by Jody Hedlund
I brushed my hand against the layers of my best ruby gown studded with diamonds at my waist and all throughout the bodice. The servants had spent hours bathing and grooming me, fawning over every detail of my appearance, knowing that the queen would expect nothing less than perfection. They’d taken extra care with my hair, styling it with a few strands pulled up in order to show off my diamond earrings and necklace as well as a tiara of rubies and diamonds.
Why had the queen gone to so much trouble with my appearance? If she hoped to show me to the people as a traitor and rebel, why not leave me in my tattered travel garments?
I started to slide down to the floor, but at the rattle of the key in the lock, I straightened. Was the queen sending me back to my chambers? Would she kill me there while everyone feasted? While she distracted Mikkel?
I pressed my hands together, wishing I had my knife to defend myself, for I doubted this time I’d be so fortunate as to have a servant rise up to free me as the huntsman had done the last time the queen tried to have me murdered.
The door opened to reveal Lord Anise, one of Mother’s favorite young noblemen. “Your Highness,” he said with a bow. “The queen requests your presence at the banquet.”
“How kind of her.” While I might not understand her scheming, I did know she was never without an ulterior motive.
Lord Anise motioned for me to move ahead of him out the door and down the short passageway. As I stepped into the full light of the sconces, his eyes widened at the sight of me in all my glittering jewels.
“You look beautiful, Your Highness,” he said almost reverently.
I nodded but pressed my lips together. Perhaps the queen intended to show the people I was regal and grown up enough to be a contender for the throne. Would seeing me in such glory prove that her claims of my treason were true?
As I stepped through the arched doorway into the great hall, I was suddenly overcome with trepidation. Mikkel would see me without my veil for the first time.
Attention shifted to me and the conversation within the great hall lessened until only a few people were talking. I stared around the room, everywhere but at Mikkel. When I reached the few steps that led to the head table, I finally allowed myself to seek him out.
He was the handsomest man there. He’d taken care with his appearance, leaving his fair hair long and loose with a narrow plait that gave him a slightly rugged look. Although he’d shaven, he couldn’t dispense altogether with his scruffiness.
In conversation with a nobleman seated next to him, he hadn’t noticed me yet. When the nobleman glanced at me and ceased speaking midsentence, Mikkel gave me a cursory look, then reached for his goblet. He froze midway there, and his attention returned to me.
His eyes rounded, revealing beautiful silvery-blue mingled with awe. He jumped to his feet so quickly his chair toppled backward.
“Lords and ladies,” Lord Anise spoke from beside me. “I present to you Her Royal Highness, Princess Pearl.”
Across the room, benches scraped as people rose. They bowed and curtsied, but none of their expressions welcomed me. No one dared to show even the slightest happiness at seeing me, not when I was so despised by the queen.
I caught Mikkel’s gaze again, hoping for at least one friendly face amongst the crowd. But his brow had furrowed. The awe was gone, and instead his eyes sparked with anger.
Of course he wasn’t glad to see the real me after all this time. Not after I’d lied to him about what was beneath my veil.
As I reached the top step, he seemed to force himself into action, stalking toward me. I halted and waited for him to finish approaching, his footsteps echoing an ominous rhythm.
“Your Highness.” He bowed and then held out his arm.
“Your Highness.” I took his proffer, tucking my fingers into the crook of his elbow, trying not to let them shake.
He led me behind the table. “I trust you are well.”
“Yes, as well as can be.”
“I’m glad you are able to join the feast.”
Was he? He was looking straight ahead, his jaw flexing, his expression still unyielding.
I wished for a private moment to speak with him, but the queen must have orchestrated our first meeting in this public place so we would have no opportunity to confer with one another. What should I say? Should I apologize?
“I am heartily sorry,” I whispered.
He didn’t reply and instead pulled out my chair, standing aloof, waiting for me to sit before he pushed me in and took his place beside me.
As conversation began to resume around the great hall, I reached for my goblet and leaned closer to him. “Forgive me, Mikkel. Please.”
He stabbed his knife into a wedge of mutton and dropped the meat onto his trencher. “You deceived me.”
“I had to in the camp for the same reason you had to hide your identity. Everyone would have shunned me and sent me away.”
“You could have told me,” he hissed. “I would have kept your secret.”
I nodded and fiddled with the spoon next to my trencher, aware that almost everyone was still staring at me. I’d been accustomed to such attention growing up, but after the past year of living behind my veil and in seclusion on the island, the stares felt invasive.
“I understand that you may not have trusted me initially.” He stabbed another piece of mutton. “But in recent days, I thought I’d proven my loyalty to you.”
All my excuses for not telling him the truth now seemed flimsy and irrelevant, for he had proven himself many times over.
He lifted the mutton, sank his teeth into it, and ripped off a juicy bite. With his broad shoulders hunched, he stared straight ahead while he chewed.
“It does not matter anymore,” I whispered. “She will kill me for my heart, and you can do naught to stop her.”
He paused in taking another bite to glare at me.
“Please, I beg you to take Ruby and go while you still can.”
“Princess Pearl.” The queen’s voice sliced through our whispered conversation.
I sat up straighter and peered at the queen several places away. She was attired in one of her loveliest gowns—a dark green that brought out the green in her eyes. Like most of her garments, this one contained intricate jewels throughout, making her glitter.
“Enlighten me.” She toyed with her goblet, running her finger around the rim. “Prince Mikkel has declared his love for you. Do you feel the same about him?”
I probably loved him more. But I couldn’t say so. If I did, she’d use Mikkel to make me submit to her every whim. He would be safer if I severed my connection to him now while I still could.
“No.” I kept my attention on the queen and didn’t let it stray to Mikkel. I didn’t want to see the hurt my words were sure to cause him. “No, I do not love the prince, and I shall not go to Scania with him.”
Chapter
22
Mikkel
Pearl was lying. Wasn’t she?
I tried to finish swallowing the piece of meat, but it stuck in my throat. Maybe my feelings were stronger than hers for me. Maybe she didn’t love me yet. But I hadn’t imagined the attraction that had grown between us, and I knew she liked me.
I dropped my knife and the rest of the mutton to my trencher and swished my fingers in the pewter washing bowl at my place setting. I rinsed them of grease and food, my appetite washing away just as easily. All the while, I studied Pearl’s face, really taking her in for the first time.
Her cheeks were high boned and elegant, her nose a perfect shape, her lips alluring, and her chin delicately rounded. Her flawless creamy skin contrasted with her dark unbound hair cascading in long curls.
Not only was her face breathtakingly beautiful, but her body was too. I’d only seen her in loose-fitting men’s tunics and breeches. And now, her red gown highlighted an alluring womanly form.
Altogether, she was remarkably stunning. What word had the queen used? Beguiling?
I understoo
d why the queen believed Pearl’s beauty had cast a spell over me, making me fall in love with her. Even now, I could see the way Lord Anise and the other young noblemen regarded her with admiration.
Was it possible the queen was jealous of her daughter? Perhaps she didn’t like sharing the attention. Or perhaps she feared Pearl would win over the favor of the citizens. For the queen lacked the one thing Pearl possessed: inner beauty. Pearl’s compassion, benevolence, and solicitude toward others would make her the better queen by far.
Though I didn’t like that Pearl had deceived me about what was behind the veil, I could understand the wisdom of her plan. Knowing the man I’d once been before my Testing, a man who’d valued appearances, I would have focused on her outward beauty and missed the incredible woman she was on the inside.
The fact was, I’d fallen in love with her for who she was and not for what she looked like. And I wasn’t sure that would have happened without the veil.
I dried my hands on my garments, then shifted in my chair so I was face-to-face with her. “I forgive you,” I whispered.
Her long lashes lifted, framing her expressive eyes—eyes I’d grown to love as windows into her soul. And now they filled with both surprise and tenderness. “I am truly sorry. I should have told you sooner—”
I covered her lips with mine, pressing in and claiming her. She was mine. I loved her. And I wanted her to know that no matter what might happen, no matter how much she denied loving me in return, I would never stop loving her.
Her lashes fell, but not before I caught sight of the pleasure in her eyes. And when she arched to meet me, her lips melding against mine with passion, I knew she loved me too, that she’d denied it to protect me.
I didn’t care that every person in the room, including the queen, was watching us. I didn’t care that peril lurked at every move. I loved Pearl more than I’d ever believed possible, and I wanted her to know that.
“Very nice.” The queen’s voice cut into me, and I backed away at the same time Pearl broke our kiss. “The two of you have indeed enlightened me just as I’d hoped you would.”
Her tone contained a hint of threat, one that told me she was playing a deadly game. But even with the queen looking on, I couldn’t tear my attention from Pearl, from her full, rounded lips, from the way she pressed those lips together to resemble a delectable pucker, one that beckoned me to bend in and kiss her again and never stop.
As though sensing the direction of my thoughts, Pearl shifted, letting her hair fall like a veil, blocking her face from my view.
I blinked, then gave myself a mental shake, trying to force myself to think of something else besides Pearl and how much I wanted to draw her into my arms and hold her. Was this the battle I would have fought if she’d revealed herself to me earlier? Focusing too much on the physical attraction to the detriment of everything else?
I could feel the queen’s gaze still upon us. Perhaps in showing my love for Pearl, I could prove I had no other motive for requesting Pearl’s freedom.
I brushed the curtain of hair away from Pearl’s face, giving myself full view of her profile, the delicate lines of her face, and her unguarded beauty. I bent in and brushed a kiss against her cheek.
“Mikkel, behave.” She leaned away, a soft blush infusing her face.
“Very well. If you insist.” I sat up, straightened my shoulders, and pretended to be occupied by my food. From the corner of my eye, I caught her watching me, a slight smile upon her lips. In that moment I realized I hadn’t seen her smile yet. There had been few reasons to smile. And even if she had, I wouldn’t have been able to observe it behind her veil.
What could I do to make her smile? Really smile?
The usual compliments regarding her appearance wouldn’t mean anything to her. In fact, she probably tired easily of such flattery. And I wasn’t a charmer anyway.
If we’d been in Scania, I would have lavished upon her gifts of every variety and size. Or I would have taken her somewhere special or done something to show her how much I cared. But here, now, I had only myself to give.
I slid my hand underneath the table and reached for hers. At my touch, she startled and began to pull away. I intertwined my fingers with hers, capturing her and drawing her closer. “I meant what I said.”
“And what was that?”
I rested our hands on my thigh and stroked my thumb over hers.
She didn’t make a move to pull away, but the flush returned to her cheeks.
“I love you, Pearl.”
Her rounded eyes met mine. Uncertainty lingered in the green depths.
“What will it take for me to convince you of my sincerity?”
“You need not convince me. I believe you.”
“You do?”
She nodded and then glanced at the queen. “But ’tis unwise to speak of love.”
“She saw my love for you even before I spoke of it. I cannot hide how I feel for you, not even if I tried my hardest.”
She studied my face as though memorizing me. The longing and love in her eyes spoke louder than words. I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “I shall always love you,” I whispered before kissing her hand again.
As she watched my gentle kiss, her lips parted and she sucked in a short breath. The soft sound sparked a low flame inside me so that I could think of nothing else but kissing her lips once more. I swooped in and took another kiss before she could protest, giving in to the fullness and sweetness of her mouth, savoring her and yet not sated.
She pulled away with a soft laugh. “Mikkel, you must stop. Everyone is staring.”
“I don’t care.”
Leaning in, I intended to show her how little regard I had for the queen and her courtiers. But she pressed a piece of cheese into my mouth. Apparently, I amused her, for she laughed once more.
I loved hearing her laughter and would let her ply me with food all day long if I could hear more of it. I chewed and swallowed and allowed her to feed me again while picking up cheese and doing the same to her.
When we finished the final course, Queen Margery rose from her chair. Immediately, the guests stood, even those at the head table. All except me. Pearl tugged my hand still intertwined with hers. Only then did I push away from the table, but slowly. No matter how desperate the circumstances, I was still a prince of Scania and would act like the future king.
The queen beckoned to a side doorway to soldiers who’d congregated there. As they filed into the room and made their way to the dais, uneasiness prodded me. The queen wouldn’t call her knights to surround us if she planned to let Pearl accompany me to Scania. In fact, it was becoming clear that she’d anticipated my bargain for Pearl and had brought in her soldiers to ensure I wouldn’t try to take Pearl by force.
“During the course of the feast,” the queen said, “everyone has witnessed the truth.”
The clanking footsteps of the soldiers echoed in the great hall, highlighting the silence.
“The truth is that the prince of Scania is conspiring with Princess Pearl—”
“Conspiring?” I gripped the hilt of my sword, offended by so harsh an accusation. “That isn’t true.”
“You intend to marry her and then stir the simpleminded of this country to fight against me and support you.”
“I have a country of my own and have no need of another—”
“You have no guarantee of kingship, and therefore seek to take mine with Princess Pearl by your side, rallying the people of this country.”
The queen knew I didn’t aspire to her throne any more than Pearl did. The accusation was her attempt to conceal more sinister deeds. But what? “I have offered Warwick a partnership with Scania in exchange for the life of the woman I love and her younger sister. That is the extent of my designs.”
“Yes, we have certainly all witnessed the way you are taken with my daughter. And because of your feelings for her, she will be able to persuade you to do anything she wishes, including usurping W
arwick’s throne.”
“I have no wish for Warwick’s throne. Now or ever.”
“But the princess does, and you have proven your loyalty lies with her.”
“We shall leave for Scania this very day. Your men may even accompany us to assure our departure.”
One of the queen’s narrow brows rose. “You know as well as I do that many queens and kings have continued to plot treason when they are banished afar. If I allow her to live in Scania, what is to prevent her from charming you into doing whatever she asks, including using Scania’s resources and army to plot against me?”
“If I allow her to live.” The words reverberated through me, rattling my bones and sending fear along my nerves. Even though the queen had tried to murder Pearl once before, how had she so easily condemned Pearl to death without a trial and without any recourse?
The knights drew closer and surrounded Pearl and me. Surely the queen had no plans to arrest me along with Pearl. She wouldn’t dare, would she?
The fear in Pearl’s eyes told me the queen would dare.
A part of me was tempted to call Gregor to my aid, but I sensed I was still undergoing my Testing, that even if I wasn’t on the Isle of Outcasts any longer, these current challenges were still a part of shaping me.
No, I wouldn’t rely upon Gregor to help get me out of the situation. I had to do this for myself or die trying. That was the way of honor.
“I beseech you once again to consider my offer of an alliance,” I said to the queen. “And if you pay it no heed, then I ask that you take me as your prisoner instead of Princess Pearl. Allow my manservant to take her to Scania with Ruby, and I shall remain your prisoner for as long as I live.”
“No!” Pearl stepped toward me only to have the guards cut her off, hemming her in even closer. “I shall not allow you to suffer on my behalf.”
