Dahlia looked down and sighed. "No, they do not. It is unfair, and I do not wish this forced upon you. However, I do think you should at least consider meeting with some suitors. Simply show the nobles that you are open to the possibility of marriage with some of the people they suggest, and it will do a lot to get them on your side. You don't actually have to marry any of them, if none of them suit you."
"I have no intention of getting married anytime soon. In fact, it's the last thing on my mind. I have to grieve my father and do my best to rule the kingdom as a new queen.” Lily paused and drew in a deep breath, then smoothed the front of her dress. “But I suppose I can at least meet with some suitable men. Do you have anyone in mind?"
"I have a list of seven suitors prepared already. Some are suggestions from the nobles themselves, and some are nobles from other kingdoms. An alliance with one of the other kingdoms would serve us well, especially if we go to war with Mesner."
Lily tilted her head as though considering Dahlia’s words, but she didn’t speak.
“It’s even more important now, after the attack on you in the forest,” Dahlia added.
“We don’t know that was targeted at me.”
“It doesn’t matter. In times like these, as much as we may hate it, you need to be seen to have a man at your side.” Dahlia was firm but gentle, although I bristled internally at her words.
I’d always been the man by Lily’s side. I’d protected her and kept her safe for years now. But even as I resented the idea Dahlia wanted another man to fill that role for Lily, a king or queen’s consort, bitter recognition trickled through me. It was the difference between my secret love for Lily and her need to be the queen to her people. My place was a pace behind her, not at her side, and it would always be that way.
Lily flicked her skirts in the way she always did when something had agitated her before she began to pace again, each of her measured steps brushing her long dress over the rugs on the stone floor. “You said seven suitors? Is that not a lot?”
“Yes, seven.” Dahlia lifted a delicate eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you rather choose your husband from a larger selection instead of one or two potential men?”
Lily returned to her seat on the chaise. “Are you quite sure this is the only way?”
“Quite sure. I’ve already started making arrangements, and all of the men are very happy to meet you.”
Of course they were. Who wouldn’t be happy to be considered for the husband to the Queen of Talador? I realized my fists were clenched, and I forced them to relax. I’d stood behind Lily on many occasions, listening to members of her family discuss her future husband. I should have been numb to it by now, but I wasn’t. I feared I never would be.
Lily pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t doubt that you’ve found the most suitable men you can, but is now really the right time? If the castle is attacked again, are we not endangering these seven men too?”
“Yes, I was just about to bring that up. I can arrange for the suitors to meet you at your summer palace. It’s more intimate there. Safer, too.”
I stiffened. It seemed as if all of the arrangements really had been made already. Dahlia was right though, after today’s attack, Gilbrook Castle might be safer for Lily, at least while my people conducted their investigation of it.
“I hope they won’t be expecting actual summer there.” Lily stood again, and I wanted to catch her in my arms and soothe her restless state away. She stood for a moment by the window, looking down the hill we sat atop of, toward Ralston, the capital. Then she turned back toward me, her face pinched, a crease forming between her eyebrows. “Captain Keane, what do you think?”
I cleared my throat at the unexpected question. “I agree it is wise to visit Gilbrook Castle for some time so that we may ensure your safety.” I paused, before adding, “As to the other matter, I could not possibly comment.”
“Thank you, Keane,” Lily said, before turning back to her aunt. “I can’t say I’m not reluctant, but I’ve always trusted your judgment and guidance. I will agree to meet with these suitors, though I can’t guarantee I will marry any of them."
“That is all I ask,” Dahlia said, bowing her head. “I have no wish to force you into marriage, I simply wish to strengthen your rule however I can.”
“I know.” Lily offered Dahlia a warm smile. “I'm grateful for all of your help, and I'm lucky to have you as my advisor, just as my father did.”
She sounded so regal already. How did she not realize she was already prepared to be queen? How did the foolish noblemen not realize that also?
And would any of her seven suitors see her as I did?
Three
Lily
“Sit down, Iris.” I gave the order without any real compulsion for her to do as I said. Among my family I was the oldest sister, not the queen.
Still, she flopped dramatically into her usual chair. “I’m not hungry.”
I glanced around the supper table at my sisters, and my chest tightened at the one who was missing. Rose. Closest to me in age, we shared the same mother, and Rose had been my usual confidante. But she had a different life now—one that Dahlia wanted for me. A husband, a kingdom, and a crown on our heads.
I swallowed and composed myself, then faced my remaining four sisters. Without Rose, I’d have to make do with their counsel instead. With their varied skills, interests, and ages, I’d get wildly different opinions and feedback—even from the twins, Violet and Camellia, who were opposite of each other in every way.
We were sharing supper together in our private dining room as we did almost every night, even since before father passed away. It was a tradition among my sisters and I to meet up like this at the end of the day and discuss matters.
“What’s troubling you, Lily?” Jasmine asked. She was the third oldest, after me and Rose, and could always tell when one of us was upset.
There was no point doing anything other than coming straight out with it. “Dahlia wants me to marry as soon as possible. She has arranged for seven suitors to meet with me.”
Camellia’s mouth dropped open. “Seven men in the castle? Will any of them be soldiers?” Her love of fighting drew her regularly to the palace guards to practice her sparring.
Violet nudged her. “Don’t be ridiculous, Cam. They’ll be men of noble blood. Refined. Some of them might even like reading.”
Jasmine laughed, her eyes warm. “Being able to fight and being able to read aren’t mutually exclusive. But we should let Lily tell us what’s happening rather than guessing. We’re not being helpful.”
“On the contrary.” I stopped and leaned back as a servant filled my water glass. “You’re being very helpful. Maybe some of this speculation will narrow down what I want in a man.”
Keane shifted his position as he stood behind me, and awareness of one man who’d been in my life for years prickled over me. I refocused on my sisters, fighting the strong urge to glance over my shoulder.
“Do we get to judge them? Is it like a contest?” Iris helped herself to the family style serving bowls in the middle of our smaller dining table. We rarely ate at the bigger table, the banquet one used for formal visitors and banquets.
Jasmine nudged her. “This isn’t our decision. It’s one that Lily needs to make without our interference.”
“But we saw Rose accept Raith.” Iris pouted, and I laughed.
“That was a little different, and I’m not entirely sure who accepted who.” I heaped some peas onto my plate. “Besides, I’ll be meeting the suitors at the summer palace.”
“Then I’m glad we’re not going,” Camellia said. “That place is so dull. There’s never enough fighting to join in there.”
“Speaking of fighting…” I cleared my throat and Keane’s armor creaked a little as he moved again. He seemed restless tonight, but I still fought the urge to check on him. I didn’t need to look, anyway. His blond hair and deep blue eyes were imprinted in my memory. He never smiled much, but sometimes I
caught a flicker of one, usually meant just for me.
“What is it?” Camellia’s interest was piqued, and she leaned forward.
“I was attacked in the forest this morning.”
Jasmine gasped and her hand flew to her throat. “Are you all right?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Keane protected me and got me home.” I spoke quickly to try to reassure them.
“He always protects you,” Violet said, and from the tone of her voice, I had a feeling she was thinking of a scene from one of her latest reads. After Rose’s sudden marriage to our enemy had blossomed into love, Violet had been obsessed with romantic novels.
“It’s his job,” Jasmine said, and I flinched. The words suddenly seemed harsh, even though they were true.
“Who attacked you?” Camellia asked the question with far more curiosity than concern. As long as I wasn’t a casualty of war, battle, or attack, everything was fine in Camellia’s eyes.
I tucked a length of my dark hair behind my ear. “We don’t know yet, but Keane’s people are investigating. We thought they were bandits, dressed all in black, running at us through the trees—”
“Bandits! How exciting!” Iris said, sitting up. “But where would they have come from?”
“We don’t know.” I wiped my mouth with my napkin. “And they weren’t exactly bandits. When Keane fought them with his sword, they vanished.”
“They vanished?” Violet’s eyes rounded. “You mean they ran away?”
“Not exactly. They turned to smoke and drifted away.”
“Magic?” Jasmine turned to me, and I nodded, adrenaline jangling at my nerves once more. Even as I discussed this with them, I could smell the forest this morning, those bitter herbs spoiling the fresh scent of the evergreens.
“Not just magic,” Iris said. “Illusion magic.”
I glanced at her, a little worried. She didn’t look excited anymore. She just looked circumspect and solemn.
“Do you think my mother has anything to do with this?” she asked.
“We don’t know, but I doubt it.” I reached out a patted her hand. “Your mother disappeared many years ago. I don’t see why she would return now.”
“But it’s rare, isn’t it? The affinity for illusion magic?”
“I believe so.” I couldn’t tell if she looked hopeful or hopeless over the fact her mother might be involved.
Queen Riala, my father’s fourth wife and Iris’s mother, was one of the reasons the King had banned magic in our kingdom. She was a very powerful wizard from Talador who had been very young when she’d married Father in a political alliance with Korelan. A few years later she was caught having an affair with a palace guard, and when Father ordered her captured, she used her magic to kill the other guards and escape, leaving Iris behind in the process. No one had seen her ever since. Father declared her officially exiled, executed the guard she’d had the affair with, and banned magic from all of Talador.
That was what most people knew about Queen Riala’s saga, including Iris and my other sisters. However, as Father’s successor I had access to his journals and memos, and I knew more of the story, though sometimes I wish I didn’t. Riala had been pregnant once before she had Iris, but she’d lost the baby in a miscarriage. It had been a boy, according to the midwife, and Father was furious. He blamed her for being careless with her body and losing his only chance at a son. He turned even more cruel and cold, and I suspected the only place she found comfort was in the arms of her lover. She became pregnant again, and though later she swore Iris was Balsam’s daughter, he never believed her. Still, after Riala’s disappearance he kept Iris as one of his daughters. Probably to avoid scandal, since he was always cold to her and preferred to pretend she didn’t exist. He’d even tried to give her hand in marriage to Raith, though she was only twelve years old.
Sympathy welled in me as I looked at the Iris. I had no idea if she was my sister by blood, but I didn’t care about that. She was my sister, in every way that mattered. I held out my arm and she shifted her chair closer to lean against me.
Jasmine pushed her dark hair from her face and chewed thoughtfully before she spoke. “I don’t think it could have been Riala. Why would she attack now that Father is gone? And where has she been all this time?”
“We all assumed she had returned to Korelan and was in hiding under the protection of her cousin, the Archwizard,” Violet said, in her matter-of-fact voice.
“It’s been a long time since any of us have even heard Riala’s name,” Camellia said. “But if she returned, the guard would be ready for her.”
I held up a hand, trying to curb the speculation. “We haven’t worked out why we were attacked, or even if the attack was meant for me, but the guards are working on it, and we’re well protected.”
“How do you know we’re safe?” Iris’s innocent question made my breath catch. She was right to ask. We had no defenses against magic except some leftover wards placed by my mother around the castle, and although the guards were well trained in combat, we were a kingdom of people with no magic since Father outlawed it. He’d left us at a disadvantage in this world.
“Captain Keane and his soldiers will keep us safe,” I said, focusing on the one thing I knew was true. I glanced back and saw him bow his head in acknowledgement, drawing strength from his solid presence. He would do everything he could to keep me and my family safe.
I looked down at Iris as she continued to snuggle against me, and her big amber eyes met mine. Her mother’s eyes. Wizard eyes.
Iris was about to come into her powers, and I didn’t know what to do about it. I couldn’t train her to use them. My own powers were weak and inept. With magic banned, I couldn’t officially hire anyone to teach her. I could send her to study with Rose, or perhaps to the school in Korelan, but the thought of losing another sister made my heart ache.
One thing I was quickly learning—there were no easy decisions when you were queen.
Four
Keane
I’d heard many interesting things while standing guard over Lily. Always things I’d never repeat, and some things I wished I’d never heard in the first place. I got the feeling I was going to have to listen to a lot more chatter about prospective husbands in the days ahead. Maybe even see them, meet them, and protect them as well. My stomach roiled at the thought.
Whenever Lily needed me, I’d be there. That was even more important now, after this morning’s attack. I couldn’t be sure the wizard behind it had deliberately targeted Lily—we’d been in the forest outside the castle, bordering the capital, after all. But any attack on Talador was an attack on its queen—something I had both professional and personal responsibility to guard against.
As Lily and her sisters finished their meal and began saying their goodnights, I glanced around the room, automatically noting the window was secure for the night and a servant was standing by the only other exit from the room, the one that led to the backstairs to the kitchens. Chairs screeched across against the stone as the princesses rose and pushed them back from the table.
“Goodnight, Lily. Sleep well.” Jasmine pressed a kiss to her sister’s cheek and squeezed her hand as she drew back. She looked meaningfully at her sister, and her brow creased. “And stay safe,” she added, as though she didn’t dare not issue the warning to take care.
My hand tightened on the hilt of my sword as I responded to Jasmine’s worry for her sister, a habit borne of having the lives of others under my care.
Lily watched her sisters file from the room before turning to me. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and I longed to take her into my arms and reassure her. But that wasn’t my place.
“I think I’ll retire for the evening too,” Lily said, and I nodded.
It seemed for the best. The other guards and I could protect her better if she was in one room in the castle and didn’t move about too freely—at least until we’d neutralized the threat.
I tightened my jaw. I had to locate the sourc
e of the threat first.
I walked my usual pace behind her to her room, and she paused at the door, glancing at the guard already stationed there. He was so young he barely had a hair on his chin, with big brown eyes and an earnest face.
She turned toward me. “Are you finished for the day?”
I nodded. “Yes, but Caspar will be here through the night to ensure your safety.”
She did that same smile that left her eyes worried, and I reached out to touch her hand then abruptly stopped, letting my arm drop back to my side.
“I won’t let anything happen to you.” Those words didn’t seem enough to sum up just how much of a priority her safety was to me. “I promise,” I added.
“Thank you.” She pushed open the door to her room, before leaving me in the corridor, her sweet floral scent lingering in the air.
“Caspar.”
The guard straightened up, even though I’d said nothing more than his name. I looked closer at one of my youngest recruits and held back my sigh. I would rather have had an older, more experienced man on guard out here tonight, but what Caspar lacked in years, he usually made up for in enthusiasm and devotion to his task.
“Have you got this?” I asked the question in a low, urgent voice. “I need you to answer honestly. That’s the future Queen of Talador in that room.”
“Aye, Captain.” His eyes looked straight ahead.
“Good.” I stepped away, fighting my reluctance to leave Lily’s side. Then I shook my head. I was being ridiculous. I didn’t usually watch her as she slept, after all. But since this morning’s attack I’d been doubly worried for her safety, and I wasn’t used to such uncertainty. Frustration pushed through me at not knowing my enemy. How could I guard against something I didn’t understand? How could I protect Lily when I didn’t know our attacker?
Kiss Of Snow: Royal Hearts Book Two Page 2
