Blinding Beauty (6 page)

As they walked, Isa was struck by
how very beautiful the smooth red floor stones were, and how
carefully they must have been laid. Head up, she reminded herself,
fighting the sudden desire to study the floor. Instead, she
strained to hold her head with completely unfounded confidence as
her etiquette tutors had taught her to do, smiling benevolently at
those around her who bowed as the crowd parted for them so they
could reach the thrones.

When paying homage to the kings
and queens of other countries in their own lands, the shrill voice
of her etiquette tutor echoed in her head, you will curtsy, but
only so much. Keep your head up so others will know your station.
You are showing them respect, not subservience, for you are not
their subjects. You are their peers. Head up, now. You’re not a
commoner any longer, Your Highness.

“
Ah, Everard.” King Rafael stood
and held his hands out to greet Ever as they stepped up onto the
large, round dais. Ever took them both in his own and gave them one
firm shake. “It is good to have you back under more joyous
circumstances.” He then turned to look at Isa, taking her hand and
bowing to kiss it. Isa forced the most confident smile she could
muster, inclining her head in return. “Your bride is even lovelier
than the rumors here suggested.” He raised a bushy brow at Ever. “I
find it hard to believe she was ever a commoner.” Isa felt her face
grow hot, and glanced sideways at Ever, unsure of whether or not
she had just been insulted.

“
The Fortress chooses those who
are worthy.” Ever’s voice was velvet and dangerous. “It does not
see commoners and royalty.”

“
Of course,” the other king said
quickly. “I only meant that she is striking. Please,” he gestured
with a meaty hand at the empty places closest to thrones. “Do stay
near. We will be beginning the banquet shortly.” Ever once again
nodded, and Isa and Launce dropped a quick curtsy and bow before
moving over to the right of the throne. The men and women standing
near the spot he’d gestured to spread out even further so that the
three Destinians were nearly alone, despite the sea of nobles and
royals that filled the great hall.

As they stood waiting for the rest
of the guests to be announced, Isa used the time to discreetly
study the two women on the king’s left side. Both shared the same
lovely complexion as most of the people around them, fair skin
kissed by the sun with just a tinge of olive. Queen Monica sat, but
Princess Olivia stood. Neither of them were as tall as Isa, but
both more fully proportioned. The deep-set hickory eyes of the
queen appeared distant and somewhat preoccupied, but the princess
looked the way Isa felt, her eyes wide and her face paler than the
rest of her skin. Isa could only imagine her fears, knowing she
would unknowingly meet her future husband that night.

The princess’s prospects were
mixed from what Isa could see. There was a large number of
unaccompanied men present, and quite a few were a great deal older
than the princess, some even older than King Rafael himself. Isa
suddenly felt mildly repulsed for the princess’s sake, and hoped
she would be won by someone more fitted to her age at least, if
nothing else.

The pole sounded three times,
quieting the crowd, and the king stood and raised his
hands.

“
Let us adjourn to the banquet
hall, where each of you has had a special place prepared.” After
the king, queen, and princess stood and began walking down the
dais, Ever stepped into line and followed them. Isa found herself
very glad that etiquette required her to hold his arm. She would
have been terribly lost among the great throng of people, had she
been left by herself. Launce walked behind them, and following him,
the servants placed the people in the correct order, Isa guessed,
so from greatest rank to the least. It was unnerving to think that
she wouldn’t have even qualified to stand at the end of the line
just the year before.

King Rafael led the procession
through a tall arched opening into a long room filled with a cedar
table that stretched from one end of the room to the other. Isa
followed Ever’s lead, continuing to stand even when they had been
brought to their places on the long bench on their side of the
table. It was astounding how many people would have to crowd into
the room, despite its enormous length.

The walls in this room were
whitewashed just like the rest of the palace walls were, with great
timber beams crisscrossing the low ceilings. Each wall had one
large arched fireplace in the center, as only one wouldn’t have
been able to heat the entire room. Intricate murals were painted on
the walls around each hearth, large images of women dancing in
twirling skirts the colors of strawberries and limes and oranges
and lemons. Each of the painted women had the same deep-set hickory
eyes as the queen, and each wore a smile as she
performed.

Isa’s musings were interrupted
when everyone was finally in the dining hall, and the king sat,
gesturing for everyone else to do so as well. Ever was seated on
the king’s right hand while Queen Monica sat on his left, the
princess sitting to her left, just across from Isa. Isa wished
desperately that she could have sat beside the princess, for they
seemed to be suffering from the same set of nerves. Launce also
looked about the table with wide eyes, but said nothing, and Isa
wondered if he was regretting his decision to come with her. She
didn’t have time to ask, because a holy man was brought to the room
and asked to thank the Maker.

The first course followed the
prayer, and Isa was very grateful to have something to do with her
hands besides twist them nervously under the table. She was aware
of the eyes of a number of men and even more women upon her as she
began to eat, and she hoped her hands didn’t shake too visibly as
they watched her.

“
So, I want to welcome you back
from your rendezvous with the Maker,” King Rafael was saying to
Ever. Isa studied her salted fish with renewed vigor as she waited
to hear what Ever would say. While the encounter between the
Fortress and its once wayward prince had ended well, it was still a
somewhat intimate matter.

Fully explaining to others what
had gone on there during the curse, the way the Maker, through the
Fortress, had brought about change in both of them, was next to
impossible. Only Launce, to Isa’s knowledge, had come even close to
understanding it, and that was most likely due to the nature of
their relationship. Her brother had always been able to read her.
Not that any of that would matter to the curious King
Rafael.

“
Thank you.” Ever’s deep voice was
steady, but Isa detected a note of caution in it. “It is good to be
traveling again.”

“
I must ask, what were you doing
all that time, cooped up in that great citadel?” The king took a
great bite of his fish before leaning so close to Ever that Isa
could hardly hear his next words. “Rumor has it that Nevina had put
you under some sort of curse?” Isa glanced at her husband to see
his jaw tighten slightly at the name of the Tumenians’ late
princess.

“
You should know better than to
believe in rumors, Rafael. They will get you nothing but
trouble.”

“
How will I know what to believe
then if no one tells me otherwise?” the other king pressed. His
voice was polite, but his brown eyes gleamed with
interest.

“
Suffice it to say that when the
Maker gives you a great deal of power, and you choose to use it
unwisely, his servants, such as the Fortress, will have no choice
other than to show you the error of your ways,” Ever responded as
he looked the king straight in the eye. His blue fiery gaze was so
stern that the king held it only for a moment before looking down
at his food again and changing the topic.

Isa lost interest in the men’s
conversation after that, something about a recent excess of rabbits
in farmlands, and she began to listen to see what the other royals
and nobles were doing without the attention of their host king. The
cacophony of voices was lively, many of the others deep into
various conversations by now. As she watched, she caught other eyes
watching her as well. Most of the men smiled, as well as some of
the women, but a few simply stared, no inkling of friendliness in
their tight lips, despite Isa’s attempt at smiling. One in
particular did nothing to hide her displeasure, glowering openly at
Isa so intensely that Isa felt her smile falter upon meeting the
stranger’s eyes.

Isa had noticed the woman earlier,
and she was nearly as tall as Isa, maybe even taller. Her delicate
white skin, fiery red hair, and green eyes made it obvious she
wasn’t from Cobren. Her oval shaped face would have been lovely,
filled with almond eyes and rosy cheeks, had it not been so full of
wrath. Isa wondered if this was one of Ever’s serious contenders at
his own betrothal ball, the one that had ended in a war with
Nevina. The hate in the woman’s eyes made Isa long to shrivel
behind her husband. It was also at that moment that Isa realized
her ridiculous pile of curls was beginning to give her a
headache.

“
Did that woman eat a wolverine?”
Launce leaned over and whispered in Isa’s ear. Isa nearly choked on
the bite of potato she’d just put in her mouth. As soon as Isa
laughed, the red-haired woman scowled even deeper before turning to
the woman next to her and whispering in her ear.

“
This is why I wanted you to
come,” Isa muttered to her brother. “It’s going to take me a while
to get used to this.” Launce’s response was cut off when the second
course was announced, candied beets with nuts and sprigs of mint
garnishing the plate. Isa turned her focus back to using the
correct utensils, and as she did, King Rafael’s voice caught her
attention once again.

“
-About time we found a new path
to choosing a successor.” He sounded proud as he dug into the
beets.

“
How were successors chosen
before?” Isa asked.

“
Like your Fortress, a child of
either sex can inherit the throne here in Cobren,” Rafael said, a
piece of food falling out of his mouth as he spoke. “I don’t know
if you are aware of it, Isabelle, but our two kingdoms are the only
ones in the northern realm that allow daughters to be crowned as
sovereigns.” When Isa nodded, he continued. “Anyhow, the hopeful
successors, mostly royals, second born and such from other
kingdoms, and nobles from our own court, would face a series of
interviews, tests run by the king, queen, and their advisors. All
tedious, trifling affairs, I can assure you.”

“
What changed?”

The king leaned forward eagerly,
this time speaking again to Ever. “As much respect as I have for
you, my old friend,” he whispered gleefully, “the Fortress and its
inhabitants are no longer the main instruments the Maker will be
using in the world.” Then, leaning in even closer, he said, “The
Maker has sent us a special holy man to divinely appoint this
heir.” Alarm shot through Isa’s body as the king sat back and
grinned, although she wasn’t sure why. Ever had frozen completely,
the rings of fire in his eyes burning more intensely than Isa had
seen since the Fortress curse had broken. Even Launce’s jaw had
dropped. It took a moment, but Ever was the first to recover his
voice.

“
And how is this new method to
take place?”

“
Ah, you’ll have to wait to find
out,” the king answered mischievously. “The same as everyone else.”
Then the king’s gaze fell upon Launce. “You should try though, lad!
Anyone can enter.” Launce sent a petrified look to Isa and then
Ever, and Isa almost dropped her spoon when Ever responded that
they would think about it.

As she looked in shock at her
husband, Isa sensed that he was keeping something from her,
something important, and she resolved immediately to find out
what.

CHAPTER SIX

What Men will
Do

By the time
the king declared everyone should dance, Isa’s head throbbed as
though a mason had laid a stack of bricks upon it. Ever offered her
his arm, but his eyes were distant. Launce looked sick, though Isa
guessed that was due to the many piles of rich food he had just
consumed, and not the dancing itself.

Despite her party’s current state
of mind, Isa was relieved to have reached the final part of the
opening ball. In secret, she had looked forward to it, relishing
the anticipation of dancing with her husband. Her desire to dance
with him grew even stronger when she noticed just how many women’s
eyes were trained on his fine form. And though she often struggled
to harness the strength from the Fortress within her, it was so
strong now that she had to flex her hands a few times to keep it
hidden, heat building, threatening to burst from them as many of
the ladies openly gawked. Frightening them with a little display
would do little to improve their opinion of her, she chided
herself... even if they did deserve it.

Ever led Isa and Launce over to
the far center of the throne room, the same one they had been
introduced in. From the front of the crowd, near the two golden
thrones, they had a good view of the dance floor, which had been
cleared for the ceremony.

A large group of musicians set in
a corner began to play, a melody of sweetness and sorrow. As the
music began, the king led his daughter out into the center of the
floor. The smile the princess gave her father was lovely, her dark
eyes gazing into her father’s face. Isa noticed for the first time
that the princess’s skirt was a bright salmon color, and unlike her
own complicated gown, looked as though it had simply been made to
twirl. With each step, the fabric fanned out gracefully, making the
princess resemble a flower in bloom. A movement to Isa’s side made
her realize Launce was watching, too, his eyes more unguarded than
she’d seen them in a long time, and it made her smile.