Chapter 29
Adeline
Adeline didn’t know what she had expected of the Merrow, but it hadn’t been this. Gathered by the fire in an eclectic group of old and young, couples and children and beautiful youths, teasing and laughing and swapping stories and even bickering with barely contained smiles. Perhaps in the back of her mind she thought they’d be somewhat stuck in time, as Kai often seemed to be. But if she’d thought the Merrow would be preoccupied with courtly manners and archaic formality, she was proven entirely wrong. There was none of the posturing of the Silver Palace; they pressed together in groups that shifted and changed like waves on the shore.
Eda had relinquished Adeline to the company of Kai’s friend Alun some time ago, and he held her attention still with stories of a misspent youth shared with his King.
“He wasn’t always so serious,” Alun promised her, with a bright grin that showed every gleaming tooth. It was a smile that would charm the Queen herself, andhadcharmed many young women at the Faire; Adeline had seen him dancing with a bevy of beautiful girls of both Eisalaan and the Laune, several of whom still watched their conversation with sour looks. She didn’t bother to return their glares; they had nothing to fear from her, handsome as Alun was–and he was very handsome, almost ethereally so. He seemed to draw all the light around him and hold it in a silver glow along the near onyx contours of his face.
But he had caught her in a comfortable lull from her conversation with Eda, just as she’d been chancing a look across the fire at Kai. Alun had slipped between two of his elders to drop into the space beside her with no introduction, and immediately began talking as though picking up an earlier thread of conversation.
“The thing to understand about our Kai,” he’d said, following her eyes over the orange glow of the flames, “is that he wasn’t raised a King. Not in the same way as you Princesses in your pretty ice palace.”
“And how do you presume to know how I was raised?” Adeline asked, pursing her lips against a small smile.
Alun cocked an eyebrow at her. “Please. I’ve been living with the Earl of the Thornlands for nigh on three months now, I know how finely trained you noble ladies are. Do you know the Earl has eight daughters?Eight. I don’t know whyKai thought I was the man to send to a home of eight daughters.” He leaned over with an arch grin. “I suspect I’ve done something to offend him and he’s hoping the Earl will murder me in my sleep.”
Adeline threw her head back, laughter overtaking her. She liked Alun. His puckish airs reminded her of Ger, though he was far less blunt and perhaps a touch more gracious. He sat with her a long while, talking of years past and all the trouble Kai had got into before he was crowned. Many of these stories seemed incomplete, but Adeline suspected he was censoring himself, as he kept throwing glances to where Iseult sat playing at Adeline’s feet.
If Alun was to be believed, Kai spent his adolescence sneaking past the Merrow sentries of the Laune to swim in the wide oceans beyond, or convincing his friends to camp in the lakeside forest and drink aged rum stolen from the Beira King’s cellars. Adeline wasn’t sure shedidbelieve him. It didn’t sound like the cautious, virtuous man she’d come to know.
When Iseult ran off with two little Merrow girls, Alun shifted closer and spoke of the night that sixteen-year-old Kai had got Alun and their friend Os riproaring drunk, and taught them a bawdy limerick he’d learned in an Eisalaan tavern. Adeline physically reeled with disbelief.
“Kai recited dirty poetry? Tall, perfect posture, blushes so hard it’s a wonder he’s got the blood left to operate his limbs? That Kai?”
She was coming to suspect she didn’t know the Merrow King at all. By Al’s account he was someone else entirely, behind all the formal airs and chivalry.
“Blushes?” Alun propped his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand. “Fascinating. What have you been doing to make him blush so?”
Adeline’s own cheeks heated then, but the light was dim enough now that she stared boldly back at him and shrugged. “Standing nearby. Saying hello. Smiling. Doesn’t take much.”
Alun clapped his hands once at that, rubbing his palms together in a wicked, gleeful gesture. Adeline had a feeling Kai would be ridiculed later on, but before she could take it back, Alun jumped to his feet, spying movement at the line of bare trees across the glen. Ceriwyn emerged between two trunks, Kai close behind her. Alun’s grin was sharp-edged.
“If you’ll excuse me, Princess, I’ve yet to greet myblushingKing.”
Adeline’s jaw clenched in a brief grimace.Whoops.
She watched closely as Alun sauntered around the edge of the loose throng of dancers to meet the King and his sister. Ceri brushed past and laid a casual hand on his shoulder as she went, without really looking at him. At her touch he paused and lingered where he stood for a beat longer, turning to watch her go.Interesting.Adeline filed that away for later, some small suspicion to counteract the wholeblushingthing, if needs be.
Alun shook his head slightly and moved on to greet Kai. They met in a gruff embrace, clapping each other on the back and pulling apart to talk for just a few moments before parting ways.
Kai continued on toward the Merrow, and as he came close enough for the firelight to fall across his face Adeline caught a flash of hazel trained right on her. She stood – and immediately stumbled backward, falling onto the log again. Her feet were trapped under an anchor of snow.
Someone giggled behind her and she whipped her head around to see a mane of copper disappearing behind a tree.
She growled. “Iseult!”
“Are you alright?” Kai was by her side, a hand at her elbow. She kicked one foot loose just as he tried to free her, tugging her over the little lump of snow and sending her stumbling against him. His hand came around to catch her, and her fingers gripped his arm for a moment. Tensed under her weight, his upper arm was taut and solid. Adeline resisted the stupid impulse to squeeze, and managed instead to right herself and drop her hand.
“Thank you. I’m fine.”
But Kai didn’t let go. His fingers were splayed at her back, and he wasn’t blushing. His eyes were determined, the green-gold ring at their centres burning in the cast of the nearby flames.
“Good. Will you dance with me, then?”
She stared at him, vaguely aware of the crease pulling her eyebrows together. He wanted to dance? Right now?
“Is that a no?”
