Page 37 of To Sway a Prince
He took his seat across from me, still within arm's reach. "I hope you're hungry. And that the food tastes good. It has been a while since I have prepared anything even remotely like this."
"Yes, if your habits over the past few days are any indication, I suspect you mostly eat whatever you can while working. But it smells wonderful." I curled my hands in my lap. Everything had been set up with such care.
He chuckled at this, picking up a bottle of mead and pouring us each a goblet full. "Especially lately." He raised his glass. "To unexpected but delightful company. Natoumai ahme vahre. Kahdahle."
I dipped my head forward, lifting my own goblet. I recognized the word "kahdahle." It was a rune fae toast that essentially meant blessings upon you and all yours and may all the good spoken come to pass. I didn't recognize the first phrase, though I remembered seeing it inscribed on the empty jar. "Kahdahle."
The first sip of the mead sent my senses reeling with delight. It was so delicious it was all I could do to not gulp it down. "That is amazing." Closing my eyes, I savored the complex sweetness. "I know what kahdahle means. But…I don't know the other. Natoumai ahme vahre."
"Oh…" He paused as if startled I asked. Then he tilted his head, his silken hair sliding over his shoulder like a waterfall. "It's a Sentinel's saying. An acknowledgment of the blessing that one's presence holds. Please. Enjoy the food. It has been ages since I have been able to share this with anyone.
The meal was delicious, reminding me of the cuisine in the palace. Especially on the rune fae holidays. For several moments, I simply ate with relish until I reached the duck. "You marinated the duck with wine and garlic and stone leaves," I exclaimed. The rich and savory flavors exploded over my tongue with the sharp bite of the acidic leaves. I held my hand up to my mouth as I chewed the bite thoroughly, delighting in every scrap of flavor.
"You know the seasonings of the rune fae well." That pleased smile of his sent a bolt of delight straight through me.
I took another sip of mead, another bite of duck, then shrugged. "My father was rune fae. Even though he was a king, he still loved to cook. He loved to cook so much that he had a special section in the private chambers so that he could." I paused, realizing what I had just said. I hadn't spoken about my family to anyone for so long, and now it was slipping out. As the princess assisting in the Resistance, most did not expect me to speak of my family specifically. My purpose was to be an inspiration. And eventually my purpose ended. I was part of the old ways. The old always gave way to the new. But I had gone back to something older still. Memories of my family before the massacre. It felt like lifetimes ago.
"Your father was a king? The king of Theodas?" His eyebrow arched. He set his fork down, the silver utensil clattering against the plate. "Forgive me, but…why would King Houtan allow his daughter to wander so freely? And why would he not have provided aid when she thought her dragon was stolen?"
My whole body tightened, and my gaze dropped to the goblet. "No…my father was Servas the IV."
His eyes widened slightly at this. Silence fell over the table. "I'm sorry. I did not realize…" He shook his head. "Forgive my clumsiness…" A muscle jumped in his jaw. "I'm sorry. It was a grave tragedy, your Highness."
"Please…don't call me that," I said softly. "I'm not the princess any more. Most think I died in the resistance, but…"
He remained silent, allowing me the space I needed to choose my words.
I swallowed hard, staring at the mead in my goblet. The amber liquid caught the candlelight, shimmering like trapped sunlight. Part of me wanted to change the subject.
But something about Ramiel's quiet presence made me want to share this burden I'd carried alone.
"My parents offended a powerful fae," I finally said, my voice barely above a whisper. "No one knew where she came from. She appeared at my naming ceremony on my fifteenth birthday, uninvited and furious."
Ramiel leaned forward, elbow resting on the tabletop.
"She cursed me to a painful death," I continued, my fingers tightening around the goblet's stem. "Said I would die because of a spindle on my sixteenth birthday and be lost in the void until the end of time. My parents tried everything to prevent it—burning every spinning wheel in the kingdom, researching counter-curses, creating new spells, forming rune patterns..."
It was hard not to see their faces in my mind's eye. Though the tears burned, I held them back. It was the first time I had told anyone this. Before, others had told the story in their own manner and I had simply agreed to it. Yet now the words slipped from my lips. "They gathered up all the spinning wheels and spindles and set them ablaze with curse binding fire. It was…it seemed perfect. But…there was something in the wood. Somespell that we missed. Maybe a poison. As the wood burned, this green mist entered the air. Practically everyone fell asleep within moments."
He studied me, his violet eyes fixed intently upon my face. "You did not fall asleep."
"A handful of us remained awake. We were immune or something. And…that's when we realized that something far worse was coming. Our enemies—they were at the gates. And they knew. It was all part of a plan."
I closed my eyes, trying to block out those memories. The horrible squelching, the dull thuds as they cleaved through the bodies of the sleeping and helpless. "Some fought back. Others of us—we tried to rescue who we could. But…"
I couldn't bring myself to say those final words. To tell him how each member of my family died. I didn't want to see those moments again.
The silence grew between us, and he let it sit.
I took another long drink from the mead, not tasting it at all. "I was one of the few who survived. And barely. I fled into the forest that night, and I just…I ran until I couldn't run any more. I started crying. I don't know how I got there, but I found myself on a hill at dawn. I was cold and scared, and… Zephyrus found me."
I looked up at him as I reached this point. He gave a small nod, suggesting he understood. I swallowed hard. "I was so scared at first, but somehow…he got through all of that. And he taught me to be a rider. He was my whole family. I was so useless that I didn't even know how to hunt, but…he helped me. And he protected me. The attack on the nation continued, and I was so lost in grief, I didn't think there was anything I could do.
"But then Huntao came to get me. He was one of my father's generals. I don't even know how he found me. But he asked me to join him in the resistance. So I did. And in the end, we won.He offered to restore me to the throne, and I…I believe he would have. But in those years, I saw the kind of leader he was. And I knew what I was."
"What were you?"
"A scared girl who had no experience in politics or diplomacy who turned out to be good at rescues and dragon riding but not really the finer points of ruling. I couldn't imagine marrying anyone, and serving as the icon of the resistance took its toll. Huntao proved himself wise and surprisingly kind for a general who was crowned king. And, of course, I had already scourged the bond mark. I couldn't be with anyone then."
