Blinding Beauty (21 page)

Launce was dying to know what she
had told him. As he couldn’t ask from across the table, he had to
content himself with watching the knight stare vacantly at his food
for the remainder of the meal, occasionally glancing up at the
princess now and then. Whenever he did, she would catch his eye and
send him the sweetest smile Launce had ever seen. If it hadn’t been
for the amused, fiery looks she would flick his way every now and
then, he might actually have been convinced that she was taken with
the imbecile.

Supper was finally finished, which
to Launce’s great relief meant he was closer to escaping the silent
battle being waged beside him. But first, they had to live through
the same introductory dances he’d watched the first night they’d
arrived at the palace. The king and the princess, followed by
Rafael with Queen Monica, and Isa and Everard. Rafael and Monica
were perfectly decent dancers, but Isa and Ever put them to shame.
They moved as one, as though the music itself came from them
instead of the musicians.

But they were too perfect. Isa’s
smile was overly brilliant, her eyes too bright, and Ever’s
powerful frame moved like a great animal’s, savage and agile. The
cheers at the end of the dance were wild and real. They had been
flawless, but to Launce’s surprise, an unexpected sadness filled
him. As little as he approved of his sister’s husband, it hurt
Launce to see her like this. At their wedding, he had seen the blue
fire that flitted upwards from their feet and swirled about them as
they moved. It was wrong that the others, particularly the catty
women present, couldn’t see what his sister was truly capable of.
What she had become. But then, not even she could see
that.

Much to Launce’s relief, other
couples began to fill the dance floor, which meant he was free to
move about the throne room. His first inclination was to hide
behind the hors d’oeuvres tables again, but a flash of red caught
his eye. The princess was spinning, to his dismay, in the arms of
Sir Absalom.

“
What are you waiting for?”
Everard’s harsh whisper made Launce jump. He turned to look at his
brother-in-law with disdain. Did the man ever stop watching him? It
wasn’t as if he was without his own problems to solve. Everard
inclined his head towards the princess. “You won’t get anywhere
with the girl by gawking at her.”

Launce scowled at him outright. “I
have enough problems with royals as it is. I don’t need another one
complicating my life.”

“
Cowards never—” But before
Everard could finish his thought, Launce stormed off to stand
somewhere else. Of course, that didn’t mean he was done watching
the princess. But he was merely interested in protecting her from
the likes of the horrid knight, he assured himself. She seemed as
miserable as he was at this event. Surely it was only natural to
feel a certain camaraderie in such a situation.

When Absalom claimed his third
dance, Launce’s resolve to stay hidden dissolved. The princess’s
panicked look was more than he could stand, and the knight
continued to move closer and closer with each turn. Launce just
hoped his action wouldn’t be interpreted as pursuance. As he walked
out amidst the twirling couples, he knew his saving grace would be
his status. She couldn’t expect a commoner to aspire to
kingship.

“
May I cut in?” Launce tapped
Absalom’s fine silk-covered shoulder, interrupting the couple
mid-twirl. Absalom glared at him, but stepped aside as etiquette
required, and for once, Launce was thankful for the stiff
formalities Everard had hammered into him during their preparations
at the Fortress.

Launce took the princess’s arms,
but once they began dancing on their own, was shocked to find her
frowning at him.

“
Did I do something wrong?” He
glanced back at the knight’s retreating coat.

“
I nearly had him,” Princess
Olivia sniffed.

“
I’m confused. If you want me to
go—”

“
No, you ninny. I just meant that
he’s getting desperate to impress my father. I almost had him ready
to try. Besides,” she arched one of her perfect eyebrows. “What
took you so long?”

“
I was under the impression you
were enjoying the sweet little nothings he was whispering so
tenderly in your ear. Ow!” Launce’s foot throbbed as the princess
continued to move lithely through the crowd of dancers with an ease
that made Launce wonder how often she had practiced stepping on her
partners’ feet.

“
That’s for taking so long.” She
smirked. Launce limped to keep up as she twirled away
again.

“
You certainly play both sides,”
he said, wondering how he had mistaken her for a pitiful, helpless
damsel just the day before. Everything about her was spirited and
lively. The ruffled dress she wore snapped back and forth as though
it were stepping forth for a challenge with each sharp move she
made. Her dark, shiny hair had just enough curl to fly upwards even
when she was still. The flush of her cheeks and the red of her lips
contrasted beautifully with her olive skin.

Actually, Launce realized, she was
quite beautiful. He had to focus on keeping his eyes on her face
while they danced, for her figure was graceful in its generous
curves as she moved, and her dress had been cut to pronounce those
curves quite expertly. As this revelation dawned on him, he also
realized she still hadn’t answered. A dark shadow had come over her
face instead.

“
What’s wrong?” he asked, his
voice soft enough to keep most busybodies unaware of their
conversation.

“
I wasn’t always like this,” she
whispered, then let out a shaky chuckle. “Well, I mean, I’ve always
enjoyed pranks, but...” She took another deep breath. “It’s my
father. He’s changed over the last few years. Ever since the holy
man came—” With a start, she stopped dancing, clapping her hand
over her mouth. Launce glanced around furtively, as he took her
hand from her face and continued dancing. Hopefully no one had seen
her slip. Well, Everard had, he noted, as his brother-in-law
continued to watch them with eagle eyes. But when was Everard not
watching?

“
That’s what my sister’s husband
tells me,” he whispered in her ear. A small, smug part of him
rejoiced when she didn’t cringe at his words the way she had for
Sir Absalom’s. Instead, she stared up at him, dark eyes wide on her
smooth face as she spoke.

“
He never ordered me around so
before. He was considerate, and always asked me what I thought. But
now…” She shook her head and lifted her chin a bit, defiance
gleaming in her eyes. “He’s obstinate, pompous, and doesn’t listen
to anyone but the holy man.”

Launce opened his mouth to ask,
but was interrupted by Rafael’s shout.

“
Sir Absalom, put your trousers
back on this instant!”

Launce turned to see Absalom
standing at the top of the main staircase. The foreign knight
swayed a bit, but that wasn’t what caused the gasps from the ladies
or the shrieks of laughter from some of the children
present.

“
Your Highness!” Absalom shouted
in a warbling voice. “I am bold! I am brave! And I am not afraid to
stake my claim to your daughter! With or without trousers!” He
hiccupped the last word.

“
You will pull up your trousers,
and you will not make any such claim! Now get back to the stables
before I return you myself!” The laughs and titters that ensued
from the crowd created a slight roar as two guards appeared at the
knight’s sides to guide him.

“
Father is going to be upset the
rest of the evening now.”

Launce turned incredulously to
look at the princess as she stifled more giggles and stared at the
king.

“
That was what you told him? To
take off his pants?”

“
I merely told him my father
appreciates men who are brazenly bold. I just didn’t expect so much
wine to be involved.” She chuckled. After a moment, she added more
seriously, “I suppose your sister had an easier time finding her
husband without interference from a father who was slowly losing
his mind, as mine seems to be.”

Launce laughed without humor, and
it tasted bitter. “You really haven’t heard how they
met?”

“
Rumors float.” The princess
shrugged. “I choose not to believe them until I find a source of
truth, though.” She didn’t ask the question aloud, but Launce knew
what she wanted to know.

“
Not here,” he said. “Too many
ears.”

“
Well then,” the princess said. “I
expect an answer when we’re a bit more secluded. And,” she sighed,
“apparently that will have to be tomorrow or later. My father is
calling for me.”

Launce stepped back and bowed.
“Until next time, Princess.”

“
One more thing. Call me Olivia.”
Then, with a nod and a twist, she was gone, and Launce allowed
himself one small smile, although he couldn’t tell whether it was
more because he’d spent most of the evening dancing with the
princess, or because she wanted to see him again.

Seeing no reason to torture
himself any longer than necessary, he excused himself from the
festivities and returned to the stables, hoping to get a little bit
of sleep before curfew was called. With the final race the next
morning, Launce had the feeling he would be up on the roof for one
more night.

As he laid down and tried to
ignore the straw that poked him through the rough mattress, he
smiled to himself. It had been more than slightly brazen for him to
imply that there would be another chance to discuss Isa’s marriage.
But the princess had not objected. Cowardly was a word Everard
could never use to describe him again.

CHAPTER
TWENTY-TWO

Doubts

Isa took
Ever’s arm when he offered it, but he could feel her stiffness
beneath the lace that draped so delicately around her wrist. When
he dared to peek at her face, her expression was tense, almost
fearful, and the sinking feeling that had lived at the pit of his
gut all night grew even stronger. Whatever she wanted to talk about
must be a difficult topic for her to broach for her to appear so
nervous.

And if it was difficult for her,
it would be next to impossible for him.

Unfortunately for Ever, Rafael was
still babbling on about his plans for the kingdom, how the holy man
would make all the difference in putting a final stop to the
rebels. Ever was trying to nod and comment in all the right places,
but his growing dislike for his father’s old friend was becoming
nearly too great for him to stand. Still, he’d reminded himself all
evening, it would get him nowhere to treat the ungrateful king as
he truly deserved. It would be better to play along and see which
webs Rafael had ensnared himself in. As a result, the entire
banquet had been spent watching Launce unknowingly flirt with the
princess, trying to guess at Isa’s source of unhappiness, and
putting up with Rafael.

All he wanted to do was go to
bed.

Before he could finish fantasizing
about sleep, however, the sound of a staff knocking on the floor
brought him to his senses, and he realized Rafael had risen from
his throne, and was standing behind the herald.

“
His Royal Highness, King Rafael,
wishes to make an announcement!” When the ballroom was finally
quiet, the herald turned and bowed to the king before slipping off
the dais so the king could step forward.

“
My friends,” Rafael said, a
patient, rather irksome smile upon his face. “I have told you
little by little of how the holy one, our builder of the glass
hill, has plans for this kingdom. Now I can tell you that he not
only has plans for Cobren, but for the good of all the northern
kingdoms!”

Ever tensed. What did he mean all
of the kingdoms? But the king continued.

“
I know these new signs from the
Maker can seem a bit overwhelming after being silent for so long,
so as a symbol of promise to promote peace between all lands, the
holy man has asked me to give you these gifts as a token of his
good will towards you all.”

As he spoke, he gave a little wave
with his right hand, and simultaneously, a servant came to stand
before each visitor or party of visitors, removed the covers from
the silver platters. When the servant standing before Ever and Isa
lifted the cover from the platter he held, Ever felt his heart stop
as Isa gasped in delight.

One delicate glass flower, the
Isabelle rose, and a miniature glass fortress, exactly like the one
he called home, rested on the tray, neither piece longer than the
span of his hand. The rose was a light shade of pink, and the glass
fortress was blue. They weren’t cloudy, the way most glass objects
in the markets were, but sparkled as clear as water and as detailed
as their originals themselves. Ever looked up from the tray and
searched the room until he found Kartek, and her look of horror
mirrored the one he knew he must be wearing now.

“
Each of these gifts has been made
specifically for you,” Rafael continued after the crowd’s elated
murmurs died down, “so that you will know the Maker knows exactly
who you are and what you need. Through these, and the future
actions of the holy man, you are to know that He is watching over
you, always.”

The servant held the tray up
closer, and panic filled Ever as Isa reached for the rose. Before
she could touch it, he snatched both the rose and the miniature
fortress and ground them to pieces in his hand. As the pink and
blue dust fell to the floor, Isa’s face went from glowing to
crushed, and he suddenly hoped desperately that she wouldn’t make a
scene. Remorse filled him as she stared at the ground where her
rose pieces lay. When he’d touched the glass, he hadn’t felt any
power emanating from it as he’d feared he would. But he’d been so
filled with fear in that instant, that the overriding need to
protect her had pushed away all other thoughts.