“It takes more than royal blood to make a real king,” Stanley said very quietly. Then he added, “Majesty.”
Arrago snickered. “I believe you are warming up to me, Stanley.”
“This is the age of miracles.”
Arrago smiled. “That’s a very good point. Now, remember, I do not want anyone untrustworthy packing Celeste’s personal belongings. I want them treated with great care and I want the trunks locked and stored in a secure room. I don’t want anyone digging through her personal diaries or letters.”
They dodged several recruits rushing through the hallway, shouting that they were late. They didn’t notice Arrago and he laughed as they practically pushed him out of their way. Lord Stanley scowled, making him laugh harder.
“Majesty, I don’t know how you stand it! It’s offensive. They show no respect.”
“They’re young, Lord Stanley. They care about nothing but themselves. Surely you remember feeling like that.”
“I was never that foolish,” he said stiffly. “And I don’t believe you ever were, Majesty.”
“Stanley, I started a civil war.”
Stanley considered that for a moment. “A very good point, Majesty. Now, as for the Queen’s personal effects. I will oversee the packing of them myself. Rest assured, Majesty, I will treat the late Queen’s belongings as though they were the Gentle Goddess’s.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.”
“Do you wish her gowns to be packed away?”
“For now. I’ll eventually sort through it all. Is that okay?”
“Of course, Majesty. I believe the small prayer room in the Queen’s suites will be the best location for now. The room is secure and I will ensure it stays locked.”
“Thank you. If there’s time, have my things moved into the royal suite. Now that Celeste is gone, I probably should live more like a king.”
“You have very few belongings, Majesty. I’m sure we can move your trunk while you’re away.”
Arrago smiled. “Thank you.”
“I had great respect and admiration for Queen Celeste,” Lord Stanley ventured. “I have many fond memories of her as a child. Her Grace, as she was then, would run through the hallways shrieking like a barnyard animal.” He smiled. “Her mother would have been so proud to know she’d married a king and given Taftlin a son.”
Arrago didn’t respond. Celeste had long accepted her position as the breeder of heirs, though he’d never quite come around to the notion.
He adjusted his cloak and his sword belt as he walked through the bustling corridors. It had been months since he’d worn a sword, yet it felt right somehow being back on his hip. The cloak was new—it had been King Richard’s. Deep blue velvet trimmed with sable. Underneath, it was lined with yet more blue velvet.
The sword was old. He’d liberated Taftlin from a tyrant with it. The castle’s blacksmith had sharpened the weapon and repaired the hilt. It felt good against his thigh.
“King Daniel requested I burn all of his father’s clothes. I’m pleased I never got around to clearing out all Castle Gree’s storerooms. That cloak suits you well.”
“I need this war to end so I can go digging through all of my closets. I’ve not even gone through everything at Gree. And how many other castles do I have? I don’t think I’ve ever asked.”
“Majesty, nine castles, two towers, five palaces, and seven country estates. That doesn’t count the Queen’s property and her money, which all transfers to you, of course.”
Arrago stopped walking and stared agape at Stanley’s back.
The old man turned and said, “You are a king, and you did marry the niece of a king. We might be bankrupt, but our royalty does not live like paupers .”
Arrago resumed walking. “Wow. I should probably visit them all.”
“Yes, Majesty. Which is why I don’t want you to run off and get killed.”
“I promise I’ll do all I can to survive.”
Stanley grunted.
They encountered a group of human militia hauling their gear out of the castle. The soldiers stopped what they were doing and stood at attention as Arrago passed. He made a few general comments, wished luck and good fortune, and they rounded the corner.
“Wait,” Arrago said.
Stanley sighed, pausing. “We cannot tarry, Majesty. The fleet will not wait for you.”
“They will,” Arrago said.
“But would you wish to be the reason they were delayed?”
He put his hand on the wooden door of Bethany’s office. “Just one moment.”
“As you wish, Majesty.”
The guard nodded and unlocked the door. Bethany's office was exactly as it had been the day she'd left. Allric had wanted to move Erem into it, but Arrago had refused. He gave Erem his own office. It had been a storage room, but Erem said it was fine; he didn't want to be in Bethany's office in any case.
Arrago ran his hand along the back of her wooden chair. She’d refused one of the padded chairs from the ballroom; she found them too flashy. She’d hauled this simple wooden chair up from Apexia only knew where and attached a ragged pillow to the seat.
That was his Bethany. Stubborn as a mule. How he missed her.
Neat stacks of paper were still piled on her desk, though not as many as before. He knew that aides came in occasionally and pulled out items that the Lord Champion could deal with. So the dwindling piles were almost all personal letters. Eventually, someone would need to sit down and reply to all of them to say Lady Bethany was missing and presumed dead.
He inhaled sharply. This was not the time. She could still be alive. He hadn’t lost all hope. Just…most of it.
At first he’d been so angry at Allric for promoting Erem, but he didn’t blame him now. It had to be done. The world needed a champion. Bethany had been grooming him. It was logical that he’d step into her very large boots.
Sitting in the middle of the desk, where she’d left it, was the still-unopened letter from Mother Aneese. If he returned from this and Bethany didn’t, maybe he’d read it. Just so the old woman’s words didn’t go unheard.
“Majesty,” Lord Stanley said. “There is still much to go over, and you are leaving in a matter of hours.”
Arrangements for Henry had been made. If Arrago fell in battle, Henry was to be named king. Edmund was to be appointed regent. Celeste’s aunt and cousin, the Dowager Duchess and the current Duchess, were to be appointed guardians of Prince Henry. They were to be entrusted with his upbringing, with the strict understanding that Prince Henry was to be given an elven and a Taftlin education.
If he and Edmund both fell, there was a letter to be delivered to the Dowager Duchess. It would explain the true circumstances of Prince Henry’s bloodline. Henry had old noble blood—from his mother and his father. That knowledge would secure Henry’s throne far more than any relationship to Arrago.
“Majesty?”
This might be the last time he stood in this place. He pulled a sealed letter out of his cloak’s inner pocket. He placed it carefully in the middle of the desk. It had his royal seal on it, and in his own flourishing hand: BETHANY. He had wept earlier today as he wrote what was probably his last words to her. He didn’t believe Bethany would ever read them, and yet he wrote them. Just in case.
He put his hand on the letter and closed his eyes. “Gentle Goddess on the wind,” he whispered. “If you still care, if you are still there, please bring her back to us. Whatever the price, I will pay it and pay it gladly. Just let her come back.”
Arrago straightened his shoulders. He had a war to win. He turned and walked out of the office. “Lord Stanley, is my carriage waiting outside?”
“Yes, Majesty.”
“Good. Accompany me.”
“I would be honoured, Majesty.” Stanley hesitated. “There is one slight problem with the carriage.”
Arrago stopped walking and sighed. “It’s the ugly white one, isn’t it?”
Stanley grinned. “Shall I sell
it while you’re away?”
“I beg you.”
“I shall add it to the list.” He considered. “There is a rather hideous, plain brown one at Castle Hardriver. Would you like me to send for that while you are away?”
“Stanley, if you can find me a nice, plain, simple carriage, I will give you one of my houses.”
CHAPTER 6
The Past
Bethany sat in Allric’s office as he and Jovan stared at her in weary acceptance. Allric didn’t have a combo office and bedroom like she’d been assigned, as he had proper apartments, as a family man. Bethany was thankful to be far away from Wyllow right now because the shock of Allric’s elopement and child was probably causing mass seizures. Allric had polluted the precious elven bloodline. Oh, the horror of it.
It made her giddy.
“Beth, are you sure this is what you want?” Jovan asked.
“Yes,” she said for the tenth time at least. “I wish to be given a field command.”
“But that would be a demotion.”
“Why do you want this?” Allric asked. “Your invasion was smooth, all things considered. You had significant challenges and you adapted. You survived, which is more than someone like Jud would have done. You saved civilians. You took down the main barrier around Taftlin.”
“I actually didn’t do that last one by myself. The other stuff, well, I had help.”
Allric leaned back in his chair. “Nevertheless, you accomplished your objectives. I do not understand why you want to give up everything you have worked for. A field position is, well, Bethany, it is a training ground to see which knights have what it takes to eventually move into the inner circle. You have already proved yourself countless times. Why step back?”
“Has something happened we don’t know about?” Jovan lowered his voice. “Is it the nightmares?”
Bethany gritted her teeth at Jovan’s words. “Why don’t you say it a bit louder? I doubt Sarissa heard across the straits.”
“Are you having trouble sleeping?” Allric sounded concerned. “Is that the reason for all of this?”
“No,” Bethany said. At their unconvinced expressions, she said, “I am telling the truth. The nightmares are their own problem, which I’ve already talked to Jovan about.” She glared at him. “In confidence.”
“Sorry, Beth.”
She sighed. “I explained my reasons to you, Allric, three weeks ago, when I asked to be reassigned.”
“If you were anyone else, I’d give you a couple weeks’ leave and tell you go find a brothel and a bottle.” Allric exhaled and rubbed his brow. “But you’re different. I know the difficulties you have faced to get to this place in your career. I don’t want to see you throw away all your hard work.”
“You don’t know how hard it’s been on me to stay in this position.” Bethany sighed. “Allric, I’m miserable. I hate being Lady Champion.”
“That’s a lie,” Jovan said.
“What I mean is that I hate the actual job. I love what the title means and I’ve lived my life to be everything that Lady Champion stands for. I’ve tried so hard to separate the two, but it’s not possible. I should be leading troops into battle. I shouldn’t be ordering linen for them.”
Jovan huffed out a breath. “Everyone has stuff they don’t want to do.”
“Yes, but I am shit at it. Everyone knows it. I’m a joke.” Bethany clenched her fists. “If I’m completely honest with myself, I have felt this way for years now. It’s why I took on so much training. Apexia’s mercy, I’ve taken guard duty a few times out of sheer boredom. I’m a thug. I’m great at it, but that’s what I am. A weapon. I’m not helping sitting here messing things up.”
Allric stood up and picked up his chair. He walked around his desk to sit next to Bethany and Jovan. “If you want more duty rotations…’
“Allric, this is what I want. I want to be moved to a field command position and have someone promoted to the rank of Lady or Lord Champion. This isn’t a knee-jerk decision. And, no, this isn’t because I’m sick or having nightmares. I love the good I’ve done and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished. I also know I chose this path for some of the wrong reasons. I had to prove I could do it. I had to…I don’t know…be as human as I could. Or, whatever I am. But I’m not human. And I’m not an elf. I’m not even Elorian—not really. I don’t need to pretend I’m something I’m not. The last few months, I’ve been living as myself.” She drew in a breath. “It’s time I stopped pretending I want to be in charge. I have no patience for the politics. I want to be given orders and follow them. I want to command in the field. I want to train people. I want to protect. That’s all I want to do.”
“You do all that as Lady Champion.”
“I do it because you let me. I also have three times the workload of everyone else because I still have to do the job of Lady Champion.” Bethany shook her head. “I can’t do it anymore. I have nothing left for anyone.”
Allric turned to Jovan and asked, “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. “Even if you retired tomorrow and went off to some convent in the mountains, it wouldn’t matter. You would still be Lady Champion Bethany to people. You can’t just walk away from that.”
“Let us suppose I demote you,” Allric said. “Who would replace you? Don’t you dare suggest Kiner or Eve.”
“Kiner has his own job, which he’s very good at. Eve is a field commander and I know she doesn’t want to give it up. I do think Erem will eventually be ready.”
“Erem’s a good man,” Allric said, “but he’s a decades away.”
She snorted. “You said the same thing about me once.”
“I was right then, too.” Allric sighed. “How about this compromise: Jovan, you give Bethany a monthly field mission—something that will take her a week maximum to do. During that time, Erem will be responsible for Bethany’s work, or he’ll go out into the field with her to train. We can send other knights out as well. You can train them on how to command, on rescue missions…whatever comes up.”
A huge weight lifted off Bethany’s shoulders. “I would love that.”
Jovan made an unconvinced sound. “Have you forgotten how stupid you were on your command training?”
“I remember having a really awful teacher,” Bethany said with a grin. “Wore inappropriately tight pants and a stupid earring.”
“We have lost a lot of knights. The young ones all need training,” Allric said, though he was still wearing a frown. “This would be good practice for Erem, who’s one of the more experienced knights here. It’s not ideal, but…When that barrier comes down…”
“I will be there, at the front,” Bethany said, “leading the charge, behind the two of you. And, I suppose, Arrago, too.” She frowned at that. “I’ll put him in the back. He’s too valuable to be in the front with us.”
Allric sucked in a breath and rubbed at his missing ear tip. Bethany cringed.
“What?” he asked.
“You’re going to ask me to do something I don’t want to do.”
“I was thinking you might do well to ask Arrago if you can train some men to help reform the royal guard.”
Bethany frowned, but she didn’t refuse. It was a good idea. About five decades ago, she’d helped train the mining colony guards. While it wasn’t the same—those guards had to stop rioting prisoners—there would a fair amount of overlap. “I’ll think about it. Let me get out a few times, get Erem on his feet, and then I’ll talk with Arrago.”
“Really?” Jovan asked.
“I don’t think this is a good time to approach Arrago. Once the baby is born, well, won’t the little one be the future heir? If it’s a boy, I mean. Someone’s going to need to protect him. I could train a few guards. In the meantime, this is the most fortified position in the entire North. No one’s going to hurt Arrago here.”
“Agreed,” Allric said.
“Thank you, Allric,” Bethany said and meant every word of it. She was going to tra
in again! She couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
“Do not thank me. Sending the daughter of Apexia to go hunt down bandits in the woods.” He let out a long sigh. “If anything happens to you, they’ll string me up in Wyllow.”
She snorted. “I promise nothing will happen to me.”
****
Arrago sat at his desk and stared at his elderly advisors. Edmund was there, too, though he got the impression Edmund was scared of the three old men. Ledgers and letters were spread out in front of them, as well as several books about Taftlin law. Arrago didn’t understand most of what was in the law books. The language was archaic, as were many of the laws.
“I want to end slavery in Taftlin,” Arrago repeated again, for the umpteenth time. “Why are you acting like this is impossible?”
“It is impossible, Majesty,” Lord Rutherford said. “Taftlin’s economy is based on slavery.”
Arrago kept his temper in check and recalled the key points Celeste told him to make. They’d spent two days poring over this, hashing out every objection, offering up counterpoints. He wasn’t going to let Rutherford steer this. “I’ve read the taxation ledgers for the last decade. It would hurt us, yes, but I don’t believe it will cripple anyone, except those who rely on it to maintain their estates. Frankly, I don’t care about them.” Arrago raised his chin. “I care about the helpless in Taftlin. I can help the slaves of Taftlin…by making them not slaves anymore.”
Lord Rayner let out a frustrated sigh. “Majesty, see reason. You cannot simply make slavery illegal overnight. You might as well put your own neck in the noose.”
Arrago glared at Rayner, who raised his hands in peace.
“I mean no disrespect, Majesty, but my job is to ensure that the King’s head remains on his shoulders and his behind on his throne. That has been my job since King Richard’s father.”
“I do appreciate your counsel.” Arrago looked around his small but cozy office. He’d removed some of the extravagant items, though the paintings remained. They gave the room a sense of history, which Arrago found very comforting. “I know I’m asking a very difficult thing. I don’t expect it to be solved overnight. I simply want to be very clear that from this point forward, every step I take, every law I pass, every thought I have for Taftlin is focused on ending our existence as a slave nation.”
Fury (Tranquility Book 3) Page 6
