Chapter 12
The next morning, Sabine sat on the balcony, examining the breakfast tray Claire had left for her. She had her usual plate of fruit, some biscuits, and a box. Reaching forward, she opened the box, curious to see what it contained. Instead of a special pastry as she’d expected, she found a stack of letters tied together with a note.
Princess Sabine,
These are the letters your sister wrote to me along with the notes I sent her. I want you to have them.
Rainer
Shock rolled through her. Not only had he signed the paper informally using his first name—no title—but he’d give her his letters. Returning her sister’s made sense. However, giving her his showed a major gesture on his part. Curious as to what insight they could possibly reveal, she untied the ribbon and began reading them.
The first thing she noticed were the dates. Alina and Rainer had begun writing to one another before the marriage contract had been signed. And Sabine hadn’t known about it. A pang of hurt filled her. She wished her sister had confided in her. Then the engagement wouldn’t have been such a shock.
Each of Alina’s letters were open, honest, and touching. Alina shared that she was in love with a man she hoped to marry. She told Rainer she didn’t think she could ever love anyone else. However, Alina expressed concern over her kingdom’s troubles. In her latter letters, she shared her desire to have children and her willingness to be a queen.
Surprisingly, Rainer’s letters were much the same. He spoke about a great love of his life whom he couldn’t marry because of her station. He didn’t want to try to find someone to replace her; however, he needed to marry and have an heir as soon as possible to keep his crown. He asked if Alina would consider marrying and being friends but nothing more. He didn’t want anything from her other than being a queen for Lynk and giving him a child.
Leaning back in her chair, she tried to digest all she’d learned. Rainer had shown Sabine these letters for a reason. Maybe he wanted her to know he had no interest in having a relationship with her—which was fine. They could be married and nothing more. Truth be told, she didn’t even care if they were friends. All she wanted was to bring her sister’s killer to justice and make sure the king sent soldiers to help Bakley so they could secure their border.
She found it hard to reconcile the Rainer she’d met with the one in the letters.
Markis had told her he was supposed to find these letters and send them to Rolf in case they offered any insight into who was responsible for Alina’s murder. After reading them, she knew they didn’t reveal anything of that nature. Instead, they showed a private side of both Alina and Rainer that Sabine didn’t feel anyone else had the right to see.
After carefully stacking the letters together, she tied the ribbon back around them. This was a part of Alina that she’d chosen not to share with Sabine. She would respect her sister and return them to their rightful owner.
She went inside and over to the door leading to the royal suite, knocking softly on it.
A guard answered. “Is there something I can do for you, Your Highness?”
“I want to speak with King Rainer.” She had no idea what she’d say to him, but she’d start by returning the letters and thanking him for his kindness.
“He’s at the training grounds.” The guard started to close the door.
“Can I tour the facilities?” she asked, curious as to not only where they were located but wanting to see Rainer with his men. Her brother, Rolf, often trained alongside his soldiers, running through drills with them. However, her father rarely stepped foot in the training yard.
“You’d like for me to escort you to the training grounds?” the guard asked.
“Yes.” She held her head high, as if making it a command and not a request. She had no idea what orders Rainer had given to his men regarding her, but she was going to be their queen and they’d have to obey her eventually. She might as well start acting like it now.
“I’m not able to leave my post, Your Highness.”
“Very well. I will have one of my other guards escort me.” She shut the door before he could respond.
After placing the letters in the top drawer of her desk for safekeeping, she exited her room, scanning her guards’ faces for Markis and not finding him. She quickly spoke, taking control of the situation. “I want to be escorted to the training facility.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” one of the guards said. “This way, please.” Two men remained at her door while the other four loosely surrounded her.
They traversed along hallways and stairwells until they reached the front of the palace where her guards spoke with the sentries on duty. Having their faces all covered with masks made it hard to tell what these men were thinking and if they’d permit her to leave the palace. She made sure to keep her head held high with the expectation that her orders would be obeyed.
After a moment, a groan resounded and the bridges on both sides of the mountains began to lower. Once they connected, Sabine and her guards were granted passage. The wind wasn’t nearly as strong as before, and she crossed easily without an ounce of panic.
Back on solid ground, her guards led her to the left instead of along the main street as she’d suspected they would. It felt strange being out of the palace since she’d been holed up in there for so many days.
There were several plain buildings along the side of the street. They stopped before the last one, right next to the edge of the cliff, no windows visible in the two-story structure.
One of her guards knocked and an elderly woman opened the door, granting them entrance. Sabine stepped inside. A single torch lit a square room. Once the door closed and locked, the woman knelt and opened a door built into the floor, revealing a steep staircase. Two of her guards began the descent.
Sabine hesitated.
“You going to the training grounds or not?” the elderly woman asked, a slight accent to her words.
“That’s Your Highness to you,” the guard beside her said.
The woman’s eyes widened. “Forgive me, Your Highness.”
“Of course,” Sabine said, peering down the steps. There was no end in sight since she didn’t see another level. “Does this go down into the mountain?”
“Aye,” the woman answered.
The first two guards stopped, waiting for her.
“We’ll be right behind you,” the guard to her right assured her.
Sabine nodded. She couldn’t show any fear. Gripping the railing, she began the climb down. The first thing she noticed was the slight chill in the air. The deeper she descended, the colder it got. An odd smell filled the air though she couldn’t pinpoint what it was. After twenty feet, the staircase abruptly turned to the right. It continued in this pattern, and she realized she was descending in a square-shaped vertical tunnel of sorts. The stairs eventually stopped at a door.
One of her guards knocked, paused, knocked three times, and then kicked the bottom with his boot.
The door opened, revealing an enormous cavern. Based upon the sheer size of it, it had to be under the town. She stepped out onto a ledge that wrapped around the upper portion of the cavern where a few people stood watching the activity twenty feet below. She went to the right, out of the way, before stopping next to the railing.
Ten groups of men, all dressed in black, were spread throughout the area. One group had swords and seemed to be doing some basic katas. The group next to them was busy sparring. Some used weapons, others worked on hand-to-hand combat techniques. Each seemed to be doing something different.
“Are these all soldiers in the army?” Sabine asked no one in particular.
“Soldiers and people from the town who serve when called upon,” the guard to her left answered.
She stood there watching, amazed by the talent of some of these men. Cheering erupted from the sparring group toward the middle. One man flew onto his back, blood pouring from his nose, his arm at an odd angle. The victor reached down, helping the defeated man to his feet. They went to the edge of the circle and two different men entered the ring.
A hush descended over the cavern, and everyone turned to watch the fight about to take place.
The two men stood across from one another, each taking up a fighting stance. She instantly recognized the one on the right—it was Markis. She had no idea what he was doing here training with these Lynk men. Markis’s opponent took the first swing. He was a few inches taller than Markis but other than that, they appeared to be about the same weight. The two men circled one another. As the man’s face came into view, shock rolled through Sabine. It was the king.
Markis swung, and Rainer jumped back.
“What are you doing here?” Lottie asked as she came to stand beside Sabine.
“I wanted to speak to Rainer,” she said lamely, pointing at him.
“He won’t talk to you here.” Lottie leaned against the railing, watching the two men circle one another. “When he trains, he is very focused. You’d swear he was a soldier and not a king. Then when he’s in the palace it flips. All king, no soldier.”
“What are you doing here?” Sabine asked.
“I heard Rainer was going to fight, so I came to watch. I’m sure Axel and Anton are here as well.”
Rainer threw another punch. This time he managed to hit Markis in the stomach. Markis hunched forward but quickly straightened, once again bouncing on his feet. The two men eyed one another, two animals each seeking blood.
“I love when Rainer challenges someone,” Lottie said. “Since being crowned king, he’s rarely had the chance to fight.”
“You enjoy watching this?” Sabine always hated it when one of her brothers fought.
“Yes.” Lottie smiled and glanced at her. “Rainer has a natural talent for fighting. It really is amazing to see.”
Markis swung but Rainer turned, so he missed. Rainer countered with a strike to Markis’s head.
“They’re holding back, right?” Sabine whispered. “So no one will get hurt?”
Lottie laughed. “I doubt it. Don’t you have brothers?”
Sabine nodded. “I have four.”
“Then you know when they fight, they don’t hold back.”
“What if they get hurt?” In the last fight, it looked like the one had a broken arm and nose.
“Other than a few bruises and some scratches, my brother has managed to come out mostly unscathed. He’s also never lost a fight. My dad trained his sons to be warriors. That’s what Rainer is.” She peered at Sabine. “Does this side of him scare you?”
“No.” And that was the truth. She found his ability to fight so well fascinating. Karl had trained his entire life to be king, so his fighting skills were lacking. But Rainer…the way his body moved, the muscles along his torso, and the speed with which he fought could only be accomplished from years and years of training.
“Then what made you upset?”
“He’s fighting Markis, and I fear he’ll be injured. As his sister, I’m surprised you allow him to do this now that he’s king.”
Lottie laughed. “No one allows Rainer to do anything. He does as he pleases.”
Markis managed to hit Rainer’s shoulder, and the king stumbled backward a few steps.
“When do they stop?” Sabine asked.
“When one is too injured to continue.”
Sabine didn’t think she could stand there and watch this any longer.
“Do you know why the guards wear masks?” Lottie asked.
She’d considered it many times. So far, she’d only managed to come up with one possibility. “So no one knows who they are so they can’t be bribed?”
“That, and so no one sees their bruised faces.”
Rainer swiped Markis’s legs out from under him. Markis landed on his back, rolled out of the way, and jumped to his feet.
“I’ve never seen a fight take this long,” Lottie said. “Rainer is going to be thrilled.”
“Why is that?” She would have expected him to be upset.
“Markis has a different way of fighting. It’s challenging Rainer. My brother will want to learn Markis’s ways and teach it to his soldiers.”
Markis spun and then punched Rainer’s stomach. Rainer wrapped his arm around Markis’s neck, flipping him to the ground. The two men continued in this manner for the next several minutes. Finally, another soldier called the fight, raising both of their arms in a tie.
Relief filled Sabine.
“Interesting,” Lottie said. “I’ve never seen a tie called before either.”
Rainer and Markis went over to the side, talking together while another pair entered the ring and began sparring.
“I think I’ve seen enough for one day,” Sabine mumbled.
“If you’re leaving, I’m going to head down.”
“Down?”
“To practice with the soldiers.”
“Women are permitted to openly train?”
Lottie nodded. “My brother encourages it.”
The sound of dogs barking echoed in the cavern. “What’s that?”
“We have a training facility down here for dogs as well. My brother likes to use them for hunting, sniffing out poisons, and sometimes he’ll use them in battle depending on the situation.”
“Dogs?”
“They’re intelligent and easily trainable.”
There was so much Sabine didn’t know.
Lottie reached out, taking hold of Sabine’s hand, and squeezing it. “I’m here if there’s anything you need. I can show you around the palace, teach you some of our Lynk history, anything you want. All you have to do is ask.”
“Thank you.”
Lottie smiled. “Us women have to stick together.” She released Sabine’s hand.
“Yes, we do.” While no one could possibly replace Alina, Lottie could be a much-needed friend in what was turning out to be a very lonely place.
Sabine made her way through the palace, heading back toward her bedchamber. There was so much about Rainer that she didn’t understand—starting with why he’d been sparring with Markis in the first place. If it were to test his skills, they could have taken precautions so neither would be injured. However, they’d been fighting as if it were a real fight. Her stomach still didn’t feel well after witnessing such unrestrained violence.
Turning the corner, she caught sight of Axel standing with a woman in the doorway down the hall. The two were locked in an embrace, the woman’s lips on Axel’s neck as he twirled a strand of her hair, a lazy smile on his face.
Sabine moved around her guards and headed directly toward him, stopping a few feet away and tapping her foot with impatience.
When Axel noticed her, surprise filled his face. He quickly hid it and asked, “What can I do for you?”
“Ditch the woman.”
He extricated himself from her, then whispered something in her ear. The woman glared at Sabine before sauntering away. Once she turned the corner, Axel shoved his hands in his pockets and came closer to Sabine, his eyes gleaming in delight. “Well, well, well. What has you in this delightfully feisty mood?”
“I want to know why you told me to watch out for Cutler.”
He shrugged. “Don’t like the guy.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” she said, folding her arms.
“What other reason could I possibly have?”
She nodded. “That’s all I needed to know.” She turned and started to walk away.
After she’d gone about ten feet, Axel said, “Wait.”
She stopped but didn’t face him.
“I figured he’d want to talk to you. Tell you some things you might not be ready to hear.”
At that, she turned toward him. “He did. Our conversation became quite animated. Markis had to intervene.”
He tipped his head back and laughed, the sound echoing down the hallway. “Oh that’s rich. That explains why Rainer is with him.”
“I saw the two of them fighting. It wasn’t pretty.”
The smile disappeared from Axel’s face. “Here is not the place to be having this conversation.” He tilted his head to the side, an invitation for Sabine to follow him.
She wasn’t a jealous woman, and she didn’t care what Rainer did. However, she wanted to know about Heather, and she didn’t want to ask Rainer about her. If the king had a relationship with another woman, that needed to be considered with regards to Alina. This woman—Heather—could have had Alina killed. At this point, all options had to be considered.
Axel led the way along the hallway, stopping before a large door. He opened it, ushering her inside.
Sabine stepped into a luxurious sitting room filled with plush sofas and large pillows.
“Wait out there,” Axel instructed her guards. They remained in the hallway. “You, out.” The guard stationed inside bowed and then left the room. Axel closed the door. “Now that we’re alone, we can speak freely.”
“Where are we?” she asked, wondering if this was a royal wing shared by Axel, Anton, and Lottie.
“We’re in my private rooms.” He went over and plopped on one of the two cream sofas, stretching his arms across the back of it. To the right, archways led to a balcony lined with tall bushes which blocked the view.
“We shouldn’t be in here alone.” They were both unmarried. There needed to be at least one guard present.
“I forgot how uptight people from Bakley are,” he said with a moan. “No one is around—which is the point—so you can ask me whatever it is you want to know.”
Not wanting to waste the opportunity, she said, “Why is King Rainer fighting with my guard, Markis?” She sat on the sofa across from Axel. The slit up the front of her tan dress parted, sliding over her legs, and exposing them from ankle to thigh. She had the urge to pull the material together to cover them. However, she left it, wanting to show she was acclimating to the culture here.
Axel’s eyes focused on her legs. “Your skin is pale. I can tell you’re used to being covered up.” He winked. “Glad that’s changing.”
“Please answer my question.” She needed to show him he couldn’t rattle her.
After watching her for a minute, Axel shrugged. “Who knows. My brother has always done what he wants. Rainer doesn’t care if his actions hurt or affect others.”
A loaded answer she’d have to think about in more detail later. “King Rainer seems to be a good ruler.” Not that she knew much about the sort of king he was, especially since he hadn’t been sitting on the throne that long.
“Everyone is entitled to his or her opinion.”
“You don’t think he is?” she asked, wondering if Axel should be on her list of suspects.
He glanced at the ceiling before responding, “Don’t ever tell him I said this.” He looked her in the eyes. “But yes, he’s a good ruler. Just a little soft sometimes. Like the whole mess with…”
“Heather?” she whispered.
He nodded. “Cutler told you?”
“Cutler told me he is engaged to Heather.”
“Of course he did.” Axel shook his head. “The bloke’s been in love with her for as long as I’ve known him. Obviously. No man in their right mind would marry a woman carrying another man’s child.”
It felt as if Sabine had been punched in the stomach. Heather was pregnant with Rainer’s child. “Did my sister know any of this?” While the letters had revealed that the king was in love with another woman, they said nothing about it being Heather or that she was pregnant. Sabine didn’t know why this piece of information was important, but it was. She needed to know.
“Not sure. Your sister didn’t confide in me.”
She rubbed her forehead. This had to be why Rainer shared the letters with her—he wanted her to know, as her sister had, what she was getting herself into. Then she’d have no reason to ever be resentful or jealous. She couldn’t believe Alina had agreed to any of this. The thought sickened her.
“Why do you care who my brother loves?” Axel asked, his voice holding a hint of genuine curiosity.
“I don’t.” Her priority was finding her sister’s killer, not worrying about love or who was sleeping with whom.
“Then why do you look upset?”
“All of this makes Heather a suspect in the death of my sister.” And if Heather were responsible for Alina’s death, she doubted Rainer would do anything about it. Most likely, he’d hide all evidence on Heather’s behalf.
“I doubt Heather is capable of murder.”
“You’d be surprised what a woman would do in the name of love.”
“Oh, I have no doubt. I’ve seen some crazy things over the years.” Axel crossed his legs and folded his hands in his lap. “Are you aware that my brother is required to have an heir to maintain the throne?”
“Yes.” She just didn’t want to think about having sex with her soon-to-be husband right now. Even if he was handsome. Even if she could imagine him sliding his hands over her body, his lips trailing kissing along her neck, his tongue…
“Then consider this. Heather’s child is a backup in case you can’t have a kid.”
His comment snapped some sense back into her. “I am not a horse to be bred.”
He chuckled; the sound dark. “I’m afraid you are. And Rainer needs a child to keep his throne. Power, and the need to maintain it, makes people do crazy things.”
She abruptly stood and went over to the archway, looking out at the balcony. “Do you know who killed my sister?”
“No.” He sighed. “But I wish I did. Princess Alina didn’t deserve to die.”
“I need to find out who killed her,” she whispered.
“Honestly, there are too many possibilities both here in the palace and in other kingdoms.”
A rustling sound came from behind her, but she didn’t turn around.
“My brother is looking into it,” Axel said from what sounded like a few feet away.
“That’s not good enough.” It had already been weeks. “I have to find the person responsible.”
“So you can get revenge?” His voice sounded even closer.
“Yes.” The air seemed to crackle around her. She knew Axel was mere inches behind her, but she refused to face him.
“If you want to find your sister’s killer, I suggest you start playing nice with everyone here at the palace.”
“How so?” Now they were getting somewhere.
“If I were you, I’d host a private, exclusive tea party to welcome a few select people into your personal inner circle. They’ll start talking to gain your favor. It might give you some direction.”
That was an excellent idea, and one she should have thought of. “Thank you.” She could almost feel Axel behind her. She half expected him to touch her shoulder or back, but he refrained from doing so. After a moment of silence, she turned around and looked up into his eyes. “Why was Rainer fighting Markis?” she asked again.
“My guess would be to see if he’s worthy to be your protector.”
“And Rainer couldn’t watch Markis fight one of his soldiers?”
Axel smiled. “That’s not how my brother operates.” He suddenly looked away, shaking his head.
“Axel,” she whispered. “What do you mean by that?” She had a feeling he wanted to say more.
His brow furrowed, and he looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. “You’re everything my brother wanted with Alina but didn’t get.”
Silence hung between them. She wanted to ask more but knew when to keep her mouth shut. She’d already gotten more out of Axel than he’d intended to give. “Thank you for your advice.” She stepped around him and went to the door.
“Be careful out there,” Axel said. “You’re an outsider, and a lot of people don’t want the king of Lynk to marry someone from Bakley.”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Like some of the people in your court?”
“And ruling families from other kingdoms. They’re afraid of the power the two kingdoms will gain by forming an alliance.”
“I understand.” She left the room, more confused than ever.