Chapter 10: Bring Her To Me
1291 Words
I stare at her for a long moment. "Are you seriously suggesting that the woman I'm going to marry is practicing dark magic?"
"We're not suggesting anything, Your Majesty," Lord Hawthorne says hastily. "We're simply... concerned about maintaining the spiritual integrity of the court."
"The spiritual integrity." I laugh, but there's no humor in it. "How enlightening. And here I thought you were just being petty and small-minded."
Lady Cordelia flinches like I've slapped her.
"Let me share something with you," I say, my voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "I've spent the last weekdealing with actual threats to this kingdom. Real enemies with real power who would love nothing more than to see us tear ourselves apart from the inside."
I pause, letting that sink in.
"And I come home to find that my own nobles are so threatened by one woman—one woman who's done nothing but try to help people—that they're spreading rumors about dark magic and questioning her right to exist in the same space as them."
The table is so quiet I can hear people breathing.
"I find that... disappointing."
I stood and this time I don't sit back down.
"From now on, Lady Mira will be treated with the respect due to your future Queen. Anyone who has a problem with that can discuss it with me personally." My eyes find Lady Cordelia's. "I do hope that won't be necessary."
"Of course not, Your Majesty," she whispers.
"Excellent. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other matters to attend to."
I walk out of the great hall with every eye following me, their conversations a buzz of nervous whispers behind me.
In the corridor, I nearly collide with Seraphine.
"Kaelith," she says, her voice warm with genuine pleasure. "You're back. I was wondering when you'd return."
"Seraphine." I nod curtly. "I need to speak with you."
"Of course. Your chambers?"
"My study."
I saw the disappointment in her face but I didn't care. Whatever we had was in the past.
We walk in silence through the familiar corridors. Everything should feel normal, should feel like coming home. Instead, I feel like I'm walking through a place that's been subtly altered in ways I'm still discovering.
My study, at least, is exactly as I left it. Dark wood, heavy furniture, maps and documents scattered across every surface. This is where I feel most like myself.
"Drink?" I ask, moving toward the cabinet where I keep the good whiskey.
"Please."
I pour two glasses and hand her one, then settle into the chair behind my desk. She takes the chair across from me, the same one she's used for a dozen similar conversations over the years.
"So," I say, taking a sip of whiskey and feeling the familiar burn. "Tell me about my future wife."
Seraphine's expression shifts slightly, becoming more guarded. "What would you like to know?"
"Everything. How she's settling in, how the court is treating her, whether she's causing problems I need to be aware of."
"She's... quiet," Seraphine says carefully. "Keeps to herself mostly. Spends time in the gardens, reads a lot. The servants like her well enough."
"That's not what I heard at dinner."
"What did you hear?"
"That she's been attempting to heal people despite being forbidden to do so. That there are concerns about her methods. That some people think she's practicing dark magic."
Seraphine's mouth tightens. "The incident with the child was... complicated."
"How so?"
"She helped him, yes. But she did it in defiance of a direct order from the High Priestess. And the way she did it..." Seraphine pauses, choosing her words carefully. "There was something unusual about it, Kaelith. Her hands glowed. Actually glowed. I saw it myself."
That gets my attention. "Glowed how?"
"Like light was coming from her palms. Soft at first, then brighter as she worked. And the child's fever didn't just break—it disappeared completely. In minutes."
I lean back in my chair, processing this information. "Have you ever seen anything like that before?"
"Never."
"And you think it's... what? Dark magic?"
"I think it's something we don't understand," she says honestly. "And things we don't understand can be dangerous."
"Or they can be useful."
"Kaelith." Her voice takes on a warning tone. "Be careful. I know you're thinking strategically, but this isn't just about politics. There are forces at work here that we don't comprehend."
"What forces?"
"I don't know. That's the problem." She leans forward, her expression intense. "But I know enough to recognize power when I see it. And whatever she did to that child, it was real power. The question is where it comes from and what the cost might be."
I take another sip of whiskey, thinking. A woman with unexplained healing abilities. A woman who's been dismissed and underestimated by everyone around her. A woman who's somehow managed to unsettle my entire court without raising her voice or making demands.
"What's your assessment of her?" I ask finally.
"Honestly? She's not what I expected."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning she's not weak. She's not submissive. She's not trying to ingratiate herself with anyone or win approval." Seraphine pauses. "She's... self-contained. Like she's perfectly comfortable being alone."
"Is that good or bad?"
"I don't know yet. But it makes her unpredictable. And unpredictable people are always dangerous, one way or another."
I nod slowly.
"Where is she now?" I ask.
"Her chambers, I believe. She doesn't usually join the evening meal."
"Why not?"
"She says she prefers to eat alone. But I think it's more that she prefers to avoid the stares and whispers."
Smart. If I were in her position, I'd probably do the same thing.
I finish my whiskey and set the glass down on my desk. "Thank you for the update."
"Of course." Seraphine stands, then pauses. "Kaelith? What are you planning?"
"I'm not planning anything."
"You have that look."
"What look?"
"The one you get when you're about to do something that makes everyone around you nervous."
I almost smile at that. "When have I ever made you nervous?"
"More often than you know." She moves toward the door, then stops again. "Be careful with her, Kaelith. Whatever she is, whatever she can do, she's not just some political pawn. She's more complicated.”
"How do you know?"
"Because simple people don't make entire courts uncomfortable just by existing."
She leaves, and I'm alone with my thoughts and the lingering scent of her perfume.
I sit there for a long time, staring at the maps spread across my desk without really seeing them.
Plans for trade routes and military positions, strategies for dealing with rival packs and neighboring kingdoms. All the usual concerns of a King.
But now there's something else.
Someone else.
I find myself curious about her in ways that have nothing to do with strategy to hurt her and her father.
I stand up and walk to the window, looking out over the gardens where she apparently spends her time. The moon is bright tonight, casting silver light over the carefully manicured paths and flower beds.
Somewhere in this palace, Roland Cade's daughter is probably reading or sleeping or doing whatever it is she does in the privacy of her chambers.
If what Seraphine tells me is true, then maybe I could harness this…against Roland and that secret he holds.
I turn away from the window and walk to my desk, pulling a piece of paper toward me. I write a brief note and fold it, then call for a servant.
"Take this to Lady Mira's chambers," I tell the young man who appears at my door. "Tell her I'll expect her in my study in an hour."
- Writer
