“I am here,” came the custom reply in Elvish, definite amusement in his tone.
Yes, but for how long? I thought dejectedly. That thought was enough to clear out the lingering haze blanketing my mind.
I looked up into his dancing eyes with a new determination and said, “Let’s walk for a bit. I have some questions…”
Sethian nodded and released me from his arms. Before I could chicken out, I boldly grabbed one of his hands and pulled him after me as I started to walk in the direction of a pond deep within the garden. There were a couple of stone benches situated along the water’s edge that would be ideal for the long conversation I intended us to have.
Dinner could wait.
CHAPTER THREE
“Do you do that often—visit all the different provinces one right after the other?” I asked as we sat side-by-side, not on a marble bench as I had originally intended, but on the slightly-damp grass just a couple of steps from the edge of the pond.
Upon reaching the pond, when I had tried to sit down on the bench, Sethian had squeezed my hand sharply, shaking his head when I had looked back at him quizzically. He had made a face at the ornately-carved bench and had suggested that sitting in the grass before the pond would be much more comfortable.
So far I had kept the conversation on safe subjects, mostly on his everyday duties as king as well as everything he had been doing for the past month. He even seemed to enjoy talking about them, never once giving me the impression that my barrage of questions was becoming tiresome. Although his answers helped me understand more about his standing in the elven realm, it told me very little of the man, himself. We had been talking for at least an elven mark—equivalent to around an hour and a half according to Saeria—and I still hadn’t figured out how to ask him the questions I really needed the answers to.
Sethian nodded, his thumb absently stroking the back of my hand. “At least once a year. I like to see the state of my lands and people with my own eyes and not through the mouths of the stewards of those lands as often as possible.”
I was still upset from learning that he had returned from making the rounds of his kingdom yesterday. It was a struggle to keep my expression neutral as we talked. He had mentioned it so offhandedly earlier, as if it wasn’t a big deal, that I couldn’t bring myself to ask him why he had waited until today to see me.
Although he hadn’t mentioned specifics, I figured that if he had left soon after the last time we had parted, the entire trip had taken him about three weeks or so, even by elvensteed. The kingdom was a lot bigger than I had imagined.
Lariel had told me that the elves had brought over horses from the human realm a few thousand years ago and had used their magic to change them into a creature that was almost unrecognizable as such. Her description was of something opaque, fast, and highly intelligent. They were the main mode of transportation within the elven realm.
When I had asked why they didn’t just bring a few cars over instead, all three women had heartily laughed as if it was the most ridiculous thing they had heard from me, yet, and had said that those types of metals and materials were incompatible with the natural laws of the elven realm.
Lariel had promised that everyone would take me out riding as soon as Sethian returned and they could ask for permission. Remembering how I was locked within my apartment, the thought of having to ask my husband for permission to do anything that required the guards to unlock the door was grating to say the least. Yet another issue I really needed to bring up but had no idea how without sounding accusative.
“But enough about me,” Sethian said. “You have yet to tell me how you have fared these past few days while I was away. You did say something about not sleeping…”
“It was just last night,” I assured him. “I usually have no problem nodding off as I’m sure Saeria will be happy to tell you. They’ve been teaching me your language, customs, and history. There are a lot of things they talked about that I would like to see—the cities beyond the castle, the elvensteed, even just the countryside.” I hesitated briefly, then continued determinedly, “I would like to see these things together with you.”
He blinked in what looked like surprise. “If that is what you wish, then I would very much enjoy showing you around the realm. Perhaps when you are a bit more rested and your cheeks are not so pale.”
Although I was looking directly at his face, I couldn’t tell by Sethian’s expression whether he was hinting at something more by bringing up my state of being, or just genuinely concerned that I might be coming down with something. Lariel had told me that although elves rarely got sick, viral and bacterial illnesses occasionally popped up here and there. They seemed to think that the possibility was doubly likely for the sole human in their midst, whom they rather matter-of-factly considered much more fragile than an elf in every way.
“I’ve never ridden a horse before, so you’ll have to teach me,” I said, steering the conversation away from my health.
It was a small miracle that I could even ignore my health at all right now, but as long as Sethian held my hand and was concerned about keeping me calm and relaxed, I knew that my nausea would be kept at bay. Sitting here with the elven king had so far been exponentially easier than I had ever thought possible back when I was still redirecting my friends’ suspicions while my stomach and head rebelled. I hadn’t gotten even close to all the answers I needed before I felt I could confess to my probable pregnancy, but for the first time, I started to think that things might not be so hopeless after all.
Sethian grinned, an expression that gave him a more boyish look that instantly made me want to melt. “Then you will have no problem as an elvensteed is not a horse. Although unable to speak, they understand our language completely. You need only tell them your desires, and they will accommodate you.”
“Really?” I said in disbelief. Lariel had not mentioned that part at all! “That’s amazing! Oh, but would they understand me? Right now I only know a few words and phrases in Elvish…”
“For now, I shall speak for you. I suspect within a few moon-cycles you will be proficient enough in Elvish to direct them yourself.”
I looked down at our joined hands in embarrassment. “I wouldn’t count on that. I’m not very good at learning languages and even worse at pronouncing them—and don’t tell me that garbled mess of a welcome I gave you earlier was anywhere near good enough! Even the elvensteeds would laugh at my horrendous accent!”
He chuckled, then released my hand and drew me into a tight embrace. He kissed my nose playfully and said, “I think your accent is cute. Perhaps you shouldn’t try so hard to correct it.”
Hearing an elven king say the word “cute” sounded all kinds of wrong somehow. I let my head fall forward onto his chest and closed my eyes, unsuccessfully trying to will away the heat that had invaded my cheeks.
“It’s not fair,” I muttered into the silky fabric of his robes. “Why is it that you, Lariel, Saeria, Rinwen, hell, even the guards outside my door, can speak English with virtually no accent at all?”
I felt Sethian kiss the top of my head. “It’s not the great feat you are imagining,” he replied. “We have just had a few centuries more of practice.”
“Centuries—you say that as if you’re just talking about a few days or something. Just—how old are you?”
“By elven standards, I am still fairly young, a little over two thousand years. My father was nearing his ten thousandth year when he died. I have been on the throne for less than five hundred years, so you can say that I am a young king as well.”
Two thousand, ten thousand…compared to them I was practically an embryo! The life of a human was literally just a blink of an eye for the Sidhe. How in the world had I ever thought we could have a more deeply connected relationship when my life was practically a third of the way over? My bones would be dust before Sethian even hit middle age!
I must have stiffened or given him some other sign of my sudden distress because his arms
abruptly tightened around my body and he said, “It wasn’t my intention to upset you.”
I shook my head, and ruthlessly stamped down the despair that had started to engulf me. Now was definitely not the time for me to start blubbering. Given everything that had happened to me already—the shock of a sudden pregnancy, then having to hide such a violent case of morning sickness from everyone—I would likely cry straight through the night, and then it really would be impossible to keep my secret. Sethian would either guess the reason for my emotional upheaval or send me to a healer who wouldn’t need longer than a few minutes of examination to learn the truth.
I forced myself to look up at him and smile. “You didn’t. It was just shocking to hear,” I said. “To live thousands of years…it’s pretty unimaginable to a human. I can’t even begin to wrap my head around what that would be like. I bet your head is a treasure trove of sights and experiences.”
A strange look flashed across Sethian’s face before he blinked and his lips lifted slightly at the corners, transforming his face before I could decipher this new expression. “You like bedtime stories?”
My own smile widened, pretty sure that he was baiting me. “Sometimes.” My pulse sped up as I added boldly, “But not tonight.”
Then my heart skipped a beat when his eyes instantly sharpened and his large pupils dilated in unmistakable desire. Maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about eating dinner after all…
“We should go,” Sethian said softly, but he made no move to stand.
This time I wasn’t surprised when the world around me blurred, and we were suddenly sitting on the rug before the already blazing fireplace in Sethian’s bedroom. I totally expected him to scoop me up and head for the bed, so when he loosened his hold on me and grabbed my upper arms, I was understandably confused when he merely stood, tugging me up with him, and then stepped away.
“We have the entire night ahead of us,” he said, raising a hand to remove his crown. “For now, let us enjoy a meal together. Go on ahead to the dining room while I change out of my formal robes.”
I nodded and left without comment. Once I closed his bedroom door behind me, I took in the unfamiliar sitting room before me and realized that this was the first time I had been in any other room in his personal quarters besides his bedroom. The layout and furnishings were similar to mine except being the room of a king, I wasn’t surprised that everything from the paintings to the rugs on the floor was much more expertly crafted and beautiful than the ones in my apartment.
Figuring that the layout of his rooms was also similar, I headed to the door on the far left in search of his dining room. The room on the other side was just as large as the sitting room, furnished with a single long, wooden table in the center that could seat up to sixteen people comfortably. Several covered dishes were already spread out and waiting at the head of the table.
My eyes swept the room, half-expecting at least one of the king’s staff to be awaiting our arrival, but the room was thankfully empty. A month living in an elven palace, and I still hadn’t gotten used to having several of the royal staff hovering around me while I ate with the girls. It was unnerving having all those eyes watching my every move.
I sat down at the end of the row, leaving the head for Sethian, and eyed the covered dishes warily. Even though Sethian was no longer touching me, my earlier nausea had not returned. I knew better than to hope it remained so. I supposed I should have felt grateful that the elven diet involved very little meat, but I wondered if that first bite would be the thing that ultimately triggered the bomb just waiting to explode in my stomach.
I was relieved to see that the kitchen staff had left both a decanter of wine and a pitcher of water. No doubt I had Saeria to thank for that as I had luckily established from the very beginning that I preferred water over wine. I was only an occasional drinker back home, and even though having wine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner was the norm here, that was one elven custom I didn’t plan on adopting.
I quickly poured myself a glass of water and sipped at it nervously as I listened for any approaching footsteps. I was definitely beginning to regret not continuing to entice Sethian to forget all about dinner while I’d had the chance.
CHAPTER FOUR
When Sethian finally appeared a few minutes later dressed in a simple tunic and trews, the first tinges of queasiness were already starting to rise within my body, and I was on the verge of a full-on panic attack. I knew logically that I was making it worse by freaking out about it, but I just couldn’t seem to calm down. Sethian couldn’t have walked in at a worse moment.
There was no way I could eat now. What was I going to do? I couldn’t just give up now and spill everything to him, not when our relationship was still so murky. He had shone interest in spending time with me that actually required us to be dressed, yes, but that hardly said anything about what he thought of me personally.
“You have gone pale again,” he remarked as he took his seat at the head of the table, regarding me with a concerned frown.
Thinking frantically, I made a big show of covering my face as if I was embarrassed in order to stall for time. “I was just thinking…” I said, my voice muffled.
“About?” I could see him tilt his head curiously from the openings between my fingers.
About not puking all over the table, I thought a bit hysterically. “I just—”
A loud knock abruptly sounded on the dining room door, making me practically jump out of my skin.
“My apologies for interrupting your meal, Your Majesty, but I have a message from the queen,” a male voice called through the door in Elvish. I was pretty surprised that I actually understood almost all his words.
“Enter,” Sethian commanded, and a male elf I didn’t recognize stepped through the door. He headed straight for Sethian, and after glancing at me briefly, bent to whisper his message into the king’s ear.
I watched as Sethian’s face suddenly became as expressionless as a marble statue’s. Whatever the message was, it couldn’t have been good. When the messenger straightened, Sethian waved him away without a word.
Once we were alone again, he turned to me with that same unnerving blankness and said, “It seems a matter as come up with Limira that I must attend to right away.” Hearing that name was like a slap in the face, and it took every ounce of stubbornness within me to keep the dismay from showing on my face. “Have dinner without me, and retire for the night, as I may not return for some time.”
He reached over and softly caressed my cheek. “Perhaps a bit of rest will bring some color back to your cheeks. We shall talk more then.”
I was suddenly overwhelmed with a mad desire to grab his arm, to beg him not to leave me. I was utterly shocked at the power behind that desperation, and in the end, that shock was what saved me from doing something so embarrassingly stupid.
Therefore, instead of clinging to him like a limpet, I managed to nod and say, “I hope it’s nothing serious.”
“It’s not,” Sethian said with a finality that immediately gave me the opposite impression. However, I knew better than to call him on it.
“I shall return soon,” he said as he rose from the table.
Yeah, but your “soon” may not mean the same as mine, I thought as my eyes followed him across the room and out the door. Would he make me wait another month to see him again? Two?
As soon as I heard the front door open and close, I pushed away from the table and stood. There was no sense in me remaining if I wasn’t going to eat. As awful as I was feeling at the moment, and not just physically, I decided that it would probably be best to just go to bed.
Having none of my nightclothes available, I stripped to just my slip and tried to make myself comfortable on Sethian’s enormous bed. For a long moment, I lay on my back and stared up at the exposed beams of the ceiling while I tried to will my returning nausea away and my mind raced.
Although the messenger’s unexpected arrival had saved me from the corner I had ina
dvertently backed myself into, it brought with it a problem that was perhaps equally troubling. For all his talk about the queen not caring much for him, she sure seemed to intrude a lot in the few conversations we’ve had so far—or just flat-out intrude as I thought back to the mortifying incident of her walking in on us while we were having sex.
Maybe she did care more about him than Sethian thought, but that really wasn’t what had my chest tightening in distress. I realized that Sethian had not said one word regarding his feelings for the queen. For all I knew, he was deeply in love with her and was pining after her just as much as I was starting to yearn for him. After all, he’d had centuries to develop his relationship with her, and I was virtually a stranger to him.
I turned on my side and curled into a fetal position, wrapping my arms around myself in sudden anguish. Who was I kidding? There was no way Sethian could give me what I wanted from him in such a short time. That he rushed off the moment the queen had beckoned told me this clearly. No matter that I was the one who would be the mother of his children, I would always be secondary to his duty to his first wife. I was only a human, after all.
What place did a human have in an elven court?
It was only when I felt the damp trails falling down my cheeks that I realized that I was crying, and I curled up tighter into a ball of misery and silent tears, trying to keep the sobs that were now building in my throat at bay. I didn’t want the elves outside the door with their radar ears to hear me and tattle to the king that I had been crying. The last thing I needed right now was to be confronted about yet another thing I couldn’t possibly explain nor wanted to even talk about. Telling him about the baby would be hard enough.
With a start, I realized that this was the first time I had even thought the word “baby” since I had ended up on my knees heaving into the aqueduct. It brought home the fact that there was a life growing inside me; this was no longer just about me.
Claimed by the Elven King: Part Three Page 2
