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“Whom did you feed?”
“I am the one who did it!” the woman suddenly exclaimed. “It was not Abraham!”
“Hush, Maggie,” he said. “The woman doesn’t know what she says. I am responsible for her.”
“Yes,” I agreed, “you are.”
I turned my attention back to the woman.
“Whom did you feed?”
She looked from me to her husband before her shoulders slumped, and she admitted to helping five refugees as they fled Hadebrand to Peaks. Edgar had apparently deemed them supporters of Seacrest’s efforts to feed Wynton.
“And this is the reason you cannot provide me with tribute?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Then your tribute is deferred.” I stood and brushed the dust from my trousers before offering Maggie my hand and helping her to her feet.
“Deferred?” Abraham’s eyes narrowed. “I do not understand.”
“I will expect tribute next year,” I clarified. “Is there anything else you need? I must return to Sterling.”
The apparently astonished couple continued to stare at me as I mounted Romero and headed away from Hadebrand. I had dealt with a dozen such issues since arriving and left Parnell to deal with any remaining problems with the new subjects of Silverhelm. As I rode off, I thought of my wife and the people who were now our responsibility, and I smiled.
*****
“These are beautiful,” Alexandra said as Ida handed her another cartload of gifts brought from Silverhelm residents to Sterling Castle. There was a bright red robe for little Prince Branford, or Branny as Ida and Sunniva had begun to call him, much to my dismay, as well as dresses for Alexandra. Most of the gifts were obviously for the kingdom’s new prince though he did not seem to care for such things. He only seemed happy when he was at his mother’s breast.
Well…and sometimes when I held him and rocked him slowly back and forth.
Ida and Sunniva gathered up many of the gifts and began to prepare for our short journey back to Silverhelm. We had been in Sterling a week and needed to return to our own castle.
“I have no idea what made you think bringing all these things here just to take them back home again was a good idea.”
“They are gifts from your subjects, Branford,” my adoptive mother said, chastising me. “Cherish them. I do not think I need to tell you why.”
I nodded, unable to argue with her words. Were it not for my people’s love of their queen, my situation would be drastically different. I could not even allow myself to consider exactly how.
“Is everything else ready to go?” Alexandra asked as she came out of the bedroom. Prince Branford let out one half-hearted cry before he gave up and snuggled into the crook of his mother’s arm.
“I believe that is it,” Sunniva said. “Ida and Parnell have already left.”
“Are they going back to Sawyer?” Alexandra asked.
“No, they will return to Silverhelm first,” I said.
“Good. I did not get the chance to thank Ida for all her help. I would not have managed through these first few days of motherhood without her and you too, Sunniva.”
Sunniva laughed and wrapped her arms around Alexandra’s shoulders, hugging her tightly.
“I am sure you would have survived,” Sunniva said, “but I am happy I could help.”
The women embraced
, and Sunniva left in her own carriage with Greysen and Edith. Alexandra carried Prince Branford in her arms and followed me as I took one last look around my parents’ home.
“I wish I knew why they did this,” I said for the tenth time in the past day. No one who lived seemed to have any idea what Edgar sought or why he would tear apart the entire tower. It was where the four traitors lived when I was a child, but what could Edgar gain by tearing their quarters apart?
