The King of Anavrea (Book Two of the Theodoric Saga) (6 page)

“He formed the council to be a body of lords and
commoners, as advisers to the throne,” Trahern continued. “Since
their inception, the council’s role keeps changing. Currently, in
practice, they act like a co-ruler with the ruling King.”

“On what authority?” Lirth asked when Trahern
paused for breath. She vaguely remembered her brothers arguing this
very topic in their studies. Anavrea’s governmental structure had
been the topic of many animated discussions between the boys and
their tutor.

Ireic answered, “They have no real authority
within our government, but that fact is carefully ignored.” He
sighed. “I have been trying not to buck them, but they grow more
forceful and arrogant. I fear I won’t be able to keep power much
longer.”

“You will manage,” Trahern commented. “But you
are right about them needing to be pulled into line.”

Lirth got the impression the two men were
falling into an old conversation that played between them many
times.

“I don’t understand how this relates to me,”
Lirth pointed out.

Ireic shifted in his seat. “About a month ago,
the council denied a marriage that I blessed. I gave my permission
privately, but many of the council members knew of my mindset
toward the couple.”

“Why?” Lirth tried to understand on what grounds
the leaders and Ireic would have such different ideals.

“My sister, Yulandra, wanted to marry a good
friend of mine. The council refused permission on the basis of his
distant past as a slave.”

Trahern broke in to add, “The council even more
recently demanded my children be removed from the succession for
the same reason. They believe that Han and Eve’s possibly
illegitimate blood would contaminate the royal line.”

“When?” Ireic demanded in surprise.

Trahern groaned. “I received the official letter
this morning, signed by Councilor Kline himself.”

Resisting the shiver that pricked at her neck,
Lirth suddenly realized how it all connected to her. If the council
reacted so strongly to unseen flaws in royal blood lines, how would
they react to her obvious lack of sight? No wonder Ireic
struggled.

 “The council is made up of mostly very
proud men,” Ireic explained. “They fear humility.” He shifted.
Lirth wished for the thousandth time that she could see him.
“Trahern believes that if we get them to accept you publicly,
without knowing the truth, they will have an investment in
appearing to know from the beginning. I don’t think it will be that
easy.”

Lirth nodded slowly. She understood the
difficulties of fooling so many, but she couldn’t see an
alternative. “What are the other choices?”

Trahern answered her. “You live here with Eve
and me. Ireic faces the council on his own.”

Lirth frowned. “Will my father declare war?”

Silence hung for a moment while she was sure
Trahern and Ireic exchanged a look.

“Yes,” Ireic said, “but Anavrea can deal with a
war. We are larger and stronger than Sardmara.” His voice did not
give away the tension Lirth felt coming from his end of the couch.
A great deal hung between them unsaid. She could guess some of the
unspoken issues. From what she had overheard during the past few
days, their marriage contract represented the culmination of years
of wife hunting. This was the closest he had ever come to the
altar. If she backed out now, he would have no wife and a war on
his hands.

Ireic moved. Two large warm hands enclosed hers
and she could feel him before her. A strange fascination pulled her
in his direction. She did not realize he knelt until he spoke.

“Lirth Yra Parnan will you marry me?”

Lirth thought her heart would choke her. She
took a deep, shaky breath, swallowing the obstruction back into
place.

“Yes.” The moment the word passed her lips an
image jumped into her mind. A dark-haired, handsome man in his late
twenties smiled at her. Then just as suddenly, the image
evaporated. The Kurios had given her a glimpse of her betrothed. A
blanket of comfort settled around her heart. This was right.

~~~~~~

Trying to hide a yawn, Lirth brought her fan to
her face. The topic, not the speaker, caused her eyes to droop.
Eve, a talented teacher, made the driest history intriguing, but
even she could not spice the endless rules of court etiquette into
a palatable morsel.

“...actually…” Eve summed up a long list of
titles of those who were secondary to the Queen. “Just about
everyone but Ireic will be required to greet you with a bow. Is
there any way you are going to be able to tell if they performed
the obligatory greeting?”

Lirth shook her head. “Not unless they speak
while they genuflect
.
”

“I would not put it past some of them to try to
avoid showing honor to someone they consider flawed.” The
bitterness in Eve’s voice contrasted sharply with all Lirth had
learned of her in the past few days. Her surprise must have shone
on her face for Eve immediately apologized.

“I am sorry, Lirth.” Eve crossed to sit on the
bench beside her. “I should not have spoken so harshly.”

“What did they do to Trahern?”

Eve laughed. “What makes you think they did
something to Trahern?”

“It would be the quickest and most brutal way
anyone could hurt you.”

“Ireic was right.” Eve’s smile colored her
voice. “You are very perceptive.”

Lirth’s face warmed at the compliment. “You love
each other so much that it is hard to miss. Even I can see it.”

“Thank you.” Eve closed the small distance
between them and squeezed Lirth’s free hand. “I wish the same for
you and Ireic.”

“I also.” Lirth envied the warmth between all of
the Theodorics. The way the brothers teased each other made her
miss her own brothers. She hoped only to touch a part of the love
Eve and Trahern showed to each other.

“Lirth?” Eve interrupted her thoughts. “Has
Ireic told you how Trahern and I met and married?”

How could he?
The thought slipped in
before she could censure it. She had not seen Ireic since the day
they planned everything. They were getting married in less than
twelve hours and he had not appeared yet.

“I have not had the opportunity.” Ireic’s voice
made both women jump. Eve immediately rose to greet her
brother-in-law. Lirth roughly pulled her attention back to the
present and tried to regain her lost composure.

“Good afternoon, Eve.” Ireic’s voice warmed as
it always did when he addressed her. “Trahern sent me to tell you
that Seth is calling for you.” At two-years-old, the lad was a bit
attached to his mother.

“He must be ready for his afternoon nap. Where
are they?” With a rustle of skirts, Eve gathered her books. Lirth
silently offered the fan she had borrowed. Eve accepted it with a
soft ‘thank you’ before she headed toward the door.

“They are in your study.” Ireic’s voice followed
Eve’s retreating steps. The door opened with a soft creak. “Don’t
worry about Lirth.”

After saying something so softly that Lirth
could not catch it, Eve hurried away. Her steps quickened at the
cry of a small boy’s voice echoing in the hall beyond. The door
closed behind her with a soft click.

For a few minutes, no one spoke. The clock in
the hall outside struck two and one of the students called to
another outside on the lawn.

“You are going to make a lovely queen.”

“Thank you.” Lirth’s stomach twisted so tightly
it hurt.

The whisper of his clothing and the scuffing of
his shoes came closer. Lirth desperately wished she could observe
him. What was he doing with his hands? How did he walk? His
footfalls seemed determined, almost as though he thought about each
step before he took it.

“I want to make this work.”

Startled, Lirth raised her face. She was not
sure how to respond.

“Not that it is much of a surprise that I want
this whole thing to work.” A smile lightened his voice.

Is he amused?
Lirth wondered.

“I will try my best to be a good husband.”

Lirth dropped her gaze to her lap.

“No matter what the council does, I will
consider you my wife and defend you as such.”

Finally swallowing the lump in her throat, Lirth
spoke. “Thank you.”

Ireic laughed then. It was a soft, amused sound.
“I should be the one thanking you.”

“Why?”

“I have the advantage. For three years now, I
have been preparing for an arranged marriage with a woman I would
not see until the wedding.” He sat on the other end of her bench.
“You did not have the time I did to prepare my heart and mind for
the event and the relationship afterwards.”

Raising her hand to hush him, Lirth shook her
head. “You are wrong. For five years I dwelt daily with a fear of
tomorrow and what it might hold for me.” A shudder shook her.

“Baron Tor beat you?” Ireic’s voice clipped the
sentence short that Lirth wondered if it was a statement or a
question.

“Yes.” Lirth fought the shame encroaching on her
courage.
He wanted to know. He has already promised to marry
me.

Ireic caught her hand and squeezed it
reassuringly. “You have nothing to be afraid of.” His fingertips
brushed her cheek. “You need not fear similar treatment from me, no
matter what the future brings.”

Torn between a desire to believe him and the
reality of not knowing him well, Lirth couldn’t formulate a
response. She changed the subject instead. “So we are going through
with the wedding.”

“Yes. Are you ready for what comes next?”

“Eve drilled me on my part.” Lirth’s thoughts
dwelling on the ceremony nearly at hand.

“That isn’t what I was referring to, though. My
thoughts were more of the marriage to come. Do you have any
questions for me?”

She tilted her head to the side. “What will my
duties be?”

“Standing by my side, accompanying me to all the
official events, pursuing activities that interest you, smiling,
looking lovely–”

“Children?”

“Eventually.” He groaned. “The council will
expect children immediately.”

Focusing on the reluctance in his voice, Lirth
tried to ignore the twinge of discomfort. “And you? Do you look
forward to children?”

“I do. I enjoy my nephew and niece, but I don’t
want to rush you. We have so much to learn about each other.”

“We aren’t complete strangers anymore.”

“True.”

Awkward silence filled the room.

“It sounds like we both need more time.” She
smiled as warmly as she could, mindful of his pride.

“Any other questions?”

“I would like to know more about the living
arrangements.”

“Tradition rules most of life at the palace.”
His fingers stroked the back of her hand, sending delightful
shivers up her spine. “All of the council live with their families
in a special building on the palace grounds set aside solely for
their apartments. The royal bedchambers are spread throughout the
palace. Since becoming King, I live in the rooms my father used.
They take up most of the eastern wing. The main part of the palace
is devoted to entertaining visitors and conducting the governing
functions. The royal nursery and my siblings’ apartments lie in the
western wing. Most of the rooms for royal guests and other various
purposes are also in that wing.”

Lirth nodded. “And my rooms?”

“My mother’s rooms were below my father’s in the
eastern wing. They haven’t been used since my mother died.” He grew
still.

Lirth wished desperately that she could see his
facial expression, a clue as to what he might be thinking right
then.

Suddenly he dropped her hand and shook himself
free from whatever thoughts had preoccupied him. “What has Eve
taught you so far?”

“Most of what she has covered so far has been
very similar to the etiquette I learned growing up.” Lirth smoothed
her skirt. If only her nerves would unwrinkle as easily. “We were
just trying to figure out how I could tell if someone honored me
with a bow as required.”

“Trahern and I discussed a similar issue today.”
Ireic rose and strode a few steps away. His shoes squeaked when he
turned back toward her.

She lifted her gaze to where she guessed his
face was.

His voice took on a concerned note. “I intend to
spending as much time as I can with you. I want to ease your
adjustments into your new home, but I am not going to be able to do
so as much as I would like.” He set to pacing as he spoke. “The
council returned for their fall session a month ago. It is plenty
of time to make great strides unhindered by my oversight and
interference. I expect to be untangling their knots for weeks after
we arrive.”

He fell silent again, most likely caught in his
own thoughts.

“I will be busy settling into my new role.”
Lirth hoped her voice didn’t betray her fear. “I am sure I will be
fine. Having a companion, though, would help with the things I
cannot do.”

“Trahern suggested that we take one of the
students as a companion to help you. Someone who knows how to
function at court and can guide you until you settle in to your
roles.” He paused.

Lirth’s face pricked with awareness of his gaze
on her.

“Eve suggested a young woman named Larissa. She
will introduce you before the wedding and by the time we leave
tomorrow morning, you can let me know how you like her.”

He was giving her a choice? Lirth lifted her
face to meet his unseen regard. She had never had a choice before.
Servants, tutors, and governesses came and went by order of her
father. Even her brothers had no say in the running of their
household. Father ruled everyone like they were prisoners. Then she
lived as a prisoner in that tower.

“Don’t look so shocked, Lirth.” He sat next to
her and claimed her hand again. “I want to take care of you and try
to make you happy.” The warm pressure of his fingertips on her
cheek made her jump. Torn by the impulse to lean into his touch and
the instinct to shrink away, she froze like a small animal in the
light of a lantern.