The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga) (3 page)

“Are we stopping?”

“Not yet.” Ireic wished very much that they
were. “Can you do me a great favor?”

A slender hand slipped from his grasp and
touched his chin. Ireic brought the horse to a halt.

~~~~~~

The roughness of a few days’ worth of scruff
caught at the sensitive skin of her fingertips. Gasping at the
discomfort, Lirth tried to pull herself back to reality, but it
slipped from her like moonlight. He was real. The sensation of his
beard and warm skin proved it. Her heart hammered against her ribs.
No matter how she tried, she could not swallow the lump in her
throat.

So tired... I feel so tired.
She could
not tell if they had stopped or not due to the swimming of her head
and it frightened her. A warm hand closed around hers and a voice
that she knew belonged to the man behind her asked her to shift
positions. Obediently she followed his directions.

“Can I go back to sleep now?”

“Yes,” the voice said. Lirth slipped back into
the oblivion of sleep and the blessed warmth holding her.

~~~~~~

Her skin burned beneath his fingertips. Ireic
could feel the fever's heat even after he readjusted his thicker
cloak around her thin shoulders. Delirious and lost in her version
of reality, she murmured nonsense occasionally. He cradled her head
against his shoulder. It was the best he could think of in such a
situation. She needed food, warmth, and sleep. Just as he was about
to urge the horse into motion again, Isack approached.

“Your brother sends word that the hound has
followed the southern rabbit.” Isack drew alongside as Ireic's
mount began to move. “Is she alright? She appears too frail for
this type of travel.”

“I agree.” Ireic pulled her a little closer than
before. “How far are Trahern's men from us?”

“About a mile north.”

“Bring him to me please.” Ireic gazed out into
the night. “I need to ask him something about a change in
plans.”

With a brief, “Aye,” Isack turned and
disappeared into the night.

Ireic continued along the vague trail and
planned how to best handle the process of introducing his future
queen to his council. His people did not worry him. They would love
her because she was beautiful and his wife, a symbol of future
stability. She represented hope for heirs, sons to smoothly follow
in his path.

Very few of his subjects knew he had already
provided for a smooth transition. In the event of his untimely
death, Trahern's son, Seth Theodoric would become king with his
father acting as regent until he was of age.

Ireic’s thoughts were dragged back to the
present by the dull thunder of approaching horses. He greeted his
brother and bodyguard as they all came to a halt.

“I wish to change course for the school,” Ireic
declared as soon as the two were within hearing. “The princess is
ill, and I don't believe that it will go well if the council gets
fed all the bad news at once.”

Trahern frowned at the dark head visible beneath
the cloak. “I will send a messenger ahead to warn Eve. We can reach
the school by dawn tomorrow. Will she make it?”

“Eve is of equal importance.” Ireic met his
brother's eyes. “Is it really safe to bring sickness into the
house?”

“As long as it is not contagious.” Trahern
guided his horse closer so he could see Lirth’s face within the
cloak. “Is she asleep?”

“Yes.” Ireic drew the cloak’s folds back so
Trahern could view for himself the feverish coloring in her cheeks.
“She is underfed and weak. She said they didn’t let her out of that
room for at least a year.” Ireic tried to contain the anger that
rose with the thought. The way she had flinched when he moved to
touch her spoke more eloquently than any words of their treatment
of her. Looking up, he recognized matching indignation in his
brother's eyes. “Is the man who held her prisoner dead?”

Trahern nodded. “I am glad. I would not have
enjoyed chasing you chasing him.” Ignoring Ireic's new questioning
look, Trahern drew away. “I will see you there.” Then turning his
steed, he departed in the direction that he had come.

“The school, sire?” Isack asked.

“The school.” Ireic rearranged the wrappings
around his bride and urged his horse into a trot. They would plan
the best course of action after they all rested.

~~~~~~

The sun cleared the eastern horizon as Ireic,
Lirth, and Isack crested the ridge overlooking Trahern’s school.
The red glow painted the mountains gold and lifted fog from their
slopes. Relief rose in Ireic's heart when he spotted the peaked
roof above the trees.

Lirth remained unconscious, but she was no
longer peaceful. She occasionally fought his supporting arm, and
once her thrashing had forced him to stop and drop the reins or
lose his grip on her. Twice during these scuffles, she called him
Waren. The pleading desperation in her voice brought up his ire
against Baron Tor and her father.

Ireic was thankful she was silent for the moment
when he saw who was coming out to greet them.

The great house sat on a broad expanse of lawn,
making it easy to see those approaching it from all sides. The
inhabitants must have been watching. A group of people had already
walked halfway across the lawn to greet them.

“Is that Lady Eve, Sire?” Isack, who had never
met Ireic's sister-in-law, was looking quite shocked as their
greeters drew closer.

“Yes, Isack,” Ireic answered with a rueful
smile. “That is her. I hope Trahern does not see her out here.”
Lirth stirred against Ireic’s shoulder. He adjusted his grip on her
waist.

Ireic finished settling Lirth a moment before
Eve and two of the students reached them. He looked up in time to
observe his bright-eyed and smiling sister-in-law come to a
slightly breathless halt.

“Welcome Ireic, We have been expecting you.”

“Has Trahern arrived?”

Ireic frowned down at Eve. Heavy with child, her
small frame seemed inadequate for the precious burden it carried.
So small that she began to show almost immediately, she now looked
ready to burst. Ireic, counting back, estimated her to be just
entering her eighth month.

He rarely had the benefit of seeing the beauty
of a mother-to-be. Noble women withdrew from society once they
entered their fourth month. Even now, the unmarried Isack shifted
uncomfortably and averted his eyes.

“Labren’s messenger said that he would be right
behind you.”

She tended to refer to her husband as Labren,
the name he went by when they met. Concern darkened her green eyes.
“Is he the one who needs medical attention?”

“No.” Ireic nodded toward the woman in his arms.
“This is your patient. If you tell me which room to take her to, I
will see she is settled there.”

“I prepared your usual rooms, but Trahern did
not mention a need for more accommodations in the house.”
Unconsciously pulling her cloak tighter around her shoulders
against the chill of the morning, Eve paused to think.

“Are you short on rooms?” Ireic asked.

Nodding absentmindedly, Eve frowned. “Yes, we
are unusually full this year. Labren plans to build, but we are
waiting for spring to break ground.”

“You need to get out of the cold.”

King or no king, Trahern would have Ireic’s head
if he came upon them like this.

“I will go ahead. We can work out the
accommodations when we reach the house.” Ireic turned to Isack.
“Escort Lady Eve back to the house before Trahern sees her.” Then
turning his horse as best he could with one hand, he urged the
beast toward the distant house.

It took only a few moments to reach the large
front door. It opened as he approached, and Trahern appeared from
within.

Catching sight of his brother, Trahern opened
his mouth to ask something, but Ireic did not allow him the
chance.

“Your wife came to meet us. Help me down before
you go fetch her.”

A small flash of surprise flickered across
Trahern's face. He replaced it with a frown of determination.
Stepping forward to take Lirth while Ireic dismounted, Trahern
impatiently waited to hand her back.

“I will take care of the horse.” Trahern called
after Ireic as he negotiated Lirth’s feet through the door.

Ireic glanced back in time to see Trahern kick
the horse into a gallop.

“I should have never taken him away from
Eve.”

Lirth, as if sensing the regret in his heart,
pushed away from him. Ireic almost dropped her. Shoving aside his
family concerns, he focused on her.
She needs me more right
now.

Adjusting his hold, Ireic headed for the wide
winding stairs to the second floor.
Eve and Trahern have each
other, but I am all Lirth has.

What kind of marriage could one build on such a
tenuous thread of need? He didn’t know anything about her. She
could be a gossip, a whiner, or a manipulator. He shivered at the
thought of the last. His mother played his father from the moment
they met. Her schemes had almost cost Trahern’s life, a fact Ireic
couldn’t detach from his memories of her.

~~~~~~

A day later, the red glow of the setting sun
greeted Ireic when he entered the school library. He could not help
the fond memories the long shadows evoked. It had only been a few
years since he and Trahern spent long afternoons in this room
planning the restructuring of Anavrea's monarchy. As he made his
way between the long heavy tables, Ireic spotted his brother
leaning over the same desk they had used then.

“How is the princess?” Trahern did not look up
as he spoke, but continued to study the large tome open before
him.

“Hard to say.” Ireic pulled a chair away from
one of the nearby tables and sank into it. His body settled into
the molded seat. Traveling all night and day took more out of him
each time he did it. A day later and he still felt weary. “Eve says
the bruises and other signs seem to indicate that Lirth was beaten
occasionally and fed sparingly.”

The last statement came out as a low growl.
Trahern nodded with a knowing glint in his blue eyes and a grim
tightness to his face.

“She has not been conscious since yesterday
evening. Eve and I grow concerned.”

Trahern turned back to his perusal of the book.
“What is the news from the council regarding Han's request?”

Thankful for the change in topic but not his
brother’s choice of distraction, Ireic leaned forward and settled
his elbows on his knees.

“They are the most pigheaded, arrogant men I
have ever known.”

Trahern looked up at his brother's frustrated
tone.

“I take it they said no.”

Ireic shifted restlessly. “Not only did they say
no, they tried to tell me that if they married, I would have to
remove any of Yulanda and Han’s children from the royal line. It is
my duty, I was told, to 'protect the throne of Anavrea from threat
of the non-royal blood.'”

“I am sorry to hear they feel that way.”

They sat in silence for a moment before
Trahern's expression changed to concern.

“They are not going to let you marry Lirth.”

“I know.” Ireic came to the same conclusion when
he first realized his betrothed would never be able to look on his
face. “I am not sure I want to marry her either. But I need to make
a decision one way or the other before the council gets wind of her
lack of sight. I don’t want a war with Sardmara. But I am not going
through another treaty negotiation if I can prevent it. She has
nowhere to go if I abandon her. But what will I do with her if I
don’t marry her. Either way, her lack of sight presents
difficulties I wasn’t prepared to consider. An arranged marriage
comes with its own difficulties, which I expected. However, I chose
to marry a princess. The necessity of holding her hand through
every new experience didn’t come into the picture.”

“I will look into your options. Have you passed
any laws since the council's fall session?”

The Anavrean King could establish laws without
the council's approval, but tradition pressured the King to wait
for the biannual council sessions of three months in the spring and
fall.

Ireic shook his head. He had been so busy with
the treaty and his betrothal that he had neglected affairs of
state.

“Good, I will not need to update our records
before I begin searching.” Trahern rose as his brother stifled a
yawn. “Go to bed, Ireic. You need your rest. I will see what I can
find in the school's law archives.”

Obediently, Ireic pushed himself out of his
chair, but he paused before turning to leave. “Do not wear yourself
out, though. Eve still needs you even though she hates to admit
it.”

Trahern smiled slowly. “I know.”

Taking his time to reach the door, Ireic turned
back before closing it behind him. Trahern contemplated the air
before him. Although Ireic’s brother never complained about the
missions that were occasionally asked of him, it was hard on both
Trahern and Eve to be apart. Hopefully this would be the last, at
least for a long time.

~~~~~~

A large calloused hand covered her mouth so
that she could not even whimper. Drawing in air through her nose,
she tried to scream, but could manage only a weak squeak.
Listening, she prayed, but to no avail.

“
Lirth!” Joman called her name.

“
Lirth, where are you?” Aarint's voice was
even closer than Joman's.

“
Silence, Brat,” an oily whisper instructed
Lirth. Her captor's foul breath flooded her senses. The mixture of
bad cheese and fish made Lirth’s stomach turn. If she lost her
lunch now, she would drown in it. There was no way this man would
release her mouth with her brothers so close.