This is an ongoing companion piece to be read after completing the Snakesblood Saga. Because it takes place during the final chapter of the last book, it will be very full of spoilers. It’s also unedited first draft fluff… just for fun! Read at your own risk, and expect installments no closer together than once a month.
* * * * *
Firal was used to forcing a smile when she wanted to scream. It drew across her face gracefully, as naturally as if it were genuine, and Lord Kaith offered a tense smile in return.
Rune was not so magnanimous, yet it was clear he tempered his response in how his shoulders tensed and his voice stayed calm. “Found us fast.”
“Didn’t find you,” Garam replied flatly. “Just followed.”
“Which explains why it took so long.” Rune glanced to the aged man’s cane and Firal bit the inside of her lip to keep her commentary to herself. He’d always been like that; needling when he oughtn’t, talking back when he should have stayed silent. How he managed to keep that mouth when dealing with generals, captains and kings escaped her, but she put a hand on his arm to still him, all the same.
“May I ask who requested us?” She kept the question light and sweet as she slid forward, silently positioning herself as the one to be addressed.
Garam noticed, for his eyes took a suspicious gleam, but he still answered. “King Vicamros. His guests have questions about the state of Ilmenhian trade, now that your capital no longer stands. Though I suppose you are the only representative present. You may be the only one who matters.”
A hint of a twitch flickered in the muscle of Rune’s cheek. Offended, was he? Well, perhaps that served him right after he’d spoken that way.
“Is it something we might be able to discuss later?” Firal asked, but Rune shook his head and pulled away from her touch.
He flicked dust from his sleeve and adjusted the collar of his coat, and whatever tension he’d carried before, it seeped from his frame to leave his stance both relaxed and confident. He’d always been good at pretending, and she envied his skill now. “The sooner we get it over with, the better.”
She was of a mind to agree, though on a far different subject. She shelved her disappointment and motioned for Garam to lead the way. “I suppose there’s no point in reminding the princess and her companions that there will be no further trade with Ilmenhith?”
“You’d think that much would be obvious, but they insist.” Lord Kaith gave his head the slightest of shakes. His cane scraped against the stone as he made for the doorway through which they’d only just escaped, its light harsh compared to the cool refuge of night. “I suspect they believe your country may be reestablished here. The king has already explained twice that refugees are to be settled as residents of Aldaanan, integrated into his holdings as citizens under his rule.”
“And is the difficulty of that conversation the primary reason the king sent you to retrieve us?” Firal arched a brow and offered a dry smile.
Garam chuckled. “The difficulty of that conversation makes me suspect he would have preferred to fetch you himself. But no. He sent me because when your husband needs to listen and obey, I’m always sent.”
An interesting tidbit. Firal kept her smile in place and glanced to Rune from the corner of her eye as they walked, but his expression told her nothing. She knew little of the friendships he had forged on the mainland, but his respect for Lord Kaith had been easy to see. That he did not share the same unwavering loyalty for the king he served was curious. “I cannot pretend to know Vicamros well, for all that we have been trade partners since his father held the throne. But it would seem unwillingness to displease allies makes his life more of a challenge than it needs to be.”
That yielded the faintest hint of motion, a downward shift of the corners of Rune’s mouth. A raw nerve, perhaps. She could not blame him. His return to Elenhiise had been demanded in her name, and Vicamros had delivered him without hesitation, in spite of all Rune had done for the Triad. Even as a hero, he had not been safe.
Perhaps the reason he was loyal to Garam and not Vicamros was no mystery at all.
“Well,” she added, as if it were an afterthought, “an unwillingness to displease some allies.” In the end, Rune had been the strongest she’d ever had.
His displeasure softened. “He does what he believes is best. I don’t always agree, but it doesn’t always turn out badly.”
“That’s the spirit,” Garam said. “Keep that attitude while you speak to Princess Meliel, and I’m sure everything will turn out fine.”
Firal repeated the name twice in her head to fix it in place, then picked up her skirts and shuffled ahead of their guide. “She is with the king now?”
He gave a nod. “She was when I left.”
Rune started past, as well, but Garam lifted his cane to delay him.
“Best behavior,” the older man prompted.
“I am not known for that.” Rune pushed the cane down with two fingers.
“I am aware,” Garam said, resigned.
Firal waited until Rune slipped by the barricade to rejoin her. She did not take his arm, though part of her wanted to; if the princess of Loriath wished to see her, she would appear independent and settle things swiftly. That he would receive the justification he sought for turning down another marriage was a useful side effect. She did not know which of the women clustered around King Vicamros was Princess Meliel, but she cut directly toward them with a smooth and gliding pace. The intention in her step kept them from being interrupted, and the king turned toward them with a hint of relief smoothing his brow.
“Ah, your ears must have been burning.” Vicamros injected a hint of humor into his voice, but his blue eyes begged for help. “We were just discussing you. I thought you might have left.”
“Certainly not. The night has just started, after all.” Firal hoped her smile was sincere; she’d been cordial with the king, if never good friends.
Rune settled close at her side, tucked just behind her shoulder, close enough she could feel his warmth. He plucked the lily she’d given him from behind his ear and added it to her curls. “My wife has a fondness for plants. She’s impressed by your gardens, Cam.”
The king’s interest perked. “Is she? You’ll have to speak with my wife, then. The gardens are something of a special project for her. I’m certain she’ll be pleased to tell you more about anything out there. Here, now. Meliel, you recall Lord Kaim-Ennen.”
As if that were a cue, most of the king’s audience began to slip away. All that remained was a dark-haired woman with a slender face, who gave Rune a perusal that was far closer and more lingering than Firal deemed fit. “Indeed I do. It would seem the years have been exceptionally kind to you.”
“Whatever kindness I’ve been dealt, I would sooner credit it to my wife.” Rune rested a hand against Firal’s shoulder, his grip gentle yet possessive.
Firal would have marveled any other time. How could he touch her that way in front of others, yet behave as if he feared her in private?
The king cleared his throat. “Ah, yes. Allow me to introduce the two of you. Firal, this is Princess Meliel of Loriath, heir to the throne of Loriath and overseer of trade relations. Meliel, this is Queen Firal of Elenhiise.”
A hard-edged smile curved Meliel’s lips. “Your crown persists, them, does it?”
“My kingdom has fallen in a most literal sense, but our people persist.” Firal faced the challenge with as much serenity as she could muster, though her annoyance had already flared. She lifted a hand to touch Rune’s fingers at her shoulder, knowing the affection would draw the woman’s eye—and possibly her ire. Had she been that eager to leverage a familial wedding to a hero of the Triad, then? No wonder Vicamros had tried to use Rune as a bargaining chip. It was enough to make Firal scoff, and she might have, if not for her sensibilities. Were she home, in her own palace, she might have shared her questions and thoughts. Here, in the Spiral Palace, she would do nothing to offend her host.
“Vicamros has been kind to grant our people permanent residence within the Triad. The people of Elenhiise are hard workers and will be an asset to his empire, no doubt.” Rune cast the king a sideways glance. “A good use for empty lands, as well. Aldaanan has been left untended for some time.”
“Since the departure of the gryphons.” Vicamros nodded. “It’s a difficult region, but if the people of Elenhiise show anywhere near the tenacity of its leaders, I am sure they will thrive.”
Meliel’s speculative eye turned back to Rune. “We were given the impression you were not interested in a role of authority, Lord Kaim-Ennen. What persuaded you to reevaluate that decision?”
Rune answered with a smirk. “You assume my position has changed.”
“Has it not?” She gestured toward Firal with an open hand. “Or was it that I misunderstood, and your aim was higher than I believed?”
“I’m afraid your assumptions continue to miss.” His fingers twined with Firal’s and his smirk endured, so petty that even Firal felt herself rubbed the wrong way.
The princess faltered and uncertainty showed through. “But you have married.”
Firal slid smoothly into the crack. “Rune has always been fond of a more hands-on form of leadership, which is why he served as a general in Elenhiise.” Whose general he had been hardly mattered, nor would someone from as far away as Loriath have any way to learn. “I understand he has filled similar military roles here in the Triad, serving beneath Lord Kaith. But I apologize, it seems our status was not made clear. We have been married over six pents now. Our union was formed while my father still ruled.”
Rune squeezed her fingers, ever so gently.
“Six pents?” Meliel repeated, startled.
“Inexplicably, I haven’t frightened her off yet.” Rune’s other hand drifted to Firal’s lower back, the touch both tender and reassuring.
She leaned into it and savored the warmth. “Well, one needs proper challenges to reach their full potential. Without exercises, one can never learn to deal with frustration.” No one had ever tested her more. “But I’m sure you have your own experiences with that. Vicamros said you are in charge of Loriath’s trade arrangements. I suppose it’s fortuitous that you’ve come to strike a trade alliance now, as that will allow you an early chance at benefiting from the new productivity the Triad will see, what with the new settlement of Aldaanan.”
“Perhaps.” Meliel gave no more than a single glance at Rune. The message had been received and she was moving on. Good. “However, I was more interested in what will happen with your kingdom’s trade. Your island was uniquely positioned as a trade hub, but now it is gone. While our bonds with the Triad are growing, I suspect Loriath would also benefit from making friendly trade ties in the south. Who will be facilitating trade between the northern and southern continents?”
“That would be us,” a new voice interjected, and the whole group turned.
Firal had never imagined she might be so glad to see one of her husband’s former lovers.