Page 41 of Among the Burning Flowers
‘If that is what we feel is best for Mentendon. When you are High Prince, I will be Archduchess of Ostendeur,’ Ermuna pointed out. ‘A worthy and tempting match for a chieftain.’
Her face was as hard to read as ever. Aubrecht had always had the impression that she did not care for the idea of marriage, but his eldest sister, his closest friend, remained a mystery to him.
‘Would it not provoke the Vatten?’ he said.
‘A wolf is no threat without teeth or claws, even if you goad it.’
His queenly sister, always comporting herself with such dignity and pride. She should have been firstborn.
‘We can speak of this another time,’ Aubrecht said. ‘It has taken Granduncle long enough to arrange my marriage to Marosa. A Hróthi match would need more care in its negotiation.’
‘The sun has set on his rule now. He could abdicate with dignity and serve as your advisor.’
‘He fears irrelevance. You and I may feel the same at his age.’
‘I would not put myself above Mentendon.’
Aubrecht believed her.
‘A happier question for you,’ Ermuna said. ‘Aunt Liuthe has asked me to help oversee the preparations for your progress. We have it all in hand, but I wonder if you could tell me which jewels the Donmata likes to wear, and which flowers she favours.’
‘She often wore amber or sard to match her eyes. And the flowers she loves most are lavender, pear blossom, and rose.’
‘I will ensure the cities are adorned with them for her.’
‘Thank you.’ Aubrecht let out a slow breath. ‘I hope all of this will not cost too much.’
‘Aubrecht, you speak as if we are still a beggared realm. I have checked the accounts. Our trade with Seiiki continues to grow. It is worth a little expense to introduce you both to the people and display our alliance with Yscalin. Another show of strength to the Vatten.’
‘Very well.’ Aubrecht smiled. ‘You were always Mother’s daughter when it comes to coins.’
‘I know.’
They looked at their parents’ marriage portrait. Paltar Lievelyn, the former Archduke of Ostendeur, and his companion, Fralet Dabanon utt Brudstath, from the Dabanon banking dynasty. A love match between Ments, made despite the pressing need for more foreign alliances.
‘May the Saint cheer them in Halgalant.’ Aubrecht made the sign of the sword. ‘I wish they had been able to meet Marosa.’
‘We will make her feel safe and welcome, as they would have,’ Ermuna said. ‘I promise.’
‘Thank you, Erma.’ He kissed her pale forehead. ‘What would I do without you?’
‘You would forget you were a prince.’
She left him to his thoughts. He scrunched up the letter from Skuldir Vatten and threw it into the fire.
****
Brygstad Palace had been built over the course of forty years. A breathtaking feat of Mentish marblework, it had long beena safe haven for the House of Lievelyn, except for when the sweat had slipped between its cracks. Now there were stoups of wine in the corridors, meant for handwashing, and the courtyards and gardens abounded with medicinal herbs, like lemon balm and lavender.
In his apartments in the North Pavilion, Aubrecht bathed and drew on a silk nightshirt. It was balmy enough that his Privy Chamberlain had opened the windows and iced his evening wine.
In a few weeks, this bedchamber would no longer be his alone. Marosa would have her own rooms, but at night, they would often be together. He took out her miniature and studied it, the smile returning to his face.
He had always thought the fabled eyes of Oderica must be a lie. The legend of a dying prisoner, taken into the mountain for nine years. The god Fruma had lit her eyes, allowing her to see in the dark, and taught her to smelt iron to defeat the invading Gulthaganians. A heathen origin for a Saint-fearing dynasty, one they had tried to reframe over time.
The court painters showed almost every Vetalda with those strange eyes, like gold or bronze. But when he met Marosa, they had robbed him of breath. He could have easily believed she held dominion over some divine forge.
He was not yet High Prince of Mentendon, but to be a companion to the Donmata of Yscalin, the great military power of the West, would be a formidable task on its own. Politically, they made a strong match, if unusual. Mentendon had a monopoly on the Eastern trade, while the House of Vetalda was old and wealthy, with the largest army in Virtudom. Marosa was also niece to King Jantar of the Ersyr, a connexion that Aubrecht meant to nurture.
