Chapter 10
The women gathered around me as we stood outside our tent and watched the procession of the Kestran royals ride into the camp.
They had more carriages than Enken and Doria or me, and each one was flanked by six horse-mounted soldiers.
Behind the last carriage, an entire battalion of foot soldiers stomped across the grass in their full suits of armor.
They looked ready to march into battle rather than gather with other royals for a diplomatic meeting of minds.
“They brought so many soldiers,” Tanell observed.
“Is that a bad thing?” Yori asked the question in my mind.
“Not necessarily,” Serra answered.
“Mmm.” Tanell nodded in agreement. “This many soldiers may be their usual travel arrangements.”
“Good point,” I said.
We lapsed back into silence as the caravan looped through the middle of the central grass area and pulled up in front of Kestran’s maroon-and-orange tent. The soldiers closed ranks around the carriages as servants, advisors, and companions began to pour out.
“Can you see them?” Yori arched up on tiptoes in an attempt to see over the horde of armed men.
“No,” I said. “We’ll get a chance to meet them soon.”
“They might want to settle in first,” Carissa said.
“True,” Serra murmured.
We stood and watched the shuffling chaos for about five minutes as servants unloaded trunks and crates from the carriages. There was an occasional chair or small table as well, but it seemed like their larger items had been set up before their arrival, much like our tent had been.
“Should we go back in–” Yori started to ask.
Her voice fell away as the crowd of soldiers and servants parted, and we got our first look at the King and Queen of Kestran.
They were an elegant and sharp-looking couple who wore an air of authority around them like cloaks.
The king was a tall, broad-shouldered man who looked to be in his late fifties. His brown hair was streaked with gray, and his neatly-trimmed beard had completely faded to gray. His face was lined with fine wrinkles, and there was a short scar that cut through his left eyebrow.
His clothing left no room to question his station in society.
He wore fine black pants that were tailored perfectly to fit his tree-trunk-like legs.
He wore a crisp white, linen shirt and a waistcoat that matched his pants with buttons that looked like opals.
It was the kind of outfit I wouldn’t have been surprised to see on the cover of GQ magazine.
His queen walked directly at his side and in perfect step with him.
She appeared to be a bit younger than he, and I guessed she hadn’t yet turned fifty.
Her brown hair had a few thin lines of silver in it and was twisted up in a pile of curls on the top of her head.
Her nose was strong and reminded me of Roman statues.
There was a sharp intelligence in her brown eyes as she studied first me and then the women around me.
I was a little surprised to see she was wearing pants, but they didn’t take away from her obviously royal look.
Her dark brown pants had a wider cut that camouflaged the shape of her legs and cinched in around her narrow waist. Her red blouse had loose sleeves that billowed out in the soft summer breeze, and it was tied together at her neck with black lacing.
A footman in Kestran’s maroon-and-orange livery hurried forward, passed the king and queen, and huffed a breath as he stopped before me.
“Your Majesty,” he said in a slightly out-of-breath voice. “His Royal Majesty, King Horus Ravillion, and Her Royal Majesty, Queen Laylia Ravillion.”
The footman bowed deeply and shuffled backward without another word, and then we were face to face with the Kestran royals.
“King Kenneth, I presume?” King Horus asked. “Word of your rise to the throne has traveled far and wide.”
“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing,” I said with a half-smile. “It’s an honor to meet you, King Horus, Queen Laylia.”
I nodded my head in a respectful greeting and turned to introduce the women beside me.
“My queens,” I gestured at each of them in turn. “Queen Tanell, Queen Serra, Queen Yori, and this is our good friend, Lady Carissa of Basstrum.”
It wasn’t strictly correct to omit Carissa’s last name from her introduction, but after her father had destroyed their family’s reputation, I didn’t see any need to lump her in with him.
“It’s a pleasure,” Queen Laylia said with a polite smile at each of them. “We’ve been quite distraught by this whole affair.”
“It is rather concerning,” Tanell agreed.
“Hopefully, we can come to an agreement,” King Horus said.
He didn’t say anything more, and a slightly awkward silence fell over our little gathering. The King and Queen of Kestran seemed unbothered by the silence, and I got the impression they weren’t the type for small talk.
“Queen Doria and King Enken of Basstrum arrived yesterday,” I informed them. “The Prime Minister of Valnar arrived yesterday, too, but we haven’t had the chance to meet him.”
Horus nodded but didn’t say anything.
“And the royals from the Silver Coast?” Queen Laylia asked.
“We met them yesterday,” Tanell said, and she managed to remove any indication of her opinion from the short statement.
“Mmm, indeed.” Laylia arched one eyebrow. “I hear she is…”
Laylia gestured vaguely with one elegant hand before she looked to her husband for help.
“A cold bitch,” Horus suggested in a dry tone.
“Mmm.” Laylia hummed in agreement.
I barely managed to keep my snort of laughter inside, but Yori wasn’t as successful. I braced for the fallout of such disrespect from one royal to another, but I was relieved to see a sparkle of humor in both the king’s and queen’s eyes.
“I’ve never liked her,” Horus revealed.
“Neither have I,” Laylia added. “If we’re being honest.”
“May I ask why?” I glanced between the two of them. “I mean, it’s not hard to believe. She was rather nasty.”
“She said I was no better than a farm animal,” Yori said, and she gave a slightly crazed half-smile.
“Mmm.” Laylia rolled her eyes. “That sounds about right. She tried to steal away my Horus years ago.”
“What?” Tanell gasped.
“She tried to seduce me before Laylia and I were married,” Horus explained. “She said we were destined to do great things together, but I could see through her pretty exterior to the ice within even when I was a young, naive twenty-year-old.”
That tracked with my initial impressions of Queen Sybil. She seemed like the kind of person who would go after what she wanted, no matter who stood in her way or whose toes she had to step on.
“So you have some history together,” I said. “Do you think she’ll be willing to work with the rest of us?”
“It’s possible,” Horus said without really answering my question. “I suppose we’ll know soon enough.”
“Very true,” I chuckled.
Maybe he didn’t know her all that well. Either way, he was right. It was only a few more hours until the meeting was set to begin.
“Apologies,” Laylia said. “There are some things I need to oversee in the unloading process.”
“Certainly,” Tanell said.
“It was a pleasure to meet you,” Serra said.
“Yes,” Yori agreed.
Carissa smiled and nodded politely, but she didn’t say anything.
“I look forward to getting to know each of you a little better,” Laylia said before she turned to her husband. “Why don’t you get to know our new friends a little better, dear?”
“If you insist,” Horus said, but it was obvious from his smile that he didn’t mind the suggestion in the slightest.
Laylia looked up into his face with adoration in her brown eyes, and he smiled lovingly back at her. Their shared affection endeared me to them, and I was interested in learning more about them and how they ran their country.
“Would you care for some refreshments?” Serra offered and gestured back at our tent. “We were having breakfast, and there is plenty left to share.”
“I was wondering what smelled so good,” Horus said, and he patted his stomach. “I’d be delighted.”
“This way.” Yori grinned and took the lead.
Horus chuckled warmly at Yori’s enthusiasm and leaned in close to me.
“Is it true she was one of Oberis’ mistresses?” Horus asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I inherited his royal harem along with the crown, throne, and country.”
“As did I,” Horus said, and he frowned. “But it didn’t sit right with me to keep the women on…”
“Oh?” I asked. “Kestran has a royal harem as well?”
“We do.” Horus nodded as we entered our tent. “But I took the throne from my uncle, and the idea of fucking his former lovers didn’t hold much enjoyment for me.”
“Yikes,” Yori snorted.
Serra shuddered, and Tanell nodded in understanding. Carissa didn’t seem to be paying much attention to the conversation, and she’d picked up her coffee once more.
“I take it Laylia wasn’t among your uncle’s harem?” I asked.
“No,” Horus said. “We met about two years after I killed my uncle and took the throne. By that time, I’d dismissed the entire harem.”
That caught Carissa’s attention, and her eyes flared with annoyance for a second. Yori also looked up, and her face was a polite mask, but I could see the anger in her dark eyes.
“I suppose ‘dismissed’ is the wrong word,” Horus amended. “I provided each of them with a respectable home and a yearly allowance that covered their needs for the remainder of their lives.”
Yori’s face softened, and Carissa managed to mostly hide a little smile.
“Are any of them still alive?” Serra asked.
“No.” Horus shook his head. “My uncle was quite on in years when I overthrew him, and his women were no spring chickens, either. The last one passed on about eight years ago.”
“So you don’t keep a harem?” Yori asked.
“Yori,” Serra hissed. “That’s a very rude question.”
“Is it?” Yori asked like a little kid who was wondering why it was rude to ask a woman how old she was. “Why?”
“It’s a–” Serra stumbled. “It… It just is.”
“No, no,” Horus laughed. “It’s fine. I do keep a small harem, but Laylia is the one who truly holds my heart.”
“Aw,” Tanell cooed.
“That’s very sweet,” Carissa added.