Chapter 8 #3
“I agree,” Giles said, and that drew a skeptical eyebrow from his wife. “We should wait for the others before we get down to brass tacks.”
“Yes,” Sybil said. “We’re set to begin tomorrow, are we not? I’m rather tired from the journey, and I’d prefer to rest this evening before we get into the messy business of a potential war.”
She had a point there, and we were supposed to have our first official meeting with all the royals the day after our agreed-upon arrivals, so I nodded.
“Sure,” I said. “I don’t see why not.”
I busied myself with the food for a moment, and I couldn’t help but notice how much Yori was enjoying the little sandwiches. After a single bite, I could see why. They were delicious with some kind of garlic-flavored spread on the bread, and the lettuce was perfectly crisp.
“Mmmm,” Yori hummed loudly before she swallowed and smiled at the queen. “These are so good. What’s in the spread? It’s amazing.”
“Yes.” Sybil made a face that was probably supposed to be a smile, but it looked a lot more like a grimace. “It’s a special recipe from our private cook.”
“There’s garlic and thyme in it,” Giles said in a friendly tone.
Sybil didn’t say anything, but I didn’t miss the sharp look she shot in her husband’s direction. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, and a severe frown line had started to show between her eyebrows, but she didn’t say anything.
“Queen Yori,” Giles said. “I understand you and Queen Serra were very recently crowned. How are you enjoying your new title?”
He spoke in a casual and friendly manner, and I appreciated his kind attempts to fill the awkward silence.
“It’s only been a few days,” Yori said in excitement. “We haven’t really done much. Most of our time since then has been spent preparing for this meeting and then the days of travel, of course…”
“A very unusual choice for a queen.” Sybil held her teacup with a delicate grasp, and she sipped the tiniest bit from the edge of the cup. “Don’t you think, darling?”
She gave Giles another pointed look, and he seemed to wither under her gaze like a flower under too harsh sunlight.
“Yes, dear,” he mumbled and leaned back in his seat.
“Quite unprecedented,” Sybil continued with her eyes locked on Tanell. “Don’t you think?”
“How so?” Tanell asked in a cool tone.
I could practically see Tanell’s hackles rising, and she straightened her shoulders to match Queen Sybil’s energy. Tanell was a kindhearted woman, it was one of my favorite things about her, but she knew how to put ice in her veins when the occasion called for it.
This was obviously an occasion Tanell thought called for it, and I watched as the cold mask slipped over her like a cloak.
“Oh, I’m sure you know what I mean,” Sybil said with a simpering little smile. “I understand she came from a peasant village and King Oberis– may he rest in peace– chose her for whatever reasons… She hardly has any rightful claim to such a title.”
“She has every claim to it,” Serra said.
My silver-blonde queen had slipped on her cold mask as quickly as Tanell had, and the distant woman I’d first met was sitting before me once more. Except this time, it wasn’t me she was putting at arm’s length.
Love for the women who’d been well-trained in how to navigate high society whipped through my chest like an ocean current, and I watched their interaction with thick curiosity.
“There should be only one queen,” Sybil said directly to Tanell, and she completely ignored the fact that Serra had even spoken. “One queen, one king, no more.”
“And yet,” Tanell said with a sharp smile. “Here the four of us are.”
“Mmm,” Sybil hummed and sipped her tea.
Throughout all of their exchange, Yori had slowly melted into the seat. She’d stopped eating and placed her plate back on the table. Her eyes were free of tears, but I could see the hurt the Silver Coast Queen had delivered.
“I don’t see how it’s any concern of yours, Your Majesty,” I said pointedly to Sybil, and I let a bit of snide tone color her title as it slipped from my lips.
“It was merely an observation,” Sybil said, and she sipped her tea again. “There are places for the women you wish to keep in your life. Concubines and mistresses, but a queen is more than a title.”
She stopped to sip her tea some more, and we all waited for her to continue. When she didn’t, Tanell inclined her head in the Silver Coast Queen’s direction.
“How so?” Tanell asked.
“She is a symbol,” Sybil said, like she was explaining to a toddler why we have to wear clothing. “A queen demonstrates to her subjects what the nation stands for, what they can expect of their monarchs. She establishes the level of propriety and civility of the entire country.”
“Are you suggesting I’m not proper or civil?” Yori asked.
There was a steely line of anger burning under her words, but she maintained a polite demeanor.
I expected Sybil to use more politely passive-aggressive verbiage to deny the accusation, but what she said actually shocked me.
“Yes,” Sybil said, and then she let out a tinkling little laugh. “Of course I am. How can you be either when you were raised no better than a farm animal? I suppose you’d never seen a proper home until King Oberis scooped you up like some kind of prize for his bed.”
Yori’s cheeks flushed with rage, but she held her tongue.
“Dear–” Giles began.
Sybil shot him a harsh look, and his presence shriveled in an instant.
I was starting to get a really clear picture of who wore the pants in their relationship, and I felt sorry for the guy. Being diminished by his supposed partner in front of us must have been incredibly grating.
“And what was your upbringing like, Queen Sybil?” Tanell asked.
“Well, I was raised in the capital, of course,” Sybil said with the first genuine smile I’d seen from her. “As is right. My father was a fine and beloved king. I was raised to reign from the cradle.”
“I suppose you’ve never had to do the kind of hard work your subjects have to do every day?” Yori asked in a bold tone.
“Of course not,” Sybil laughed outright. “How foolish a thought. You see, Tanell, this is exactly why you need to have a firmer hand as you guide your new king in his role. This is as much your fault as it is his. More so, perhaps. I understand he doesn’t know our ways, but you certainly do–”
I stood up to cut off her words, and I reached over for Yori’s hand.
“Thank you for your–” I paused to consider my words. “Unique welcome, Queen Sybil. We’re going to return to our tent now to rest after the journey.”
“Certainly,” she said, and she seemed entirely unbothered by how many of our feathers were ruffled. “We’ll get into the unpleasant business tomorrow.”
She stood up, but King Giles remained in his seat. The color had drained a little from his face, and he looked suddenly tired. I wondered about his health and if he was having heart issues or something.
“Mm.” I nodded.
I held my hand out to help Yori from her chair, and then I did the same for Serra. Tanell stood up on her own, and her spine was ramrod straight as she gave Sybil a sharp smile that matched the icy welcome the Silver Coast Queen had given us.
Sybil didn’t even bother to say goodbye or hold up any further pretenses of politeness. She simply walked away and disappeared behind the tent divider without another word or look in our direction.
“My apologies, King Kenneth,” Giles said, and he groaned a little as he pushed himself to his feet. “My dear wife can be…”
“Difficult?” I suggested.
“A bitch,” Yori muttered under her breath just loud enough that I could hear her.
“Set in her ways?” Giles suggested with an apologetic grimace. “She’s never known anything other than life as the heir apparent and then ruling monarch.”
“She seems in need of some perspective,” Tanell said, and the coldness was gone from her voice.
“Mmm.” Giles nodded. “I look forward to working with the four of you and your nation to handle this threat.”
He reached out to shake my hand, and there was a hint of something deeper in his eyes that caught my attention.
I couldn’t put my finger on what it was, but I decided he wasn’t cut from the same cloth as his Queen.
Even though his wife was a stuck-up bitch, Giles seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.
“Me, too,” I said. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
Giles nodded and sank back into his seat like he needed to rest.
Tanell gave him another smile before she left the tent, and Yori and Serra walked out behind her with little waves of goodbye for the seemingly ill king.
Anders and his team fell in step right behind us as we walked in silence across the grassy field to our tent, and we walked into the tent to find a miniature version of home waiting for us.