Chapter 34
Corvin
“I do not like the way the huntsman looks at her,” I say quietly to Raban when the tall lich turns and leaves the tower. Good riddance. If only I thought he would leave the castle altogether.
“What way is that?” my brother asks with his typical open, easy tone. He has always been too trusting. We are standing by the princess’s bedside, watching over her while the hounds watch the gate.
“Like he never wants to look away,” I say bitterly.
Raban laughs. “You mean the way we all look at her?”
I scowl. “What right has he? After what he did.”
Finally Raban’s expression grows serious. “Do you think one can atone for their sins?”
“One should not have to. What possible excuse is there for the sins that he committed?”
Raban sighs, sitting on the edge of the bed, softly brushing a stray hair from the princess’s cheek. “If he truly is bound to this witch queen like he claims, then is that not some excuse?”
“Not enough.” My tail flicks against my leg. I glance over to where évandre stands in the open window, looking down at the courtyard. “Do you truly think our princess wants him around?”
“I cannot answer for her. You will have to wait and ask her when she wakes.”
“If she wakes,” I say.
“When.” Raban looks around at me. “When she wakes. He brought her back to us. You will see. He cannot be all bad.”
I narrow my eyes, studying Raban’s expression. After only a moment, though, his dart away, confirming my suspicion. “You like him.”
He smiles shyly. “He is powerful. And handsome. He brings her pleasure.”
“I knew it. Do not be fooled because you like the way he looks. He is a monster.”
“I think if the princess thought so she would have left him bound while she found a way to destroy him, but she set him free. She must see some good in him.”
I scoff. “What she sees and what the truth is might be two different matters.”
Raban shakes his head. “She is more like you. More like to find the flaw in the stitching than to stand back and see the pattern.”
I put my hands on my hips. “I am not like that.”
He looks at me, and I swipe my hand at him in a dismissive gesture. “Alright. Perhaps I am a little like that. But someone needs to be cautious.”
“True. She’s not cautious, but I think she is wise in her way. You’ll see.”
I sigh. Like it or not, the huntsman is here, and I will not drive him away before I consult the princess. Not unless I have a firm reason. So far he has not shown his hand. But that does not mean I will not watch him and wait.
“I’ll fetch a basin of water and a towel,” I say to Raban. I know he will not leave her side until she wakes or until the sun comes up to force him.
He grunts, not looking away from the princess, and I trudge down the stairs, mind ruminating on the huntsman.
I find him pacing the courtyard, face grim.
Knochenwolf, Grimmfang, and Varkhul are watching him warily, and I make sure to give each of them a scratch behind the ears in gratitude.
Then I hesitate. The water will only take a moment to bring up from the well.
I might as well just light a fire now to heat it with and fetch it in a moment.
Lingering in the courtyard, I set some kindling in a pile and fetch some flint. When I have a spark, I add dry leaves and build it into a flame.
When I look around, the huntsman is watching me.
“What happened at the town?” I ask him casually, as if I am merely making conversation.
His eyes narrow. “I told you, she did not listen.”
Carefully I prop a larger stick on the pile and wait for it to catch. “She did not, or you did not?”
He sighs. “I left her for only a short time because I had no choice. But she is as willful now as she ever was.”
I turn to glare at him. “She is a princess. It is her right.”
He rolls his eyes. “Do you think noble birth qualifies a person to make stupid decisions? If so, I am just as qualified as she. Moreso, for have an extra century of experience making them.”
The way he says this gives me pause. I was not expecting humility. “You are also of noble birth?”
“I was a prince once. I died a long time ago, but I am or I was. I do not think that makes any difference, but to many folks it does and that has its own power.”
I consider what he said. “What do you want?” I ask him bluntly.
He’s quiet for a long time. I think he’s not going to answer, but eventually he walks over to stand closer to where I have a blaze going, and he looks at me.
“I wish I could answer that properly. What I thought I wanted, I no longer want. What I want now is…” he sighs.
“I wish I could take back what I have done. But I cannot. All I can do is look to the future. That future starts with righting past wrongs.”
I stare into the fire for a time. It echoes what Raban said earlier about atoning for sins, and it makes me think of my own.
We let this castle go to ruin when we let ourselves give up hope. Now it’s not fit for the princess the gods have blessed us with. We grew idle, and I will admit I was the first to tell the others we should stop caring.
After a while I say, “I suppose that is all any of us can do.”
I do not like it, but I would have liked it far less if he had tried to win me with pretty words. If he had lied. I do not think he lied. He says he does not know what he wants, but I do. It’s what we all want. What I hope that Raban and évandre and I have found.
I do not like that I feel pity for him, but in a way I do. If it were not for Raban, I might have gone a hundred years before I would have spoken or acted on my desire for the princess. I would never have believed myself worthy.
I stand, walking to the well and drawing a bucket of water to set over the fire.
The huntsman watches me. I expect him to follow when I take the warm water off the fire and ascend to the tower room.
Instead, he goes back to his restless pacing, and I think of him down there while I help Raban bathe the princess and brush out her hair.