Chapter 43 Keelan #2
“Justin, I need to know everything you can tell me about Danym, including any conversations the Princess may have told you about. Anything, even something small, could be helpful.”
Justin started to say something a couple of times but seemed to lose his nerve.
Atikus leaned toward the King. “Your Majesty, I know this is a difficult situation, but perhaps we should let the Prince and Keelan speak alone.”
Alfred looked up, but Justin chimed in before he could speak. “That would be great. Perfect. Yes, let’s do that.”
“Fine. You two go somewhere else while the Mage and I talk.” Alfred’s tone sharpened as his eyes bore holes through his son. “The Royal Guard goes with you everywhere, understand?”
Justin bolted out of his chair and grabbed me by the arm. “Let’s go, Lieutenant, before he changes his mind.”
I grunted and gave the King a sympathetic glance as Justin dragged me out of the common room. We were immediately surrounded by guards, all of whom eyed the Prince with curious gazes.
“The Captain is with my father . . . er . . . the King. You are to accompany us . . . to . . . wherever we go.” Justin shot me a questioning eye.
I leaned down and whispered, “They work for you. Remember that, and keep your head up. You’ll get the hang of this, Your Highness.”
Justin nodded nervously. “I’ve never struggled to win them over. This whole mess just has me thrown. Besides, second children aren’t used to being in charge of anything.”
“What was that about holding your head up, soldier?” I grinned. “Now, where to?”
“Why don’t we go down by the lake? I’d rather not be overheard talking about . . . you know who.”
“So, while we’re walking, why don’t we start with how you know who . . . met the other you know who?”
Justin chuckled, then began recounting memories.
“I don’t know when they met, just that Jess thought our mother would hate it if she found out. Jess would go riding a lot just to get out of the Palace, so it wasn’t a stretch for her to ride into the woods. She and Danym found a clearing where they’d meet and have picnics.
She took me there a couple of times.”
When we reached the edge of the lake, Justin walked aimlessly along the shoreline, clearly debating how much to tell me, but once he started talking, everything came tumbling out.
He confessed that he did remember when they’d met.
“Try to remember how Jess described it to you,” I said. “Just take a breath and play back her words, how she told the story.”
Justin nodded. “I’ll try.”
Long moments passed with nothing but the breeze and the rippling of the lake’s surface to break the silence. Suddenly, in a faraway voice, Justin began recounting Jess’s tale, beginning with the Queen’s birthday ball held every spring, the social occasion of the year for Fontaine’s elite.
“Danym didn’t want to attend, but his father insisted. How would it look if the son of a Privy Councilor refused to show his face at the Queen’s favorite event?
“For most of the night, Danym clung to the walls, desperate to avoid the eyes of the revelers.
Most of the women wore ridiculous plumed hats with white or black lace covering their eyes.
Hundreds twirled about the floor in their lavish gowns and tailored long coats.
The music was loud, and the people were louder, especially as wine and ale flowed freely.
The whole thing was a pompous, drunken circus, and he wanted nothing to do with it. That’s what he told Jess.
“Then she noticed him.”
Justin hesitated, so I asked, “What made her notice him?”
“Jess wore a simple green gown. She refused to plume herself like others strutting about, preferring her traditional diamond-and-ruby tiara with matching earrings and necklace. The evening might’ve been held in our mother’s honor,
but I remember how Jess stole the show from the moment she stepped into the ballroom.”
“She sounds beautiful,” I said.
Justin nodded but didn’t shift his gaze from the lake. “Danym later told her his breath caught when he noticed her looking at him.
“Bachelors of all ages assaulted Jess, begging for a dance or a stroll. They always did, but that night, it was like a swarm. She loved the attention but told me she was never sure if they were more interested in her or her crown.
“Danym was so quiet, so shy, openly hiding from the swirling mass of socialites. Her ladies mocked ‘the weird boy in the corner,’ but Jess thought awkward shyness was his most endearing trait. She thought he was handsome. Jess talked forever about his wavy hair and grassy eyes.”
“Grassy eyes?” I raised a brow and grinned down at the Prince.
“That’s what she said.” He shrugged, his expression unwavering. “Anyway, she said Danym was staring into his cup when she glided up beside him and commanded him to dance. He looked up and met her eyes. In that gaze, she said she’d found a boy who wanted to know the girl rather than her title.
“They talked for a while, sipping wine at the edge of the ballroom. Jess tired of the constant stream of suitors begging to pull her back onto the dance floor and suggested Danym escort her through the Palace gardens. They strolled for hours.
“Danym’s father found them sitting on a bench beside a weeping willow, interrupting their conversation just as it became morning. Jess ran back inside and woke me, breathless as she described the night.”
As I listened, I found that Justin wasn’t what I had expected of a royal son.
He was humble and appeared good-natured, almost shy, but there was also strength and intelligence behind his eyes.
His memories were clear and vivid as he replayed his account with the skill of a bard.
It was also hard to dislike the Prince, making me wonder if his Gift involved Persuasion or Charisma.
“Did you ever spend time with them?” I asked when Justin fell silent.
“A few times, but they were a lot. Jess turned from a strong future queen into a lovey, giggly girl so sweet my teeth hurt. I could only take so much.”
“I bet,” I said, unsure how to address a royal case of puppy love. “Tell me about Danym. What’s he like? Not what Jess told you, but what you saw when you were together.”
He reached down, picked up a flat rock, and skipped it across the lake, then turned to face me. “He’s quiet, kind of reserved, but once you get to know him, he can be funny. I like him.”
“What else? What kind of things does he like to do?”
“Oh . . . well, being the High Sheriff’s son, he gets to train with the Palace’s Armsmaster. I only saw him sparring a few times, but he’s good. He’s fast, too. You can tell that he’s great at reading an opponent, anticipating their moves. I think he won a few local tournaments.
“Jess told me about how he wanted to go up into the Spires to get away from the city and just hike or camp. She loved the idea of getting away, but I don’t think Her Highness would’ve loved the camping part.”
“Did you ever see him get angry? Did she ever mention anything like that?”
“No, not at all. He really is the nicest guy. I was only with them a few times but never even heard him raise his voice. If he was ever angry with Jess, she would’ve told me. I’m the one person she tells everything.”
Justin resumed meandering along the waterline.
“You two sound pretty close, you and the Princess.”
“She’s my best friend, always has been.”
“What about the rumors that you want to take her place in the succession? I live hundreds of leagues from Fontaine in a different country, and even I’ve heard those stories.”
Justin laughed. “That’s always been a joke with us.
I don’t know where it started, but I’ve never wanted the throne.
Have you seen the life the King has to live?
The prison he’s trapped inside? With petty little nobles nipping at his heels night and day?
I don’t want to be some wandering adventurer or anything, but I’ve never wanted to be King.
“Besides, Mother and Father have been grooming Jess since she was old enough to talk. I think they actually put a tiara on her head as a baby so she could get used to the weight.”
He grabbed another rock and tossed it into the water.
“She’s good at it, too, at least the parts she’s been allowed to do so far. She sees a bigger picture, and people like her when she’s not acting like, you know, a teenage girl.”
He gave me a wan smile, then turned to continue strolling.
“Did Jess have any enemies? Anyone she mentioned who might want to hurt her?”
Justin’s eyes widened. “She’s sixteen and hardly ever leaves the Palace. How could she have enemies?”
“Well, how do the people feel about having a queen next, instead of a king like they’ve had for centuries?”
“Okay, there is that. I guess that’s where the rumors about me wanting the throne came from, too. From what Father says, there’s a group of people out there who hate the idea of a woman ruling the Kingdom. It all seems stupid to me, but I guess if somebody was angry enough about that,
they might want her out of the way.”
“And Sheriff Wilfred? What does he think about a woman on the throne?”
Justin spun around to square with me so fast I felt the guards behind me take a step closer. “The High Sheriff? You think he had something to do with this?”
I shrugged. “Do you?”
“Of course not! He’s my godfather. He’s been one of Father’s closest friends since the day he took the throne. He’s family.”
“Family that your mother openly dislikes?”
“Mother hates everybody, except Lord Sneak—I mean, the High Chancellor.”
I grunted. “Why do you call him Lord Sneak?”
“Please don’t tell my father I said that. It’s probably not fair. He does a lot for the Kingdom and my parents, but something about him makes my skin crawl. It always has.”
“All right. What about the other members of the Council?”