Chapter Fifteen
Orious’ castle was bustling when Baz stepped inside. Right away, his appearance caught the attention of the queen, sitting on her silver throne on the other side of the hall. Queen Clarice stood and rushed toward him, her long blonde hair and pale pink gown swishing as she hurried over.
“Oh, my goodness!” she gasped. “My boys. Thank the heavens.” She pulled Baz into a hug, followed by Lukas, and even Sage was smothered by the queen.
Then, however, the happiness of the moment wore off, and Baz’s mother gave him a sharp smack across the side of his head.
“What did you do?” Clarice shrieked.
“It’s good to see you too, Mother.”
“Don’t you Mother me, Sebastian. I received several letters from Nivea and one very angry eagle from Carroway. You left to marry one princess and then chose to ask for her sister, instead?”
“That’s not exactly how it happened.”
“Then explain,” she commanded, then thought better of herself. “When we’re in a more private location. Come. All three of you.”
Once they were inside the queen’s study and the door was shut, Baz took a deep breath and told his mother as much as he could about what had happened.
The queen asked many questions about Athera and Baz wasn’t sure if she believed him, but she didn’t outright accuse him of lying, at least. He didn’t go into as much detail about his relationship with Lina, only that he had fallen in love with her during their journey and knew she was the one he was meant to marry.
“I can’t change her father’s mind, Sebastian,” his mother replied, frowning. “You must understand this.”
“I was hoping you could write to him, Mother. Explain that this is all some misunderstanding.”
“You are hoping for something that is impossible. Not only is the king going to protect the only daughter he still has—”
“Elda is alive.”
“But he doesn’t believe you,” she said. “And without seeing her for himself, he may never believe you. I hardly believe you, my son. If you were any other person, coming to me with this story, I wouldn’t. It is only because you are my heart, that I know you would not lie about this.”
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“However,” Clarice said, straightening up in her seat, “this business with Carroway is not the only trouble brewing in this part of the realm. King Terrin has accused King Crusis of taking his daughter and, even if it isn’t true, the two are preparing to go to war with each other over it.
Especially, since it seems Prince Kairon has been taken also. ”
“What?” Lukas asked, wide-eyed. “When?”
“I received a letter just before you arrived. Crusis thinks Terrin took Kairon as revenge for Crusis taking Esmerelda. He would like to ally with us, against Carroway. I cannot stand with Carroway in this matter, because of how Terrin has treated you. And while I would never have predicted we would find ourselves siding with Crusis over something… it appears that is exactly what is happening.”
“They want us to fight over this?” Baz asked. “Risk our soldiers for this? An entire war that is based on a lie?”
“You will find many wars have started based on lies, my son.” She sighed. “But no, we are not sending soldiers, as of yet. I am hoping the Carroway princess returns to her father and the Nivean prince can be found before this gets further out of hand.”
“Should we go to Athera and—”
“No,” Clarice said, firmly. “You will stay here, where I can protect you and I won’t hear another word about it. If Crusis and Terrin end up on the battlefield, then that is their prerogative. We will assist Crusis, as he has requested, in other ways.”
The queen was quiet for a moment before she reached up to rub her head.
“As if I didn’t have enough of a headache already,” she said, “with the cleanup from the storm and the princess’ arrival in a few days…”
“Princess?” Baz asked. “What princess?”
“Princess Klarissa, of course.”
“What? Why is she coming here?”
“That is the agreement between Crusis and I,” Clarice said. “Our kingdoms will be joined together to create an alliance. Through marriage.”
“I won’t marry her,” Baz said, stiffening. “I am in love with Lina and I won’t—”
“Oh, I know,” Clarice said, sternly. “Rumors of your little romance with the Carroway princess are spreading far and wide, my son. There is not a mysta in the realm I could persuade to marry you to Klarrisa with your reputation currently being attacked. I would be a fool to even suggest it.”
“Good.”
“Lukas will marry her.”
“The hell I will!” Lukas spat, jumping up. “Absolutely not!”
“I would choose your words carefully, my son,” the queen said, cooly.
“You know as well as I that your day was coming. And had your brother married the Carroway princess, as intended, this all could have been avoided. As it is, however, this alliance is important to our kingdom’s safety in the future.
If Nivea and Carroway do come to blows over this business, we will be caught in the middle.
And since King Terrin now has a grudge against us, there is little chance we come out of this unscathed. ”
“But—” Lukas tried to argue.
“No.” The queen rose. “You will marry the Nivean princess, Lukas. She will be here in two days. I suggest you come to terms with it now.”
With that, Queen Clarice left the room and a heavy silence settled over the three left inside.
“I’m sorry, Luk,” Baz said, shaking his head.
“Are you?” Lukas spat. “Because this is your job. You’re the oldest. You are supposed to have to give up your choice of a bride and sacrifice for the good of Orious.”
“You think I don’t know that?” Baz stood quickly. “There is nothing I can do about it. I tried to do my duty to Orious. I went to Carroway, fully intending to marry Elda. I was about to sign the damn papers before we were sent away. It’s not my fault she is mated to a dragon now!”
“No, but it is your fault you fell for the sister and angered her father.”
“I won’t apologize for Lina. I have done every single thing asked of me, my entire life. This is the one time I decided to be selfish and allow myself something I wanted.”
“And now neither of us get to marry who we want,” Lukas returned. “Wonderful job, Your Highness.”
Baz clenched his jaw and watched his brother stomp from the room.
He couldn’t argue with Lukas on that final point.
They were both being punished for the actions of a couple of gnomes, trying to save their own royal family.
He left the room, in search of work to keep him busy.
So busy that he couldn’t think about the awful situation they were currently in, or the woman he already pined for.
~*~
Sage stared at the floor after the queen’s study was emptied. Her heart ached in her chest from the queen’s words. While she’d never really expected for Lukas to suddenly wake up one day and decide she was the woman for him, she also didn’t think the day he would marry another would come so soon.
In just two days, she would face the woman who would wear his ring.
Who would kiss him at the altar and carry his children.
It had been years since she’d seen Princess Klarissa, but she remembered how beautiful the girl was.
She would be a woman now and Sage had no doubt her beauty would only have increased.
Lukas would be angry at first about his loss of freedom but eventually would learn to love his bride.
She felt her eyes begin to water and prepared herself for a good, long, and overdue cry.
“There you are.”
Sage looked up in the doorway to see Princess Rosella. Lukas’ twin sister looked so much like Lukas that it made it hard to look at her sometimes. Especially, now. It was a bittersweet friendship the two of them shared. Until Willow, Sage had never shared her feelings for Lukas. Not even with Rose.
“Here I am,” Sage said, holding back her tears and forcing a smile.
“I heard about your recent escapades. Traveling the realm in search of Baz. That must have been something.” Rose sat in the opposite chair. “I have to admit I’m jealous.”
“Oh?”
“You know my mother would never allow me to sneak away like that. And you met a nymph? Is that true?”
Sage nodded. “Yes, her name is Willow. We parted ways before returning to Carroway.”
“Was she as awful as you always thought a nymph would be?”
“No, actually. I mean, she was a bit much at times but… we became friends.”
“Wow. That’s something. Look at you now, a realm traveler and friend of nymphs. I’m even more envious than I originally thought.”
Unable to think of a reply, Sage just forced a smile.
She wanted nothing more than for some alone time to process the past couple of weeks and what it meant for her future.
Her heart felt as if it were in mourning, which was ridiculous, considering she hadn’t expected to marry Lukas anyway.
Could you grieve the loss of something that was never really yours?
“I should go see my mother,” Sage said, standing.
“Yes, you probably should.” Rose picked up a book from a nearby table. “I will be doing my best to avoid my own mother, thank you very much.”
“Was it that bad during my absence?”
“Oh, you know how it is between us. My mother doesn’t understand me. I don’t understand her. I’m too much like my father, she says. She loved him, but there are days I wonder if… never mind. Go see Iris. She missed you.”
Sage just gave a nod and left the room. She had always been an ear for the princess to vent her frustrations with the queen over the years, however, she needed her mother right now.
She found her inside one of the greenhouses, her apron covered in dirt, as usual.
Iris squealed, jumping up and dumping dirt all over the floor.
“Sage! You’ve returned!”
“Yes, a short while ago. We had to meet with the queen first, of course.”
“Of course.” Iris dusted her hands off and led her daughter to a bench. “I hope you aren’t tired of telling the story already because I’m dying to hear it. What happened between the princess and Sebastian?”
Sage repeated most of the same story they’d told the queen, leaving out her embarrassing attempt to seduce Lukas in the inn, obviously.
However, it was remembering that awkward moment which put a spark of an idea into her mind.
One that she tried to ignore once her mother went back to repotting some of the plants damaged from the storm.
It was an insane idea, wasn’t it? She couldn’t possibly do something like that in their current predicament. It would be going against her queen’s wishes, wouldn’t it? Was it worth risking the wrath of her queen if it meant fulfilling her heart’s truest desire?
“Mother?” Sage asked, once she had gathered the courage. “How do I use my power?”
“You know how to use your powers, dear.”
“Not… all of them.”
“What—oh,” Iris said as understanding dawned on her. She turned to her daughter. “You mean your power of seduction?”
“I… yes. That.”
“It’s easy, really. You know how to bloom a flower and urge it to grow. You just use the same power but plant the seed in his mind and urge it to blossom. It works best if you’re touching, unless he already has great affection for you. Then you can do it from afar. Who is the lucky gentleman?”
“I would prefer not to say, just yet. I haven’t decided if I will go through with it.”
“Well, there will be plenty of young men at the dinner tomorrow night. The queen is hosting it to celebrate her birthday, the one you three missed while in Carroway.” Iris took a flower out and replaced it. “Lots of opportunities to practice your power until you decide.”
“But do you ever feel that it’s wrong… to use your power on someone?” When Iris dropped her arm, Sage rushed to apologize, “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant—”
“I understand. I had a similar conversation with my own mother once.”
“You did?”
“Yes, and I will tell you the same thing she told me. Fairies are like human women in many ways, but we are more sensual creatures. Unlike women, who can be happy alone for years or even their entire lives, the fae yearn to be loved. Cared for. Desired. Even when we hid away, we still ventured out often to find men to mate with. To experience that connection, we so desperately crave.”
“Just like with my father?”
“That’s right. He was with a group of men traveling near our hollows, as I’ve told you.
We had only one night together, as that’s all our mothers would allow.
I didn’t know there was another way. But in the old days, just like what’s happening in the realm now, fae would marry the men they had relations with.
Have lifelong, committed relationships with one man.
Raise many daughters together and never have to yearn for that love.
I am happy to see that way of life return to the realm. ”
“But not for you?”
“No,” Iris said with a sad smile. “I’m afraid I gave my heart away to a man shortly after we arrived in Orious. It’s no longer mine to give.”
“You did? How have I never heard of this?”
“Because you were too young at the time to understand. He was a lord from a kingdom in the southern part of the realm and was only here for a few months. Then he left and never returned. You see, us fae can be strange in some ways, I suppose. We can lie with a different man every night and not be bothered but when we do decide to give our heart, we often give it fully. And often times, only once.”
“I understand that,” Sage grumbled.
“Be sure, Sage,” her mother said, taking her hand. “Before you give your heart, be sure. You know what can happen if you experience heartbreak and cannot control it.”
“You mean… the change? Into an... imp?”
“In the worst situations, yes. But other times, we could curse someone when we’re angry, even if we love them. It might feel good to curse in the moment, avenging your broken heart, but some curses cannot be reversed.”
“I know, Mother.”
Iris gave her daughter’s hand a pat then released it, turning back to continue her work.
Sage walked out of the greenhouse with her mother’s words running through her head. Could she actually try to seduce Lukas? Use her power to persuade him to love her? Would it be enough for him to refuse to marry the Nivean princess, if he believed he loved her?
Was it worth trying?
Better yet, could she live with herself if she didn’t?