“I am sorry, my son.” Sloane reached up, yanked off his crown, and dropped it onto the throne where it made a thump as heavy as Imogen’s heart. “It is done.”
12
Reyna
Reyna had spent time at court before. She had grown up a princess after all. However, she had never experienced it quite like this. The day began at first light. Here, much further south than Falias, the sun sneaked into the sky hours earlier than she was accustomed. Ula, her lady’s maid bustled into her bedchamber without knocking and threw open the curtains to reveal a sodden, grey sky.
Frowning, Reyna pushed up from the lush sheets and felt the cool bite of the wind. Wingallock hooted from where he perched on a wooden bedpost above her. He would have spent the night hunting, returning through the open window just before dawn.
“Good morning, milady,” Ula said, standing primly with her grey hair pulled back into a high bun. Her matching eyes were as distant and hollow as they had been the day before. “We must get you bathed and dressed.”
“Dressed for what?” Reyna asked.
“For court, of course,” Ula chirped. “You have much on your program. There is the daily morning mass to attend in the Adhradh, followed by your official introduction to the court in the Great Hall. After that, you may find some free time to visit the gardens, though I imagine there are many who wish to meet the prince’s betrothed.”
Reyna sighed. The entire thing sounded absolutely exhausting. Introductions at court meant hours of polite conversation—which meantboringconversation—particularly in the company of fae who could rarely say much of consequence. The inability to lie and the fear of offending the High King and Queen resulted in dreary, uninteresting babble.
But Reyna did not have a choice. It would not be appropriate for the prince’s new betrothed to bow out of her official introduction to the court. Reyna had made the choice to come here, and she had to embrace her new role, including all it entailed. Besides, she needed to begin her scheme in earnest, which meant building relationships and finding allies.
When she finally took the throne, she needed to be certain she would have some measure of support. Otherwise, another power-hungry fae would make a claim.
After Reyna swung her legs over the side of the bed, Ula led her into the boudoir where her bath awaited her. She stepped inside the small thin strip of a room where the far end held another set of arched windows overlooking the bay.Now, with the sun climbing into the sky, Reyna could see the glistening blue sea stretching toward the horizon.
Reyna came to a stop beside the bathtub, a circular wooden bucket just large enough for her to fully immerse herself. Steam curled from the water, and the scent of sweet green herbs and rowan blossoms filled the air. There were several bronze ewers scattered around it, along with a couple of sponges, and three small wooden stools.
She pointed at the stools. “Who are those for?”
“Me, milady, and two other maidservants. They will enter as soon as you are undressed and in the tub.”
“I prefer to bathe in private,” Reyna said.
“In private, milady?” Ula asked with a frown.
“I do not need assistance in this,” she said.
“Very well, milady,” she murmured before scurrying out of the room. She pulled the door behind her but left it open a crack. Reyna could not help but feel bad for the female. She knew she was a difficult noble to serve, but she hated the preening and prodding that went along with a royal bath.
After shrugging off her sleeping garments, Reyna slipped into the water. It almost scalded her skin, and she had to grit her teeth to refrain from shrieking. Had theyboiledthe water before bringing it to her chambers? What in the name of the Dagda had driven them to that? Reyna had only ever taken cool baths with waters gathered from melted snow.
Shaking her head at the overwhelming heat, she grabbed a sponge and got to work, scrubbing her face and arms. It had been a long journey, and she’d taken a dip into the sea only once. The brine still clung to her skin, along with days worth of dirt. After she scrubbed herself clean, she took a moment to close her eyes and steel herself for the day ahead.
The door creaked open. Reyna frowned, eyes still closed. “I really do prefer to bathe in private, Ula.”
“So that you can sneak in a few more moments of sleep, it appears,” a deep voice replied, one that definitely did not belong to Ula.
Reyna’s eyes flew wide and she twisted toward the door, and bath water sprayed over the edges of the tub. Lorcan stood tall just inside the boudoir, clad in a fresh set of leather armor that fit him so well that it should have been a sin. His dark hair had been pulled away from his face, highlighting the sharp tips of his ears and that jaw that cut like a knife.
Flushing, Reyna dipped lower in the tub, all too aware that the water was clear enough for him to see every single inch of her. “What are you doing in here? You can’t just charge into a princess’s chambers when she’s taking a bath!”
A dangerous smile curved his lips. “Apologies. You were once a Shieldmaiden, so I did not take you for the modest type.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You thought I enjoyed prancing around naked just because I learned how to wield a sword?”
“That is not what I said.” His gaze dropped for just a moment, almost too quickly for Reyna to see, but it was enough for her entire body to feel engulfed by flames. This damn scalding water… “Regardless, I hardly call your bathing the same as prancing around naked.”
“You can see everything,” she said, eyes still narrowed.
“Indeed, I can.”
