The Duty of a Queen (3 page)

The motion of the ship lulled her to sleep, but a jolt tore her out
not too long after. Moonlight streamed bright through the cabin window and
Oliver slept at her side. The need to feel the wind on her face was strong, and
she slipped from the bed. Her clothing had been packed away by her hand-maidens
who slumbered in their own quarters. She did not wish to disturb the prince and
so she picked up her dress from the floor, and put it on. She did not bother
with her sandals, preferring the feel of the rough wood beneath her feet as she
left the cabin.

The smell of salt was strong, and the scent made her sad. Wistfully,
she thought of the thick pines that surrounded her village. That, she thought,
would be behind her forever. The future would contain many things, but the
fresh pines would not be among them. The wind whipped her dress around her legs
as she walked to the railing. The sea had calmed and she found that the
movement was more soothing now.

Astrid closed her eyes, letting the mist from the waters cool her.
How long she stood, she did not know, only that she felt a presence behind her
a moment before a familiar cloak was draped over her shoulders, bringing with
it the smell of home.

“Your dress is soaked.” Jonas's voice was low. “Unless my princess
wishes for the crew to see her body, a covering would be wise.”

She looked down and saw how the wet fabric clung to her curves. Heat
rose to her cheeks and she pulled the cloak more tightly around her. That was
foolish of her. She turned towards Jonas and found him standing just beyond her
reach. A mixture of pain and guilt went through her though she knew she had
lied to no one, committed no true betrayal. She had pledged herself to the
prince, but they knew this for the arrangement it was. She did not allow her
thoughts to turn to how her body had reacted to the prince's touch.

“Has he hurt you?” Jonas asked, his hands clenching at his sides, as
if that were the only way to keep from touching her.

She shook her head. “No. He is a kind man. There are many tales in
his life that brought him to our shores. He may yet prove to be more honorable
than I had dared hope.”

For a long moment, Jonas said nothing, his eyes black and
unreadable. Finally, he spoke. “I hope that he is such a man, my princess.”

Astrid shivered, the chill of her wet clothes suddenly reaching her.

“You must return to your chambers, my princess. It would not do for
you to fall ill on your wedding night.” Jonas extended his arm with a little
bow. “After you.”

Just as Astrid took a step, the boat lurched, throwing her off
balance. She stumbled and Jonas caught her. She looked up, their faces so close
together she could distinguish between the two shades of black in his eyes. She
could feel his heart beneath her palms, pounding as wildly as her own. He
uttered a low oath and stepped back quickly, almost causing her to fall.
Neither spoke as he followed her back to her quarters. This, Astrid feared,
would be more difficult than either of them had anticipated.

***

The sun was directly overhead when Oliver approached Astrid as she
stood at the railing, looking towards the west. Her hand-maidens fell silent as
he approached. They had been talking around her, hoping to distract her and
themselves from their circumstances.

“A word alone, my princess?” He asked politely, if a bit stiffly.

“Of course, my prince.” Astrid glanced at her trio of childhood
friends. “All of you are dismissed.” She flicked her eyes to Jonas and motioned
for him to step out of earshot. His face remained impassive as he moved back.
She turned her attention to the prince.

“Astrid,” he began. “If I inquire of something will you answer in
truth?”

She considered the question carefully before answering. “Yes, Oliver.
I will be truthful with you. I pledge, always.”

“Did you bring a guard because you feared for your life?”

“No,” Astrid answered. “I trust you, my prince, and my husband, to
honor your pledge to protect me.”

“Did you bring him to be your lover?” There was no anger in Oliver's
eyes, only a sadness that caused Astrid a pang.

She shook her head. “No, Oliver, I speak truly. It is true that
Jonas had been my lover, but we would not dishonor you, on my life. He asked a
boon of me, to accompany me, to watch over me when you could not.”

“Do you love him still?”

Astrid knew she had a choice to make. She could break her pledge and
lie, betraying Jonas and possibly saving both of their lives, or she could risk
all on her belief that Oliver was a good man. She chose the latter. “I have
loved Jonas since I was a girl and he saved my life. Had you not come to the
island, he would have been my chosen. But, my prince, I will honor my pledge to
be yours always. You are a strong, kind and honorable man. I truly believe that,
in time, I could love you.”

Oliver looked at her as if searching for an answer. When he spoke,
she could not determine the nature of his words. “Go to the cabin. I shall be
there shortly.”

She wanted to ask what would happen, if he would send Jonas away, if
her husband would kill her love. She did not though. She was a princess. She
kept her head high as she walked back to their quarters. Once inside, she stood
in the center of the room, unsure what she should do.

A season seemed to pass as she waited. When the door opened, she was
fighting back an icy chill that wanted to take over. When Jonas entered, she
made a small sound of surprise. Then Oliver followed, and she realized that
Jonas appeared to be as confused as she felt.

“If you will both sit,” Oliver said. He did not sound upset. “I wish
to offer an explanation, and, perhaps a solution.”

Astrid sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Jonas took the
narrow bench opposite her. Oliver remained standing.

“Last night, Astrid saw the scars on my back from when my father
beat me for expressing my disagreement over invading your island.”

Astrid was puzzled. This was what he wished to speak about? She did
not understand.

“When I still refused to lead the invasion, my father took the woman
who had nursed me and raised me after the death of my mother. He tortured and
killed her, showing me her body when it was over and telling me what he had
done. He then told me that he had taken the woman's daughter, and if I did not
do as he asked, he would do worse to this child who had not yet seen her
thirteenth summer. The things he said would be done to her...” He shuddered. “I
would not wish upon my greatest enemy.” He ran his hand through his hair. “I
would have killed him then if he had not had one of his men render me unconscious.
When I awoke, I was here on this ship, sailing for your island. The captain had
been given orders to not return until the island was conquered. He is, you see,
the brother of the girl my father has. Many of my men fought to protect members
of their families.”

“I-I...” Astrid did not know how to respond to the revelation.

Oliver held up a hand. “I tell you this because I want you to
understand that I did none of this for selfish gain, and so you will know that
my proposal also comes from an honest place.”

Astrid's heart began to beat faster.

“In my hand, the kings of old wrote a law to allow them to keep
their marriage for political reasons while still maintaining a relationship
with a mistress, particularly one who bore him children.”

She did not understand. Was Oliver saying he wanted a mistress?

“The way the law was written, however, is open to interpretation. It
does not specify that the third party be female.”

“My prince?” Astrid tried to stifle the wild hope that bloomed
inside her. “What are you saying? I do not understand.”

Oliver gave her a smile. “If Jonas will consent, I would like him to
become our third. He will have no royal title, and any children produced would
be, in all ways, accepted. He will be your second husband.”

Astrid's mouth fell open. He must not be serious. This could not
possibly be true.

“I cannot dissolve our marriage and, if I am honest, I do not wish
it. But I cannot allow a hidden relationship nor do I want to cause you the
pain of being apart from the one you love. There is a ceremony and a pledge
that we three may take, that we will be loyal to each other and that two never
neglect the third, but treat all as equally married with all rights and
privileges.”

Was it possible? Astrid could hardly dare to believe it.

“What say you?” Oliver turned to her. “Are you willing to stay with
me, trust me as your husband in all ways, and accept Jonas as our third?”

For the first time in her life, Astrid did not trust herself to
speak. She nodded, then turned with Oliver to Jonas.

“I will.” His voice was hoarse, his dark eyes disbelieving.

Oliver's face lit up. “Then I shall get the captain and two
witnesses. Philip will perform the ceremony at once so that we may be joined
before we reach my... our land. My father would try to stop us. If it has been
consummated before we arrive, the laws of our land will prevent him from
undoing it.”

Her head was still spinning as she stood between her husband and her
lover, vowing before the witnesses to be faithful to these men as they were faithful
to her and to each other. She waited for someone to tell her that there had
been a mistake, that she could not have both peace for her people and keep
Jonas, but it did not happen. The captain took their hands and placed one on
top of the other. Only as he began to speak the final words of bonding did she
dare to look away from the captain. She glanced first at Oliver and found him
watching her, his eyes bright as a summer morning sky. She held his gaze for a
moment, then turned to Jonas. He, too, had his eyes on her, his face so full of
hope that Astrid's heart constricted.

She was surprised at how natural it all seemed. Once the captain and
the witnesses departed, Astrid knew what needed to come next. Without saying a
word, she pulled her dress over her head and went to the bed. By the time she
turned to face the men again, they had shed their clothes as well. They stood
at the end of the bed, so similar and yet so different. She looked to Oliver
for the next step. She did not know who was to come to her first. He inclined
his head and she understood.

She held out her hand to Jonas and he came to her, his body already
hard and waiting. This, she knew, was not the time for lingering touches. There
was an urgency beyond just the needs of their bodies. They would have a
lifetime together, the three of them, to learn all there was to know about each
other. At the moment, they did not have the luxury.

Jonas sighed as he sank into her and Astrid closed her eyes, letting
her body absorb the sensation of fullness. She was wet, but there had been no
other preparation and he was so thick. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip,
muffling the moan that wanted to escape. She did not know if she could express
her pleasure at feeling Jonas inside her once more.

“Do not hold back,” Oliver said softly.

Astrid felt the prince's hand brush over her hair and she opened her
eyes to find him looking down at her.

“We three are joined. There is no jealousy among us. We desire only
that which is good for the other.”

She saw then that he was touching himself, slowly moving his hand as
he sat on the edge of the bed. Then, Jonas began to thrust inside her, and she
no longer wished to think. She had told Oliver that she trusted him. Now she
would show it. As Jonas filled her over and over again, she let herself go. She
moaned as the familiar sparks began to shoot through her body. His mouth
covered hers and she drank of him, their tongues twisting together even as
their bodies joined.

As a pair of fingers danced across her breast, Astrid gasped,
realizing that they were not Jonas's fingers, but Oliver's. He gently pinched
her nipple and she tore her mouth from Jonas's, crying out as her release came.
The prince continued to pull on her sensitive flesh, sending shivers of pleasure
through her, and Jonas's lips trailed down her neck. As he began to suck on the
skin at the base of her throat, Astrid shuddered, a new wave washing over her.
She dug her nails into his back, the new marks joining the old.

“Astrid.” Jonas's voice was strained.

Oliver understood what was happening before Astrid did. “You may
finish inside her, as I will.”

Astrid did not want Jonas to refuse, and so she bit down on his
shoulder. He shouted her name as he thrust deeply, his seed spilling into her
as she held him to her. They stayed joined for a moment as she worried the
flesh in her mouth until she knew his skin would bear the evidence of her mouth
for many days to come.

She shivered as he withdrew from her, his softening shaft caressing
her sensitive walls. Even as he rolled off of her, she was reaching out for
Oliver. He slid easily into her, the difference in his manhood enough to
stretch her in a new way. She moaned as her body immediately responded. The
feelings that had been abating suddenly returned, sending a new flood of
sensation over her. It was as if fire licked across her skin, only it did not
hurt.