His tight smile warned that I’d said too much again. But Hugo was gracious enough to move on. “My general,” he waved his hand toward a very tall, very old white-haired scarecrow. The man turned to me with glassy eyes and bowed low. “This is General Stoginan. Please, General, meet our trusted ally, Princess Tessana Allisand of Elysia.”
General Stoginan’s voice sounded like rocks being scraped over gravel. “Pleasure, Your Highness.”
I curtsied. “Likewise, General.”
Hugo went on. “You’ve already met the Grandmaster of our Royal Guard, Haemon Montrez. And of course you know my son.” I nodded to Haemon and had already turned to greet the fourth man in the room when I realized too late that it was Taelon.
I had no choice but to curtsy to him as well. After all, Hugo had introduced me as their trusted ally. How awful would I be to ruin all relations between Soravale and Elysia on the first day of my return? It would have to be some kind of record.
Maybe it was worth it.
Taelon smiled at me and I nearly forgot all the reasons he vexed me. My skin tingled. This boy was the most frustrating of all males and yet my body reacted to him as though he were lost treasure and I was a dragon.
“Princess,” He murmured as a way of hello.
I nodded, adding a regal tilt to my chin. “Rebel King.”
Hugo’s boisterous cough split the room in half. I heard Stoginan lean into Haemon and mumble, “I wonder what she means by that.”
Haemon’s response was a quick, “A joke from their childhood I’m sure.”
Taelon’s eyes sparkled, but he managed a discreet head shake. Apparently, his other activities were not public knowledge.
I decided the best course of action was to push forward and generally avoid talks of rebels and kings and such. “Your Majesty, thank you for seeing me again.”
Hugo’s smile was filled with affection, “My dear, I am merely amazed to behold you. After all this time, it’s hard to believe you’re real. And yet here you stand. Were the last years horrid? Have you wished for nothing but palace life since you were forced to leave?”
“No,” I cried. “No, please don’t think I was away suffering. I was quite comfortable. The Brotherhood of Silence took excellent care of me.”
“Good.”
“And you marched all this way?” General Stoginan asked. “From Heprin?”
“Nearly,” I answered. “For the last couple weeks my traveling companion and I were fortunate to acquire the escort of the Rebel Army.”
Stoginan nearly choked on his thick tongue. “Truly? The rebelshelpedyou?”
“Yes, truly.”
His eyes bulged from his narrow face. “Didn’t they try to take the Crown of Nine from you? Ransom you? I cannot believe those uncivilized boors acted peacefully toward a royal.”
“I traveled in disguise. In fact, only yesterday did I reveal the precious cargo I had with me. The Rebel Army never knew of my true identity or the invaluable crown hidden in my satchel. They escorted me safely through Tenovia. On several occasions I watched them give liberally to the poor along the way, and once I witnessed them save a Tenovian village from a fire set by the Ring of Shadows.”
He made a snorting sound. “And here I thought their skills were limited to raping and pillaging.”
I cleared my throat and avoided looking at Taelon lest I start laughing. “I can assure you, General, I was neither a victim of raping nor pillaging.”
I had the great privilege of watching the General’s entire face turn the color of a ripe strawberry.
Taelon stepped in to rescue the conversation, “The princess is headed home, General. She wishes to return to Elysia and take her rightful place on the Seat of Power.”
“Of course she does,” the General agreed. “That seat belongs in the Allisand bloodline. Your uncle, pardon me for saying so, is a dangerous monarch.”
“How so?”
The General’s eyes shifted around the room. They didn’t seem capable of landing on one thing. I watched him look to the books, then to the map of the realm. Then to his shoes. Then to my shoes. “Forgive me for saying anything, Your Majesty. It is not my place to have an opinion.”
“Please speak,” I implored him. “I have been secluded for so long. I don’t know what to expect and the only information I’ve been able to acquire is gossip. Hearsay. Nothing more. I would love the opinion of someone with your authority and experience.”
