Chapter 3 #2
It was a stab of icy pain to remember her—remember them. So Helaina did what she did best, and pushed the memory of her brother and sister deep down where it couldn’t reach her.
“Did you sleep well, Mother?” She attempted to make idle conversation to distract herself.
The queen didn’t answer, her eyes fixed on the line of trees outside the window.
Helaina tried her best to form a comforting smile. She reached across the table for the queen’s delicate fingers as they locked eyes.
“I miss them too,” Helaina whispered.
The queen withdrew her hand from her daughter without hesitation, then returned her gaze to the window.
A tingle of humiliation crept up the base of Helaina’s neck. She had never felt so completely dismissed—so disowned.
Thundering footsteps sounded from around the corner.
“Good morning, dearests.” Helaina’s uncle Fessyk, the acting steward, announced his presence. A far-too-cheerful salutation for the melancholy currently hovering over the dining hall. Fessyk never could read a room.
The king’s absence in the realm had not gone unnoticed.
Anyone who attempted to persuade him to attend to political matters was met with cold malice, and sometimes a fist. Anyone who reminded him of the constant threat of beasts breaching the barrier and attacking his own citizens had a door slammed in their face.
The court had appointed Lord Fessyk of Oswell, the king’s younger brother, to rule until the king was mentally fit to return.
Helaina was beginning to question if that day would ever come.
“Uncle, you weren’t expected back until Sunday. What a pleasant surprise.” Helaina’s lips turned up in another awful attempt at a smile, her words rich in false elation.
“Business in Vrasta went better than expected. King Heymir’s reports show no attacks for the past several weeks, none in the south either. Patrols at our own borders have had no sightings.” He wore a self-assured smile. As if he alone was to thank for this news.
Discussion of these disappearances had been going on for so long, Helaina was hardly shocked anymore to hear when attacks did occur. It had become the new state of normal.
“Your efforts are much appreciated, Fessyk. We owe you a debt beyond measure,” the queen mused dispassionately.
“Yes, thank you, Uncle,” Helaina muttered. She didn’t even deign to make eye contact. She felt Fessyk was getting too comfortable with his new role.
Queen Jayda rose from her chair with a curt smile resting on her face. “I apologize, I know you just arrived, but I’m heading to the chapel this morning. Do you wish to join?”
“No, no . . . with the recent travel I haven’t had time to visit with my niece. I’m sure we have much to catch up on.” Helaina noticed a knowing glance pass between the two. “Perhaps I’ll join you later.”
Queen Jayda placed her hand on Fessyk’s shoulder. He reached up, gripping her fingers in what looked like reassurance.
Strange. This whole interaction is strange. The majority of conversations between her and her uncle were the exchange of awkward pleasantries. What could he want?
Her mother sucked in her lips between her teeth, and saw herself out.
Helaina looked her uncle over in careful assessment. Deep creases had formed above his dark brows. On his head, he wore her father’s crown. It made her gut uneasy to see the jeweled piece resting there.
Still, she wasn’t naive, matters in Keles required attention. Fessyk had been doing all he could to keep his brother’s kingdom afloat in his absence. She just wished he didn’t carry himself like things were so permanent, like her father was never returning.
“Your birthdate is approaching, isn’t it?” he asked.
This little chat was already off to an odd start.
“Yes. I’ll be twenty-three next week.”
“Twenty-three already? Time is such a thief.” He darted his eyes around the room, as if he were attempting to find words.
She shuffled some fruit around her plate with a fork, then opened her mouth to excuse herself from the table.
“You know,” he said before she could speak, “at twenty-three, you should assume duties in this kingdom.”
Helaina’s expression turned puzzled.
“Duties?”
“Yes, you’re a princess after all, one from a strong bloodline. You should have been wedded long ago, Helaina. It’s time to discuss the matter of your marriage.”
Helaina’s jaw nearly dropped to the table.
“My . . . what?” How could there be a marriage? She had never been permitted to meet a single suitor.
Fessyk didn’t seem fazed by her shock. “An offer was made for your hand. In the far west. We sent word during my travels that Keles has accepted. You leave tomorrow.”
Helaina squeezed the arms of her chair with such force she felt she might splinter the wood. Her teeth clenched to the point of aching.
This was a joke, an awful one. What gave him the right to make such a decision? He was neither her father nor the king.
“We are the ones closest to Ash Cliff. An alliance at the western border is something we can’t pass up in these uncertain times. You understand that, don’t you?” He was explaining things as if she were a child.
Her fury grew like a weed, breaking through her impassive exterior. She imagined taking her fork and jamming it straight through his eye. The mental picture made her smirk.
Gods, she was becoming deranged.
“They’ve offered to come to our aid when called, and agreed to host us if a time comes when we need to evacuate the city. If we ever—”
“So my father agreed to this?” she interrupted.
“Yes, Helaina,” he replied with a touch of annoyance.
“Really? My father, who has kept me here all my life? My father, who hid my claim as princess from the court? Tell me when. When was this decided?”
Fessyk placed both elbows on the table, interlacing his fingers. It was unsettling how calm he appeared in delivering this blow.
“I don’t understand this reaction, Helaina. It’s perfectly normal for a princess to marry. Most have already produced heirs by your age,” he said offhandedly.
She leaped up from her seat, pushing her chair back so fast it caused an ear-shattering screech against the floor.
“Normal?” she scoffed, both hands planted on the table as she leaned in closer. “None of this is normal! We just buried my brother. His body lies in a plot not a stone’s throw from you, and you speak to me of marriage bargains. How dare you.”
Fessyk gave a brief glance toward the courtyard. The headstone was indeed visible.
“I will not—”
“You will.” Fessyk’s words were the coldest she’d ever heard, lacking any empathy or care. This was a far stretch from his jolly good morning.
“You will go. You will marry, and you will never come back here—ever. You will do this because it is in the best interest of Keles. Because it is in the best interest of this family.”
Her eyes widened. Her mind was spiraling. She felt weak, like she might faint right then and there. This wasn’t about marriage, or producing heirs.
No, this was about getting rid of her. Finally disposing of the burden they had the displeasure of harboring all these years.
“I won’t go. You don’t have the authority to send me away. I will not be forced out of my own home!” she seethed.
Fessyk glowered as he stood to meet her. She had forgotten she was speaking to the current ruler of this kingdom.
“In case you haven’t noticed . . .” Fessyk began scornfully, “your parents want nothing to do with you anymore. This isn’t a punishment, Helaina, it’s a favor. We could just lock your cursed ass in the dungeons for the rest of your days.”
Helaina swallowed. Could he really do that?
“Instead, we’re sending you as far away as this realm will allow, before things get any worse.”
That comment made her buckle. She knew things were tense since the loss of her siblings . . . She just didn’t think they would disown her for what she had done—for what she was.
Selfish.
Murderer.
Cursed.
The voice in her head repeated the words. She shook them away, attempting to focus on the topic at hand. “I’m the only remaining heir to my father’s throne. You can’t make me go.”
Fessyk couldn’t contain his cold laugh.
“You? An heir? Even if you are the last, you could never inherit. I won’t pretend to understand why my brother hasn’t done away with you already. If you were mine, the decisions that were made long ago would have been very, very different.” His words were so bitter it made her arms tremble.
“Your future husband has already agreed. This is a gift, Helaina, take it. Stop weighing on your family. Let them know peace for once and be rid of you.”
Her breathing became rigid. What could she do? If they wanted her gone, what could she possibly do or say to stop this?
Her eyes couldn’t focus over her loud, heavy breaths.
“Come sunrise, dear niece, this will no longer be your home.”