“He has always been another matter,” Turella said, and rose from the stone bench. “His father took him away from me when he was born, I told you that, and it quite ruined him. Now, Kerek, take her to the king and stay even if the king orders you to leave. I can’t trust her to tell me the truth.”
Kerek said to her as they walked down the narrow passage to the king’s chamber, “Please, Princess, you must begin your monthly flow.”
She just laughed. “Oh no, Kerek, I very much want Cleve’s babe. It will be a boy, I know it. My stepmother has four sons. She always said that boy babes made her puke up her guts. I’ve not been feeling very well.”
Kerek stopped in the hallway and stared down at her. “Perhaps Turella is right. Perhaps we should send you to the Saxon court.”
She just laughed. “All you have to do is send me back to Hawkfell Island.”
Kerek just sighed. “There is so much to think about. I cannot allow you to ruin my plans. They’re good plans. They encompass the future. They cover all possibilities save your character, Princess. It’s your character that brings chaos to my plans.”
“Good,” Chessa said.
Hawkfell Island
Cleve kissed his daughter’s nose, gave her another bite of roasted sea bass, one of Entti’s specialties, and said, “Just keep eating. I’m leaving tomorrow for the Danelaw, and no, you’re not coming with me. If you stop eating this time, you just might starve to death and both your first papa and your second papa will be forced to stretch out on each side of your skinny little dead body and die themselves. Do you want that?”
“No, Papa.”
“Good. Then eat and keep eating. Keep talking to your aunts and uncles so they won’t worry. Keep playing. Keep learning how to weave from Erna. She’s very good and kind. If Gunleik whittles you another knife, take it and thank him sincerely. I’ll return when I can. I don’t know the number of days. Can you just believe that I’ll return with Chessa?”
“It’s hard, Papa. You won’t leave her in the Danelaw, will you? Even if she makes you very angry?”
“Nay, I promise to bring her home, then I’ll spew curses at her head.”
Kiri chewed the sea bass, licked the oil from the tartar leaves, and smiled. She nodded.
“Now, here’s your aunt Mirana and aunt Laren. Promise me again in front of them.”
“I promise,” Kiri said, giving each of her aunts a small smile, “to eat and not to be dead when papa returns with my second papa. But I still would like some sticks to count, Papa.”
He tossed her into the air as he groaned. “No sticks. Eat, sweeting.”
York, capital of the Danelaw
the king’s palace
One week later
Chessa chewed on an apple. It was more sour than not, and crisp, just as she liked it. Ragnor was sitting in a chair, trying desperately to play the small harp with emotion. He was singing a romantic poem the court skald, Baric, had taught him. It rhymed but Ragnor couldn’t seem to make the rhyme fit the music.
Chessa picked up another apple and took a bite. She’d eaten nothing today since she’d been forced to be in the king’s presence at both meals. He both frightened and repelled her, a combination that took away her appetite. He’d told her that he’d bed her if Ragnor didn’t please her and make her scream with pleasure. Then, he said, if she pleased him sufficiently, he would allow her to chew his food for him.
She shuddered now thinking about it. Finally, Ragnor looked up at her, his expression both pained and defiant. “Did you like it?”
“Oh, yes. I love music. Your display of ardor moved me, Ragnor. I’ve asked Baric to teach me lullabies to sing to Cleve’s babe when he’s born.”
Ragnor raised the harp at her, cursed, then threw it to the floor and stomped on it. Each stomp made her smile. “Damn you,” he yelled, “you will be quiet. You will not have his babe, Chessa, I forbid it. That damned Cleve. I should have killed him. I should have known that he would seduce you, the damned bastard, just to thwart me. He lied about marrying you to William of Normandy. He just wanted to have you for himself.”
“He was relieved that I wasn’t pregnant with your babe,” she said, and took another bite of her apple. “He was pleased that I was a virgin. He lost his head when he discovered that he was the first. Then he just couldn’t stop. The act was quite nice, at least with him.”
“My father isn’t pleased. You shouldn’t have just spat it out at him the way you did and all because he said he’d like to bed you and make you scream. He would have forgotten. He even forgets he’s angry at me now. But you had to anger him, didn’t you? He was so furious he forgot to have the concubine that stands on his left hand taste every bite he wanted. He could have died from poison.”
“Perhaps,” Chessa said, “I could bribe the concubine who stands at his left hand.”
“Stop that, you evil witch. You try to anger me now. You do it apurpose. My mother warned me that it was your way. She told me not to let you arouse my ire, that you never meant what you said, it was all a ploy. My mother is very smart, but you make it difficult to do as she directs.”
“I agree,” Chessa said. “She is very smart.”
