by S R Nulton
He was tall, his thick brown hair slicked back. He was dressed in a velvet coat of gold and silk shirt and vest in shades of green. His white breeches were brilliant beneath the polished black boots and his black and gold mask framed the most beautiful brown eyes I’d ever seen.
“Really, honey?” I asked, quirking a brow.
He grinned, his chin free of the unruly beard that I’d known him to wear. He leaned close to my ear and said, “I want to dance with my wife. Is that so wrong?”
“When it draws attention because an elegant stranger in a mask and expensive clothes is dancing with a pregnant kitchen maid? Then yes, it is wrong.” Nevertheless, I let him continue to twirl us around the room. “What happened to the servers, by the way?”
Jeshu grinned. “They got locked in a closet in a quieter part of the palace,” he told me, spinning me again. He really was a magnificent dancer. There hadn’t been any music on our ship to dance to, so it was the first I’d seen him move so gracefully without a sword.
When I mentioned it, he laughed and said, “Haven’t you figured it out yet? You are my sword and everything I do is to make you look better, to keep their eyes on the dangerous part.”
I blushed. On the bright side, that was about the same time that the song slowed and ended, so I was able to push away from him and head back to the wall. “Go do your job!” I admonished over my shoulder as I walked away.
He bowed and disappeared into the crowd once more. I found my sister-in-law just as a red haired man in silver and blue vanished as well.
“Those two…” I began before being cut off.
“Attention, one and all! Prince Regent Fredrinsh, the most magnanimous, has an announcement to make!” declared the palace crier.
At the front of the room a man appeared. He was about 50, average height, but his salt and pepper hair and high cheekbones made him attractive. I couldn’t tell from far away, but it looked like he had the same brown eyes as the twins did. His handsome features were detracted from by the overly frilled coat and heavily jeweled vest he wore. He looked like a peacock, and not in a good way. His valet hadn’t been kidding about the clothes!
“Royal guest, nobles, and citizens of the great country of Shessat! I thank you for coming to the winter solstice celebration. As you may know, this is a particularly special solstice as it also marks the completion of the royal princes’ task. One year ago they were sent out into the world and told to return with a wife or forfeit the crown.”
The room started murmuring. From the sound of it, no one had been quite sure what the requirements had been. Most had only known that the princes had disappeared due to a test for the crown. Apparently, no one was aware that there was a bride in the bargain.
The Regent raised his hands to quiet the room once more.
“I regret to inform you that the princes have not returned. Unfortunately, by failing their task, they have forfeited the crown and it must be passed on to the next successor.”
That really got the room talking.
“What successor?” one older woman whispered to her escort. “There are none! The royal family only ever has one set of children! They don’t have younger siblings or cousins. It’s a straight line!”
Her escort shushed her as the Regent began again.
“The council approached me several days ago when they became worried about the prince’s continued absence and it was decided that I was the next in line to the throne. As such, I would like to invite the priest and council forward to witness my coronation.”
The crowd wasn’t sure what to make of that, but most of the whispers turned angry. No one was pleased with the turn of events, and even the council members moving toward the throne looked unhappy and slightly confused.
“Stop!”
Chapter 15: A Coronation to Remember
“Who said that?” the Regent demanded.
“Why, I did Uncle,” Jeshu said as he strode forward and removed his mask. Stone was right beside him, looking as imposing as always with his red hair cut close and his beard neatly trimmed.
“Nephews! You’ve arrived at last! How did you manage to break the spell?” He looked less than pleased, but was trying to play the doting relation.
“Curse,” Stone corrected.
“I– What do you mean?”
“It wasn’t a spell, it was a curse.” The room began talking again. “You didn’t tell them what the challenge was, not really.”
The twin’s uncle glared. “They don’t need to know.”
Jeshu just grinned at him. “Of course they do. That’s what our family does, isn’t it? The tradition says that the test is concealed until after it is complete. Well, I believe it’s complete, so I’ll let everyone know.” Then my husband turned to the room and told them what had happened.
“Last year, just before the ball, we were told to ready ourselves for our journey and meet my uncle out in the garden. He had a woman there who cursed us to live as a salamander and a frog until we could find our bride’s and complete the test by returning here.”
The council looked scandalized. One of the men cried out, “You cursed the princes?”
The Regent took a step forward, attempting to regain control of the room. “It is within the purview of the former king’s brother to administer the test in whatever way he wishes. I decided on this method because I knew it would build their character.”
Jeshu cocked his head to the side, reminding me of a hawk studying a mouse before grabbing it. “Is that why you sent soldiers out to every major city on the continent to try and capture us too? Because it built character?”
“No, of course not. I wanted you to have a royal escort home!”
Stone snorted. “Royal escorts are polite. They don’t attempt to assault their charges.”
Prince Fredrinsh’s face grew red. “It doesn’t matter though. I’m not sure who turned you human again, but you didn’t complete the task. You have not brought your brides, probably didn’t even find them.”
Both twins smiled slowly. “Didn’t we?” they asked in unison. I’d never seen them do such a thing before, so it came off as a bit creepy to me. Before I could think more about it, they called out, “Yew!”
“This way, ladies,” Yew said from behind us. Then the large man maneuvered us to the front of the room and had us stand beside our husbands.
It was really quite astonishing. I’d never seen so many people’s eyes pop out like that all at once. It looked like a strange disease sweeping the ballroom and affected the council and the Prince Regent most severely.
“Hello love,” Jeshu said, dropping a kiss to my temple. It was enough to break the silence.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t one of the many scandalized nobles or even their power hungry uncle. No, it was the priest who spoke first. “W-what! You bedded them already?” he sputtered.
Jeshu and Stone blinked at the red-faced man. “Of course! We married them, didn’t we?”
And the conversation had to be paused once more while everyone talked about the latest development. I sighed and snuggled into my husband’s side. If the room kept chatting, we would end up being there all night! Neither of the twins seemed the slightest bit perturbed by the situation. Instead, they pulled Thyme and me closer and watched the room, cataloging everyone’s reactions and analyzing each one. It reminded me of how they studied each other before sparring matches, looking for a weakness or a tiny movement that would let them know where the attack would come from. Clearly guard training had translated well into the political arena for them.
As the crowd’s roar grew, I began to wonder if the night’s confrontation would ever be concluded. I knew one of the boys would eventually get annoyed and stop the guests so. I figured it would be Stone, as he had the least patience with chatty people. Surprisingly, Yew was actually the one to break first. Instead of trying to yell for quiet, he lifted a hand and chopped it down quickly. When all sound stopped, I smiled at him.
Awww! He used one of my
silence charms! How sweet! I thought as the quiet faded away slowly.
“Better. Now, no more talking unless you are directly involved,” the large bodyguard warned the crowd.
Prince Regent Fredrinsh pulled himself together and asked the question that everyone seemed to want to know. “How could you have gotten married? The only priest that can bind you is here, and he clearly didn’t know.”
“The King and Queen taught me the process and tasked me with conducting the boys’ marriage ceremonies when the time came,” Yew answered.
“When? When could they have taught you? They died nine years ago!”
Yew blinked. “When the boys turned seven.”
That seemed to shock everyone, particularly the self-important priest, who loudly announced that he was “not pleased with this turn of events,” and that he “didn’t believe for one second that it was a true marriage.” I kinda wanted to throw something at him. Like an anvil. (In my defense, his voice was one of those really whiny tones that always makes the person sound like a two-year-old in need of a nap.)
Before I could, the Prince Regent let out a long whistle and drew the decorative longsword belted at his waist.
“I will have the throne,” he growled before launching himself at us.
He hadn’t gotten very close before Jeshu lifted a hand and a long tongue of flame encircled our attacker. Then came the screaming. It was awful, as was the smell. The Prince Regent fell to the floor and writhed as the flame continued to eat at him. He moved toward us, anger and pain glowing in his eyes. This time Stone moved forward and raised his hand. It was the first time I’d seen him use his powers and while they were not as strong as his brother’s they were by no means lacking in finesse and effectiveness. At his command, the stone flooring rose up and gripped Fredrinsh’s arms and legs, pinning him to the floor.
It took seven long minutes for the Prince Regent to burn to nothing, but finally he was gone. We’d won.
~
Suffice to say, the party was over at that point. Oh, it dragged on for another hour or so of drama, but when one of the rulers cooks his uncle on stage, it is generally acknowledged that you should head home. Naturally, no one did.
When the last of the flames was gone, the screaming started. I, personally, thought it was a bit late to freak out, but my opinion hadn’t mattered much to them at that point. Either way, few of the women (and at least one man) fainted. The smell was less than pleasant, amplified by the heat of the room itself and the lack of airflow.
“Maybe we should open a window,” I mused as the shrieking picked up in volume and speed. Jeshu’s chest began shaking behind me, but when I looked up, his face was blank. I smirked. I made the serious prince laugh at an inappropriate moment! I was bizarrely pleased with myself. It might have been exhaustion though. Being pregnant makes you tired!
Thyme was oddly unaffected by the whole scene. She was generally a shy person but standing up there beside Stone seemed to make her hold her head high. It also drew my attention to the scar on her neck and her lack of reaction made more sense. She’d seen evil men before. It wasn’t going to bother her to watch one die, particularly when he threatened everything she loved.
Before I could think anymore about it, there was a crash and two bodies fell through the nearest window.
“That wasn’t what I meant, but I suppose it is letting in some fresh air,” I said, thinking aloud. I glanced around the room before staring at the throne behind me. There was something wrong with it that had been circling my mind all night…
The two men got up and continued their fight and were quickly followed by more as the battle increased. Stone and Jeshu seemed to know what was going on, so I could only conclude that it was their contacts attacking the former regent’s men. Oddly enough, the inclusion of a few sword fights stopped people from leaving. Instead, the guests stayed and watched the free show. There were more screams and faints, of course, but not nearly as many as the first group. The excitable ones were probably still passed out.
Eventually, the clamor died down. The men in armor were either dead or tied up and things began to settle a bit.
That’s when Jeshu stepped forward with Stone.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen! It’s time to calm down. Clearly the ball is over, though there is plenty of food, so you are more than welcome to sit down for dinner,” Jeshu declared ruefully. “The kitchen will probably thank you. As for the other events of the evening, I’m afraid they will have to be postponed or cancelled.”
The councilors began to complain.
“What about the coronation?” one of them asked. “We still don’t have a king!”
Stone raised his brows and the group quieted. “The coronation will be postponed pending a decision as to who will rule. Perhaps the council would like to speak about it in a less public place?”
They froze, suddenly realizing where they were, then nodded quickly.
“Excellent, then we can make an announcement in the next few days. Good night and enjoy your dinners.”
Then the boys swept us out through a door behind the throne. The council followed closely behind, allowing themselves to be led to a room with a large table and very comfortable looking chairs.
Jeshu pulled me to the head of the table and helped me lower myself into the chair. Thyme sat carefully beside me and sighed. We’d been busy all day and being unbalanced by a larger than normal stomach tends to be hard on your body. I shifted in my seat until I could lean back comfortably and listened as Jeshu told a page to send up dinner for the whole group. Then, he moved to sit beside me and lifted my feet up before placing them in his lap.
“I always find it amazing,” Stone remarked, “how anticlimactic life really is. I suppose it’s all those stories we always hear of great battles. No one ever talks about how quick things can move when you have a well thought out plan.”
I smiled at him and nodded. “As exciting as those stories are, they do tend to gloss over the reality that most battles are quick and that the hardest ones to fight are the ones against yourself.” I was about to say more when I was cut off.
“Your highness, what is the meaning of you showing up this way?” one of the men on the council demanded, his balding head shining in the lamplight. Clearly he was done with listening to a philosophical discussion.
Jeshu cocked his head to the side. “I thought I explained that already,” he began while starting to gently massage my feet. “We came in secret so that we wouldn’t be killed by my uncle as he went after the throne. He made several attempts on our lives already, why give him more chances?”
I groaned as he hit a sensitive spot, drawing all attention my direction. Jeshu just chuckled.
“And who are these women, exactly?”
Stone was the one to answer. “You don’t listen well, do you? Explains all the problems with our government… These are our wives, and before one of you asks what we mean by that, it means that we married these lovely ladies in a bonding ritual that tied our lives together.”
One of the younger members cleared his throat nervously. “I think what my colleague meant to ask was if you would introduce us to your lovely wives.”
At least someone is paying attention to more than their hurt feelings, I thought as Jeshu picked up my other foot.
Stone sighed, sounding very put upon. “Very well, this is my lady wife, Thyme of Lettelach.”
They nodded to Thyme before turning their gazes to me.
Jeshu smirked. “Oh, this is my wife, Lady Enchantress Grace of Alenia.”
…
You could have heard a pin drop. Naturally, being less than impressed with their attitudes about pretty much the entire night, and being as tired as I was, I waved hello to the table before leaning back in the chair again.
“I-I’m sorry, did you say ‘Lady Enchantress’? As in… an actual enchantress?” the balding man asked nervously.
“Technically,” I began, “an enchantress and a lady enchantress
are different things. There are certain… exams? I’ll just call them exams, that you have to pass to be considered a lady or lord enchanter. It is a recognizable difference that allows us to travel and sell our enchantments internationally without needing a permit for each new country.”
Jeshu blinked and looked over at me. “I didn’t know that. I was just letting them know that since we were married, you weren’t considered a commoner anymore.”
“Ah! I was wondering how you knew my correct title. It actually comes with land and a seat in your home country’s house of lords. I don’t much like politics though, so I never used my seat.”
Thyme cleared her throat. “And my family are technically titled as well. It comes through the maternal line and is mostly to make our stationary pretty, as my mother always told me.”
Yew grinned broadly. “There you are. Two titled young ladies married to your crown princes. Problem solved. Next issue.”
“You are still cursed?” a small man near the back ventured.
I looked the two princes over and shook my head. “Nope. It must have been getting back to the palace that broke it.” I smiled at Jeshu, thrilled with the idea of seeing him in the sunlight.
A knock at the door preceded a line of servants with dinner plates. Tom stood awkwardly in the doorway, looking at me before shifting his gaze to Thyme.
“Beggin’ your pardon, highnesses, madams. Will you be needin’ anythin’ else?”
I smiled at him. “No thank you Tom. This should be fine. Your food is always magnificent, as we well know.”
He nodded with clear relief on his face before leaving with the rest of the servants and closing the door.
The oldest councilor, who looked to be about a hundred, cleared his throat. “Now then, the question at hand has little to do with these lovely ladies and much to do with the matter of ascension. From what I understood, your family’s magic would only allow one twin to marry and that was to be the one named king.”
I blinked and looked between Jeshu and Stone. Nothing was making sense suddenly. I decided to listen a bit more to see if I could figure it out.
