Extol of Agnatic Dreams (The Extol Series Book 1) (2 page)

“We have so few alliances, and the ones we do hold are limited in some way.”

“But the partnerships hold true,” Thea sighed, Barret nodding. What she said was true but it was not enough to guarantee their livelihood should it come to such measures. “What more can we offer? We give all we can. Our port, our grain, our loyalty is all above order.”

“Yes, but there is no tie to this land to ensure we are safe. If they should have to choose a side, I fear our positive reasons will quickly become useless. It is clear that we need them more than they need us.” Thea wanted to point out the exact opposite and all the opportunities their province offered their allies but she did not. She was waiting for Barret to announce whatever thoughts he was hiding from her.

“Do you believe we need a stronger alliance?’ Barret suddenly asked her and Thea was caught off guard by his approach.

“Yes, I suppose we are always looking for the stronger support. Should these rumours of a takeover come to fruition then it would be smart for us to have resources to call on.” Thea agreed.

“And are you willing to sacrifice to ensure a strong alliance?”

Barret moved closer to her, gripping her wrist tighter. She did not like the way his eyes darted to her swollen stomach, and she wanted to pull back. If she had any notion of the news, he was about to divulge to her, she might act on instinct and leave. His grip was like death so she was forced to sit and remain silent under his judgement. “I suppose there are some limits.”

Thea was answering carefully and Barret knew it. “Do you trust me to protect you and our family?” Barret asked and Thea nodded. “That my prize I am offering is the high one we must make to ensure survival?”

“Barret, what is your prize?” She whispered afraid to speak louder as if it might somehow provoke his madness. He had never acted so tense before. She did not know what had struck such a rushed flurry of questions to pass his lips and Thea was afraid to ask.

Barret swept his hair back, rising from the stoop as he did. Thea let him go but did not rise from her chair. Instead, she watched him pace, his hand behind his back as he collected his thoughts. Finally, he faced her again. Secretly he valued his plan and congratulated himself of a real method for ridding his home of the small child who was currently four years of age and with no clues on her true parentage. Thea pleaded her innocence to adultery but Barret found it hard to believe the story of the Dryad. Barret knew Thea would not share the same relief. “I will offer Evangeline to the Kingdom of Braykith in exchange for immediate protection.”

Thea was glad she was sitting because all of her wills could not bring her to hold her weight. She slumped in her chair and Barret was frozen in mid-pace, awaiting her judgement on his decision.

“You are not asking for my permission.” The relationship between Barret and Evangeline was tense and he did not treat her with the adoration he always showed upon his unborn child, even before it came to this world and unleash a single cry to the heavens. Never had Thea imagined he would call for this. Thea spoke slowly feeling dizzy and light headed at his announcement.

Barret shook his head firmly. “No, I am not.”

Thea nodded looking down at her lap and seeing nothing to focus on she struggled with digesting the new development still. Her hands rubbed at the curve of the chairs arm, adding her worries to the already abused wood. “Must we?” She looked up to Barret. “The things you hear of that Kingdom.”

“I would not send my daughter to a mad man.” Barret defended himself, choosing his words carefully to manipulate his wife into thinking nothing but honourable things about his proposition. He watched as her body told him that she believed it and Thea were quick to sit up straighter. He knew how to manipulate Thea without her realising it and his immediate defence had forced her to reconsider her tactics just as he thought it would. Thea was right to believe that Barret was a passionate man and Thea knew it was her responsibility as his wife to take in his emotions and allow him to see the trust she still had for him. His plan was messy and demanding and so Thea struggled but she fought to find acceptance in the proposal.

“The messenger has already gone to Braykith.” Thea realised. Barret crossed the room in three quick strides and stopped abruptly before her. Barret offered his wife his hand and she was tentative to give him anything he asked of her right now. Finally, she took his hand and allowed her husband to raise her to her feet. “She is just a baby herself.” She continued to struggle against his declaration although it was clearly too late.

Barret nodded and wiped her cheek lightly with only the pad of his thumb as he cradled her jaw. He would never wish such grief on Thea in her current condition but this would rid them of the child who tainted his heart and hallways. Thea would not want to hear him say that and so Barret approached her differently with the excuse that would be more pleasant for a mother to hear. “That she is, but we knew this would happen. A suitable husband must be found for her and we need to secure our borders from those who mean us harm.”

“Is there no other way?” Thea made one last attempt to sway her husband, or at least, have him thinking beyond what was clearly a done deal in his mind.

Barret was getting tired of her disobedience and while he loved his wife; finding her adventurous spirit endearing, Barret was the Lord of this land. He deserved to be treated as such, and that seemed to be something that he needed to remind those closest to him. The people who lived here depended on him to keep them safe. A trustworthy man was far more valuable than his gold.

“This is beyond securing our borders from those who mean us ill will. Perhaps with the faithful friends and support, this can create for our people opportunities to expand our reach.” Barret took both of her hands in his and kissed the point where their hands met, mimicking the gesture performed at their wedding so many years ago. “The Kingdom of Braykith lays to the west, and our borders do not come into direct contact. Claiming our allegiance gives them the upper hand here, but it also gives us extended reach. Some of those smaller regions could be added to our survival.” Barret paused for just a second as he thought about his plans. Thea was too struck by this shift in the conversation to add much of anything. “Given the perfect opportunities, we could start to establish an actual empire.”

Thea had never seen her husband quite like this before. He was ambitious in other ways that had always appealed to her. Barret’s concerns seemed close to home and creating a secure passage for those they were in contact with. Never did she image him as some tycoon. The look in his eyes was critical to her, and she wanted to shrink back from him as he spoke. Sounding more crazed with every word he uttered, Thea was stuck as he clutched her hands tight under his own. She had assumed he was content with their little place in the sun.

“If Evangeline leaves us, she will be forever lost to us.” Thea couldn’t keep her thoughts to herself, the baby taking what was her natural reaction to the situation and forcing her to become someone far more extreme. Loss of control was common for pregnant women, but Thea had tried her best to keep these outbursts away from her husband. This news though had been a rather difficult thing to hear.

“Yes Thea, she will be lost to us just as you are lost to your home.” Barret shook his head at himself but did not say anything to Thea. He had been warned during her first pregnancy of the ways a baby can control her emotions. Barret was sure that half of this was caused by the baby she was now carrying. “Do you feel lost Thea? Or found?” He tried to lighten her spirits by recalling the very elements that had brought them together.

“You were discovered by me, worshipped and adored by me. You were given to me and never did I ever imagine I could deserve such a gift and yet here you are.” He moved in slowly as his spoke, voice lower and finally his forehead was pressed against hers as he accommodated for their growing child between them. “You bloomed here Thea, just as Eva will bloom with her husband.”

It was hard to remain resentful when he held her like this. The intensity between them which had started when they were so young had never drifted even after years together. Barret was a loyal husband and even in her current state, all he said was entirely correct. Thea knew the day would come when Evangeline would indeed be married. Thea had been hopeful that her daughter’s courtship would be one based on companionship and a shared vision of the future. Instead, it seemed that her love would be forced by the hands of politics and circumstance.

Finally, she closed her eyes and gave into the tension that had taken over her body. It had started with her hands but had quickly spread. Only Barret could force her to react in such extremes. While only moments ago she had been afraid of him, she also trusted and loved her husband. Thea needed to hold onto that now as she gave in the fight.

Barret gently released the breath he didn’t even realise he had been holding as she relaxed more against him. The reality of their situation was that there was nothing that Thea could do to work against any of Barret’s demands. If this was the course he wished to take, and he felt this was the only proper course worth taking, then Thea would need to accept that. Barret found no enjoyment in watching his wife suffer, and so he did try and lighten the load as much as he possibly could.

“We must wait for the messenger to return to us. There will be an answer to our question, but it will do very little to influence the immediate future. There are no fates set in stone.” Barrett reminded her, pressing a kiss to her lips to try and relax her further. He was sure that the deal would benefit the Kingdom of Braykith enough that they would accept. Gossip said they were seeking for a strong match for their eldest son. Barret believed he was delivering that to them.

“We must assume there are spies within our walls, whispers of what we are doing and the choices we make on the day are being carried directly to our enemies. It is important there is no change in your activities Thea.” Barret was quick to warn her. “The messenger and our allies took great care to deliver us a warning, and we must not allow his true nature to be discovered.”

For a moment, Thea had forgotten the present danger bearing down on them. Should the warning prove true, then Evangeline and their unborn child had no future at all. It was an ugly thing to think on, and although sacrifices would be made to ensure their livelihood continued, Thea was still distrustful of Barret’s plans. Thea looked up at her husband and nodded a silent vow to do as he wished. All he wished and commanded would come to pass, and their daughter may very well be the one to keep war from their doorstep. Thea couldn’t fight for her. There was no fight to be had.

E
VANGELINE STOOD BY THE side of her bed, the sun barely illuminating her hand as it hovered above the delicate lacework that decorated her otherwise plain pillow. It had once been white, but over time, it had turned the slightest shade of cream. The intricate details had been a gift from her future husband, given when she was still too young to fully appreciate such a thing or what it could mean for her.

Of course, it had not been directly from him. Glais had been barely older than seven when the betrothal had become part of their family’s alliance. Upon its arrival, the lace had been laid out on her childhood bed; however, it could not stay there for long. As she had grown, the lace had travelled with her, always close at hand as if somehow it connected her to Glais.

A few years back it had finally graduated to her pillow after adorning her headboard, and so it had stayed until this day had finally arrived. For the first time in recent memory, Evangeline had slept poorly the night before. It was not questioned why this was. For anyone who knew the symbolism of today, it was expected and for good reason. Evageline was to leave the only home she had ever known to take her place as Glais’ side. There was nothing to be done about it now. Years had been invested in her education and exposure to give Evangeline the best possible start in Braykith.

There had never been a time when her wedding was not an eventual possibility and Evangeline knew that. She never wanted anything more. Although there was a dangerous myth surrounding the Kingdom she was excited by the prospect and not afraid. As the years dropped by and she matured, as the days to her final night at her home province came to a close, Evangeline felt like she just needed one more day. One more day would never be enough and when the next day came to its end, she would be asking for another. Evangeline would stall those final moments until there was nothing but old age to greet her.

Now, after caring for the fabric for most of her life, Evangeline was unsure exactly what she wanted to do with it. Would Glais laugh at her childish ways, or be more endeared to her because she had kept it? There was no way for her to be sure of anything when it came to the man Evangeline was due to marry. A few letters had been exchanged between them within the past few years but they were barely an insight into his inner workings. If they were, she dared say that Glais sounded quite passionate about nothing in his life and mentioned death and life in the same breath. There was no change. The sun rose and it set, and he existed within those hours.

Both of her parents had separately attempted to assure her that this was simply the way of long distance courtship and that his words were simply words drawn up by a tired man at the end of a long day. She took their word for it. After all, she felt that they spoke from experience and it relaxed her to see that the distance between lands could become love. Her parents were not afraid to share their impulses when they believed there was no one to witness it. Evangeline thought it sweet, the way her father would still kiss his wife in the morning.

Her engagement was not unusual in the slightest; the letters were merely small objects in a much larger picture she may never see. That had been her mother’s advice, time and time again when she found Evangeline fretting over the latest morsel offering from Braykith. Her father had grunted at her, said something to the effect of men have other skills to woo women beyond using ink and moved on. While Evangeline had been quick to agree with their advice in the beginning, as time drew on and his letters did not change, she found that she doubted Glais and his intentions more than before with no reprieve in sight.

The letters between her parents had made Evangeline blush, and still to this day she never could quite look her mother and father in the eye should she remember details at a random moment. She assumed this struggle would continue until the end of her days and never again would she imagine her parents with childlike innocence and wonder. Had her mother clutched her breasts as she dangerously described in her letters? Surely not her mother with the stern footsteps that echoed through their home.

Evangeline was closer to believing that her father had taken her mother to that field he mentioned. She could see it now from her window, beyond the tall walls. Right at this moment it was barely holding colour in the pale morning light, but Evangeline knew the arrangement of colours that the field could breed after the summer storms. Had her father truly done as he had promised? Taken her mother to this very field Evangeline now looked at and made good his vow to awaken her womanhood as the sun awoke the rooster? Those had been his words; once she had deciphered the ageing scribble on the parchment that had been rushed penmanship to begin with.

After her discovery, Evangeline decided that no letters were worth this kind of trauma and had quickly put them back where she had found them. She had been on an adventure for spiritual peace. However, the letters had delivered nothing to take comfort in. They had brought Evangeline further concerns then the peace she had been hoping to find. Were the letters an indicator of the life of the participants? While her parents were private people and let the citizens of Crimah see them as influential leaders, it did not mean they were completely without passion. Her father Barret made good on the large romantic gestures he had described. Could this indicate that Evangeline would encounter a life void of passion or desire? Should she instead concentrate on a smaller goal, one that would be the most fundamental acceptance of his world? Evangeline could not believe that the son of a King could be so devoid of emotion.

Evangeline drew her eyes from the meadow, her hands shaking gently much to her disapproval. In the corner of her eyes, she spied a glimpse of the fabric still on her pillow. It seemed to be judging her as if it could read her thoughts. She knew it was impossible, that no person could have the power to infuse fabric with conscious thought, but that feeling of being judged and watched did not leave her. Feeling guilty for ever thinking Glais would be anything less than the best man he could be, Evangeline decided she would leave his first gift to her behind as a reminder to her family.

A reminder that she would always be here, even if it were just in the memories infused with the delicate lace work. Evangeline knew that no one would believe her if she had said as much. Whenever she was feeling bold and dared to speak of the actual fears she held dear concerning her new family and life, Evangeline was assured that if she were patient, the Kingdom of Braykith would become home to her.

Evangeline doubted it. Although, she would never argue against the advice of anyone. Her mother had trained her very carefully in the art of being a woman. Not simply how to be a woman, but the wife to the future king. Lesson after lesson had filled her childhood memory, destroying any chance she might have had to experience normalcy during her callow youth. All for good reason, and now as an adult, she appreciated the efforts of all concerned. There had been a time when she had not been so understanding, and Evangeline had come to loathe it. Alone now, she looked around her room, and Evangeline found herself reciting the fundamental lessons.

Be seen at your husband’s side and never take priority over his needs.
A simple task and one that naturally seemed to came to her. It was within her very limbs to be subservient and attentive, even from a young age she found herself displaying these traits. Understanding the stress that Glais must feel only helped her. While her father did have power in their province, and a growing reputation within the land, Evangeline knew the difference in power he held as Lord, and that of a King. Or even the son of a King. Glais would forever be the centre of her world, and her job as a wife was to create harmony.

This peace was maintained by following one simple rule.
Be pure and humble for your husband.
Do not expect this same attitude from your husband and do not embarrass him by mentioning his mistakes. Evangeline paused in her thoughts and assessment to consider what that meant. It was not something she had thought on often. It always felt like there was more time for her to get over her embarrassment and ask that burning question which her mother so quickly glanced over. When she had first been introduced to this idea, it had meant not telling others when the Prince had been misbehaving. As her knowledge of married life grew, the meaning had evolved to be far more.

Would Glais have known other women intimately? Evangeline blushed just at the thought of that answer. Both options, yes and no, made her cheeks burst into colour and instinctively she lowered her eyes although she was alone in her room. Not for long though as Teagan entered with Evangeline’s final breakfast. The petite girl grinned, not at all conscious of the gap between her teeth, and didn’t comment on how Evangeline was holding herself. It was common these days to find Evangeline staring at the ground with her arms wrapped around her midsection as if all she had to hold herself together. It seemed rude to comment on it.

“I have brought your tea, and there is bread although I reminded Chef that your stomach is tender when you are anxious.” Teagan moved to set the tray down by the side of the bed but Evangeline couldn’t join her. Not with the thoughts she still had in her mind.

Instead, Evangeline went back to the window but turned away from the meadow. Why did she need to go hunting for those letters which left her now with a sour taste in her mouth? “Thank you, Teagan. I will miss you when I am gone.”

Teagan presented the filled cup to Evangeline. “I will miss you too, but they will take care of you there.” It was a steady promise of support from these people who had bargained for her life when she was barely old enough to know what the destiny meant.

“Where is Viviana?” Evangeline wondered, taking the tea but she did not drink it. Not that she had any doubts about Teagan and her abilities to brew the drink, but with her upset stomach, she doubted she could keep it down. While the smell of the tea was usually a comfort for Evangeline, the instant she breathed in the steam her stomach turned into knots ready to reject it.

“She was absolutely distraught on your dress and is making the suitable adjustments herself.” Teagan made herself a cup and sipped it in a way that made her appear thoughtful. Evangeline had spent far too much time with Teagan to be fooled by her expression. Teagan never seemed to consider her words before she said them. Not only were her words and actions impulsive, but they also were never more than what Teagan said. She was not quick-witted or the master of jokes. Teagan was sweet and simple, and one of Evangeline’s best friends.

Evangeline looked to the entranceway of her room and was pleased to see that the door was indeed closed. She was embarrassed enough to broach this topic with her friend. Evangeline did not need to further the discussion with whoever happened to pass in the halls. Knowing they would not be alone for long, she couldn’t be delicate about her questions. “Teagan, do you believe that Glais has been with other women?”

“Yes,” She answered just as Evangeline had hoped she would. Instantly speaking her mind without dissection or trying to create a sense of back story to her words. Teagan didn’t seem to be shocked by the question. Teagan was a little surprised this conversation had not happened sooner since she had considered it years ago. “None of those women has his heart. That was subscribed to you years ago.”

Calmly Teagan sipped her tea while Evangeline stared at her. It would take a few moments before Teagan would realise how what she said would affect her friend and Evangeline would have recovered from it all by then. Most people would have lied to her. This simple advice will be something Evangeline was sure she would not be getting in her new home. You could never be certain what Teagan would say, but you could depend on it being completely honest and mostly not the thing you want to hear.

“Do you think he has been with many women?” Evangeline asked. Once again she hoped for that honesty that might save her sanity.

Teagan shrugged, looking down at her tea. “I suppose that depends on what you consider being many. More than perhaps your brother has known.”

“Excuse me?” Evangeline’s head snapped to the left at the released details.

Teagan barely seemed to react as she went on to try and explain further. Mistaking her shock at the reveal that her younger brother was no longer a virgin, Teagan made to protect the young man’s reputation. “He is no crown prince as Glais is but your brother is still due to inherit quite a generous plot should your father pass.” Teagan seemed to have misunderstood where Evangeline’s outrage was coming from, and there was honest doubt that Teagan would ever quite know what Evangeline had reacted to. Evangeline was not looking to understand the appeal of Glais over her brother. The very thought that Glais knew other women in intimate ways was disturbing. For Evangeline to now know that Darius was creating his own path with local women was more than Evangeline wanted to know.

Knowing Darius knew such personal intricacies of life had made it hard for Evangeline to speak. Evangeline held her hand up, shaking her head to try and get Teagan to stop before she named names. Already Evangeline was embarrassed by the details she knew of her parents’ courtship. She did not need to see Darius as more than her younger brother. In her own mind, Darius was still a child in many ways. Evangeline was lost on how best to proceed. Unfortunately, there was no script for how to deal with this. As if sent by angels, Viviana appeared at that moment and saved her from further embarrassments.

“Come here Eva,” Viviana demanded, laying the dress to the side and being careful as she kept it clear of the tea.