Blinding Beauty (9 page)

Thankful for something he could
fix, Ever drew her drooping form towards him. She didn’t curl into
him like usual, but she did allow him to place his hands on her
head. As he did, whorls of blue danced briefly over her, and he
felt her body relax into his, as if being healed had taken the last
ounce of energy she had. He shifted her into a more comfortable
sitting position in his lap and held her there tightly with his
left arm while stroking her hair gently with his right
hand.

“
Isa, you forget,” he said into
her hair, “being attentive to other people’s feelings isn’t—it
isn’t what I excel at. I truly am sorry for not noticing you were
feeling distressed.” He paused. “Can you forgive me?”

“
Who was she?” The hollowness in
her voice broke his heart, and for the first time, it occurred to
Ever that Isa actually thought he was considering being unfaithful.
This mortified him more than he could bear to ponder.

“
Kartek is the closest thing I
ever had to a sister,” he said. “She, too, has been gifted by the
Maker. Her power isn’t as strong as ours, but as a child, she was
one of the few people I knew who understood me. I haven’t seen her
in a while, as she is from the southern kingdoms. I only hurried to
her because I needed to ask her something before I spoke with
Rafael.”

It was a moment before Isa
responded, but she finally nodded, seeming at least slightly
pacified for the moment.

“
If it makes you feel better,” he
added, “she is married as well, and she and her husband are nearly
ten years my senior. Now,” he shifted the topic, hoping his wife’s
worries had lessened, “I know Jadzia and Damira are rather
unpleasant, but you can’t take anything they say—”

“
They called me a whore,” Isa’s
voice broke into a sob.

Ever felt as though his blood had
frozen in his veins before melting into dangerous heat, and it was
suddenly a good thing that his arms were wrapped around his wife,
and he was not free to take off down the hall and right the matter
himself.

“
That woman’s father will hear of
this,” he growled, but Isa stopped him, shaking her
head.

“
That won’t do any good,
Ever.”

“
But they cannot be allowed to
speak of you that way!”

Isa pulled away to look at him, a
tremulous smile on her lips. “Women do not make amends through
rules and by force of righteous indignation, love.” She paused
before saying in a quiet voice, “But I have to wonder if they were
right, at least in part.”

“
About what?” Had she lost her
mind?

“
I don’t belong in this world.”
She shrugged helplessly. “All these rules and proprieties I am to
pay heed to... Even just last year, had Lady Jadzia come to the
Fortress and visited the city, she would not have been required to
pay me notice. What has changed so greatly in me since then? What
does that say about my ability to be... to be this?” She gestured
at the deep purple sleeping gown she wore. Ever’s eyes lingered on
the way it fit her graceful curves before realizing she was still
talking. “And that power in my hands tonight? I haven’t even the
slightest inclination as to where that came from! I never meant to
hurt anyone!”

“
Jadzia will be fine.” He briefly
smiled. “I’m not sure how you managed it, but it seemed to me that
somehow, you helped her to feel the appropriate emotions that
should have shamed her after she said such dreadful things. Your
power surfaced because you knew they were lying.” He gathered her
in his arms once more, wishing he could smooth the lines of pain
from her face with just the touch of his hands in the same way he’d
banished her headache. “You knew the Fortress had chosen you, that
this is your rightful place.”

“
Then why do I feel so wretched?”
Isa’s voice broke once more.

“
I don’t know,” Ever whispered,
wishing desperately that he knew what to do. Scheming kings, he
could handle. Battles, he could fight. But this helpless feeling
that filled him, the inability to fix whatever had broken inside of
his wife was far beyond his ability or understanding.

“
Can you sing to me?” Isa asked
pitifully. Ever gave a small sigh of relief and thanked the Maker.
That, he could do.

And so, as he gently laid her head
back down on the pillow and pulled the covers over her once more,
Ever began to sing, and he didn’t stop until her breaths were deep
and even, and a serene smile lay on her lips.

CHAPTER NINE

Sleeping
Stables

“
This is
where you’ll be staying.” The stable master pointed at a bottom
bunk in the corner of the already overflowing stable. Launce
quickly thanked him and dropped his bag onto the rough, narrow
mattress. Sitting upon it, though, revealed that it was stuffed
with very stiff hay, and one look up at the bunk above had Launce
praying the thin wooden slats holding his bunk partner wouldn’t
break during the night. “Breakfast at first light in front of the
stables,” the stable master grunted. “Better come as soon as the
bell is sounded. This bunch doesn’t leave much for the
tardy.”

Just as the stable master turned
to go, Launce caught his sleeve once more. “When are the trials to
begin?”

“
Day after tomorrow.” He looked
back at Launce’s small bag of belongings. “Have you got some armor
of your own? The king won’t be—”

“
King Everard will be sending
some,” Launce assured him, hoping his brother-in-law had brought
something that would fit his thinner frame.

“
Good. And mind you, King Rafael
doesn’t want the patrons of the contestants snooping around here.
That goes for King Everard, too.” Launce nodded once more that he
understood, although Launce’s very presence in the stables was, in
fact, Everard’s form of spying.

When the stable master moved on,
Launce simply sat, watching the others warily. A number of the
contestants were still back in the ballroom, late as it was, so it
was surprising that so many men were still awake in the stables.
Exhaustion had him ready to sleep, but the torches within the
stables were still alight, so instead of laying down, Launce
studied his new surroundings.

The stable, though nearly as large
as the Fortress dining hall, was already filled with men, and it
smelled just so. From the looks of those milling around, Launce
appeared to be on the younger end of the spectrum, and for that, he
pitied Princess Olivia. Isa had told him that her marriage to
Everard was somewhat unusual, that many of the male royals were
quite a bit older than their wives. And though King Rafael claimed
anyone was allowed to compete, it didn’t appear as though any
commoners were aware of this. Nearly everyone in the stable wore
velvet or silk with gold rings and silver buttons. His own clothes,
while hardly poor, were nothing as fine. Ever would not only have
provided nicer dressings, had he requested some, but would have
been overjoyed to make him look proper. But, Launce had told
himself and his sister, it was pointless to pretend to be something
you were not. You would only disappoint others when they found out
the truth.

Had Blanchette been disappointed?
Had she thought his new connections would change him?

He could see through the open
stable doors that a large number of the men stood outside. Some,
like him, were returning from the festivities, but others appeared
to still be arriving from the road, looking weary from their
travels.

Although patrons weren’t allowed
in the stables, servants were not in short supply. Many of the
finely dressed men had their own pages scurrying after them. One
caught his attention as his voice rose in pitch. It was a tall,
thin man, one who made Launce look hefty by comparison.

“
This is not the saddle I wanted!
Boy, what good are you? If I—”

“
You!”

Launce was jolted from his musings
when a heavy bag was thrown into his lap. Shocked, he looked up to
see who had tossed it. A burly man, probably at least a few years
older than he, was staring down at him expectantly. He was dressed
in red velvet with large puffy sleeves, and wore no small look of
self-importance. “Ask your master how much it would cost to borrow
you. My page is ill, and I need a new one for the contest.” His
wide face went from an expression of annoyance to one of outrage as
Launce shoved the bag onto the floor and stood to face him,
exhaustion forgotten.

“
I am no one’s
servant.”

The man cocked a thick eyebrow at
him as though Launce were daft.

“
Well, who are you then, to act so
high and mighty?”

“
I’m Queen Isabelle’s brother.”
They were nearly equal in height, although the man had him beat
soundly in weight. Everything about him was muscled.

“
So you’re the commoner,” the man
muttered, his voice smug.

“
And what of it?” For a moment,
Launce thought the stranger might throw a punch, but after a moment
of intense study, the man just smirked instead as he bent to pick
his bag up again, shaking his head with a small, mean smile on his
mouth.

“
Nothing.”

Launce glared at his back as he
walked away. Deep down, he knew he should be grateful. If it had
come to blows, there would have been no doubt as to whom the winner
would have been, but instead of relief, this only filled him with
annoyance. He could hear Everard’s voice inside his head, telling
him repeatedly how important it was that he learn to fight. It was
in this foul mood that the servant found him.

“
Might you be Launce Marchand?”
Launce turned to give a terse reply, but found himself staring into
one of the friendliest faces he’d ever seen. The man was older,
probably older than Launce’s father, and he had deep, permanent
smile lines etched into his face. His graying hair had large curls
sticking out in every which way, and his eyes were a pale blue. In
spite of his bad mood, Launce found himself grinning back at the
man.

“
Yes, sir. That would be
me.”

“
Ah, good then. If you’ll allow
me, I have a gift for you from King Everard.”

When Launce nodded, the servant
turned to go back out front. For lack of a friendlier face in the
stable, Launce followed him. Outside was a horse, and though it was
dark, there was just enough moonlight to see that it was one of
Everard’s finest. Upon the horse was a variety of items, from
clothing with the green and blue colors of the Fortress, to
weapons, to even a suit of armor. Launce swallowed hard when he saw
the size of the pile.

“
What’s your name?” Launce asked
as the servant began to unpack the horse.

“
Call me Brokk.” The lines in the
man’s face deepened as he smiled again, seeming pleased that Launce
had cared to ask. “Forgive me if I’m being too forward, but are you
not the brother of the lovely Queen Isabelle?”

“
I am.”

The man puffed a little as he
struggled to lift one of the heavier pieces of armor off of the
horse. Without thinking, Launce reached out to aid him. Together,
they were able to get everything off the horse without damaging
anything. It intrigued Launce that the man allowed him to help
without protesting as the Fortress servants would have.

“
I must admit, I have been curious
to meet you and your sister. Word travels far of her great deeds,
what with breaking the Fortress curse and all. And I thank you,”
Brokk said as they finished. “Most of these men wouldn’t so much as
look at me unless I accidentally scratched their
property.”

“
It is my pleasure.” This time,
Launce’s smile was genuine. “And my sister would be grateful to
hear you say as such.” He lowered his voice a bit, the memory of
her face that night sinking his spirits. “She is in need of such
encouragement at the moment.”

“
I can only guess that moving from
your father’s home to... this.” He gestured at the royal bustle
going on around them. “It must have been quite a transition.” After
a moment, he lowered his head with a look of slight worry on his
face. “I apologize, sir. I say too much. It is not my place to
speak of the personal lives of those above my station.”

“
No, please think nothing of it,”
Launce hurried to assure him. “I will admit that I don’t feel
anything at home in this place. I can only guess my sister feels
the same.” He studied the scuffs on his boots as he spoke again. “I
cannot imagine what it must be like for her to live like this. I’m
only here because she wanted me to come along.”

“
What, a young man like you has no
sweetheart at home?” The servant gave a chuckle. “I find that hard
to believe.”

“
I had one,” Launce gave him a wry
smile.

“
Ah, I see.”

They were silent for a moment,
watching the goings-on around them as men continued to stream into
the stables.

“
Well, I suppose I should be off.
It is getting to be more than a bit late.” The short man
straightened his green work vest and dusted off his brown trousers
as he turned to go. “But please, let me know if there is anything I
can do for you.”

“
Thank you,” Launce said, truly
meaning it. “And the same for me as well. I have enjoyed some
honest conversation.” With another deep smile, the older man gave a
short, quick bow and left the stableyard. Launce found himself in a
somewhat better mood as a bell sounded from somewhere in the
distance.