by Kim Stokely
“The future of Ayden depends on the Commoners. They are the people Ruahk wants to bless.”
My father took long, powerful strides around the table. “Tell me what you saw.”
Devnet stepped in front of me. “Brother, calm down.”
Geran’s eye twitched. When he spoke again, his voice was low and controlled. “Can you tell us your vision?”
I told them what I’d seen in the glade. The Elder Lands yellow with age and sorrow. The Mystic Lands black with evil. “And then a voice told me that hope for Ayden would be found with the Commoners. Those who live simple lives, seeking God and helping their families and neighbors.”
From out of the corner of my eye, I saw Simon grin and nod his head. Devnet remained impassive, but Geran’s cheeks quivered.
“I’m sorry.” I straightened my shoulders. “That’s what I saw.”
“Perhaps you are mistaken in your interpretation of the vision.”
“I’m not.”
My father glowered but remained silent. Devnet put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “Perhaps it was a sign for Alystrine.” He tilted his head to the side. “A sign for us as well. We’ve been struggling to decide whom she should marry. It seems Ruahk has directed us to choose from the Commoners.”
Geran’s jaw remained tight. “Perhaps.”
Simon spoke up, “The Council of the Commons will be arriving tomorrow.”
My uncle smiled at me. “Many of the candidates we’ve selected will be traveling with them. You’ll have an opportunity to meet with them.”
I tried to look pleased when all I really wanted was to talk to Quinn. How could I think about marrying anyone when only he knew how to get me out of my betrothal to Braedon?
Devnet put his hand on my arm. “I know the customs are different here, but I hope you trust us choose wisely for you.”
“I thought I got to pick my husband?”
My uncle nodded. “I meant we chose the candidates. Of course you alone make the final choice.”
Although a whisper, Geran’s voice sounded firm. “You will do what’s best for Ayden.”
His tone really ticked me off. “What I decide is best for Ayden.”
A knock on the door interrupted us and I was summoned down to the ballroom for another dance lesson. Distracted by my thoughts, and by cramps that raged through my abdomen, I managed to step on Edward’s toes even more than the day before. Kennis scolded me and I tried harder to concentrate. When I finally put my mind to it, and Kennis gave me a couple of ibuprofen, I wasn’t half bad. Even Edward complemented me.
“Much better, Your Majesty! You will shine at your coronation ball!”
I wouldn’t say I’d mastered the steps, but I could at least remember the positions for two reels by the time we’d finished for the day.
“Where do I have to go next?” I asked as I headed for the door.
“There’s nothing planned until dinner tonight,” Kennis said.
I walked without seeing, trying to sort out the problem of getting Josh back home before my coronation. I turned a corner and ran into Caradoc.
Braedon’s brother stumbled backwards. “I’m sorry, my lady. I should have been more careful.”
“I wasn’t paying attention.”
A shaft of sunlight played with the blond highlights in his hair. His blue eyes actually looked at me with something like concern. “You have a lot on your mind.”
Kennis took my elbow. “Come, Alystrine.”
I didn’t move, but stared into his face. He was younger than Braedon by several years, probably closer to my age than his brother’s. Maybe twenty or twenty one. A shudder passed through me. Josh used to say it meant someone was walking over your grave. I had the odd feeling Caradoc wanted to tell me something, but then he bowed and continued on his way.
“Alystrine?” My mother tried to pull me along the hallway to my rooms. I went in the opposite direction.
“I want to see Josh.”
She called after me, “Not now.”
“Why not? You said I didn’t have anything to do until dinner. That’s a couple of hours from now.” I hurried down the corridor with Kennis just steps behind me. Two soldiers guarded his room. I glared at them and they stepped aside so I could knock.
Josh’s muffled voice answered, “Come in.”
I threw the door open. “I’ve come to rescue you!”
He stood up from behind the desk. “What do you mean?”
“You must be sick of this room. Come up to mine.”
He raised his eyebrows. “I’ve dreamed of you saying that.”
I blew him a raspberry. “You know what I mean.” I held out my hand. “Come on. I only have a couple of hours free and I want to spend them with you.”
He swept up a pile of index card-sized papers from the desk and stuffed them into the pockets of his brown pants. Someone had given him a cream linen shirt with voluminous sleeves as well.
“What’s all that?” I pointed to the last couple of papers he shoved into his pocket.
He grinned. “You’ll see. It’s a surprise.”
Kennis waited outside the door like the warden of a prison. She’d folded her arms across her chest.
I rolled my eyes. “What did I do now?”
She remained silent until we’d turned down the next corridor. “How many times do I have to tell you, you cannot act this way?”
“What way?”
We climbed up the stairs that led to my chambers. “Running into his room unannounced for one.”
“I’m supposed to be announced?”
Her voice rose in exasperation. “You’re not even supposed to go to his room. He should come to you.”
“Fine.” I pushed open the doors to my room. “I won’t do it again.”
Kennis sat in a chair while Josh and I sat on opposite ends of the couch. I waited for him to say something but he just watched me.
“So . . . what’s in your pocket?”
His face lit up. “They’re not finished but I figured we could still use them.”
“What?”
He pulled a paper from his pocket. It fit in the palm of his hand and had three red diamonds painted on it.
“Playing cards?”
He laid a couple more out on the couch so I could see. “Your mom brought me paper and some paints yesterday. I started to do a picture, but nothing came out right. Then I thought to do a deck of cards.”
“Cool beans! Do you have fifty-two?”
“They’re not all colored, but they’re sketched out. What do you want to play?”
We cajoled Kennis into joining us for several rounds of “Go Fish” before he and I moved to the floor to play “War.” My father and Devnet entered to find us laughing together as Josh swept a stack of cards out of my hand after winning another battle.
“No fair!” I swatted him on the arm. “You’re cheating!”
He pushed me back. “How did I cheat?”
“You made the cards. You probably have extra kings and aces up your sleeve.” I laughed but then caught sight of Geran’s face. It could have been carved in stone, he looked so cold and hard. I handed the rest of my cards to Josh. “Let’s just say you won.”
Josh stood and reached his hand down to help me but Geran stepped in the way. “It’s time for you to leave, boy.”
I pushed myself up. “His name is Josh.”
Geran didn’t turn to me. “Devnet?”
“Yes, Brother?”
“Show the boy back to his room.”
I mouthed “Bye” before my uncle took him away. I’d never seen a man quake before but that’s what Geran did. His body shook as he followed Josh with his eyes. When he spoke again it was through tightly clenched jaws. “Why was he allowed in her rooms?”
Kennis rubbed her temples. “He’s her friend, Geran.”
“Friend?”
“Yes,” her voice sounded tired. “Her friend.”
“And you allowed this? Can you tell m
e why?”
Call it whatever you want. PMS. Post-traumatic stress. Whatever it was, I lost it. “Because she’s not an ogre. Because in our world, things are entirely different than they are here.”
Geran’s voice bellowed, “This is your world.”
“I’m used to world where kids are encouraged to think for themselves. Where every step of their lives isn’t dictated by overbearing, egotistical demi-gods who think they know everything.”
The sting of his hand across my cheek ricocheted through my brain. I gasped but didn’t cry out. I think the shock on my face probably matched Geran’s expression.
No one spoke.
Not me. Not my father. Not Kennis.
I waited for an apology, but none came. I certainly wasn’t going to say it first. I had been right in what I said, if a little harsh. Until a week ago, I’d never spoken to the man and now he wanted to run my life. I don’t know what kind of woman he was used to dealing with, but I was not about to give up all my independence just because I’d been forced to live in this backward kingdom.
I broke the staring match with Geran. “Don’t ever hit me again.” I strode across the room and rang for Rhoswen. She entered a moment later. “I’d like to freshen up before dinner. Would you re-do my hair?”
“Of course, my lady.” She followed me into my bedroom.
“Shut the door.”
She closed it behind her. I sat on the bed as voices argued in the other room. Her hands trembled as she poured some water from a pitcher into a bowl. She wet a wash cloth and brought it to me. I pressed it against my burning cheek. Kennis yelled something incomprehensible through the door. Geran answered her in kind. A calmer voice joined the fray.
“Oh goody,” I mumbled. “Devnet must be back.”
Rhoswen freed my hair from the pins that bound it up. Before she could get the brush, I folded myself down onto the bed.
“My lady? Are you ill?”
The quarreling continued in the next room. A symphony of mutterings punctuated by intense staccato moments of volume. I rolled over and hugged a pillow.
The maid sat on the edge of my bed. Her hand stretched toward me. It shook for a moment before she rested it on my shoulder. When I didn’t protest, she began to rub it gently across my back. “Do not fret yourself so,” she barely whispered. “It will all work out in the end. Never fear.”
My mother’s voice reached a crescendo. “You cannot force her to change who she is, Geran!”
“If you had done your duty, I wouldn’t have to.”
The silence that followed rang louder than the fighting. I hugged my pillow tighter. Rhoswen stood. “I’ll fetch you a new dress for this evening, shall I?”
“Fine.”
She let out a soft gasp as she opened the door. “I didn’t know you were there.”
“It’s alright, Rhoswen,” Kennis’ voice answered.
I shut my eyes and listened to the scuffling of feet as my maid and my mother exchanged places in the doorway. The door closed with a soft thud.
“Weren’t you in this position last night?” Kennis asked.
“I didn’t have the pillow last night.” I rolled onto my back. “He hates me.”
“Again with the melodrama? He doesn’t hate you.”
I clutched the pillow to my chest. “He doesn’t like me, then.” I’d hoped things would be different once we got to know each other. Now, I had my doubts.
A smile flickered across her face before she automatically began rearranging the curtain tied to the post of the bed. She walked around to do the same to another. “I did it on purpose, you know.”
“What?”
“Raised you the way I did. I wouldn’t have done it differently, even if I’d known for certain you’d come back.”
I didn’t say anything, knowing she’d go on when she was ready.
“You could have been my child. You look like Etain, but you have my personality.” An inner light poured out from her eyes, a warmth at some distant memory. “We take after my father. Strong-willed. Passionate.” The light faded. “Aldred and Etain were like our grandmother. Not so much passive as . . .” She searched the air for the right word. “Compromisers.” She shook her head. “That’s not it . . . appeasers. They worked so hard to avoid conflict that they never discovered what they truly believed for themselves. They always acquiesced to others first.”
Kennis ran her hand along the foot rail as she walked around the bed. “I loved being able to raise you in the other world. Letting you discover who you were on your own terms.” She sat down beside me. “I’d hoped to have more time to transition you to Ayden. Its rules and such. But I don’t want you to change who you are, what you believe, for any of us.”
“But all anyone does is yell at me for doing things wrong. Including you.”
“You’re a smart girl.” She inhaled deeply. “I want you to start thinking. Instead of acting on every idea that comes into your head, you need to look to the future and see the consequences.”
“Like with Josh?”
“Especially with him.”
I leaned against her shoulder. “I’ll try.”
She held me for a moment, then turned my head to study my chin. “I don’t think it will bruise. I have some powder to cover the redness.”
Rhoswen entered carrying a change of clothes. Between her and Kennis, I was soon dressed and ready for dinner. My new gown was more in the style of the Elder tunics, a one piece garment of light purple fabric that moved like water when I walked. Gold vines in sparkling thread adorned the scooped neck and flowing sleeves. Rhoswen worked my hair into a cascade of curls down my back.
I didn’t have a mirror so I asked my mother, “How do I look?”
“Beautiful.” She held out her hand. “Let’s get this over with.”
We walked down to the banquet hall together. “Who’s going to be there tonight?” I asked.
“It was supposed to be the Elder Council and their candidates for your consort. But Braedon insisted he be allowed to conduct his meeting between you and the Mystics regarding the coronation as well, since you missed dinner last night.”
“So I get Braedon, Geran and potential husbands all in the same room together?”
Kennis nodded.
“This is going to be fun.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
I Wish I was the Tinman
We entered a grand hall ablaze with torches. Yellowed tapestries decorated the stone walls. Their once vibrant colors, dulled over time, depicted various scenes of dances and banquets.
My grandmother swept over to greet us once Kennis and I had been announced. She wore a dress similar to mine, only in burgundy, and her hair sat in bun at the back of her head. She smiled, but spoke out of the side of her mouth. “You’re late.”
Kennis kissed her on the cheek. “Your son decided to pick an argument before she could get ready.”
Maris returned the kiss. “I thought he looked rather rabid this evening.” She curtsied to me. “Did you survive his onslaught?” Her eyes narrowed. “He struck you?”
Kennis frowned. “We tried to cover it up with powder. Is it that noticeable?”
My grandmother let out a frustrated huff. “That boy . . . .” Maris took my arm and led me into the room. “Come meet your kinsmen.”
A hundred eyes focused on us. I recognized a few of the faces from my meetings with the Elder Council and I found it comforting to see some women in the group. Other than my family and a couple of servants, like Rhoswen and Malina, I hadn’t had the chance to speak with too many females. Braedon hadn’t arrived yet, for which I was grateful. Hopefully, he tripped down some stairs, broke his neck and wouldn’t be joining us at all this evening.
“Alystrine.” My grandmother led me to the first group of Elders. “This is my dear friend, Nitza and her son, Noam.” The pair bowed and I nodded, recalling Noam as one of my father’s favorite candidates. “And this is Oren and his son Radwan.”
I conside
red the men in front of me since they were potential husbands. I’d been expecting men of Radwan’s age, in their late teens, but Noam was older. I couldn’t help studying him. Pleasant, with warm brown eyes and dark hair, I guessed him to be in his early to mid-twenties. He caught me staring and smiled. My cheeks burned and I quickly turned my focus to the rest of the room.
In all, it looked like eight to ten potential husbands had made the trip to meet me. A couple watched me with frank curiosity, while others seemed intent on ignoring me completely. Other than Noam, the rest fit my age range expectations but that’s where the similarities ended. Short, tall, skinny, and fat; light, medium and dark skinned young men all milled about the room. I shook my head, thinking how weird it was to choose a husband like I would an ice cream cone. What size and flavor did I want?
“It’s a little odd, isn’t it?” Noam startled me out of my thoughts.
“I’m sorry, what?”
He leaned closer to my ear. “This ritual. It’s a bit primitive, don’t you think?”
“More than a bit.”
“Was it like this in the Other World? All this formality?”
I started to answer no, but stopped when I thought of last fall’s Homecoming dance. Pods of friends all clustered together, scoping out the guys who weren’t “with someone” already.
“Your Majesty?”
“It’s not so formal as this, but it’s every bit as primitive.”
He laughed. A gentle, throaty chuckle I found very endearing. I grinned in response, but it faded when Geran approached.
My father bowed curtly in my direction. “I’d like to introduce you to our other guests.” He nodded to Noam and the others. “If you’ll excuse us.” I let him take my arm but wouldn’t look at him. I focused on being polite to everyone Geran introduced me to, engaging them in pleasant conversation, but I never directed a comment to my father.
Lord Braedon and his family were announced and a chill of animosity settled in the room. Maris, Devnet and Kennis flocked to my side like mother hens protecting their egg. For all his insistence at being allowed to meet with me at dinner, Braedon seemed content with asking a few general questions about the coronation before excusing himself. He, Lord Donagh and Caradoc slunk off to a corner.
