The Reign of Trees (32 page)

***

Knowing that Donovan had a unique ability to help her stay focused and positive, Illianah kept him on her right hand during the following days. He was at every meeting. He was involved in her every decision. The only time they parted was at night when she would retire to her old bedchamber to sleep; but it was at this time that she wished him to be near more than any other. She could not sleep for more than a few moments at a time before her dreams would be overrun with images of King Gregory and Prince Harrington in the gallows. It was likely that scene in the city courtyard conquered her dreams because she would not allow herself to think of it while she was awake. She did not wish them to suffer—she only wished for them to be out of her life.

On the third night after she had taken the throne, she found that no matter how she tried to push the two former monarchs of Burchess from her dreams and thoughts, she could not avoid them any longer. It felt as if her life would not move another inch forward unless she confronted them.

Illianah requested an escort to the city courtyard and even though her captain of security did not want her to go beyond the protective walls of the castle, she went anyhow. Her men surrounded the courtyard to ensure her safety and privacy as she addressed the two men in the gallows, and even though it was the dead of the night, she still felt as if she was being watched by every citizen in St. Moraine. She did not want to show them that she was weak, yet her heart told her that she had ignored her past long enough.

The two stocks were only a few feet apart; Illianah chose to stand nearest to her father. His head was hung low and the stench coming from his stock was overwhelming. The only thing keeping the vultures from pecking away at him was the fact that it was night and they were sleeping. Nothing would keep the vultures away come morning. Her gut told her King Gregory would not live to see another night.

She looked away from the distressing sight in front of her and looked to Leif. He had his head lifted, watching her as if he was praying to her for salvation. He was stronger. Younger. He would outlive the king by several days. She only hoped that watching the king die would fill Leif’s heart with regret and fear.

She approached her father’s stock and stooped to his level. “Father,” she whispered. The stench was worse in this position. Illianah covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve and briefly closed her eyes, warning her stomach to not get sick from the smell, as nothing would be more disgraceful than a queen vomiting at the stocks.

He lifted his head, but his eyes did not rise to hers.

“I have come …” she began, but then she paused as she realized what she was about to say. He had cast her off and chosen a wily man over his own flesh and blood. But her heart overpowered her thoughts. She had to say this, as she would never have a chance to say this again. “I have come to give you my forgiveness. You gave me a good childhood and raised me the best you could, but you never did give me your confidence. You did not see the potential within me. But I have found it nonetheless.

“I forgive you for never loving me. And I forgive you for following the wicked whisperings of Prince Harrington and trying to take away my life.”

Her father’s head shook, as if he was crying, and he finally brought his eyes up to meet hers. While he did not have tears streaming from his eyes, he was indeed crying. “Have mercy on me, Illianah,” he begged, his voice sounding rough and broken. “Do not let me die like this. It is not the way of nobility. It is not the way of Burchess.”

“Father, it is by decree of the people of Burchess. I cannot revoke their wishes.”

“Then you are not a queen at all. You have no power.”

“That is where you are wrong. You never did realize that power comes
from
your people.”

 
She felt as if her heart was crumbling like dry bread. She did not know that she could stand in his presence much longer without caving into the weak girl she once was. Illianah stood and said, “I do not wish to see you die like this, in fact, I do not wish death upon you at all. My only wish is that you realize you were wrong. You did not need to enslave your people. You did not need to conquer Deltegra for their wood. You could have been a good king—a good ruler—had you only thought of others instead of yourself.”

A dry, irritated laugh came from her father’s chest. “You are weak Illianah. You always have been. You always will be. The name of
Boyé
will be spoiled by you. You will live in infamy for bringing down the house of
Boyé
and the kingdom of Burchess.”

“No father,” she replied, her voice firm. “That legacy already belongs to you.”

Illianah left him and as she stepped away, he again pled for freedom. He sounded more desperate than before, but that did not make her turn back. She stopped at Leif’s stock.

“I want to thank you,” she said, “for wishing me dead. It is through your heartlessness and quest for power that my father has lost his throne, which has now been given to me. I can never feel regret for being forced to marry you, as through you, I have been given everything.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

It did not surprise Illianah when she was informed the following morning that her father had died. It did sadden her—mostly because she had hoped he would cry repentance for ordering her death and proclaim that he did at least have a small amount of love for her in his heart—but she did not shed a tear over his death. She instead turned her focus to the war with the troops of Burchess.

Battles had already begun at the city wall, and thanks to Donovan’s strategy of having renegade soldiers hidden in the farmlands, the Burchessian troops were surrendering by the dozens. It seemed that the Burchessian troops were unable to fight savagely against their own people—friends, neighbors, and oftentimes family. But these were the troops who had been stationed at cities throughout Burchess and along the border. Illianah worried about the troops who had actually served under Prince Harrington; when they arrived from Andoradda, she did not think they would be so compassionate and soft-hearted.

But good news was brought to her on the same day: Vieve would join the war. Troops were already marching toward Burchess and would likely arrive just days after the troops from Andoradda. That should be all the help she would need to gain control of the military of Burchess. She could then turn her attention to protect her country from an attack by Liksland.

***

Prince Harrington died three days after the king. Illianah could honestly say she felt nothing at his passing, not even relief. It was as if he left without even so much as making an imprint on her soul, although she knew that was not the case with her kingdom. Burchess would feel the effects of Prince Harrington’s intrusion into their lives for an entire generation, possibly longer.

While she had allowed her father to be buried in the royal catacombs of St. Moraine’s Cathedral, she would not grant Prince Harrington such a privilege. “Send his body to Liksland,” she ordered.

Sir Tannin questioned her thinking. “It will stink, My Queen. That is too far to send a body.”

“It is better that they are stuck with the smell than us. I will not have his body contaminate Burchessian soil one moment longer.”

Again, Sir Tannin challenged her. “I do not think this gesture will go over well. Liksland has already sent five ships full of soldiers across the channel. Do you wish to anger them more?”

“No, I only wish to send him back where he belongs.”

She looked across her council table; it was evident that none of her advisors liked this idea. But to her right, Donovan had his thumb to his mouth, looking like he was ready to chew his nail; behind his hand, she could see a mischievous smile. “What do you think Prince Henrick? Should we send the body back to Liksland?”

He put his hand on the table, sat taller, and looked directly at Sir Tannin. “It would be rude, disrespectful, and brazen to send the body to Liksland; but it would be bold. It would show that we do not fear them. A move so bold would make them question our military forces. They will expect us to be stronger than we really are and may disengage their attack.”

“A bluff,” Sir Tannin said.

Illianah had not thought of it in that manner, but yes, it would make it look as if Burchess had no reason to fear Liksland. “I will draft a letter to send with the body,” she said, smiling with satisfaction, glad that her gesture of retribution had a military motive as well. “I shall tell them that any other member of their royal family who dares to infiltrate Burchess will find themselves returning to Liksland in a coffin as well.”

***

Four thousand soldiers arrived from Vieve to defend Queen Illianah’s throne, and without them, it was likely that the battle would have been lost to Prince Harrington’s former army. Harrington’s men fought without discrimination, slaughtering fellow countrymen and family in the name of restoring justice. But when the army of Vieve came from behind, the tide was turned and Harrington’s men either died on the battlefield or surrendered. However, Harrington’s surviving soldiers would not proclaim allegiance to their Queen. It was necessary that they be sent to prison, otherwise they would continue to be a threat to her crown. Illianah was saddened to have to fill her prisons, but it also concerned her that these troops would not help her fight Liksland.

Already, the ships from Liksland had arrived on the shores of Normandisle where it was reported that Prince
Alberic
of Liksland—Leif’s older brother— was at the castle, negotiating with the king of Normandisle. It was likely they were forming a strategy to attack Burchess at her westernmost border. It was also possible that they would first attack the already weakened and unstable Deltegra to claim her wood as their own. Illianah did not know what to do: whether she should protect her own border first or help Donovan protect his.

It seemed that Donovan contemplated this as well because his voice in the council chambers was no longer heard. Every time Illianah looked at him, his thumb would be at his mouth and he would be staring off into the distance. Finding time to speak to Donovan alone was presently impossible, as every minute of Illianah’s day was filled with war preparations and matters involving the care of the besieged city of St. Moraine.

Since Madame Partlet’s appointment to the council, she had relegated her duty as the royal dressmaker to her daughters, but on this particular evening, Madame Partlet herself came to dress the queen for supper. Illianah had missed their time together and was glad to have a moment where she felt more like her old self rather than this important figure she had become. But after Illianah was dressed in a soft, crimson gown, Madame Partlet said, “Sit, My Lady; let us speak a moment.”

Illianah was instantly troubled, as her old friend appeared to have an ulterior motive. No other member of the queen’s Privy Council had the excuse of dressing the queen in order to gain a private audience.

“Your council is concerned about Deltegra,” Madame Partlet said. “While we certainly know of your allegiance to the Da
Vias
, you have not made your position clear on what lengths you will go in order to protect their country.”

“I would like to give them every resource available in the event that they are attacked.”

“Yes, that is understandable. But the concern of the Privy Council is that you will take from Burchessian resources to protect Deltegra and ultimately weaken our army. We do not have a strong enough force to be divided in two.”

“No, we do not. However, we do have the troops from Vieve. With them defending the capital, we could spare some troops to Deltegra.”

“My Queen, I can see that your motives are noble, however, Vieve pledged to help us, not Deltegra. We cannot leave the full responsibility of our defenses to Vieve. It would be unfair, and it would make us look ungrateful.”

“Yes, well …”

Illianah did not get to finish her thought, as she was interrupted by Madame Partlet. Obviously, she thought her statement to be so important as to break protocol by not allowing Her Highness to speak. “I fear a decision to send troops to Deltegra would leave your throne unstable and likely split your Privy Council in two. You must first show devotion to your own kingdom. Your love for Prince Henrick and his kingdom must come only after Burchess is upon solid footing.”

So many thoughts raced through Illianah’s mind; but mostly she was wondering if this conversation would be any different if the two countries were formally united. Already, in her heart, she felt that the two countries were one, yet she had made no official statement on the matter. “There should not be any question in my Privy Council: Deltegra has my full support. I would not have appointed Prince Henrick to my council if I did not have an allegiance with his kingdom.”

“That fact is well known, My Lady. But an allegiance is not the same as a union. We can only speculate that a union is on the horizon; however we do not believe it to be in the best interest of Burchess
at this time
.”

Illianah grew hot with anger. “My Privy Council does not wish for me to marry Prince Henrick because it is not convenient to the revolution?” she asked, hearing the irritation in her voice. She did not want to get upset with Madame Partlet, but the woman had overstepped her bounds. “I was once told whom I could marry and now I will be told when I can marry again?” she asked.

Madame Partlet smiled kindly despite Illianah’s scolding. “My Queen, no one will dictate your choices to you. Your council only means to advise. Our kingdom is divided. Our people look to you for strength. Deltegra is currently weak and would only add a burden to our army. If you accept the hand of Prince Henrick, it may reflect badly on you. It might be a sign of emotional weakness on your part, and it may look to be desperation on the part of Prince Henrick.”

“That is preposterous.”

“It may be unfair, My Queen, but it is something to take into account. It is what the people are saying—it is what they are worrying about. I am only putting their thoughts in your ear, so that you may make a decision: a decision that is for the good of
all
of Burchess.”

Several thoughts ran through Illianah’s mind. One thought seemed to be faster and broader than the other thoughts and sequentially emerged as the dominant one. She was to be selfless if she wanted to be a successful ruler. That meant putting aside her happiness if it would benefit her kingdom. Illianah swallowed heavily, realizing that her will was not in line with that of her kingdom.

But perhaps her will was not Donovan’s will either. “He has not even offered me his hand,” she said numbly. Should he not have made his intentions known? It had been one full week since her husband had gone the way of the earth.

“It is too soon, My Queen. I’m certain he recognizes your need to grieve.”

Illianah wanted to laugh. She did not grieve for a man who never loved her. Madame Partlet added, “There are certain protocols to keep.” It was as if she had read Illianah’s mind—or possibly her face. “And it is likely that Prince Henrick understands your position with the revolt and does not wish to tax your leadership with the burden of his kingdom.”

Illianah nodded and said, “Yes, I am certain you are right.” She desired to have a few moments alone to think, so Illianah dismissed Madame Partlet.

Donovan was the thoughtful and sensible one. She was rash and impulsive. There was no doubt that he had tossed water on the fire of their passion, cooling it and holding it an arm’s length away. She had been too busy to think of it much, and she had certainly not had the time or energy to try and find a way to rekindle the fire. The caution he had previously shown had saved him from the death sentence of an adulterer. She knew to trust his instincts. If he had not offered her his hand, and had, in fact, grown somewhat distant from her, it was for good reason.

Now is not the time to be with Donovan.

Even though that thought was hard to accept and it made her heart feel as heavy as a blacksmith’s anvil, she knew it was the right decision to make—for the good of her kingdom.