The Burning Witch 3: A Humorous Romantic Fantasy

CHAPTER 6 AN UNFORTUNATE UNVEILING

Alina stared at herself in the mirror blindly as her maids quietly worked on arranging the most beautiful and unique dress anyone had ever seen …

For the announcement of her pregnancy, Brendan had arranged an exorbitant budget for Alina to look as impressive as possible.

The gown was a combination of a deep shimmering teal and emerald. While it was emerald by its loose gauzy straps, by the time it streamed down into the skirts, it changed to teal with tiny diamonds sewn into the skirts. When walking to the ball, Alina was to wear a fine white wolf fur mantle, and upon standing before her citizens to make her announcement, she would shed the cloak.

All this was Brendan’s and her orchestration to be dramatic and shocking—typically elements to a night that would have Alina in high spirits—but after her conversation with her brother … her mind was far from the event.

A knock at the door had the maids backing away from their queen while bowing reverently.

The king entered the room, already wearing his all black finery and mantle, his crown atop his head. “Leave us.”

The serving staff filed out dutifully.

Once alone, Brendan regarded his wife and blinked.

Alina couldn’t resist.

She smiled.

Not many people could read her husband the way she could, and she could tell that he was in awe of how she looked that night.

Her hair had been partially tied up and treated to shine. Her crown rested atop her head, and golden earrings dangled from her ears. She wore her usual bracelets, and an upper arm cuff as well.

“You are …” Brendan trailed off and cleared his throat.

Alina blushed.

“How are you? I heard His Highness came to speak with you,” the king asked instead, a faint tinge of color in his own cheeks that was almost entirely hidden by the short-cropped beard he sported.

At the mention of the meeting, the queen’s content smile faded. She looked down toward the subtle swell of her belly and clasped her hands over her skirts, then fixed her attention back to her husband.

“I’m … worried.”

Brendan nodded and waited for her to continue as his wife took a slow, deep breath.

“Eric is a recovering drug addict? He’s married to Kat, and … the two of them are supposed to rule a kingdom. I just don’t understand all this. I was able to accept their relationship in a way … especially when I started looking at all the clues. I remember Kat had mentioned she knew what happened between Eric and her father the night after my wedding, but she said she hadn’t learned it from Lord Ashowan … I had been right in the middle of questioning her when Eric had shown up. Then there were so many other instances … looks they gave each other, the way she would avoid giving me straight answers about him …” Alina’s brows lowered. “She knew about the Witch’s Brew. She helped lie for him, and he helped lie for her, and those two are supposed to lead Daxaria?”

Brendan folded his arms patiently as Alina gently tossed her arms in the air, at a loss as to what to say. After a moment of still not being able to find any other particular words, she looked intently at her husband. “You knew, too, and lied to me.”

The king stiffened.

“You did it to protect me, but we’ve been over this. The fewer secrets the better. Especially when it comes to family.”

Brendan lowered his gaze, properly chastened.

“Despite knowing everything, why do you still support them? Is it really just to avoid scandal and war with Daxaria?”

The king considered his next words carefully as he studied his wife’s weary face.

“I think … if your brother is to have any chance of ruling a kingdom, it has to be with Lady Katarina.”

Alina blinked in confusion, and Brendan’s eyes grew lost in thought in how best to explain.

“I’m more worried for Lady Katarina in their union, I’ll admit. The prince’s entire motivation to better himself revolves around her, and that is a heavy burden to bear for one person.”

The concern on Alina’s face urged Brendan to continue expounding on his thoughts.

“However, I think once the two of them are back in Daxaria, there will be enough support for the prince around him that it will remove some of the pressure on her, and eventually they will be on more equal footing. Though I do believe the future well-being of Daxaria rests solely on whether Lady Katarina can remain steadfast enough. If she can, and perhaps learn to reveal her weaknesses and concerns more openly to those they trust, then there is a great chance the two of them will lead successfully.”

“Those are a lot of uncertain variables,” Alina observed warily.

Brendan nodded. “But it’s the best chance your brother has of coming back to himself.”

Tears rose in the queen’s eyes as she gave a nod of understanding.

She looked away to try and compose herself.

“Just … how did it go so wrong for him? He had everything. He was faultless …”

“Those who aren’t familiar with darkness have a harder time finding their way out when they fall into it. Especially when they’re already set in their views.”

Alina considered this, her throat aching fiercely. “You think our mother’s death prompted this?”

Brendan shrugged. “I cannot say. I know of your brother’s present more than his past. What I do believe, from what I’ve come to see and know of the prince, is that he is an incredibly intelligent and shrewd man, which makes failures all the more frustrating.”

“You speak from experience?” the queen wondered seriously.

Brendan nodded. “When I was seventeen, I started ruling more independently, and my first few failures in judgment were devastating.”

Alina stared at her husband, her gaze turning tender as she carefully stepped down from the stool she had perched upon while being tended to by the maids.

She moved over to Brendan and grasped his warm hands in her own.

“Well … let’s avoid dark thoughts for today. I’ve had enough of them, and we should be more excited for our news.”

Brendan gave a small smile before his eyes darted to Alina’s middle.

“As you wish, my wife.”

Alina chuckled at her husband’s formality, then lifted herself up to her tiptoes to brush a sweet kiss on his mouth. Maybe the rest of their night didn’t need to be quite so dour after all …

“Godsdamnit, we are really late. I’m supposed to go to Alina’s chamber to escort her,” Kat said breathily as she finished readjusting her hair.

Eric was in the process of pulling the sleeves right side through his tunic while sitting shirtless on the bed.

Kat looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

He stared back. “I apologize for nothing.”

“Perverted old man,” she grumbled while turning to the door, though she felt her cheeks grow warm.

Eric rose and followed behind her to see his wife off.

“I’ll see you down there,” she called, glancing over her shoulder as she opened the door.

However, with her gaze turned away, Kat then proceeded to nearly crash into none other than … Likon.

His hand was suspended in the air as though about to knock. He was dressed in a fine forest green coat, black tunic, and pants, and in his hand was a small box wrapped in brown paper and tied with a silvery string.

Kat froze.

He smiled at her and marveled at her beauty until his eyes then registered Eric standing behind her, without his shirt on.

“Kat, what—”

Shoving him back, Kat hastily stepped outside the chamber and closed the door behind herself.

“Likon, I don’t have time right now to explain; I need to go to Her Majesty’s chamber.” Kat tried to take off down the hall, but Likon seized her by her elbow.

“Kat, what the hell did he do to you? If he made advances toward you—” Likon’s voice was starting to echo down the hall, and Kat stared around fearfully. If anyone overheard, things would get even worse.

“Likon! It isn’t like that! I promise I will tell you everything later, I just—”

Likon ignored her and dove for the chamber door, throwing down the small gift that had been in his hands without a second thought.

However, thanks to her training, Kat was fast enough that she was able to grab him by the front of his coat and haul him back away.

“Stop!”

“Kat, you don’t know about him! He’s courting almost every noblewoman in this castle! Not to mention the stories I’ve heard of him around Daxaria … ! If you won’t listen to reason, then I’m going to your father.” Likon grasped Kat’s hands on his coat, his eyes wild and furious.

If Kat were honest with herself, he looked as though he could kill someone, and it was deeply startling to her …

But then he was starting to look over her head down the empty corridor, his sights set on going straight to Finlay Ashowan.

Overcoming her hesitation, Kat managed to blurt out, “No! Likon, my da already knows! Right now, I—”

“Fin knows?” The young man’s attention snapped back to her.

“Likon, let go of my hands.” Kat’s stomach was reacting in that strange way again to his touch … It was roiling, telling her to get away from him.

“Kat, no. You can’t court him! He’s going to hurt you, and Gods … Tell me you haven’t bedded him!”

“I really need to tend to the queen; Likon, you need to let go of my hands.” Kat tugged, but his grip grew firm.

She was about to ignite her magic for the strength to successfully pull away from him when from behind her, Kat’s husband’s voice called out, “Kat, everything alright here?”

Eric appeared in the doorway of the chamber, fully dressed. While his stance may have made him appear lax as he tugged at his cuffs, the way his hazel eyes had darkened told Kat that he was far from calm.

“Eric, I just need to—” Kat tried again to pull her hands free from Likon, but instead he held on to one of them even more tightly and moved the hold to his side.

The prince’s gaze flit to the clasped hands, then back to Likon’s enraged face.

“Your Highness, you need to stay away from Lady Katarina from here on out.”

Once again, Kat worked to snatch her hand back, but Likon thwarted her by yanking her down the hall with him.

“Kat?” Eric’s voice rose.

He remained rooted to the spot, but his gaze sought his wife’s awaiting the answer to the unspoken question.

“I—” She started to speak to tell him she would handle the matter, but Likon gave her arm another tug that had her almost stumbling.

Slamming the door behind himself, Eric caught up to pair right in time for Kat’s magic to surge, her aura bursting from her skin as she at last wrenched her hand free.

“Likon! I said stop!” She breathed angrily, her golden eyes glimmering as Likon rounded back to stare at her, his frantic, murderous energy far from settled.

“Kat, I will tell you exactly why you need to stay away from—”

“Enough! Likon, just … listen! I can’t explain everything right now. I have important duties that I need to attend to.” Kat enunciated her words carefully while steadily holding his gaze and holding up her hands as though to warn him off making another grab for her.

Likon didn’t say anything, but he looked at Eric, who waited nearby without moving a muscle. The prince’s eyes were trained on the man, who he could already tell was carrying at least two knives concealed on his person.

“Kat, go tend to my sister,” Eric said softly, making Likon round on him. That suited the prince fine as he addressed the younger man next. “If you try to stop her from leaving again, I will remove your hands myself.”

The redhead didn’t budge.

She didn’t trust them to be left alone any more than she trusted Kraken not to take a bite out of an unattended dinner roll.

“You … are disgusting,” Likon spat.

Eric said nothing in response, only looked at Kat. “Didn’t you just say you were running late?”

Likon seized the front of Eric’s tunic.

“You stay away from her, Your Highness. Or I’ll personally see that you fall to ruin before the spring. Kat won’t be tainted by someone like you.”

“Gods, Likon, you need to—” Kat didn’t get the chance to finish her angry retort.

Eric had Likon’s hand peeled off him, but before Likon could deliver the uppercut to his jaw like he was already aiming to do, the prince dodged and instead landed a slap across the side of Likon’s head that sent him crashing to the ground.

“Kat, go to Alina,” Eric repeated.

“Likon are you alright?” Kat asked after taking a steadying breath without addressing the prince.

Her childhood friend didn’t answer. He only glared up at Eric, who stared back, his face disturbingly unfazed.

“Just so you know, nothing I ever do will ever ‘taint’ Kat,” he informed Likon lightly.

“Eric, maybe you should go ahead, I’ll just—”

Her husband’s gaze found Kat’s, and that was when they proceeded to share an entire conversation with a single look.

Eric knew then and there Likon was in love with her, and he could tell that Kat was desperately trying to spare his feelings. But Likon was not calming down, and Eric had not liked the way the younger man had handled her. Not. At. All.

“Likon, I understand you are worried about Kat, but you will respect her wishes. She told you she would explain later,” the prince informed his wife’s friend, who was rising to his feet again, looking in no way any more receptive to what was being said.

“Well, did you respect her wishes? Or did you ambush her in her chamber and take your clothes off?” Likon seethed.

“Again, you are misunderstanding the situation.”

Kat was shocked that Eric was staying as controlled as he was, but … she should have known it would not last.

“I don’t think I’ve misunderstood anything! You were alone in a room together in a state of undress! You’ve bloody well gone and ruined her for the sake of relieving yourself wherever you damn well please.”

“I am not ruined, Likon,” Kat snapped furiously. “Look, I need to go. Why can’t you—”

“You can say what you like about me, but you need to stop talking about Kat like that.” The warning in Eric’s voice was chilling.

“You can act like the hero all you want, and maybe you have Kat fooled, but I know what you are,” Likon continued while pointing his finger in Eric’s face. “No matter what you say, I know what I saw, and I know about your nature.”

Eric tilted his head to look around Likon. “Kat, maybe Her Majesty shouldn’t be angry at both of us at the same time.”

Kat put her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed.

However, things took a turn for the worse when Likon whirled around and grabbed Kat by the shoulders, making her hands fall from her hips, “Don’t worry, I’ll marry you, and everything is going to be—”

Eric seized Likon by the throat and hauled him off Kat and slammed him against the opposite wall.

“I’ve been patient, but that’s enough. My wife shouldn’t have to put up with this.” The dangerous, hoarse rumble that came from the prince brought a brief spell of silence.

“Eric!” Kat shouted, then closed her eyes with a grimace.

Likon’s eyes were bulging out of his head, but he no longer struggled against the prince’s hold.

“Let him go,” Kat ordered. While she was frowning, Eric could see the glint of relief in her eyes when he looked at her. He released Likon, and still in a state of shock, he crumpled to the floor.

Kat wasn’t happy with what he’d done, but Eric raised an eyebrow, implying What did you want me to do? I tried being nice.

Likon gasped on the floor and looked up at Kat, his eyes bright with fear and horror. “K-Kat, it’s not true … right? Y-You aren’t—”

“I wanted to tell you in a better way, but you weren’t listening! Look, I still want to talk with you, but I’m going to go now to help Her Majesty. I’ll see you later, Likon. Eric? You come with me; I don’t trust the two of you alone.”

Eric looked around himself with feigned innocence.

As Kat began to stalk down the corridor, the prince cast one last look down at Likon, whose trembling hands were curling into fists on the ground.

“ERIC!” Kat barked.

He sighed and stepped over Likon. “Yes, dear.”

“Don’t call me that. You sound like you’re patronizing me.”

“You’re already sounding like an old nag. Would you prefer me to call you that?”

The couple’s bickering voices disappeared down the corridor, though Kat kept occasionally looking over her shoulder. She was unable to mask her worry.

Eric eyed her, and after a quick glance around them, reached out and gently grasped her hand.

“I didn’t want to hurt him like that,” Kat murmured quietly as they slowed their walk.

“He wasn’t leaving us a lot of options,” Eric countered, his tone turning firm. “Kat … I didn’t like what I saw there.”

“He’s never been like that before, I swear,” she assured quickly.

“Because you’ve always given in to him?”

“No, I … We never actually courted or anything, I just—”

“You didn’t court anyone else though, did you?” Eric guessed.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs prompted Eric to release Kat’s hand. It wasn’t ideal that they were being seen together, but … then again it was roughly what Alina predicted would start fanning the flames to help Fin come to terms with things.

“I didn’t, but that’s because I didn’t like anyone.”

Eric looked at her skeptically but didn’t voice his thoughts.

Especially about his true opinion of Likon. He’d seen all manner of men during his time traveling around Daxaria and even Zinfera, and Likon was making Eric’s instincts prickle.

The couple were relieved when the footsteps sounded as though they were continuing to climb to the next floor.

“I’m going to Alina’s chamber, and you’re going straight to the ball, right?” Kat asked while turning to her husband and eyeing him up and down.

He wore his usual black tunic and pants with a white coat trimmed in gold over top. Kat noticed that he had left his cravat untied, making him look, in her opinion, all the more roguishly handsome.

“I suppose I will,” Eric replied, though he looked back down the corridor they’d walked with an indiscernible glint in his eyes.

Kat reached out and tugged the front of her husband’s coat, drawing his attention back to her.

“I’ll see you soon. Please don’t do anything else.”

Eric wasn’t hasty in nodding his assent, and so when Kat did finally leave, she couldn’t help but feel her nerves grow more frazzled.

She knew that things with Likon were far from settled, but … if she were honest?

Some part of her felt relieved.

It was done.

She no longer had to fret about forcing herself to have feelings for him … Though the way her gut responded to his nearness and touch … she wondered just what had changed so drastically.