As the Guardians led him further away, something around the man’s neck caught Tate’s attention. Edison’s necklace. There was no doubt about it. The same colors, the same distinctive pattern to the weave. How odd? Could this man be Edison’s father who ran away the moment he was born? He didn’t look anything like Edison.
Tate held his gaze all the way back to the carriage before the crowd pushed the man back and he could no longer be seen.
“You look like you just saw a ghost,” River said, clutching at his hand.
“I think I did.” He shook away his thoughts deciding to talk to River about it later when there wasn’t a crowd of people watching him.
River handed him his crown and he placed it back on his head and concentrated on the woman before him. The woman he loved with all his heart who he saw as his wife, yet it didn’t seem to be a union accepted by his people.
“Will you marry me?” he asked, sliding into his seat and draping an arm around River and squeezing her tightly.
“We’re already married,” laughed River as the carriage took off once more. “Did you bump your head out there?”
“You deserve a real wedding,” he said. “After our baby is born. I want the palace filled with people. I want everyone to see what a beautiful bride I have. When my father married us, it was a marriage of two strangers. I want a wedding between two people in love. Will you marry me properly this time, River?”
“No, Tate.” River smiled widely at him, her expression not matching her words. “I won’t marry you again because I don’t need to tell you that I love you in front of the world, for our love to be real. When your father married us, we were bound legally to each other. But when you kissed me for the first time in the garden, we were bound by our hearts. Our love is a private one. I don’t need to share it with the world, just as long as we can share it with each other.”
Her words joy filled him with a kind of joy he’d never felt before. This must be the Evernow his mother had told him about. Because it didn’t matter what challenges were in his future or what hardships he’d suffered in his past. Right here, right now, he was the happiest he’d ever been.
“Why are you always right?” he asked. He knew River was his wife and she knew he was her husband. It didn’t matter what anyone else thought. They’d come to accept their union in time. Especially once their baby was born.
“I’m not always right,” said River, her face turning dark. Just another thing he’d need to talk to her about later. Was she hiding something from him?
The carriage hit a bump in the road and he pulled River closer to him, placing a kiss on her cheek, a gesture that sent a roar of approval rising from the crowd.
Looking back at the people, he searched for the face of the man with the beard once more.
But he was gone, leaving Tate wondering who he was and if he’d ever see him again.
RIVER
THE EVERNOW
River held Tate’s hand as she walked across the hot desert sand. She was glad they’d made the decision to leave little Jacob at home. The desert was no place for an infant.
It’d been River’s idea to call their son Jacob, telling Tate it was a name she’d liked since she was a girl. Tate had readily agreed, unaware this was the name of his father. His true father. A man who’d loved him so much he’d chosen to run away rather than sit by and watch another man raise him. It was only right that this baby had the name of the grandfather he’d likely never meet.
Jacob was a beautiful baby, with Tate’s dark soulful eyes and River’s fair hair. It pained River to have left him in the care of her parents, even though he was no doubt being doted on. Ariel would be checking on him regularly too, although nobody really understood why she was so enamored with the baby Prince. They just thought she was lonely after the death of her son.
Not forgetting Aunt Pip who shared most of her days between spending time with Ariel in the kitchen and fussing over her beloved nephew. Pip may not have the blood of a herbalist, but she had the passion and it seemed that was enough, for she was learning fast. She was a wonderful aunt as well and had even given Jacob her set of woolen dolls, saying she no longer needed them now that she had her herbs. And despite Jacob being so young, Pip often read to him from a storybook she had about a Princess called Snow. The book had been lost for many years but had turned up in the bottom of Pip’s wardrobe even though she said she’d searched there a thousand times before.
As much as River hated leaving Jacob behind, it was important she go with Tate to the desert. The daughter of the Emperor of The Sands of Naar was marrying the son of a man they called the Colonel, and the royal families of the other four kingdoms had been invited to witness the union between these future leaders. The Bay of Laurel’s presence here today showed they stood in peace and unity for the first time in history.
In years gone by, Tate’s father had received other royal wedding invitations and had torn them into pieces. But not Tate. He was keen to join the alliance The Sands of Naar had formed with Forte Cadence and Wintergreen. River agreed. They’d be unstoppable if they worked together.
The only kingdom not here was Feldspar, a strange island where the people kept themselves in isolation. Nobody knew a lot about them or what kind of life they had behind the thick band of dead trees that lined their western shore. All they knew was that it had something to do with mining minerals. Apparently, they hadn’t even bothered to reply to their wedding invitation. Perhaps they didn’t even know what a wedding was.
As River and Tate approached the top of the sand dune, they saw a large crowd of people gathered. The desert seemed a strange place to get married, but the choice spoke to River about the kind of people the future Empress and Colonel were. People who embraced the harsh environment of their kingdom, rather than cursed it. Apparently, it was out here that the bride and groom had first met and fallen in love. River sensed there was a lot more to the story, but nobody seemed to want to talk about it, which of course only made River all the more keen to find out.
A gust of hot wind sent sand flying into River’s eyes and she adjusted the veil she wore so that it covered more of her face. All the women out here wore veils, and she could see why. The men wore scarves for the same purpose and she looked across at Tate now in his loose fitting shirt and trousers, his scarf draped over his head covering his neatly tied hair. His face was freshly shaven and he looked every bit the King he now was.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, aware of her gaze.
“Just admiring my King.” She squeezed his hand a little tighter.
“I’d admire you right back, if only I could see you.”
She lifted her veil to give him a grin, but there was no way she was going to leave her skin exposed out here, and she quickly covered her face once more.
How must it be for the people in this kingdom to grow up in such an unforgiving climate? Not that the whole kingdom was like this. The people spent most of their lives underground in a place called the Colony. This was where River and Tate had been taken on their arrival and two healers named Freya and Azrael had put their hands on them to restore their energy after the long journey. It had felt like a miracle. There was so much they could learn from this kingdom.
After their healing, an endearing but odd man had led them through a tunnel to the kingdom’s Capital. The palace was in the Capital, which was where all the visiting royalty were staying. As they’d walked, the man had proudly explained that it had been his idea to connect this kingdom’s two cities like this. River had given Tate secret smiles as they’d watched the man flap his arms as if he’d prefer to be flying than using his feet.
And as impressive as the Colony had been, when they emerged in the Capital, it’d taken River’s breath away. Tall buildings ringed a circle of perfectly manicured lawn, with two giant glass orbs sitting in the middle that kept time as red sand slipped from one to the other. It was incredible to think that something like this was right here in the middle of the deser
t.
“At last,” said Tate, as they joined the people on the top of the dune and River lowered her veil so she could nod and smile politely at the other guests who were mingling on the outskirts. A windbreak had been erected and a giant sail hung above the guests to shelter them from the direct heat of the sun. A series of tiny glass orbs dangled from the edges of the sail catching the light and splintering the rays into thousands of tiny rainbows that reflected across the sweeping dunes. It was no wonder the wedding was taking place out here. It was like all the angels in heaven were with them as honored guests.
“It’s so beautiful,” said River, accepting a cool glass of water from a man holding a tray.
“I’ve never seen anything like it.” Tate let his scarf fall to his shoulders, as several strands of his impossible-to-tame hair flew free.
“It must be inspired by their Shining,” said River. They’d been told that once a year the sun would reflect through the giant orbs in the city circle at exactly the right angle to produce a miraculous show of lights. Watching it was supposed to be like witnessing a miracle. It was hard to imagine it could be any more spectacular than what they were seeing now.
“Thanks for coming with me,” said Tate. “I know it wasn’t easy for you to leave Jacob for so long, but this wouldn’t have been the same without you.”
“He’s in good hands,” she said. “It was important for us to both be here.”
At first, when Tate had been crowned, River hadn’t felt the acceptance from her people as Queen. But the more they were seen as a united front, the more people had stopped questioning her role and instead embraced her. The birth of Jacob had, of course, sealed that.
They made their way through the crowd and stood beside Queen Rose and Prince Jeremiah of Forte Cadence. They’d brought their daughter, Lily, with them, a spirited young girl with a shock of orange hair, who liked to ride on her father’s back and pretend he was a dragon.
King Ari and Queen Jasmine of Wintergreen approached and River gasped to see the way the rainbow light made patterns on Queen Jasmine’s lavender dress.
“You look wonderful,” said River.
“As do you,” said Jasmine, kissing her cheek. The two of them had spent many hours talking since their arrival and River hoped to spend a lot more time with her in the future. Queen Rose had been harder to sit down and talk to, as she was always so busy chasing after Lily, who didn’t seem to be able to keep still for more than a moment at a time. Even now she was winding her way through the guests touching all the long dresses and kicking at the sand.
“That girl of mine is a handful,” laughed Rose. “Worse than my three younger sisters put together.”
“She looks more like a Marigold than a Lily, with all that beautiful red hair,” said Jasmine, touching her own dark locks.
“She’s named after my sister,” said Rose. “Although, somehow she looks and behaves exactly like my husband’s sister, Micah.”
River smiled politely, finding it hard to imagine a grown woman with that much spirit.
It felt good to be able to stand with the female rulers of her neighboring kingdoms and speak like friends. They were fortunate this new generation of rulers were aligning so successfully, going against the pattern set by their ancestors. But there was an unlikeliness about this that nagged at River. Why were all the kingdoms finding peace at almost exactly the same time, when they’d had generations of war and turmoil? It was like there was a greater force at play. Something they hadn’t yet discovered. Perhaps if they all got together one day, they could uncover the mysterious reason why peace was spreading across the land like a wonderful plague. A plague that for some reason hadn’t yet reached the remaining kingdom of Feldspar.
“That must be Aarow,” whispered Tate, pointing to the groom. “I wonder where Princess Rani is?”
They looked around, but there was no sign of the bride just yet.
River and Tate had met Princess Rani briefly at the palace, but Aarow had been busy in the Colony and their paths hadn’t been able to cross.
“Told you he was handsome,” Jasmine whispered in River’s ear, making her giggle.
It was true. This man with his sleek black hair and copper-colored skin exuded strength. He wasn’t layered with muscles like the Guardians, but his lean body had obvious power with his strong forearms protruding from the loose fitting shirt he wore.
Tate nudged River playfully, laughing at the look on her face.
“Not a patch on my handsome King,” she said, meaning it. She hadn’t just fallen in love with Tate’s face, she’d fallen for his heart.
Tate grinned, clearly approving of her answer.
A series of bells tinkled and as the assembly of guests parted to form an aisle, River saw Princess Rani on the arm of her father, the Emperor.
She was tiny in stature, quite the opposite to River, almost lost in the large volume of the crimson fabric of her expertly cut dress that trailed behind her as she walked, making patterns in the red sand. Her black hair had been scooped up and pinned on top of her head, revealing a slender neck underneath her delicate veil.
She looked like a young girl, too young to get married, even though she was older than River. Surely growing up in the sun would have the opposite effect on her skin of spun gold? Although, maybe the Princess hadn’t ventured outside all that much. River knew very little about her life, hoping to get to know her better after these formalities were over.
When Princess Rani’s eyes locked on Aarow’s, something passed between them that was almost visible in the heat of the air. It was like they were alone on this dune and all the people who’d come to watch them exchange their vows simply didn’t exist.
But then the Princess returned her gaze to the people as she passed them and she smiled so warmly that River was certain that not only did she know they existed, but she cared very deeply about each and every one of them. These were her people and after her marriage to the Colonel’s son, the Princess was to become the Empress.
This had never happened in The Bay of Laurel before. The crown was only ever passed over after the death of the King or Queen. River looked at the Emperor now and wondered what it was that’d made him agree to hand his crown to his daughter so long before his death. But it wasn’t really like he was the true ruler anyway. In what she’d observed in this kingdom, the Colonel was the one who made all the decisions. It was a most unusual relationship.
The Colonel was standing beside his son now, ready to conduct the marriage. He stood with a straight proud spine, his smile passing between both his son and the bride. This day was important to so many people, not just the two who were being married today.
The proud way the Colonel looked at Aarow reminded River of how Ariel looked at Tate. As soon as this wedding was over, she’d decided to tell Tate the truth about his parentage. They’d have plenty of time to talk on the journey home. He was a father now and had been King long enough to accept he had no choice but to continue on in his position. It would be too complicated to step down. She just hoped he forgave her for taking so long to tell him.
Tate looked at her now and gave her that dark-eyed smile of his, punching guilt into her stomach. Was he better off not knowing? Was telling him simply passing her own burden to him? Like Ariel had done to her. Because she really wished she didn’t know, even if she could understand why Ariel had needed to unburden herself.
She sighed, not wanting to have this debate in her mind again. She’d tell him after the wedding and that was that. It was decided.
Her thoughts were dragged back to the desert as Princess Rani took Aarow’s hands and promised to love him until the last grain of sand was blown from the desert.
And despite the red sand of the desert not running through River’s veins, she knew without question that she felt the same way about Tate. A man who she was forced to marry, and a man who she’d now have to be forced to ever leave his side.
The ceremony came to a close, and Aarow placed a kiss up
on his bride’s lips. Then much to the surprise of the crowd, an extremely large man, in both height and width, placed an animal hide on the sand dangerously close to the edge of the dune.
“What’s he up to?” River asked Tate, who shrugged in response as he tilted his head.
Rani and Aarow grinned at each other, and began running to the hide, although Rani tripped in the length of her dress and Aarow had to catch her before she tumbled to the sand and carry her the rest of the way. They sat down and Aarow tucked Rani safely between his legs.
“Long live the Empress!” cried Aarow.
“Long live the Colonel!” she replied.
“They’re not going to…” Before River could finish her question, she saw Aarow push off the edge of the dune and disappear from sight, taking his bride with him.
The crowd surged forward to the edge of the dune to see where they’d gone.
“I specifically asked them not to do this,” said Aarow’s father, shaking his head. “Toran, I hold you responsible!”
“It was Jinn’s idea!” said the large man as he attempted to hide behind his much smaller friend, who punched him on the arm and howled laughing.
River stepped as close to the edge of the dune as she dared and saw the bride and groom disappearing rapidly down the sand, their cries of joy echoing back up to their guests.
“What a spectacular way to begin married life,” said River. “We should try that later, Tate!”
“Is she serious?” asked King Ari, overhearing.
“One of the perils of marrying a Guardian,” laughed Tate. “She’s deadly serious.”
“Lily!” cried Queen Rose from behind them. “Lily! Where are you?”
Prince Jeremiah broke from the crowd to run to his wife’s side.
“Where is she?” asked Rose. “Has anybody seen my daughter?”
The Kingdoms of Evernow Box Set Page 88
