Page 16 of The Elf King's Sacrifice

I straightened up in my bed, glaring at him. “I have every right to expect that my brother, who has always kept his word—”

“Kate!” he yelled over me, drowning me out. “I order you as your king to entertain Lord LaRue, and if he proposes marriage, you are to accept.” Then, turning on his heel, he stalked out of the room.

~~~~~

Emrys

The evening didn’t come nearly fast enough. Like the night before, I waited eagerly for Kate to arrive. However, my anticipation didn’t blind me to the sudden haggardness of Marilla’s features.

“Are you well?” I asked, stepping forward to offer her my arm as I did every night.

“Old age isn’t for the weak,” she replied. Taking my offered support, she leaned a bit more heavily than usual. “I am just tired. My grandson has been wearing on my patience with his foolishness. Tell me, why do we humans insist on handing our kingdoms over to the young and childish when there are much wiser heads and steadier shoulders available?”

“The tendencies of human males are beyond my understanding.” Kate’s brother came to mind. I had done everything I could to protect my sister while she let me. Why the king of Solderland didn’t do the same for Kate was deeply concerning.

“Well, if even you can’t reason it out after all of these years, I suspect it is beyond understanding.” Marilla leaned against me. “I wish to avoid the hens tonight. Might you be willing to escort me to my seat in the maze?”

I willingly complied, questioning her about her needs before I left her to her restful solitude and retreated to the sycamore to wait for Kate. When a shadow elf appeared to notify me of Kate’s imminent arrival, I sent him off to check on Marilla.

Kate appeared, clutching the blanket and two books she had taken home with her before. Unlike the previous night, she woke before I could approach and rose to her feet still carrying her burdens. I hesitated.

Her gold gown fell in soft lines that perfectly accentuated her slender form. Curvier than most of the other women, she carried herself with the confidence that came with maturity, but her demeanor and grace were that of a young woman. She kept mentioning her age, but not a single wrinkle marred her pale skin. Only the dusting of freckles across her nose broke up the porcelain smoothness.

“Is there something on my nose?” She scrunched the feature. “I didn’t have time to check it before going to bed because I was preoccupied with returning this.” She extended the blanket toward me. “Thank you for its use.”

“Keep it. I meant it to be a gift.”

“Thank you.” She smoothed the dark cloth over her arm. “It is delightfully warm and soft. I shall use it often.”

I inclined my head in response.

“But I am sure you didn’t mean to give me these.” She offered the books, the grammar and the tome on spell mechanics I had been carrying the first night.

“The grammar is yours,” I immediately responded. “That one is a gift.” I accepted the other book, flicking open my storage space and setting it inside. “Having a reference close at hand will be useful while learning Elvish, and I have no use for it at the moment.”

When I turned back, moisture had filled her eyes, adding a telltale shine to their dark depths.

“What is wrong? Does something hurt?”

She shook her head. “I best not keep it.” She held out the grammar to me. “My betrothed will be quite irate should he discover I kept it.”

My world stopped. “Betrothed?”

She nodded and then dissolved into tears.

Taking her arm, I pulled her into a shadow. We didn’t go far. The strains of the music came clearly through the hedge as I tugged the two of us out into a dead-end section of the maze. I muttered the incantation for a light spell, and a soft glow appeared above our heads. Looking down at her bent head, I struggled to breathe despite my aching chest. I caressed her hair before guiding her chin up so I could see her face.

“Tell me,” I whispered as I wiped away her tears. Her distress was of utmost importance. I would deal with mine later.

Chapter Seven

Kate

Emrys’ gentle touch undid what little control I had left. Tears slipped past my closed eyelids despite my efforts to stop them.

“Laurence ordered me to accept the courting of a man I abhor. The man proposed this evening, and Laurence accepted on my behalf. The wedding will be in a week.” I shuddered at the thought. I didn’t want to marry Lord LaRue and spend my life conforming to his ideal of womanhood. My stomach turned as nausea rose. My heart rate sped up.

“Shh.” Emrys’ voice filled my ears low and deep. His fingers wiped away the fresh tears. “Here.” I opened my eyes to find him offering me the usual vial. “Drink it and then we will talk. There will be a way to salvage this.”

---