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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:
March 16, 1181
Mona's half-brother had a cold gaze that, if he willed it, could set any heart convulsing as it spiraled downward to the pelvis. He'd never turned it on her, but she'd seen it used before and the results had not been pretty. She turned her head somewhat as she stepped toward him, eyes nearly closed. Perhaps she was safe if she could not see it.
Searle sniffed. "I can't say you look particularly queenly."
"And you're not exactly regal yourself." Even through the blur of her lashes, his split ends obvious. So much for hoping she wasn't that much her parents' daughter after all. "But now that you're here, there's no sensible way to keep you from finding out: I'm not the queen."
"Really, now?" She had to pry open one eye. He wasn't giving her the death glare, or any glare at all, really--more like a shaded, cross-armed stare of mingled contemplation and amusement. "Odd. Since I crossed the border, it seems no one has much interest in anything besides the new little crown prince. Correct me if I'm wrong, but is a queen not required in the creation of a prince? Surely Devidra and her son aren't that close."
Mona tried not to linger on that thought, though she supposed such dark jokes weren't the worst of signs. Ietrin never would have mused such a thing aloud in her presence because he thought her a child. If Searle could, then he respected her as an adult, and therefore was more likely to hear her out. "Oh, of course not. Adrius's queen is my friend Anna--and for the record, that's what you have to call me in front of other people, everyone except Anna and Adrius and Sir Zareth."
"Anna."
"Yes."
"I see. You and your maid switched places en route."
It was good to know she didn't have to explain that part. "Yes. It was my idea. I didn't even ask her before I did it; she only went along with it because I made it difficult for her not to. Please don't get her in trouble. None of this is her fault, and she and Adrius are so in love--much more in love than he and I could have ever been."
Her brother snorted. "From what I know of him and what I know of you, I don't doubt it. But you don't have to worry; I can't see how I could benefit from blowing your cover, so you can consider your secret safe--except perhaps from Ren, but she won't go telling anyone either. Besides, everyone in this blasted country is so excited over this new little not-nephew of mine. Might as well let them have this.
"Besides, even if you should hope they never find out about it, it's perfect revenge against your parents. To think, their little princess is interchangeable with a servant!" Was she supposed to take offense to that? Coming from him, it didn't sound any more insulting than the average musing. "You know, I always did wonder why exactly you were my favorite half-sibling."
Eh? "I'm your favorite half-sibling?"
"Yes, but to be fair, your competition isn't exactly in good form. Unless perhaps my father has some spectacular bastards of which I am unaware." He winked--something she never would have guessed him capable of. Leara was still her favorite half-sibling, at least after poor Elhina's death, but maybe she and Camaline had some competition after all. "Just be sure to invite me whenever you actually do get married."
That seemed fair. "Of course."
And with that--someone knocked.
"I'll handle this. I'm sure I was enough for one day." Grateful, Mona took a seat while Searle faced the door with his head held high. "Yes?"
"My lord," Devidra greeted him with a stiff nod, forest eyes glinting as Mona caught their attention. "I see you've met Anna."
"Yes, my sister sent her down when Sir Zareth went to get her. Ramona wasn't comfortable telling Zareth, but Anna informs me that Prince Telvar's midday meal couldn't wait, and that Ramona will see me once that's over and done with." Believable, yet unlikely to spark any further questions. Not the worst lie he could have picked.
"I see."
Devidra looked Mona over again, as scrutinizing as she'd expected of Searle. She forced back that discomfort with a smile for her brother. "Perhaps I ought to leave, my lord. Her majesty may want a word with you."
"No, that won't be necessary," Devidra dismissed. Odd. Would she have come if she hadn't. "I merely wish to welcome our guest--a task I can complete just as well in the presence of another than out of it. With that, welcome to Carvallon, my lord; I trust your journey was not unpleasant?"
"Not in the slightest. The joy over the little prince's birth has made for a most hospitable populace." He swept her over with the quick glance, smiling all the while. "Though if you don't mind my saying, you don't look nearly old enough to be anyone's grandmother."
"I know, but that is neither here nor there." Devidra took one of the chains of her diadem in hand and twirled it about her finger. "I'm sure you're much more interested in meeting the little one than you are in flattering me."
"I wouldn't say 'much', but I am curious about the little fellow. Given Ramona's description and my own sweep of the family records, he seems to take after our grandfather's two grandmothers--sisters, the two of them, daughters of House Kemorin."
House Kemorin! Of course Searle would think to name one of the few traditionally dark-haired Dovian houses. And here she was, thinking he wouldn't even remember what Anna looked like!
"It's possible. But I can see his father in him, and his mother--and perhaps a bit of me, if it isn't just my vanity speaking." And yet, oddly enough, Mona had never seen Devidra looking quite so humble. If anyone could soften her, it seemed it was Telvar. "Anyway, come along; the boy's a quick eater, and I'm sure he's eager to meet his uncle."
NEXT CHAPTER:
October 24, 1180
"I can lend you the book of all her tales if you want, if Adrius doesn't already have it. You'd love them." Adinaye crossed her legs and reclined with a fond grin. Anna had to return it; the promise of a book that she had yet to read had once been a rare enough event that even now that it was commonplace, the thrill of the thought remained. "Honestly, there's no finer bard on the continent. She doesn't travel any more, sadly, but even the written copies are better than most other bards in person."
"I'll take your word for it." Though in truth, Anna had always preferred reading anyway. Being told a story was fine... but some bards sped through their songs, and others could spend an hour on a poem she might have read in ten minutes. The human touch was nice, but the experience hinged solely on the performer; the written word, with its accommodation of different paces and its allowance for filling in the blanks, was a much more intimate, personal medium.
But most did seem to love the live performances, and she supposed they had their merits too, so it made the most sense to just keep respecting that opinion while harboring her own and indulging in it shamelessly. Besides, it wasn't as if Adinaye hated reading--far from it! That shared interest was in part how they had become such good friends, or at least as good of friends as two people could be when one of them couldn't risk revealing her real name.
"But who knows? Maybe she can be coaxed out of semi-retirement for the new prince or princess?"
Anna flushed. Her dress had been specifically designed to minimize the bulge, which did cut out the stares, but the kingdom already knew and she'd told Adinaye even before that. Not that she wasn't happy about the baby, or that she even minded talking about it, but... well, pregnant or not, was it too much to ask to be thought of as a person before being thought of as a womb?
Of course, that wasn't Adinaye's intent, and they'd been chatting for a good hour already and this was the first time the baby had come up, so Anna supposed she'd allow it. "Well... I don't know how well a newborn would be able to appreciate a performance? It would have to wait until the baby's old enough to sit through it without falling asleep or crying."
"Well, she'd be performing for an audience of adults as well, but I see your point." She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and beamed down at her little daughter, playing on the floor with some of Adrius's boyhood toys. "I doubt Emmie could sit through a performance just yet. Isn't that right, honey?"
A figure clenched between her feet, Emmie turned around and stared at her mother, prompted at the sound of her name not unlike a puppy. A few seconds of silence later and she lost interest, returning instead to her private games. "Nearly a year now and she still hasn't said a word. Arthur and I are starting to worry."
"I don't think that's too unusual," Anna tried to reassure her. She wouldn't officially be a mother for a few months yet, but Mona had little siblings and she'd sometimes had to watch them. They hadn't all been verbose at Emmie's age, and if anything the king and queen had been pleased with that. "Maybe the longer she waits to speak, the more she'll have to say."
Adinaye laughed. "I should hope so! Sometimes tell-tale movements aren't quite enough."
"And sometimes, they're still the preferred method of communication once they're past twenty." Anna's spine snapped upright while Adinaye took to sweeping wrinkles out of her skirt. How had she not seen her mother-in-law come in? She was facing the door. "Though to his credit, Adrius can be coherent enough as long as his words are in writing."
"Your highness," Anna muttered in greeting. Her mother-in-law had given her permission to call her by her first name, but somehow it didn't sit quite right on the tongue. "I thought you were in conference with Adrius and Arthur?"
"I was, but a messenger arrived and I had to see what he wanted." She sounded almost... amused? That couldn't have been right. Devidra loved conferences and hated messengers. "And the meeting had been winding down anyway, so I figured I'd see what my favorite daughter-in-law and her good friend the countess were up to."
Anna grimaced, opting not to note that she was Devidra's only daughter-in-law. "That's very kind of you."
"Of course it is. Now, how are you feeling today?"
It was difficult not to shoot a helpless look Adinaye's way. But didn't she outrank Devidra as the official Queen of Carvallon? Much as she may have wanted to, there was no sense in shying away from simple questions, even if their intent was... dubious. "Well enough, thank you."
"Good. Mind if I introduce myself to my little grandchild? Unless it makes you uncomfortable, of course," Devidra added as an afterthought, likely well enough aware that Anna was uncomfortable already. Was the former queen making a point to try the new one's composure?
"No, of course not." Anna stood, torso bared despite the dress's deceptive line. Devidra took a few steps forward, studying the bulge with all the mixed feelings of a woman convinced she was far too young to be a grandmother. But she did ultimately bend her knees and venture a wave at stomach height.
"Er... hello, Ramona's baby." How she would never get used to being called Ramona! "Seems to be growing well. Clever choice of dress, though."
"Thank you." Anna tried to keep her deep breath low as her mother-in-law pulled herself out of her crouch.
"I'm not in the business of lies, dear." Devidra sniffed. "On that note, you might be interested that the messenger I had to endure was your brother's."
Mona's brother. She'd have to let Mona know when she returned, for all none of them were likely to have much to say that would interest her. But, uh... "Which brother?"
"One of your half-brothers in Dovia. The Earl of Bandera." Searle. Anna frowned. Hadn't he and Mona only met a handful of times? Now seemed an odd point at which to start acting fraternal. "He sends his congratulations in regards to the baby."
Odd. Most of Mona's other grown siblings hadn't bothered, instead tacking their names onto her father's letter. Then again, Searle did live in a whole other kingdom. "Well, I shall write to him and thank him for the gesture. And he has a new baby of his own that I ought to congratulate him and his wife for, doesn't he?"
"Yes, your little nephew Oswald. But the that there will be need." Almost smirking, Devidra raised a hand to her hair and twirled one of her diadem's hanging chains about her finger. "It seems the earl himself is planning on visiting some time after the baby is born."
...Shit.
NEXT CHAPTER:
December 15, 1179
"So. Should I add a plus one to your place at the wedding banquet?"
It was half-teasing, but Zareth remained stony and unmoved as ever. He would have been a lost cause had Devidra believed in such things. "No. Just me."
"Pity. Now that you've got that great big castle, it might be nice to have a family to fill it. Let me know if you change your mind about the blond girl, for all you could probably do a little better now... sir." She smirked. Knight or not, he couldn't do better, she'd known it from the minute she'd laid eyes on the girl. She'd met fair-haired Roderick. She'd never met Laralita, but she recalled Lord Severin's description of her as a 'golden-haired, green-eyed nightmare'. So when their brown-eyed brunette daughter had shown up... well, there was no brown-eyed brunette daughter. But the maid with the flaxen hair and the teal eyes?
There must have been a switch. Devidra had kept her silence, sizing up both girls to determine the instigator. A few weeks in and she knew it had to have been the flighty, impulsive blond, no doubt trying to get out of an arranged marriage to a king she barely knew and could hardly be compatible with anyway. Devidra could relate. More importantly, she could use it to her advantage.
But oh, the girl would have to be married off--not to Adrius, of course, but to someone. Someone lowly enough that her father would take offense, but with enough connections that he could do little about it. And seeing as Devidra, mother to the King of Carvallon, had a bastard half-brother who happened to be a bachelor...
Well, it was all too convenient. All but the part where Zareth didn't go for it. "She's a little young."
"So? Most men like that in a woman." Devidra wound one of the chains from her diadem around her little finger. If only her brother could be so compliant. "Or shall I put in a good word with the old countess? Her last three husbands did have large noses..."
"Devi, I'm not looking for a wife. Lander is offended enough by my existence as it is."
"Lander?" It was a struggle not to laugh. The name was rarely spoken between the two of them, and Devidra had always thought it because its owner was barely significant enough to merit mention at all. "What does our brother have to do with your taking a bride?"
"He's had four wives and at least three significant mistresses, but he doesn't have any known children and given that record, he probably never will. That makes Adrius his heir." As if she wasn't aware of that. Nonetheless, if he had a point, she would hear it out. "But under our laws, Adrius can't inherit Hargrath because he already holds a position of higher rank. That leaves Lander's only other living male relative."
"You." He nodded. Hmm. She had to admit, that make him less of an ideal match for Princess Ramona... but unless Zareth somehow knew about that private plan, how could he see any disadvantage? "But if you're Lander's heir, wouldn't he want you to have some heirs of your own?"
Zareth sighed. He looked, in Devidra's opinion, more like their father than Lander ever had. That might have been part of the problem. "If I start a family, then Lander will take that as a sign that I'm making plans and waiting for him to die so I can set them in motion. I can't have him thinking that. He's my brother. He's a cranky, ineffectual ass, but he's still my brother. I won't cause him any more unease than I already have; I won't marry until he has another heir."
Another heir. She could work with that. With any luck, it wouldn't be long. "So not until Adrius has a son."
"Two sons, since the first will be king after him."
Two sons. That would be at least a year and a half, unless by some miracle the false princess birthed twin boys. But she supposed she could stall for time if need be. "Brother, you are most honorable."
NEXT CHAPTER:
July 15, 1179
"It's true, then."
Zareth stopped, stunned. He wouldn't have come himself had it just been a rumor muttered by that incompetent steward at the morning session. Had it been mere hearsay, he would have sent one of his men and confined himself to his study as usual. If he hadn't thought Devidra knew that, then she was insulted. "Yes. A messenger arrived in the night; I rode to shore with a small force to investigate."
"And you didn't see fit to inform me."
Awkward, her brother looked away. He'd never coped well with failure, but it had been years since he'd had to; Devidra was not a woman easily satisfied, but Zareth rarely displeased her. "You don't like to be woken. I didn't deem it important enough to rouse you."
"Yet it was urgent enough for your haste." He said nothing. He'd chosen the lack of words well. "Assemble a crew. Two days from now, you'll be boarding a ship and setting off to reclaim this one. The seas are rough near Devil's Rock; they won't have gotten far. You can catch them if you approach from the northeast."
"I'm aware of the seas."
Good to know that he'd paid attention in his lessons. "Very well. You may take some of your men, but some will be needed here. You know where to find sailors. Since you may be a few weeks, I'll also allow you two cooks and one other servant of your choice. I'll gather the necessary provisions while you're recruiting."
"All right."
"And Zareth?"
He looked up. She allowed herself a light hint of a smile. "Bring that ship back, and I'll knight you that very day."
It was a few seconds before he nodded. "Yes, your majesty."
NEXT CHAPTER:
February 5, 1179
Zareth lived a dull enough existence. Captain of the Guard was a not-unimpressive title for those out of the know, but in times of peace his work was largely organizational--training exercises, scheduling shifts, checking up on the men to make sure they weren't slacking off. When he wasn't working, he slept. He ate. Every once in a while, he went into town and treated himself to a few drinks at the tavern, or maybe to a pretty little thing in the hut by the docks if he could spare some coin. There was nothing in his day-to-day life that couldn't be put off for an hour or two.
His sister knew that. "You're always so prompt when I summon you."
Zareth grunted. Available or not, it boded well for him to be prompt; patience was not Devidra's strong suit, and expressing that fact was. "And?"
"Talkative as ever, aren't you?" Devidra leaned back against the arm of her throne and sized him up like a lioness taking stock of some wounded antelope. He wondered what he'd done to lose his herd, then recalled that he'd never had one to begin with. "But no matter. Remind me--how old are you again, brother?"
As if she'd really forgotten. He was hardly significant, but she never forgot a thing. "Twenty-six."
His sister frowned. "Mmm... closer to twenty-seven, am I right? The seventeenth of April, I believe?"
"So you know my age and birthday. You win the sister tournament." She smirked. He failed to see what was so funny. "What do you want, Devi?"
"Well..." She was playing with him. She had to be playing with him, or she would have been more to the point. "...I'm sure you'll agree that twenty-seven is more than old enough for a knighthood?"
Yes--definitely playing with him. "If that was a serious offer, you'd have made it ten years ago."
"Zareth, believe me, I have nothing to gain from stringing you along. I've kept you where you are because you're damn good at it, but I think you could be more useful to me in a more lucrative position."
"So it's still all about you, then?"
"Never mind what it's all about. It will be more than worth your while." Her legs crossed and her arms followed in turn, one brow bent in a frustrated peak. "I'll give you that old castle by the Sea Watch--that one you used to like when you were a boy. I'll start you off with two of my best cooks and three of my best chambermaids and the most competent of all the stewards I've fired in the past decade. And you can take that little blond girl to wife if you like; it's not as if she's of much use as a lady's maid."
That was probably because she wasn't a lady's maid. "Princess Ramona's?"
"Yes, that one. Can't do her job worth two shits, but she's pretty enough. You could do much worse."
And for once, Devidra didn't know just how much worse she was talking about. "I can't imagine that would work."
NEXT CHAPTER:
