He glanced up, seeing the veiled form of the Sun Matron in the doorway. She was the dark shadow to Lady Merah’s gilded light, and at once his muscles tightened.
“Is that what you think? How arrogant.”
Arrogant? It was laughable. The druid had never been called thus. Hearing it from a mouth like hers was pure comedy.
“If it is pride you want, look no further than your son.”
Medhin’s eyes narrowed. “Pride is good in a king. Every Vaich is seeded with a healthy dose. But I see you still have not come to understand your place.”
“This is not my place.”
Medhin pressed her chin up and stared at him down the length of her long nose. “It is a king’s duty to mind the body of his people, and it is a Queen’s duty to mind the spirit. You will come to recognize your responsibility far exceeds your disdain. Whatever contempt you hold for we, you shall not hold forthem.”
He could not stop the bile from building in his throat. “I have committed my life to helping the people. I have seen their struggle and their suffering. Those who live on the fringes of yourgoldenkingdom do not delight in the warmth of these fires.”
She smirked. “So, he admits it at last. The druid thinks himself more worthy.”
“I do not place myself above anyone.”
“No?” She nodded towards the walls. “But you do not care for their comfort? Has it occurred to you that such a ceremony hasnothingto do withyou?”
He tensed.
“But of course you did not consider. A wedding ceremony for a bride is but a matter of moments. For a kingdom, it may last the night, into the morn, and long beyond. They will sing songs of your union for years to come. It is not for your plate—the pork or the mutton. It is not for your eyes—the green or the dun. It is for them who come to celebrate you. And you discard them asnonsense.”
He stayed quiet, because he knew he had been bested. He thought his restraints loosened, but now he realized new threads had been sewn about him, and their knots pulled tight.
“I think that is enough for today,” said Lady Merah with a consolatory tone. But the druid stared back at Medhin unflinchingly.
His wrists still burned where the chains had held him. He would not be lectured to by people whose arguments stood on violence.
“So this is your way of caring for them? Performance and petty displays?”
“Thatisthe way about things in this world,” said Medhin. “And soon you will learn what it means to hold power here. What it truly means to be Queen.”
They adjourned for lunch, Ruicá herding him through the covered walk to his room. They passed alongside the yard—not the normal path back, but the druid quickly understood why she had elected to take it.
There was a repetitiveclick clackingfrom out on the pitch. Some men gathered about the training ground, miming combat with wooden cudgels. And at the center was the Vaich, open skin glistening beneath the sky; the mark of the sun emblazoned on his chest.
The druid glowered. Sothisis what he had been busy with?
Ruicá’s attention fixed upon the king, her stride slowing as she went. The druid took her distraction as opportunity and went careening towards the men.
“Druid!” She scrambled. “You’re not allowed there!”
He ignored her, cutting a path across the yard. It stunk of sweat and fervor, and all manner of mess was scattered about. Men leaned against workhorses, drinking from their flasks. The druid disregarded their odd looks, stepping up to the wooden fence.
The Vaich seemed none the wiser, blocking a swinging blow from his opponent. There was a struggle—the other man trying desperately to force his way forwards, but the king thrust him back with a swift kick that sent him sprawling.
Someone whistled. “What a sight! Our Queen-to-be blesses us with his presence.”
The Vaich’s gilded gaze fell on him. For an instant, they watched each other, an unspoken knowing passing between.
“Come on then,” said the Vaich, hoisting his opponent to his feet. “Keep warm till I return.” The men laughed, but the Vaich’s impatiencewas plain on his face. He held his cudgel against his shoulder, sauntering over to the fence.
“What are you doing here?” The words low enough that only the druid could hear.
“I need to speak with you.”
