A Royal Dinner
“Ihad hoped never to have to wear a gown like this again,” I muttered as Becka tightened the corset.
“Do you remember when you first came and dressed in pants? Helena told me she thought you weren’t ever going to come out of your room,” Becka teased. “Now here you are in the Norden castle, having dinner with the king and queen as an equal. How the winds have changed.”
Slipping on the dark emerald-colored underdress, I turned to face Becka. “I know I said we have to trust her, but what if she tries to get me to stay, turn my back on my people, and become their mercenary pet or something as they did to Miranda?”
“Then you tell her the same thing you did back at the lake,” Becka stated, scowling at me. “The Cassarah I know isn’t a pushover. You might have submitted to your mother all those years, but you did it to protect me. That shows true strength that very few people possess.”
I shoved my arms through the stiff brocade sleeve and held it to my chest as Becka cinched it in the back. “What if this whole thing is just false hope?”
Becka stopped what she was doing, grabbed my shoulders, and spun me around to face her.
“You stop that crap right this instant. I get that all this is throwing your past in your face, but I need my queen back… thank you very much. You know the one I’m talking about, the one who scolded five clan leaders, left dragon riders to rot in the desert, and faced down ten fucking dragons!
” As she spoke, her voice kept getting louder until at the end, she was all but screaming at me.
“This palace isn’t you. This life was never going to be yours.
Accept it and own who you are now because I like the Cassarah I’ve seen over the last week.
That Cassarah would take this situation by the reins and steer it in the direction she needed it to go.
Now, I’m gonna need you to buck up, fix your crown, and deal with it. ”
I wanted to tell Becka off for yelling at me, but it was only because she was right that I didn’t. “Fine, but I won’t let you guys screw this up for us. We need them to have a chance to survive this war.”
“Don’t tell me that. I know how to behave. The ones you need to be scolding are listening just outside the door,” Becka pointed out.
Bunching up my skirts, I hobbled across the room as quickly as I could, throwing the door open. Sure enough, there were my male guardians gathered around the keyhole. “Did you all get that, or do I need to repeat myself?”
“Ah, no, I think you made your stance clear on the matter,” Abbott assured me, trying to smooth matters as the others nodded in agreement.
I found that Zan was the only one still in the sitting room, looking as if he was sleeping, but Ezzu was perched on the top of the chair, looking very alert, watching me.
It was odd to know that he could see without his eyes open, but I refused to treat him like he was disabled when he didn’t see himself that way.
“Do you need me to fill you in on the conversation, Zan?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.
He grinned and shook his head. “Nope. I may not have been eavesdropping, but I don’t intend to stop you from doing what you need to do.
I trust your judgment in doing what is best to keep our people safe.
Another reason why I’m over here not listening in when Becka started shouting.
Words from a woman’s best friend are the best advice you could ever get. ”
“How enlightened of you, Zan,” Becka chirped, giving him an approving nod. “Now, did the queen send up shoes, or are we putting your boots back on?”
“I don’t care if she did send shoes, I’m wearing my boots. They support my leg better,” I stated, shaking out the skirts absentmindedly.
Zan stood and walked over to me, taking my hand and kissing the back of it. “You look stunning in emerald, Cassarah.”
Blushing, I offered him a timid smile as I gave him my best curtsy. “Why thank you, kind sir.”
“If I’d known getting her to Royal City would give me a chance to see her in a dress like that, I would have made it happen sooner,” Payson whispered loudly to Dayson, who nodded in agreement.
May slapped them both on the back of their heads. “Stop looking at her breasts. Just because the dress puts them on display doesn’t mean you should be gawking at them.”
Dayson muttered something and turned away, rubbing the back of his neck while Payson scowled at May. “No need to get violent over the matter. It’s not a sight we’ll get to see very often, if ever again.”
Thankfully, a knock sounded at the door, ending this conversation. Izel opened it, stepping aside for a page boy to enter. “Your Highness, I am here to escort you to dinner.”
“One moment, please,” I addressed the boy, slipping back into the dressing room to get my boots on.
As I did that, Becka slipped on the circlet once more and pulled my dragon necklace out of the bodice. “We can’t have them forgetting who you are.”
“Was that one last reminder for myself as well?” I quipped.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Your Majesty. I am but your humble servant.” Becka gasped, clutching her chest.
Rolling my eyes, I stood and slowly limped out of the dressing room, where Abbott was waiting for me.
He seemed to be able to always tell what I was feeling and knew my leg was not pleased with me walking on it so much.
Allowing myself to lean on him, we slowly followed the page boy through the castle’s hallways until we reached a small, intimate dining room filled with candlelight and a brightly burning fire.
King Edward and Queen Mary were already there, along with Gavin and his younger brother, Prince Phillip.
“Ah, Queen Cassarah, it’s lovely to see you again,” King Edward greeted as we entered. “I believe you know everyone but my second son, Prince Phillip.”
Phillip bowed in greeting, and I smiled, giving a polite head nod. “It is nice to make your acquaintance, Prince Phillip. Prince Gavin has told me much about you.”
He looked surprised to hear this and glanced questioningly at Gavin. “Good things, I hope.”
“It would seem that we share a love of scholarly things that he finds rather dull,” I shared, grinning at him.
Phillip laughed. “That sounds like my brother. He would rather do almost anything than attend his lessons, which then caused him to always beg for my help.”
“If the tutors weren’t so dull, learning would have been easier. When Queen Cassarah explains things, I understand,” Gavin muttered, coming to his defense.
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact you like her,” Phillip said, giving his brother a knowing look.
“Boys, that’s quite enough,” Queen Mary cut in. “Queen Cassarah is an honored guest, and I’ll not have you both causing a ruckus. Now take your seats.”
The five of us settled at the table while my guardians stood along the wall behind me and near the room’s entrance.
Servants came from another entry point with large trays of all kinds of steaming meat, vegetables, and bread.
Conversation lulled as we filled our plates, and as much as I liked the cooking back home, it was nice to get a change and enjoy some foods I’ve missed.
“Queen Mary has informed me that your visit isn’t a social one,” King Edward mentioned when the servants left the room. “It’s also very unusual for us to entertain in our personal dining hall, but my queen says I must hear this directly from you, Queen Cassarah.”
I glanced at the queen before I set my silverware down to give the king my full attention. I was irritated she was making me break this news to him, but I also understood it in a way. Finding out that your husband fathered a child before your marriage didn’t have the best ring to it.
“Prince Gavin and I were kidnapped by the same person… your first-born son, Henry,” I confessed, feeling it was best to just put the truth out there. “Currently, he is referring to himself as the Lost King and is on his way to Royal City to take his rightful place on the Norden throne.”
The sound of King Edward’s knife hitting his plate echoed around the room as we watched him absorb this information.
“I believe it’s also fair that I tell you Porvan has shared everything he knows about your son with me.
While gathering current information about this matter, I discovered that not only does Henry have power over Utros but Errit as well,” I divulged, trying to save him from having to explain everything since we didn’t have time to rehash information.
“You’re sure it’s him?” King Edward whispered.
“Without a doubt, Your Majesty.”
King Edward dropped his head into his hands, unable to look at anyone as he spoke. “I should have killed him when he was born. The only reason I didn’t was to honor his dying mother’s wish to let him live. The gods are punishing me for being selfish and wanting to love someone I couldn’t love.”
As much as I felt for the king, this didn’t help matters now, but I didn’t want to appear insensitive toward his suffering.
“I’m sorry to come to you with this news, King Edward, but the threat he poses is real, and we need to address it, or all will be lost. There hasn’t been a war like this for hundreds of years. ”
“Do you also know about his Birthright?” he asked, looking up at me.
“I’ve experienced it myself, but thankfully my dragon was able to break his hold on my mind,” I answered truthfully. “That gift makes him even more dangerous than the average power-hungry tyrant. I’m sorry to ask this, but who was his mother?”
“She was a dragon rider in our military. She was stationed as a palace guard, which is how I met her. We fell in love,” King Edward answered, his voice void of emotion.
“She had a strong Birthright, giving her the ability to soothe those in pain. Why couldn’t he have taken after her?
Why must I be the one to have given him his Birthright? ”
“Knowing what Prince Gavin’s is, I can guess at the nature of yours. Personally, I think it’s a twisted version of both your Birthrights,” I shared. “He warps the mind of whoever he controls and can inflict pain on them when they fight him, making it easier to slip farther into their subconscious.”
No one seemed to have anything to say after that tidbit of information, and we awkwardly kept eating in silence.
Once the dishes were cleared away, Queen Mary cleared her throat, drawing our attention.
“My King, we only have Queen Cassarah for a short while, and I think it’s best if we use that time wisely to start on a plan.
She has shared much of the information she’s gathered with me, and I believe time is of the essence.
I’ve sent a messenger to my sister asking for help. ”
“What is there to do but kill the bastard and all his men?” King Edward growled.
“Yet many of the men are enslaved by his mind-control. It’s not their choice to be a part of this war,” Queen Mary countered.
Gavin reached out and rested his hand on his mother’s arm.
“No, Mother, once he takes their mind, there is no saving them. His power turns them into mindless puppets who slowly drift into madness until they are killed and left behind. The merciful thing we can do is kill them before it gets to that point.”
“So, there is no hope for them?” she pleaded to her son.
“It could be as simple as killing the head of the snake,” Phillip interjected. “If Henry is the source behind the control, and you cut off the head, the body dies, but it could also free them from his poison.”
“Hmm,” I mused, tapping my chin. “It’s something to consider. If no one is feeding into their minds, what’s to stop them from returning to normal?”
“This is exactly what I was talking about. You two are on another level of smart.” Gavin huffed, sitting back in his chair.
Ignoring his comment, I pressed on to other matters.
“What we need right now is to find out where his armies are. My people found a second branch coming from Utros’ southern border into Norden, hidden in the mountains.
If we could send out riders first thing in the morning to locate where the original army is, that would give us a gauge of how much time we have.
” I turned to Gavin. “When you were there, did you get any sense of why they were waiting in the woods? I know they sent the ransom letter, and he was also trying to draw my people out, but to what purpose?”
Gavin sat up, now fully engaged in the conversation.
“I assumed it was to get Mother and Father to send out an army after me, leaving the castle more vulnerable. It would take time for the troops to gather and be sent out since the military base isn’t located here in the city.
It still wouldn’t have given the second wave enough time to hit us, though… ”
Then it hit me. “If he had me under his control, he would already have a second wave of people who are far closer. The troop from Utros wasn’t planned, but because we got away, he had to change tactics.
That still doesn’t explain what his plan is for the city.
” My body twitched with the need to get up and move, giving me space to think about this more on a larger scale.
Unable to keep my frustration in, I shoved my chair back and limped the length of the room, chewing on my bottom lip.
I was so close to seeing the last piece, but it kept slipping away from me just as I thought I had it.
Then it all clicked into place, and I turned on my heel, meeting the Queen’s gaze.
“Lord Everett’s been working for the Lost King the whole time.”