The Kingmaker Complete Trilogy (The Kingmaker Trilogy #1-3) Page 7

  Anyway, I have kept my promise thus far. I haven’t told Cook – she would spread it around like she spreads butter on toast. I haven’t told any of the little maids, who cannot keep their mouths shut for two minutes. The rubbish some of them talk. And I haven’t told my new friend either. You know I can keep a secret. Well you know – mostly I can.

  I’m not happy about it though. I have to say it’s right hard work and it’s too bad of Everleigh to put such ideas in my head and then tell me to be quiet.

  7

  EVERLEIGH HAD A STRANGE day the day that she made the river rise.

  She had been told that she would live. Something she had known as sure as she knew her own name would never happen. She had always known that she would die at seventeen as every Kingmaker had before her.

  She had cried when it had first dawned on her what her parent’s talk of special roles and early death really meant and usually on her birthday she would cry as the countdown to her death seemed to speed ever closer. But as little as she liked it or would choose it for herself if she even had a choice; she had known it and accepted it and there was no choice.

  She couldn’t fight being the Kingmaker. The same as she couldn’t fight who her parents were, her mother’s death, her sister’s curse.

  Life was how life was, and anyone in any situation had to accept their life or go crazy. Her mother, she knew, had gone crazy. Everleigh, however, had accepted her life and her fate as her truth. A truth that would never change.

  And yet now she had been told that her truth had changed. She would not die at seventeen. She would live. She would rule. It was such a leap, that Everleigh couldn’t help but think it had been a dream. She knew it hadn’t been, but it didn’t seem right.

  How could she tell her father, the King, and her brothers that she would rule the Realm now?

  It was inconceivable.

  Did Halfreda saying something make it true?

  And yet she had made the river rise.

  But what did that prove?

  Would her father, her brothers, her father’s counsel, the Realm, roll over and let her rule just because she said she should?

  Did they even know of this prophecy? Did you have to do what a prophecy said, or could you ignore it? Could they just kill her anyway?

  There were too many questions.

  She had taken all her meals in her chamber yesterday except for supper and refused to see Macsen or Millard when they visited. She knew they wouldn’t have the time or the inclination to worry about her during supper; they would be too busy enjoying themselves and making entertainment for the King with the other King’s men, but alone in her room they would have noticed something was wrong.

  She had tried to go to her mother’s grave, which always helped her feel better, and instead almost got killed by Archer throwing daggers around.

  Archer.

  She had never been on her own with a man that wasn’t her father or one of her brothers or Will her whole life long. Princesses were always chaperoned. Even though she would never marry, Everleigh was still a princess with a spotless reputation. She was allowed many freedoms around the castle, but she was never in the company of men alone.

  And Archer was a stranger.

  And he had been half naked.

  And sweaty.

  Everleigh frowns. She can’t think about him now no matter how much she wants to. To linger on the memory of his eyes, his body, the masculine scent of him when he pulled her close. She needs to think about herself.

  She goes out into the corridor and smiles at one of the little maids. “Can you fetch Lanorie for me, please?”

  The little maid nods, curtsies and backs away until she turns the corner. No one can turn their back on a royal person, out of respect, but it makes Everleigh giggle every time.

  She needs to get dressed and have some fresh air. She cannot sit in her room waiting for Halfreda to come; she will go mad. The castle is vast but Halfreda will find her easily enough when she is ready.

  Lanorie taps the door and comes straight in to the room. She’s the only one, apart from Everleigh’s family and Will, who can get away with that, that informality.

  “Good morning, princess, Queen, how did you sleep?”

  “Lanny, you haven’t told anyone, have you?”

  Lanorie frowns and shakes her head. “Course not. You asked me not to. Do you know what you’re going to do though? You’ll have to tell everyone in the end. How will you be Queen if no one knows about you?”

  Everleigh bursts out laughing. “I don’t know Lanny. I’m still confused. I can’t believe that I might live.”

  Lanorie hugs her. “I’d be happy if you lived.”

  Everleigh hugs her back. “Thank you, Lanorie.”

  “But, I don’t know how it can be done.” Lanorie goes to the door and tells one of the maids to get water for Everleigh’s bath. She turns to Everleigh and shrugs. “We’ve never had a Queen rule alone before.”

  “I know,” Everleigh says, taking a seat at the window.

  “What will your father and your brothers say?”

  She gestures for Lanorie to sit beside her. “Lanny, I haven’t stopped asking those questions myself.”

  Lanorie pushes Everleigh’s hair back behind her ears, so dark compared with her own fair hair. “What’s going to happen?” Her voice is soft and quiet.

  Everleigh’s eyes suddenly fill with tears. “Lanny. I have never thought about it before because it was impossible. But I want to live.”

  Lanorie brushes Everleigh’s tears away and then her own. “Of course, you do and I want you to. But how can a girl rule a Realm?”

  “I don’t even know. I’m so scared, Lanny. I’m scared and I’m doubtful. But I know that I commanded the river to rise. And it did. Doesn’t that prove something?”

  Lanorie smiles, and hugs Everleigh to her. She doesn’t answer her though; she can think of nothing to say. A handmaiden is in no position to reassure a Kingmaker that she will live. She knows nothing about rivers rising or the powers of Kings and Queens.

  There’s a knock at the door. Everleigh pulls back from Lanorie and wipes at her tears. “Come in.”

  One of the little maids opens the door, and four little maids come in, each carrying a large jug filled with boiling water.

  They fill her bath and Lanorie stands up to help them.

  Everleigh looks out of the window. The castle grounds are so lovely. She has tried to spend as much time out there as she can, sitting amongst the trees, listening to the water rushing through the fountains, smelling the flowers. She loves to watch the butterflies and bees, she loves to make daisy chains. Now that she has a chance to stay alive she is scared but also hopeful.

  She watches Lanorie order the little maids around, one filling the bath now, one laying logs on the fire, another pouring perfume into the bath water. One pulling petals off roses and watching them fall in to the bath.

  She looks out at the grounds again. There are so many people out there. A castle is a busy place. There are maids and horsemen, stable boys and bakers. She can see the men gardening and women bashing at rugs with brooms. She can see a familiar figure too.

  Archer.

  He’s walking from the direction of her mother’s grave. He’s got his sword in his hand and, sadly, he’s wearing all his clothes today. She smiles as she watches him.

  His walk is relaxed but quick. His strides are long. One arm swings casually while the other holds the sword down at his side. His hair is vivid in the sunlight. She’d have spotted him miles away. She can’t make out his features though, to know if he’s smiling that lazy smile or not.

  He turns his head away and lifts his arm in greeting to someone she can’t see. He must be here for the Kingmaker’s festivities; it’s why all the other strangers are here. It gives her a chill to think that they will see her crowned Queen instead.

  She moves further over on the window seat to keep him in her eye line. Then she stands up and leans even clo
ser to the window. Then she kneels on the seat, craning her head to watch him.

  She sighs and sits back on the seat. What is wrong with her? He’s just a young man. She’s seen plenty of them before.

  But never so close and only half dressed before.

  Everleigh humphs at herself. Such silliness she could do without now. After all something enormous is happening to her and she can live without worrying about Archer. She can live.

  “Princess.” Lanorie calls her and Everleigh turns. Her bath is ready. She stands passively at the side of it. Lanorie takes off her clothes and takes her hand to help her in to the water. Everleigh steps in and the warmth envelops her. The little maids curtsey and back out of the room.

  “Tell me about the river again,” Lanorie says, sitting on the floor and trailing her hand through the petals.

  “Oh, Lanny, it was incredible. I felt like a Queen.”

  Lanorie smiles. “Can your father do that? Make seas rise?”

  Everleigh shrugs and sinks lower in the water, wetting the ends of her long hair. “I don’t know. I’ve never asked. It was strange though. I felt powerful. I could feel the power coming from me.”

  “I was going to ask that. If it felt like it was coming from you, or...”

  “Yes, it definitely came from me.”

  A knock at the door interrupts them.

  Lanorie stands up and dries her hand on Everleigh’s drying cloak.

  She opens the door and immediately stands across the doorway, shielding the room with her body.

  Everleigh can’t hear what’s being said. It’s probably just one of her brothers.

  Lanorie closes the door and turns to Everleigh her eyes wide and a big smile playing on her lips. “Princess, that was a young man looking for you. Asking if you wanted to go for a ride.”

  “Who?” She has never had any man come to her chamber before. Especially not when she was in the bath.

  “Said his name was Archer.” Lanorie raises her eyebrows almost to her hair.

  Everleigh smiles. “Archer? Archer was at my door?” When she’d just been watching him.

  Why is he calling at her chamber? He obviously knows nothing about the protocol involved in spending time with a princess and Kingmaker. He isn’t meant to just call at her chamber. Where she slept and bathed.

  Everleigh blushes.

  “Ooh, what’s this, princess, who’s this Archer?”

  “What did he look like?” Everleigh asks, her blush deepening as she thinks about how close he had been to her.

  “Tall, broad, slim, shocking red hair, big blue eyes, dark blue. Gorgeous.”

  “What?” Everleigh is shocked.

  “Gorgeous.” Lanorie laughs. “I may be younger than you, princess, but I know a good-looking man when I see one. Cook would say that she’d died and gone to heaven looking at one as easy on the eye as him.”

  Everleigh splutters with laughter. The thought of Cook having her eye on young men was too funny.

  “Who is he then?” Lanorie asks. “I’ve never seen him before. I would have remembered.”

  “I don’t know,” Everleigh says. “I’ve seen him a few times over the last few days. But yesterday I saw him in the woods –”

  “You were in the woods with him?” Lanorie bursts out.

  “Shh. Not in the woods with him. No. I was walking in the woods and he was there.” Everleigh can’t look Lanorie in the eye and she’s feeling hot again.

  “Princess.” Lanorie sounds stern. “What was he doing in the woods to make you blush so?”

  “Nothing, just practising his sword play.”

  Lanorie nods, encouraging her further.

  “With no top on.” Everleigh covers her face with her hands. Lanorie screams with laughter.

  “Princess, Queen.”

  Everleigh shakes her head. “Lanny, stop, I can’t talk about this. I need to get ready. I need to see Halfreda.”

  Lanorie looks serious again at Halfreda’s name. “What’s going to happen?”

  “I just don’t know, Lanny. But I know I want to live.”

  There’s another knock at the door and one of the little maids comes in to get Everleigh’s clothes ready. Another one comes in and adds more logs to the fire.

  Everleigh and Lanorie fall silent but Lanorie’s eyes are dancing and Everleigh’s are full of hope.

  Halfreda

  OH, MY TEACHER LEFT me high and dry I must say. To use my powers and guide my King with knowledge and wisdom he gave me every tool, but to rescue a Kingmaker and make her a Queen, he did not.

  The biggest problem I have is that I am the only one here, to my knowledge, that knows of this prophecy.

  It has been kept hidden, my teacher told me, to keep the Kingmakers safe. Who knew what harm might come to the Kingmakers who would die and the one that would live if everyone knew about the prophecy. The worry was that unscrupulous Kings and Kings-to-be might have her killed to keep their own crown. Power does strange things to people.

  I made up my future fire last night, to see if the flames could give me some help. I summoned the spirits to see if they knew. I called upon my inner vision and voice and it all failed me.

  The flames rose high, perfumed with spices and herbs, petals and potions. They flickered and swam, images dancing but never forming fully enough for me to recognise their form. Pointless and unhelpful. Eventually I doused the whole lot with water and tried the spirits next.

  I knelt, surrounded by candles, and chanted – this time necessarily – to evoke the spirits, to bring them to my side. I filled my head with the questions I needed answered. Images of Everleigh and her brothers, her life’s blood, the crown of the Realm. Whose head would it sit upon? They didn’t even come, they resisted my calling and left me alone. They have never failed to help me before. I cannot know why.

  Then I lay in the grounds of the castle, wrapped in my furs, and looked to the stars, while I called upon my inner vision to fill in the blanks and bring me the answers. It too failed me.

  I cannot even understand what this lack of help means.

  Does it mean that she will or will not be Queen?

  And what shall I do next?

  I decided to sleep on it.

  Sometimes sleep brings me the answers that nothing else can.

  I was right to trust my instincts, fire, spirits, stars all failed me, but sleep is always a friend.

  A mind may wander in sleep where it does not dare to go when awake. A mind may call forward an answer and a solution.

  When I awoke this morning, there stood my teacher. I have missed him, without knowing it, until I saw his face.

  I almost fell to my knees; I was so happy to see him.

  “How?” He knows my question before I ask it and holds up the Kingmaker’s Prophecy. The writing which had always been black was now a glowing gold.

  “I saw this and knew you had found her. You found our Queen.”

  I smile, relief filling my heart and my head.

  “I have. And I am so happy that you are here because I have no idea what to do with her.”

  8

  DRESSED WARMLY, WITH her hair loose and curled, Everleigh starts wandering around the castle grounds. Halfreda will find her with ease.

  She finds herself back at the river. Can she do it again? Without Halfreda’s direction? There’s no one around, no one near anyway. She whispers, “Rise.” She cannot see a change in the water and moves closer to the edge, disappointment an actual taste in her mouth. She wants this so much to be real. “Rise, rise, rise.” Her voice is firmer, louder and she sees it. The water rises. Elation fills her where disappointment was. “Rise, rise, rise.” She skips out of the way as the river spills its banks, pooling near her feet. “Rest.” It’s a simple word but the river listens. Commanding mother nature with a mere whisper, she feels the power coursing through her like a physical thing. There is no doubt left in her mind. She will live. She will rule.

  Bending down she swirls her finger in
the water before drying it on her gown. Happy and content she heads back to the castle gardens, strolls through the rose garden and then sits upon one of the benches.

  She doesn’t know how long she’ll have to wait, but she’s happy to sit and enjoy the sunshine.

  “Queen.” Halfreda’s voice is low and hoarse.

  Everleigh opens her eyes. Halfreda sits next to her. “Good morning, Halfreda.”

  “How did you sleep, child, Queen, oh I need to stop calling you that until...understand if I call you child or princess, I am not being disrespectful.”

  Everleigh nods. She doesn’t much care what Halfreda calls her, she just wants answers.

  “Have you had any ideas?” Everleigh asks quietly.

  Halfreda shakes her head. “I tried using all and any of my powers last night to bring an answer as to what to do next, without any luck. But my teacher arrived this morning. He’s the one who first showed me the prophecy. He’ll know what to do.”

  There is a lot to decide. How they will tell her father, how they will help her brothers to understand and accept this twist in their fate.

  “We will make a plan today,” Halfreda says.

  Everleigh puts her hand on Halfreda’s. “I am more frightened by this uncertainty than I was when I knew I was to die.”

  “I know Queen, I understand. We need to keep this a secret; I know that much. We are trying to change the course of history here and do something that has never been done before. I can’t just announce it lightly. I need wisdom and advice.”

  Everleigh nods, she understands that. “So, what do I do, while I wait for you to decide?”

  Halfreda smiles. “Nothing. Just carry on as normal.”

  The problem was, nothing was normal any more.

  “You must carry on as normal. All around you will believe that you are the Kingmaker and that the official sacrificial ceremony is coming closer, as it always was.”

  Everleigh wants to cry. What Halfreda is saying makes sense, but it’s boring, an anti-climax. She wants drama and excitement, a definite change in her circumstances.