Chapter 28 Jess #2
“Protecting his brother? What would a child living in the Mages’ Guild need protecting from? I thought you said those were good times.”
“Oh, they were, but Keelan felt the loss of his parents deeply. He could not understand what happened and tried to be strong. He hid his heartache, but I could see it written in his eyes. Watching him hurt like that was the hardest thing I have ever lived through.
I came to love those boys beyond any measure.”
His eyes clouded. “Keelan decided protecting his brother was his purpose in life. He never really bonded with other boys his age. They resented his attachment to his brother and the favor the Guardsmen showed him. I have never seen a boy surrounded by so many people look so alone,
but Keelan never let Declan see any of it. He even protected him from his own inner trials. I sometimes wonder if that did not translate into his passion for being a Constable. He believes his purpose lies in protecting everyone now, not just Declan.”
“Is that what you think he is doing now? Protecting everyone? Even you and me?”
Atikus looked up, and brightness filled his eyes.
“Of course, he is. The boy would not know how to put himself ahead of others if his life depended on it. He crossed the mountains to protect a girl who was kidnapped. He went into that temple to protect you. He tried to protect your brother, but your father would not let him. Now,
he is crossing a foreign countryside to protect you again, with the slender hope that peace is possible, that he might protect our people from the ravages of war.”
His voice fell to a whisper. “He has grown from a good boy into a remarkable man.”
Something about Keelan’s finer qualities made me uncomfortable, so I decided to lighten the mood. “Is that a father’s pride talking? Has someone lost his Magely objectivity?”
Atikus snorted. “Magely? Your Majesty, I do not believe it’s your royal prerogative to make up words.”
I gave him a crooked smile and turned my chin upward. “The last I checked, as monarch, we may do as we please, Mister Magely Mage.”
He chuckled. “Oh, child, you are still new to the job. I am afraid you will find more shackles than freedom for the one wearing a crown.”
My face fell, and I glared into the fire. Now it was my voice that sounded reflective. “That is a lesson I learned at a very early age. Why do you think I ran away from the Palace in the first place?”
Atikus furrowed his brow at my somber tone. “Why did you run?”
I lifted the soup from the fire and wedged the lid on tightly, more for a moment’s distraction than anything.
“My mother wanted to marry me off to terrible men.”
“They were all terrible?”
“No—well, yes. I do not know. Maybe. Terrible for me, at least.”
“Do all these terrible men have anything to do with the High Sheriff’s boy? What was his name? Danny?”
“Danym.” I shot him a sharp glance, then let out a sharp breath.
Somber turned to sadness. I nodded slowly.
“I met him some time ago, quite by accident. He was the most beautiful man I had ever seen—until my horse sprayed mud all over him. I can still see his long, silky hair clumped in a muddy mess with nothing but eyeballs poking out of a dripping, filthy mask.”
I closed my eyes at the memory. “I thought little of the encounter until he surfaced at a royal ball a few weeks later. Talk about a wallflower. He practically hid behind columns and plants, running like a scared kitten when anyone glanced his way. When I marched through the crowd,
chittering ladies in tow, he could not even make eye contact. From the look on his face, I thought he might throw up on the spot.”
“Did he?” Atikus asked.
I opened my eyes with a smile only a memory can create.
“Not even a dribble. In fact, the flippant little snot made a joke about the clucking hens hanging on my hem. Everyone was stunned into silence—until they squealed in protest and flew away to safer perches around the dance floor. I laughed so hard that I spilled my wine. The moment stuck in my mind,
not just because of Danym, but because I could not remember the last time I had laughed in the Palace.”
I picked at my fingernails, avoiding Atikus’s eyes.
“We walked through the gardens that night, against his many protests, mind you. The moon was not quite full, but there were no clouds, and a breeze blew the sweet smell of roses across our path. I remember every detail. He talked of little things, fumbling over his words,
terrified to say the wrong thing. It was the most adorable, romantic evening I have ever known. I fell in love with him before we made the turn to head back into the Palace.”
“So why was he not an option? You were going to be Queen, after all. We do not have a monarchy, but I would expect you would have some say in the matter.”
“I do not think he fit into my mother’s royal plans. I suppose that is just as well after what he did.”
“What did he do, Jess?”
“You do not know, do you?” I looked up through wide and watery eyes.
“We ran away together, determined to free me from that wretched betrothal and start a new life. I knew I was walking away from the Crown and all that meant, but I couldn’t stay in that crystal prison any longer. We made it through the Spires and past Spoke, but my mother had us followed. Somehow,
she knew where we were the whole way. Those masked men chased us, too. When my mother’s goons tried to take us, Danym acted like he would save me. He told me to race up the road while he distracted them. The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by robed fanatics,
and Danym was wearing one of their masks.”
I wiped my face and stared into the fire again.
“His eyes—they were not his anymore. They were all I could see through the mask, but I know it was not him looking at me. He took the mask off a few times, but his eyes stayed so . . . I do not know . . . not Danym. One minute we were holding hands across a table, the next,
he was handing me over to be slaughtered. I still do not understand any of it.”
Another tear escaped before I swatted it away. Relief flooded my face when Keelan groaned and Atikus turned to check on him. Keelan leaned up on his elbow, one palm pressed to his forehead.
“Which one of you hit me?” he mumbled.