Page 120 of Brighter Than Gold

King Dornan was announced next followed by his wife and daughters, and I could tell Carithia was a favourite among the people by how they cheered and ogled her.

Finally, before Warrick and Cressida took the stage, Aldridge beseeched the crowd for silence for the sake of the baby. There was a slightly raised murmur as they walked up, and it was incredible to see how happy this new child made everyone.

Aldridge once again held the attention of the crowd as he stepped forward.

“King Bowman Warrick, what name do you give this natural born child, and heir to the throne?”

“We name him, Isacar Reyes Warrick.”

There was a quieted applause of approval from the throng of people. Aldridge continued on about naming rights and successors and it all seemed very rehearsed and boring. I scanned my eyes around the crowd to find Callan. He was speaking with another man who nodded, took the generals directions and hurried off. And as if I’d willed it, Callan’s eyes darted up to mine for a half second. Nothing changed on him, no smile or stifle, except for the thumb that caressed the gold band on his pointer finger.

I let out a shuddered sigh and Kas turned towards me to make sure I was all right. “Almost done,” he whispered, and I nodded and smiled up at him.

* * *

Burke

After the naming we were ushered into the Great Hall. Cressida and the baby were returned to their rest while Warrick was needed to oversee the addition of his son’s name to the royal ledgers.

The families were served sparkling wine whilst the Kings and myself took to the formalities of the ceremony. Warrick too, was the only son born to his parents, and the pages in the book noting his lineage were as sparse as my own. I found myself jealous of the black ink scratched into the ancient paper as he wrote his son’s name. The red ink in the book was reserved for the women’s names, married or born into their families, and I hoped desperately to be reaching for that black ink when the time came.

The archivists busied themselves updating all of the texts, whispering hurriedly to one another as I looked back at Reyah. She spoke with Dornan’s girls who were much closer in age to her, but would never be Queens. I wanted her to engage with Queen Cordelia and Queen Maeve, to learn from them.

“Have you told her?” Aldridge said behind me.

“No. Not yet.”

“You’re running out of time. Soon the whole Realm will know.”

“I’ll tell her tonight.”

“Good lad,” he said with a clap on the shoulder.

I came up behind Reyah and snaked a fingertip along the exposed skin of her back. Goosebumps immediately rose as she turned to look at me.

“I’ve had a late supper sent up to my quarters, may I steal you away for company?” I asked.

“Of course, Your Grace,” she replied with a half smile. We excused ourselves and made our way through the palace.

“How do you feel after your first public event?”

“There were a lot more people that I was anticipating,” she said with raised brows.

“No room for stage fright, unfortunately.”

“I’m glad for how brief it was. And I’ll know what to expect when it’s my turn.”

The thought warmed me. Reyah, standing up there with our tiny child in her arms as I announced the name. Gods, I could weep for it.

“Do you have names in mind?” I asked her.

“I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t put much thought into it. I assumed the choice would be yours in any case.”

“Certainly not, my love. It’s a decision we should make together.” My hand found her lower back as I guided her into my private dining room, and tiny dangling pearls danced along my wrist. I was glad she had chosen a dress so daring, Reyah needed to make a proud statement after all of the rumors surrounding her.

We sat and started into our meals as I gathered the courage I needed, Aldridge’s warning echoing in my head.

“There is something I need to tell you, Reyah, a decision that has been made.” Her eyes darted up to me and she paled. “There has been more and more information coming in about the North, none of it good.”

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