The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga) (5 page)

“Eve!”

Children poured in the front door at the same
instant Eve appeared at the head of the stairs. Trahern spotted her
and waded through the throng heading for lunch. The echoes of
laughter and thundering feet bounced off the hall’s high ceiling,
creating a deafening scene of pandemonium. It was so loud Ireic did
not notice Lirth until she touched his arm.

“What is going on?” She covered one ear and held
onto his sleeve with the other hand. As he looked down at her
wincing face, Ireic noted the paleness of her skin.

He spoke above the ruckus. “Lunchtime.”

She stiffened and attempted to retract her hand.
He caught her fingers as she released his sleeve. After allowing
her to avoid him for days, it was past time they spoke of the
unstated truth between them. They needed to decide her fate. He
wrapped her arm around his and stepped closer to her.

“You have been avoiding me.”

“What if I have?”

The ruckus faded as the last few children ran
past them. Eve and Trahern retreated toward the dining room.

He smiled. “If I am to be your husband, I would
expect you would want to get to know me before the wedding.”

Her face grew whiter. “When is the wedding?”

“Trahern and I wish to discuss that and a few
other things with you.” Ireic slowly drew her toward the bottom of
the stairs. “If you would like, we can have lunch in the library
and I will explain the options as we see them.”

She nodded slightly. “Where is the first
step?”

Confused, Ireic paused before asking,
“Pardon?”

Lirth glanced up at him. “I need to know where
the first step of the staircase is. The library is on the third
floor, if I remember correctly.”

“Of course.” His ears warmed. He guided her to
the first step. “The first step is before you.” He expected her to
test the area with her foot, but she surprised him by confidently
starting up the stairs. Ireic followed.

Halfway up, she glanced his way.

“You will get used to it. Everyone does.”

~~~~~~

Lirth strained her ears for the soft sounds of
footsteps on the thick library carpet. Ireic had deposited her on a
couch near a window and then gone to fetch his brother and
sister-in-law.

Someone else was in the room; she could hear
them breathing. Playing with her skirt, Lirth listened as the
unknown person approached. Unfamiliar with the arrangement of the
room, she couldn’t place the source of the occasional shuffling she
heard growing closer. Finally, when the sounds were about five feet
behind her, she spoke.

“What are you doing in here?” She did not turn
her head. Many times she could fool strangers by acting like she
was above physically acknowledging them. The only answer to her
question was a hurried scuffling, probably from underneath a table.
“Come out where I can see you and tell me your name.”

The sounds of the child’s obedience echoed. Even
before the child spoke, she was sure of its gender, no boy’s
clothing could match the distinct rustle of petticoats.

“I was studying, madam.” Her voice wavered a
bit.

Lirth smiled encouragingly. “I am sorry to have
disturbed you. Aren’t you young to be going to a boarding school?
What is your name?”

“Isica Stoward.”

Lirth’s stomach fluttered. She was speaking with
her betrothed’s niece. Isica’s birth announcement came days before
the abduction. Listening to Aarint read the news in a letter from
mother was one of the many memories Lirth cherished during her
captivity.

The little poppet was about five years of age.
She was much too young to be so far from her mother, even if it was
her uncle’s school.

“What is your name?” Isica’s direct question
brought Lirth’s attention back to her.

“Lirth Parnan.” Lirth smiled.

“Isica, you are very late for lunch.”

Both Lirth and Isica jumped at Ireic’s
voice.

“I suggest you hurry, Isica. Abrigail will be
upset if she has to keep your meal warm again.”

The flurry of footfalls as the girl departed
pulled Lirth’s smile wider.

“She is cute little thing.” Warmth infused
Ireic’s voice.

“Does she take after her mother or father?”

“Mother.” The door to the hall opened and
closed. “Yulandra was always a bit precocious.” His voice came
nearer as he sat down next to her. Lirth adjusted so she did not
slide across the cushion toward him. He sighed as though weary.
“Trahern went to find Eve. They will be here soon. Trahern thought
it would be easier for you to have a female listener when you tell
us your story.” She heard a smile in his voice. “At least that is
what he told me.”

“You don’t believe him?”

“He wants her to be included. She is his friend
and councilor.” He paused for a moment as if weighing his next
words. “I hope you do not mind. I didn’t wish to object because I
also value her opinion.”

The door opened. Ireic rose to greet the new
arrivals.

__________

Eve’s flushed face made Ireic regret asking that
they meet on the third floor.

“Are you alright?” He stepped forward to claim
her hand, the one not already clasping Trahern’s.

“I am fine.” She protested his assistance by
withdrawing her hand to rest it on her stomach. “The child stirs
and pushes on my lungs at times. Let me sit for a bit, and I will
recover.”

Trahern lowered Eve onto the lounge across from
Lirth. Settling himself next to her with a twitch of discomfort,
Trahern turned his perceptive blue gaze on Lirth.

Ireic watched his brother massage his bad leg
and wondered how much of the pain was from all the riding recently.
Tightness around Trahern’s mouth spoke of more pain than usual.
Ireic glanced at his sister-in-law, noting a similar concern
darkening her eyes.

“Ireic.” Eve laid a hand on Trahern’s hand,
stilling it. “I believe that I have not been properly introduced. I
would be delighted if you would do the honors.”

Ireic claimed Lirth’s hand from where it lay on
the cushion and drew her to her feet. Placing her hand into Eve’s,
he began the introductions.

“Princess, I would love you to meet Lady Eve
Theodoric, my sister by law and heart. Eve, this is Princess Lirth
Yra Parnan.” Both women dipped their heads.

Trahern waited for Lirth and Ireic to reclaim
their seats before getting to the point. “Your father was less than
honest with us. Would you be willing to answer some of the
questions we have?”

Not even a twitch marred the serenity of Lirth’s
features. “I cannot speak to his policies or the state of
Sardmara.”

“We don’t expect you to speak for your father.”
Trahern leaned forward as he clarified. “Your parents hinted that
you suffer from an illness, a weakness of health. We were wondering
if it was connected to your lack of sight.”

Even before he finished speaking, Lirth’s brow
wrinkled. “I am healthy, my lord–”

“Please don’t call me that.”

The harsh edge to Trahern’s tone brought Lirth’s
chin up.

“Why?” Ireic asked.

“I do not wish to be associated with the
Anavrean nobility. They are a bunch of–”

Eve stalled her husband’s anger with a touch to
his arm. “We are here to discuss Lirth, not the King’s
Council.”

With visible effort, Trahern softened his voice.
“Please call me Trahern.”

Ireic didn’t notice if Lirth acknowledged the
request. He was too busy frowning at his brother. The strength of
Trahern’s outburst seemed out of proportion with their last
conversation.

Avoiding Ireic’s glare, Trahern composed
himself. His face relaxed into its usual placid lines. However, he
couldn’t hide forever. Ireic would corner him later.

The crease between Lirth’s brows grew deeper in
the tense silence. She tilted her head to the side, obviously
listening hard.

“Pardon me.” Trahern straightened in his seat.
“My recent dealings with Councilor Kline leaves many things better
unsaid.”

She smiled her understanding. “People can be
trying no matter their rank.”

“I am sure your father’s court had its issues,”
Trahern observed.

Ireic nodded in agreement. He and Trahern had
discussed the difficulties of the Sardmaran court many times.

Lirth closed her eyes. “I wouldn’t know about
his court, but simply dealing with servants can cause all kinds of
problems.”

“Didn’t you spend time at court during your
childhood?” having grown up at court, Ireic hadn’t considered the
possibility that she hadn’t.

“No, I have never been to court.”

“Where did you spend your childhood?”

“From our birth to reaching the age of
usefulness, my brothers and I lived at Clorian Castle on the edge
of the northern wastes.”

“We have been there,” Ireic remarked. “Hardly a
nurturing place to grow.” Wind whipped trees had crouched about the
castle grounds, bent as though bracing for a coming winter.

“Why were you there?”

“We were seeking you.”

“Then you missed its best seasons. Fall is
breathtakingly beautiful. All the colors alone are worth the trip
north.” Her voice wobbled as she lowered her chin. Pain flickered
in her dark eyes. “Father didn’t tell you where I was, did he?”
Clutching her hands in her lap, she shrank back against the brocade
cushions.

“Hardly your fault.” Ireic instinctively reached
out to reassure her, but caught himself before touching her. He
dropped his hand to the expanse of couch between them. “We found
you in the end.”

She drew in a deep breath. “Thank you.”

“Why ever did your father keep you there?”
Trahern asked.

Her chin came up and her jaw tightened. “At
Clorian? Safety. Or at least that is what we were told. I don’t
think I believed it in the end.”

“Was that what your parents told you when they
visited?”

She uttered a painful little laugh. “Mother came
only once. When I was seven, I was thrown from my horse and lost
consciousness. I lay in a fever for three days. The healer declared
me on the brink of death. Father allowed my mother to come only
when she threatened to harm herself if he didn’t. When I woke on
the fourth day, the first sound I heard was her weeping.”

“How could he be so unfeeling?” Trahern asked,
echoing Ireic’s thought.

Despite the calm of her features, Lirth’s
fingers tightened so that the knuckles shone white. “My parent’s
relationship has never been…amicable. My mother was the eldest
daughter of a northern tribesman. While Father was still a second
son, he patrolled the northern borderlands. He saw her. He desired
her. And what Father desires, he takes. My brother, Joman, was born
seven months after their wedding.”

Eve’s small gasp brought all attention to
her.

“The child kicked.” Telltale moisture glistened
in her eyes.

Trahern laid his hand over Eve’s where it rested
on her swollen middle. The warmth of their exchanged look caused
Ireic to turn his attention back to Lirth.

“You woke blind?”

She nodded. “I asked if someone could light a
candle while the sun shone on my face. It wasn’t terrible. Mother
feared my handicap more than I. At that age, I worried that I
wouldn’t be allowed to ride a horse. The concern about whether or
not my father would dispose of me didn’t enter my thoughts until
later.”

“He would have murdered you?”

“Apparently, Mother bore a child between Aarint
and me, deformed but alive. My father ordered it destroyed.”

Eve swallowed a sob. The tears in her eyes
prompted Ireic to change the topic slightly.

“So you grew up with your brothers?”

Lirth’s dark head tilted so that she could face
him. She smiled slightly.

“Joman, Lloyden, and Aarint were all a young
girl could ask for in brothers. Even after my accident, they never
tired in trying to include me as best they could. I was given a
major role in most of their games, and they insisted I be included
in their lessons. Their tutor, thankfully a kind man, did not mind
when I joined my brothers in languages, government, and other
subjects deemed appropriate for young princes.”

“Did your accident change anything?”

She shrugged. “My father still considered me
marriageable. I learned etiquette, music, singing, all the
ceremonies, how to seat titled persons at a table, and other things
useful to a noble lady.”

“What about dancing?” Ireic asked. His council
was obsessed with dances. Their wives enjoyed every opportunity to
flaunt their rich gowns.

Shaking her head, Lirth smiled slightly. “Our
dancing master declared me hopeless after I lost my sight.”

“We will try our best. The ladies of the court
do love their parties and balls.”

~~~~~~

Although Ireic’s voice sounded positive enough,
Lirth sensed underlying hesitancy. It was as though he didn’t
believe his own words. She tried to ignore the rising panic in her
chest. If he didn’t marry her, what would happen to her then?

Trahern continued speaking, perfectly calm and
in control of the situation. “I am assuming Ireic has not told you
of the plan we have been working out.”

“I have not had the opportunity,” Ireic
protested.

Eve intervened before more discussion could
carry them off track. “Explain it to her.”

Trahern shifted with a rasp of fabric against
fabric. In a voice that reminded her of listening to her tutor, he
explained.

“Anavrea has a monarchy government. The King,
with the help of his queen and later his sons, serves as the
highest authority in the land. This is the way it has been for
generations. About one hundred years back, a council was
established by the ruling King at the time...”

“Leoyn Tranken,” Ireic supplied.