Chapter 28
Twenty-Eight
Dawn came too early.
Hugo was still trying to wake up when he found himself in a saddle and rushed out of the castle with Prince Everand, Captain Ryze, King Victor, and a couple of other soldiers. Just to make the morning even more jarring and uncomfortable, King Victor chose to be a troublemaker.
“Hugo, thank you again for the sword you made me,” King Victor began in a deceptively gentle voice.
“What?” Everand snapped. The possessive crackle in that single syllable was unmistakable, and Hugo nearly groaned.
“Yes, Hugo and I were talking in the library late last night. He made me an exquisite glass sword decorated with Midnight Orchids. I was surprised at how well you knew my country’s official flower,” Victor continued.
“I’ll have to suggest to the designer that you should have embroidered Midnight Orchids on the vest of your wedding clothes. ”
“Never going to happen.” Everand was seething. He pushed every word out between clenched teeth. The leather reins creaked under his hands, and the horse tossed its head, seeming to sense his growing irritation.
“All right,” Hugo moaned.
A smile grew even wider on Victor’s lips. “I haven’t decided where to place it yet, but I believe I’ll have the sword hung in my bed chambers so I can look upon it every night and morning. At least until I have my new husband in my bed.”
“You can’t have him! You’re never going to have him!” Everand shouted. He kicked his heels into the flanks of his horse and charged King Victor, but the guards immediately closed ranks around their king, their swords flying from their sheaths.
“Your Majesty!” Hugo cried.
“Hugo is mine!” Everand roared, not caring that he was facing armed soldiers while his hands were bound in front of him.
Victor laughed and grinned wickedly at Everand’s flushed face. “Is he? Are you so sure about that? You’re not worried that I could win his heart from you?”
“To hell with this. I’m done with both of you.
” Hugo spurred his horse forward at a gallop, leaving his traveling companions behind as he left the road and plunged into the forest. He didn’t know where he was or where he was going, but it didn’t really matter.
All he knew was that he was done being a pawn for them to fight over.
There was no way he was going to let them make him the new reason for yet another war between Branem and Wulia.
Yes, he might have found Everand’s possessiveness sexy and flattering, but it couldn’t continue. Possessiveness like that rarely risked the lives of thousands of people. Everything was different when one dated a member of the royal family.
And here he’d thought he’d be lucky to catch the eye of some country squire. No, he had to go land a prince and a king. Thank the gods his mother still knew nothing of this. There weren’t enough smelling salts in all the land to help her recover.
Shouts of his name rang out through the forest, the sound growing more frantic and desperate with each passing second. Cursing himself, Hugo stopped in a meadow and took a couple of deep breaths to calm his racing heart and to clear his head.
King Victor found him first, but the king didn’t berate him as he expected. He moved his horse as close as he could and held out his left hand to Hugo. “Give me your hands,” he commanded softly.
Hugo had forgotten that his hands were bound by a rope like Everand. He’d just wanted to get away from their nonsense. With a sigh, he put his hands into Victor’s slightly trembling fingers. The king pulled a sharp dagger from its sheath and carefully sliced through the rope.
“Forgive me,” Victor murmured. “I didn’t mean to cause you distress.”
“Only Prince Everand,” Hugo sniped.
“Well…yes.” His full lips twitched as if he were trying to hold back a smile.
He put away his dagger and pulled off the rope.
Dexterous, calloused fingers massaged Hugo’s wrists, soothing away the mild pain from where they’d been rubbed raw.
“But I shouldn’t have. I’m the king and should be above such petty feelings. ”
“Yes,” Hugo agreed, but his heart might have softened. Victor was king, but he was also human. Who wasn’t a little petty every once in a while?
“However, you are not to ride off like that, my friend. There are dangerous creatures in this forest. Not to mention, your hands were still bound. If you had fallen, you could have been seriously injured. You are not to take your safety so lightly.”
Hugo’s pulse skipped when Victor called him “my friend,” but his heart soared to hear Everand’s voice.
“Finally, something we can agree on.”
Hugo twisted in his saddle to see that Everand and the other guards had caught up with them. Prince Everand flashed him a look full of regret and apology.
“I’m sorry, my treasure. I’m an idiot for you,” Everand said.
“Look at that.” Victor released Hugo’s wrists and smirked. “Another thing we can agree on. At this rate, we might have a civil conversation.”
Hugo groaned. “I’m leaving.”
“I’m going with you,” Captain Ryze muttered under his breath.
“Forgive me…again,” King Victor stated.
“Me too. I’ll behave,” Everand promised.
Hugo’s gaze shot to Captain Ryze, who was sitting straighter in his saddle, his eyes wide with shock. For a couple of heartbeats, no one spoke. The truce felt too good to be true. Victor even motioned for the guards to remove the rope from Everand’s wrists.
“We should get moving,” Everand urged. “We still have a long distance to go, and I wish to be there prior to midday. Otherwise, we could be camping on the way back.”
The remainder of the ride was “civil,” which wasn’t that difficult since people rarely spoke the rest of the day.
Hugo knew it was too much to ask that Everand and Victor find some common ground or at least pretend to be nice to each other.
Victor had a justifiable grievance against Everand’s family, and he was picking a fight with Everand by poking at his one vulnerable spot—Hugo.
It was shortly after midday when they reached the cliff.
From the base, they could barely make out the white marble building between the trees.
Captain Ryze and two of the guards who’d accompanied them used their magic to zip from the bottom of the cliff to the top, leaving one man behind to watch their horses and set up a temporary camp.
Hugo approached the round white marble crypt slowly, taking in the slender stained-glass windows that sparkled in the sun. It had a rounded dome roof that shone as if it were made of gold.
“Please notice that the rear of the crypt faces the royal palace in Onisa,” Everand pointed out as he walked to the iron gate that barred the way inside.
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but Grandmother died three days after King Xavier passed.
After she heard the news, she collapsed suddenly and never recovered. ”
“I heard the Dowager Queen’s death quickly followed my father’s, but I never believed it had anything to do with it,” King Victor said stiffly.
“You’ll see. One of the few things she told us on her deathbed was the instructions she’d written for her crypt.” Everand paused and shot a smirk at Victor. “It was ten pages long.”
“Ten pages?” The king gasped.
“She was very detailed in where she wanted her final rest, the building’s appearance, and exactly what it would house.” Everand turned his attention to the combination lock and thumbed in the correct numbers until there was a loud click.
Everand removed the lock and hooked it on to part of the iron lattice of the gate before pushing the double doors open. He stepped away and motioned for King Victor to precede him. “Would you like to go first?”
To Hugo’s surprise, Victor took a step back and shook his head. The color had drained from his face as Everand spoke, as if it were hitting him that maybe he’d been wrong about his grandmother’s affection for him and his father.
The prince didn’t mock him. He simply nodded and threaded his fingers through Hugo’s.
“Are you sure?” Hugo inquired, hesitating.
“Of course. I’d like my fiancé to meet my grandmother.”
“You know, I’ve never officially agreed to be your fiancé,” Hugo teased.
“That’s good, because I’ve never officially asked. Trust me, when I do, it’s going to be a moment you’ll never forget.”
Unfortunately, the warm joy that had blossomed in Hugo’s chest froze as he stepped inside.
In the center of the room was the typical white marble coffin that held the remains of Queen Victoria Rosewood, mother of Hubert and Crispin Rosewood as well as Xavier Ryder.
However, it was what hung on the walls that caused Hugo’s heart to skip.
Exquisitely painted portraits covered the walls between each of the stained-glass windows.
On the left were portraits of King Xavier throughout the course of his life, from infancy to the birth of his son.
On the right were portraits of King Victor that also traced the course of his life from birth to his ascension as king.
In addition, there were marble shelves that lined the walls below the portraits, and they held mementoes from their lifetimes.
A sharp intake of breath ripped Hugo’s eyes from his surroundings to find King Victor standing just over the threshold. He lifted a trembling hand to his mouth as if to hold in any more pained sounds.
“I was here for her interment,” Everand stated in a low voice.
“She never spoke of you or your father. Refused to say one word about her past. But as I walked in here for the first time, I finally understood what you meant to her. She regretted leaving your father behind, but she knew she couldn’t take him and be free. ”
“Why…why didn’t she ever say anything? To me? To my father?” Victor’s voice shook.
“Maybe she was afraid you’d hate her. That you’d never be able to forgive her for following her heart,” Hugo replied.
Tears spilled down Victor’s cheeks. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Then don’t.” Everand’s harsh tone drew both their looks.
“I’m not sure I could if I were you. I think the only thing you can take from this visit today is the knowledge that she did, in fact, love you and your father very much.
She clearly had her own spies keeping an eye on you and collecting tidbits as mementos.
She hired the best painters she could find so she could have your likeness around her all the time.
” Everand released Hugo and walked to one of the shelves.
He opened a dark-wood jewelry box and pulled out a pendant on a long silver chain.
Everand carried it to Victor and held it out to him. “I think you should have this.”
Victor didn’t reach for it. His entire being was tense and withdrawn, seeming as if he didn’t trust anything. “What is it?”
“A necklace she wore all the time. I can’t remember seeing her without it.” He placed it in Victor’s hand and returned to Hugo. “We’ll leave you alone with her.”
Their hands clasped, Everand drew Hugo outside into the afternoon light.
Hugo tipped his head up to the sun and dragged in a cleansing breath, pulling the fresh air deep into his lungs.
Captain Ryze peeked inside the crypt to check on his king and stationed himself and the other guards outside as protection.
“She fought hard to end the wars between Branem and Wulia,” Everand admitted suddenly.
“While she couldn’t speak out against them publicly and appear disloyal, I know she argued with my grandfather and father constantly to find a way to peace.
She argued for concessions and peace talks, but you know how hotheaded and stubborn men can be. ” He shot Hugo a smirk.
Hugo tightened his grip on Everand’s hand. “King Victor said that his grandfather only offered to marry Victoria because she was pregnant, and King Philip’s father refused to allow them to marry. He was trying to protect her.”
The prince grunted. “I never heard that, but I’m sure it’s possible. No one in my family will talk about what happened, and now everyone who was alive during that time is gone.”
“And they’ve taken the truth with them.”
“Regardless of what happened so long ago, it’s not worth people dying over now. When I take the throne, I don’t want to inherit this shadow. I want to focus on boring things.”
Hugo had started to rest his head on Everand’s shoulder, but he lifted it and cocked his head so he could look in the prince’s eyes. “Boring things? Like what?”
“Education and making sure my people have proper health care. Did you know that fewer people are born each year with magic? I want to know why there’s less magic in the world.
And if Wulia and Branem can stop fighting for a while, we could really strengthen the trade between our two kingdoms—” A burst of laughter from Hugo cut off Everand’s words.
Hugo wrapped him in a tight hug. “I love your idea of boring. You’re going to make an amazing king,” Hugo murmured into his neck. Strong arms held Hugo, squeezing him.
“I can be amazing if I have you at my side.”
Hugo wanted that. It was the only thing he wanted in all the world. To be at Everand’s side, to help guide him as they guided Branem to take steps toward a new bright, happy future. There were just a couple of small matters that had to be taken care of first.