Chapter Ten

 

 

“Send a command to Lady Telm and Lady Olea,” Aren said as she and Wena walked towards the throne room.

“Saying what?” Wena asked when Aren did not continue.

“That they are to both be in my rooms after court—no exception. Warn the healers when you deliver the command to Telm. After they come into my rooms, warn the men. That is a meeting that is long overdue.” Aren pulled to a stop just outside the throne room and felt as if she were forgetting something.

“And warn the servants?” Wena asked.

“Yes, yes! I knew I was forgetting something. Start spreading that now. I want to do it sooner, rather than later.” She took a deep breath and ran her hands down her skirts. “How do I look?”

“Like a different queen,” her handmaid said. “Stand straight, remain tall and speak up. The rest will come to you, I’m sure. I’m off to warn the servants.”

Aren dragged in another breath and stepped into the throne room. All went silent as she entered the room with a slight limp. No helping that. Wena had taken her feet out from under her in training because she was weakened from her months of idleness.

They didn’t whisper about that, no. What Aren heard were whispers of the dress she wore. An imitation of the one she had brought to court, but of an entirely different colour. The tailor had created two richly purple dresses with the material that Em had purchased before her death. The ivory down the front was of a lighter shade, but the tailor claimed the other colouring had been due to age, not dying.

Then she heard the whisper of a bracelet.

Resisting the urge to look down, she took the few steps up to the throne, turned and sat, setting her arms on the armrests. There was the ‘tink’ of metal against wood. She looked down at the black band on her left wrist, all but forgotten. It had practically become a part of her, and yet despite being new, no one had mentioned the item to her.

Jer walked in as Aren sat, making eye contact with her as he did. She had no idea if she had to formally invite him to court. Telm was usually the one to tell her such things but the woman was still in the healer hall. She didn’t even know if she was able to go and ask for a report on Telm’s health. Was that going beyond her boundaries?

Coming to the steps just below the throne and his seat, Jer turned to the court.

“This year’s court is now open to session. Sitting the throne is Lady Aren Argnern, daughter of Eastern bloodlines and palace lands. All will remark her right to sit the throne and show due care for herself and her sister, Lady Anue Argnern.”

There was a small murmur through the court. Jer waited until it died down, allowing the lords and ladies present to explain to others why this announcement was shocking.

Because it left out Aren’s parents. Neither was present for the court, though court was rarely mandatory so there were a great number of people in the palace but not attending.

“Acting as Lady Aren’s steward is myself, Jer Hue. Acting as head of house is Telm. Lords and Ladies, you all know the pair of us, as I have sat as mate to the throne for years. Telm has been at court since long before any of you were born.

“Lady Telm is unwell at this time. Anyone found to be overstepping their bounds will hear from me instead. She is a patient woman. I am neither a woman, nor am I patient. Do not mistake one for the other.

“The barons have come to court, all but Merkat of the South, to witness the mating ceremony of Lady Aren. A missive was dispatched this morning to invite Merkat to the ceremony. The high lords were sent missives before court concluded last year and should arrive shortly, with Lord Url, the high lord of the North, already being here and available to any who wish to discuss trade treaties or mating pairs.”

Jer turned and took the few steps to sit beside Aren. He leaned over to her.

“Now is when you make some sort of statement as to how the court will run,” he said barely above a whisper.

At least someone realized that she had no idea what she was doing.

Aren took in a small breath and glanced to Olea and Iln, who sat beside their mates. Both gave her an expectant look.

If ever she was going to be her own woman, now was the time to set the foundation. There would not be time after this to try to change what she had done. If she was not firm now, nothing would ever change.

She stood and clasped her hands before her, trying to be calm even as she fought back her own fear. She had been told that fear was the first emotion felt, because it was the easiest to bring about. A babe feared never seeing its mother’s face again each time she left it.

Aren feared what the court would do to her for being defiant.

“Let it be known that I am not Em,” she said, making certain she cast her voice as best she could. There had been very little practice the year before, despite all that had happened. “This is not her court. Nor is it the court of Mirmae Hue. This is my court and in my court you will not come to me with lies. You will not deny owing debt to another lord. You will not resist paying your dues and your taxes.

“My steward will begin going through the debts immediately and you will pay what you owe. Any resistance and—” The lights went out. For a blessed moment Aren felt relief. Then she felt the startled surprise of servants who hadn’t been warned in time and the confusion of the lords and ladies.

How could she feel what they felt?

Much like they felt what she felt, when her emotions were strong enough. Except a queen learned to keep her emotions to herself. There was no need for a commoner to learn to do the same. No need to learn to hide a feeling when there was magic racing through the walls, confusing and hiding so much.

Aren brought the lights back on and every eye turned to her. She suspected some few of them thought she had died in that moment.

“If you wish to be a part of this court you will obey me and my commands, you will toss aside your pettiness, or—” The lights went out again, only this time some of them realized that Aren was making it dark on purpose. Their fear doubled as they shouted out for her to stop it. She brought the lights back up as Av walked in, late and looking dishevelled. “If you harm any of the servants...” She hesitated and watched the lords and ladies flinch, waiting for the darkness. “Lords and Ladies of the court, if you believe me so dull witted that I can only do that in the throne room, ask yourselves if you can live without light and without water for the rest of your lives.

“Lady Em may have been too weak to shut off your plumbing and not that of your neighbour, but I am not. She may have been ignorant of what it meant to be in control of her own magic, but I am not.”

Av stood sheepishly by the door, late and uninvited to participate.

“Lord Av, you are late,” she said.

He didn’t flinch, but the entire court, barons included, did. Whatever tone she had put to her voice made Av frown ever so slightly and gave him some kind of stability. He might not have understood what he had walked in on, but he understood anger.

“My apologies, I was up all night with the coin master and you know how hard numbers are for a warrior to wrap his silly head around.”

“I never said that. I said that I was surprised you could do numbers, not warriors in general,” she responded calmly, surprised that Av still recalled the impulsive moment from almost a full year before. “Why were you up with the coin master all night?”

Av took the question as an invitation. He moved halfway down the throne room, then came to a sudden stop as if afraid to go any further.

“After our discussion yesterday I went to speak with the three guards in the healer hall. It would appear that Lady Em broke laws concerning the payment of those who are wounded in action. There are at least ten guards that were wounded and the coin master has notations saying the coin was withdrawn to pay the guard. The captain of the guard, as you may not know, also keeps a set of books on payments. As does every master, along with the steward.”

Aren looked to Jer. The man nodded.

“In case something like this did happen,” Jer said. “One might be greedy, but the chances of the other masters being in on the plot are slim.”

She turned back to Av. “I assume the captain of the guard’s books say that the coin was never received.”

“You would be correct in that assumption,” Av said. “The master of the coin forbade me from leaving while he attempted to find where the coin went. I insisted on coming to the called court and he finally let me go, but not before we discovered that Lady Em used the coin to purchase an estate some three-days-ride west.”

“Em never left palace grounds,” Jer said, sounding utterly confused.

“She used the coin to purchase the land, but a Lord Montel is written in as the current owner—either renting the land or outright owning it.” Av looked to the lords, but none of them moved. “I’m guessing Lord Montel is not yet at court.”

Aren wondered if Av had expected the lord to respond to the claim. Or had he hoped that after the display of magic Aren had shown, the man might simply up and bolt for the door?

“Awkward,” Jer squeaked out.

“Do you know him?” Aren asked Jer.

“No, but that does not mean I cannot find the situation awkward and yet somehow amusing all at the same time,” Jer grumbled back. “We will have to do a full investigation into the matter. I will relieve Av as the master of coin’s aide, as I have a better head for numbers. We might be able to resolve this matter more quickly with someone who can think as fast as the master.”

“I have my uses,” Av growled.

“Your use is in any area besides numbers,” Jer said. “Calm yourself, brother, this is neither the time nor the place to be starting an argument.”

“Why not?” one of the lords asked bitterly. “It’s not like she’ll shut off his lights.”

Av frowned at the lord, then looked to Aren for an answer. She obliged by making the throne room and only the throne room. The servants would attest to the fact that Aren had control across the whole of the palace. They would then attest to the fact that the last time the lights went out, it had only happened in one place, demonstrating her control.

When the lights came back up, Av looked puzzled.

“I need to speak to one of you,” he said gruffly to her and Jer.

“Are there any matters that need seeing to?” she asked the court, who were all deathly afraid of bringing forward their petitions. They would think twice about calling court for some silly matter.

“Court is dismissed,” Jer said loudly, clapping his hands once.

Lords and ladies began filing out as Av approached the throne. Aren stood with Jer to her back. She was to trust the man with her life and so this did not count as being alone with a man, she supposed. She couldn’t help but feel a bit uncomfortable to be alone with the two brothers in the throne room.

Av waited until the last person left the room, then sighed loudly.

“The lights stayed on wherever I was in the palace, if you did your little demonstration all over,” he said.

Aren felt a cold rush over her. She turned to Jer, who was staring at Av as if he had grown another head. With little else to go on, she could only assume that no one could be exempt from such a use of magic, which made sense. If she had commanded all the lights go off, why had the ones around Av stayed on?

“Can’t have you tripping over things in the dark,” she said quickly. “Wouldn’t want the lights to come back on and you be bloodied from a fall. If you will excuse me, I have to meet with two queens who will very shortly be screaming and wanting to see my blood. I’d rather get it over with before dinner.”