Page 67 of Beguiled
Not only would she get Aurora’s heart, but she would be able to restore her father’s kingdom into a united Bryttania and also have a mythical treasure at her disposal.
The widening of the queen’s eyes told me she’d added up all the benefits and could see everything she had to gain. Without it she would have nothing.
As the guards began to drag me away, she held up a hand and stopped them. “How will you find her when no one else has succeeded?”
I looked pointedly at the men standing nearby and the need to speak more privately regarding the plans.
“Bring the prisoner to me,” the queen commanded.
The soldiers pushed me back before her. They didn’t relinquish me, and I knew this was as private an audience as I would have. “Aurora is my cousin, and she will trust me, especially if she believes I am running from you and trying to save my life.”
The queen didn’t respond except to study my face.
“If you free Mikkel and Ruby and allow them to come with me, then Aurora will believe we are refugees hiding from you, just as she is.”
“You will win her trust and then betray her?” The queen released a mocking laugh. She knew me too well. Such betrayal wouldn’t come naturally to me—would in fact go against everything I stood for.
And yet, how could I toss away this opportunity to save Mikkel and Ruby? It was my only chance at freedom. Surely once we were away from the castle and Kensington, we could escape from the country without needing to chase after Aurora.
“You are too weak to betray her.”
“I shall do whatever I must in order to keep the ones I love safe.” I glanced toward Mikkel where he hung, his back bleeding from his wounds.
“Then I shall keep Mikkel and Ruby until you return with Aurora.”
“No.” The word came out a weak plea, and the moment it did, I realized I had to remain strong to fight this strong woman. “No.” This time I spoke with confidence and force. “Even now, my friends are waiting to attack. You shall tell your soldiers to hold back, to give just enough effort to the fight and chase so it appears real. Then when we reach Aurora, she will take pity on my husband and me for having to flee from you. If she suspects otherwise, she will never allow me to get near her.”
The clucking and squawking of the chickens on the bailey green filled the silence. After a moment, the queen shook her head and waved her hand in dismissal.
“She will be twenty this autumn, will she not?” I hastened to solidify the argument. “You have a little over two months in which to capture her before she will no longer be of use to you.”
She narrowed her eyes upon me. And again, I held her gaze, making sure she knew I was well aware of why she needed Aurora.
“I have searched the Great Isle from top to bottom for Aurora. What makes you think you can succeed where my best soldiers have failed?”
“I believe she is somewhere in Inglewood Forest—”
“My men have searched there many times to no avail.”
“On one occasion when Father and I hunted in the forest, we heard a rumor that Aurora had been spotted at Huntwell Fortress. I shall return there with the pretense of seeking their aid. And in so doing, I shall play upon their sympathies and discover the truth.”
The queen regarded me again, and I prayed she was seriously considering my bargain.
I lifted my chin. “Two months. Now that you no longer have me, you cannot afford to waste another day.”
She hesitated a moment longer. “Very well. I shall give you Mikkel. But I will not release Ruby until you bring Aurora directly to me.”
My heart stuttered in protest, but her refusal wasn’t unexpected. “Then we shall meet in the Boarshead Hunting Grounds by All Saints’ Day. There we shall make an even exchange.” The royal hunting lodge was located in northern Warwick within the section of Inglewood Forest I’d hunted in often with my father. Though it had been several years since I’d gone, I still knew the area well.
The queen didn’t reply. Even if she gave me her word, she’d proven she wasn’t trustworthy. I had the feeling she’d find an excuse for keeping Ruby no matter what I did. And no doubt, now that I’d alerted the queen to my suspicion of Aurora being in Inglewood Forest, she’d send more guards there to find Aurora before we did.
Even if she increased her efforts, she couldn’t afford to spurn my offer, just in case I could locate Aurora where all others had failed. At least, that’s what I was counting on.
“Have your soldiers position me at the stone table.” I guessed once that happened, Gregor and the outcasts would finally strike. “When the onslaught begins, have everyone take cover so that no one dies today.”
Before I could move away, she gripped my arm, digging her fingers in to my flesh. “You might be of use to me as a daughter after all. Do not let me down.”
I wanted to tell her I wasn’t doing this for her. That I was no longer her daughter. And that I didn’t care if I let her down. But I bit back the bitterness. It would do no good to spew it. Instead, I looked her full in the face and forced the words I knew I must say. “You have never loved me and likely never will. But I forgive you nevertheless.”
