marchant law.”
“You make it sound so simple for him,” whispered Adele, feeling guilty and horrified all at once.
General Ohrig nodded grimly, and stood up, satisfied that Adele had understood his warning. “Your Majesty, we are dealing with a man who is not only a Prince of the Realm, but also an Immortal Wizard, not to mention the rumors about his lack of sanity and morals. We must be vigilant at all times in his company.”
“Right,” agreed Adele wanly, dismissing Ohrig with a small wave, and he took his leave. “Vigilant.”
Adele felt ill. The cup of tea went cold in her hands and she stared hard at the breakfast things, as if they might be to blame for the turn the morning had taken. Yet again, Rainere was painted as a horrible villain and her as the innocent Queen to be caught up in his schemes.
But she knew such a different side of him.
And yet… Rainere had insisted on her marrying him as soon as possible. Was it because he wanted more than her love? Would he really be happy sharing the Throne with her or did he want it all for himself? She looked over at the moth-eaten curtains which framed the French doors and saw in the light of day just how old and ragged the suite was. The servants who cleared the table were surly and unkempt, their aprons stained and tattered.
It was clear Rainere could certainly use the money their marriage would bring him.
But he won’t just get money if he marries me, she thought. He’ll get my children, the Kingdom, and probably a civil war when the other Royal Families learn what I have done.
It was a lot to risk if she was making the decision for the wrong reasons. The marriage itself was still a thorny issue for Adele. After having her heart shattered by divorce back on Earth, it was tough to think about giving her trust and commitment to another man again. And he wasn’t just a man; he was an Immortal Wizard. And she wasn’t just a woman anymore; she was now a Queen. She had a bigger responsibility than just to her heart.
The surety she had felt in Rainere’s arms last night had dissipated in the cold light of Ohrig’s warning. Adele rose from the table and went to dress. She had so much to think about and no time to do it in. She had to prepare the children to meet Rainere today. Though he made her body tremble with a look, Adele was very aware of how cold and intimidating Rainere appeared to most people and she had no idea how the children would respond to him. Hopefully, he would love them as much as he loved her because if he couldn’t… well, then there was no future for them, regardless of all the Royal Laws and Crowns in Evendaar.
Chapter Twelve
“Lunch in the Glassroom”
“Natalie, do not pull your hair out!” ordered Adele as the Royal Family followed Grotto down the dark hallway to the Glassroom, where Prince Rainere had invited them to take lunch with him. The Queen’s Guard followed close behind them, while Tilburn skipped ahead, struggling to keep up with Grotto and his much longer legs.
“But the pins are poking me,” whined Natalie, scratching at the braids pinned to her head. They were all back in their travelling clothes of pants and shirts, as they had nothing left that was clean, but Adele had made an effort with the children’s hair for this special occasion.
Adele tried to calm her racing pulse with a deep breath and resisted the urge to snap at Natalie again. It would do no good to yell when her daughter was determined to be contrary.
“Remember we all need to be on our best behavior today,” Adele warned the children as she watched Natalie unwind her braids and pull out all of Caitlin’s hard work in seconds. “Anyone who is naughty will be in very big trouble with me later.”
When the party finally reached the Glassroom, Grotto flung open the double doors with such force that they banged against the walls making everyone jump. “The Glassroom,” he announced. “Also known as the Queen’s Orchid Room.” He sent Adele a poisonous glare to let her know that she definitely wasn’t the Queen he was referring to.
Ignoring Grotto’s patent displeasure, Adele stepped into the room and looked about for Rainere, but it seemed he hadn’t arrived yet.
By the looks of it, the room had once been a rather glamorous greenhouse. The shelves and pedestals decorating the walls were littered with the dead descendants of, what would have been, a magnificent display of orchids. Thin irrigation tubes were pinned to the walls and shelves, and fed into hundreds of empty vases. But despite the grey and dismal appearance of the withered vegetation, the air was perfumed with a floral earthiness that was quite pleasant. Crystal candelabras, dotted about the room, had been lit to help brighten the weak sunlight that filtered in the dirty windows.
Adele dropped Stella lightly to her feet and gestured for Tilburn to come closer so she could whisper questions to him, but he refused.
“Your Majesty, I was not invited to enter the Glassroom, nor to take lunch with the Prince, despite being the highest-ranked servant in your entourage. I shall take my leave if it pleases you, and see you back at the suite afterwards,” he turned with a sniff and left, stumbling a bit in the gloomy hallway.
Adele sighed and rolled her eyes. As if there wasn’t enough drama in the day without Tilburn getting all upset about protocol, again. General Ohrig assembled the Queen’s Guard by the doors, half of them facing into the room and half facing the hallway. He gave Adele a loaded look and when she turned back to watch over the children, she was surprised to see them talking to Rainere who had entered through a door in the corner of the room that she hadn’t notice before.
Rainere looked up when he felt her eyes on him. Their gazes locked across the room and Adele felt desire sweep through her with a deep, ripping need. Blushing, she let her eyes drop and tried to focus on her little ones. She smiled as Stella put her arms out and scooped up her baby girl.
“You look like somebody I know, don’t you?” Aaron was staring at the Prince, fascinated.
Prince Rainere turned his dark eyes on the little boy. When he spoke Adele barely registered his words as his sonorous rasp spread shivers all over her body.
“As we have never met previously, I cannot answer that for sure, Prince Aaron,” replied Rainere, regarding Aaron seriously. Which is why it was such a mystery when Aaron broke into giggles.
“He’d said you’d say that, that you can’t answer my questions, didn’t he?” Aaron went pink with private mirth.
Grotto announced that lunch was served and servants pulled back chairs as the Royal Family and Prince Rainere sat. Soup was served immediately.
“As much as I would wish to answer you, Prince Aaron, it is very difficult for me to understand if your remark is a statement or a question.” Rainere�
��s tone wasn’t severe, but his manner was firm. “Perhaps you could just say what it is you mean.”
“Yes,” replied Aaron, sitting up straight and immediately knocking over his water glass with the effort. A servant loped over to tidy the mess. “Yes, you are right, aren’t you? I like to say what I mean, don’t I?”
“I think that indeed you do,” agreed the Prince.
“I say what I mean all the time,” interjected Natalie, casting a superior look at her brother. “I never ask silly questions when I speak, and I always mean what I say.”
“Interesting,” mused the Prince, turning to the little Princess. “I wonder how it is that you ever learn anything of importance without asking questions of others?”
“Why?” added Stella, enthusiastically slopping her mushroom soup about.
“Quite,” agreed Rainere, raising an eyebrow in the baby’s direction. Stella smiled broadly at him.
“Well, it’s because I already know most things about the things I want to know,” replied Natalie with the supreme confidence of a six-year-old diva. “And things I don’t know, don’t matter to me.”
“Then that makes you a very dangerous person,” said Rainere crisply. “It is only by asking questions that one learns how very much one doesn’t know. It is those who live in ignorance who bring darkness to our world.”
“What’s ignorance?” asked Natalie.
“Ignorance is when one doesn’t know enough about a subject to understand it at all,” replied the Prince.
“I don’t want to bring darkness to our world.” Natalie’s eyes went wide and her expression serious.
“Well then, you must ask each and every question you can think of to better understand the world about yourself.”
Aaron started giggling again at his private joke and wriggled about on his seat.
“I will, I promise,” vowed Natalie, dropping her soup spoon on the table as she gestured it in the Prince’s direction.
Adele sat silently, in shock, as her children happily interacted with Rainere, his presence and gravelly voice commanding their full attention. Even Stella was beaming at the Prince and throwing him coy glances from her chair. Adele had no explanation for their comfort with him, except perhaps that he didn’t talk down to them, or try to amuse them. He spoke to them as if they were adults, or equals.
Which I suppose they are, thought Adele in surprise. My children and Rainere are all Princes of the Realm. Equals, like no one else is here.
The thought disconcerted her more than she would like. They were political equals, sure, but could he be a father to them?
The meal continued with the children and Rainere chatting like old friends while Adele sat quietly. The only other person who watched the children with the Prince as intently as Adele was Grotto. At times the manservant waited on the table and skulked around the edges of the room, supervising the other servants as they brought in dish after dish on silver trolleys. At other times he stood frozen in the doorway, as still as a statue, only his darting eyes betraying any movement. Occasionally he would catch Adele’s gaze and instinctively she would glance away. His hatred of her was almost palpable, and Adele waited in protective readiness for him to dare send her children one of the deathly glares that he gave her.
“Your Majesty, Queen Adelena,” called Rainere from the other end of the table. The children giggled when she started in surprise. “I was just asking if you would perhaps like to accompany me on a tour of the Grey Palace. The Prince and Princesses have suggested that they would enjoy the experience.”
“Of course. That would be wonderful. Thank you,” Adele forced her dark thoughts away with a smile. She shouldn’t be looking for trouble when everything was going so well at the moment.
Chapter Thirteen
“Sometimes Magic Is Simply Sweet”
General Ohrig had insisted that the entire Queen’s Guard join the Royal Family on the tour of the palace. Adele knew he was trying to gather as much information about their host as possible in case an emergency should arise. But she thought Ohrig could be slightly more subtle in his methods as the General watched the Prince like a hawk, following his every movement, though Rainere seemed completely unaware of her officer’s scrutiny.
Grotto actually led the tour, escorting their party from one great hall to the next, passing through so many echoing chambers that after the first hour Adele was sure that they were walking in circles. She soon gave up asking polite questions of Grotto during his monotonous and very detailed monologue on the history of each room and the artifacts contained within them. It just seemed to infuriate him to be interrupted and even the children were uncharacteristically silent, sensing the old man’s hostility. The tour ended in Rainere’s laboratory.
Adele marveled at the light that streamed in through the clean, shiny windows of the long galley room. Workbenches stood in parallel rows, and at either end of the room there were large blackboards covered in scribbled diagrams and numbers. More benches and shelves lined the walls piled with books and odd paraphernalia and the air smelled like chalk and chemicals giving the room the feeling of a school science classroom.
Adele wandered to the windows and looked out over the white carpet of snow to the Dark Forest beyond the boundary of the palace. It was the oddest thing to see the dark storm clouds piled high over the forest and the fierce blizzard shaking the trees while the grounds of the Grey Palace lay calm, the sun shining down on the glittery snow.
“It’s so strange,” murmured Adele as General Ohrig stepped up behind her shoulder. “It looks so miserable over there but here it’s like a little winter wonderland.”
“Yes, strange,” agreed the General in a tone that suggested he thought otherwise.
“You think he created this storm, Ohrig?” Adele whispered, she had no need to specify who he was. “But how did Ripenzo know it was coming when he warned us in his letter yesterday?” She tilted her head in Ohrig’s direction without quite looking at him. “I think that is stranger than what…”
“Yes, the grounds are beautiful, Your Majesty,” agreed Ohrig in a much louder voice as they were approached by Aaron. He was followed by Grotto with a tray of refreshments. Adele took a glass of warm, spiced wine and a shortbread biscuit from the tray and smiled at her son. Aaron was beside himself with excitement at all the fascinating things in the Prince’s laboratory and dragged General Ohrig away to show him something that shot out sparks when you touched it.
Adele was left on her own to sip her wine and nibble her biscuit and her gaze was irrevocably drawn back to Rainere. The Prince stood by a workbench, chatting with the children as they ran from one table to the next, their exclamations of delight and awe filling the room. There was a softness about his mouth that might have been a smile and Adele breathed an internal sigh of relief.
Adele only realized she was staring at him when Rainere caught her eye and gave her a polite nod. She felt her smile tighten and falter. Rainere was so much better at the poker face thing. He looked cool and calm, his manner appropriately reserved. She on the other hand felt flustered by the constant hot flashes of desire that swept through her every time she looked at him, or walked by him. It was awkward to say the least surrounded, as they were, by her entire Queen’s Guard and her three children.
“But how does it work?” Natalie was being persistent in getting a clear answer from the Prince but Adele could see no wear on his patience yet.
Rainere crouched down to better explain himself to the little girl. His long, dark hair fell over his shoulder as he pointed to the tiny machine on the table in front of them.
“Here,” he said, his raspy voice gentle. “Here, there is a Thought locked inside this little box. Inside the box is a little wheel and the Thought has nothing to do, but spin it round and round. Which then moves this little mechanism, causing a spark to fire which ignites the flame, and projects the image onto the glass plate.”
“It looks like a movie,” said Natalie. “Like at home. Except we
have cartoons and not just pictures of fire.” Aaron joined his sister to get a closer look at the tiny image projector.
“Can I see the Thought please, Prince Rainere?” asked Aaron as he prodded at the box.
“No.” Rainere’s voice was firm. “It is a Bad Thought and if it were to escape it could easily get lodged in one of our heads, which would be uncomfortable.”
“Because it’s the Bad Thoughts that spin round and round,” said Adele from her place at the window, surprised by the poetic simplicity of the Magic.
“And what’s this?” asked Natalie, opening a little metal box on the bench before her. Adele wandered over to see what her daughter had found but the box was only filled with pale green sand.
“Ah! One must be careful with this, Princess Natalie,” said Rainere and took the box out of Natalie’s unsteady hands. “This sand comes from a very special place in Evendaar and is very rare. In fact, I believe it is the last of its kind. It is a conduit for powerful Magic and useful for transporting dangerous spells. I have yet to find a need for it, but I can activate it to show you.”
Rainere muttered a quiet word or two and the sand rose up, sparkling in the sunlight, and hovered above its box, before forming a ribbon and doing a quick loop the loop then dropping back into its box. The children all cheered and instantly demanded another performance which Rainere patiently demonstrated until they were distracted by something else.
The day continued happily until the light in the room faded and the lamps and candelabras were lit, and a huge cacophony swept through the Palace. The chimes of a hundred different clocks echoed through the halls, from the deep sonorous ‘bongs’ of the grandfather clocks to the delicate chiming of the Prince’s timepiece carried in his pocket.
“What’s that noise for?” asked Aaron, fascinated by the sound as it continued for several minutes.
“Twilight,” said Rainere. “The clocks ring at the exact moment the sun has set, and the night is upon us. It is a very special time for Magic as the flow and flux is disrupted when the sun sinks and the moon rises. Every Wizard needs to know when the Twilight has come.”
The Queen Revealed Page 8
