Page 31 of Songs and Spun Gold
“You never leave the castle grounds?” His father’s eyes were a little too sharp at the moment for his comfort. Perhaps it was time to add a spoonful of truth to his tale.
Casting his eyes down, he twisted his left hand slightly before glancing up sheepishly. “The streets surrounding the castle are also quite lovely in the morning light.”
The sigh his father released was deep and weary. “And you can’t take a guard with you?”
He replied with an embarrassed grin.
“Axel, if something were to happen to you, where would that leave Ralnor? Your cousin is half Amitian; while the peoplemightaccept her as their next ruler, it wouldnotbe a smooth transition.”
Axel ducked his head, knowing that his father was correct; Marielle had lived her entire life in Amitié, and her mother was the sister of King Antoine. Many Ralnorans would question her loyalty, despite the fact that her father was King Steffan’s younger brother.
“If you must wander the streets, at least take Bertram or one of your other guards with you.” It wasn’t a command, but it could have been. Axel noted the difference with a hint of guilt.
He didn’t want to betray the trust his father was offering with that statement. However, how could he comply and still meet with Lotti without his father knowing?
“May I take one of the gate guards?” he asked abruptly. “I would not wish to disturb one of my regular guards so early in the morning.”
His father raised an eyebrow. “That is their job.”
“Yes, but Otto has extraordinary observational skills, and he is accustomed to being alert at that hour, as he has an early morning shift at one of the side gates,” Axel argued. He was painfully aware of how weak the argument was. But since he’d been sneaking through that gate for six years and Father still believed his excursions outside the walls were an infrequent occurrence, Otto must have kept his secret. As such, he was willing to trust Otto’s discretion with his true destination, whereas Bertram would blab.
Instead of immediately responding, the king rested his face in his right hand. “If you will actually take him with you, feel free to increase your personal guard by one.” He raised his head and pinned his son with a glare. “But I will not find that you have slipped out alone again.”
“Of course not, Father. Thank you,” Axel replied with an earnest voice and humble bow.
“Yes, yes. Now go finish the work you should be doing and let me attend to mine.” Father dropped his eyes to a stack of papers and dismissed him with a shooing motion.
With another quick bow, Axel left his father’s study and headed toward the barracks to inform the guard captain of Otto’s new responsibilities.
~
The curtains were closed today, but Axel ached to open them. Even if the closed curtains didn’t muffle his voice, he wanted the chance to scan the seats, looking for the one that might have been hers. He yearned to sing to the empty hall while pretending she was sitting there watching. Would shehave sat back with a politely interested expression like many of the theater attendees? No, she would have leaned forward with her forearms resting on her knees, fully engaged, with every emotion flickering across her face as he evoked it within her.
Softly singing the “searching” aria fromThe Tanner’s Secret, he ran his fingers along the soft material. “When I look at you, I see a face I know, but something’s not quite—”
“You’re thinking about her again.”
He turned at Lotti’s low voice. It came from the shadows at the back of the stage as usual, but the accusatory tone was new. “What?”
The shadows shifted at about her chest height. “The girl you left with on opening night. Instead of attending to the lesson, you’re thinking abouther.”
“What if I am?” he asked carelessly, strolling in Lotti’s general direction. “Why should it matter to you with whom I spend my time?”
It was times like this when he wished Lotti would come out of the shadows, even if she kept her hood over her face. Reading body language was incredibly difficult when he had to guess at what she was doing.
“It is interrupting the lesson,” she replied stiffly. “You are distracted.”
“I’ve been distracted before,” he pointed out, “but you’ve never reacted quite like this.”
“Who is she?” A slight change in the shade of darkness near her feet suggested a shifting of weight. “Why does she fascinate you?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he replied, “I’m not sure how to explain the source of an attraction. And again, I’m not sure why it matters to you.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Who is she?” she repeated forcefully.
He paused with his hand still in the air. “Why do you wantto know?”
The only response from the shadows was silence.
