Chapter 19 #3
“Your Majesty, please have mercy. We were only looking for the princess, nothing more.”
Aurora gripped him harder but didn’t beg for mercy on their behalf. Good. At best, they were spies doing exactly as they said. At worst, they had come to kill his wife to spark a war.
“Where are the rest of you? Surely the Queen of Viridis is not so impoverished as to only send four spies in search of her precious crown princess. Tell me who they are and where they are, and I might be moved to show you mercy.” Theron leaned back in his seat.
“It is only the four of us, Your Majesty. There are no others!” the spy said, his eyes wide with panic.
“Nireus, show this man what mercy I have for Viridian spies.”
As Nireus readied his spear and marched on the man, Theron looked down at Aurora, who was quickly paling at the sight, her head half tucked against his thigh. He leaned down and shielded her eyes as Nireus skewered the man.
“Have this spy and his friends healed, so that they might all be shown my mercy as many times as it takes for them to divulge the names and locations of their fellow spies. The first to name them all will be allowed to return to Boreas with instructions for Queen Flora on how she is to compensate me for this insult. The other three will be sent to her in pieces,” Theron pronounced.
The other spies looked about ready to be sick. Good. Perhaps they would prove easy to break.
“This will not be the last time we hear from the Viridians regarding Crown Princess Epicasta,” Polydorus said to him in hushed tones as the four spies were dragged from the throne room begging for mercy they would not receive.
He was correct, of course. Flora was determined to have some justification to begin a fight. Theron had managed to keep Aurora safe from her meddling, but now she seemed intent on blaming Epicasta’s absence on him.
“If your people find her, make certain they keep her safe. I’ve no intention of sending her back to Viridis against her will, but she cannot be allowed to die on Aurean soil,” Theron whispered back.
“As you wish, Your Majesty.”
As the last of the spies’ pitiful cries went quiet, Aurora pulled his hands from her eyes.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
He nodded.
“Is there anyone else who would like to throw themselves at my mercy today?” Theron asked his courtiers.
“Triad bless the sun of Aureum,” Lord Gallus replied, bowing deeply.
Theron bit back a sigh. What in the Loom did Lady Ino have on Lord Gallus to make him so careless with his own life? Whatever it was, Polydorus had never managed to suss it out. Theron waved him on, certain this would only foul his mood.
“Your Majesty, how are we to refer to your wife, Her Highness Aurora? She sits at your feet as a concubine but has not been given that title. You have called her your star, as you might a queen, yet the queen’s throne is absent.”
Aurora pulled her hand from his calf, and Theron’s heart sank.
She hadn’t forgiven him his cruelties. She had, in fact, vowed to leave him at the first opportunity.
These were things he didn’t need a reminder of, especially now.
That Lady Ino had decided to set her dogs to stick their noses into his marriage fouled his mood, and he was not inclined to give them hope.
“You will refer to her as Her Highness, Princess Aurora, the star of Aureum. Should that change, you will know.”
“Does that mean the queen’s position is still vacant, Your Majesty?”
“Has there been a coronation, Lord Gallus?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
“Then you have your answer.”
“Then I would humbly like to petition you once more to consider Lady Ino for the position of queen, Your Majesty. Even now, she helps purify the waters of Altanus so that your capital might drink without fear of the blight. She is a loyal subject, and our family has long defended the border against enemy incursions,” he said, his eyes falling directly on Aurora.
“She is an accomplished woman of excellent character and...sound judgement.”
Aurora stiffened at his side at the clear insult. Thrice-damned bastard. Theron should, by rights, choke him to death. But this too was an opportunity.
“Princess Aurora has saved my life not once but twice, and has, in the past few days, saved dozens more Aurean lives. She has done all this while showing a great deal of restraint given I and others foolishly—and erroneously—implied she was not in her right mind. If any deserve the position of queen, it is my fated. The only reason she does not sit upon the queen’s throne now is that she is still deciding whether or not she can forgive the grave insult.
Pray that my wife, who came to us as a gift from the goddesses to save us from ruin, is more merciful than I. ”
When silence greeted his pronouncement and his courtiers began looking upon Aurora with newfound respect and interest, he nodded at Polydorus to end this show.
“Court has come to an end.”
“Triad bless the sun of Aureum,” his courtiers chanted.
“Go with the sun’s blessing,” he replied.
When it was only Aurora and his closets aides present, Theron sighed.
“May Fate cut Lady Ino’s thread short.”
Aurora choked and waved him off when he reached out with his magic. She stood, smoothing out her skirts.
“Thank you.” She adjusted a bracelet with a critical eye.
“It is the very least I could do,” he replied, surprised by her gratitude and her strange behaviour.
“Will we be leaving again in the morning?” She looked askance, not as if she couldn’t bear to face him, but as if she’d been struck by timidity.
“No, we’ll need to provision ourselves again. Three days, at least.”
“Then I’ll be in my room.”
“Will you join me for dinner?” he asked, daring to hope.
“I’ll think about it.” She bowed and left.