Page 33 of If The Crown Fits
Rhen shrugged. “No one is certain. Evrin and his friend came into conflict over the land and for many years wars were fought, even by the generations after them. Eventually the land fell into the hands of Norrandale and became part of their kingdom — it has been like that ever since. That’s not to say anything is there, though.”
“Norrandale hasn’t shown any evidence of having the gemstone?”
“No, if it is there then nobody knows of it — it has merely become a legend.”
I frowned at him from across the table. “And how do you know all this?”
“I like to read.”
I looked at the mountain ranges again. They were vast and stretched between the two countries, surrounded by thick forest on both sides of the border.
“Okay, but if the land now belongs to Norrandale and nobody believes the precious stone to be there, why are we fighting?”
“Two generations ago, Everness was in deep poverty.”
“Like we are now?”
“Worse. The king loved spending money and soon his aristocrats turned against him. He knew that he would need to expand onto new land in order to farm more food, and give land to the nobles so he could stay in their good graces. At the time, it was thought that the kingdom of Argon across the sea was weak, and so King Leontius sent armies across the water. But the kingdom of Argon is nothing like we thought.
“They hail from an ancient tribe of warriors, always prepared for battle. The king had been misinformed and so his ships sank before most men even reached the beaches of Argon. King Leontius had almost no money left and, in fear of being taken by Argon, he became desperate. He sent a company into the mountains of Norrandale in the hope they would find the precious stones, enabling him to fund his wars. But the company disappeared and King Leontius reportedly only received a piece of white cloth smeared in blood.”
“But they didn’t attack Everness in return?”
“Attacking them would prove the stones exist. I think Norrandale was just trying to send a warning. It was ruled by the queen alone, as the king had died some time before, when their child was very young.”
“So what happened in the war with Argon?” My eyes travelled over the map to the kingdom across the sea.
“King Leontius lost the war and eventually his council had him removed from the throne.”
“So that’s when Magnus became king?”
“Yes. Magnus was young, and the dire situation of the kingdom and the famine didn’t help.”
I thought about the palace with all its luxuries and held back a scoff. “He seems to have done pretty well for himself to me.”
“Being king is not as easy as you think. You have less power than you imagine.”
The very idea was absurd. “Of course you’d be on their side. They’re paying for your loyalty.”
Rhen looked at me with an unreadable expression.
“So.” I reverted back to the previous subject. “Mine and Cai’s marriage... I mean Cai and Eloisa’s marriage,” I corrected myself, “is to end the feud of their forefathers and join the two nations once and for all.”
“It would seem so,” Rhen replied. “It would seem so.”
* * *
We packed up camp and I spotted Damon leaning against a tree trunk, twiddling a hunting knife between his fingers. As always, his eyes were glued to me. This time, however, instead of just looking away, I gave him a smile and a little wave to accompany it before walking off. Conner was holding Cai’s horse as well as mine, ready for us to mount.
Now knowing he was a prince, I couldn’t help but notice how close he was with his guards and servant. It hardly seemed appropriate for their relationship to be so intimate, given his stature and theirs. I didn’t even know the names of any of Lance’s guards, except Rhen and Damon. As far as my knowledge went, it wasn’t done. But perhaps things were different in Norrandale.
Our party got on the move and I glanced over at the prince riding his horse a few feet away from me. He didn’t seem to notice my stare.
What was Lance after so desperately? He spoke of a family heirloom, but nothing drew my attention enough for me to be convinced that therewasan heirloom. I would have to observe Cai more closely. The only problem was getting that close to him in the first place, though I hoped Cordelia had a few ideas in mind. Her confidence in my ability to fool the prince was somehow reassuring.
Only the sound of hoofbeats could be heard, with an occasional sigh, or clearing of a throat, from one of the guards. It was quiet... perhaps even too quiet. We were back in a part of the woods that I recognised. The birds weren’t singing the way they should have been. Even the light breeze seemed to have gone to sleep as if listening, waiting for whoever was watching us.
Unfortunately, I had a very good idea of who it was.
