Against the Reign (8 page)

Sixteen

I have never craved mead more in my life.

My legs shake and my skin is moist all over. The veil is keeping fresh air from reaching my mouth and I’m choking. Everything inside me screams at me to run, that I’m walking into a trap and to my own death. I could easily kick Ferrant over and gallop Lextus away. But not only is Vian’s life in my hands, Ward’s is now, too, as he silently follows us.

We stop at the castle entry and I dismount, giving Lextus a sad stroke on the shoulder as Etigan guards take him and the rest of the dowry horses away. Ferrant escorts me through the castle to the courtyard. We don’t speak; he knows he’s won and has nothing more to say, and anything I say right now will be unbecoming of a queen. No sense in arguing something that can’t be changed.

The courtyard is beautifully decorated and lit with many candles, large and small. The guests present rise with my entry. Their eyes are on me, but mine seek out Liam and stay on him as we make our way to the front to stand by the high bishop. Liam doesn’t look up, not even when I’m placed in front of him. We’re asked to kneel before the bishop and we both do; I bow my head and try to focus, but the words spoken are jumbled. When we finally rise again and turn to each other, my legs will barely hold me up. I feel so weak. I hope I don’t get sick in front of all these people.

At the bishop’s command, Liam reaches forward and lifts the veil from my face. For the first time our eyes meet, and I muster up all the anger I can to flash at him. The anger becomes confusion, though, because when he sees me, his eyes fill with terror and the color drains from his face. There is an exchanging of rings and when I take Liam’s hand, I find that it’s as sweaty as mine. For the rest of the bishop’s speech, Liam doesn’t take his eyes off me, and they don’t lose that fearful look. I become more unnerved with each passing second.

Something the bishop says manages to break through my foggy thoughts, and to my horror, Liam is leaning towards me. The kiss to seal the deal. I stiffen, and our first kiss is so quick and awkward I actually hear someone groan with disappointment. Polite applause follows and Liam quickly escorts me away from what I’m sure is the most awkward wedding in history.

There is no time to talk, however. We’re escorted to the Great Hall where a great feast has been prepared. Music plays, and people start to dance right away. Liam and I are brought to the head table, but someone calls out to Liam and he mumbles an “Excuse me” before heading away. I make my way alone to my seat, annoyed to see that King Ulric is already at the head of the table. When he sees me, he rises and takes my hand. I don’t curtsy, but he bows.

“Your Highness, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a dress,” he says. When I don’t answer, he chuckles. “I hope you will find joy in our feast for you. I was even able to secure the minstrels I know you like.”

I look over his shoulder and realize he’s right. The Dragon Slayers are playing the music I hear. I’m also surprised to see Hob the Beggar. He is dancing, if one could call it that, and laughing happily. I quickly look away, not wanting to alert Ulric to his presence. Hob should enjoy himself even if I’m not. I look down at the empty seat on the king’s other side.

“Where is Her Majesty?” I inquire of Liam’s mother.

“She is ill and requested to be taken back to her bed. She found you most exquisite at the wedding. Very soon you will go see her.” Ulric lowers his voice. “Tomorrow, the contract to unite the kingdoms will be signed. Once the contract is made, I have arranged for a carriage to take you and Liam to Lakirist. There you will be granted some privacy and quiet time before Liam assumes the throne. After that, I imagine he will have his hands full dealing with Windem and what looks like a certain war.”

“And what about Vian? I want to see him released,” I say, a little too loudly. Ulric puts a finger gently to his lips to quiet me.

“He will be released after the contract is signed. You have fulfilled your promise, so I will fulfill mine.” With a slight nod of the head, Ulric excuses himself. I watch him walk away, feeling like I did before when Ferrant wasn’t being truthful with me. I don’t believe Ulric will fulfill his promise.

Inadvertently, I meet eyes with Ferrant. From across the room he raises his cup to me and I have a sudden urge to run across the room and rip him to pieces. But I manage to control it and take my seat. I’m happy to see wine and I down a cup without a second thought. The second cup is at my lips when I stop and think.

I see Liam across the room in conversation with a well-dressed man. Liam, who I thought was my friend. Liam, who Ward thinks is in love with me. Liam, who used to enter my thoughts sometimes during the night and make me smile. He’s here as my husband, but is plotting to kill me. I feel tears spring to my eyes and choke them back. The cup thuds as it hits the table. I can’t drink tonight. I can’t be fuzzy-headed and relaxed. I need to protect myself.

But then I think of Liam trying to kill me. Could I kill him to defend myself? Could I really do it if it meant saving my life? I think I can. But when I look at his face again, and his eyes briefly meet mine, I’m not so sure.

I drink the second cup.

And a third for good measure.

“Your Majesty,” a strange, squeaky voice peeps up from behind me and I find Ward kneeling there.

“What was that?” I ask.

“My lady voice,” he whispers back, offended. I shake my head. “Never mind that. Stop drinking! You can’t be like that tonight!”

“If he tries to hurt me I’ll need to be,” I say and tip the glass up, but Ward takes it before I get any.

“He won’t tonight. He can’t hurt you until you sign the contract,” Ward points out. I slowly set the cup down to think about that. He may be right; he is right. They need my signature to seal the kingdoms. I’m safe for at least one more night.

At Ward’s urging I manage to eat a little though I’m not hungry. Liam and Ulric return to their seats and Ward steps into the background as a servant. The room quiets so Ulric can make a speech about how happy he is to see his nephew taking his rightful place as king. With a beautiful queen at his side, he adds to light laughter. He bids us a happy life and many heirs. After him, several noblemen take turns standing and announcing their wedding gifts for us. When all is finally settled, Ulric rises again.

“This has been a fine feast. As the moon rises in the sky, and a new day approaches, we will now bid a goodnight to the new groom and bride.” Cheers and bids of farewell echo through the room. Ward escorts me away and a guard leads us up to a bower so I can have some privacy. Liam will join me soon. At the door of the bower, the guard asks if I need the assistance of any other maids. I refuse, but after he closes the door, I realize I don’t have a maid at all. Just Ward.

Once we’re alone, he rips the veil off.

“I don’t know how they stand that all day. How long am I going to have to pull off this charade?” he complains.

“How long do you want to keep your head?” I ask. His mouth twists.

“What if they send me to the maids’ quarters?”

“I’ll demand you stay here in the bower. You’ll be comfortable. Apparently we’re being sent away tomorrow after the parchments are signed. Ulric the Great is giving us some alone time before making his nephew king.” I flop down onto the bed and pull the veil and my crown off. “In the meantime, what am I going to do tonight?”

“What do you mean?” Ward is examining the room. He picks up a decorated pot and holds it close to his face to look at it. I smile.

“Put that down. It’s a chamber pot,” I say. He drops it with a loud clatter and wipes his hands on his shirt.

“I’ve never seen such an ornately decorated one,” he mumbles. “I’m not going to be expected to help you use that, am I?”

I roll my eyes. “You’re worried about that? I’m more worried about tonight right now.”

“What?”

“Well if Liam doesn’t plan on killing me on our wedding night, what do you suppose he plans to do?” I ask. Ward raises his eyebrows as if considering something he hadn’t thought of before. Before he can answer, there’s a gentle knock at the door.  We both freeze.

“What do I do?” I mouth at him.

“You have to go,” he mouths back.

“I don’t want to!” I mouth more dramatically.

“You have to!”

“Come with me!”

Ward’s face contorts. “Ew, no!”

“Ward!”

“Are you in there, my lady, or have you escaped through the window?” Liam asks through the door.

“Your veil!” I whisper loudly, jumping up and running to Ward. I help him readjust the veil on his head and he opens the door with his head lowered.

“She is ready, Your Highness,” he says in his squeaky voice. I have to slap a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud; nerves are pushing me towards hysteria. Instead I march to the door and follow Liam to his room. Liam opens the door and I turn to Ward, speaking loudly so I know the guards will hear me.

“You are to return to the bower and wait for me. I may have need of you later.” I eye Ward as I speak. He curtsies, almost falling over when he goes too low, and quickly turns and scurries back. I grimace and hurry into the bedroom. I hear Liam send the guards away and the door closes.

We are alone.

Seventeen

I watch Liam close the door. He stands there for a moment leaning his head against it, as if listening to make sure the guards leave. His hand moves to the knob and locks the door and I jump with the click. My hand is on the hilt of my dagger, and I mentally thank my father again for the thoughtfulness.

Once Liam is satisfied that we’re alone, he turns. “Ginny!” With outstretched arms he lunges across the room at me. In a flash my dagger is out. He avoids the first slash and trips over the bed leg as he staggers backward. He falls and I slash at him again. He pushes himself backward and raises his arm in defense and I cut his sleeve.

“Ginny! Stop! What’s the matter with you?” he exclaims. I back off, but hold my dagger up.

“You will keep your distance! If you think for one second that I am going to be your wife after you betrayed me…”

“Betrayed you? Ginny, what are you talking about?” He tries to stand, but I lunge at him and he ends up on the ground again.

“Stay away from me!” I mean it to sound forceful and scary, but the words quiver. I have to swallow a lump in my throat and the thought of crying in front of Liam makes me even angrier. I can feel my resolve breaking even as I look into his confused, fetching eyes.

“Just let me speak, please. I didn’t betray you!” I let him stand. He looks at the tear on his sleeve and frowns. I watch him unbuckle his belt and toss his sword aside. He pulls a dagger out from his boot and tosses it aside, too. Then, he puts his hands up. “There. I’m unarmed. Is that better?” He takes a step towards me, but my dagger goes up and he stops. “Ginny, come on. It’s me.”

I shake my head; I can no longer trust my voice to speak. After hearing that my parents had been murdered, being forced to take the crown, and being forced into a marriage, I’m surprised that I feel more trapped standing in this room with Liam than any of those times. The taste of mead floods my mouth and it waters; I wish I had some. I wish I had drank more wine at dinner. I just wish Liam would leave and I could sort through my thoughts by myself. Preferably in the Reflection Room back at home.

Instead, he makes a sudden lunge at me and knocks me to the ground, pushing my dagger-hand over my head. He puts a knee against my chest and wrenches the dagger from my grip. He tosses it behind him and forces my hands to the ground. I have a sudden memory jolt, to the day we first met. It was at the entrance to Thumbstole. I had had too much mead and when I saw him with his entourage I had tried to start a battle. Liam had used the same tackle that day to disarm me.

“Not everyone in Etigan has to be your enemy you know,” he had said before releasing me.

Now he sits in the same position, my arms pinned, his knee against my chest, not hurting me but keeping me firmly in place. I struggle against his grip until it proves useless.

“Is this what you do with all the princesses?” I ask, joking although I don’t smile. An amused look crosses Liam’s face, but he doesn’t smile either.

“Can I trust you not to hurt me if I let you up?” he says.

“I’m quite defeated now. What do you expect me to do?” I ask, frowning. He releases me and rises, offering his hand. I refuse and scramble up myself.

“What’s going on? Why are you here?” he asks. I notice he keeps himself between me and all the weapons lying on the floor.

“You should know. It was your uncle that blackmailed me to be here.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.” Liam sinks onto the bed and rubs his hands through his neatly-combed brown hair, mussing it. “When he told me I was to be wed, I couldn’t even imagine to who. I could only imagine he had found a nobleman’s daughter to wed me off to. When I saw you there, it sent a pain through me like I had been stabbed. Your parents were murdered and now he’s taking advantage of your kingdom.”

“And you had nothing to do with this?” I say doubtfully. He stands quickly.

“Do you think I would? After losing my own father the same way? Do you think I’m that heartless? And after all that time we spent together in Thumbstole? I thought we were friends.” Liam looks hurt; I feel in my heart he’s telling the truth. But I can’t trust him just yet.

“I thought we were, too. But I can’t believe you until I have some shred of proof. My parents are dead, and your uncle has my brother in your prison.”

“He what?” Liam’s eyes widen. I can tell right away he had no prior knowledge of this and I start to feel better.

“Vian is here, being held somewhere. Ulric said if I didn’t marry you and sign a contract to unite our kingdoms, he would behead Vian and declare war on us. We already may be facing war with Windem. I couldn’t say no,” I explain.

“He forced you to marry me?” Liam says slowly.

“So you can take the throne and face the war with Windem.”

“There isn’t any war planned.”

“He says it’s coming. Since Windem has now murdered your father and my parents.”

“That’s just it. It doesn’t make sense. Why would Windem have attacked your parents and not taken your kingdom? They could have stormed your castle and been done with it. I know the other kingdoms have problems with us here in Etigan. We’re seen as the dark kingdom. We have the bad reputation. I could understand them striking us, but not Newrock. Newrock has always been the most humble of the five.”

“Odd that I came out of it,” I mumble. “But if Windem isn’t attacking us, then who is?”

“I think we have a wolf in our midst,” Liam says.

“Someone from within our borders?” My thoughts immediately turn to Ferrant.

“Yes. And I have my suspicions. But if I’m right, we are in grave danger.”

“Who then?”

“Ulric.”

“Your uncle? You think he killed his own brother? And my parents?”

“I can’t be sure about your parents yet. But my father told me once that Ulric always resented him for being born first and for getting the crown. He puts on a show of being a quiet and humble man, but I imagine his insides are festering with a need for power. But I can’t prove it.”

“If it is Ulric, by tomorrow he’ll be in control over both our kingdoms.”

“And if it is Ulric, he’s sending us away tomorrow after the signing.”

I’m hit with the impact of his words, and I have a vision of my parent’s carriage raging with flames.

“If you’re right, then he’ll attack us tomorrow in the carriage. Once we get far away from the city. Imagine it: we’re murdered, he blames Windem for all the deaths, and starts a war using manpower from both kingdoms. He could win, if he plays his game right. Windem may have no clue that anything has happened here. He’ll catch them completely off guard.”

“We can’t leave the city tomorrow,” Liam says.

“We have to and we will. But we have the upper hand. Now we just need to have back-up.” I start pacing the room so I can think. I now mentally thank Ward for not letting me drink too much. “I need to get a message to Newrock.”

“I doubt Ulric will let you get a message through right now.”

“But I know how! Do you have parchment?” Liam points to a desk on the wall and I grab a quill and parchment. Quickly I scribble a note to Rayner about our suspicions. There’s no way to do it in code; I need him to understand me clearly. I have to risk it falling into the wrong hands. I tell him where we’re heading tomorrow, then fold the parchment, making it as small as possible. I turn to Liam. “Escort me to the bower.”

Checking the hallway for guards, we find that they obeyed when Liam told them to leave. We slip down the hall to the bower and I let us in. Ward is asleep on the bed, still wearing the maid’s clothes but without the veil. Liam’s eyes widen.

“Ward?” he whispers to me.

“My court wanted me to be protected here,” I say.

“So they sent you with Ward?” Liam says doubtfully.

“Hey, we’ve been through a lot together and he always has my back,” I say defensively. Ward stirs, his eyes blinking open. When he sees us he jumps up and grabs the veil.

“Just one minute, Your Majesties. Let me make myself presentable,” he says in his ridiculously squeaky girl voice while he tries to cover his face. I rip the veil from his hands.

“Stop it! Liam isn’t trying to kill me,” I say.

“Are you sure?” Ward whispers.

“Not one hundred percent, but I think so,” I say. Ward looks over at Liam.

“You’re not going to kill her, then?” he asks.

“That’s bad luck on your wedding night,” Liam retorts.

“Oh, good, then.” Ward looks at me again. “How’s the wedding night going?”

“Splendid, as you can see. Would you listen to me? We have a big problem and all three of us are going to die if we don’t do something.” I get Ward’s attention. “I saw Hob the Beggar at the party tonight. I’m guessing at some point they threw him out. But you know him—he’s probably hanging around somewhere. We need to get you outside so you can give him this message.” I put the folded parchment in his hands.

“Okay. I can do it. But how do I get outside?” he asks.

“I have rope. We can lower him down through the window.” Liam checks the hall, then leads us back to his room. Ward hurries to the window and opens it.

“That’s a long way down!” he exclaims.

“It’s okay. We’ll get you down safely. Once you get down, go into the city and find Hob. Tell him we’ll give him a big reward if he can get that message to Rayner as soon as possible. Whatever he wants. We’ll give you some gold and you can get him on a carriage. Then come back, and we’ll lift you up.” I give Ward’s back a reassuring pat, but he doesn’t look convinced.

“I used to sneak out of my room all the time like this. From here, you run straight away from the castle to the shrubs along the wall. There’s a bush with a green ribbon tied to it—that’s how I marked my way out. There’s a hole in the stone wall behind it.” Liam leans out the window and points out the direction for Ward to go. Meanwhile I loop the rope around the bed’s canopy frame for support.

Once we get Ward’s veil in place so his face is covered, Liam secures the rope around him. “Nice dress by the way, Ward,” Liam says while tying the rope.

“Shut up, Liam. I’m doing this for Ginny,” Ward says, not even slightly amused.

“Who is now my wife, so you’ll have to treat me with more respect from now on.” Liam glances at me and winks. Ward rolls his eyes and I have to stifle a giggle.

“Come on, guys. Let’s get this done.” I hand Liam my end of the rope and I hand Ward a small oil lamp. With Liam keeping the rope tight, I help Ward swing his legs over the windowsill. With much struggle, we manage to get him out the window and dangling in mid-air. “Take care, Ward. If you can’t find Hob, take a carriage yourself and go back to Newrock. If you don’t come back, we’ll just have to assume that’s what happened. I’ll find some excuse for your absence. Okay, Liam, lower him!” I say. Liam begins to slacken the rope and I watch as Ward slowly sinks down, his feet walking down the wall for support. Once he is safely on the ground, he waves to us and bolts for the castle wall. We watch his light as it bounces farther and farther away from us.

“So now we wait,” Liam says, tying the rope to the bed so we don’t lose it and taking a seat on the floor by the window next to me.

“He’ll make it. He has to.” I can’t afford to think any other way. I’m worried about Vian. Once I sign the contract and get into that carriage tomorrow I’ll have to rely on Rayner and the others to make sure he gets home safely. I need distraction. “So, what should we do in the meantime?”

“Maybe get to know each other?” Liam suggests. “We are married after all.”

“We already know each other,” I point out.

“I know a sarcastic girl who likes to drink and dance and threaten to overthrow me. I want to know you.”

“I’m not that exciting.”

“I bet you are. Come on, we’ll just ask questions. For example, what’s your favorite meal?”

“Roasted chicken. The skin gets really crispy,” I say, my mouth suddenly watering. I didn’t eat much at dinner and all this activity is making me hungry. “What’s yours?”

“Wild deer. They’re hard to find but when the hunters do, they’re delicious. Okay, your turn.”

“Um….how old were you when you first snuck out of your room?” I ask.

“Ten, I think. I went into town, got lost, and my dad’s guards had to come and rescue me. What a daring prince I was, huh?” We both laugh. “See, we’re getting to know each other already. Now my turn. What’s your most embarrassing story?”

I hesitate to bring it up. Cringing, I tell him about the stocks. He laughs.

“I heard about that,” he says, making me groan. I’d like to know that there’s someone out there who hasn’t heard about it.

“My question now.” I’m eager to talk about anything else. “What’s your greatest fear?”

Liam sobers up, his face darkening. “That my family line is cursed. My father started to believe it is after my two older brothers died. What about yours?”

That one I don’t even have to think about before I answer quietly, “Losing my brother.”

“Of course. Vian. You said he’s here?”

“Being held somewhere, yes. I would guess a dungeon or wherever you keep your prisoners.”