Page 4 of Dead Crown
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Tivar grew into a chubby baby with rosy cheeks. As the months passed, he smiled, giggled, and learned to crawl. Reesing was sure his first babbled word was “Dada.” He stood and took his first steps. Soon, he was running about the halls of the Castle.
Reesing couldn’t help but love his fake son. It helped to ease the ache in his heart that never fully went away and worsened when he pictured the real Tivar alone and deep in the dirt of the midwife’s herb garden. Tivar would run to him for a hug with a smile and his tail swishing, and the pain would ease.
On February 1st, 1631, Reesing sat him in an armchair, told him not to fidget, set the new swaddled baby against him, and said that was his little brother.
Tivar cocked one of his pointy, fuzzy ears as he studied the new addition to their family. Finally, he leaned down to plant a wet kiss on the baby’s forehead.
“My brother.”
“Yes, he’s your brother,” said Reesing.
The new child had to be the heir to save the lands or the Crown would die and the people along with it. Tivar couldn’t take the throne. Reesing should admit the truth to his wife and tell the children before they were grown.
The only way around it was to take new land and save his people that way. He wasn't supposed to since Elira had told the first of the Cleel line to be happy with what he had. Some said the land would supposedly die if he disobeyed the command, but the East Forest Kingdom was green and full of abundance. Food and such could be transported north. The Iceland fairies could spread out, and they wouldn’t have to entirely give up the gorgeous region Elira had blessed them with since winter and snow-frosted lands were one of her favorite things. It would be harder, but doable.
Reesing could do it.
Or he could tell the truth and put his second son on the throne, which would reveal his lie to everyone. Tivar might feel like he was less.
He watched his wife swing Tivar up into the air one morning and listened to his oldest son’s giggles. Even though she would still love both of their boys the same, the hidden truth would gut her too. The more time passed, the harder it grew. He needed more time.
Only a little more.
Chapter One
December, 1656
“Lumi, give us a tale, won’t you?”
Lumi straightened up from the round table where the beans jumped and jittered. One had so much energy, it nearly made it into a woman’s wineglass to drown, and Lumi plucked it from the air just in time.
He smiled at the red-faced King. “What would you like to hear?”
“Something uplifting.” The King lifted his wineglass to swirl the azure liquid. “Not funny, but happy.”
Lumi caught the other beans before they jittered themselves right off the table, and he glanced at the courtiers seated around the Hall. “Ah, we do need something a little more interesting than beans, don’t we?”
He flung up one, another, the next two, caught the first, and kept the cycle going to the awe of the courtiers. Even though the beans trembled and shook, Lumi didn’t drop them when he started to walk backward.
Everyone said his hands had many talents.
“Oh, let’s see.” Lumi eyed the raised square of bricks in the center of the Hall. From the dirt it contained, the Elira Tree rose and nearly touched the ceiling. It had never needed sunlight or watering, and no matter how many renovations the Castle had been through over the ages, the Tree remained.
The bark had long lost its luster, and the few leaves high up were bleak. The puzzling lines running along the trunk were no longer pretty. Instead, they looked like wounds mercilessly gouged into a corpse. No longer was the canopy a burst of greenagainst the ceiling, and the bare twigs and branches were like skeletal fingers reaching for nothing.
Even the dirt was dull. Just like everything else in the land.
Lumi hopped up onto the brick edging and pretended to lose his balance. For a moment, he wobbled, and the courtiers watched with bated breath as it seemed he would drop the beans and land on his arse. He righted himself and kept juggling while he flashed them a big smile.
“Oops.” Titters filled the Hall, and Lumi cocked an ear. “I heard an interesting story once. When King Reesing went against the East Forest Kingdom, tales of King Revin and Queen Lareda’s valiant fighting spread throughout the realm. They rallied their forces and cut through when all seemed lost. Even some of the Iceland fairies said they had never seen two swing their swords with such fury nor fire so hot as they combined their magic and blasted through swaths of enemies like a flaming blade through ice.”
Lumi swiped a finger across his neck and continued juggling without missing a beat as he danced sideways along the brick edging.
“Even when it seemed the East Forest rulers would surely be overwhelmed, they came out of every battle unscathed, and their bravery inspired the rest of the army who followed as they pushed us out and hacked their way into Iceland.”
Across the Hall, King Elswere’s face darkened. A tale of war shouldn't paint the enemy in a good light, especially when they'd won.
