Chapter 9
"How are you?" Auelina asked Alyx.
If he were being honest, he could have been doing a lot better. But thanks to Lissandra and Avelina who almost always flanked his sides when he was meeting with council members or visitors, he could have been close to dead.
"I am well. I feel as though I should be asking you that question," Alyx said and gestured to Auelina's belly.
She smiled at him. "We are well. I tire easily but I cannot express enough gratitude to the Ataton family. Between the four of them, they have managed to help keep the country running."
"Indeed they have," Alyx said and sat down across from Auelina. "How is Aldous?"
Auelina's eyes went distant. Aldous was out with the other men, securing their borders. Eamon had privately offered to let Aldous stay, run the security at the castle but after a long, hard talk with Auelina, he decided to go out with his men.
"His last letter said that he is well. He misses our bed and his family but will return soon enough. I believe him," Auelina said softly.
Alyx had nothing else to say about that but he wasn't willing to leave so soon. Auelina's company was soothing in a way that no one else's was. Perhaps because she was one of the few that knew that Alyx needed silence and with him, there was no need to fill that silence with words.
"I have something I wanted to ask you," Auelina said and put her sewing down.
So much for his wish for silence.
"Ask and it will be yours," Alyx said.
"It is not for me. It is for you," Auelina said.
Alyx wanted to sigh but held it inwards.
"There is talk of a new marriage for you," Auelina said.
Slowly, painfully, Alyx leaned forward and put his forehead on the table between them. "Would it be too much to ask you to kill me instead of continuing this conversation?"
"I could not kill the king. I love him and he is my brother. And I will not have this baby in a jail cell," Auelina admonished gently.
Alyx sighed.
"I know that your interest does not lie with women and with both Gael and I - We are both able to pass the throne along through our line. I just want you to consider the intricacies of what to consider should you choose to marry," Auelina said.
"I do not wish to marry. If I do, I will abdicate the throne to Gael first. This power is not mine. It did not come to me through any noble house or bloodline. Evander gave it to me. I will give it back to your family should I marry again, which is less likely than the goddess herself walking up to our gates and knocking on the door," Alyx said.
"So you will spend the rest of your life alone?" Auelina press and leaned forward. Alyx felt her hand card through his hair. "Alyx, no one wants that. I don't want that for you. Evander would not want that for you either."
"Why not? Wherever he is right now, he is alone. I would prefer to die as he does, instead of pretending to love someone for the remainder of my life."
"Marriages are made of less than love, my King."
"I know. Kingdoms made of less than that. Perhaps I will love another someday. But I do not know if Evander lives or is dead. It hasn't been a year since I have taken the throne. I wish only to have time to find out, to mourn, then we will decide what will happen next."
"I wish only that you be happy."
"Then wish for your brother's return. Wish for that with all your heart."
Auelina was silent for so long that Alyx turned his head so that he could see her. "I do. I wish for him. I wish that I could see him and that he might hold his next niece or nephew. I wish that you and he are together again. But we were raised to protect our people above all else."
Alyx nodded. "I understand. That is why the throne might have to go to Gael before all is said and done."
∞∞∞
The silence was beginning to kill Evander.
He knew the silence would take him long before the starvation and dehydration. His entire life was spent around people, with people, always with others near him.
Now he was alone, lying in a cell of hard packed dirt, a single blanket, and a pile of straw.
Sometimes he talked to Alyx if he saw him.
Evander had to admit that he was losing his mind but even seeing Alyx was a comfort.
Today he was sitting across from Evander wearing a white tunic and black britches, clean and bright in the dirty cell.
"Was it like this for you? When you were in Elewisa's house? I saw the scars and I know you never told me everything, but was it like this? I hope it wasn't," Evander said. He was sitting back against the wall.
Alyx remained silent.
"I think that no matter what I say or do here, you won't ever reply. Whatever my mind paints of you is a false equivalent to what you really are. The real Alyx would probably demand something impossible of me. Like to stand and fight."
Alyx smiled at him and Evander wished that Alyx was there with a gentle touch or a fierce word. To make Evander move, to make him fight.
The door was thrown open and Miss Vail stood there. Alyx disappeared.
Evander stared at her.
"Are you talking to someone?" She asked.
"Yes."
"Who?" She demanded and peered into the room.
"My husband."
She stared at him and laughed. "You are losing your mind."
The words would have taunted Evander months ago but now it was just a statement of truth. Yes, he was losing his mind. Perhaps he would die thinking Alyx really was in the cell with him. There would be worse ways to go.
"I come with glad tidings," she announced and she did indeed seem to be excited about something. "Our King to the south is to get married."
Evander nodded, still unfazed by her words. It was the next logical step and he long ago accepted that when Alyx knew he was dead, he would have to marry again, perhaps to keep the throne or to stabilize the country.
Whoever the person that Alyx married, Evander hoped they were kind. He hoped that they were good to him and tried to understand him.
"What? No anger, no bitterness at your beloved, marrying?" Miss Vail asked. She smirked at him.
"It is the only logical thing he could do. Of course he would marry. I hope that whoever he does marry is cruel to their enemies. I hope that he finds you and Thomas and when he does, Alyx will carve you into something entirely new. I hope that you will be his wedding gift. In fact, I hope that it is the barbarians he married into. Eamon made sport of your men with his wolves. Would you like to hear how they were hunted down like the cowards they are?" Evander asked politely.
Miss Vail's face went cold. She did care about at least one man they had captured, it seems.
"You will die here, in the dirt, alone and forgotten. My father will carry your corpse to the gates of your castle and throw you in Alyx's face-"
"Then he must pray that the gods be on his side. I fear the monster you awake in my love."
The door slammed shut and Evander wondered when he would pay for his words.
∞∞∞
"I'm sorry you want me to what?" Alyx demanded.
Lissandra looked to Gael who was staring at Alyx and then over to her brother. They were all gathered in Alyx's quarters, ostensibly for lunch. Instead, Alyx realized far too late what it was.
An ambush.
"We think that it would throw your enemies off and give us a reason to stay. We will never go through with it-" Gael started.
"What's this we you speak of? I will never go through with it and excuse me Eamon, not to insult you or your family, but are you all out of your mind?" Alyx demanded.
"The court whispers. They wonder why Eamon is still here. There is no reason for him to be. There is no sign of Evander and if there is talk of marriage-" Lissandra began.
Alyx made an undignified noise of opposition.
"If there is talk of a courtship and possible wedding, it will give us time. There are areas we have yet to look," Lissandra went on.
"I can't marry Eamon," Alyx whispered. His eyes were wide and he felt all the blood leave his head.
Then Eamon was there, gently guiding him into a chair.
"I can't marry you," Alyx said.
"I have no desire to marry you either, Alyx. It would be much like marrying Edmond yet somehow worse. But it is a ruse to ensure that we have enough time here-" Eamon started.
"And if Evander is out there? If they give him word that I am to marry again? What will he think of me?" Alyx asked.
"Evander has faith in you. I know he does. He has faith that you will do the right thing. And you will never marry Eamon, I swear on my son's life," Gael said.
"What they say is true. Let the rumors swirl. Let them talk. It will make the kidnappers sloppy because no matter what, they still have Evander. If we draw them out, make them come to us, that they have the king and..." Lissandra trailed off when she saw Alyx follow the plan to its next logical step.
"But if I were to marry, or be set to marry, whoever I marry carries the title," Alyx whispered.
"Exactly. Their hostage is worthless. Evander is nothing. The only choice they have is to come here, show us that Evander lives still, and try to bargain," Eamon said.
"But that makes you a target," Alyx said.
"Let them come," Eamon smirked. "I am bored."
∞∞∞
"I can tell you that the ride here was miserable. That there are people and places out there that I wish never to see again," Paige said.
Emelina stood and went to a table behind her. She truly was beautiful and obviously had very refined taste. Her dress was the finest that Paige had ever seen and living at the De Loughrey castle had taught her a great many things about how a lady truly carried herself.
"Are you Josette's sister?" Emelina asked when she understood that Paige would not tell her anything important.
"No. I was- she was training me. Then this came up, to bring word here from our King and I begged to come with her," Paige said.
"Lucky for Josette," Emelina said and returned to the bed with a steaming bowl. She stirred it and brought a spoon filled with meat and vegetables to her own mouth and took a bite.
Not poisoned, then.
"She would have made it," Paige said confidently.
Emelina smiled and brought the spoon to Paige's mouth with an expertise that said she had done this many times.
"Do you have children?" Paige asked.
"I have a little brother. Our parents died when he was a child and I raised him since he was a baby," Emelina said.
Paige nodded. "That's what my sister did. After our parents were taken into Thomas' army, it fell to her to raise me. My brother did what he could but we had to hide him a lot so that Thomas would not take him from us as well."
"And how did you get caught up in all this?" Emelina asked.
Paige's story was well known throughout their lands so she saw no harm in telling Emelina how she ended up here. "I was on the ship that Evander and Alyx took from their island. They sent me to free their men, where I met Josette. We helped to free King Evander's men and those men and Crown Prince Eamon massacred Thomas' army in Lyset."
"Hm. I heard of the battle. So you sail?"
"No. That was my first time at sea."
"Why did they-"
Emelina must have seen something on Paige's face and she shut her mouth quickly. Paige did not speak of her time on the boat, not with anyone, not even with Josette, though she knew that any of her new found family would listen.
Emelina put the bowl down and straightened her skirts. "Well. I hope your Kings killed them all slowly."
"I would have preferred slower," Paige said.
Silence fell over them.
"Who are- who are the guards outside? In purple?" Paige asked. She shoved her hands underneath the blankets still piled high atop her.
Emelina picked up the bowl once more. "I know what you are thinking. Purple. But that is not who they are. They do not belong to Thomas. That is the Prince's personal guard, those under his orders alone. Not even his father can command them."
"Who are they?"
"They are called Heaven's Infinite. Well, that's the rough translation, in any event. They come from islands south west of the Ataton Kingdom. Fierce like them as well."
"And you are sure that they do not belong to Thomas?" Paige asked. She didn't know why she trusted Emelina's word. For all Paige knew, she could be lying to gain her trust. This court was filled with liars, Josette had told her so.
"I am sure. If you want, I am sure you could speak to one of them," Emelina said.
"Would the Prince allow that?"
Emelina shrugged. "But he would sooner put himself on the executioner's block than to have any harm come to you and believe me, he has a great deal of affection for his head where it is."
"I think I would like that," Paige said and pulled herself upright.
Emelina nodded and put the bowl down. She opened the door again and spoke quietly to someone.
When she came back in, she was followed by a man with black skin, dark brown eyes, a bald head, and a polite smile on his face.
"So you are the treasure we protect," he said and sat down in a chair he pulled up next to the bed.
"I am no treasure," Paige said and looked down.
"Our Prince says otherwise. He said to protect you as we protect him."
After a moment, Paige looked up at him. He was not Thomas' man. She could see that already. Those men had no pride in themselves or those that they served. Their clothes and armor and weapons were rarely clean and this man's shone so brightly, Paige could probably see herself in it. Now that she looked at his cloak more closely, she saw it was more finely made, that the stitching was more elaborate, and the material itself thicker.
"Who are you?" Paige asked.
"My name is Milet. I come from the islands that are collectively known as Conbur. I am my Princess's head guard, sworn to keep her alive and well."
"Where is she?"
"With Alik, no doubt trying to speak some sanity into him, so that he does not storm your own lands, and demand why King Alyx let you two alone without a guard."
"Josette is well trained."
"And you are not. And as the King's ward-"
"He did not know," Paige blurted out.
Milet paused and looked over at Emelina who only raised her eyebrows but said nothing else.
"He thought we were going to Nightfell. We told him that Josette was called home."
Milet sat back and studied her for a long moment. "I have heard of you. You alone broke the King's men out, took them to Lyset."
"I was not alone. Josette was with me."
"But the journey. You did that alone."
Paige fell silent.
"You seek your King, do you not?" Milet asked gently.
Paige looked down at the blankets again. They were intricate as well. Everything here seemed delicate and cold and Paige suddenly wished for the warmth of De Loughrey castle, for Evander's smile, for Alyx's never ending patience with her. She wished she could hear Eamon telling her stories of his wolves. She wished to hear Evander laugh once more. She wished for so many things, it felt like she would break underneath the weight of all her wishes.
"I miss him," she whispered and the blanket underneath her blurred and she saw her tears dampen them. "Cerith feels like it is dying without him."
"Then I hope that Prince Alik will be able to do what he can to give you some peace," Milet said.
Just then, there was a gentle rapping at the door. Emelina handed Paige a handkerchief to wipe her face with and then Alik was letting himself into the room, Margrave just behind him.
Like before, Alik looked cold and expressionless, severe and all at once tired.
"I'm glad to see you are feeling better. Now, can you tell me what this is all about?"