Page 36 of His Noble Savior

“There’s someone I’d like you to meet,” Richard said, and Lilian stepped inside behind him, the knights hanging back outside the door. They’d come for Richard and Lilian’s protection, but he preferred if they stayed out of sight when he visited shops, lest the townspeople take their presence as a threat, a sign of their lord wielding his power. Nothing could be further from the truth—Richard would rather be loved than feared by his subjects. “This is Lilian from the Spring Court. He is my guest at Somerdale Castle. Lilian, meet Miss Bennett, our local potter.”

“Oh,” Miss Bennett said, “what a pleasure to meet you, Lord Lilian.”

“Just Lilian. I’m no lord,” he said with high color on his cheeks.

“Well, then…”

“Lilian makes pottery in the faerie realm, and I thought it’d be nice to show him how humans perform the craft,” Richard said,gesturing at the potter’s wheel and the colorful array of bowls, cups, jars and jugs for sale.

“Of course!” Miss Bennett said, watching wearily as Lilian approached her potter’s wheel.

Most humans were apprehensive toward fae, though it was the dark fae of the Autumn and Winter Courts that gave their species a bad name. A spring fae was unlikely to cause harm, but to calm Miss Bennett, Richard mouthed, “He’s fine,” at her, fighting a chuckle.

Lilian inspected the wheel, crouching down to examine the treadle. “You need to move this to get it to spin?”

Miss Bennett threw Richard a glance, clearly not sure what to make of Lilian. “Yes?”

“Interesting. Mine runs on magic.” Lilian rose, tucking a strand of hair behind his pointy ear. He proceeded to examine the goods for sale.

“Where would we be able to purchase good quality clay?” Richard inquired, dragging Miss Bennett’s attention away from Lilian.

“Well, clay is found in the soil outside town along the river bank. The quality varies, though if that’s important, I could obtain good clay for you?”

“Perhaps another time, but I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you.” Richard scratched his head. “I was also looking to buy a vase for my chambers, do you perhaps have something… floral?”

That got Miss Bennett excited, and she bustled through the workshop, showing him a selection of painted vases. Richard had little understanding of craftsmanship and artistic value, and he let Lilian pick one for him. He decided on a pink and green one, for which Miss Bennett named a stately price. Lilian was about to haggle when Richard handed her the coins. He could afford to pay more than her usual customers, and Richard seizedthe opportunity to make one of his subjects happy.

Miss Bennett wrapped the vase in cloth so it wouldn’t get damaged on the ride home. They said their goodbyes, and Richard took Lilian to the other shops. He bought a little something everywhere, gathering goodwill.

Their last stop was the weaver where Richard asked to be shown a selection of floral rugs. A matching pair to be put on either side of his bed would add color to his chamber. The weaver presented them with a large pile, and Lilian helped him select a pair of mint green bedside carpets embellished with orange and pink flowers.

Back at the castle, servants unloaded the horses, taking Richard’s purchases to his chambers. Before he had a chance to set foot over the threshold, the steward came rushing toward him.

“My lord,” she said, handing him a letter, “a missive from Castlehill arrived in your absence.”

Richard thanked her and took the letter, breaking the House Aranin seal. Missives from James were important—they could contain news about Nathan’s whereabouts or critical strategic information. He unfolded the paper, expecting a slew of military intelligence.

It was a wedding invitation.

“What?” Richard grabbed onto the entrance door’s frame for balance.

“What does it say?” Lilian asked, leaning in.

Richard’s eyes flew over the neatly written lines. His disbelief grew with every word he read. “James is getting married… to Raziel.”

“But elves are prohibited from entering romantic relations.”

“I know.” Richard scanned the rest of the missive, his eyebrows rising at the contents. “Raziel was arrested on orders of the elven princess for crimes of lust. He and James wereput through a trial by ordeal, which they miraculously passed. He doesn’t say what happened exactly, but it must’ve been impressive enough for the elves to regard his relationship with Raziel as sanctioned by the Lady.”

Lilian gaped. “So they’re betrothed?”

“Yes. With a wedding date set for early summer. I’m surprised James is going to marry while the war is raging, but this seems important to him.”

“Did you suspect anything when they were here?”

Richard shook his head. “Raziel was very protective, even for a personal guard. I assumed he was just exceedingly diligent, which is to be expected of an elf. I didn’t think they were lovers.”

James had struck an exceptionally advantageous match with Raziel. Fae were strong and made excellent knights, but elves outmatched them in strength, speed and skill. With an elf in his marital chamber, nobody would dare lay a hand on James. The letter said nothing about the political consequences of their union, but since elves didn’t meddle in human affairs, marrying one could only help James.

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