Winterbourne's Daughter Page 14

  "A wise decision," Grisha said, patting her hand. "Someone like you doesn't belong in such squalor."

  She half-turned to Grisha, anger flaring in her eyes for an instant before she returned her attention to the window. Gennadi ducked his head to hide a smile.

  *~*~*

  "Before we arrive," Grisha said quietly, "I would ask a favor of you."

  His voice sounded different, not smirking or oily but genuinely nervous, and Emeline gave him a curious look. "What?"

  "When I moved to Winterbourne, I gave myself a name more appropriate for my new home," he said. "When I was born, my mother gave me the name Ashoka. I do not expect you to address me as such, but if someone calls me that, do endeavor not to look surprised?"

  Did his family not know he had taken a new name? Emeline wondered. Had he stayed in contact with the people he had known at all?

  The idea of Grisha having friends, having family, was so alien a thought for her that she didn't say anything in response to his request, simply nodded absently.

  Then the armorharts trotted away from the tree line, revealing a giant expanse of blue sky and, in the distance, water that stretched as far as Emeline could see. She had barely managed to take that in when her attention was caught by a lovely castle sitting on an enormous cliff overlooking the ocean. In the distance was another tall building, standing out on a small piece of land jutting out into the water, a bright fire burning at the top of its singular tower.

  Nestled all around the castle, spreading out practically to the edge of Vedrana's Forest, were small houses. She was surprised and pleased to see no wall around the castle, though the lack of wall between the citizens of this land and the forest behind them was a little unnerving.

  They made their way up the winding road to the castle, and Emeline didn't even wait for Gennadi or Grisha or the coachman to open the carriage door for her, so eager was she to look at the building up close.

  It seemed to be made entirely of packed sand―surely an illusion; how would such a thing stay in one piece?―and hundreds of beautifully-colored seashells were embedded in it. Emeline reached out and gingerly touched one of the seashells, surprised with how sturdy the building was for something that looked so delicate.

  "It is lovely, isn't it?" a woman asked, smiling at Emeline when she quickly turned. "There are still days when I wake up here and think I must be dreaming." She held up a hand, palm out. "I'm Queen Damayanti."

  Doing as Grisha had instructed on the ride here, Emeline pressed her palm to the other woman's. "And I am Emeline, Royal Mistress of Winterbourne. I'm very pleased to meet you."

  "And your companions?" Damayanti asked, looking to Gennadi curiously. "King Nazar mentioned that he would be sending Ashoka with you, but he said nothing about anyone else."

  "My name is Gennadi," he said, raising his hand for her. "I'm the Royal Huntsman."

  "Is our queendom so dangerous?" Damayanti asked, her lips quirking up.

  "Our king is very cautious," Gennadi said, smiling back. "The truth is, I might have argued the assignment, but then I would have missed seeing all this."

  Damayanti moved beside Emeline, escorting her into the castle. "I see your Huntsman is a charmer."

  "I suppose so. I do not know him well," Emeline said.

  "And Ashoka?"

  "We have had our discussions," Emeline said, trying to keep her tone neutral.

  A young woman in a plain gray dress scurried down the hall toward them, smiling at the sight of the queen. "The visitors' belongings are being taken up to their rooms." She turned to Emeline and the others and curtsied. "We'll be ready to show you upstairs whenever you'd like."

  "Thank you, Rachna," the queen said.

  Emeline blinked in surprise. She hadn't even considered the notion that servants might not be required to avoid meeting the royals' gaze here. Glancing to the side, she saw that Grisha looked like he'd just bitten into a raw meshoseed and felt her own smile grow. "Yes, thank you."

  Rachna continued on her way, and Queen Damayanti led them to a room with a high-arched ceiling and thousands of pearls embedded in the window frames.

  Four people sat at the long table in the middle of the room, all of them elegantly dressed. The women's similar features marked them as sisters. The eldest sat next to a man, holding his hand. The youngest stared out the window, clearly trying not to fidget. The middle one sprang to her feet as they entered, her dark braid bouncing behind her as she crossed the room.

  "Hello," she said, shoving her hand out in front of her, grinning. "I'm Jyotsana! It's so wonderful to finally meet you; I've been looking forward to this for seasons. Well, not getting married, exactly, and I know that's what you're here to try and convince me to do, but I've only met Alexei once and―"

  "Breathe, Jyotsana," her mother said gently.

  Emeline smiled at the younger woman and pressed their palms together. "Very pleased to meet you, Jyotsana. I'm Emeline. And don't worry, I'll explain everything about what your marriage would require and answer your questions, but if you decide not to―"

  "I think what the Royal Mistress means to say," Grisha cut in, "is that we're sure we can come to an agreement that will benefit both our realms."

  "Precisely," Emeline said. "As always, you get to the heart of the matter."

  "This is my daughter Asra and her husband," Queen Damayanti said. "My eldest is married and lives across the sea in Inta. She visits whenever she can, but unfortunately she could not make it now. And this is my youngest, Malaika," she said, beaming with pride as she ushered the young girl forward. "Malaika will remain unmarried if she so chooses and will take the throne when it is time. Come now, we'll show you around the castle and then you'll be shown to your rooms to change before dinner. I trust the journey was without problems?"

  "Yes," Emeline said. "But I must ask, Your Majesty―how is it that there are no barricades between you and Vedrana's Forest? Don't you fear the creatures within?"

  "Not for almost a hundred years now," Queen Damayanti said. "That was when some of our most powerful sorcerers mastered protection spells, and they're now utilized all along the border. Nothing gets through unless we wish it to."

  Emeline blinked as Gennadi gave a low whistle.

  "That's impressive," Gennadi said, looking at the portraits on the wall in the Hall of Queens. "Our kingdom still has to use people like me."

  Queen Damayanti smiled. "I'm sure you're more than adequate at your job."

  "I prefer the term 'fantastic' myself."

  Emeline smiled as the two of them bantered, but she privately wondered if the queen would be so amicable if she knew how Gennadi had been looking at both Vasya and Lisette not so long ago. It was known that everyone was born with a love of men and women―well, almost everyone, she thought sadly―but in Village-by-the-Sea, choosing one or the other to settle down with was seen as a necessary step to maturity. The only reason Queen-consort Thekla had traveled to Winterbourne to marry was that her suitors were two men... her marrying two instead of one was seen as a little odd, but if Thibault and Nazar had been a man and a woman, she likely would have been forbidden to make the journey.

  Then Queen Damayanti spoke again, and the flirtatious smile and any kindness in her expression was gone. "Now, if you please―even if my daughter should agree to go, why should I allow it? Considering what happened to the last young woman we sent to your realm?"

  "Queen-consort Thekla was―"

  "Tahira!" Queen Damayanti exclaimed. "At least use her proper name while you're here." When Emeline glanced away uncomfortably, the queen took a step closer. "Did you not know it? Did they erase that much of her?"

  "My deepest apologies," Emeline said, kneeling. "She was always referred to as Thekla in my presence; I am not the most well-learned in history and―"

  "Then why were you sent?"

  "Your Majesty," Grisha said. "If you like, I am more than qualified to―"

  The queen shook her head. "No. To your feet, Emeline, and my a
pologies for speaking so harshly. What has been done was not your doing. However," she continued, her voice growing steely again, "I would have assurance from all of you as well as your king that my daughter will be safe in your lands. Because if she is not, we will declare war."

  "Mother―"

  "Hush, Jyotsana," she said, not taking her eyes off the three of them.

  "Understood, Your Majesty," Emeline said.

  "If she marries in Winterbourne, I'll protect her just as I would any of the royals," Gennadi promised.

  "And your word, Ashoka?"

  "I hesitate to make any such vow," Grisha said. "Because accidents do―"

  "Do not speak to me of accidents when my cousin was murdered."

  "King Thibault wanted to invade this land," Emeline said. "Nazar and Thek―and Tahira were against his plan and could think of no other way to stop it. Tahira was supposed to survive the coup."

  "Really?" Queen Damayanti said. "I know that story. But it always seemed to me that a greedy, cruel man couldn't stand not being the only one in power."

  Grisha opened his mouth, and Gennadi gave him a sharp prod in the side. Argument right now would help no one.

  "I vow she will be safe," Grisha said tightly.

  "Good," Queen Damayanti said, and the smile came back, even if it didn't quite reach her eyes anymore. "In that case, we'll continue the tour." She opened a delicately curved set of doors to a circular room that looked out over the ocean. An ornately carved bench covered with embroidered pillows sat underneath the enormous window, and Emeline couldn't resist sitting down and staring at the expanse of water. When she'd lived in the village, there had been wide swaths of grass, and she had a spectacular view of the castle grounds and nearby villages from the top turrets in her castle, but there was something wholly unique and calming about the sight of the water.

  She didn't realize that Jyotsana was speaking to her until the other woman laid a hand on her shoulder. "Oh! Sorry," she said, quickly getting to her feet.

  "It's quite all right," Jyotsana said. "It is mesmerizing, isn't it? I love it here."

  She looked a little sad, and Emeline wondered how it would feel to have something this beautiful and powerful close to you your whole life and then to have it taken away. If she married and moved to Winterbourne, she would be able to visit, of course, but it wouldn't be the same.

  *~*~*

  She should have said something.

  Lisette lay awake on her pallet, her fists clenched. Emeline and Gennadi had left this morning for Village-by-the-Sea, and though she'd intended to try and catch Emeline alone last night before they'd left, the pearl hadn't been set in the door.

  Emeline was probably through waiting, she thought miserably. After all, Emeline had waited two weeks for Lisette to come to her senses. Even Gennadi had tried to convince her to make peace.

  She'd never seen the poor man look so awkward. But he had come to her anyway and told her that Vasya could tell something was deeply wrong with Emeline.

  "Normally after he spends time with her he's more relaxed," Gennadi had said. "This past week he's been quieter than ever. I didn't think that was possible."

  "And I suppose that's my fault?" she'd grumbled.

  "That's not what I'm―look, maybe talk to her? She's―"

  "She chose to go to her mother instead of letting me know what she'd found out!"

  "Yes, and she did her damnedest to fix that mistake!" he'd said, raising his voice right back.

  "...what do you mean?"

  "Emeline was the one who tried to get sier out," Gennadi said softly.

  "What?"

  "Roz told me. Before sie... before the deathfight. Sie told me to tell you that... that sie loves you. And told me to thank Emeline, for trying to help. Talk to her," Gennadi insisted.

  And she should have just said, "All right", should have just nodded. But the news of what Emeline had tried to do floored her. Why hadn't she asked for Lisette's help? She had been right there in the library. Heading to the Silence alone had been intensely dangerous. If she had been caught...

  That fear and latent panic swirled together with the fury she couldn't seem to get past, and she'd snapped, "But if she just hadn't gone to Sidionie... she knows what she's like! We could have gotten Roz out!"

  And Gennadi shook his head sadly and left her to her anger.

  Goddesses, if Emeline hated her now...

  She hadn't even headed out to the front of the castle to wave goodbye.

  Lisette closed her eyes, ashamed of herself. She never should've let it go on this long, and she especially shouldn't have let Emeline get so far away without letting her know first that she wasn't truly mad at her. She'd just been so frustrated and heartbroken, and she had taken it out on Emeline because she hadn't been able to take it out on the person who truly deserved it.

  She wouldn't do that again. Couldn't.

  Ten days, she thought. In ten days' time, Emeline would come home, and Lisette would be waiting. She'd beg forgiveness if she had to, but she would set this right.

  *~*~*

  "Ashoka!"

  Grisha grinned at the sight of her. "Hello, mother."

  Gennadi looked up from his food as a tiny, wizened woman with mirthful dark eyes scurried up to the head of the long dining room table, curtsying quickly to the queen. "Deepest apologies for being late; one of my cats got out when I opened the door and I had an awful time of it trying to catch her."

  "It's quite all right, Uzma," Queen Damayanti said, smiling. Uzma turned to Grisha and pulled him into a hug. Still smiling, he patted her gently on the back.

  "Look at you," she said, pulling back. "Streak of gray right here, just like me."

  He nodded. "It showed up almost two years ago now."

  "Are these your friends?" Uzma asked, looking curiously across the table at Gennadi before peering over Grisha's shoulder to inspect Emeline.

  "Yes," he said. "Mother, this is the Royal Mistress Emeline, and this is Gennadi. He's our Royal Huntsman. This is my mother, Uzma," he said, taking her hand gently. Her skin was so papery and pale that Gennadi wouldn't have been surprised to see the bones underneath.

  "So very pleased to meet you," Uzma said. "Emeline, my son has spoken very highly of you in his letters." She glanced over at Gennadi, looking worried that he might feel left out. "And Gennadi, I'm sure he'll speak just as highly of you now that he's gotten a chance to interact with you," she said reassuringly before patting her son on the shoulder. "You really do need to write more often, dear. I know that King's Advisor is quite a lofty position, but it has to give you enough time to send me a letter more than once a month."

  Gennadi raised his eyebrows at the words "King's Advisor", and Grisha shot him and Emeline a pleading look in turn. "You're quite right, mother. I'll endeavor to fix that."

  "Good boy," Uzma said. "But then, you've always been a good boy. Queen Damayanti, have they heard about your predecessor? Tell them what my son did."

  "My mother, Queen Zahrah, was a far harsher sort than I am," Queen Damayanti said. "She killed dissidents. She wanted to torture others. Ashoka's uncle, who was of a like mind, held the job of following the queen's will in this matter until the day he died. Queen Zahrah looked to Ashoka to take his place. And―"

  "And he left instead!" Uzma crowed, beaming with pride. "He volunteered to accompany Tahira to Winterbourne. My brother was a brute and my husband wasn't much better, but my boy grew up right."

  The pleading look Grisha had given him now turned panicky, but he needn't have worried. As much as Gennadi loathed the man, he would never break Uzma's heart by dispelling her illusion of what type of person her child had grown into. He had left, Gennadi realized, not because he didn't want to torture and maim, but because he wanted to do it somewhere she would never find out.

  Across the table, Emeline spoke, her voice forcefully chipper. "Yes, he did. We're quite lucky to have him."

  "Thank you, dear," Uzma said. "It's hard not having him by my side
, especially these days when I can't do some of the things I used to, but knowing he's needed elsewhere helps. Sweetheart, I'm going to go sit down," she told Grisha. "I'll talk to you after the meal? We have so much to catch up on."

  "Of course."

  "Seems like a sweet lady," Gennadi said after Uzma had walked back down toward her seat at the middle of the table.

  "She is," Grisha said quietly.

  "Uzma has always been wonderful," Queen Damayanti agreed as a server made his way toward their end of the table. "We keep trying to convince her to move into the castle proper, but she'll hear none of it." Then Malaika patted her sleeve, and she turned her attention to Malaika.

  "What are those?" Emeline asked the server, peering at a row of small glasses filled with bright pink liquid.

  "They're called Rose Puffs. Would you like to try one?"

  "Yes, please," she said, smiling up at the young man, and Gennadi watched her from across the table. It was probably the first time in years she'd sat down for a meal with other people; normally she ate after the royals and loyalists and before the servants and other workers. She chatted with everyone at the table, trying a little of almost every type of food that passed her way, and Gennadi realized he'd never seen her look so happy. Granted, he hadn't spent a great deal of time around her but on carriage rides through the villages he accompanied Emeline and the king, and he'd seen her at various celebrations or deathfights. She always looked solemn or uncomfortable or both. Now she was beaming, happy and relaxed, and Gennadi wished she could look like that all the time.

  "So have you ever ventured into Vedrana's Forest in search of a creature, or do you just deal with them once they bother the citizenry?" Queen Damayanti asked him.

  "I used to go into the forest often when I was a boy," Gennadi said. "There were medicines there that we were in need of. But now I know more about the things in there, and I'm a lot more cautious."

  "Have you ever seen a silver-striped leopard?" Jyotsana asked. "I would dearly love to encounter one. In a safe environment, of course," she said, catching the look her mother and older sister gave her.