The Wayward Prince (The Redfern Legacy Book 1)

by N. C. Hayes

  In the evenings we all crowded around a cozy dining table for a meal prepared by Zale and Tory. These were spirited affairs, filled with laughter, and we’d eventually make our way to the sitting room for drinks or tea. Sometimes we’d continue our discussions, or some of us would simply read or enjoy the silence. Then, when we’d all grown tired enough for bed, Aydan would take me to his room, now our room, where we talked, laughed, made love—and some nights just held each other in the dark until we fell asleep. I was happier than I could ever remember being.

  ~

  One night, I woke to the sound of soft knocking.

  Aydan shifted beside me, and I heard him quickly put pants on and cross the room to answer it. I was not particularly pleased. Gerridan would be in Xarynn today, so I had my first opportunity in weeks to sleep undisturbed until after sunrise, and this person was ruining it. Aydan opened the door a crack, drowsily greeting whoever had summoned him. But then I heard his voice shift into urgency, and the door clicked shut. I looked up and he was gone. Now thoroughly awake and irritated, I climbed out of bed and threw on my discarded nightdress from the armchair near the fireplace. I wrapped a shawl around myself and stepped into the hall.

  “. . . alerted the families?”

  “Word has already been sent to the new captain . . . Adler, I think. He’ll be notifying them himself.” Aydan was shirtless beneath the orbs of light illuminating the corridor as he stood with Kenna also in her nightclothes.

  “What’s happened?” I asked, startling the pair. My eyes fell on a stack of papers in his hands, which he gripped tightly, wrinkling them. He pressed his lips into a thin line and glanced at Kenna, who looked like she’d seen a ghost.

  “There’s been an incident near Xarynn. An attack.”

  “Where is Gerridan?” I asked sharply. A blast of cold wind rushed around us, whipping mine and Kenna’s hair around our faces.

  “Gerridan is fine, he hasn’t even left yet,” Aydan assured me through the gusts. I let out a breath and it stopped.

  “What, then?”

  “There’s been . . . ” He paused, handing me the letter. “The wagon that was transporting Stefan Whittaker to Xarynn was attacked by something last night. An animal of sorts. They were about two days outside the border . . .” The writing described the scene covered in blood, scratch marks in the wood of the wagon. No survivors, it read. I gripped the pages so tightly that the corners curled into blackened ash that crumbled to my feet. I stared, wide-eyed at nothing in front of me, while the reality of what I’d read began to sink in. I didn’t realize that tears had spilled over, or that I was crying aloud until Aydan held me, dismissing Kenna and ushering me back to bed.

  I spent the rest of the day there.

  ~

  The next morning, I forced myself to bathe and dress. We had a meeting scheduled with the Ayzellen Council, and now with the tragic death of Stefan and the guardsmen escorting him, it was only right that Aydan address the Guard.

  “You don’t have to come,” Aydan said from across the room while I sat at the vanity, brushing out my hair. “I know this is painful for you.”

  It was. Even with his deception, even if none of it was real or true, even though he had attacked me in the end, Stefan was the only familiar face that I saw for nearly a year. Yes, it had all been a lie, and perhaps I was a fool for mourning him, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of loss.

  “I know I don’t,” I said, arranging the hair at my nape and shoving pins into it. “I want to. I want the Guard to see that the Cabinet is addressing this properly, that we’re taking these deaths seriously. Besides,” I gestured toward the bed. “Staying there isn’t going to bring him back.”

  “Neither will throwing yourself back into work too early, my love.” He was behind me now, leaning down to kiss the top of my head. “I’m not upset with you for mourning him if that’s a concern to you. I know you loved him—”

  “I wasn’t in love with him.”

  “I know. But he was your friend, or pretended to be, and you never processed his betrayal.” He met my gaze in the mirror, his hand on my shoulder, stroking up to my neck and back down in soothing lines. “It would be understandable if you missed him as much as you want to hate him, too.” I put my hand on top of his, and mouthed thank you to his reflection. Another kiss to my head, and then it was time to go.

  ~

  Aydan and I nearly collapsed into bed.

  It was just after sundown, our second night back in Ayzelle, and we were dead on our feet, exhausted both physically and emotionally from nearly two days straight of speaking with Captain Adler, the Ayzellen Council, and the families of the deceased. The guards who’d escorted Stefan were young, new recruits, most just having reached maturity in the last couple of years, and so it was not mourning wives I comforted, but wailing mothers.

  I remembered, years ago in the village with Gideon, a young girl of maybe fourteen had fallen ill and died. We heard her mother’s cries for days, and Gideon told me that it was a fate worse than death to outlive your own child. In Nautia this happened commonly. The healers there could not do much more than bandage you and prescribe an herb, while hiring a witch cost so much money that saving one child from illness could mean all your other children would starve come winter. Here in Medeisia, sorcerer parents expected their children to grow and spend centuries with them. Mortal families could expect their children to watch them grow old before growing old themselves. This attack was an unthinkable loss for any Medeisian family.

  Aydan instructed the council to select a group of skilled soldiers to scout the area and kill whatever beast had attacked these guardsmen. Lord Declan was somber during the council meeting, and despite his reputation for arguing, the lord didn’t put up a fight. Later, when I asked why, Aydan explained that Declan’s nephew was one of the lost guardsmen, a young man named Donn, who was only nineteen.

  Now we lay in bed back in the king’s chambers of Ayzelle. Alastair was the only one who had joined us, aside from Isolde, deeming it necessary to meet with the families of those lost. He elected to stay up reading in the Cabinet lounge, but the look on his face indicated that he wouldn’t be awake much longer either.

  I startled when a pair of hands ran themselves down my back. I had been nearly asleep, and the hands were now pulling at the laces of my gown.

  “I’m sleeping,” I mumbled.

  “I know,” Aydan said, continuing his work on the laces. “You’ll be more comfortable in bedclothes.”

  “You’re just trying to see me naked.”

  “Always, my lady.” I could hear the grin in his voice through the dark. “But you need your rest and frankly I’m too exhausted to live up to your high expectations.” I scoffed while Aydan chuckled.

  “Careful,” I warned playfully. “Keep up with that flirting and you’ll earn as bad a reputation as Gerridan.”

  “Well, then I will be in good company. Like Gerridan, I’ve only ever truly had eyes for one woman.” I blushed, then stood, stepped out of the gown, and brought the nightdress down over my head before crawling back into bed. Aydan undressed in the dark and wrapped me up in his arms beneath the covers.

  “Why is it that they’ve never . . . ?” I said to the darkness, letting the question hang in the air. Aydan sighed.

  “They’ve danced around one another longer than I’ve been alive,” he said. “I suspect they’re scared of what might happen if things don’t work, and I know Gerridan doesn’t think himself worthy of a princess, whether her title is just in name or not.”

  “Gerridan is . . .”

  “The bastard son of a wealthy merchant’s daughter,” Aydan finished. “He’s been a soldier, a diplomat, a lord of the Sylvannian Council, and now the emissary of my Cabinet—but he will always believe that the circumstances of his birth make him less than worthy.”

  “That’s awful,” I said sadly.

  “It is,” Aydan agreed, burying his face in my hair and pulling me closer. “He’s waiting for
Hannele to find someone else, but she loves him too much to give up. So they orbit one another, living on stolen glances and hoping that if they take enough meaningless lovers to their beds, the other will give up hope.” Aydan’s voice was strained with sadness for our friends. I didn’t know what to say, so I took his hand and kissed it, and as he held me tighter, I knew we were both thanking whatever gods might be out there that we had each other now.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  It was two more days before we were home in Sylvanna, joining Solandis and Priamos for dinner in their private residence.

  We sat in the parlor room, sipping on wine while we waited for the meal to be served. Priamos was telling an entertaining story about his time living in the faelands, but I couldn’t pay attention. I was too busy pretending I didn’t notice each time Solandis stared at me, her eyes fixated on my knee where Aydan’s hand rested casually while he listened and laughed at his grandfather’s story. It was hard to read her tattooed face, whether her disappointment lay in the intimacy of Aydan’s touch, or simply in my being present at all.

  Either way, I was trying to think of a way to feign illness and excuse myself when a servant entered the parlor and whispered in Solandis’s ear.

  “Oh good, send them in,” she told him. The servant nodded and walked away swiftly.

  “Is someone joining us?” Aydan asked. Priamos looked at his wife with raised brows.

  The door opened, and the servant reappeared, this time followed by Lady Reyna and Calliope, who upon seeing Aydan rising from the sofa, broke into a run to hug his legs tightly. Her chocolate brown curls, twin to her mother’s, flew back behind her as she ran. “Hello, Calliope.” Aydan chuckled, patting the girl’s head. When she let go, he turned to greet Reyna, who curtsied. “I thought you’d gone home already,” he said, smiling broadly at the sight of her.

  Reyna, whose face grew prettier each second I looked at her, said, “Charles’s sister and her family came home to visit their parents unexpectedly, so we stayed a little longer to let the children spend time together.” Calliope ran back to her mother and ducked behind her legs, hiding in her skirts. “Lady Solandis heard that I was still nearby and sent us an invitation for dinner tonight.”

  “We’re glad to have you,” Aydan said, still grinning. My hands grew hot, and I rubbed my palms together as I stood. Aydan turned and ushered me forward. “This is Lady Shaye, my Chief Advisor and—friend.” Lady Reyna curtsied; I bowed my head. Friend.

  “Lady Advisor,” Reyna said, “I have heard so much about you. I was so disappointed that we didn’t have the chance to meet at the eclipse festival.”

  “Just Shaye, please,” I replied as sweat beaded on my forehead, and I focused all my attention on not bursting into flame. “I am delighted that we could finally meet. I’ve heard much about you as well.” She beamed at me, and her bright blue-violet eyes sparkled. I hated myself for wanting so badly to dislike her.

  I watched as pleasantries were exchanged for another moment before Priamos suggested giving Reyna and Calliope an updated tour of the gallery. He led the way, talking about the many renovations that had been done since the last time Reyna had been in the palace. Solandis walked behind them, smiling down at Calliope, who ran happily alongside us. Aydan offered me his arm, and we walked at the back.

  “Isn’t the king supposed to walk at the front?” I asked quietly. Aydan shrugged.

  “It’s their home.” I barely heard him, but nodded anyway. The heat pounded its way through my veins. I could feel my body fighting it. “Are you all right, my love?” Aydan nearly whispered. “You’re burning up.”

  “I just need a bit of air, I think,” I lied. “I’m going to step outside for a moment.”

  I let go of Aydan’s arm and walked away, out a side door and onto a balcony, where I gripped the railing and gasped for breath as I allowed a stream of sparks to pour from my fingertips. I groaned softly at the release of pressure. Footsteps approached from behind me. I cut off the stream and tried to compose myself.

  “Lady Shaye, are you all right?” Solandis’s voice asked from the doorway.

  “I’m fine, my lady,” I swallowed. “Though I don’t think you particularly care if I’m all right.”

  “Oh? And why do you think that?”

  “You’ve invited Lady Reyna here to get a rise out of me,” I said. “It’s very clear you don’t like me, although I have no idea what I’ve done to you.”

  “On the contrary, Lady Shaye, I like you very much.” I turned, stunned. “You’re good at your job, you’re honest. Frankly, you remind me a bit of myself at your age. Above all else, you clearly make my grandson very happy.”

  “Then why—”

  “Look at them,” Solandis directed my attention to the window next to the balcony, which I could see through if I leaned forward a bit. Reyna stood by smiling while Aydan held Calliope up for a better view of the paintings on the wall, pointing out various flowers and birds. Priamos must have made some comment because they all broke into a fit of laughter. Reyna looked beautiful at Aydan’s side, with him holding the child on his hip. They looked like a family. “They’re quite handsome together, aren’t they?”

  “Aydan said he’s not interested in a match with Reyna. He never was.”

  “Things change,” Solandis said.

  “He loves me,” I insisted. “And I love him too. Very much.”

  “Oh, I don’t doubt that, my lady,” she said. “I’ve seen the way you look at each other. There is a bond there that many do not get to have even once. You should consider yourself a very lucky woman.”

  “Then why are you doing this?” I asked. “Aydan is the king; certainly he can choose for himself who to court.”

  “He is, and he can.” Solandis took a step toward me. “But he is unmoved by my words, and so I am asking you, Lady Shaye, to be the reasonable party here.”

  “You spoke to him?”

  “Yes. And he said the same thing to me, that he can choose his own courtships, his own bride, his own queen.” I swallowed again, refusing to dwell on that last word. “I come to you, because I need you to make him see that he cannot expect to marry you.” My mouth went dry.

  “Why would I do such a thing?”

  “Aydan Aevitarus is no ordinary man. He is a king. He cannot choose a marriage based solely on his emotions. In all things, he must put his people first,” Solandis insisted. “If my granddaughter Irsa had not perished that night in Ayzelle, I would have no objections to your match. You make him happy. But as king, personal happiness cannot be his goal. If it is the side effect of a well-arranged match, then so be it. But there is more to a royal marriage than love.”

  “Astra and Zathryan were in love,” I reminded her. She stiffened at the mention of her daughter’s name.

  “Yes, and look where that got them,” she snapped, then took a deep breath. “You must understand that no matter how much you insist your name is Eastly, you are the head of House Redfern. Your whole life, you will be followed by your father’s legacy. The royal family will be the topic of constant gossip and conspiracy theories. Your children will be targeted, either by those wishing to wipe out the Redfern line, or those wishing to lift it back to glory. There would be no time to govern in between putting out the fires of scandal.” I tried to hide the realization on my face. “No matter how virtuous and honest and kind you are, no matter how much the two of you love one another, you will not know peace.” I remained silent and looked back to the window. Calliope was playing on the floor with Priamos, while Aydan offered Reyna a drink and a smile. I bit back the tears threatening to form, then flinched when Solandis placed her hand on my shoulder. “I’m sorry, I truly am. I do not wish to be cruel to you.”

  “My lady, I love him. More than you know. I do not plan to give him up so easily.” My palms were icy. “You cannot expect me to simply step aside if this is what we both want.”

  “You don’t have to. Not yet. You will know when it’s time. Just consi
der what I said.” I kept what I hoped was a cool mask of indifference, though I knew tears continued to well in my eyes.

  “I think I’ll go home now,” I said. “I need to lie down.”

  “I’ll have an escort take you.”

  “There’s no need—” But Solandis snapped her fingers, and the manservant from before appeared at the Lady’s side.

  “Luca, will you please escort the Chief Advisor back to the king’s residence?” Luca responded by taking my elbow.

  My stomach dropped, and we were at the front door to Aydan’s home. Luca bowed deeply before disappearing once again. I opened the door, expecting to have to fight off a dozen questions from my friends, but no one was inside when I walked through the sitting room. I made my way to the bedroom I shared with Aydan, and when I opened the door Elise and Isolde were changing the sheets. They looked up, and one concerned expression from Elise was enough to make my face crumple, and fat, hot tears spill over onto my face as I hid it in my hands. The women were there in an instant, Elise shutting the door behind me while Isolde wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

  They ushered me to the bed, sat me down on fresh sheets and let me lie in Isolde’s lap until there were no tears left in me. Neither of them asked what was wrong. Neither of them said anything. When I ran out of tears, they drew me a bath and helped me undress before leaving me to my thoughts. Elise left a few candles burning rather than casting the normal orbs of bright light to the ceiling. I was dozing off when Aydan walked into the bathroom.