21. Not a Very Good Reward
Chapter 21
Not a Very Good Reward
S tellon
I’d never actually been to the dungeon—there had been no cause before.
But as soon as the message was brought to my door, I’d rushed from my room and down several flights of stairs to the first floor and then hurried down the dark, twisting stairwell to the castle’s underground level.
The message hadn’t explained how the girl from the marketplace had wound up in a cell here, but I meant to find out.
At the beginning of the evening, I’d kept an eye out for her. After all the guests had arrived and she wasn’t among them, I’d been disappointed she’d decided not to accept my invitation.
And then I’d met Lady Wyn. Frankly, everything—and every one —else had been forgotten from that point on.
Had the human girl tried to come to the ball and been turned away?
The jailer awaited my arrival, standing as soon as I emerged from the stairwell. He looked frightened.
“Your Highness,” he said, bowing. “Pardon the interruption to your evening.”
I had no time for niceties, not if Raewyn really was in this dark, damp, foul-smelling place.
“Well? Where is she?” I asked, impatient to see if it really was Raewyn in that cell.
The jailer grabbed his keys and started walking down the long central corridor.
“Follow me, Your Highness. If it pleases Your Highness,” he added quickly.
I fell into step behind him. He kept darting glances over his shoulder at me as he moved toward the end of the row.
“I hope I did the right thing sending the message. I wouldn’t want to bother Your Highness—especially on the night of the welcoming ball. She said you’d want to know.”
“It’s no bother. Not if your message was true.”
“I only repeated what she said, Your Highness,” he said in a higher tone. “If there’s falseness about, it’s hers—not mine.”
“Fine. Fine. You’re absolved of responsibility.” I was growing impatient with his simpering and even more eager to get to her cell.
How many were in this place anyway? Were there that many people in our lands who’d run afoul of the law?
“Why was she brought here?” I asked the man. “On what charge?”
It better not have been simply because she was human. I wasn’t a human lover in general, but the woman had literally saved my life.
“I’m not sure, Your Highness. The guards who brought her in didn’t say. I don’t decide who comes in here, you know. I just keep them in place—and take care of them.”
He’d added that last part in an expectant tone, apparently reading my concern for the human woman and hoping to curry favor. I had to shut down that line of thought, for both our sakes.
“I don’t care about their treatment,” I muttered. “I only want to question her.”
Finally we reached the last cell. Raewyn must have heard us approaching because she stood waiting at the bars.
“You came,” she cried when she saw my face.
It is her.
My heart leapt at the sight of her familiar face, but I kept my tone even and my expression sober. If the jailer’s silence couldn’t be bought, I wanted to give him as little to report as possible.
“It is you,” I said blandly, but I couldn’t help asking, “Are you all right?”
Clearly she wasn’t. This place was horrid. And her cheeks were streaked with tears. The sight wrenched my heart.
“I’m fine, just eager to get out of here,” she said.
She sounded weary—and relieved.
“Oh I’ll take you out of here—to an interrogation room,” I said harshly, performing for the jailer. “If I’m not pleased with your answers, you’ll find yourself right back in here—permanently. That’s if I let you live.”
All the color drained from Raewyn’s face. Poor girl. She had no idea what was going on. The last time we’d seen each other, I’d acted like a friend.
Now I was behaving like a stranger, and a hostile one at that.
I ordered the jailer to release her from her cell. Then I gave him a bag of coins equal to his yearly pay.
“Tell no one of this. If the secret stays a secret, there’ll be more. If it gets out… I’ll know who’s responsible.”
Yes, Your Highness. I’ll tell no one, Your Highness , he said, speaking to me mind-to-mind so I’d be assured of his honesty.
He unlocked the door, but Raewyn didn’t walk out.
“Have you changed your mind about staying in these lovely accommodations?” I asked in a sarcastic voice.
I couldn’t blame her for hesitating. If I were in her place, I wouldn’t want to go with me either.
“No. I’m ready to go,” she said. “But my ankle is injured. I can’t walk very well. I’m afraid I’ll… need some help.”
That’s when I noticed what she was wearing. It appeared to be an undergarment, unless that was what a human woman would wear to a ball? But I didn’t think so.
It was plain and white and revealed far too much of her body.
Whirling to face the jailer again, I gave him a hard glare. “What happened to her? Why is she hurt? Why is she half-dressed?”
He held his palms up on either side of his head. “I didn’t touch her, I promise. She arrived here in that condition.”
“Is this true?” I asked Raewyn.
“Yes. I tripped on the lawn and twisted my ankle. He’s been… helpful.” She turned to the jailer. “Thank you for getting my message to the prince.”
Stepping into the cell, I swept Raewyn into my arms. That brought her ankle into the dim light.
It was bruised and swollen.
“You’ve definitely sprained it,” I said with a low whistle.
No wonder she hadn’t attended the ball. I’d find out exactly how it had happened and why she’d been brought to the dungeon of all places, but not now.
Not here in front of a witness.
“Let’s go,” I grunted, and pushed past the gawking jailer, pretending to be annoyed.
“You don’t have to carry me,” she protested.
“Yes I do. I don’t have all night to wait for you to hobble along.”
Raewyn didn’t respond right away, just looked at me in what appeared to be shock. I carried her up the stairs from the dungeon and across the empty entry hall to the lift.
Once inside, she seemed to catch her breath and find her voice.
“I could have walked… with a little support.” She sounded less relieved and more apprehensive than she’d been when she’d first spotted me.
“Not based on the look of that foot,” I argued.
Then I gave her a grin, now that there was no one watching us.
“And a lot of support is sometimes even better than a little. I’m glad to see you, Firebug—in spite of the less than ideal circumstances.”
Her expression transformed. “I’m very happy to see you again— because of the circumstances. You look…” She swallowed. “...different.”
My gaze went to my own clothing, which I hadn’t even considered after receiving her message. After the ball, I’d changed out of my formal wear and was now clad in the kind of thing I wore only in my private quarters—a light, open-collared tunic and a comfortable pair of breeches. My feet were bare.
“Slightly more presentable than I was at the market, eh?” I asked. “Did you know all along then? Who I was?”
She’d referred to me as the prince when speaking to the jailer, and she’d instructed him to send a message to my quarters. Introductions were not needed apparently.
She shook her head. “No. I figured it out later—much later. You still haven’t explained why you were dressed like a pauper that day.”
“Let’s save that story until we’re somewhere safe. Then you can tell me why you came to the palace dressed only in this .”
Her face colored, and she looked away toward the lift doors. When they opened, I set her down carefully.
“Hold on to the safety bar. I need to go check the hallway. Be right back.”
I stepped out of the lift and looked up and down the third-floor hall that housed my quarters. Pharis and Mareth also resided on this floor, with hallways of their own. Our suites formed a square, centered on a courtyard.
The King, naturally, had his own wing. It was on the opposite end of the castle, which was good. There was no chance he’d see me smuggling Raewyn into my rooms.
The guest suite, however, was next door to mine, and it was currently occupied by Lady Wyn.
No one seemed to be up and about, thank the Grand Star. If at all possible, I wanted to avoid questions about Raewyn until I had some answers myself.
It certainly wouldn’t do to have Wyn see me carrying a woman into my suite. Our betrothal would end as suddenly as it had begun.
Checking once more to make sure the hall was clear and silent, I returned to the lift and picked up Raewyn again.
“Where are you taking me?” she whispered.
“To my rooms,” I whispered back. “You’ll be safe there. You can rest till morning when I’ll be able to secure transportation home for you.”
She nodded and stayed quiet until we reached my quarters. I slid the bolt into place, securing us inside.
“You can speak normally now,” I told her. “These walls and doors are thick.”
“I know,” she said and then corrected herself. “I mean, I can see that.”
I carried her to one of the settees positioned in front of the fireplace and set her down. Then I crouched in front of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Looking at your ankle.”
Now that I saw it in full light, I could tell the sprain was severe.
“You must be in terrible pain. I will ring for a healer.”
I stood and headed for the row of pull cords that hung along one wall ready to signal the servants and, very rarely, the healer when I needed one, but I stopped midway.
This wasn’t some random Elven woman I had in my suite. Raewyn was human, and as I’d warned the jailer, a secret.
My father didn’t know about the marketplace beating. I’d lied and told him my extensive injuries had come from being crushed under a falling tree. He had no idea I’d almost died at the hands of mere humans—and been saved from that fate by a human woman.
A peasant girl. He’d like that even less.
And I was supposed to be wife-shopping, not fraternizing with human women. It would be better for both of us if he never found out Raewyn was here.
She must have read the dismay in my expression as I turned back to her.
“It’s not so bad,” she said. “I’m sure tomorrow it will feel much better.”
“Do you have an Earthwife in your village?” I asked, thinking she’d be able to seek healing once she returned home.
“Usually,” she said. “But not right now. She’s away.”
There was pain visible on her face. I had to do something.
“I know,” I said in a brighter tone. “I have some saol water in the other room. Wait right there.”
She actually smiled at that. “Not going anywhere.”
I chuckled. “Right. Okay, be right back.”
Returning with a carafe of the special Elven water, I poured a glass of it and offered it to Raewyn.
“Thank you.” She took a sip then shook her head rapidly. “It’s sweet. This isn’t that Nymphian water, is it?”
“You know about that?”
“I read a lot,” she explained.
“No, it’s not,” I assured her. “This is saol water—it’s Elven made, a staple of our diet. There’s a more refined version that’s nearly as intoxicating as the water from the Nymph pools in the Allantian Isles, but it’s only used in certain ceremonies. This version is mild. It will help the pain a bit though and start the healing process.”
She hesitated to drink again until I said, “Trust me. It’s safe,” and took a big swallow myself to demonstrate.
When I handed the glass back to her, Raewyn drank thirstily until it was empty.
I sat on the couch opposite her, marveling at the wonder I felt over seeing her again, even under these less than ideal circumstances.
I’d forgotten just how lovely she was. Not as perfectly arrayed as my betrothed, but still… very appealing.
Nodding toward the empty glass, I said, “It’s been quite a night, I take it.”
Raewyn nodded. “It certainly has. Thank you for the water. You’re right. I do feel better. Quite good actually. Where did you say it comes from?”
“Elves collect it from tree roots in various caverns throughout the region, at the point where the trees draw water from the subterranean rivers. It’s a bit like sap at that point. Then it goes through a process of distillation involving heated mineral rocks… I don’t actually know all the details. Someone else handles that. Do you want more?”
She relaxed back into the settee cushions and rested her head against its curved spine.
“No, thank you. I’m afraid any more might put me right to sleep. As you say, it’s been quite a night.”
“So tell me what happened. How did you come to be imprisoned?” I asked. “And where is your dress?”
For a long moment, Raewyn just looked at me. “I honestly don’t know where the dress went. My shoes disappeared as well.”
That worried me. Had she been drugged before she was taken to the prison? Had the guards at the gate done something dishonorable?
If so, the culprits would be identified and hanged before the sun set tomorrow. I didn’t care that she was “just” a human—wrong was wrong.
“As far as how I ended up in the dungeon, I was trying to leave the palace grounds and was apprehended by two guards who took me there.”
I leaned forward. “Did they hurt you?”
“No. No, nothing like that. I was hurt thanks to my own clumsiness.”
“So you said you were trying to leave the palace grounds. That means your invitation got you past the gates. Were you turned away at the ballroom entrance then?”
Anger boiled in my chest. Curse those snooty butlers.
Of course it was unusual for a human to attend one of our soirees, but I’d meant the ball invitation to be a gesture of gratitude toward Raewyn for helping me in the marketplace.
How dare they judge her unworthy to enter and send her back out into the night to stumble in the darkness and get hurt.
“You didn’t really want me there,” she said, sounding a bit sad. “I’m sure you didn’t even think of me, busy as you were with all the dancing and feasting… and beautiful Elven ladies.”
“That’s not true. I looked for you. I kept hoping you’d walk through the doors.”
Until I’d spotted Wyn with Pharis and assumed she was the one his borrowed glamour had identified as my perfect match.
Though he’d denied it for some reason, it must have been true. I’d never felt so compelled by anyone before in my life.
Only the way I’d felt about Raewyn after our marketplace encounter and long walk home together could come close to comparing.
And actually, I had thought about her on several occasions during the evening when looking into Lady Wyn’s eyes.
The difference was Lady Wyn was a real possibility in my life. My fascination with Raewyn had always been a pipe dream, a lovely distraction.
And now she was here—in my room. I shook my head at the unlikeliness of it all.
“I’m sorry your evening went so horribly wrong,” I said. “You deserved to have a wonderful time, and instead you ended up hurt and locked away in the dark. Not a very good reward.”
“It wasn’t the best night of my life,” she said, and we both laughed.
“I want to make it up to you. I’ll ring for some food. What would you like? Name it, and it’s yours.”
“It’s the middle of the night.”
“That’s of no consequence,” I said. “The kitchen staff can be rallied on short notice. Pharis and I tend to stay up quite late and both have insatiable appetites. Pharis is my brother, in case you didn’t know.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of Prince Pharis Randalin.”
“All the ladies in the land have, I believe,” I quipped, though the acidic feeling in my belly didn’t match my light tone. Was even this human villager obsessed with him?
Her expression soured. “What I heard wasn’t good.”
The acid dissipated instantly.
“I see. Well, he’s not that bad,” I said. “He does have a temper—and perhaps an overactive libido—but we’ve always gotten on well. He’s my best friend, actually. My sister as well. How are your sisters?” I asked, suddenly remembering she had two of them. Younger ones, I believed.
Raewyn’s brows pulled together. “They are well… for now.”
“I know you’re eager to get home to them,” I said. “Don’t worry. Tomorrow I’ll bribe some guards as I did the jailer and arrange a carriage for you in secret. How did you get here? Surely you didn’t walk?”
“No, I took a carriage,” she said then glanced at the tall clock standing against one wall. “But it’s long gone by now.”
“Whatever you paid the driver to bring you, I’ll reimburse. The cost of the dress you lost as well.”
“I didn’t want your charity before, and I don’t want it now,” Raewyn said with a frown. “Though I do appreciate you getting me out of that dungeon tonight.”
“Of course. It was my fault you were there in the first place. My fault you were turned away from the ball and then injured trying to make your way home in the dark. If I hadn’t given you the invitation, you wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
“No, you have been nothing but kind to me since the moment I met you,” Raewyn said. “My misfortunes of the evening are completely on me.”
“Well, you are gracious.”
The urge to pepper her with questions was strong. It was such a shock to see her again after so long, and I felt like I could talk to her all night.
I wanted to know everything about what she’d been doing since I saw her last. But her body was sagging on the settee, and her eyelids grew noticeably heavier by the second.
The saol water must affect humans more strongly than Elves . Interesting.
“You look tired. Are you ready to sleep, Firebug?”
She yawned. “Pardon me. Yes, I’m afraid I can’t stop myself. Thank you again for all you did for me tonight—and for the use of your lovely sofa.”
Her eyes closed as she patted the cushion with one small hand. The other hand curled up beneath her cheek.
“You’ll sleep in the bed,” I said.
Intending to carry her there, I rose, but she opened her eyes again and held out a staying hand.
“No, I won’t take your bed. You’re way too big to fit on the sofa. It’s just right…” Another wide yawn. “...for me.”
Her sleepy slur of the words made me chuckle. She reminded me of one of the puppies Mareth would frequently bring home and carry around like a baby.
“I’m fine… right… here.” And she was out again.
I gave it a few minutes to make sure then slid my arms beneath Raewyn’s limp body and lifted her, carrying her to my bed and tucking her beneath the covers.
She settled in with a peaceful smile.
For a few moments, I stood over her, watching her dream. She was excruciatingly beautiful, even more so in the innocence of her slumber.
The candlelight bathed her face in a golden glow, highlighting her lovely eyebrows and lashes and nose and lips. Something stirred in me the way it had when I’d gotten my first good look at her in the marketplace.
For a moment, I considered giving into the urge to stretch out on the bed beside her—on top of the covers of course—then decided against it.
After the events earlier tonight, and now, seeing her again so unexpectedly, I felt charged with energy, nowhere near ready to sleep. Being too close to Raewyn in my current state would be a bad idea.
And I was engaged to be married now, so I shouldn’t even be thinking of sleeping in the same bed with another woman, even chastely.
Or staring at her as she slept.
Going back to the settee, I grabbed the poker from its position leaned against the hearth and prodded the fire, adding a new log.
It was going to be a long night.
As it turned out, morning arrived much earlier than expected.