by Lisa Daneils
“Pessimism really doesn’t suit you,” Liam said, his gentle smile reflecting in his reddish-brown eyes. “I’ve heard some really good things about Bridget. Maybe she isn’t quite as capable as our women, but there are some definite charms to the humans. Greyson even thought so once upon a time.”
Greyson froze, his body like a statue as he fought to keep his emotions under control. If there was one thing that his brother could have said to force him to react, that was it. The blow was the lowest that Liam could have managed, and everyone present knew it.
As if all of the air had been sucked out of the room, Greyson strove to keep himself in check as the other princes waited to see his reaction—to find out if he was going to explode or dismiss Liam’s words.
They only know about my folly because Liam told Father. And Father was never one to let something go if he could hold it over me. Now everything that happens, they always think of that. Liam, you lucky bastard, if you were any less of a decent shifter, I would have killed you a long time ago. The thought alone was enough to help Greyson settle his temper. Instead of exploding, he decided to get under his brother’s skin.
Feeling superior, if only for a moment, the Golden Kingdom’s future king’s tone managed to be both dismissive and biting, “Sure. If you don’t mind a weak, sheep-like creature that has nothing to offer but a womb.” Greyson threaded his fingers behind his head, disturbing his bright red hair.
The air in the room immediately became less tense.
Only Aiden seemed to fully understand what had just happened, and he clearly was unnerved by how close Greyson had been to losing control. Involuntarily, Aiden laughed, “At least they come with more coloring.”
Liam said nothing as he walked around and knocked Greyson’s feet off the table. To their surprise, Liam said nothing about the childish display, a sign that he was done with the discussion. He ignored his brother’s glare as he headed to the door. Greyson’s anger had passed, but that did not mean that he was alright with Liam using his indiscretion to justify doing something that was clearly a mistake.
Relief was etched on Ethan’s face as he flopped down in a chair. Still, the current situation was brought on by a much more serious problem. “What in all the names of the undead realms would make our fathers agree to this treaty? I will never understand.”
“We don’t have to understand, Ethan, just comply,” Liam said as he reached the doorway. “You are always free to ignore it if you want to let your fathers try to pass on the kingdoms to someone else.”
The youngest prince didn’t wait for them to respond as he left.
Greyson knew that the other two princes were trying to figure out what to do. Liam had left them all in a very uncomfortable situation. Ethan was seconds away from fretting, and Aiden seemed to be shutting down. Their responses were so predictable.
Aiden was the first to break the silence with his trademark sarcasm. “Why does he insist on trying to make us look bad?”
Greyson sat forward, watching the doorway where his brother had disappeared. “Because he’s afraid.” Unwilling to speak about it further, Greyson got up and headed to his own rooms.
It was rude, but staying would have only made things worse. Greyson knew that Ethan was feeling guilty, but Aiden was far better at helping their friend to calm down.
What does he have to deal with that he is so capable of easily maneuvering any situation? There had been times when Greyson had wanted to offer to be his confidante, but there was about as much chance that Aiden would confide in him as there was that Greyson would confide in Aiden. They both had their own problems, and it was clear that no one was in a position to help them.
And if Greyson were being honest, he was hoping that his constant defending the continent against the shape shifters would end with his own death. It was the best solution to the kingdom’s problems, and despite his apparent indifference, Aiden would not allow it. Confiding in anyone would simply result in another situation like the one that had driven a wedge between Greyson and Liam.
Instead of facing another potentially devastating break with his oldest friend, Greyson preferred to keep them all at arm’s length. It was for the best. And then no one would feel guilty. Or at least he would never have to see them dealing with the mess left behind. If his death meant that they had less to worry about, then he would have no regrets.
It was his choice, and it was the only way Greyson could think of to save the kingdom and to free his brother from their father’s cruelty.
Chapter 5
An Easy Way around the Problem
Rhionnan entered her room, closed the door, then leaned against the wall. Covering her mouth with her hand, she tried to pull herself together. Being saved by Greyson again had been bittersweet. For a year, he had spent so much time coming to her rescue and keeping her safe, that she couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. It had been the first time in her life since her father had died that she had been happy.
Then her stepfather had learned of her relationship and had undermined her. He had refused to help the cities, leaving the brunt of the work to Greyson, who couldn’t take on entire forces on his own. When a small band attacked, it was easy enough for a dragon shifter to take them out. But when the shape shifters attacked a city, not all of them shifted. The humans were a real danger as they were able to use magic against him, to the point where Rhionnan had feared he would not survive. Unwilling to watch Greyson try to defend her people while hiding so much from his family, she had decided to end things. Within a year, three cities had been destroyed, and her stepfather had been killed by the people. Her mother died not long after her fifth husband, leaving Rhionnan as the most obvious heir. Her older half-sister had been banished years earlier for trying to take the throne from Rhionnan’s mother. It was a tangled web of succession, but even if her half-sister had a better claim to the throne, Rhionnan knew that she would be just as bad as the last king. In the early days, Rhionnan had tried to keep tabs on her sister, but that had not worked as she had disappeared.
For years, Rhionnan had missed Greyson, but she had lived in the firm belief that he was much better off without her.
Now she could no longer feel so confident about what she had done. The fact that he was in the kingdom made her question whether he had actually ever left. The queen had thought that they had gotten things under control remarkably fast, but she also believed that she had learned a lot about the shape shifters so that she could fight them. Instead, she was beginning to suspect that at least some of those victories had been because of Greyson.
Even worse, it sounded like things had gotten worse with his family, not better. The sadness in his voice when he talked about his younger brother was new. When they had been together, Greyson had always been so much happier when talking about his brother, saying how he was becoming everything a kingdom could want. This had meant that the heir was losing confidence in himself. Rhionnan knew that he was more than capable, he just spent too much time trying to take care of everyone else so that he couldn’t see his own good points.
Refusing to allow herself to cry, the queen headed to the bathroom to clean up and get to bed. The next day was going to be long and difficult enough without spending time reflecting on the past.
You can feel like a failure later. Right now, you have a kingdom to protect, making self-pity and regret a luxury you don’t have time to indulge in. Get to sleep so you don’t compound your regret tomorrow. The queen was trying to convince herself to get to sleep a bit faster, but was managing to fail miserably.
Every time she managed to get her mind away from guilt, Rhionnan began to wonder about Cinthia’s relationship with Greyson. Although it was true that her lady-in-waiting was particularly good at befriending everyone, the conversation that she had heard did not sound like the two were entirely strangers. Or even remotely strangers. Greyson seemed to know something about Cinthia’s past, though Rhionnan had no idea what it was. Feeling ashamed, she began to reflect on
how little of Cinthia’s life she actually knew. The woman was so happy that it disarmed the people around her. It meant that people tended to coddle her and treat her more like a child. After what Rhionnan had heard, though, she was beginning to suspect that Cinthia was much more than anyone knew.
If it weren’t obvious that Greyson had an understanding of her past, Rhionnan might have even feared that her lady-in-waiting was a shape shifter who had managed to work her way into the palace. It would not be the first time that they had infiltrated the upper echelons of the kingdom’s society. The number of their spies had been substantial when her stepfather had been alive, and she believed they had let him know about her affair with Greyson. Some of them she had known almost her entire life—just as Cinthia had always been a fixture of her life.
With a deep groan, the queen rolled over. “Just go to sleep, you idiot. You don’t have time for any of this. Of course Cinthia is someone you can trust. As for the rest, you can’t change the past. But if you keep this up, you can certainly destroy the future. Just go. To. Sleep.” The anger she was feeling at herself made it that much harder to finally drift off to sleep.
Several hours later, Rhionnan emerged from her bedroom, her eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep.
“Good morning, Your Highness,” the guards greeted her.
“Good morning. Is everything ready?”
“Nearly, Your Majesty. But it looks like we won’t all be able to leave at one time.”
The queen frowned, “What is wrong?”
“We are a couple of horses shy.”
The queen gave a quick nod of her head, “Thank you for the update. Please go finish getting yourselves ready. We will all be leaving on time.”
The guards exchanged a quick look before acknowledging her words. They headed to their rooms as she went down the stairs.
As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, she heard voices outside being far louder than was necessary. And she knew both of those voices.
Marching outside, she saw Clark and Greyson facing off. Without hearing what it was they were arguing about, she marched up to them. “Knock it off, you two. You don’t have to like each other, but we don’t have—”
Greyson turned to look at her, his eyes flashing for a moment. She knew the look and expected him to burst into a fit of rage. Instead, his mouth twitched into a half-smile. “Oh, no need to worry about me, little human. I’m all set. Just tell your man, here, that insisting you ride in a carriage is a stupid fight that is easily avoided.”
The queen frowned as she turned to Clark. He bowed to her, “Your Majesty, I gave it plenty of consideration last night, and I think that you will be safer in a carriage.”
“I believe that I said that it wasn’t your decision yesterday.”
Greyson let out a cold laugh, startling Rhionnan. She had only ever heard him laugh like that when speaking to the shape shifters. “Still haven’t learned how to control a man, have you?”
Clark visibly bristled. “While you are in the presence of the queen, you will—”
“I’ll what? Bow and scrape like you lot? Oh, little man, you misunderstand the pecking order here.”
Rhionnan could tell it was taking everything Clark had not to attack Greyson. “As long as you are in her kingdom—”
“I am making sure that she and you miserable lot aren’t killed, I know, I know. It’s ridiculous that someone like me protects you lot, but I made a promise, and I’m not going back on it.”
The queen folded her arms across her chest. “If you are here against your will, by all means, you can leave.”
The fire in his eyes was different than what she remembered as he turned toward her. His words were said slowly as if he thought her simple. “I am not here against my will. I am here to help a friend who actually cares about others and wants all of you to make it back as whole as possible. Unfortunately for both you and me, I care about her enough not to disappoint her any more than she has already been in her life.” He turned and began to walk away. “Remember your place so that I don’t have to embarrass you in a way from which you will never be able to come back.”
The queen grabbed Sir Newman before he could run at Greyson, who strolled into the woods without another look behind him. The threat still playing in her mind, Rhionnan had no desire to anger Greyson anymore. If anything, the encounter proved that he no longer had any love for her. And she was afraid to ask him what he meant, or who he was helping by protecting her.
“Are you alright, Your Majesty?” Clark said softly beside her.
Feeling angry, she turned to him. “This could have been avoided if you hadn’t taken it upon yourself to decide to go against my orders.”
“But Your Majesty—”
“Did you notice that they targeted the carriage yesterday? That isn’t safer than being on a horse.”
“But they can pick you up from a horse.”
“Then give me one of your outfits.”
Clark looked like she had slapped him. “What?”
“I will wear your clothes, making it harder to tell it is a woman on a horse.”
“But we still don’t have enough horses because it will take four to pull the carriage. It seems a poor use of resources to pull only one woman.”
Rhionnan’s eyes narrowed, but before she could say anything, Cinthia stepped toward them. How long she had been nearby, Rhionnan did not know, but the lady had not been out there when the queen had first stepped out of the inn. Immediately, all eyes were on Cinthia. “Sir Newman. It’s been so long since I last got to ride a horse. If it will make it easier, I would also like a man’s outfit. Then we will have enough horses for everyone.” She beamed up at him.
“That is very kind, my lady, but if it has been a while since you last rode, I’m not sure that it is such a good idea.”
She chuckled, “You do know who my husband is? Do you think that I would be able to forget his instruction on how to properly ride a horse?”
For the first time that morning, Rhionnan noticed Clark smile. “Of course not. I had not taken that into account. I would not want to be in trouble with the master of the stables. Okay, if it is alright with you, then I will have them make the changes.”
Cinthia reached up and patted his cheek. “My, but if I were just a few decades younger…” She let the idea hang in the air for a moment. Then she giggled, “Men’s clothing! Imagine me wearing men’s clothing!” With that, she went bounding back inside the inn.
Rhionnan gave Clark a quick bow, “I apologize. I was angry and took it out on you. I realize that you were simply trying to do what you thought was right. Even if it was against my orders. But if you would, please humor me for the rest of the trip. I have a feeling things are going to be incredibly tense, and the last thing I need to do is to fight with you.”
He bowed low. “I am sincerely sorry. I should have discussed it in depth with you instead of trying to overwrite what you had said. In the future, I will make sure to discuss my concerns with you before acting out of line.”
“You do just fine, Sir Newman. And I appreciate you trying to take care of me. Divines know it isn’t an easy task.”
He smiled back at her, “It isn’t so bad as you may think. Come along and we will get you some clothes to disguise your femininity.”
Within an hour, everything was settled and they were back on the road for the first time since the attack. Cinthia may not have ridden in a while, but it was clear that she had learned well. Despite nearly a decade of riding on horseback nearly as often as she had ridden in a carriage, Rhionnan could not compete with the lady’s abilities.
“I don’t understand why you don’t travel a little more often. Look at how obedient your horse is. It’s simply amazing,” Rhionnan said, looking over at her friend.
Cinthia beamed, “Leaving my family is incredibly hard to do. Unlike you, this much excitement is almost too much for me. I think this may be the last trip I ever need to take.”
“Usu
ally the negotiations are boring. I often wish things were a little more lively, but this wasn’t quite what I had in mind. This is far from the norm these days.”
“Well, then I must have rotten luck.”
“I have a hard time believing that, looking at your life,” Rhionnan looked askance at Cinthia. Wondering how to broach the subject, the queen cleared her throat. “Not that I actually know that much about you from before I was born.”
“I’m afraid there really isn’t much to know.” Cinthia looked at her, “I’m not nearly so interesting or magnetic as you, so my stories will likely feel like a dull negotiation.”
Rhionnan couldn’t help but laugh, “Still, I have started to wonder what you were like. If you have always been so bubbly and amazing.”
“I don’t think that I’ve really changed, but I’m not exactly unbiased either. What has brought this on?”
“I suppose I should come clean. Um, I heard some of your talk with Greyson yesterday.”
“Oh, you did? I hope you heard the part about appreciating the person you are. That definitely applies to you too.” Cinthia did not seem at all bothered by the admittance.
“I was just wondering—”
Rhionnan did not get a chance to try to press her lady-in-waiting for more information about her relationship with Greyson, as the man himself appeared on the path ahead of them as they were about halfway up a hill.
The prince’s eyes were looking around as he walked toward them. Once he was in front of the start of the procession, Greyson spoke, “There are shape shifters close by. I recommend—”
Clark had pulled up in front of the prince, “We are not going to take orders from you.”
Greyson’s eyebrow rose. “A recommendation isn’t an order.”
“We don’t need any recommendation from you. I saw what you are. How something flew by a few minutes ago, and suddenly you appear in front of us. You already said you aren’t riding a horse.”
