Chapter 27
Elara
Cai and I were taking a morning stroll through the hallways when Anesta crossed our path. “Your Majesties, Cordelia and I are having tea out on the terrace, since the weather is so nice today. You should join us.”
“I’d love to, but I actually need to go and see Jack about something, he’s probably been looking for me.” He gave me a warm smile. “If you ladies will excuse me.”
Cai apologised and hurried off as I linked arms with Anesta. “Tea sounds lovely.” There was still a hollow feeling in my chest after the events of the past few days. I knew talking about it would probably help but despite spending the morning with Cai, it was like I couldn’t get the words out. Perhaps some time with my female friends was the kind of distraction I needed.
A table had been set on the terrace with fine porcelain and sweet treats to accompany the tea. Though I wasn’t hungry, my mouth practically drooled at the sight of the caramel truffles and lemon cream pies. I sat down next to Cordelia while a servant filled my cup. She’d only arrived in Everness sometime after the others and despite her joining on the hunt, it felt like we hadn’t had much time to catch up.
The palace grounds were busy with servants running about and a few guards doing their rounds.
“Don’t tell me you’re sitting out here with the hopes of seeing the soldiers train,” I teased.
“Of course not,” Anesta scoffed. “Unless we happen to see them around somewhere.” She looked over her shoulder as she said it, allowing me and Cordelia to chuckle.
“Easy for you to laugh,” she retorted with a smile. “You’re both in happy relationships.” I thought about it for a moment and realised she was right. Cai and I werein a good place. I could only hope it would last.
“Lord Thatcher is quite attractive,” Cordelia remarked, and I remembered how he was flirting with Anesta that night at the ball in Norrandale.
“True, but Lord Thatcher has no intention of making serious commitments as far as I’ve heard,” I responded honestly.
“It’s always the pretty ones.” Anesta sighed.
“What about Rhen?” I suggested, taking a sip of my tea. It was citrussy and I wasn’t overly fond of the taste, but it immediately made me feel warmer.
“He’s quite a few years older.” Anesta shrugged. “I don’t think he even takes note of me.”
“I would be surprised to see my brother in a relationship,” Cordelia responded.
“Why?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” She tilted her head to the side. “Rhen doesn’t really do relationships. At least not publicly. He’s always prioritised his duties. When we were young, it was looking after me. But I’m glad to see he makes a good soldier. I think he’s happy now.”
From experience, I knew what she said to be true. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t a maid secretly visiting his chambers at night. Not that it was any of my business, anyway.
“Don’t worry, Anesta, we’ll find you a rich husband,” I joked. “You know the Duke of Dankershire is looking for a wife.” I raised my eyebrows.
“The one you said wouldn’t shut up about horses?”
“What’s not to love about horses?”
She laughed and shook her head.
* * *
“We cannot just march into Argon.” Cai dragged his fingers through his hair with frustration. “We’d only manage to breach the nearest villages, and it would take far too long to reach Myrador Stronghold with an army.”
Alastor spoke up. “But we cannot simply wait for them to attack us.”
I crossed my arms, glancing at the group of men as we stood in the map room.
“It’s clear Aries knows you’re both here in Levernia.” Rhen referred to me and Cai. “Or he wouldn’t have pulled that stunt in the woods the other day.”
“If he’s just planning to assassinate us, then why would he prepare such a large army?” I asked.
“Killing us would be a lot quicker and less effort. He might even get away with blaming someone else,” Cai answered. “But we haven’t exactly been that easy to get rid of and he knows it could most likely come down to marching onto a battlefield, a battle he wants to be certain he’s going to win.”
The words made me shudder. Was Aries out of his mind? Even risking the peace treaty to get rid of Cai. I understood that Cai had killed his younger brother, but still, was it worth getting thousands of others killed? Unless Aries knew something we’d rather he didn’t.
I made eye contact with Cai. If Lance had found out by accident, what was preventing Aries from finding out too? He could have been after much more than just me and Cai.
“Are you suggesting it’s safer to go back to Norrandale?”
“Not necessarily. Levernia is further away and better guarded. As long as we stay out of the forests,” he added.
“But Norrandale is closer to Argon. How are we supposed to defend Norrandale should they decide to attack us?” Jack questioned.
“What if they find out you’ve gone to Norrandale and attack Levernia instead?” Rhen crossed his arms.
“They would still have to make it past the Evernean border or sail much further north to make it to the coast,” Jack replied. The territory along the western coast of Everness didn’t allow for many places where you could dock a ship. The tides and rocks were more likely to sink your entire fleet.
“They’ve already made it inside the kingdom,” Rhen said.
“Well, the longer we wait, the more villages will get in the way as collateral damage, and I’m not having that,” Cai spoke up.
“It’s not like you can just waltz into King Aries’ palace and change his mind,” Jack commented.
“What if we could?” I said suddenly, and all heads turned in my direction. “Aries hasn’t sent out an army yet. The attacks have been in small, calculated groups. Now that we know Eloisa is with him, we can go to Myrador Stronghold with the excuse of getting my sister and renewing the alliance agreements.”
“With all due respect,” Jack cut in. “This isn’t exactly very safe. Especially considering the man has already made several attempts on your life.”
“True, but they were all here or in Norrandale,” Cai responded. “He can hardly kill all of us in his own court. There are too many diplomats and representatives present from other kingdoms. It’s too risky for him. Aries is a bastard, but he’s not that stupid.”
“The only way we’re going to beat him is if we play the game the same way he does. And that doesn’t mean playing fairly.”
“So what do you plan to do when you get there, Your Majesty?” Rhen asked. “Slit his throat?”
“I haven’t thought that far,” I admitted. “But I think it’s better to be on the offence rather than the defence. It’s the only way we might get the upper hand.”
“Do you think there is any part of Aries that would be willing to negotiate?” Alastor said, after minutes of silence from his side.
“Considering how many times he’s already violated the peace treaty, I would hardly hold my breath.” Cai inspected the map again. “Showing up at Aries’ court uninvited might throw him off guard just enough for us to come up with a more solid plan.”
* * *
We spent a few days preparing for the sea voyage that would take us across the ocean to Argon. Gwen and Thatcher remained in Everness for the time being. I was going to miss Gwen’s company but every person who came along to Argon was at risk.
With every hour bringing us closer to the borders of our enemy, I wrestled with the nerves inside me.
“Have you ever been on a ship before?” Cai asked when we reached the docks. We’d decided to sail straight from Everness rather than waste time travelling through Norrandale, even if its border was closer to Argon. But Levernia was far away from the sea and we had to travel all the way to Woodsbrook, one of the few places that actually had a harbour.
“What makes you think I’ve never been on a ship before?” I asked, watching as the sailors loaded our luggage.
“You’re very pale.”
I clenched my jaw. “I’ll be fine.”
“This was your idea, remember?”
Of course I remembered, but that didn’t mean I’d thought it through when I said it.
“If we die because of a sea storm, I’m coming back to haunt you.”
Cai took my hand, leading me up to the deck. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you don’t fall overboard.”
“Very funny,” I muttered, though grateful he was holding on to me. I hated the feeling of the ground constantly moving beneath my feet. How did sailors and fishermen do this for a living?
I didn’t go below deck much during our journey. The spaces were too dark and confined and reminded me of the prison cell in Everness. Thankfully, I didn’t get seasick, though I didn’t have much of an appetite either.
“Are you still all right?” Cai made a habit of constantly checking on my welfare.
I nodded, resting my arms on the ship’s handrail while I stared into the horizon.
“I’m fine.”
He remained standing next to me. “I didn’t think I’d be going back to Argon this soon,” Cai admitted. “Maybe I hoped I wouldn’t have to go back ever.”
I thought about what awaited us once we reached the shore.
“Cai, how much did you know about Eloisa?” I finally brought up the topic that had been bothering me all this time.
“Not much.” He looked intrigued at my question. “Apparently, she kept to herself a lot, though I didn’t hear anything scandalous. Why?”
“Lance finally admitted why she was so separated from society, why no one ever really saw her. According to him, she has these... episodes.”
“Episodes?”
“I’m not exactly sure what happens to her, but Lance described them as a kind of fit. They come and go. Sometimes she’s fine and normal, and other times she’s screaming for no reason. I think she’s ill.”
“And this is the princess Lance wanted to marry me off to?”
“I think Everness hoped it would be a marriage on paper. I don’t think it was intended for you to find out. Regardless, who knows what state we’ll find her in.”
He was silent for a long time. “Why didn’t you tell me Ray had found her?”
I bit my lip. “I was going to, as soon as I’d heard, actually.”
“What stopped you?”
“I ran into Jack while looking for you.” I squeezed the wooden railing of the ship, looking over to where Jack was sitting with Cordelia, sharing lunch. Jack had insisted she stay behind, and Cordelia had insisted he was being overprotective for no reason. “I told him I was worried about you and, well—”
“Well, what?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want you to be mad at him.”
“Why would I be mad? What did he say?”
After another moment of hesitation, I said, “He told me the story of the girl in Argon.”
Cai’s eyes widened and his face lost all colour.
“You were already so stressed with everything going on, and I didn’t want to upset you more. I know I should have said something sooner, but the right time never came around.”
He looked down into the water with a deep sigh. “War asks more of us than we can afford,” Cai said. “We’ve all lost someone.”
And I knew what he meant. Knew we’d yet to talk about Ray and what happened in the forest. I couldn’t bring myself to say his name out loud. Couldn’t admit that I didn’t know how to grieve my oldest friend. Not when everyone needed me to be strong now more than ever. Not when everyone needed a queen they could count on.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I pushed them back. Cai pulled me into his embrace so he could wrap his arms around me from behind.
“Whatever happens, promise me you’ll stay alive,” he said.
“As long as you promise the same.”
He only pulled me closer in response.
War could take what it wanted from me, but it could not take him.
* * *
Argon was a land of sand and heat. The fields close to the rivers boasted lush grass and tall palm trees. Within the main city, an oasis of water and greenery burst up and out of the dust. Myrador Stronghold was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. We waited outside in the palace courtyard, in a slightly awkward fashion. This was hardly protocol, though I supposed things were done differently in Argon. Waiting gave us ample opportunity to stare at the soldiers in the training yard, not too far off.
The soldiers weren’t in their armour or uniforms. Instead, the sun glinted off their naked backs, their only covering a garment around the waist. Each soldier’s legs and arms appeared to be stronger and bigger than the one next him.
“You could just slather them in honey and call it dessert,” Anesta said next to me, probably not having intended to say it out loud.
“Anesta.” I bumped her with my elbow as Cordelia’s eyes widened.
“Look at them.” Anesta didn’t shift her gaze. “Have you ever seen any other men like them?”
“They’re just showing off,” Jack muttered, and Cai’s face carried a look of distaste.
“Right, because they knew we were coming and wanted to impress us.” Cordelia snorted.
“You could always join them,” I teased, and all heads turned towards me. “I’m sure none of the ladies would complain to see you remove that much clothing.”
“Your Majesty!” Rhen dared to scold me, but Cai tried to hide a smile. Amid the group’s inappropriate staring, a servant arrived, informing us the King was ready to see our party.
The interior of Aries’ palace was little different to the exterior. Thick sandstone pillars supported high ceilings, allowing for large open windows. The floors were marble, while the entire palace was full of fountains. Had I not been so nervous, the sound of all the trickling water might have calmed me. As we made our way to the throne room, I noticed how many people were inside the palace. Did they all live here? There were more soldiers, standing guard, as well as the nobles.
The women’s attire looked very different from the kind of fashion I was used to. Some of them wore dresses that barely had any sleeves, with belts pulling the material together at their waist. It was simple, yet elegant. Others wore long skirts with tops that had puffy sleeves and barely covered their stomachs.
The throne room had no wall on one side. Instead, it led out onto a large balcony that overlooked the city.
And at the far end, King Aries reclined atop a sandstone throne.