Page 42 of The King's Bodyguard
Gareth folded his arms and stared out at the houses passing by.
“Gareth told me you were checking up on Corrin. Is he not alright?”
“Your Majesty,” Hugh stopped and added softly, “Landis. He’ll make it through. He’s as stubborn as a mule and as hardy as a mountain goat.”
“He was hurt… badly?”
Tears pricked at the corner of my eyes. The raw tone of my voice made even Gareth flinch a little.
“Lord Morne’s minions got to him for a day and a half.” Gareth finally admitted. “Even I wasn’t able to budge the others. Between Hugh and I, we managed to sway Lord Berrymay to our side. Once he saw reason, we were able to put a stop to it. But he’d taken a fair beating.”
“I had hoped his parents would speak up about his treatment. I took them down there, you know.” Hugh shook his head. “I guess I know where Corrin gets his hardiness from. Raised by wolves. Those two are a pair. Didn’t seem to care that he was—“
“That he was what?”
Hugh shrugged. He winced a little.
”—he was beaten up,“ he finally said.
Oh gods. It must have been bad.They didn’t want me to worry on the big day, but now my stomach was a ball of nerves. I didn’t care about the wedding. Not really. I only felt sadness and regret. I wouldn’t be able to spend the rest of my life with Corrin at my side. From today onward, I had to protect myself and Rilla. That was worrying. Yes. I was afraid of that, but even more so, I was worried for Corrin.Why didn’t his parents care for him? What was going on? Were they so angry at Corrin for messing up their plans?
I sighed. Everything was a muddle, and there was no time to fix anything. I rolled past Rimefrost’s big gates and over the winding road to the Standing Stones. After half an hour, we arrived at the ancient mound. Shaped in a circle, the green mound rose over the sacred site. In the center at the peak of the mound, monolithic stones—menhirs—rose. Around the grassy site, guests were already seated. At the far end, where the rough paving stones dipped down and around to the hidden temple beneath the mound, Seeresses of Rimefrost gathered.
Just as Lady Hartford planned, the entire lower row of seats was lined with the specially grown hothouse flowers both she and Madame Rathe had chosen. Bunting decorated the stones and the sides of the mound. It honestly drove me crazy.Why couldn’t everything be simple? Unadorned?
Biting my tongue, I smiled at the crowds who had already been seated. Everyone was here and waiting. Families grouped together on all sides—the house of Berran, Berrymay, Elthorne, and many others. Chosen high-ranking Munni merchants as well as the Stonewardens, the other Wise mollies, and famous Munni warriors were also seated on a lower row. There was, of course, no sign of Corrin. That would be absurd, but I couldn’t help but note it.
Corrin was somewhere back at the castle slowly reviving from whatever beating or wounds he had sustained at the hands of my cousin’s thugs. Reminded about Lord Morne, I looked about. I found my cousin, his wife, and his two children, seated midway up, looking very aggrieved. No doubt they had already found a hundred and one things wrong with the decor or the ceremonial positioning of the guards, or the trim of the hedges or some such thing. Maybe they hated the color of my doublet or the sight of the king’s crown placed upon my head for the formal occasion.
Their opinions weren’t worth my time fretting over. Once upon a time, I had hoped that I would find an ally with the last remaining member of my house. That time was over. The reality was that I was on my own. From now on, my family would be formed with Rilla at my side. We would have… babies. At some point. Rilla wouldn’t want them right away, but we’d have to make some. If only to piss off my cousin.
Perhaps Corrin could have been part of that family circle. That had all changed when I had fallen in love—or lust—for him.
No, I decided.It is love. Love. I know it now. It isn’t just a matter of physical pleasure. Corrin’s cheeriness, hisencouragement, and his belief in me sparks something I had never imagined possible. Corrin’s support gives me courage. With Corrin at my back, I could conquer everything.Now, without him, I wasn’t so certain. I would do my best, though.
Along one side, a pack of musicians huddled together, playing very cheerful music. Too cheerful music. Combined with the fine weather, it was even more annoying. Fighting to keep my face neutral, I took my place in front of Rimefrost’s head Seeress. As the representative of the Goddesses of Love and Fertility, the Seeress would bind Rilla and me together in a magical marital knot. Our lives would be symbolically bound from this day forward. I stood there and looked down the long walkway that led out of the mound.
At some point, Rilla would come down in some sort of dress. I tried to imagine what kind of dress she would have chosen. Rilla only liked a few dresses. Most of the time, she preferred to run about in breeches. Which was totally fine. I mean, Corrin wore breeches, and I was always finding myself distracted when he walked past—
Stop it, Landis,I scolded myself severely.This is your wedding day, for gods’ sake.
I stood there and tried to focus on anything but the mental pictures of Corrin. Standing off to the side, Hugh whispered in undertones with Gareth and a guard. I waited. For what felt like an eternity, I stood there. At any minute, Rilla was going to show up, walk down, take my hand, we’d exchange vows, and then kiss… and then… I tried not to think too far ahead. I would figure it out. Somehow.
Two more guards arrived looking alarmed. Whispers.The princess was late. She was late? Could I sit down somewhere?Before I could ask anything, yet another guard rode up on a horse. Hopping down, he charged forward, arm raised with something white and square in his hand.
“A message for the king! A message for King Landis hisself.”
Gareth took it and brought it to me. I turned the paper over. My name was inscribed on it in unfamiliar handwriting. The strokes were firm and sharp and clear. Rilla? Somehow, I knew. I just knew. With trembling hands, I tore off the envelope and opened the square folded parchment within. The words on the page blurred before my eyes as I struggled to comprehend what she had written. All breath left my body. When I was done, I handed it over to Gareth silently.
“Read it… aloud…” I said, suddenly needing to lean on someone. Anyone. Preferably Corrin.
Gareth’s eyebrow rose as he scanned the letter. He cleared his throat and read the missive aloud to the curious crowds who waited breathlessly for the announcement they had no doubt already begun to guess at.
“My dear Landis,
Letters aren’t my favorite thing to write, but I shall do my best. I put pen to paper to tell you the truth: I do not wish to marry. You are a wonderful person and will make a great king and an even better father. Alas, my heart has long been bound to another.
When you declared your undying commitment to our marriage, I knew that I could not repay your commitment with an affair, however acceptable it would be in Esteria. I know your heart mirrors mine. Do you not already love another? I know ‘tis so.
