The remaining time in Eaund passed quietly. Neither Kennard nor Odelia wanted to bring up their fight. They went through the motions of court business, polite but more distant than usual. Pettilord Baldovin and his friends made themselves scarce whenever they saw Kennard, but everyone else took to whispering whenever he was near Odelia.
Just like in Oulley, Kennard failed to find a bride. It should’ve made Odelia happy. But what did it matter that he rejected others if he’d never choose her anyway? Gonfrid and Melaine would be furious. Kennard had at least made a show of trying up until the last day in Eaund, but he’d also rejected the last of the Elgathan brides.
Six days before they were scheduled to leave, reports came in of a Tehazian raid on a village in the north of Eaund, near the river and dangerously close to the route they’d planned to take to Doivrie, the next grandrion on their tour. It couldn’t have been a coincidence that the bridge intended for trade and diplomacy with Tehazy had recently been finished. Hopefully, it wouldn’t become a pattern. Within a day, Odelia had new arrangements planned for the detour and everyone’s bags packed. After everything that had happened in Eaund, nobody objected to the early departure.
“Finally,” Kennard said as they pulled away from Eaund, “I’ll get to see Vist. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to go there?”
“Don’t get too excited,” Odelia said. “The alternate route takes us through the flooding in the valley. It’s going to take about three days to get to Doivrie—and that’s if the river isn’t too frozen near Iverish.”
His face lit up. “Iverish? We get to see your hometown? That’s even better. Val, you’ve got to be excited too.”
Valerzan shrugged. “I was seven we left. It’s hardly home for me.”
Odelia had been almost nine. Over half of her life had been spent in Meria. Ancestral home or not, Iverish no longer called to her as it had when they’d first moved. “We’ll just be stopping there for the night. You won’t get to see much.”
Kennard sighed. “Couldn’t we spend just one extra day there? I’ve wanted to see it for years.”
“Grandilord Patricius will be expecting us,” Odelia said.
“Three days travel still puts us ahead of when we planned to get there originally. We can spare one day.”
“There really isn’t much to see in Iverish, but if you’re so determined, I can plan a long stop there when we pass by again on our way to Yophiex in a few months.”
He grinned. “I’m going to hold you to that.”
After a short day of travel, they stopped for the night in Losuno, where Rhonwin and Moira were living while they worked on their school. Moira’s father, Pettilord Niven was happy to offer them warm lodgings in his relatively humble manor. He apologized profusely for the condition of his guest rooms, which, though finely furnished, were showing their age. “If I’d had more time to plan, I would have bought some new bedding for Your Highnesses.”
“They’re perfect as they are,” Kennard said.
“You’re too gracious, Your Highness,” Niven said, then left the retinue in the guest hall to settle themselves.
“Lia, I’m amazed you set this up so quickly,” Kennard said.
Was that a compliment or an insult? “Thank you?”
“I mean, I’ve never met Pettilord Niven before, but you seemed to arrange things so easily.”
“His daughter and son-in-law were at the grand manor with us several weeks ago. Moira and Rhonwin?”
Kennard tilted his head and pursed his lips, then shook his head. “No, I don’t remember meeting them either.”
“I do,” Conora said. “She had a meeting with them after breakfast on the first morning we were there.”
Kennard looked confused. “You had a meeting without me?”
“They wanted to talk to me about finding teachers in Vist for their school.” Odelia chuckled. “Not everything concerns you, Ken.” She turned in to her room before he could ask any more questions, content to let him think she was annoyed if necessary.
By the middle of the next day, they caught a riverboat in Ormoint. The wide flatboat was fitted with two long benches facing each other in the middle. A series of smaller seats lined the outside, each with a Strongman wielding a paddle. Normally, the benches would be stuffed with passengers, but only the five of them were riding today.
As the boat picked up speed, trees blurred past, and the icy wind bit through the thick dog wool of Odelia’s poncho, causing her to shiver.
The boat captain looked over at her and guffawed. “What kind of Vistan shivers? We laugh at the cold.”
“The kind who’s spent the last ten years in Meria,” Odelia said through chattering teeth.
“Val, are you able to open my trunk? I have an extra poncho in there,” Kennard offered.
Odelia hung her head in shame as the wind stung her eyes. They had been in Vist for a matter of minutes, and she’d already proven herself to be an outsider to her own people. How was she supposed to be their queen? Logically, enduring the climate had no bearing on her leadership potential, but perception mattered. When they reached Doivrie, she would re-immerse herself in the culture. She needed to get back to her roots.
Valerzan handed Kennard the requested garment. The captain shook his head as Kennard crossed the boat, poncho in hand, to sit beside her. He draped it over her head and huddled up close. “What good is your Vistan pride if you freeze? I’ll need you to have all your fingers and toes when you make my introductions in Doivrie.”
In Vist, they traveled by dogsled instead of dogcart, and Herman wore a pair of snowshoes. Ken was in awe of the glittering white landscape. He had seen snow in Meria for a few days each year, but never this much at one time. It wasn’t slush; it was a fine, soft powder that covered everything in sight. As beautiful as it was, Ken was glad to see the grand manor of Doivrie rise in the distance. Set into the mountainside, only the log structure of the entrance was visible from the road.
Nobody came to greet them here, but someone must have been watching from inside because the large double doors opened as soon as they hopped out of the sled. A short but slender, pale man with a shock of deep red hair stepped into the entryway. His yellow jacket and dark green pants were finely tailored and embroidered with a delicate white floral pattern, simpler than those of the Elgathan grandilords. He smiled and bowed. “Grandilord Patricius, at your service. Welcome to Doivrie, Your Highnesses. Please, come warm yourselves by the fire. We have hot cider and spiced mead and wine if you’ll follow me.”
Ken grinned as they all followed Grandilord Patricius through the entryway to a large hall with a blazing fire. The walls reminded him of the Cedar Palace. Though not as ornate, the wood had been polished into the same warm sheen.
“Come, have a seat, everyone.” Patricius motioned for a servant to pass around mugs full of hot drinks. “Even you, my good men,” he said to Val and Herman, smiling and patting Valerzan on the back, then turned to Lia and looked her in the eyes. “It’s a pleasure to see you again Mistress Odelia,” he said in a respectful tone that was almost reverent.
Ken had never heard someone speak to Lia in such a way before. It was a little odd, but refreshing. He could relax for once, instead of waiting to see if he needed to speak up for her—not that she had appreciated it lately.
As everyone else settled into their chairs, only Herman seemed tense.
“Relax, Herman,” Ken said. “After all the miles you’ve run, you can take a seat.”
Herman leaned down and whispered, “I don’t trust the grandilord. He’s hiding something.”
Ken raised an eyebrow. They’d been here for a few minutes, and Herman was already suspicious? “Really?”
“I don’t know what, but that man has secrets.”
Ken rolled his eyes. None of the Elgathan gradilords had earned such distrust, even when they’d stolen from them. This was already his favorite place so far, and he wasn’t going to let Herman’s prejudices ruin it for him.
For the first time since the start of the tour, Odelia had a room entirely to herself—and it was grander than the one she had at home! The cozy bedroom had a thick, soft bed with room to lie spread-out if she wanted to, and it even had a tiny sitting room with two armchairs in front. But better than all of that was the privacy. With a room between her things and the shared hall, her secrets felt safer than they had been in ages.
She smiled and was running a hand over the fluffy down comforter when someone knocked on the door of her suite. Odelia closed the bedroom door before answering in the sitting room.
Grandilord Patricius looked around before stepping inside and motioning for her to close it.
She curtsied. “Good evening, Your Grace.”
He shook his head. “You need never to curtsy to me when the Elgathans aren’t watching, Your Majesty.”
Somebody else who knew? At this rate, her secret wouldn’t last long. “How do you know who I am?”
“I’ve known your father since before you were born. When he was younger, Abhenric thought to start a revolution himself. He approached me with his secret, and I helped him come up with a few plans.”
Odelia laughed. “Dad wanted to start a revolution? Ha. He told me he’s spent twenty years trying to prevent it.”
Grandilord Patricius nodded and sat down. “True, but before you were born, he was a different man. Our plans didn’t get far. When Hortensia became pregnant with you, Abhenric abandoned everything and returned to that little cabin in Iverish. When I heard he’d been hired by Gonfrid, I knew he was up to something. I didn’t think that it would take another decade for it to come to fruition.”
Odelia took the other chair. She should’ve guessed the grandilord was a separatist. Between the colors and the dogwood pattern, his clothing had all the elements of a Vistan flag. “Are you looking for me to take up your plans?”
“Yes and no. I talk to Abhenric when I visit Meria—discreetly of course—and he’s told me about his visions and your most recent plan. How is that working for you, by the way?”
Odelia looked down at her unadorned hands. “Poorly, I’m afraid.”
Grandilord Patricius cocked his head. “Huh. That’s surprising. With as many glances at you as the Elgathan prince steals, I would think he’s either in love or trying to paint your picture.”
She laughed bitterly. “Someone should tell him that. He’s too afraid to admit to it.”
“Have you tried asking him directly?”
“Yes, twice—although, we were in the middle of an argument the second time, so that probably didn’t help.”
Grandilord Patricius laughed. “Well, no, I should think not. You need to try again.”
“That’s a little difficult when he’s focused on meeting any woman but me.”
He smirked. “What if you were the only one?”
“What are you saying?”
He shrugged. “I’m afraid none of my nobles are interested in marrying off their daughters to the House of Elgatha—or at least, I don’t think they’d be if I’d asked.”
Odelia gasped. “If Gonfrid and Melaine found out…”
“Why would they? Are you going to tell them? And why should they care? They don’t really want him to find anyone here anyway. It’s all an act to show that they’ve included Vist, but everyone knows they want an Elgathan girl.”
“And what if that still doesn’t work? What if he’s not ready for any of this?” Odelia wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer.
“Then you need to do what you were made for. Say goodbye to your prince, take up your crown, and raise your army. Vist will not wait for much longer. The more time you take, the more Elgathan blood they may demand in the uprising.”
Lia marched into Ken’s sitting room, wielding her notebook like a shield. “I have some good news and some bad news.”
“What’s the bad news?” Ken asked. Better to get that out of the way first.
“The bad news is that the grandilord hasn’t found any young women for you to meet here, but the good news is that you’ll have more time to focus on the real work we have in Vist, like that petition to repeal the ban on weapons.”
Ken laughed. “That all sounds like good news to me.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
Lia seemed in better spirits already without the added strain that the search for a bride had put on their friendship.
Behind her, a messenger zipped down the hallway, then backtracked and stopped just inside the doorway, which he knocked on. Lia turned around and took a letter from him, and the man zoomed away.
She looked at Ken, worried. A messenger in enough of a hurry to come directly to his room instead of relaying to a servant at the door couldn’t bring anything but bad news. Lia broke the royal guard’s seal. Reading the letter, she swore under her breath. She looked back to Ken and handed it to him. “There’s been another Tehazian raid, in Doivrie this time, not far from Fort Solace. We’re to go back to Meria immediately.”
Ken scanned the short letter and confirmed what she said. “I can’t believe this. We’ve barely settled in here.” He looked back up.
Lia looked shaken.
Ken took her hand. “I’m sure we can return once these attacks are taken care of.”
“I think destiny may be rallying against me,” she said softly.
“What do you mean?”
She shook her head and forced a smile. “Just that I wish we could stay.”
The explanation rang false, but Ken sensed that it was all he was going to get from her.