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January 29, 1199
"Then it's all settled: I'll write to King Oswald and tell him the truth, and I'll have the lords sign the letter as well. If he doubts anyone's sincerity, then he can verify with either my Uncle Farilon or Searle Minara."
"And the people here?" Anna asked, not quite letting herself smile but hopeful nonetheless. She'd been in Carvallon for many years now, but from how comparatively... uneventful other nations seemed to be, Dea doubted a century was long enough to forget life in Naroni.
"Well, since you've arrived, we've made no effort to make it a secret, so I'm sure the news is already spreading via the servants of the ruling households. I'll make the official announcement after I get word of you having crossed the border, so no one suspects that you're somehow forcing my compliance." Dea didn't think anyone with much of a platform would, but it was safer to cover any bases she could. "Really, I don't believe that most of the people care so much about who sits on the throne than they do what that person does with that power. They'll be surprised, but no one will be itching to go to war over it."
"If anything, some should appreciate it for the inspirational value--taking control of one's destiny and whatnot," Henry added. He ought to have been a bard, really, always seeing all these subtextual details that eluded literal minds like Dea's entirely. He did write in his spare time, though he'd been stingy about how much he'd let her read.
"I hope you're right. The Carvalli people probably won't care much either, after a time. The nobility might take some offense, but we do have Devidra on our side, and they all know better than to argue with her."
At Anna's side, Adrius nodded in agreement. "She's quite the force of nature, my mother--rather like yourself, your majesty, if you don't mind me saying. Though, to your credit, you have considerably more tact."
"When it suits me, at least." Dea smirked. Politeness had never been a consideration when her father had been involved, for instance, but he hadn't much deserved it. "If you treat me well, I'll treat you well in turn."
"And you've treated us much better about this whole thing than Mona and I would have dared hope in the early years of all this." Anna lifted her skirts in a light curtsy while Adrius bowed his head; Dea and Henry did the same in turn. "Carvallon will not forget your understanding."
NEXT CHAPTER:
November 17, 1186
"That... wasn't quite the reception I expected," Farilon admitted, voicing Laralita's thoughts to the letter. "Did we catch them off-guard? I thought that was why Ren made you write to Devidra: so she could make the necessary preparations."
"We did make good time. Perhaps they're running behind somewhat." But from what Laralita knew, Devidra's household--even if it wasn't truly Devidra's household anymore--was a tightly-run ship. Unless perhaps Ramona had taken up most of those responsibilities, in which case... well, she couldn't have expected too much, unless Ramona had proven to have the same knack for delegation as Laralita herself. "Odd that the steward would lead us through a side entrance, though."
"He might be new. Doesn't Devidra have a habit of firing stewards before she even breaks them in?"
"Yes, but even if it's his first day on the job, he ought to know where the front door is." And he had managed to find the king's study without difficulty! "He must have been instructed to bring us here, though I'm unsure why Adrius would want a word before we see your sister."
"Maybe she's unwell? She is in the family way, isn't she?"
"Yes, but it's still odd that he'd prefer to greet us here rather than--"
The argument went unfinished as the door opened and the steward stepped in, followed by a handsome young man who could have only been King Adrius--what with the velvet tunic and the startling eyes and the leather strap across his forehead. Regal, but quietly so, not pompous and obnoxious like her stepson. Mona no doubt found him a welcome change.
"Queen Laralita. Prince Farilon." Adrius bowed, for all he had to have been well aware that Laralita was no longer a queen. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
He, doing the interrupting? In his own study? "Of course not, your majesty." She stood and curtsied in turn, her son bowing alongside her. "An honor to make your acquaintance."
"Likewise--but do make yourselves comfortable." As if to lead by example, Adrius sat down at his desk. Laralita and Farilon took the cue and returned the bench, leaving only the steward on his feet.
"You see... we have rather a lot to discuss."
Did they? She might have considered that an explanation for her presence in the study had she thought it at all possible. They'd never corresponded, only ever acknowledging one another through Mona's letters, and she no longer held a shred of political influence in Naroni or Dovia. What could he have possibly wanted to say to her that was so important that it couldn't wait until she'd seen her daughter and grandchildren?
"With all due respect, your majesty, I can't think of anything urgent we two must discuss."
"Oh, it won't just be we two." With that, Adrius looked to the steward--who surely had even less cause for serious discussion. What on earth was going on? "Uncle, maybe it's better if you explain."
Uncle?
"I suppose." After a quick swallow, the not-steward stepped forth to Laralita's seat. "Your majesty, we apologize for the deception, and this really is your daughter's story to explain, but I hope you'll understand why you have to hear this before you can see her."
Eh?
"Look, your daughter was very young when she was sent here, and she hadn't had a chance to figure out what she really wanted..."
NEXT CHAPTER:
February 10, 1184
Finally!
While Mona took her much-deserved nap, Zareth and the baby had relocated to the nursery, or so Anna had said as she'd met Devidra and Adrius and the children at the door. Anna had been at her friend's side for over a day, and of course she'd already seen the baby--perhaps a little too much of the baby--so they'd left her to reunite with her own two children while they went on ahead.
Sure enough, Devidra's brother had been found in the little tower room off of the master bedroom--along with her niece.
And what an adorable little niece she was! It was difficult to believe that Zareth could have had anything to do with the production of someone so inhumanly cute, but here was the proof right in front of her. The little girl no doubt had her father's coloring, right down to the wispy dark hairs atop her head, but she must have had enough of her mother in her to at least make up for the shape of his features.
Or perhaps not--but if she did have her father's nose, Devidra was sure she'd wear it well.
"It's about damn time one of my brothers made me an aunt."
Zareth shot her a frown, but his eyes were somewhat more than amused. "I figured you'd be pleased."
"Naturally. Here I am, a grandmother twice over before becoming an aunt once. I was beginning to think this day would never come."
But thank God it had! The baby was indisputable evidence of a consummated marriage. Roderick's daughter was bound to her brother until one of them died, and there was nothing his ill-mannered son could do about it. And since the baby was a girl, Zareth had the added bonus of not having stepped on Lander's toes in regard to the earldom; if his luck held, Adrius and Anna would have their second son before he had his first.
Plus... oh, how long she'd hoped to be an aunt!
"Now, tell me: what is her name?"
"Lara."
He didn't mention anything about Mona's mother. Nor did she--it was better if he thought she didn't know. "That's a pretty name." If anyone caught the similarity, surely Mona and Anna already had a cover story cooked up.
"Avirelle will be pleased to have a new playmate," muttered Adrius, speaking at last. "As I am pleased to have a new cousin."
"Of course you are. None of your cousins on your father's side are worthy of the name." Of course... aside from being born, Lara had yet to do much, not unlike any of Adrius's other cousins. Of course she hadn't. She was a baby.
But no doubt her niece would grow to be different, given time--different, better. Devidra would make damn sure of it if her parents did not.
But it was a little early to discount her parents yet.
NEXT CHAPTER:
March 25, 1181
"Well, it was very nice meeting you, but I'm afraid I have to head back home now." Searle waved, prompting what Mona guessed was an attempted giggle on Telvar's part. Her brother was about the last person she ever would have expected to be good with small children, but Anna's baby, at least, seemed to like him. "I have a little baby boy of my own, you see--just a few months older than you. And there's his big brother, and his big sister... and your Auntie Ren says there'll be another one in the summer! Fancy that: someone smaller than you."
Telvar cooed, his parents trading smiles as he said his voiceless goodbyes to his new uncle. So-called uncle, at any rate. It was perhaps the first pang of regret Mona had felt over the switch. Any babies she had would never have an uncle, at least not on her side. No aunts or grandparents or little cousins either. She prayed a quick apology on the off-chance the not-yet-dreamed-of could hear.
"It was good seeing you again. Brother," Anna added hastily, no doubt over-conscious of Devidra's presence. "I hope it won't be too long before your next visit."
"Oh, my next visits are typically sooner than anyone wishes them." He let out a self-deprecating chuckle Mona doubted he could have managed if not for the baby. "I don't want this little one to forget me now, do I?"
"He won't."
"I'll hold him to it." He flashed Telvar a mock-stern look. "But I suppose I'll see first if my own boy managed to keep that same promise. Lovely seeing you again, sister--and good meeting you, nephew." He nodded toward Adrius and Devidra in turn; Mona supposed that was the closest he ever got to a bow. "Your majesties. It's been a pleasure."
The royals bid him farewell and he left without so much of a sidelong glance Mona's way, and it stung. They'd said their own private goodbyes, of course, with Zareth stationed outside the door, and while it was better than nothing it was hardly preferable. If only Adrius and Anna could have happened openly; surely no one would have faulted her for that? And surely she wouldn't have to hide, even from her own family?
And surely--
"Are you all right?"
Mona blinked. The royals had vacated the throne room in the time of her momentary slip from reality, leaving only Zareth for company. She would not grant him the satisfaction of her vulnerability. "I'm fine."
"You don't seem fine." He did seem concerned, if his eyes didn't lie. She wasn't sure what to make of that. He'd scarcely been around lately, and always coming up with some excuse to leave when he was, and never bothering to apologize. His flashes of gentleness had always been few and far between and she didn't know whether she could trust them.
Mona forced herself to remember the night on the ship. She would not confide in him, but if she kept in mind that shining moment, she could rebuff him as a friend. If they were friends. "I am."
"Mona--"
"I insist!" Zareth frowned. Had that been a little too eager? Face warm, Mona shrunk back. "I mean... really. I'm all right. But thank you for your concern. Sir."
He winced. Some vindictive part of her welled with fleeting, hollow pleasure. She'd never called him 'sir' before. She'd never intended to. He must have never intended it either.
"You're not as good a liar as you think you are."
"Who says I think I'm a good liar? Or a liar at all, even, in this particular instance?" Zareth said nothing. Mona would count that silence as a victory. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have plans with my sweetheart."
He sniffed. "And I with mine, come to think of it. I should be going."
"That you should." She jabbed a finger toward the door and waited for him to move, but he didn't. She hated him for it. Of course he would pick now to stay. "Well? Go on."
"Wait."
He took a step forward and reached around her, a slow yet unexpected hug. It was a comfort she hadn't anticipated, an indulgence that could hurt her cause, but she resolved to keep her dignity. She would cry a quick tear and let it fall to his shoulder, so lightly he'd never even know. A single tear. Just the one.
Nothing more.
NEXT CHAPTER:
December 25, 1179
"Heh. Probably should have figured you'd be here too."
A blush burned hot across her cheeks as Anna slipped her book back into its place on the shelf. She wasn't exactly surprised to see him either, but if anything that made it all the more embarrassing. She knew she should have stayed put! "Isn't it bad luck for you to see me before the wedding?"
"Supposedly." Adrius shrugged. "But I never believed it."
That was a relief. For all life in Carvallon was governed by superstitions, it couldn't have hurt for its king to disregard some. "I never did either. Still--"
He cut her off with a kiss to her fingers, a small smile looming as his mouth broke away. He'd grown more confident around her--not the rude, cocky sort of confidence, but a steady sureness that only served to set her at ease. She took this as a good sign. If he'd grown in such a way within their relationship, who was to say he couldn't replicate the effect in his role as king? "It's all right. When you walk down that aisle, the sight of you will take my breath away all over again. And then again after we kiss at the altar, and after the toast at the banquet, and during our first dance."
The redness hadn't had a chance to vanish before flaring up again. Anna fanned herself with her free hand. So much for thinking 'blushing bride' was just an expression. "That's sweet."
"What can I say? You make it come easy." He reached for the back of her ear and ran his fingers gently along her jawbone. His hands were every bit as warm as her face but somehow, she wasn't uncomfortable. "Funny, isn't it? How a little bit of crazy turns out to be just what everyone needed?"
Anna let out a soft laugh. It seemed to calm her face somewhat, like some human equivalent to a kettle giving off steam. "I'll admit that I was due for some crazy before last year."
"Me too." He leaned in for a kiss, his lips soft yet steady against her own, passionate but no doubt conserving most of their prowess for the night. If she was still burning up, she no longer felt it and no longer cared. "My uncle gave us a few rare books as a wedding present. Do you maybe want to skim a couple while we're waiting?"
Oh, he knew her so well. "I'd love to."
NEXT CHAPTER:
October 7, 1179
"Worked your way through all books in the library, have you?" Adrius folded up the letter he'd been reading and tucked it away with the others before beaming up at her. Anna smiled back, but not without a certain level of discomfort. She hoped she wasn't intruding. This visit would be difficult enough. "You're welcome to any in here as well."
She took a quick glance at the shelf-lined wall for the sake of being polite, but she didn't want to risk disappointing herself. Adrius had a generous heart, but Anna didn't doubt that after this conversation, any bookshelf privileges would be not-unjustly provoked. "Actually, I was kind of hoping that we could talk. You're not busy, are you?"
"No, just pretending to be. Would you believe that my mother decided against yet another wedding tunic?"
Anna forced herself to chuckle. No doubt Devidra would be making drastic, time-consuming changes until the very minute Anna walked down the aisle. Well... if she walked down the aisle, she had to correct her own thought. She got the feeling that wouldn't be happening, though the exasperated amusement in his eyes made it difficult to accept. "I think she's having second thoughts about my gown too."
"One would think we're old enough to choose our own clothes." He stepped around from behind the desk and embraced her, a kiss to the cheek at the hug's pinnacle. It was an inadvisable folly, but nonetheless Anna took what might have been her last chance to run a finger through his soft hair, straightened only under its own weight. He must have had lovely curls as a boy. "Oh well. At least she doesn't have horrible taste."
"No, of course not." Had this been yesterday, she would have made some comparison to Queen Laralita of the garish floors and the over-the-top decor. Today... no. She would not taunt him by mentioning her 'royal mother'. "I do love the gown, but if she does replace it, I'm sure the new one can only be an improvement."
"Yes, well..." He muttered something about 'any gown', 'improved' and 'by good fortune of being worn by you'. Anna felt a blush creep onto her cheek. Adrius did give pretty compliments, even if he never quite managed to get them out. "But that's probably not what you want to talk about?"
She shook her head, but his sunset eyes remained fixed on hers as they moved. This was why she had to do this. Here was a sweet, sensitive young man who'd never done wrong by anyone a day in his life, and here she was, stringing him along, making him believe she was someone she wasn't, that his betrothed was someone she wasn't. He cared about her--who he thought she was--enough that finding out at all would be painful, but finding out by chance would be agony. She--who she really was--cared too much about him to keep deceiving him.
If nothing else, he deserved to know before it was too late and they were already married, never mind what happened to her. She wasn't too worried about that anyway. She was coming forward unprovoked; she'd probably be held here until Mona returned, then quietly dismissed while Devidra swept the ordeal under the rug. "You'll want to sit down for this."
She'd spent the late hours of the night before rehearsing to her bedroom mirror, each rendition of her confession more awkward and clinical than the last. She needn't have bothered. Looking at him made it almost easy, rolling her heart down her sleeve, her feelings translating to words as if born of language. She told him everything--her name, who her parents were, how she'd become Mona's maid, Mona's feelings about the betrothal. She told him how Mona had been handed to Zareth in the bleak outskirts with only her apathetic brother to see her off while the rest of her family slumbered in their feather beds. She told him how she'd woken on the morning of their arrival to see Mona wearing her dress and loudly fussing over 'her highness', how if Zareth had gotten a good look at them the first night, he'd chosen not to comment.
She told him more than that. She told him how she enjoyed being with him, how much she appreciated all they had in common. She told him how she'd never felt for a man the way she felt for him and how it broke her heart to hurt him, but that it was for the best. What she stressed most of all was that she was sorry, that she shouldn't have gone along with Mona's scheme no matter how she rationalized her friend's actions, that he deserved a hell of a lot better than either of them.
"...and at this point, I just want you to have the kind of life you deserve." She let herself meet his eyes again. His expression had changed little throughout her speech, barring some slight relaxation when she'd gone into her feelings for him. He hadn't once interrupted. She almost wished he would, just to break the tension. Just to bring her back to reality. "I don't want you to live a lie."
The last word brought a twitch to her lashes, but she lacked the tears to cry. So many private emotions had flooded out of her in such a short space of time that she now felt numb, hollow. The contents of her soul floated uncontained in the silence and she herself was a void. But perhaps that was for the best. If she could have felt anything, it would have been hurt.
"Anna?"
Adrius stood, face unchanged, posture marked with a confidence she'd never seen in him. Something plucked at her heartstrings as he reached toward her and pushed a lock of hair out of her face. "Umm... I sort of feel like a fool for not telling you sooner, but... I already knew who you were."
It may have been the only thing he could have said that could destroy the nothingness. Her soul had been refilled with alarm, a sharp panic and a strangled horror, and some weight of realized dread. And maybe a fraction of a speck of hope. "How?"
"Mona's letters." He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. She felt no trace of the floor beneath her feet. "She always seemed a bit... I don't know. Like the Mona you described, I guess--flighty, restless, all that. Then I met you, and you were nothing like I expected, and I couldn't believe that you and the girl I'd corresponded with were the same person. Then I caught a glimpse of your handwriting while you were taking notes on Plato one day, and all the pieces just sort of fell into place."
The handwriting. For all she was relieved that the plan hadn't been needed, it was good to know that at least one of Mona's assumptions had been founded. "Ah. Well... it's good to know that Mona will have someone clever to keep her grounded."
"Mona?"
It was the first wounded look he'd given her. Why, though? She'd tried not to paint Mona in too unfavorable a light... "She's nice enough when you get to know her. And she's really fun. You'll like her, I promise."
"I'm certain I would." His hand was back in her hair again, combing through the locks, not flinching if a strand broke away. He had a way of smiling that rarely went without a smile in turn. "But she's not you."
Anna's heart thudded away so strongly she feared it might burst. She'd never been a clumsy sort, but she would have fallen back if not for his arms, she could have sworn it. "You mean...?"
"Like I've never meant anything in my life." He kissed her. She could still taste the honey from breakfast on his lips. "I love you. I don't care if you're really a princess or not. I want to be with you."
She could have died a very happy woman had she died just then. But-- "Your mother--"
"Let me worry about my mother." It would be easier said than done. She would worry about Devidra until they'd shoveled the last clump of dirt over her grave. But to think that Adrius was willing to stand up to his mother of her--something she doubted he'd ever done in his life--that was enough to merit at least a nod. "Who knows? She might have already figured it out. She likes you more than Mona anyway, and she might want to make King Roderick look like an idiot. Or she might just see how I feel about you, and... well..."
It was hard to imagine a world in which Devidra of Carvallon was a romantic. For now, though--for Adrius's sake--Anna would give her the benefit of the doubt.
NEXT CHAPTER:
May 24, 1179
"Uh... hello."
Embarrassed, Adrius slouched, his new silk tunic catching on the corner of the couch. That soft blue suited him, contrasting his olive skin and bringing out his startling eyes, but if not for his insecure posture he hardly would have looked like himself. Anna knew Adrius as a man who dressed as a shadow, as if out of hope that he might pass for one. "Probably should've hidden at the training grounds."
He sniffed out a hollow chuckle at his self-deprecating joke, but Anna didn't laugh. There was nothing laughable about his not being a warrior, and certainly not about his need to run off. "You didn't have to hide anywhere."
Adrius sighed. Mona's betrothed was a few years older than Anna--officially four as of today--clever and intellectually mature, but there was more scared little boy in him than most men cared to admit. She'd learned that not much brought it out quite like a large party. "They're talking about me, aren't they?"
Anna joined him on the bench and shook her head, though she wasn't sure he was watching. Perhaps that was for the best. What could she tell him? That the Carvalli nobles hadn't noticed their king's absence from his own birthday feast? Whatever confidence he had would be crushed. "They're just mingling for now. It's early enough that they think you might want to make a big entrance."
"Hmm. Well, thank you for attempting to spare my feelings, but I should probably tell you that I spent all of my last birthday up here. No one even bothered to look for me."
His head tilted downward, eyes to his lap and mouth a firm frown. Conscious of his vulnerability, Anna inched a little closer. Even her own birthdays as a working-class orphan had been met with a sweet rolls from the kitchens; someone had always known, even if it was their job to do so. "Maybe they thought you wanted your space."
It hadn't been a well-aimed shot and she'd known that when she'd let fly. It flew past the target and lodged itself in a nearby tree. "No one gives me space when I want it. The guests don't seek me out because they don't care. I don't have the charisma to hold attention on my own birthday." He pushed back his hair, nervous eyes flickering toward her as his chin turned somewhat. "I'm sorry. I'll never be a good king. I should have told you that sooner."
I should have told you sooner. And he thought he was the one who had secrets. He'd never lied to her, not really. "You will, though--be a good king, I mean."
Adrius's eyebrow crooked, but for all he didn't believe her, he seemed to be listening. Was it an intrusion to elaborate? It wasn't her place, was it?
But she supposed it didn't matter just now. There was no one else around to say it. "You're smart, but you know you're not as smart as you could be, and you realize that that's not a bad thing. You love to learn, so you learn all you can. You grow smarter by the day; a lot of kings don't do that because they're too concerned with appearing kingly to learn anything new.
"That and you're sensitive, and you're generous, and you have a good heart. A king needs those things more than he needs presence." Did he? Did she know what she was talking about? Presence was important for a king--she knew that much. But... "I mean, I wouldn't want to live under a charismatic ruler who didn't have all the rest of that. And you're young; you have a long reign ahead of you, and at some point, something will happen that requires you to be exactly who you are. And your people will love you for it."
He blinked. Was he agreeing with her, or dismissing it all as utter bullshit? Or did he have any more of an idea than she did? "You really think so?"
Anna nodded. "I know so."
NEXT CHAPTER:
"So. Tomorrow's the big day." Adrius pulled Anna a little closer, unsure of how so much time could have possibly passed since they'd sat on this same bench as a young betrothed couple. "You know, I'm still not quite sure how the two of us are old enough to have a son who's getting married."
"The advantage to them not marrying on Christmas Day, I suppose; she has another grievance to distract her from that thought."
"Well." Anna perched herself upon his lap with a fluid leap, her hand weaving its way through his hair. "It has significance now, at least. Rather like Telvar's favorite childhood books. Care to read through some of them again on the eve of his wedding? For old times' sake?"
"Old, and new. It won't be long before we have to decide which ought to the be first book we read to a grandchild."
