| |
Rian
I had to wonder if King Farris was losing his mind to old age. What could he have been thinking to hold me as prisoner? And then to place me in a room right next to his daughter? If I had a daughter . . . I would think a loving father would protect his child from men like me.
The truth was she could not have been any safer in my presence, but King Farris had no way of knowing that. Any fool should have been able to guess that I had been out in the world for the past ten years. I had been a soldier for the Rivanian army. A certain reputation went along with that status, and it is to my shame that I had lived up to most of it. Hopefully, I had learned from my mistakes, but I must admit, the Dermish princess was tempting.
Through the gap in the drapes covering my window, I could see her staring back at my door for the longest time. What did she think of me? There was a time when I would not have given it another thought. Adrika Mahon had been a brat of a child back when I knew her. She still showed spunk, but she was definitely a woman now.
I took in the sway of her womanly curves as she made her way down the path. She made one last turn to look my way just before the trail took her out of my sight. I knew interest when I saw it. I would have to be careful. This woman was not part of my plan. I was not even sure what the plan was myself. For the first time in my life, I was depending on God to show me the way. If there was a woman in my future, she would come in the form of a wife. Of that I was sure.
For now, I only knew I was headed to Gilvary. I wanted to spend time with my family and then maybe settle down in a manor in the country. I would not mind a view of these mountains. One thing was for certain, I could not imagine living back in the castle of Gilvary permanently with my brother. I loved Reagan and his wife, Gwen, and respected their position, but I was no longer a child. I had led troops into war. I knew I would want to be a man of my own household. This was as far into the future as my thoughts had carried me.
I was allowed to eat in the dining hall that night like everyone else. I made myself slow down and enjoy the meal after nearly choking on the first bite. There was no need to try and swallow everything on my plate at once. I wondered what they did with the leftovers when they were without a prisoner to torture. My guard sat several seats away as if he might catch some otherworldly disease if he got too close.
It was not as if the room was crowded. Years of training had blessed me with a keen sense of observation. Since I had been allowed entrance into the castle, I noticed that much of the structure’s maintenance had been neglected and this room was no different. Had the whole country fallen on hard times in my absence, or was it just Dermot? Maybe it was a case of there not being enough workers. Unlike here, the castle at Gilvary had been bustling with people.
I looked up at those sitting on the dais above me. This table was usually reserved for royalty. If my brothers were here, they would be sitting up there on each side of the king. On this night, it was just King Farris, his daughter, and the man from Cordelia who had been present during my trial.
It was easy to read the hate in the Cordelian’s dark eyes every time his gaze met mine, but I had no idea why he should feel anything toward me. To my memory, we had never met. He shared deep conversation with the king while the princess sat silently on the other side. She never seemed to look at anyone in particular. She just sat there stone-faced, eating her supper as if she were the only person in the room.
When the king stood, his two dining companions rose with him. I watched as the princess curtsied and stepped out through a door at the back of the room. The two men headed in my direction. King Farris turned suddenly and spoke to the Cordelian man, who then bowed and walked back in the opposite direction, leaving through the same door the princess had used. The king made his way to where I was sitting.
He glanced at me as he came even with my table. “Walk with me.”
I took one last sip from my goblet before falling into step beside him, my guard trailing behind us. Hopefully, the king had come to his senses and would release me. He waited until we were in the hallway before speaking.
“Rivania is not known for letting go of their soldiers so easily. I am curious to know how you gained release—if you were indeed released.”
My mind scrabbled for what to say. I was no deserter, but saying so would only bring up the fact that I had abandoned my own kingdom. I doubted he would be too impressed with the fact that I had only been fifteen at the time.
“Once the emperor was made aware of the fact that I was the long-lost prince of Gilvary, he decided to allow me to return home as an act of good faith.” Would he take the hint and do the same?
King Farris stopped and looked directly at me. “Tell me what else have you been up to these last ten years? Perhaps you left a family back in Rivania as well?”
My gut tightened. “No family. Soldiering took everything I had to give.”
“Maybe now you will look toward settling down.” His smile made me nervous.
That was exactly what I had in mind—not that it should concern him in any way. Where is he going with this conversation? “That is a possibility.”
“There is nothing like the comfort of a good wife.”
I studied the man beside me for a moment as we meandered aimlessly through the hallways. He seemed to be giving great thought to my future, which was unsettling. I decided to focus the conversation back on him. “I know you must miss yours. I was sorry to hear of Queen Babree’s passing.”
The slight smile he had worn melted from his face. “Yes, I never expected to be the last to go.”
“At least you still have Princess Adrika.”
The smile returned brighter than before. “Yes, she has been a blessing to me. Now, there is someone who would make a good wife for one very fortunate man.”
I tried to picture the princess with a husband, but the only image I could conjure was the one of her on the terrace, her smoldering brown eyes looking up at me through thick, dark lashes, and full lips that . . . I shook my head to dispel the image.
“I am sure she would. Do you have someone in mind for the princess?” I knew this king would be the one to choose a husband for his daughter. I only asked to make conversation. I truly did not care who that man would be.
He turned and smiled up at me. “As a matter of fact, I do.”
A bolt of unease filtered through me. Surely, he did not mean me. That seemed to be the implication, but I could easily change his mind by giving details of my personal life up until now. I was probably the only man in the country who carried a title equal to his daughter, but I was not the prince he had in mind. Calm down, he is not thinking of you.
“In that case, I wish the couple every happiness. When do you plan to release me?”
His thin lips pressed together at my abrupt change of subject. I was tired of the small talk. His daughter’s future was of no concern to me. I was more than ready to get on with my own life.
“We will discuss that at another time. I am ready to retire to my room.”
“Will you at least get word to my family that I am here?”
“That can be arranged, but as I said before, your brothers have no say over how I run my kingdom. Good night, young Prince.” He made a few shuffling steps to the door I assumed led to his chambers and entered in.
I thought over his last words as I made my way to my own chambers with my guard trailing behind. He had not given me a definitive answer. I had my doubts that my family would be contacted. Regardless of what he said, if either of my brothers showed up, I was certain it would affect his decision in holding me here.
I peeked out through the window of my bedchamber. Toward the west, a purple glow spread out across the edge of the earth where the sun had just set, but the rest of the sky was dark. I pulled one of the blankets from my bed to use as a cloak before stepping out onto the veranda. A brazier was burning out on the mountain path where a guard stood warming his hands as he peered through the darkness at me.
I took a deep breath of the clean crisp air. My bondage here was more than a little irritating, but still nothing compared to being in that prison cell. I walked over to the edge of the terrace where the princess had stood earlier that day. I could have sworn I still smelled her jasmine scent lingering.
“Are you planning your escape, Prince Rian?”
I jerked my head toward the sultry voice. The princess sat on a bench near the door to her room. How had I not known she was there? A soldier should be more aware of his surroundings.
“I could ask you the same, Princess.” I walked over closer to her, expecting the guard to call a halt to my steps at any time.
She patted the seat beside her. “Join me.”
I sat down and pulled the blanket closer around me. Instead of an invitation, I would have thought my comment would have provoked more of the banter we had shared earlier. I tried not to analyze my wish to see her riled up again.
“Did you enjoy your supper?” She had not looked pleased during the meal. I wanted to see what she would say about it.
“It fulfilled a need. I do not believe I would use the word enjoy. How about you? Did you enjoy your evening meal?”
“Very much so. It was a feast compared to what I have been eating lately.”
She looked down at her lap. “I know the accommodations of our prison leave much to be desired.”
“That is one way of putting it. No offence, but your father should try it out for himself some time.”
“Were you unable to talk Father into releasing you?”
“He had other things on his mind.”
She turned her head slightly and glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “Like what?”
“We talked about you, as a matter of fact.”
She slapped her gloved hand against her chest. “Me? What could he possibly have to discuss about me with you?”
“We talked about the spouse he has picked out for you.”
She sucked in her breath as she turned to face me. “Did he say who it was?”
“You mean you do not know?”
The door opened beside us. “Rika . . . I am sorry, My Lady, I did not realize you had company. I just wanted to alert you to the hour. It will soon be time for you to retire for the night. You must come in and make ready.”
I recognized the old nursemaid. It was not unusual for one to stay around after their ward was grown, but their job usually changed to that of a handmaiden. This woman still treated the princess as a child.
“Give me another minute, please.”
As soon as the nursemaid was gone, she grabbed my arm. “Did he give a name? Tell me quickly.”
I tried to study her features, but the light from the moon shone from behind her. “What is your father planning to do, introduce you on your wedding day?”
“Did he give a name?” Her voice was laced with panic.
“No, he only said he had someone in mind.”
She stood. “We will talk about this more later.”
“Good night, Princess.”
She stopped just before she got to the door. “Good night, Prince Rian.”
I continued sitting there after she entered the castle and thought about my conversations with her and her father—both had been strange. For the first time, I felt a little sorry for the girl. From what I had seen today, she lived a lonely existence. Few within the castle were close to her age. Even sitting next to her father during supper, she had been alone. And I could not imagine what it would be like to have no say in choosing the person you would spend the rest of your life with.
I reminded myself once again that none of this was my concern. I needed to put my efforts into getting away from here. I was more than ready to put my past behind me and reconcile with my family.