Chapter 22 Keris #2
“I hope the friendship continues,” Keris replied. “Thank you for agreeing to the visit. War looms, and I feel compelled to do what I can to prevent it.”
Cavendish gave a tight smile. “We should all like to avoid any more violence. Has Ithicana’s king decided to denounce his sister?”
Keris returned the smile. “I believe that’s a conversation I’d best have with your own king.”
“Of course.” Though he was undoubtedly annoyed, the other man’s face was a mask of composure as he gestured to the waiting carriage. “My people will arrange for your belongings to be brought to Fernleigh House. Shall we?”
They walked down the dock, Saam and his soldiers jockeying for position with the Harendellians, a multitude of glares exchanged.
“Apologies,” Keris murmured. “The empress personally charged them with protecting my well-being, and her wrath is a thing to behold.”
“You must sleep easy being so well cared for by your wife.”
“Like a baby,” Keris responded, amused by Cavendish’s sorry attempt to bait him. “There’s much to be said for having a dangerous woman in your bed.”
“I’ll have to take your word on that, Your Highness. Being a military man myself, I’ve always been the more dangerous one beneath the sheets.”
“It does require a certain degree of nerve.”
Cavendish’s jaw tightened. “I’ve never met a woman I couldn’t top.”
“Then I daresay you’ve never truly lived.” A footman opened the door to the carriage, and Keris gave Cavendish a condescending pat on the shoulder. “A bit of advice, man-to-man: The view from the bottom is better.”
Not giving the idiot a chance to respond, Keris climbed into the carriage, only to freeze as his eyes latched onto a familiar face.
“Welcome to Harendell, Your Highness,” Queen Alexandra Ashford said, the wound on her face twisting as she smiled. “We are so delighted to have you here with us.”
Keris inclined his head. “I appreciate your gracious acceptance of my request, Your Majesty. I have seen enough war to last a lifetime, and if I can aid in averting another, I will gladly do so.”
She gestured toward the seat opposite her with one gloved hand. “We all wish to avoid war.”
Keris sat, but as he did, he was struck with a sense of déjà vu of sitting before his father’s desk in the tower of the Vencia palace. His skin crawled, but he kept his unease off his face.
The carriage swayed as the horses made their way into the city, and Alexandra was silent, her green eyes contemplative.
“I hope your recovery is going smoothly,” Keris said to break the silence.
“As well as can be hoped.” Alexandra smoothed the silk of her black skirts. “The physical pain is manageable now, but…” She sighed and gestured to her cheek. “At my age and experience, I shouldn’t care about the disfigurement, but I find it difficult to look in the mirror. The weakness of vanity.”
“A weakness I share, so you’ll get no judgment from me.” Nor would he be so easily lured in by this pretense of fragility. North and south, Alexandra’s reputation was well known. Cold. Hard. Infinitely well mannered but always aloof. Above all else, she was infamous for her ruthless intelligence.
“I appreciate the sentiment, although I suspect your vanity is rarely tested. You will have the ladies of my court swooning, of that I have no doubt.”
“I’m a married man, Your Grace.”
“A love story for the ages, I’m told. Edward was entranced with the lengths to which you went to rescue Zarrah.” She smiled, but there was no warmth in her eyes. “My late husband believed in true love.”
Except Edward’s true love hadn’t been his wife. “His letters were endlessly entertaining. While we never met, I do feel as though I knew the late king well, and he will be sorely missed.”
“His loss is a hole that will never be filled.” Alexandra’s gaze broke from his, fixing on the gilded handle of the carriage door. “Tell me, does the empress know you are here?”
A question that logistics gave answer to, but Keris said, “Word has been sent to her. She will support my presence, if that’s your concern, Your Grace. Valcotta’s relationship with Ithicana is strong, and my wife counts Aren and Lara as dear friends. She has a vested interest in peace.”
“As do we all.” Alexandra braced her hand against the side of the carriage as they rolled over a hole in the cobbles. “Has Aren reconsidered his position?”
“Ahnna is not in Ithicana.” Keris winced as they bounced over yet another hole. “But you know that, don’t you, Your Grace? How could you not when Prince James himself is in pursuit of Ahnna through the Blackreaches?”
“I meant his position on Ahnna’s guilt.” Alexandra gestured to the city outside the carriage windows.
“The people demand justice, Your Highness. Their most beloved king was brutally murdered in his bed, their queen attacked, and then yet more civilians laid low by Ahnna’s violence as she escaped.
We must bring her to justice, and by refusing to condemn his sister, Aren renders himself complicit.
Not just himself, but all of Ithicana, for he is king. ”
“Harendell’s laws require a trial in which the accused may speak for themselves before judgment is made,” Keris replied. “Aren honors your own legal system by refusing to condemn Ahnna until she has had a fair trial.”
He waited for Alexandra to call out his bullshit, but instead she bit her bottom lip.
“You and I know there will be no trial, Keris. James is beyond reason in his resentment and grief, and he will surely kill Ahnna himself the moment he catches her. She might already be dead, for news is slow to come from the depths of the Blackreaches. Aren risks war for a corpse.”
Keris’s eyes narrowed. “Resentment?”
The dowager queen rubbed at her temples, then made a face.
“It is a proper tangle of politics and sentiments, illicit and tawdry, as is only possible in Harendell. I don’t care to reveal my family’s dirty laundry, but if doing so will help Aren better understand why Ahnna was driven to such lengths, then perhaps he might come to terms with the truth. ”
Well aware that he was now another thread being drawn into said tangle, Keris leaned forward. “I’ll convey what you tell me to his ears only.”
Alexandra sighed, toying with the black lace trim on her sleeve as she did. “I’m sure Valcotta’s spies informed you and the empress how…taken James was with Ahnna.” She huffed out a rueful sigh. “I suppose I should not mince words. He was utterly besotted with Ahnna from the moment they met.”
“We are cautious about believing rumors and speculation.”
“Consider the rumors confirmed.” She was quiet for a moment.
“As I said before, Edward was a believer in true love, but as I’m sure you know, Edward’s true love was James’s mother, Siobhan.
As such, he has always favored James over his other children.
Favored him with his time, with love, with titles, and with accolades, demanding that everyone in Harendell treat James as a legitimately born prince.
James was the apple of Edward’s eye, and there was nothing he would not do for Siobhan’s son. And James wanted Ahnna Kertell.”
Alexandra would be using this information to manipulate him, but that didn’t mean the queen’s words were lies. “I see.”
“For Ahnna’s part, I think she shared James’s sentiment, and in another life, she might have chosen him.
But the sense of duty in that woman was a thing to behold, and it was very clear to me that she came to Harendell with the singular goal of delivering Ithicana from the ruins of war.
To do that, she needed to be queen of Harendell, which meant marrying William.
Keris, I tell you with all honesty that Ahnna put her heart into becoming a proper Harendellian lady.
Adopted our dress and our customs, and put every effort into enticing William.
Wasted effort given that Edward had sabotaged her chances with William, because God forbid my son get something that James wanted. ”
“By sabotage, you mean Lestara?”
“Yes.” Alexandra spat the word. “Two birds with one stone, because not only would it leave Ahnna free for James’s taking, but wedding my son to that murderous slut also cemented his alliance with Cardiff.
Edward aimed to give Ahnna to his bastard like a gift, with no regard to what she wanted.
He never once considered the affront of presuming that Ithicana’s princess, the twin sister of King Aren, would want to be bound to a man born of an illicit affair. ”
Keris considered the revelation and his impression of Ahnna, then said, “Ahnna wouldn’t have murdered Edward because he insulted her.”
“You’re right.” Alexandra leaned so that their faces were close. “The laws of Harendell would never allow Edward to name a bastard as heir. James could never be king of Harendell, no matter how badly Edward wished it. But wed to Ahnna, he could become king of Ithicana and Master of the Bridge.”
Keris’s blood turned to ice. “You aren’t serious?”
“I am deadly serious, Keris.” Her green eyes searched his.
“Edward held nothing but contempt for Aren after he forgave Lara her transgressions, but Ahnna he put upon a pedestal. Everyone knows that she is the more beloved of the two Ithicanian royals, for she has been constant and true in her devotion to the people, just as all know the conflict between the two was intense because of Ahnna’s hatred of your sister.
Aren cast Ahnna aside like trash, so Edward was certain that she’d respond favorably not just to wedding James, but to Harendell supporting a coup to overthrow Aren and put Ahnna on the throne, James at her side. ”
“Overthrow, as in kill.”
“Obviously.” Alexandra gave a slow nod. “Edward aimed to murder Aren, Lara, and baby Delia all so that his beloved son could have the woman he wanted and a crown on his head.”
Keris’s heart hammered, blood roaring in his ears. “Edward told Ahnna his plans?”
Alexandra sat back. “Only she and Edward know for certain, and he is dead. My husband was a clever man, Your Highness, but he erred in his judgment of Ahnna Kertell’s character.”
Keris leaned back in his seat, it all making horrible sense in a way that made him feel sick.
Because if there was one thing he was certain of, it was that Ahnna would defend her brother to the grave.
“How do you know all this, Your Grace? Because I can only assume that Edward did not include you in his plots.”
Alexandra smoothed her skirts again. “There are many secrets kept in the House of Ashford, Your Highness, but not from me. At least, not for long.”
It all made far too much sense, and with so much of what she’d said widely known by all, it was either the truth or the most masterfully woven lie Keris had ever encountered. “What do you aim to achieve by telling me this, Alexandra?”
She gave a slow nod to acknowledge that these revelations had a cost. “What I will tell you next is for your ears only, Keris. If you ever claim that I spoke these words, I will deny it to the grave.” Her eyes locked on his.
“Edward deserved his end. He deserved Ahnna’s violence, and she was in the right to cut him down, because not only did he treat her like a mare to be bought and sold, but he threatened her family as well.
She was in the right, and I say that as one of her victims.”
“But…”
“But the people will not accept justification of their king’s brutal murder by a foreigner. The only way to appease them is with her head, which means that Aren must sacrifice her. He must. Otherwise, it will be war. Ithicana will fall beneath Harendell’s might, and thousands will perish.”
“What about William?” Keris demanded. “Does he know all this? Surely he can be made to see reason. Surely you can sway him toward peace.”
“He knows.” Her expression hardened. “But he is under the spell of a witch. A witch who is Ronan Crehan’s daughter, and I assure you, her goals are not peace with Ithicana.”
The carriage swayed to a stop, and Keris glanced outside to see they had drawn up in front of a manor with ivy climbing up the gray stone walls.
“If Aren does not sacrifice Ahnna to keep the peace, it will be war on Lestara’s terms,” Alexandra said, then the footman opened the door. “And you, Keris, have no one but yourself to blame for that.”