The Reign of Trees (8 page)

***

She did not wear the black; in fact, she did not give a moment’s consideration to her appearance. Trying to gain favor with the court of Deltegra was pointless, and in fact, was harmful to Illianah’s soul. She did not want Donovan looking on her with any amount of kinship.

After requesting an audience with the king, Illianah was granted permission to enter the throne room. She had hoped Donovan would not be in the throne room this morning, but as fate seemed to ever be against her, the prince was sitting on his throne as well. Illianah did not look in his direction, nor did she acknowledge him when she addressed the king.

“I have come to inquire of you, My Lord,” she said while she still walked toward the king. “The Battle at Laencia is over. What does this mean in regards to my release? I desire to go home to Burchess.”

King Henrick smiled kindly and said, “Yes, My Lady, we were just discussing this very matter but an hour ago.” He looked at the prince to indicate who participated in the earlier discussion, but Illianah still would not acknowledge that Donovan was in the room.

“Prince Henrick desires you to be released to your kingdom, but unfortunately Illianah, I cannot allow that.”

Inadvertently, she looked in Donovan’s direction. He was slumped in his chair, not sitting stately as he should have been. The position of his body indicated that he was unhappy with his defeat. Illianah’s breath caught within her chest. Was he hoping for her to leave so he could be free of her? Or was he being considerate of her happiness? Both thoughts were equally troubling. Donovan did not look at her, but rather fixed his eyes upon something on the wall to his right. His emotions were completely concealed by a façade of indifference. She again struggled to fill her chest with enough air to survive the next minute, and then looked back at the king.

“I cannot reward Burchess’s defeat with the return of a prisoner,” King Henrick said. “They must win you back, one way or another. They disregarded our earlier demands, thinking they could defeat us on the battlefield. I think they were surprised that they were not able to walk across our border after trampling a few soldiers under their mighty feet. Now that they realize Deltegra is a force worth reckoning, I think they will reconsider our earlier demands for your freedom.”

Anger began to boil underneath her skin. The Deltegrans were not a force worth reckoning. The only reason they had defeated Burchess was because the entire Deltegran army was at the border. They had left the other regions of their country naked and exposed. King Henrick had essentially cheated. She was about to
loose
her tongue and accuse the king of being duplicitous, but Donovan moved in his chair, causing her to shift her focus. He now leaned toward his father, but Donovan’s eyes were eagerly on hers. He shook his head ever so slightly, almost unnoticeably. It was as if he read the anger upon her cheeks and knew what she was about to say. And what she was about to say in defiance to the king would indicate that she knew too much to go back to her warrior husband, who would be hoping to gain knowledge of how to conquer Deltegra.

As she reconsidered her thoughtless near-tirade on King Henrick, he continued speaking, apparently not noticing the silent exchange with his son. “General Montague is drafting a letter to your father as we speak, renewing our offer for your freedom. Within a few days, we will have their answer and then, My Lady, we will know your fate.”

“May I write as well?” she asked. In the early hours of the morning, as Illianah had fretfully tossed in bed, she had considered the grave error of her last ploy to win freedom. She had hoped to charm Donovan into letting her go, but that had done nothing other than cause grievance to her own heart. Instead, she needed to focus her charms on her own husband. Perhaps if he was reminded of her allure, he would be more eager to win her back.

“But of course, Princess. You are free to write as many letters as you wish,” the king said.

Illianah nodded graciously at the king and again ignored Donovan. She went back to her room and waited until her lady’s maid brought fresh ink and parchment.

As Illianah penned the letter to Leif, her hand hesitated many times before she was able to write the words she thought needed to be said. And many times, her cheeks flared in embarrassment as the words found their way onto her letter. Leif had enjoyed her during their first week of marriage—of that she was certain. He needed to remember those moments. She told him how she missed having his fingers caress her back while she tried to sleep. She missed feeling his large hands rest upon the small of her waist. She mentioned his kisses, and then finished the letter by saying that she regretted complaining about his new beard growth and said that to feel his beard upon her skin again would bring her the greatest delight.

Her hand quivered as she sealed the letter. She should not be writing such things. She should not even be thinking such things, but she was desperate to get out of Donovan’s castle. She felt as if the welfare of her eternal soul depended on this letter, therefore justifying the depravity of its contents.

She sighed deeply and set the letter aside. Hope filled her heart. Leif would soften upon reading her letter and then he would persuade her father to agree to King Henrick’s demands. She would be home soon. She took a deep breath, waiting for the excitement to fill her chest. But oddly, the only emotion that washed over her was one of sadness.

Chapter Seven

A week quickly passed with Illianah doing her best to fill her heart with hopeful thoughts about leaving Deltegra. As she was served mutton stew for supper, she thought to herself, “This will be the last time I ever have to eat this flavorless fair.” As she awoke to gray skies and a cold, damp earth, she said, “This will be the last time I ever have to endure a Deltegran rainstorm.” Illianah hoped that if she was able to force thoughts of leaving this godforsaken kingdom into her mind constantly, excitement would soon become embedded in her emotions. But when it did not, she surmised that she was merely being cautious with her heart, as she was still uncertain that her father would agree to King Henrick’s demands, whatever those may be.

She kept her distance from Donovan, but even being in the same room with him for brief moments proved to be vexing. He seemed more jovial than normal. His eyes danced with what she could only describe as a look of delightful mischief. He smiled anytime he saw her, but then he would quickly look away, almost as if he was laughing at a joke he was not willing to share with her. She wanted to accuse him of mocking her, as that seemed to be his intent, but she did not want to acknowledge that his behavior was affecting her.

At last, a letter came from Burchess. She was in the solar, sitting by the fire, as it seemed to be the only place in the entire castle that did not feel damp from yesterday’s rainstorm. Illianah eagerly broke apart the seal and began to read the letter, momentarily forgetting the disaster that befell her last time she read her private letter in front of Donovan.

Princess Illianah of Burchess
,

Illianah paused at the formal greeting. It hardly seemed the way for a husband to address his wife.

As your husband, it is my place and my duty to censure you for your last letter. You would do well to learn to hold your tongue and speak only as is appropriate. The intimacies you mentioned are not to be spoken of, Princess Illianah. They are private and regarded by me as sacred. What would have happened if your letter would have been placed in the hands of spies? It doth shame me greatly. One might expect such a letter from an enchantresses at Arugua, but not from the daughter of King Gregory. However, be assured that he will never know of your immoral words. I will shield him from that pain on the condition that you will avow to never again write such wickedness.

I sympathize that you wish greatly to return to Burchess. Remember that this pain caused to you by King Henrick will be revisited on his own country twofold. His demands are impossible to meet and there will be no chance for negotiating your return. The war will be long and we know of the difficulty that lies ahead of us; but until we conquer the forces of Deltegra, which we will, you must remain at Andoradda.
 

Yours in marriage,

Prince Harrington of Burchess

Illianah sat still, except she knew she was blinking fiercely, as if she could make the shock dissipate.
 
How dare he admonish her? Should he not have been flattered?

She realized her mouth was hanging agape. She tried to find composure, but it seemed to be unavailable to her in this situation. However, looking like a confounded buffoon was not really an issue: she shared this room with Donovan and her two female attendants—hardly a crowd worth impressing.

“Well you must be rather proud of yourself, Prince Henrick,” she said haughtily.

“Yes, I am, thank you,” he replied without even looking up from the book he was reading.

She disregarded his apparent disinterest in having a conversation with her and spat words at him again. “Your failure to create a reasonable exchange for your prisoner has resulted in Burchess declaring war upon your kingdom. They intend to fight until you surrender.”

“Yes,” he said, still not looking up. “It is truly terrifying to think of, especially since they cannot gain entrance into our border.”

“You
should
be terrified. Prince Harrington will not stop until you have been conquered. He will bring your kingdom to its knees. And then he will return me to my throne. The justice will be sure, My Lord. You will regret starting a war with my kingdom. Your silly plot to capture me will be your ruin.”

Her words were finally enough to give reason for Donovan to close his book. “I must correct you, My Lady, lest you think too highly of yourself. You are a prisoner of happenstance. Bringing you to Deltegra was never desired, nor was it part of a ‘plot.’”

She hated to be reminded of the shock she had seen upon his face the day she was brought captive to the castle. True, capturing her might not have been planned. “But your hasty actions show a lack of judgment,” she said. “My father might have been willing to forgive you had you not dug yourself a deeper hole.”

“I am not looking for forgiveness from your father. Or anyone. I have done no wrong.”

“Done no wrong?” She could not help but to raise her voice; it felt as if something was growing within her chest and she needed to give it room to expand or she may very well burst. “This entire war falls upon you and your father. You are greedy, and … selfish, and …cruel.”

Donovan leaned forward in his chair. His eyes looked on her with cool contempt. “That is rather hypocritical coming from someone who plays with men’s hearts in order to get her way.”

Again, Illianah’s mouth dropped. How dare he? Such disrespect!

And then it felt as if a window opened in her heart, letting in an icy gust of winter air. He knew she had toyed with him; of course he was keen enough to figure that out. But he had said men. Plural. Meaning he knew what she had tried to do with Leif. “What do you imply, My Lord?” she asked, barley able to speak.

“I imply nothing. I speak the truth. You use your femininity as a weapon, where as we men use a sword. The sword is much swifter and less painful, let me assure you. Matters of the heart are not to be trifled with.”

“You mean to tell me you would rather have your arm smitten off than to lose your heart to love?”

“But of course. I have two arms, but only one heart.”

“If you are trying to impress upon me that men are weak if they lose their heart to love, know that I have witnessed the perfect model of manhood and he is not afraid to give me his heart.”

“Ah, you could only be referring to one man: the stout and garish Prince Harrington. Let me assure you Princess, that man has lost nothing.”

It felt as if Donovan had shot a cannonball straight into her chest. She struggled to find air. Her eyes filled with tears so quickly that she could no longer see.

Restraint.
I must use restraint. I cannot let him see how he hurts me.
She blinked rapidly and
swallowed her emotions to keep the tears at bay. “You do not know Leif’s heart,” she said with veracity.

Donovan did not reply to her with words, but the look upon his face said that he knew. He was not gloating. He was not trying to inflict pain. But he knew her husband had no love for her. Donovan’s eyes reflected kindness. And guilt.

“You read his letter.” Her voice did not sound angry, like she hoped it would.

“Yes,” he admitted.

Illianah closed her eyes as shame washed across her. “And my letter?” she asked. When she opened her eyes, she saw Donovan excuse her two lady’s maids with the wave of his hand. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the thought of him reading her very private, very improper words. “How could you?” she whispered.

“How could I not?” his voice was not chastened, as it should have been. “I had to make certain you did not pass information to him.”

“You do not trust me,” she said.

“
I
do. However, my father and General Montague insisted upon your letters being read. They do not have that same trust. I thought it would be best if it was I who read the letters. I did it out of respect for you, My Lady.”

She brought her hand to her mouth and collapsed into the back of her chair. She wished she could vanish from this very spot and disappear from the world entirely. Leif was right to censure her. Their private honeymoon had now been shared with a third party—a man whom she had once thought would be her husband. This was vile. She felt ill and worried her breakfast would be lost.

“Respect?” she whispered through thick tears. “You did it to humiliate me.”

“No, Illianah.” His voice was firm, as if he hoped to convince her she was wrong.

“You … you have betrayed me.”

“I have protected you.”

“From?” She sat up, now enraged.

“From your words being read by less partial eyes.”

“That would have been preferable. You have been laughing at me all week and now I know the cause. You read my letters for amusement, and you try to pass it off as if you were doing me a favor.”

“It was never my intent to read your letters for sport, but when I read your last letter, I
was
greatly entertained. I knew what you were at, Princess, and I found it amusing that a woman would try to seduce her own husband.”

“You speak of honor and of … friendship, yet if you knew what ‘I was at,’ then I wonder why you did not spare me the humiliation my letter would bring.”

“I hoped it would work, Princess. You do belong in Burchess, with
him
.” The way Donovan said “him” sounded like the thought of Leif had left a noxious taste within Donovan’s mouth. A taste he wished to expel and never again allow into his body.

His words stung as much—or more—than Leif’s words. Donovan did not want her either. Was she so unlovable? She turned her head away from him and fixed her eyes on the fire. “If you wish me gone, then I do not understand what I am still doing here,” she said, trying to sound staunch instead of feeble, but a quiver in her voice betrayed her emotions.

“Yes, it does seem rather pointless, does it not? Unfortunately Illianah, you are just a pawn in this game. You have two kings trying to use you as leverage. I do not envy your position, but perhaps it will elevate your confidence to know that you are a desirable commodity.”

“It does nothing but cause me pain.”

“As it does me.” His voice sounded like he was replying with joviality, but his eyes expressed otherwise. Her presence really did bring him pain. He really would rather have her gone.

“I do not understand why you will not see to my freedom, Donovan.”

“I will not go against my father. He is king. He insists that King Gregory will eventually accept our terms for your release.”

Although Illianah knew speaking out against the king was treacherous, she did so anyhow. He was not her king after all. “Your father is arrogant, rash and dangerous. You would do well not to follow his example.” She expected to be reprimanded for her words, but Donovan did not reply. “Surely you can see the harm he does to your kingdom.”

“I see no such thing.”

“Well surely you see how his demands against my father are unreasonable. My father has great wealth. You must be asking too great a sum if he refuses to pay it. Convince King Henrick to request a lesser amount then I may go home and this war may end.”

Donovan stood and paced across the room, turning his back to her. She assumed she had angered him, but when he finally turned to her, his face showed no emotion whatsoever. “This was never about money, Illianah. It saddens me you think Deltegra is so desperate as to start a war for a few thousand gold pieces. And that we would do this to you—take you away from your throne in order to add more coins to our treasury. We would never ask our soldiers to lose their lives for money. This is about the truth.”

“The truth?” She did not know what he was speaking of.

He looked at her carefully, as if his eyes were trying to reach into the depths of her soul. For once, she did not force herself to break eye contact. “I assumed you knew, Princess. How could you not? But the longer you have been here and the more I have seen your unskilled deviousness, I have begun to wonder: do you know what has happened to our trade agreement with your father?”

The trade agreement? Illianah knew very little about it, other than Deltegra was to provide timber to Burchess.

Just as she was about to claim her lack of interest in this area, she remembered hearing in the days before her wedding how Deltegra had broken their agreement; two shipments of wood had not been sent. The commoners were complaining that work had come to a halt at the shipyards of
Pontic
. With no wood, there was no work. With no work, there was no food. The workers from
Pontic
had begged her father to do something. But then the wedding took place and Illianah had given no more thought to the breech of the trade agreement. “You broke the agreement.
That
is what started this war,” she realized, although it still did not make much sense. Why would Deltegra provoke Burchess?

“We did no such thing. When the last snow thawed, our laborers were again in the mountains, harvesting wood for Burchess. In April, we sent our scheduled shipment, but our wagons and horses never returned. Nor did our men. Soon, a letter came from Burchess, warning us of our breech in contract. The shipment never arrived in Freidlenburg. We quickly went in search of our missing caravan. A dozen men and double as many horses had vanished without a trace. We suspected foul play, but no evidence was found: not even a drop of blood in the forest.