I nudged Iris. “We’re about to stop for the night. Don’t fall asleep here.”
She sat up sharply, hiding a yawn. “I’m not tired!”
When the carriage finally drew to a stop, I was chattering about anything and everything to do with the latest castle gossip in an effort to keep Iris awake. It was working, and it turned out she knew a lot more about the comings and goings of the servants than I’d expected. If I wanted to know anything about my staff in the future, I knew exactly which sister could tell me.
When the coach jerked to a gentle stop, Keane helped us down, and we found ourselves in a small campsite that one of the guards must have ridden ahead to prepare. A small fire burned in the center, and there were several tents. A log sat next to the fire, and I stretched my legs a little before taking a seat on it.
Sometime later, Keane pressed a small clay mug into my hand. “Drink, Your Majesty. This will warm you.”
His fingers brushed mine as I accepted the mug, and a spark darted up my arm. I laughed lightly to conceal my confusion. “Perhaps put a sleeping draught in Iris’s mug. She’s full of energy still.”
Keane gestured behind him to one of the tents. “Princess Iris is already asleep.”
“Thank you, Keane. Will you sit a while?” I sounded very formal as I indicated that the Captain of my guards could join me, but Keane nodded his head and perched at the edge of the log.
I looked at him, and a feeling of comfort filled my chest. His familiarity and steadfastness eased all of my worries away. For this moment, anyway.
Nine
Keane
Shadows formed between the trees, making the dark impenetrable all the way around our small camp. It provided a false sense of security as we sat in our bubble of light. I’d positioned guards strategically around the perimeter, but this area was generally pretty safe, which was why I’d chosen it for our rest stop.
Lily’s face remained pinched with worry as she looked at the flickering flames of the fire, and I longed to be able to comfort her.
“We are safe, Your Majesty.” I leaned forward as I spoke.
She looked at me, her gaze tired, her dark hair a little messy with tendrils escaping her carefully done style, and lines of tension at the corners of her eyes. “Lily.”
I glanced around, but none of my guards were within earshot if we kept our voices quiet.
“All right. Lily.” Even saying her name sent a dart of illicit pleasure through me. “We’re safe here. No one knows where we are, our guards are watchful and alert, and I won’t let anything happen to you. Or Princess Iris, for that matter.”
That was the most important part of my plan to safeguard Lily and her sister. They’d remain safe because I would ensure it. It was more than my job, these days. More than a duty.
It was my life.
“The rest of the journey should be smoother. We should arrive at Gilbrook Castle in three days.” I said the sorts of things I hoped would bring her some measure of comfort, but nothing brought a genuine smile to her face, although her lips twitched like she might try to conjure some happiness.
“Thank you.” Her soft voice was filled with the sadness I still saw lingering in her gaze.
“What’s wrong? How can I help you?”
She threw her hands out to the sides. “I hate this.”
I glanced around the campfire. “It’s not quite what you’re used to, I’m sure, but we’ll be back inside the carriage tomorrow.”
“No.” She waved a delicate hand. “It’s not the forest or the campsite that I dislike. I can manage to spend one night under the stars, I’m sure.”
“Then what?” When she didn’t answer, I nudged her knee gently with mine, and a shower of sparks raced through my body at the briefest of contact.
She nibbled her lip for a moment then took a quick breath. “I… I feel so helpless, and that’s what I don’t like.”
“But you aren’t helpless. You have power. You have wealth. You have your magic.” The words came quickly, before I could really think them through, and I snapped my mouth closed before I could say anything else.
“That’s part of the problem. My magic still isn’t legal, yet I went to call on it when I was attacked.”
“That’s understandable. I use my sword like that. It’s always at my side.” As if to reassure myself those words were true, I reached for it.
“The difference is, your sword is legal. More than that, it’s respected, and you’re expected to use it. I’m not. Magic is forbidden, and that made me hesitate when I should have protected myself—and protected both of us out in the forest when the first attack happened.”
“It’s my job to protect you.” I felt the words as I said them, and pride surged through me. I understood her unhappiness, but the fact she still had need of me brought me comfort.
“I know, and that’s not really want I meant. I just—” She bit her words off and ran a hand across her hair, dislodging even more of it from the style her lady’s maid had fashioned before we left Winton.
I ached to tuck it back in, or better yet, release all of the dark tresses to tumble and coil down her back. Instead, I curled my fingers into a fist and bumped that fist against my knee. “You just what?”
“I hate being beholden to the law about magic.”
I lifted an eyebrow in silent question.
“The law is wrong,” she blurted. Then she looked away and twisted her fingers together. “The law is wrong, and I just can’t bring myself to break it.”
“Ah.” At her words, everything fell into place. Lily did everything to the best of her ability, laboring under the perfectionism thrust onto her by nature of being a first born.
“It’s wrong, but I just can’t disobey it.” She spoke the repetitive words through gritted teeth.
“But when it mattered, when it really mattered, you prevented Lord Malren’s attack,” I said. “You could have died then, but you let yourself use your magic, and you survived.”
“No.” Lily shook her head and looked out into the shadows of the forest. “I didn’t let myself use my magic. I didn’t have a choice. I hesitated because I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to use it, then instinct kicked in and I used it anyway.” She chuckled, the sound dry. “I guess my subconscious values my life more than it values the law.”
“As well it should,” I murmured.
She fell silent, and her breathing evened out, although she hadn’t fallen asleep because her back remained straight, her shoulders stiff with the weight of her crown and status.
I leaned a little closer. Her hair smelled of peppermint and ice, and I breathed it in. “I think…”
I stopped. Why would the Queen of Talador want to know anything about what I thought?
She turned to me, her blue eyes gentle and kind, the eyes I’d loved for far too long. “I’d like to hear what you think.”
Affection for her chased away the pride at the fact she valued my opinion. “I think it would be a very wise decision for you to use all of the skills you have in order to defend your life and your role as Queen.”
I hoped she knew I saw her as far more than simply the Queen. Or maybe I hoped she would never know that. I could look after my Queen and take my feelings for her to my grave. That would be the best thing for my Queen and country.
“You do?” She seemed to sit a little bit easier.
Maybe my opinion had given her a sense of permission no one else had offered. There was no one else to let her know it was okay to use her magic. Her reaction made me brave enough to voice further thoughts. “If I may—”
“Of course. You can always speak freely with me, Keane.”
If only that were true. I cleared my throat. “I think you should learn to use your magic more. Perhaps the Queen of Ilidan might be willing to aid in your studies?”
She bit her lip thoughtfully, but didn’t reply
“The more you understand your powers and your magic, the better position you’ll be
in to help Princess Iris, too,” I added.
She tilted her head as she looked at me, and realization flared in her gaze. Not only would learning more about her powers benefit her, it could benefit her sisters.
“Yes,” she said. “It’s certainly something for me to think about.”
There was something else, and while I had her attention, I had to go on and say it, but I deliberately kept my voice casual and my gaze elsewhere as I scanned the camp, checking we were all still safe. “The other thing is that if using magic still gives you a legal and moral dilemma, after your coronation you could simply change the law.”
She looked down at her hands folded in her lap. “And if I did, would the people welcome such a change? Or would I be reviled for it?”
I didn’t have an answer to that.
Ten
Lily
The journey over the next few days passed uneventfully. Even Iris quieted down, although possibly that had more to do with the fact she often chattered long into the night before grumbling over every hard lump under her sleeping mat. I swore every root must have met in a cluster under her delicate behind.
On our last day of the journey she was a little out of sorts, her hair a bit wilder, and I was still teasing leaves and moss from it—anyone would have thought she’d spent the night rolling around the forest floor. Dirt streaked her pale skin with streaks of grime, and she’d even managed to rip the bottom of her skirt on something.
I rolled my eyes in amusement. Only Iris.
Well, maybe also Camellia, I amended, thankful she wasn’t also here. She would have taken great pleasure in the nights outdoors, but she probably would have escaped to be with the guards any time she could.
The carriage rolled along at a sedate pace as the sun shone from an almost cloudless blue sky and occasional birds chirruped to each other in warning as we passed. I tucked the warm fur firmly around Iris as she dozed against the carriage window. Her mouth hung open and her entire body rocked with the motion of our journey. In any other environment, sun would have meant heat, but not in Talador during the winter. Here, only clouds guaranteed any insulation. Without them, any warmth in our kingdom escaped straight into the sky.
Winton Castle was cold. Icy and beautiful, but this time of year the summer palace wouldn’t be much better. In fact, the name might have been because it was the only time temperatures there made it inhabitable at all. Either way, I hoped they’d stoked the fires for our guests.
As I thought about the palace, Keane rode up alongside my window. “Not long to go now. Just a turn or so more of the road.” Then he nodded at Iris. “Have you worn her out?”
“I’m making the most of this peace now because I know as soon as she sees the summer palace, she’ll be unstoppable.”
“I suspect she will.” He was a man of few words, but his quite assurance made me feel better in any situation.
At a shout from the front of the carriage, he looked ahead then back at me. “We’re approaching the palace, if you want to wake Princess Iris.” Then he clucked his tongue at his horse and rode away.
“Iris.” I nudged my sister gently. “We’re nearly there.”
She stirred and yawned. “Finally,” she grumbled. “All of this travelling is boring.”
Then she shoved the fur away, pushed down the ill-fitting window of her carriage, and stuck her head out to watch our approach. An icy blast of frigid air blew in through the open window, but I didn’t attempt to correct her.
Instead, I watched her face as her nose turned red in the cold, and her eyes glazed with excitement. Iris had spent too long cooped up in Winton. This change of scenery would be good for her.
We passed between narrow gateposts of white stone that sparkled and glinted in the sun. Gilbrook Castle used many of the same materials as Winton. Gravel crunched under our wheels, and we jolted gently as the horses stopped.
“We’re here!” Iris cried, as she started to open the door.
“Just one moment.” I grasped her forearm. “Wait until we’re completely inside.”
With everything that had happened recently, additional caution seemed wise. She nodded and sat back against her seat. “Fine, but I get to pick the best bedroom for once.”
She knew as well as I did that our bedrooms had probably already been prepared for our arrival by staff who’d travelled under the cover of night for safety and to continue the ruse I hadn’t left Winton, but I didn’t argue.
When I glanced out of the window, I withheld a small gasp. It had been a few years since my last trip to the summer palace, but it seemed to have fallen into a level of disrepair. The stone no longer gleamed, and seemed to have a slightly green coating, as if it was growing a moss or mold. Our carriage rolled to a stop, and Keane dismounted and moved toward us.
“We can get out now.” I turned to Iris, but my comment was unnecessary—she already had her hand on her door to open it.
I stepped out, my hand in Keane’s, and his gloved fingers curled a little around mine to support me before he released his hold. The castle rose in front of me, the bleak windows nothing like the windows of home. Ivy had grown over some of the better features I remembered, and the whole place had an air of having been left alone for too long.
Iris wrinkled her nose. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?”
“Yes, we are, although it has…” I paused as a moment of sadness caught me. “Changed a little over the years.”
“Shall we go and see inside?” Iris gripped my hand.
I squeezed her hand back, but before I could reply, the front door of the castle creaked open, and an older woman stepped out.
“Oh, Your Majesty,” she cried. “Please accept all of my apologies. I didn’t hear the carriage. I would never leave you and Princess…” She hesitated. “My goodness, is this Princess Iris? My, how you’ve grown!” She stepped forward, and for a moment I thought she might reach out and touch my sister, but her arm dropped back to her side and she tossed her fly-away gray hair out of her eyes instead. “Had I known you would arrive so early, I would have arranged the staff to welcome you.”
“We made better time than anticipated. I don’t believe you’ve changed a bit, Grimelda.” I smiled warmly at the housekeeper. She’d been here on my last visit too, and Father had kept her to ensure the palace was taken care of, even after he dismissed most of the other staff.
She bobbed a belated curtsey. “I was very sad to hear about the King. Death. It’s a terrible business. And all of you girls still so young.” She shook her head, sorry gleaming in unshed tears in her eyes. “I remember when you girls were here the last time, and the palace fair sang with laughter and play. But listen to me carrying on, Your Majesty. Let me take you inside and show you to your rooms so you can get yourselves settled. You must both be tired after such a long journey.”
She turned and climbed two of the green-coated stone steps. I hesitated as I studied the exterior. White shone through in the patches scuffed by feet. I’d ask Keane the best course of action on restoring the castle to its former beauty. I didn’t want to think of it quietly decaying while no one used it.
Iris pulled impatiently at my hand. “Come on.”
Grimelda glanced over her shoulder. “Right this way, Princess Iris. There’s so much for you to explore here. Your sister might even wish to rest for a while. There’s to be a ball tonight.”
My stomach contracted. “A ball? Already? But why?”
Grimelda laughed, and the sound grated like she hadn’t done that for a while. She had my sympathies for the lonely life she must live out here by herself, with only a few other staff and guards. “To introduce you to your suitors, of course.”
As if on cue, Iris poked her head around the cracked and faded wood door. “Your suitors are already here,” she called in a stage whisper so loud that half the kingdom must have heard it.
“Are they all here?” I asked Grimelda, hoping she’d say no so we could delay the introductions to the others.
But she nodded and swept her hair back again, adjusting a pin to keep it in place as she led me into the castle. “Yes, Your Majesty. Everything is proceeding to plan.”
I groaned and silently cursed Dahlia for her latest scheme. Suddenly having seven suitors didn’t suit me at all. I had other important matters to worry about, like if Queen Riala was really trying to steal the throne from me.
“I’ve lit all of the fires to take the chill away, Your Majesty,” Grimelda said.
“Thank you.” I nodded in acknowledgement as I took in the entrance hall. In my memory it was grand, but in current reality, the grandeur had faded almost to the point of loss. The rugs on the floor had more threads than pattern and a thin layer of dust seemed to cover a lot of the ornaments and decorative touches. There was also a large mirror I didn’t remember, with an ancient-looking silver filigree frame, and it was the only thing that seemed to have been cleaned recently. Poor Grimelda really needed more staff to help her.
She paused, her hand on the balustrade as it swept down the grand staircase. “Oh, look at me, Your Majesty, marching ahead like I own the place. You must forgive me. I’m so used to being on my own here. Would you prefer to lead the way?”
A pang of sympathy echoed through me for this woman’s lifestyle. Once I returned to Winton Castle, I’d ask what funds were available to look after this palace and make her accommodations more comfortable. I had a duty to maintain the estate for future generations, after all—although that wasn’t a subject I wanted to think too hard on, when I was pretty much being put out to tender for seven men I’d never met.
“Not at all.” I gestured Grimelda forward. “Please. You know the way, and I can’t remember where everything is after so long.”
Her face creased into a smile, and I caught a glimpse of a missing front tooth. “Don’t you worry at all. I’ll look after both of you while you’re here. No request will be too big, no desire an imposition.”
Kiss Of Snow: Royal Hearts Book Two Page 5
