Page 98 of Golden Queen
The thought made me shiver as I listened to the gentle clicks of the massive clock set against the wall.
And then the door opened, and I held my breath as I felt the air stir my hair. The maids had braided it down my back in a loose braid and then wound delicate gold chains in among the white strands. It made me look like my hair was gilded.
I shed the heavy godsgrass crown for a simple gold circlet laid across my brow and nestled into my hair.
A simple white gown, gathered just below my breasts with a skirt that only slightly grazed the floor, was the finishing touch to what I hoped would be an appropriate ensemble for this horrible farewell.
I turned when I knew I could no longer wait to do so without looking rude—or worse, totally, tragically heartbroken, and he was there.
Proud, tall, heartbreakingly beautiful as always, with a coldness in his features that I had never seen before.
He didn't speak and neither did I. I was sure that if I opened my mouth, a sob would race its way up my throat and shame me for the weak creature that I truly was inside.
So I clenched my teeth until my jaw ached and looked down at that hateful document on the table between us.
He spoke first, of course. He chastised me for patience, but I knew he had very little himself.
"I'm..." He sighed. "I'm very sorry, Aelia."
My eyes shot up to meet his, surprise flitting through me. I had expected...something like anger at the betrayal I was committing.
How very stupid you are, girl, I heard in my mind. Was that my father's voice? Surely not. He would never have sounded so cold.
"Why?" I asked, not even sure whether I was asking why he was sorry...or why this was happening.
"I'm sorry that you've been put in this position by my brother, by your eldermen, by this reeking piece of shit King of Penjan."
I nodded once. "Thank you...My Lord," I told him.
We both winced at the words, at my use of his title.
I looked down at the document again. "Why has your brother offered these terms for me?" I asked, nodding in the direction of the parchment laid out across the table.
He didn't answer for a long while, and then he stepped to the table to read. Had his brother not even informed him of his plans? That seemed unbelievable.
I stepped to his side as he read, to track along with him the terms I already knew by heart. I stood close enough to smell him, his scent so familiar that I felt a painful clenching in my chest. I almost stepped away.
When he had finished, he shook his head. "I don't know, Sera."
He almost imperceptibly winced again at the use of my familiar name. I knew it was a habit that would be hard to break—for both of us. But names were somehow very important to him, and I knew he no longer felt he had the right to use mine.
"They are far too generous," he admitted. "But...despite that, Behr will honor the terms, and you will be in no danger from Nightfall. He will send you the men. Nefr already received word that the armies are ready to march."
"Will they get here in time?" I asked. My voice was surprisingly clear, not betraying the fear that laced the words.
"Armies do not move quickly," he admitted. "And Penjan has been sighted only a few days' journey from the northern coasts. My own riders have confirmed it. You need to leave the city."
"You mean that I should evacuate the people?" I asked.
"No. I mean you. The Queen should leave the city so that you do not make a prize for this king who has already expressed an interest in you personally."
"I cannot just abandon my people," I said. "Will your dragon riders not be here to defend us?" It shamed me to ask the question. What right did I have to ask that of him?
"There are not enough of us, not by half, to hold the city against a million soldiers and a legion of Wyvern. I can carry you away at least—let you regroup in Orin, and when your armies arrive, I will take back the city for you."
I shook my head. "Even if I was willing to abandon the people, I would never leave my cousin to fend for himself. I would never leave Tatana and Set behind."
"And you are not willing to abandon your people," he said, mirroring my own thoughts as he stated the obvious.
