Chapter 14 #2
Fernandus beamed. “Exactly. Staying here as throne warden is good, but fighting alongside those who need someone to fight for them is also good. Which one will allow you to reflect the Sun’s glory more?”
The priest gave him one last farewell blessing before tottering back to the Sungazer’s entrance, leaving Gaeren with far more questions than answers.
Later that morning, Gaeren stood outside the council room, hesitating long enough that the guards eyed each other.
He could have gone to see his parents in their rooms last night.
It probably would have been the appropriate thing for a son to do.
But after their last encounter, after they’d told him they supported Mayvus, he no longer felt like their son.
Meeting them in the council room for this tea appointment with Enla felt far more appropriate.
He tried to remember that they’d been branded, but that still didn’t excuse the way they’d manipulated him during his childhood.
Enla would always be their favorite, and he would always be the wayward prince who couldn’t settle down long enough to obey their commands.
At least now he was old enough to fight back if his father used his destructive somatic skills to “teach him a lesson.”
Not that the guards would let him defend himself.
It might have been a childish rebellion at one time, but now he came to their door understanding the Recreants and their desire for democracy or, at the very least, a just and kind ruler.
Things his parents could never be. Maybe there was hope for Enla, but he doubted the Recreants would wait long enough to find out.
The door swung inward, revealing Enla in a flowing blue gown that matched the shade of her eyes. She cocked her head and gave him a knowing smile. “There wasn’t a single path in which you opened the door. I hope I gave you long enough to think through what you wanted to say.”
Gaeren elbowed past her and rolled his eyes.
He’d feared the council room might be full, but thankfully his parents had cleared the room.
Outside of the few guards at the door, only Tobias and Gaeren’s uncle Danton remained.
Tobias kept a watchful eye on the queen, reminding Gaeren of Enla’s words from the night before about their mother’s anxiety.
As the king’s throne warden, Danton stood off to the side, aware of everything transpiring without participating in it.
It was a stark reminder of what Gaeren’s future was meant to be and how he wanted no part of it.
Instead of sitting at the head of the council’s table, his parents were seated in a corner settee with tea and cookies already on the small table.
It would be easier to face them this way—without an audience.
He didn’t expect their reaction to be any better in private.
In fact, it would probably be worse, but at least he could say what he needed without far-reaching repercussions.
He strode forward, and his parents stood to greet him.
He bent low to kiss his mother’s hand, then allowed her to pull him in for a stiff hug.
“Forgive me, Gaeren,” she murmured in his ear.
Her voice broke enough that he reconsidered his resolve to hold them at a distance, but then his father’s scowl reminded him there was still too much history to forgive and forget.
He shook hands with the king, bracing himself for whatever judgment was coming.
“You couldn’t come home in time for your sister’s wedding, could you?”
And there it was.
“I was in Lorvandas. I had no way of knowing she was getting married.” He turned back to Enla, who smiled sweetly.
“It’s all right, Father. When people heard he was across the barrier, that left a far better impression on them than his surly presence would have.”
His father grunted but didn’t disagree, something that maybe should have bothered Gaeren far more than it did. They all sat, backs straight, waiting for someone else to speak. Enla poured tea in all their cups, and the silence stretched to an uncomfortable length.
When his mother reached for her cup, Gaeren saw the stark white of the scar on her palm, and he winced. His mother quickly hid it behind her cup, then took a sip and glanced at the king.
“We were fools to trust her,” his father said.
“Does that mean you gave her your blood?” Gaeren asked.
“Gaeren!” Enla admonished. “Of course they wouldn’t do that.”
Gaeren could have disagreed but opted to keep the peace.
After a heavy sigh, his father responded, “We suspect she took it a few years back when she came to visit and your mother was ill. Mayvus brought healers from the eastern province, and they bled your mother, supposedly purging her of the foul elements that were leaving her ill. They convinced us that having the blood of her bondmate would make her better, so I gave mine as well.”
For the first time, Gaeren noticed a softness to his father’s face as he reached for the queen’s hand.
Regardless of the things he’d done, he truly did care about her.
At least that action had been motivated by love, even if it had resulted in the horrors that had come with them being branded by Mayvus.
“Because your mother grew better after their care, we thought nothing more of it. It was about six moons ago that we started wearing gloves to hide our brand marks, and that’s when our memories get fuzzy, so we suspect she hung on to it all that time.”
Gaeren frowned, stirring his tea with a spoon. After watching Aeliana be forced to do Mayvus’ bidding under her brand, he couldn’t help but feel sorry for anyone who had been under that woman’s control. It didn’t make up for everything, but it made it harder to hate his parents.
“We’ve asked Enla to step into her role,” his mother said. “It’s time we retired, considering our poor judgment has left people in a state of mistrust of the crown.”
“But she needs her throne warden,” his father added.
Gaeren had known this was where the conversation was headed. He’d thought it would be easy to refuse. But his parents’ remorse somehow made it harder.
“I’ve promised to reunite Rildan with his family back in Myndren. I have commitments I need to follow through on first.” He hoped that angle might make his father reconsider, since his father had always wanted him to show more initiative and responsibility.
His father scoffed. “Someone else can deliver things for you. I hear Riveran has been assisting you. Perhaps he could.” His father practically choked on his friend’s name.
“Well, now that you’ve brought him up,” Gaeren said, “what is your plan for him? He holds the mark of a traitor, and yet he’s been invited to be one of Enla’s advisors.”
A pink hue spread across Enla’s face and neck. But she lowered her eyes, leaving the king to answer.
“We invited him to be one of your advisors,” his father corrected. “Riveran has proved his loyalty in his service to you. We’d even be willing to have our healers remove the mark on his forehead to aid people’s trust in him.”
“And what will you tell people of my mark?” Gaeren held up his hand, the evidence of his blood magic making his mother’s face grow pale.
Tobias rushed forward, letting a few drops fall from a vial into the queen’s tea. Gaeren frowned, both at the interruption and the uneasy feeling that his mother shouldn’t accept unknown tinctures from anyone, no matter how long they’d been in the royal family’s service.
“You were a victim, just like us,” his father said, holding out his own palm and matching scar.
Gaeren let out a bitter laugh. “This was my choice, and I don’t regret it. It saved a life. A life that then saved thousands.”
His father’s lips pursed. “Even if that’s true, that’s not the story we’ll tell the people. We’ll find something that fits with Riveran’s story when we remove his mark.”
Gaeren sat back, crossing his right foot over his left knee, attempting to hide his irritation behind a slouch.
“I can’t speak for him, but I wonder if he would prefer to leave it—if he would prefer to have the people see that you were willing to trust someone who had been in such high disregard.
It might give others hope that they could rise from their lowly positions. ”
His father’s face darkened, and creases formed between his eyebrows. “His situation is rare. I don’t expect to find many others I would absolve of their crimes.”
“What about all the sailors who joined me in aiding the Recreants in the eastern province?” Gaeren leaned forward, truly eager to hear his father’s answer.
“Several of them have the same mark on their foreheads. They were all just as willing to put their lives in danger to save our nation from Mayvus’ power.
They might not have been serving the crown, but they were serving the people.
Their goals aligned with ours because we serve the people first and foremost, right? ”
The uncomfortable silence returned.
“I fear Larkos may have filled your head with too many ideals,” his mother said, placing her cup back on its saucer.
“It does sound idyllic, doesn’t it?” Gaeren asked. “A nation where people can make decisions for themselves, where they can work hard and be rewarded for their efforts, where they can be given equal opportunities regardless of what family they’re born into or how much money or starblood they have.”
His father snorted and his face grew more red. Danton shifted, as if warning Gaeren he was going too far.
But Gaeren couldn’t stop. “These people are going to bring a war to your door if you don’t change something. If you don’t find a way to put things in their favor, they will find a way to turn it around themselves.”
His father’s eyebrows rose. “Are you threatening us?”
A laugh bubbled up in Gaeren’s throat. “I’m warning you of a threat that’s already there. I don’t want to see anyone in our family hurt, but I also don’t want to see the people hurting. I will never aid them in battle against you. But I won’t stand by as their rights continue to be stripped away.”
This time, Enla’s face paled as the conversation touched on topics they had yet to discuss. Perhaps she hadn’t sifted the future for his thoughts on politics because she assumed he was far more concerned about his bond and sailing.
“I’m leaving tomorrow for Myndren. I will reunite Rildan with his family. Depending on what’s happened in my absence, it might be best for me to stay there and aid them. I think my talents would be wasted here.”
“Talents,” his father scoffed. “You were raised to be a throne warden, but you’re too entitled to take on that role.
I thought you were too soft, but now I suspect that you’re too immature.
You’re still trying to prove yourself, and the easiest way for you to do that is to go against us.
If I tell you to go right, you go left. It’s the way it’s always been.
But for some reason, I thought that when things got hard, your sister would be able to count on you.
I thought your bond as siblings would at least give you enough scruples for that. ”
The anger that had been building in Gaeren halted as he took in the tears clinging to Enla’s lashes. Was that what she thought too?
Tobias rushed forward again, but Enla waved away whatever soothing tincture he offered for her tea.
Gaeren cleared his throat. “My decision to leave has nothing to do with my care for Enla. She is my sister, and that will never change. I would gladly give my life for her. But unless she changes the way our family is leading the Vendaran people, I don’t know that she can be my queen.
” His words rang through the room with a finality that shocked even him.
He hadn’t meant to say something so definitive, so treasonous.
He’d expected that time and distance would make them realize that was likely how he felt, but he knew the blunt words stung far more than a distant realization would.
Enla’s face grew blotchy.
“I’m surprised you didn’t sift that,” he muttered.
Her lips trembled, and she gave a slight shake of her head. “I did, and it hurts just as much to hear it the second time around.”
This time he felt the sting, and he knew it was time for him to go.
He never should have come in the first place.
He should have ignored Enla’s letter and let everyone assume he was irresponsible rather than reveal the truth that he really was the traitor they’d called him the last time he’d left.
He stood, brushing off the crumbs that had fallen on his lap.
Danton’s hand drifted to the pommel of his sword, his wary eyes watching Gaeren’s every move. Gaeren ignored the implied threat.
“I don’t expect to be welcome here again, but if the Recreants do bring war to your door, know that I will welcome you aboard my ship or wherever my home ends up being.
I will still call you family.” He looked at his parents’ stricken faces and realized he meant the words.
“Even you, Father.” He turned on his heel and walked out of the council room with a lump in his throat.
He hadn’t meant to burn bridges. How could he protect Enla now?
Even so, he couldn’t regret any of his words.
Maybe Larkos could be ready to sail tonight.