Rhun was silent for a moment. Long enough that Gemma was worried, but Cenydd seemed to be unfazed by Rhun’s behaviour. He lowered his hand and turned his attention to Rhun.
“I will ensure Caelin is raised so he may one day assume his birthright.”
Rhun grunted, then his eyes narrowed. “And just what do you see Caelin’s future status as being, Cenydd? King?”
Gemma gasped, but Cenydd feigned confusion. “Certainly not. Prince Eochaid will be our next king. Marcant has failed to placeCaelin on the throne before. And he is no ally of mine. Can you think of a safer pair of hands to place the care of Lord Caelin into than mine? Marcant murdered my uncle. The only thing I seek from him is revenge.”
“And I have forbidden it.”
Cenydd sighed, but nodded. “And I will abide by your command. I can keep your sister and nephew safe at Car Cadell. They will pose no threat to you from other ambitious nobles if they are with me.”
Rhun looked at her, his lip curling. “My sister is dead to me.” He stepped past Gemma, then stopped when he drew level with Cenydd. “I will not blame you if you choose to delay your wedding to ensure it’s not a Norse bastard who inherits your lands. But even the Norse scum didn’t want her. He was happy to take the bag of gold in return for her. He seems to have got a fine bargain—getting paid to bed a princess.”
Gemma choked back a sob.
“This is of no concern to me. I will marry her and raise her son at Car Cadell. The Ir Ysgyn lands are easily reached by boat from Lyffnach.”
Rhun stared at him for a long moment, then smiled, but the smile was cruel and Gemma held her breath, waiting for whatever was coming next. “No. The boy will remain here. You will not have him. He will return to his own lands with Lord Fergus, as is right and proper.”
“No!” Gemma thrust her arms down at her sides, fists clenched. How dare he? “You will not keep my son.”
“Caelin’s first duty is to be his father’s son. Lord Fergus has proved to be a loyal steward on his behalf. And it is better that your son is not exposed to your treasonous behaviour, consorting with our enemies.”
“Our allies!” she yelled, taking a step towards Rhun.
Cenydd pulled her back and she stumbled against him, catching sight of Anwyl backing down the passageway towards the room she had stayed in last night, and she could only pray he was going to help her.
“They are our allies, King Rhun,” Cenydd began, but the king cut him off with a slice of his hand through the air.
“They are foreigners, and this alliance will lose me this kingdom,” Rhun said. “It is time to move forward. Find strong allies among the Britons, rebuild our power and that of those who belong on this island.”
Cenydd’s eyes narrowed as he regarded Rhun. “Those who belong on this island? And who is that? Are you planning an alliance with—”
“It is none of your concern, but the Norsemen must go. And if she will not go with them, then you are welcome to her.” He shifted his attention to Gemma. “Leave with Cenydd or you will be imprisoned.”
“I will not leave without my son,” Gemma cried out, but Rhun was walking away as if the discussion was over and there was no further need for him to acknowledge either her or Cenydd.
Cenydd held onto her. She struggled but wasn’t able to break free. “Don’t.”
She twisted her head to glare at him. “But I’m his sister. He wouldn’t—”
“He said you were no longer his sister, Gemma. Please, I don’t want to see you die.”
“Because you are so in love with me?” She looked into his eyes. The young man she had known was gone. In his face was a determination she had never seen before and yet, somehow, she still trusted him. More than anyone else here at least and it seemed like she had very few options available to her at any rate.
“No, I don’t love you. But I do need heirs. And you are not the worst choice.”
Was that all it was? Or had ruthless ambition corrupted Cenydd as well? “Because you think your own sons might then stand a chance of being king one day?” she snapped.
Cenydd didn’t answer, but he did let go of her. “We are leaving.”
“I’m not leaving without my son.”
“Is he worth your own life?” Cenydd asked.
She blinked. How could he ask her such a thing? But then, he had no wife, no child of his own, so he was hardly to blame for not understanding. “Yes,” she whispered, pleading with her eyes for him to understand.
“Please, just trust me. I had you rescued from Alt Clut. I could have forced you to stay with me, to marry me then if that was all I wanted. But I didn’t, and now you have no choice but to trust me, and we must leave. The rest we can fix later.”
