Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
LILY
Isat in my carriage, my hands folded in my lap as I jolted up and down over the rough track to the lake. Grimelda had recommended ice skating on the frozen lake, but she didn’t seem to have taken into account the journey there.
Keane appeared at my window, his nose and cheeks red from the cold air. “I think we might have to stop the carriage here. The track is narrowing and becoming more impassable.”
I nodded and picked up the skates Grimelda said she’d found in the back of a closet.
They were pristine, and it was far more likely Dahlia had sent them along in a bag, but I gave Grimelda the recognition and acknowledgment she surely deserved for taking care of the castle alone for so long.
It was really the least I could do due to the speed at which she’d had to organize and be ready for our visit.
Not to mention seven noblemen from across the kingdoms.
Three of whom I was meeting now. I sighed. Despite being heir to the throne for all of my life, I’d never expected to meet my husband through a series of group dates. Perhaps I’d been naive. There was no reason I couldn’t end up happy with a political union. Rose had managed both.
But I wasn’t my sister. I didn’t have her bravery or her defiance. That had been bred out of me in favor of diplomacy and regal aloofness.
Keane offered his hand to help me from the carriage, and I took it out of habit. I’d come to depend on Keane. More than depend, if last night on the balcony was any indication. I’d nearly… I bit my lip. Nearly didn’t count, and I refused to think about it.
“Will you be okay to walk the rest of the way, Your Majesty?” Keane asked.
I looked up, surprised at his sudden formality, but he glanced at the coach driver and footman, both within earshot of our conversation. Formality was required. “Yes, thank you.”
He gave me a half bow then offered me his arm to take as I walked the uneven ground, stepping in and out of ruts made by carts that had passed this way before.
After only a few steps, he took my skates from me so he could carry them, hanging them around his neck from the laces so he could still rest his free hand on his sword.
His chivalry and quiet care almost made my chest burst, and I heaved a quick sigh to chase the feeling away.
Instead, I turned my thoughts to the three men I was about to spend the afternoon with.
I cast my mind back to the dance, then shook my head and slipped a small piece of paper from my pocket.
“Do you label all the men in your life with their worst traits?” He nodded at my hand. “Sleepy and… Grumpy? But I don’t understand ‘Doc.’”
Heat flooded my face. “Oh. I’m cheating. I can’t seem to remember their names, but I do remember the nicknames I gave them when I met them last night. I’m just checking who’s who before I make a fool of myself and the throne by saying the wrong thing.”
“You could never make a fool of yourself. But I think seven new names and faces would be a challenge for anyone.”
I gripped harder to his arm, even though the terrain had become smoother. Really, he was the perfect gentleman in every way.
Skating took me back to being a girl, to before the weight of the entire kingdom rested on my shoulders. Keane circled me and my suitors in surly loops on land, as I spun my way across the ice. This was one of the few places I felt at home, with the brisk air on my skin and the frost all around me.
Grimelda was right. This was a fun way to spend the afternoon.
It was almost enough for me to forget this was a date with three strangers.
On the ice with me were three men trying to court me, made difficult by the fact that they weren’t very good at skating.
Grumpy—Lord Theund of Mesner—hadn’t moved much on the ice, wobbling as he did, and staying close to the edge.
Doc—Lord Danzin of Rodor—made more effort to skate, but kept falling on his behind with a loud “Oof!” every time.
Only Sleepy—Lord Covack of Korelan—glided gracefully, and at one point took my hand and led me in a short dance on the ice, before covering his mouth with a hasty yawn.
I decided we weren’t going to make much progress like this. “Let’s take a break to rest, shall we?”
The men looked relieved at this suggestion. As we made our way from the ice, Lord Theund said, “Your Majesty, I sent my man for some hot cocoa. May I interest you in some?” His voice was gruff, growling out from somewhere inside his beard, reminding me why I’d nicknamed him Grumpy.
I nodded. “That sounds lovely, thank you. It’s very cold now that I’ve stopped moving.”
“Too cold,” he muttered.
I actually didn’t feel cold at all, but he came from Mesner, a warmer kingdom on the coast. That meant he was also a warrior, trained to fight from a young age. At least I’d be safe with him by my side. My stomach clenched at the thought. I wanted more than safety from my life.
“Mesner is very warm, isn’t it?” I said, trying to make conversation.
“Yes,” he replied gruffly.
I tried again. “Is this the first time you’ve experienced snow?”
“It is.”
That explained his awkwardness on the ice, and why he’d volunteered to accompany me for our conversation first. He clearly wasn’t enjoying this outdoor excursion.
Keane shifted his position behind me, as quiet as Theund and I were.
I glanced at him and noticed his arms were crossed and he was glowering at my suitor, even though nothing damning had been said.
Was Keane going to scowl during every one of these chats? Probably.
I sipped my cocoa in silence, but Theund didn’t speak again. Eventually, Sleepy—Lord Covack—approached us, and I almost spilled the remains of my drink by standing so fast to greet him. He bowed as he approached, then covered his mouth as he yawned before he spoke.
“Your Majesty, may I request an audience? I’ve found a bench nearby and sent my man for a warm blanket for you.”
“Thank you.” I turned to Lord Theund. “I hope we will get the opportunity to talk again soon.”
Covack offered me his arm and I took it, although I couldn’t help but compare the feel of it to Keane’s.
He had an air of disinterest even present in the level of physical support he chose to give.
He led me to a bench and, as usual, Keane positioned himself behind me, ever watchful, always scowling.
Maybe I should have nicknamed him Grumpy.
Covack tossed a blanket in my direction before he covered himself from chin to toe. He closed his eyes. “It’s very cold here,” he said. “The cold makes me really quite tired.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I answered, wondering if there was anything that didn’t make the man tired.
He’d dozed off numerous times at the ball, but I’d just assumed he hadn’t recovered from his journey from Korelan.
Now I wondered if he had some sort of condition.
I’d never heard of such a thing among the fae, but I knew so little about them.
“Could you use some magic to warm yourself up?”
“I could, but truth be told, I’m not very good at magic,” he said.
I almost replied that I wasn’t either, but pressed my lips together tightly instead. He was from Korelan, where nearly everyone was fae, so he wouldn’t understand our ban on magic here.
“Is it true you have fae blood?” he asked.
“Yes, from my mother.” I pushed my hair back, revealing the tips of my ears, which I usually worked so hard to conceal.
He nodded and closed his eyes. It quickly became apparent I didn’t need to say anything else, as gentle snores puffed small clouds of water vapor from his mouth. I sighed and glanced at Keane who seemed to refuse to meet my gaze, even as a smirk twitched at the corners of his lips.
Luckily, Lord Danzin, who I’d called Doc in my notes, approached up the gentle slope from the frozen lake. “Your Majesty,” he whispered, “is this a good time to steal you away?”
I nodded, grateful for the interruption, even if it wasn’t entirely in the spirit of the afternoon. “I think Lord Covack can sleep just as well without me at his side.”
Danzin smiled a little and nudged his glasses back up his nose. “I thought I might walk into the forest a little.”
Keane’s uniform rustled, and I knew even without looking that he’d reached for the hilt of his sword.
“I read that Talador grows some fascinating wild herbs, similar to those of Rodor, but different enough that their uses could be many times more varied.” Danzin’s dark eyes shone, and his flushed cheeks seemed to be more from excitement about his subject than the temperature.
“Are you an herbologist?” It was perhaps the first question I’d asked all afternoon where I was genuinely curious about the answer.
“Oh yes, and potions.” He bent to examine some green leaves I could barely see poking through the snow. “Simply marvelous.”
The ground crunched under Keane’s boots as he drew to a stop, also waiting on Danzin to finish examining common plants.
“Do you know what ailments this plant cures?” Danzin turned to me, curiosity shining out from behind his glasses.
I shook my head. “I’m afraid I haven’t had much time to study medicinal purposes for herbs.”
Danzin stood up quickly and brushed off his trousers. “Of course. How foolish of me. A future queen studies matters of history and politics, not plants and their uses. My apologies.”
“It’s time rather than lack of interest though,” I assured him, hurrying to catch up as he continued walking. He was the only man so far who had shown any promise, after all. “I should like to learn, if you wish to tell me.”
He traced his finger across another leaf. “In Rodor, I can successfully brew a tincture to cure a common cold, but it does make me wonder what differing properties this slightly different species might have. I have quite a hard time growing enough in Rodor.”
I gestured, indicating the woodland ground. “It’s very common here. Hated for its propensity to grow where it’s least wanted. I do know that, at least.”
“Hmm.” He drew his eyebrows down. “The temptation to rush back to the palace and get my microscope out of my trunk is nearly overwhelming.”
I swallowed my chuckle. If that was his foremost thought on a walk with the woman he was trying to court, when the woman was an actual queen, perhaps he wasn’t the man I should marry.
Then again, maybe that was exactly why he should be that man.
I didn’t want someone who only married me because I would be queen.
Plus his interests seemed like they’d make good conversation, unlike the other two.
I hadn’t had a decent conversation with either of them.
So far, Lord Danzin was the best prospect for a husband and king. The other two were definitely out.
But even Danzin wasn’t a great prospect. Would any of them be?