Page 40 of Till Kingdom Come

“I wish I remembered her more.”

She shrugged, looking uncertain. “She gave me something before she left, sir. Something for you, I think.”

“For me? What on earth? How could she possibly know you’d ever meet me?”

“Ah, she knew things, sir. Her eyes used to get a faraway look in them sometimes and she’d say the strangest things.”

“She mentioned me by name?”

“Oh no. She said to me that one day, someone would come, and I’d know he was the right one to give these things to. She said to pay close attention to the feeling inside me and to give it to you when the time was right. The minute I saw you and I knew you for her son, I knew she’d been talking about you.”

“Rosheen,” I said kindly, trying to be nice. “It’s very sweet of you, but I’m sure she intended you to keep what she gave you.”

She shook her head. “No, sir. This is for you. I brought them for you. She reached inside the voluminous pockets on her apron and pulled out two objects—a small, leather-bound book, with hand-written pages, and a little velvet pouch. “This book was hers. She wrote in it almost every day, and she left it in her drawer on the day she left. I think you should have it. And in the pouch is a necklace she favored.”

Seeing that I wasn’t going to sway her, I accepted the gifts—they were from my mother after all—and thanked her again.

“Of course,” she said and then she blushed a bright pink, curtsied again and walked toward the door. She stopped at the threshold to look back. “Should I have the young men bring up the tub and some hot water for your bath now, sir? I expect the palace guards will be calling for you soon. The word is that King Hendris is going to introduce you to everyone today.”

“Yes, that would be nice. Or no, wait. I don’t have any clean clothes, so better yet, just send a message to King Hendris for me, please. Ask him if he will send some guards after me now. I need to speak with him right away.” She bowed her head and disappeared into the dim light of the corridor.

I opened the velvet pouch to look inside, and a silver locket dropped out in my palm. It was beautifully etched with a rose pattern and had a clasp that you could open and put a lock of hair or a tiny portrait inside. But it wouldn’t open, no matter how much I tried. I put it back in the pouch and took it and the book to put with my things. If the items had belonged to my mother, they were all I’d ever had of her. Sir John had packed up anything she’d left behind and disposed of it all.

When Bracca left, he had taken all of my things with him. And he’d mentioned that Hendris had something planned for later that day to introduce me to the Elven people—after stranding me here with only the clothes on my back. I don’t think he meant to do that. I think he had simply lost his temper and took off in a rage.

But I wasn’t as helpless as he seemed to think, and I wasn’t going to sit here and wring my hands while I waited for him to help me—or stare out the window and weep like my mother had. At least she had finally come to her senses. It was time for me to do the same and to take matters in my own hands.

Chapter Thirteen

Bracca

I woke up early, as I usually did, and then turned to reach for Killian—only to remember I’d lost my temper and left him at our temporary quarters the night before. I rolled back over in bed and sighed. He irritated me sometimes like it seemed no one else in the world could do, and I’d been angry enough to kick the door shut as I left our room and stomp all the way down the stairs as I left that place. In a horrible temper, I’d decided to go to another inn, and it was only at the last minute that I couldn’t bring myself to strand him there all alone. I didn’t want him to feel frightened after all. I’d relented and told the captain to stay with about ten or fifteen of his men there with Killian, and to come find me immediately if anything happened, and he needed help. It was a strange place after all, and a strange city.

Not that I was regretting my actions now—not in the least. Killian had been arrogant and infuriating, just like he’d been when I’d seen him at the Solarian city, and I’d had to get out of there before I throttled him. I obviously couldn’t hurt him, so I’d done the only thing I could do, and that was to remove myself from the situation. I’d probably attend the ceremony that Hendris had planned for him later that morning. More than likely, that is. I’d see then if he was truly contrite and regretting the things he’d said to me.

I had the innkeeper send up hot water for me to bathe and shook out my good suit to wear to the ceremony later that day. I’d have the innkeeper’s wife brush it for me later. I found the suit I’d set aside for Killian to wear, and wondered if I should send it to him, but changed my mind in the end. Let him wear what he’d had on yesterday and be travel-stained and wrinkled. It might help him guard his smart tongue more in the future. Besides, he still had his furs, so he’d be warm enough and nobody could see what he was wearing underneath them anyway.

After the ceremony, if he seemed contrite enough and if I felt like it, I might let him come and stay with me at the inn. In the meantime, I bathed and dressed, and then ate my first meal with my soldiers. I hardly thought of him at all—maybe a few times when I wondered if he’d slept well. Or if he had sense enough to eat something to give him strength for the day ahead. And once or twice when someone mentioned how cold it was outside today. He suffered from the cold more than anyone I’d ever met. The huge caves were more or less at a stable temperature, but I supposed they would still be too cold to a mortal, or someone raised as a mortal. The wind from outside sometimes blew through the caves, looking for a way up the hem of your coat or a way to slip down your collar. Killian had complained about it since he’d been here.

Winters were harsh this far north, and he needed someone to take care of him. I got a sudden picture in my mind of his pretty face looking up at me wistfully, with damn tears standing in his green eyes as he’d said, longingly, “You know, back at home, it’s summertime.”

I stood up abruptly and kicked over the chair I’d been sitting in. Then I kicked it across the room for good measure. The officer I was sitting next to jumped to his feet, looking at me in alarm. “Is there something I can help you with, Your Highness?”

“No!” I shouted at him and watched as his face blanched. I felt terrible. “Wait—all right, yes, you can help. And I’m sorry—I’m not angry at you. Go over to the place we were staying last night—the first place—and get my Consort and the other men and bring them here to me. If the consort tries to argue, which heundoubtedlywill, just… don’t take no for an answer. Pick him up and carry him if you have to. But get him over here.” He started to walk away, and I called him back. “Captain…”

“Yes, Sire?”

“Don’t hurt him. Be careful with him, and make sure he wears his coat and hat.”

“Yes, of course, Your Highness. I’ll take some men, and we’ll leave right away.”

I nodded and got up to stand by the fireplace for a few minutes and planned what I’d say to him to get him to see how foolish he was being. Of course, I needed to be named his Regent. What could he have been thinking? Who cared if the Dokkalfar Elves didn’t like it? It wasn’t up to them, and I’d meant what I’d said. It was better to be feared by your subjects than to rely on any kind of loyalty or regard they might have for you. My father had drilled that one truth into my head since I was a boy.“Men love at their own convenience, but they fear at the convenience of their king.”

In other words, it was nice if your subjects loved you, but real control over them only came by instilling fear of the consequences in them for not obeying orders.

Since the other inn was close by, I didn’t have long to wait. Within minutes, my men were back, but with only the other soldiers. The captain came over to me right away and bowed.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, but the Royal Consort had already left.”

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