“Contentious? Aye, we are, but we’re also conscientious. Once, my crew and I sailed the very edge of the Stormhold Sea where it kisses the green waters of a new, eastern ocean. One that is rumored to take a ship to lands where striped cats the size of horses prowl, where the fish sing and speak, and where the elves are gifted with flight.” All three of those gathered around me had eyes as round as royal dinner platters. “Would you like to hear a story about that trip and the sea creature that greeted us where the oceans converge?”
They all nodded. And so I told them one of many stories about our time asea beyond the maps of Melowynn. A clock above us chimed softly as I ended the tale. The twins were both asleep, the prince in the arms of Prescott, and the princess with her head on my knee.
“We should take them to their quarters,” I whispered to Prescott. We rose, leaving our books behind for the old elf to tidy up. Carrying the twins, we exited the library, our guards snapping awake and jumping to their boots from the floor upon seeing us with the children. “They found us reading and then fell asleep. Please guide us to the nursery.”
They hurried to do so, worry deep on their faces. I’d not disabuse them of that worry. Let them think the twins had snuck by them as they snoozed in the hallway. We climbed stairs andmade our way down a long corridor as the first touches of dawn tried to lighten the menacing sky. An odd, eerie greenish-yellow tinted the turbulent clouds. That coloration set my sailor’s nerves on edge. The low clouds hovering over Celear could grow even uglier. I’d seen many a waterspout form on churning seas. I had no wish to see one on land.
We arrived at the nursery at the same time as the royal ward guardian, toting a thimble-sized cup of something that smelled like hot tea with peppermint. Her black eyes flared.
“Before you draw your war picks, we can explain,” I said firmly while Prescott slid behind me to try to hide. Rather like hiding a whale behind a porpoise. “They found us in the library in the middle of the night.”
“What?” Tezen gasped, spilling some of her tea and cussing softly about it. “They’re not able to roam about the castle in the middle of the—”
“They’re using the servant’s corridors. You may wish to pass that along to the king and queen, as well as the castellan, and have locks placed on the doors that only the servants have keys to.”
She chewed on her lip for a long, long moment. “They are making me gray-haired before my time. I shall let the queen know this morning. Thank you for…taking care of them.” Her gaze flew to the large male cowering behind me with a princeling in his arms. “Thank you as well. For not eating them.”
“Eat cookie, no babies,” Prescott mumbled.
“Yes, yes, so I see. Fine, let’s get them tucked in before the nanny finds their beds empty and suffers an apoplexy of the bowels.” Tezen zipped ahead of us, opening the door to the royal nursery to allow us entry.
The room was huge, filled with child-sized tables, chairs, chaises, and two canopy beds. Toys and books were neatly stacked into boxes and cupboards. The windows were tightlysealed, the thick drapes drawn against the gale. Wardrobes stood at the ready, overflowing with regal outfits for the twins. Behind one of the stately armoires, I took note of a large area of new stone, the brightness of it was evident even in the low light of the nursery.
After the twins were in their beds sleeping peacefully, Tezen escorted us back into the corridor. Our guards were still there, silent, looking like two dogs found raiding the larder.
“So, I uhm…I appreciate your taking care of the twins in my absence.”
“Bug not mad?” Prescott asked as he dallied about behind me.
“No, I…no, I’m not mad. I’m not a bug. I’m a pixie.” She shot him a dark look before wiping it away with a small hand. “Sorry, it’s hard being judged as something that you’re not.”
“Aye, we know.” That got a long sigh from Tezen.
“Right, your point is well made. I’ll be sure to tell the queen that you and your friend took good care of the children and should be allowed to visit them, supervised by me, of course, whenever there’s time. If she so wishes to hear me out.”
“I suspect there are few in this keep who don’t hear you out, whether they wish to or not.”
She flashed a grin full of pointed teeth. I held out a finger. She grabbed it, shook it so hard my eyes rattled, and flitted back into the nursery. I glanced at Prescott, then yawned so deeply my jaw cracked.
“Let’s find our beds as well, shall we?” I said to Prescott, who nodded as he held his new bird book to his chest. If the keeper of the books wished to fight him over one child’s book, he was free to do so.
Perhaps turning in at dawn would chase the nightmares away.
IT DID NOT.
After another horror-filled sleep that was far too short, I found myself staring at four newly sewn outfits laid precisely across my bed. They were magnificent. Differing shades of deep jewel tones of emerald, sapphire, deep mustard, and pure white. The tunics shimmered in the firelight. Belted at the waist with a wide sash, the breeches were form-fitting brocade. A lined ebony half cape went with each outfit and gold brooches with inlaid gold swans for House Stillcloud would hold the cloaks in place. Fine leather boots to the knee with delicate stitching to add more sophistication to an already exquisitely ornate outfit.
I had never felt so out of place in my entire life. Trying on the breeches after a hot bath, I found them to be like a second skin, tight yet giving in certain regions that required room. I’d sent all the servants off. I’d no need of a valet, a barber, or a woman to brush out my hair and then settle a small silver circlet to my head.
Next, someone would rattle my door to see if I required someone to hold my prick as I pissed. Life in Avolire was so exasperatingly stuffy that it became humorous. A sharp knock on the door was barely heard over the roar of wind and sea outside. The storm had intensified somehow, ripping at Avolire and the coast like a monster of the depths. Lying awake as I had tried to find a moment’s rest, I heard the howls as the winds torearound the castle. I had no clue how the poor elves along the coast were faring. Or my ship, for that matter. Being tied to the dock was highly dangerous for any vessel. It would have been much better for her to be taken out of the water for the duration, but alas, my ship was low on the shipwright’s list. Perhaps I should make a trip to the docks to slap him in the face with my new lordly power.
Another knock at the door startled me. Damn the lack of sleep. I padded over to open it. Le’ral stood in the corridor, dressed in soft blue and gold that made the small flecks of goldenrod in his brown eyes stand out. His eyes moved over me, lingering on my bare chest for so long I felt a stirring in my breeches.
“Good morn,” he said, tossing a look at the guards outside my door before returning his attention to me. “His Majesty requested I visit before morning prayers to assist you with any questions or wardrobe situations.”
“Does my brother think I don’t know how to pull breeches up over my arse and tie them?” I asked of no one, then stepped back to let him in. The soft smell of his soap tickled my nose as he entered, his gold capelet fluttering. I closed the door in the face of another nameless guard. The castle had no shortage of men and women sentries.
“Your brother is nervous. He wishes for all to go well,” Le’ral answered, making his way to the bed to run an eye over the new arrivals. “These are exquisite. The royal tailor is a wonder.”
