Woodlands (The Kingdom of Disce #2)
CHAPTER I
THE DAYS AFTER
“The King to Be is requesting you.”
I look up from the large mix of dough in my hands.
A tall Discerni soldier is standing in front of Chef’s prepping table and quickly catches my gaze.
I recognize him. He’s the same soldier who stood guard in the royal residence the night of King Zander’s death, the same who recognized me a few mornings after when I tried to leave Castle Bardot in my quest to find Hirovale.
I frown at his words and look down at my clothes, eyeing the mess of flour that’s plastered all over my arms and the front of my shirt.
“Right this moment?”
The soldier peers back at me with stoic features before nodding. “Yes, Lady.”
“Ancients,” I sigh, “do you see me?”
His eyes flick casually down my face, noticing the same mess before his lips pull up in an almost laughing grin. I nod to him in agreement, willing him to understand that I’m not properly dressed to greet the Prince right now.
The sudden fill of his chuckle greets me, the sound vibrating deep within my bones.
I smile at his location summoning and the deep feel of magic, my body doing what it always does and flushing at his presence.
Chef chuckles next to me as well, the man grinning with affection as he throws a towel from his waist.
“Best not to keep him waiting, dear.”
I roll my eyes and catch it midair. “Would never dream of it, Chef.”
Keane’s amusement pushes strong under my skin, the feeling warming my body before it’s followed by another, different push of his want and need. I shift on my feet and feel his desire rake down my abdomen, the magic landing perfectly between my thighs.
“I’m coming,” I whisper, tilting my head down as my cheeks start to color.
Keane’s amusement pushes once more before disappearing altogether. I take a deep breath and nod to the man at my side, doing my best to wipe off all the flour.
“Think about it, Chef,” I smile. “I would very much like to have you with us in Gaumond.”
“I’ll think about it, dear Alexis,” he gives me a small grin, “but I will not make any promises.”
“That’s all I can ask for,” I throw the towel back. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” he affirms.
The Discerni soldier turns to lead me out of the kitchens, the chaos that surrounds him a new normal for Castle Bardot.
Two more days.
Just two more days of maneuvering through this chaotic bustle.
Keane’s coronation will take place the day after tomorrow, and then all of this frantic movement will start to dwindle…
To say that Castle Bardot has sunk into an organized mayhem is not an understatement.
The kitchens have been working nonstop to prepare for the coronation dinner and the reception to follow, their doors open in the early morning and well into the late evening to accommodate the influx of visitors.
The serving staff have been rushing down the halls at every turn, their hands filled with sheets and buckets of water as they move from room to room.
The castle is flooded with all the new guests, most of them Lords and Ladies or prominent Discerni and human families from around the Kingdom.
Every space is full. Packed tighter than I have ever seen in my ten years of living here.
No room remains unused and no moment passes in the halls in which you aren’t greeted by someone rushing around on some special errand. Everything and everyone is at capacity.
Nearly all of the small residences within the castle are taken, and if the guests aren’t staying in Bardot, they’re either renting rooms at the large inn in the village outside or finding lodging topside in the thick of the Palisades.
But even that city is has become overcrowded, with the taverns and inns selling out quickly and barely able to accommodate any more arrivals.
Barrels of ale and whiskey and toddy have been brought in on all roads leading to Bardot, as have multitudes of flowers and golden fixtures that will decorate the Grand Receiving Room.
The Queen Mother has taken over the full details surrounding the event, calling forth travelers of musicians and different summoners from all over the Old World to provide entertainment for coronation night.
Many of those groups are seen practicing in the village outside, their performances captivating the children and leaving behind smiles that never seem to end.
The full of Bardot truly is the most alive I have ever seen it, with each day beginning early before dawn and the nights ending well past the midnight apex.
I’ve also kept busy with the rest of the castle over the last few days.
I train early in the morning with my traveling crew, greeting them at the bottom of the Southern Staircase before we all move out to the Bell Grove.
Cal and I usually start first and work on our hand-to-hand combat before moving on to my daggers, with the larger blade now feeling like a second skin in my grip.
My bow has been feeling like a steady presence as well, my determination to properly hunt for Stormfall fueling me to follow every piece of advice Holis and Alanna provide.
At the end of each long morning, the five of us usually make our way back up to the Palisades and greet Sera at her café.
They’re perfect mornings spent at the same small table in the corner of the veranda that overlooks the park, mornings that comprise of good company and great food but ultimately end with our group splitting off.
We all have our own separate lives to get to, with Cal and Alanna spending time in the Palisades to prepare for Cal’s upcoming fight, while Mana stays behind with his wife and helps her with the afternoon rushes.
Holis… well I haven’t yet inquired as to what Holis does after our morning meals, but he always sets off with a purposeful smile.
That leaves me to go about my day on my own.
I usually spend the rest of my early afternoons in the Palisades, moving through the shops and the many cobblestone pathways under the perfect Spring sun.
One day took me on a ride to Bardot’s library with Millie, returning a book on the magical history of the Old World that I borrowed a little over a month ago.
I personally handed it to the library’s Discerni, Kiera, and let her dark eyes hold mine when I noted the misprint in the text regarding the two Ancients being imprisoned.
The woman remained quiet and just watched me like a hawk, her fingers gripping the book as if not wanting to let it go again.
Another afternoon had me visiting the dreaded grooming shop in the Palisades.
I laid diligently on the large table until all the hair was gone from my legs, underarms and between my thighs.
That day wasn’t one of my favorites, but I did enjoy the smooth feel of my body afterwards…
as did the King to Be. Keane loved it so much that he promptly ran his hands down my legs all night when he finally came to bed, the touch soothing us both back to sleep.
Ancients, Keane.
So busy and yet still noticing the small things.
Just as he suspected, Keane has been arriving late in my room, our room, every night, falling asleep exhausted only to bathe and dress quickly well before dawn and start his long day over again.
He held meetings with all of the Lords of the three Courts, toured the castle grounds and barracks with the Master Informer, and met daily with the prominent families that were all visiting for his coronation.
He also spent time entertaining the delegations from the Kingdoms of Aireal and Livyatan, and would be seen quite often introducing them to important Lords within his courts.
It was the busiest I had ever seen him, or rather, hadn’t seen him, but that still didn’t stop him from finding his way to me.
Every morning before he left, Keane would reach down and run his hands across my waist, over my hair, my arms…
kissing me in my sleep so that I was aware of his departure.
During the days he would sporadically grace me with his location summoning, oftentimes curious as to what I was doing but mostly filling me with his heated desire.
He always let me know that he was thinking of me.
Wanting me. And even though he made sure I felt his presence every night…
that I felt his hands pulling me strongly into his body as he sighed in contentment from behind, we still haven’t found the proper time to escape into eachother with all the commotion going on.
It’s both loving and frustrating at the same time.
The castle commotion didn’t stop the whispers, however.
Not a day after we returned back from our trip to Gaumond, I had to request a second armoire to fit all of his clothes and belongings in my room.
The look the serving man gave me when the furniture was delivered was one of flustered curiousness.
He quickly took notice of all of Keane’s belongings that I began to unpack and openly blanched when I asked that the armoire be placed directly next to mine.
He stood and watched with raised brows as I laid all of the Prince’s dark clothing within the armoire, his curious glance quickly turning into heated gossip the same day.
Whispers began circulating Bardot within a single turn of the sun, all of them wondering why the King to Be chose to make his residence in a human woman’s room…
A human woman without status or title.
I did my best to ignore the glances and whispers that day and tried to avert my gaze when I knew I was being spoken about.
But quickly, and I mean, the day after the armoire was delivered, quickly, I just stopped caring.
Both of us had stopped caring. We knew the talk was going to happen and had expected the rumors.
It was easier to embrace them with the knowledge that they’d eventually stop.