Andorae
Andorae stood at the window and watched her future husband. He was leisurely strolling through the palace gardens as if he didn't have a care in the world. Danghe'llan, son of Morvannon, was truly exceptionally well formed. That was not a surprise. His mother had been one of the greatest artists in all the Fae Kingdoms. A mistress of enchanting words with which she created only masterpieces. A pity Lord Morvannon got to have a say in it as well.
Danghe'llan stopped to speak to the knight whom King Lorind had sent to escort his niece to her new home. Moriddan the Mighty was a restless man, not made for the time of peace or life at court, she thought with some sympathy. For all his valour and skill at war, he was a simple, likeable man without the scheming mind one needed to survive in such a place. Whatever he felt, he couldn't hide. Even from here, she could see the desire on his face as he looked at the handsome man in front of him. Danghe'llan must have noticed as well, as he took a slight step back but continued to speak animatedly.
She couldn't hear what was said, but the knight's resounding laughter filled the courtyard. Young Morvannon suddenly looked up at her window with a most enchanting smile. It was as beautiful as it was artificial. She recognised it as the same smile she had practised for decades in the mirror. The standard courtier smile.
Caell'ian's smiles were not like that. He was as open and guileless as Moriddan. When he smiled at one, it seemed genuine. She would have preferred him as this life's companion. He would have been easy to manipulate. From all the information her spies had put together, Danghe'llan could prove more of a challenge, as he cared for nothing and no one else but himself. She would have to change that.
One of the newly hatched whisp whelps flew towards her and nestled its tiny head against her breasts. It was still small enough to flutter on its furry wings. In a few moons, it would grow too big to do that. The wings would turn into extra tails once its body became too heavy to fly. She smiled and gently petted it with one finger. It was a creature of the purest breed and most potent magic blood.
'I am so sorry, little one,' she whispered.
✽ ✽ ✽
Danghe'llan swirled the bloodred wine in his goblet with appreciation. 'What a unique scent. And here I thought I'd drunk my way through all the vintages of the Fae kingdoms.'
'It is made from the dark luméberries that grow only on the shore of the Lake of Enchantment in our kingdom. A highly prised yet rare vintage at my uncle's court,' she said and turned to summon the servants with more refreshments.
A whisp whelp flew in behind them and settled on Danghe'llan's shoulder. He smiled at it and didn't brush it aside.
'Thorna, please remove the whelp,' Andorae told the servant sternly.
'Please don't. I enjoy seeing such beautiful creatures. I have never seen purely white ones like those you keep,' Danghe'llan said and offered his empty goblet to the whelp to sniff at. It yelped and hid in the branches of the large silverleaf plant.
Andorae was displeased. Only a barbarian would drink such a fine vintage without savouring it. Well, the important part was that he drank it, she reassured herself and gestured for the girl to pour out more.
'I came to thank you for the present you sent. It is a most wonderful stone,' her betrothed continued, admiring the golden ring with a shimmering bloodstone on his finger.
'I am glad you like it. It is said that it promotes marital harmony. An old tradition in my family.'
Danghe'llan's emerald eyes sparkled in amusement. 'I am very respectful of family traditions. Maybe we can establish one together.'
'I would like that. I am eager to make this realm my new home and help bury old enmities. It warmed my heart to see you be so friendly with Moriddan. Not everyone was so kind when we arrived.'
He looked abashed, but his words were frank. 'I am very sorry about that incident at the city gate. It wasn't aimed at you. Lord Sillan is a highly recognisable figure, and there is no one our soldiers fear more. I don't want to overstep, but it was not wise to send him here.'
'I agree, but my mother insisted. He is her champion now, and she wouldn't trust anyone else with my safety. Did you face him in battle?'
'It would be more accurate to say that I accidentally found myself in his way once. He struck me down as if I were an annoying insect,' he admitted with an endearingly self-deprecating smile.
'I hope you weren't too badly injured.'
'It was mostly my pride that was injured. But I don't hold a grudge against him if that is what you fear. I would have liked to welcome him here as well, but Moriddan told me he already returned to Dorchad.'
'He regarded his duty as done once he delivered me here safely,' she said, not bothering to hide her distaste for her mother's lover.
He nodded in understanding and tactfully changed the topic. 'Is there anything you would like me to prepare for the wedding ceremony?'
'Do you think Caell'ian would agree to sing the blessings at the ceremony? I've rarely heard such a pure, beautiful voice.'
'Should I be worried that you are so impressed with my brother?' he teased, but there still seemed to be some hidden resentment in the question. She had to be more careful.
'A man like you never needs to worry about being outshone by others. Least of all your brother,' she replied, letting her shawl slide off her shoulders as if by accident. It gave him a better insight into her deep décolletage, as she leaned over for a moment to touch his hand. He glanced down, then back up at her face with undisguised lust glimmering in his eyes.
'Thorna, you can leave us now,' Andorae told the servant.
'But Your Highness, it is not proper....'
Andorae rose gracefully and turned around to glare at her. 'Do you think it is your place to offer advice on proper etiquette to a princess?'
The girl curtsied quickly and fled. Andorae schooled her features before she turned back to her fiancé. His goblet was empty, and his features had softened, taking on a dreamlike quality. Had she mixed the potion too strong? Her mother had warned her that careful dosage was of utmost importance.
'Just because we are pieces in a game of war and treaty, doesn't mean we cannot make the best out of it,' she said softly and cupped his cheek to distract him from reaching for the wine decanter again.
'Oh, I fully intend to,' he said with a sweet, tipsy smile.
'Can we be honest with each other?' she asked, leaning in closer.
He nodded, his eyes caught up in the display of her bodice again.
'Do you have a lover you care for deeply?'
'I am free of such entanglements,' he said and lifted her hand from his cheek to bring it to his lips. A gentle tongue flickered over the tender skin of her wrist, sending a surge of desire through her.
'So am I. I understand the ways of the world and will not hinder you in pursuit of your pleasures. All I ask for is discretion and honesty.'
'I will do as you ask, my princess.'
Yes, you will, she thought with satisfaction.
Andorae let her fingers flutter lightly over Danghe'llan's naked chest. 'The court gossips must be already wagging their tongues about how long you've been here.'
He just cuddled up to her. 'Let them gossip. It will be a three-chime scandal. We are almost married, after all.'
'That is still scandalous behaviour for a prince,' she teased.
'I am not a prince.'
'I will make you one soon,' she promised, tracing the lines of his handsome face.
For some reason, that seemed to displease him. His green eyes opened and blazed at her, so she stopped. He wasn't under her control yet. She had to be careful.
The displeasure disappeared as quickly as it had come, and he smiled. 'I need to go. I promised Moriddan to show him around the city.'
'Don't show him too much,' she teased as he jumped out of the bed.
When he opened the door to the reception room in search of his clothes, the whisp whelp flew in, chirping as if in a complaint that it had been shut out. It landed on Danghe'llan's head. Andorae burst into laughter as he looked up in indignation. The little beast seemed intent on making a nest of his hair.
'I am so sorry. That stupid girl must have forgotten to take it with her,' she said.
'That's all right. Is it the only one?' he asked, catching the whisp with a swift but gentle movement.
'There were about a dozen in the litter my whisps whelped when we arrived. Unfortunately, not all of them survive. The servants here are not careful enough in their care, and sometimes the whelps just fly against the window. Please be careful. They are so fragile. Only a few survive.'
'I wonder why,' he said dryly as the whelp tried to burrow into the pocket of his frock coat. 'Get out, you stupid thing, you'll suffocate.'
'Just give it to Thorna on your way out,' she suggested and then laughed again as he continued to argue with the tiny creature. There were worse fates than being married to this beautiful scatterbrain with such talents in bed.
✽ ✽ ✽
Once he was gone, she made herself get up even though every muscle in her body was so relaxed that her legs felt wobbly. She ordered Thorna to call for her carriage. Queen Mab's palace was full of spies, but the coachman was her servant, under a geas to her mother, like all the Low Fae retinue she had brought from home.
'Where shall I take you, your Highness?'
'It doesn't matter. I want some solitude. Whatever place you know here that is peaceful.'
He brought her to a grove where she ordered him to leave her alone. The coachman hesitated and gave her another one of those irritating looks of sympathy. There was nothing she hated more than people pitying her, especially when it was some lowly servant. He probably thought she wanted to be alone to cry. Still, he didn't dare ask questions and just bowed.
Finally alone, she spoke an incantation, let some of her blood drop onto the shiny surface of the obsidian mirror and waited. It felt like a long time until the mists finally cleared and her father's face appeared.
'Andorae, my darling. Is something wrong?'
'No, Father. Everything is going according to plan. I need to report to Mother.'
'I don't like this. Please be careful,' he muttered unhappily.
His friendly, worried face was quickly replaced by that of her mother.
'Finally. Took you long enough.'
'I've only been here for a few days.'
'As I said – long enough.'
'But I had no opportunity to be alone with him before.'
Her mother's flawless brow furrowed in displeasure. 'One doesn't wait for an opportunity, Andorae, one makes them. You need to hurry up. Three doses should be enough even for a most hard-hearted soul, let alone some guileless knight made by a poet.'
Andorae hesitated, fearing to provoke even more displeasure. Yet at least here she could offer another target for her mother's wrath.
'Didn't Lady Rhae tell you?'
'The bitch wouldn't tell me the time of day if I weren't the king's sister.'
'I am to be married to Danghe'llan, the other son of Lord Morvannon. The Queen's Council disregarded my suggestions and decided in his favour. Lady Rhae said it's because he will be his father's heir and is therefore of higher status.'
'It doesn't matter. The Morvannon line are the Keepers of the Veil. Either one of them will do,' her mother said dismissively.
'Is Sillan already there?' Andorae asked, hoping against hope that her mother's lover had dropped dead trying to cross the Veil.
'Everything went according to plan. You have about a month.'
Andorae swallowed nervously. 'Mother, what if they find out? We cannot afford a new war so soon.'
'The Solae cannot afford another war for a century or two either. Their resources are just as depleted as ours. But you must hurry up. Lorind is becoming more suspicious every day. If he finds out what we plan, I'll be returned to the Source and you will be sent as a bride to the goblins.'
Andorae shuddered, but then straightened her shoulders and said with determination, 'I will not let that happen. You will be Queen, Mother. I'll make sure of that.'