Page 36 of Their Chosen

“Highly unusual,” he murmured to himself as he withdrew, confusion drawing his bushy gray brows down in thought. He turned to the Queen, who was watching the whole thing. “I'm not sure I quite recognize the magics at work. I'll need to consult my tomes to gain a better understanding, Your Majesty.”

“What do you mean magics?” she asked him, her head tilting to the side slightly, just as confused as I was by his statement. For once, we were on the same page.

“Just that. It feels as if the glamor has been layered on with multiple magics and will take an unorthodox technique to unravel and lift it, which is why I'll need to consult my records to determine the best technique to use, Your Majesty,” he replied calmly, as if speaking of the weather and not about something that was completely new to him.

“See that you do, Master Jude. I want it removed as soon as possible. I don't want the servants to get any ideas that she’s one of them and they have a chance at being queen.”

“Yes, yes. I'll get on it straight away, Your Majesty,” he replied.

Seemingly appeased, she nodded and left us, going to mingle with others in the crowd. As she turned away, I finally relaxed, unclenching my hands which had started to cramp with how hard I’d been squeezing them to keep myself from responding to her vitriol. “Thank you for your help, Master Jude. I appreciate anything you can do that will give me answers.”

“Of course, my dear.” He smiled at me softly. “And please, call me Jude when it's just us. No need for such formalities between us. I have a feeling that we will be seeing plenty of each other over the next several weeks.”

I smiled genuinely at him. “I do believe you are right, Jude. I'll need all the help I can get. I'm so glad I have you here with me through this, not everyone has been so helpful.”

“I believe you'll find that you have more allies than you think, but they're ensuring they remain cautious during these uncertain times.” His words were cryptic, alluding to a fear in the court that I hadn't yet seen but could feel the tension. I took his warning to heart, better safe than sorry. “Speaking of allies, I do believe a couple of them now approach. You'd do well to count on these two,” he said, smiling again at a spot just over my shoulder.

I turned to see who he was talking about, and I immediately smiled wider than I had in a long time at the sight of Arryn and Baer approaching me. Baer returned my smile, beaming at me, but Arryn seemed on guard and unsure for some reason, his shoulders stiffer than our previous interactions.

My smile dimmed slightly, fearing that he might rebuke me somehow as they stopped in front of me. Arryn made eye contact with Master Jude. “So good to see you again, Master Jude. It has been too long since we last had the opportunity to converse.”

“Ah, Arryn, so formal!” he chided and drew Arryn into a hug as if they were old friends. Arryn relaxed slightly as they moved apart, and Jude turned to Baer. “I don't believe we have had the chance to meet, but I have heard much about you, Lord Hawthorne.”

I startled slightly at the title Jude gave the gentle jokester I had come to know. Were all these men hiding something from me?

Baer laughed. “It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Master Jude. I've heard plenty of you as well, but I have to ask how you knew who I was?”

“It was simple really, especially since you look so much like your mother. We were very close at one time as you well know.” He winked at Baer, and I laughed softly at the gesture on the old man, enjoying this playful side to him.

“Well, not many have made that connection, and I hope to keep it that way. I quite enjoy my current anonymity. It allows me to be judged on my own merits and not those of my parents.”

“Yes, yes.” The old man touched his nose with his index finger. “Your secret is safe with me for now.”

Baer laughed out loud. “That's all I can hope for, but I also realize that will change soon, especially with these new developments.”

“Ah yes, great responsibility comes with being Consorts in the trials, much less the ones you'll face if your Chosen is crowned,” Jude said, some of the humor leaving him as they moved to a more serious topic.

“I can say that I'm definitely up to the challenge,” Baer said, as it finally dawned on me that Baer was a Consort.

“Wait, what!?” I held up a hand between the two, glaring back and forth at the men around me. “You're a Consort? First, you’re some Lord, and now this? When were you going to tell me?” I demanded from Baer, my anger at being so completely blindsided leaking through.

Baer laughed so loudly in response that the people gathered around turned to glare at us for interrupting their conversations. “I don't think this is very funny, Baer! I guess I didn't really know you at all,” I said quietly but not without the full force of my anger behind my words. Fed up with him, I went to leave, so over this night and ready for sleep.

Baer grabbed my wrist before I was able to turn away, his mirth dying some but still present, and I prepared to punch him to get him to release me. As if he sensed my intentions, he let go of me and held up his hands to stop what I was about to rudely say to him. “Rhowyn, first of all, not even Arryn knew I was a Lord. In fact, only Commander Ashford in my unit knew who I truly was. It's not something I like to broadcast. Secondly, I couldn't tell you I was a Consort because I didn't even know myself until tonight.” He lowered his hands, waiting for my response.

Arryn and Jude watched us, and I looked to Arryn for confirmation. He finally spoke to me for the first time tonight. “He's telling the truth; I didn't realize who he was until I reported for my assignment. It's why I’m angry with him, even now.” He glared at Baer to demonstrate this, and I finally relaxed again.

So, he hadn't been upset with me. “Is there anything I need to know about you that you've been keeping from me? You're not some Prince or Lord in disguise either, are you?” I asked hesitantly, ready for another shoe to drop.

He smiled at that and shook his head no. Good; I wasn't sure I could handle any more truth bombs tonight. “So, who is your Chosen?” I asked Baer, looking at the crowd, trying to determine who it might be and fighting the pang of sadness I felt at the thought of him with some other girl.

“Uh, Rhowyn...” Baer said, drawing my attention again, a bashful smile on his face, one hand rubbing the back of his neck. “We're your Consorts, apparently.”

“What? Seriously?” For a moment, I had totally forgotten that I was a Chosen and we were here tonight to find my Consorts. My Consorts. Shit. This was all starting to become real.

Jude laughed softly at my reaction, patting my arm gently as I met their eyes, seeing the confirmation there. “You mean to tell me that all three men who went to Earth to bring me back are my Consorts? I mean, what are the chances of that? Did y'all have any idea?”

Before they could answer, Jude jumped in. “Fate has a funny way of bringing those we need to us to help along the way. I truly believe that Fate is playing a big role in your life right now. You are about to face unknown trials, and these are the men best suited to help you along the way.”

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