Page 72 of Of Blood & Bone: The Young Queen

“On arriving there we discovered two other delegations. One from the Northlands and another from Grunland. It seems the “King of Rachlain” had been busy forging alliances with other realms and was preparing for battle with Ellerban.”

He stops talking and I look at him to see if he’s all right. His eyes are unfocused and I can see he is far away, lost in the past. He smiles. “His plan to fortify these alliances was to marry his daughter off to whoever offered him the best terms. His daughter wasn’t interested in being her father’s bargaining chip, and once I arrived she hatched a plan of her own. The second night of my stay in her father’s castle she came to my chamber and seduced me.” His smile widens at the memory and I feel a slight stab of jealousy towards this woman who had been so sure of herself as to seduce a prince. My prince.

“She said if she were to be married off to a shriveled up old prune then she at least wished for one night with a proper man.” He stops speaking and laughs and it’s obvious he is completely immersed in the past. “Of course, one night led totwo and two led to more until I was completely in love with her. I made a proposal to her father that if he awarded his daughter’s hand in marriage to me, I would speak on his behalf to my father and I would guarantee Ellerban would not invade Rachlainn. He hadn’t considered we would bring the might of the Ellerban army down to bear on him and hadn’t thought that an Ellerban prince would ever consider marriage to his daughter. He was so pleased with his newly elevated status that his daughter would one day be queen of Ellerban, he agreed.” He pauses and I sense there is a but coming.

“However, there was only one problem. My father had been in negotiations with a number of other royal houses regarding a fitting bride for me. The daughter of a Rachlainn chief certainly wasn’t what he had in mind.”

“Oh,” I softly exclaim into his chest, “what did you do?”

He looks into my eyes and with a broad smile says, “Oh, I married her. There was no way I could not. However, I had to think of a way to break the news to my father. I remained in Rachlainn for some time after the wedding and kept sending updates to my father as to the progress I was making. All the while I was gently preparing him for the possibility of my marrying Aurora. Then one day a message came to say my father had been taken ill and I was to return to Bawna at once." He stops talking and pain flickers across his handsome face.

"By this time Aurora was carrying my child and well advanced into her pregnancy. I was loath to leave her but at the same time I didn't want to put her through the arduous journey back to Bawna, and neither did I want to risk causing my father any distress by suddenly presenting my new and pregnant wife at court. So I decided to return to Bawna by myself.” He pauses again and takes in a deep, steadying breath.

I try to calm my racing heart.He has a child?I ask myself.How did I not think of that? All this time he has been here inValensia and I have deprived him of spending time with his child.

“My father was indeed gravely ill by the time I got back to the castle,” he continues, “but my return fortified him and he lasted longer than anyone would have predicted. Alas, he died two moons after I returned.” His voice falters.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

He squeezes me a little closer to him. “Thank you, Elinor. I was glad of the chance to spend time with him before he died and in his last days I told him of Aurora and our son. It meant a lot to me when he smiled at the news.” He stops talking again and I can tell it’s getting more painful for him as he continues. He drags in a breath and looks to the ceiling as if trying to centre himself.

“I immediately sent for Aurora and my son. I was so excited to see them I rode out along the Great Road to greet them. She was even more beautiful than I remembered and my son…” his voice cracks, “oh, my son was a vision to behold. Solid and strong with luscious folds of baby fat, two dimples on either side of his happy little mouth, and eyes of the brightest green that sparkled with pure joy.” He pauses and it’s obvious in his mind he’s back in that moment when he first met his son. I wait patiently for him to continue, not wanting to push him, but find my breath is caught in my throat. All I can think about is how he has already fathered a child. A son?He has a son?

Finally, he starts talking again. “Those two days as we travelled back to Bawna were the two happiest days of my life. Watching Aurora with my son, seeing the way she loved him and the wonderful mother she was filled my heart with pure happiness. Holding my boy in my arms was beyond anything I’d ever felt before. Awe inspiring and humbling at the same time. I thought my heart would burst with the love I felt. On the third day, just before dusk, we were travelling through the Dahreenforest on the outskirts of Bawna when we were set upon by a band of brigands.” His voice falters and he draws in a ragged breath. When he next speaks his voice is cold and deathly.

“At first, I thought they were simple thieves looking for an easy opportunity to acquire some jewels. I didn’t see the real danger…” His voice falters again and when he next speaks it’s in a haunted whisper. “Thank the gods for Aaran and his superior senses, but even then it was too late. They came at us in the first wave, lulling us into a false sense of security and pulling us away from Aurora and my son, but Aaran sensed something else was going on and he held back. That’s when the second wave hit, a wave of deadly assassins intent on killing Aurora, my son and me. My men and I fought them the best we could but we were hopelessly outnumbered. Unaware of any threat and being on my home turf of Ellerban, I had travelled with a minimal escort. They kept coming for me and I quickly realised these weren’t simple thieves but highly trained assassins. That’s when I knew something was very wrong. I tried to draw them away from Aurora and my son. I commanded Aaran and Barra to get them out of there, but we were overrun…”

His voice falters and his face spasms with pain. I place the palm of my hand over his heart and I can feel it trying to beat out of his chest. Tears fall from his eyes and he struggles to breathe.

“Ronan, it’s fine…” I start to tell him that he doesn’t have to continue but he places a finger on my lips and shakes his head. He takes a gulp of air into his lungs and in a voice laced with agony he begins speaking again.

“I watched as Barra was cut down from his horse and as Aaran took three arrows to his chest, but still they stayed by Aurora and my son’s side. I knew in that instant I needed to get to her. Above it all, I could hear her calling my name and my son’s cries. I fought with everything in me to get to her. I must have slain at least six of the bastards, but just as I was makingmy way to her I received a blow to the back of my head. I fell, but as I did so I watched as one of them approached Aurora from behind. I screamed her name in warning as my face hit the ground. I scrambled my body from the forest floor and started crawling towards her, but I couldn’t get to her in time and watched as the brigand’s sword came through her chest and out my son’s back.”

I gasp in shock and pull him close as his body is wracked with sobs.

“Ronan, I’m so sorry,” I whisper into his hair as tears of sorrow run down my cheeks. “I am so very sorry for your terrible loss.”

Now I understand,I say to myself.You’re not crazy but simply broken. Kes was right, grief and despair can break a person, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be healed. I know you will never be the man you once were, but I promise to try and heal you, Ronan, if you let me. Please let me.

His sobs ease and he looks into my eyes. “Thank you, Elinor,” he says in a subdued voice.

“How did you survive?” I ask, wondering why the brigands let him live.

“The night before, Aaran had sensed something in the air. He wasn’t sure what it was but as a precaution he’d sent a rider to bring soldiers. They arrived just as the brigand pulled his sword from Aurora’s body. The bastards fled as my soldiers swarmed through the forest in pursuit, but they all got away.”

I think how strange that he and his family should be targeted in such a cold-hearted manner. “Do you know who they were or at least who they were working for?” I ask.

“No,” he answers, and I sense regret in his voice. “In truth, I was destroyed by the loss of Aurora and my son. My grief consumed me along with the guilt I felt at not being able to protect them. The stories you’ve heard about the crazy princeof Ellerban are not false. I did indeed lose my mind. I’m sure Aaran and Barra have told you this is not the first time I’ve gone missing. They found me on the slopes of the sacred mountain in Bawna on more than one occasion, where I found solace in the company of the wolves and the eagles.”

“Yes, they told me,” I whisper.

“The night you found me at the castle, I had just returned from my latest sojourn on the mountain. My brother Prince Mikil had been ruling in my stead and had suggested it was best for Ellerban if he remained on the throne as king. I have to admit, in the depths of my grief, I thought perhaps he was right, but during my last spell of isolation on the mountain I had a vision of me sitting on the throne, and I realised there must have been a reason for my having been spared. I went to the King’s chambers that night to tell him I intended to take my place on the throne but he wasn’t there. Then you intervened…”

I shudder as I remember exactly where Prince Mikil was when his brother was looking for him, beating and torturing Barra and Aaran in the Dark Forest. A feeling of unease creeps up my spine as I recall his accusations against them, accusations that sit in sharp contrast to their actions. Why would he say such things?

The prince is quiet and I look down to see his eyes are closed. I’ve no doubt Myreena added something into the elixir to help him sleep and it looks like it’s starting to take effect. However, before he slips off into what I’m sure for him is welcome oblivion, there’s one thing I wish to know. “Ronan,” I whisper, “what was the name of your son?”

A small smile curves up at the edges of his mouth and in a sleepy voice he answers, “Aonghus.”

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