Chapter 9
I waited outside the wooden door of the king’s private drawing room. Doing my best to ignore the two guards standing sentry at the door, I smoothed the satin of my gown and resisted the urge to pace the halls.
The king would undoubtedly have questions for me.
Most I was prepared to answer, thanks to the story I had invented.
Others might not be so easily explained, like how I could have possibly rescued the princess from the perilous depths of the stormy water and survived.
I would attribute it to determination and luck—I just needed to be convincing.
Everything rested on my ability to trade well-crafted lies for their trust.
I thought back to my lessons with Doran about the mortal continent of Anerdor.
I had complained about it at the time, but it turned out to have its uses.
From memory, Solvardunn was a land of rugged coastlines, sweeping hills and verdant forests.
The kingdom was peaceful but commanded formidable forces and a particularly impressive fleet.
Like all mortal kingdoms, it had no ties with the magical continent of Amaros, and its population of magical beings was believed to be marginal.
I was snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of the door opening.
A spindly, older man dressed in fine, black clothing appeared on the threshold.
Immediately, his needle-like limbs, wispy black hair and matching eyes made me think of a spider.
“His Majesty will see you now,” he said, his drawl verging on boredom.
Inhaling a calming breath, relaxing my shoulders and raising my chin, I followed him into the room.
My first impression of the drawing room was that it had a cozy quality that alleviated some of the jitters dancing around my stomach.
It was furnished with upholstered chairs and elegant settees adorned with cushions in varying shades of blue and cream.
Heavy velvet drapes framed the windows and an impressive hearth housed a fire that warmed the entire room.
Seated in the settee closest to the hearth, wrapped in woolen blankets, was Princess Amalie. Next to her sat a handsome man around my age with watchful, brown eyes, like an owl.
A tall figure stood facing the hearth, and a third man sat in an overstuffed chair at the head of the room.
He had the same shade of eyes as the one seated next to Amalie, though his dark hair was peppered with gray.
His gaze was indecipherable, but he had a presence about him that was both commanding and inviting.
I didn’t need an introduction to know that I was staring into the face of the King of Solvardunn.
I bowed deeply, dropping my gaze to the rug beneath my feet.
“Presenting His Royal Majesty, King Rikard the Third of Solvardunn. His Royal Highness Prince Tarben”—I stiffened— “His Royal Highness Prince Hugo, and Her Royal Highness Princess Amalie. Your Majesty, this is…?” The spider man looked at me expectantly.
“Alara, Your Majesty. Alara Veradis,” the first lie spilled eloquently from my tongue.
In a deep, measured voice, the king said, “You must forgive the informal nature of this meeting, this day has been… tumultuous.” A flash of pain crossed his eyes.
He gestured to the seat opposite him. I sunk into the supple armchair. Aware that every set of eyes in the room was assessing me, I schooled my features into a pleasant yet deferent expression. A pair of blue-green eyes beckoned to me.
When my own eyes strayed from the king’s face to steal a glance at the person they belonged to, my breath caught. The man by the hearth had turned around and he was even more handsome in person.
The king continued. “My daughter says you rescued her from the shipwreck and swam her to safety. Is this true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” I responded demurely, risking another glance at my target.
Prince Tarben looked a few years older than me.
He shared many of his father’s features, although his were softened by his golden hair and bright eyes.
Unlike his father, his presence warred between benevolent chivalry and roguish charisma.
Was he as charming as he looked? If all went according to plan, I would soon find out.
The penetration of his gaze caught me off guard. Pretending not to notice, I focused on the king.
“Well, in that case, we are eternally indebted to you,” he said.
Amalie offered me a weak smile. The prince seated next to her, Hugo, regarded me with suspicion, and Tarben gazed at me with a heat rivaling the fire he stood in front of.
I ignored him. With a face like that, females probably threw themselves at him all the time.
If I was to make this man fall in love with me, I needed to be different.
“And how is it that you managed to come across the princess, rescue her in the midst of a devastating storm, and live to tell the tale?” Hugo drawled, his eyes narrowed.
I had expected this question, but something about the way he delivered it grated on my nerves. I had to bite my tongue—he didn’t know he was addressing Mer royalty.
“You will forgive my son. He has had little sleep and appears to have forgotten his manners.” The king threw him a glare. “However, if you please, we are interested in hearing how you came to rescue Princess Amalie.”
By now, a silver tea tray had arrived, bearing tarts and sandwiches. My stomach growled, but I ignored it as I launched into my tale.
I told them I had been traveling on The Queen Astrid when the storm descended. As soon as I saw the princess tossed into the waves, I jumped from my lifeboat and swam against the current to retrieve her, nearly drowning in the process.
Aside from those fabrications, my story was mostly true. After all, lies were more believable when they were grounded in the truth.
After I had finished speaking, I glanced at my hosts. The king’s face was unreadable, Amalie looked shaken, and Hugo wore a wary expression.
It was Tarben who finally addressed me. “I was on a different lifeboat. I didn’t find out about what happened until we reached land.
If I had known, I would have gone after her myself.
” His throat bobbed. “I thought we had lost her.” He shook his head, as if shaking away the emotion that appeared to be swelling up inside him.
“Why would you risk yourself to rescue a stranger?” It was curiosity, not accusation, in his tone.
I decided that, because you were nowhere to be found and my pesky conscience would never have let me live in peace if I hadn’t, would be the incorrect thing to say. Instead, I answered, “Because I couldn’t stand to watch an innocent life be claimed by the ocean, Your Highness.”
Hugo scoffed. “Surely you must have known it was the princess you rescued?”
I bristled at his sneering tone. What was his problem? “I confess I did not know who she was when I saved her, Your Highness,” I said, masking my irritation. “And, even if I did, it would have made no difference to me. A child’s life was in peril, so I had to act.”
“Indeed.”
I was almost impressed by how he managed to make the word sound condescending. Bastard.
Amalie mustered a grateful smile as she said, “Thank you, Alara. You are remarkably brave.”
Doing my best to look modest, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You were tremendously brave yourself, Your Highness.”
The girl looked exhausted. Charcoal shadows ringed her heavy-lidded eyes and her silent yawns increased as the conversation wore on.
The king apparently noticed too. Roused from whatever unpleasant thoughts he’d been having, he said, “Thank you, Alara. That is sufficient for the time being. Princess Amalie needs to rest, and I am sure you, too, are weary. I would like to invite you to stay at the castle as our honored guest for as long as you wish.”
Yes! My heart drummed a beat of triumph but, outwardly, I dipped my head in a deferential display of thanks.
“Ingrid has prepared a bedchamber and will bring you a tray of refreshments. Join us for dinner tomorrow night when everyone is feeling more recovered.”
My stomach grumbled once more at the thought of food. “Thank you, Your Majesty, that is most gracious of you,” I said as I rose.
“Lord Helvig,” he called to the spider man still standing by the door. “Have Ingrid show Alara to her bedchamber.”
Helvig inclined his head. “Yes, Your Majesty.” He opened the door and waited while I bowed to my hosts.
Unhurried, I followed Helvig from the room, fighting off a smirk; Tarben hadn’t taken his eyes off of me the entire time.