The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga) (2 page)

“I cannot obey you.”

Steeling herself for a blow, Lirth was stunned
when he spoke instead.

“Why not?”

She opened her eyes to the darkness she had
known most of her life.

“I am blind.”

~~~~~~

Ireic’s stomach ached.

The woman gazed straight before her with calm
assurance. Her composure unnerved him considering she acted as
though he was going to strike her a moment ago.

He dropped his hand and studied the top of her
head. Shiny, dark brown hair caught the fading light as she turned
toward the door. He registered the sounds of the creaking stairs
and voices as he grappled with yet another betrayal.

“Ireic!”

His older brother stood in the doorway.

Behind Trahern, he could see the outline of his
personal guard, Isack. Ireic returned his attention to his
brother's strained features and tried to pull his anger back under
control. This woman could not be blamed for her father’s
dishonesty.

“Ireic?”

Trahern's blue eyes regarded him, questioning as
he nodded toward Lirth. Ireic glanced back at his betrothed and
encountered her upturned face.

“Your brother?” An amused smile pulled at her
mouth and one eyebrow raised with her question.

“How did you guess?”

“You sound alike.” She turned to his brother. “A
pleasure to meet you, Prince Trahern.” She dipped a low curtsey.
Blind or not, she had been raised well at some point.

“The pleasure is mine, Princess, but I must ask
you to call me Trahern and later perhaps brother.”

Ireic's heart sank as he watched first confusion
and then surprise pass across her face as she realized the
implications of the title. She dropped her chin.

Trahern caught Ireic's gaze over her bent head
and silently asked the obvious.

Ireic shrugged his shoulders in reply.

He didn’t understand the situation any better
than his brother.

After the treaty signing, Ireic had waited a day
for Trahern to arrive before traveling to claim his bride. At the
end of the four day journey, he found an empty house and a gardener
keeping watch over the grounds. The truth was Princess Lirth hadn’t
lived there for years, ever since her abduction by a northern baron
named Tor.

Determined to finish his task and validate the
treaty, Ireic, his brother, and half of the armed men with them
continued north while the councilmen headed back west across
Braulyn.

Now, frustrated and tired, Ireic was tempted to
walk back down the tower stairs, out the main gate and disappear
forever into the northern wastes. The council could run Anavrea
just fine without him.

But what would happen to Lirth? He was not the
only person being managed and manipulated.

He glanced at his bride. Her father valued her
as a pawn in his political games, not even bothering to rescue her.
More a victim than he in this political mess, she needed
protection.

“Am I a clause in an alliance agreement?”

Lirth's bright, blue eyes drew Ireic's focus
back to the present. For a woman just informed of her betrothal to
a stranger, she appeared unusually calm. How could she act so
serene?

“Is our marriage part of an alliance agreement?”
Small lines appeared between her eyebrows.

Watching hesitancy and wariness play on her
face, he replied. “Your father offered your hand to me as a show of
goodwill between our nations.”

A muffled call from below saved him from
additional explanation. Ireic, grateful for the excuse, turned his
attention to the door.

Trahern spoke with one of the men in the
stairwell. Ireic caught his eye.

“We need to leave.” Trahern answered his
unspoken question. “The men are concerned about your safety.”

The tower would be easy to defend but hard to
leave should more of Tor’s men arrive. Ireic nodded his agreement
and faced Lirth. Behind him, Trahern gave orders to the men.

“I am ready.” She drew her shoulders back and
waited for instructions. Her thin face made her eyes appear even
larger. How could they be so bright and expressive yet still not
see the world?

She lifted her chin. “I need to warn you. I have
not been outside this room for a year and will need a guide.”

The challenges to come blossomed in Ireic’s
head. A blind queen, the council would fight against her
coronation. They were unashamed of their prejudice against faults
real and imagined. The council would move law and country to get
him out of this marriage. He considered letting them do that and
start the madness of a bride hunt all over again or keep her.

Voices of the men below drew Ireic's attention
back to the present problem: the best way to escort his betrothed
down the uneven steps.

He focused on her patient features. “Do you
trust me to carry you?”

~~~~~~

His voice drew closer. Before she could place
his location, Lirth experienced his presence personally.

In one movement, he guided her right hand around
the back of his neck and hoisted her into his arms. The smell of
him grew stronger. Solid arms encircled her legs at the knees and
the middle of her back. A powerful shoulder supported her arm. If
this man ever decided to mistreat her, Lirth wasn’t sure she would
survive.

Kurios, please help.

Silence greeted her silent plea.

Give me something to reassure me,
please.

Nothing.

“Don't look so frightened,” the king whispered.
She tried to relax against her body's instinctive recoiling. “I
won't drop you. You look as though I intended to throw you down the
stairs.”

The suggestion invoked memories and a frantic
urge to fight. She battled against instinct. He paused in his
movement toward the door.

“Princess?”

She closed her eyes against the memories, a
futile effort. Her muscles tensed for the panic of free fall ending
in agony. A phantom ache settled in her chest, reminder of the
broken rib.

“Princess? Lirth, are you alright?” His voice
grew concerned. “No one will hurt you. You are safe now.”

Except from you?

The thought rose unbidden and she shivered. He
waited for a response. Finally, she managed a nod.

Outside, from the base of the tower came muffled
shouts. Ireic’s voice called her attention back to him.

“I need you to act like you are in the safest
place in the world. Pretend I am the love of your life.”

Lirth could feel her mouth widening in a
sarcastic smile.
How I wish.
Love the man she met a moment
ago, this stranger to whom she was betrothed?

“Don't overdo it, though.” His voice whispered
low and gentle with mild amusement at her cool reception. “Just
look enamored enough so I can tell my men it was love at first
sight.”

He started forward again and Lirth ducked her
head to hide her face against his shoulder. If the confusion she
felt shone in her eyes, she did not want anyone to see. Not him.
Not yet.

His men preceded them down the rickety stairs.
From the sounds of their collective feet she would guess at least
five men waited on the small landing outside her door.

The moment Ireic's foot touched the solid earth,
a small disturbance erupted ahead of them. He strode forward.
Beyond the protection of the tower walls the air whipped around
them, biting through her worn layers to nip at her back.

“Going down,” he warned softly in her ear. He
lowered her feet to the ground. The cold stone beneath her thin
slippers sent shivers up her spine. She clenched her teeth and
struggled not to shake. He did not withdraw. Lirth welcomed the
warmth of the solid arm he placed across her shoulders.

As she steadied herself and gathered her wayward
cloak about her, one voice rose above the rest clamoring for
attention.

“My king!”

After some scuffling, Lirth guessed the one of
the men was shoved to the front.

Surprisingly Ireic addressed the man directly.
“What news do you bring?”

“An armed party is headed this way, your
majesty.”

“How many?”

“At least one hundred on horseback. They will
reach us in an hour.”

The arm holding her tightened, a reflection of
the tension in the man.

“Trahern,” Ireic called. Someone moved nearer on
their right. “Take half the men and head northwest until you reach
the northern trade road. Follow it to the border. We will meet you
in the capital.” He turned; Lirth almost lost her balance.
“Captain?”

The king steadied her as a new man responded a
few feet to their left. “Aye.” Weariness filled the man’s
voice.

Ireic continued his instructions. “Head due west
on the most direct route to Ana City. Both of you move as quickly
as possible. Any questions?”

After a brief and heavy silence, Ireic dismissed
them. The rush of men moving assaulted her ears. Over the noise,
Ireic asked, “Have you ever ridden a horse?”

“Yes. My brothers would take me out with them
when we were young. I would ride behind them.”

With his arm guiding her, the king started
walking. “I am going to have you ride in front of me on this
trip.”

They approached a horse. She could hear the
sound of air being blown in and out of the beast's nose.

“I am going to mount first,” he warned.

The king withdrew. She pulled her cloak tighter
around her shoulders, bending her head into the wind. Metal struck
stone and the saddle creaked as horse and gear adjusted to their
new load.

“Here, your highness.” A new voice spoke. She
jumped as a large gloved hand caught hers and laid it on the warm
shoulder of the horse. “If you would just raise your right foot...”
Out of habit, she obeyed. With expert care, he guided her foot to
the king's boot in the stirrup. And before she could be sure what
happened, she was sitting securely in the saddle with the king's
arm anchoring her in place.

Ireic's breath brushed her cheek. “Hold onto the
pommel.” He guided her hand to the smooth surface of the
leather-covered raised front of the saddle. “Got it?” His question
was almost drowned in the noise of a bugle sounding a march.

She nodded.

The horse sidestepped as another horse drew
abreast. “Ready, sire?” It was the man who helped her onto the
horse.

“Aye.”

Arms came around her from both sides. One hand
took the reins and the other settled loosely around her waist. The
horse turned and they were off. As they cleared what Lirth guessed
was the outside wall, Ireic tightened his hold and kicked the horse
into a gallop.

__________

Ireic could feel her ribs through at least five
layers of cloth. True, they were threadbare layers. Even if they
weren’t, he considered her too thin to be healthy. Cautious not to
hurt her, he clamped her securely to his chest with his left arm
while guiding the horse with his right. She clung to the horn of
the saddle. He felt her efforts to relax against him and not fight
the movement of the horse.

Ireic glanced at his companion and bodyguard,
Isack Welling, keeping pace on his older stallion. For a brief
moment, their eyes met and Ireic nodded. Isack took the lead. Ireic
needed most of his concentration for the frail woman in his
arms.

They traveled at a gallop for a while with Isack
in front and Ireic and Lirth bringing up the tail. When the horses
began to indicate they needed a break, Isack brought them down to a
walk.

“Why are you king and not your brother?” Lirth
asked.

Ireic straightened a bit in surprise.

“I was only curious. If I remember correctly,
Prince Trahern is older and first in line to the Anavrean
throne.”

“It is a long story, Princess.”

“Give me the shortened version, then.”

“He didn’t want to be king.”

She leaned back as if to look up at him. “And
you did?”

“No.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes. The late
afternoon waned in a blaze of color. Isack rode almost even with
Ireic and Lirth.

“Then why did you accept the crown?”

It was a question that had plagued him in the
year since he stepped into his father’s shoes. An easy answer still
evaded him.

“Partially for Anavrea, partially for Trahern,
but mostly I did it for Eve.”

“Eve?”

“My sister-in-law, Trahern’s wife.”

“Oh. I am not sure how that explains it.”

Ireic sighed. “Before my father died, he
banished Trahern, put a price on his head and declared me the sole
heir to the crown. Trahern married Eve while he was on the run.
When our father died, I tried to convince Trahern to take the
throne, but he refused.”

“And you accepted the crown because someone had
to?”

“Exactly.”

She yawned. “That doesn’t explain how Eve came
into your decision.”

Her head rested in the hollow of his shoulder as
her limbs grew heavier. Within minutes, she would be asleep. Ireic
adjusted his cloak so it covered her as well.

“If I kept Trahern in Ana City, it would have
killed her. Not physically, but emotionally. Just the few months
they have spent at court left mark enough. Constantly living there
would strain her to breaking. The court shuns her for her birth.
Trahern refuses to bring her to visit anymore. I don’t blame
him.”

Lirth relaxed against Ireic. Finally her head
dipped as she gave in to fatigue. Ireic glanced around for
Isack.

Now they traveled in full darkness. Isack was
nowhere in sight at the moment, off on one of his occasional
circling trips to ensure they were not being followed.

Slowing his stallion even more, Ireic tried to
shift Lirth’s weight as her head dipped again. The movement woke
her enough to protest when he loosened her grip on the horn.