by Sharon Green
“With all of us wishing for it, they have to come true,” her father said, also sounding oddly jovial. “Now let’s return to the salon and visit for a time.”
Everyone seemed to consider that a very good idea, so they left the dining room in the same way they’d entered it. The savage had presented his arm again, but once they reached the salon he left Elissia to join the other men around the servant offering brandy. That gave Elissia the opportunity to leave the room before anyone had the chance to demand that she stay. She needed to go back to her apartment and be alone for a while, away from those who were obviously enjoying life. All too soon the savage would follow her there, and that would be the end of the only small pleasure she had left.
Once Derand delivered his bride to her apartment, he went looking for Ostrin. The king had gone to his own apartment, Derand learned from a servant, and had asked not to be disturbed for a while. That meant telling Ostrin what had gone on between Derand and the girl after her father left would have to wait for a time, but that might be for the best. Ostrin had been upset enough; there was no real reason to add to it immediately.
For that reason Derand went instead and got his men, then had them follow him back to the rooms they were quartered in. He called servants in to pack his belongings while he sat down and spoke to Listan, knowing he had to be firm.
“So I’ll be moving in with my wife for the rest of the time we stay here,” he finished up his explanation as to why his possessions were being packed. “You can add two men to the guard stationed outside the king’s family wing, but no more than two and they’re to defer to the local guardsmen as much as possible. They’ll know who does and doesn’t belong in that wing, so there won’t be any trouble about stopping the wrong people.”
“I’d rather have trouble over stopping the wrong people than put your life at risk by leaving your back unprotected,” Listan stated, his tone sour. “Let me make that four men at the very least, and then I’ll be able to get some sleep tonight.”
“If anyone tries anything serious, four men will be as useless as two,” Derand pointed out, determined to be reasonable for as long as possible. It would be good practice for when he had to speak to his bride again “But where four men would feel bound to stand and fight, two would be wise enough to split up and spread the alarm. One would come to me and the other to you, and then all of us could get some exercise. Can’t you see the sense in that?”
“Maybe,” Listan grudged, hating the idea but finding himself forced to agree. “I just don’t feel comfortable in this place, where even the men wearing weapons don’t seem to know what to do with them. We’ll be leaving tomorrow as planned?”
“We may stay an extra day or two,” Derand said after deciding there was no sense in putting off telling the man his plans just to avoid possible argument. “My bride isn’t happy about her new place in life, and it might be best to get her used to the idea before we leave for home. If people back there hear her threatening my life, it could make for problems.”
“She threatened your life?” Listan asked with brows high, an odd expression on his face.
“Were you locked in a dungeon or chained hand and foot at some time, and you just forgot to tell me about it?”
“She doesn’t seem to need those trimmings before voicing her threats,” Derand said, surprised to find himself amused. “She’s got more nerve than most of the men in this kingdom, but what she lacks is the good sense to go with it. She doesn’t know when it’s downright foolish to push someone stronger than you, but she’s in the process of learning.”
“I hope she learns quickly,” Listan said, his tone now dry. “If I have to post guards in your bedchamber to keep you safe from her, I’ll then need someone to keep me safe from you.”
“There isn’t anyone who would be able to keep you safe under circumstances like those,” Derand countered, a grin breaking through the scowl he’d been trying to maintain. “And the situation isn’t as amusing as we’re both taking it. I don’t enjoy sleeping with one eye open, but that’s what I’ll have to do until I make her see reason. She was pretending to be cowed when I took her back to her apartment, but after thinking about it I’ve decided I was being premature in believing my problems with her are over. They’re more likely only just starting, but for some reason I seem to be looking forward to it. Just as if it’s a game I’ll be playing, and one I expect to have fun with ”
“That could be because most women throw themselves at you rather than challenge you,” Listan said when Derand’s words trailed off. “If you didn’t consider challenge fun, you’d hardly be in the place of High King now. So you like that better than meek adoration, and expect to have fun with it. I can’t say I understand why you feel that way, but it’s not a surprise that you do.”
“If you look at it that way, I suppose it isn’t,” Derand agreed, smiling to himself. Yes, the girl would give him plenty of challenge, and the trick would be to make her do things his way without breaking her spirit entirely. If he did it right she would be an unending challenge, and what more could a man with his temperament ask for?
That thought really lightened Derand’s mood, so much so that he went with the servants when they were ready to move his belongings to the girl’s apartment. It was just possible that she was in the process of disobeying him, and that would call for a response on his part. The game would be a lot more fun for him than for her, at least in the beginning. After that well, she might learn to like it as much as he did, and share it with him voluntarily. Now that was something to look forward to
The servants in the girl’s apartment were considerably more quiet than Derand had been expecting. One of the men showed him where he could put his possessions, a bedchamber separate from the one the girl used. Derand decided to accept that for the moment, since he and his bride would probably need some time away from each other at first. It would not be the same once they got home, but for now it wasn’t likely to cause additional problems.
Once his things had been put away to his satisfaction, Derand dismissed the servants he’d brought with him. That left only the servant who belonged in the apartment, and that man seemed disturbed about something. He stood silently to one side of the bedchamber, obviously distracted by his thoughts, so Derand decided to ease what was most likely on his mind.
“My being here isn’t an intrusion, you know,” he said to the man, immediately drawing his attention. “Your mistress has been my wife ever since we were children, and the time has come for us to be together. Your king is my father’s friend and mine as well. I would never dishonor him in his own house under any circumstances.”
“Thank you for telling me that, Your Majesty,” the man said with a bow of respect.
“We’ve become used to being treated as confidantes rather than as mere servants, and it will please the others to see the practice continued. And now I understand why my mistress behaved as she did. I know for a fact that she had no idea she was married.”
“She must have screamed and broken things for quite some time,” Derand commented, amused by the idea. “But I heard nothing when I got here, so she must have finally run out of breakables. How long did the tantrum last?”
“There was nothing like that, Your Majesty,” the man answered soberly, looking at Derand with pain in his eyes. “When she returned she went straight to her bedchamber and closed the door for privacy, but we’ve learned how to keep an unobtrusive eye on her. When one of us checked on her a few minutes later, she lay on her bed sobbing her heart out. The crying went on and on until she fell asleep, and even then it didn’t seem to end completely. Her sleep was disturbed rather than easy, and continued to be so the last time we checked.”
“She was crying?” Derand said, nothing of amusement left in him. He didn’t want to believe that, but the man was obviously telling the truth. She hadn’t let him see her tears, but that was only to be expected. Tears instead of a tantrum Finding out she was married had touched the girl more deeply
and strongly than they’d expected it would, so it was clearly time to give her some support. The game could be continued later, once she was back to herself.
So Derand gave instructions to the servant that were to be acted on a bit later, instructions that made it seem he knew nothing about the girl’s tears. Then he left the apartment and went straight to her father. Ostrin was still being protected by orders about not being disturbed, but when Derand insisted, the servant reluctantly agreed to speak to his king. It took another few minutes, but finally Derand was shown into a small sitting room where Ostrin awaited him.
“I’m almost afraid to ask how it went,” Ostrin said once the door was closed behind Derand. “No, let’s be more honest than that. I am afraid to ask, but I’ll do so anyway. I’m still responsible no matter how it went.”
“If you insist on considering it a matter of responsibility, you won’t be able to help her,” Derand stated without showing the pity he felt for the man. “She put up a brave front for me, but her servants tell me she cried once she was alone. Finding out about being married was a real shock for her, and we have to do something to help her accept it.”
“She cried?” Ostrin asked with a frown. “I wouldn’t have expected that from her, but you’re absolutely right. We do need to help her find acceptance, and a small dinner party might accomplish that. If she sees how happy we all are for her, it might change her mind.”
“Why a small party rather than a large one?” Derand asked, pleased to see Ostrin rise to the occasion. “Most women love to be the center of attention at a party, and as the bride involved, that’s what she’ll be. She won’t have the enjoyment of a full wedding party that all women are entitled to, so why not a large ordinary party instead?”
“I don’t think a large party would give her the pleasure you believe it would,” Ostrin said with a headshake. “Some of my nobles have the ability to see misery where no one else would even suspect it, and then they do their utmost to add to it. Even their being sympathetic would make things worse rather than better, so I’ll just invite two of the people she’s grown rather close to. They’ll be glad to help raise her spirits, and they can be counted on not to say something to set her off – in any way.”
“Since you know her and the people involved better than I do, I’ll take your advice,” Derand acceded, feeling a bit of disappointment himself. “But once she and I get home, I’ll give her the big party she deserves. None of my subjects will play games with her misery, not if they want to continue breathing without pain.”
“It does help when people know better than to try your temper, doesn’t it?” Ostrin said with something of a smile. “I sometimes wish I were the sort to be looked at in that way, but wishing will never make it so. I’ll have messengers sent to Rolan and Abtrean at once.”
Derand waited until that was done, then he and Ostrin talked for a while. Ostrin asked what Derand meant to do now that the previously warring kingdoms were united under a single ruler, and Derand told him. Arvin had been lagging behind its neighbors in many ways because of the constant warfare, but now that it was over things would improve enormously.
“My new realm is very rich, and will be even richer when her gold no longer has to pay for fighters and the weapons for them to use,” Derand said at last. “Not to mention having even more gold wasted on the need for rebuilding things destroyed by the warfare. A lot of my new subjects are unhappy about having peace forced on them, but once they start to benefit from that peace they should quickly change their minds.”
“And find that they never want to indulge in warfare again,” Ostrin said with a nod. “Yes, peace is a much more pleasant state of affairs.”
“Not quite for everyone,” Derand disagreed gently after sipping the wine he’d been given.
“Some people can’t be happy unless they have something to fight against or for, and a number of the kings now under my rule happen to fall into that category. For that reason I intend to institute a kind of competition among the kingdoms that they can give their attention to, one that has multiple sides. There will be rankings in the different areas, from best to worst, and those rankings will be made public.”
“What sort of areas will there be?” Ostrin asked with what seemed like real curiosity.
“I’ve never heard of anyone doing anything like it.”
“I suppose we’ll be the first,” Derand granted with a nod. “The areas will cover everything I can think of, like cattle or grain production, schools and thriving businesses, and levels of prosperity enjoyed by the lower classes. We’ll also have warfare, of course, but on a much smaller scale and without the large number of casualties. If meetings at arms are scheduled and carefully presided over, they should satisfy the restless while doing minimal damage.”
“I’d be pleased if you would let me know how that idea does,” Ostrin said, apparently intrigued. “If it does well it might spread to other realms, and one or two of them are almost as badly in need of it as your own realm. They – ”
Ostrin’s words broke off when a knock came at the door, but it was only a servant announcing the return of the messengers sent to the nobles invited to dinner. Both dukes had sent their agreement to the invitation, so they would have their small party without any difficulty.
Ostrin excused himself at that point in order to see about giving the necessary orders, so Derand also left in order to spend some time with his men. He’d meant to give Listan and the others a tour of the palace to familiarize them with it, and now was the best time to do that.
The tour took a number of hours, and when it was over Derand sent a servant to fetch the clothing he wanted from his new bedchamber, and then used his old one to bathe and dress. Avoiding his bride until the party was able to bring her back to herself seemed like the best idea, so he went along with it. Women’s tears usually had no effect on him, but tears from this girl at a time when he was supposed to know nothing about them Well, she was also his wife, and as such was due at least a small amount of courtesy.
And there was also the game between them to consider, a game he wanted to continue with. As he adjusted his black velvet tunic in front of a mirror, Derand was pleased he’d remembered that. It wasn’t as though he was beginning to feel anything for a girl he’d married to satisfy his father and hers and one he’d just really met, it was just the game he was interested in. If he couldn’t continue with that, the marriage would be just as dull and boring as he’d expected it to be.
Satisfied that he’d made his thoughts so clear in his mind, Derand adjusted the black and silver ribbon on his long, dark hair before turning away from the mirror. He usually wore black more often than any other color, having noticed how people reacted to those who wore it. The color was supposed to signify the wearer as someone who was harsh and heartless in his treatment of others, someone it was best not to oppose. Since the belief saved Derand quite a bit of trouble he would otherwise have to handle with that very harshness, he wasn’t about to argue with the outlook.
Privately, though, he couldn’t quite understand how the color of clothing was supposed to have anything to do with a man’s willingness to do damage to others. He would be just as dangerous to face in battle or individual combat if he wore pink from head to toe, but Derand in pink would cause laughter rather than wary caution in anyone who looked at him. People were really strange in their beliefs, but that didn’t mean the beliefs could be discounted.
But that was all the time he had for philosophical concepts. A servant knocked and entered to say that King Ostrin requested his presence in the dining room’s salon, so he followed the servant there after telling Listan to keep any guards he posted out of sight. Listan grumbled but agreed, and that let Derand walk into the salon with an easier mind. Insulting these people with the presence of bodyguards would also have managed to make them very uneasy.
Duke Rolan was a large man, both tall and heavy in body, but as mild as Ostrin in his speech and gestures. Duke Abtrean was shorter a
nd not quite as round and he spoke more expansively, but the attitude behind his words matched that of the other two men. After Ostrin introduced his guest to his nobles and the men and their wives had bowed or curtsied, his expression turned a bit more solemn.
“As I told you in my message, my lords, I need you here to support Elissia,” he said to the two dukes then. “I believe you know that she and the High King were married as children, and Derand has decided that the time has come for them to begin a life together. The only problem is Elissia had no idea she was married, and the revelation has been very much of a shock to her.”
“Oh, dear,” Duke Rolan said, the words mild in comparison to his expression and Abtrean’s. “I can only imagine what her reaction was, and feel rather relieved that I wasn’t here to see it. How did you think we might help, Sire?”
“Her reaction wasn’t the expected one,” Derand interrupted to put in, more than aware of what the man must be thinking. “She really was hit rather hard, and must now think she’s facing a fate worse than death. If all of you can reassure her, show her that you’re happy for her, she’ll begin to understand that this is only what all women go through and nothing to be upset about.”
“It says quite a lot for you as a man that you’re concerned about her frame of mind, Your Majesty,” Duke Abtrean commented, approval clear in his gaze. “King Ostrin has spoken of you often, and it’s good to see that his estimation of you was correct as usual. I, for one, will be pleased to show Elissia how happy I am for her.”
“As will I,” Rolan agreed with a matching smile. “I’ve almost come to think of her as one of my own daughters, so her happiness is rather important to me. But how is your father, Your Majesty? We haven’t had the pleasure of his company in much too long a time.”
“My father is busy reorganizing his kingdom,” Derand replied with a smile of amusement, more than satisfied with the reactions of the two men. The girl did mean something to them, and their help ought to be invaluable. “Now that the constant warfare is over, he can implement all the plans he’s never been able to get to before.”
