CHAPTER 17
Wars and Weddings
Aleksi stood on the steps to the palace alongwith Anastasia, King Asad, and Queen Oona, as well as several othermembers of the royal family, including Sahar, dressed in the samegown of green worm weave that she had worn the night of Autumn’sEve.Except today she wore a woolen shawl of burnt umber to wardoff the late autumn chill.The inner gate to the palace opened, andAleksi tore his gaze from her to the company riding in.He saw hisfather’s graying head and let out a relieved sigh at sight of hiserect, unbent spine after a fortnight’s trek, which had left Aleksibone-weary and saddle-sore.
He hadn’t known what to expect sinceAnastasia’s cryptic comments about their father’s health.He’d beenworried about his father undertaking a long journey.Now that hisfather was here, Aleksi was truly glad to see him.
The company stopped at the steps as stablehands came running to take their mounts and house servants tounload their pack horses.Aleksi never took his eyes off of hisfather, whose gaze met and held his a long, searching moment beforegiving him a quick nod and then turning to King Asad, who waswalking down the steps to him.
“Welcome, Maksimillian, my friend,” King Asadgreeted with a hearty handshake.“It’s good to see you again.”
“Thank you, Asad.”Maksimillian broke thehandshake, and though he still spoke to Asad, he was looking atAleksi.“Praise be to you and the gods for bringing my son and yourdaughter home safe.”
“It was more their own doing than mine or thegods,” Asad said.“By the time we found them, they were well ontheir way back.”
Aleksi swallowed past the hard lump in histhroat as his father walked straight up to him, ignoringAnastasia’s simpering.Aleksi offered his hand.“Father.”
Maksimillian took his son’s hand and thenpulled him into his embrace.“My son.I am more glad than I can sayto see you alive and well.”
Aleksi breathed in the familiar scent ofsandalwood and leather, and buried his nose deeper into hisfather’s neck, the breath he had been holding releasing with a sighwhen he didn’t smell the faintest trace of death or decay.
“I can say the same,” he replied, as theyboth stepped back and eyed the other closely.“You look good,Father, especially after such a long journey.”
“I feel good,” he said, and then fixed hisgaze on Anastasia.“Daughter.”He gave a formal dip of hishead.
“Oh, Father.”She threw her arms around hisneck and hugged him, a hug he didn’t return.“I’m so glad you’rehere.I was so worried about you, traveling such a distance in yourcondition.”
“What condition is that?”he asked,disengaging himself from her stranglehold.
“You were so ill when I left, I feared Iwould not make it home in time to see you again.”
“Yet you still left.”
“So did your bastard,” she sputtered.
“Which is another part of an interestingtale,” their father said, “but one for another, more privatetelling.”He turned and walked over to the queen and dipped hishead.“Queen Oona, you grow more beautiful and gracious with everypassing year.”
“And you more full of charm and flattery.”She smiled.“I see where your son gets it from.”
“Along with his good looks,” Maksimilliansaid with a grin.“This must be your daughter, Sahar, who, the lasttime I saw her, was still in side braids.”He took Sahar’s hand andplaced his lips on the back of her fingers.“You have grown to beas beautiful as your mother.And as hard to kill, from what I’vebeen told.”
Sahar’s big eyes widened, and then shegrinned, fierce and feral.“Thank you, King Maksimillian.”
“Thank you for helping bring my son home tome.”
“Let’s get you inside, out of this chill,”King Asad said, leading them all into the palace.“Our cook ispreparing a feast with enough food to feed a hundred and twentyhungry travelers.My manservant will see you to your chambers wherea hot bath awaits.Then we’ll sup.”
Sahar sat between her brother and Halah atthe family’s long table, to the left of her mother and father, withKing Maksimillian sitting to King Asad’s right.To Maksimillian’sright sat Aleksi.It was the first evening meal that he’d eaten inthe hall since his and Sahar’s fight at the river three days ago.He’d been taking his meals in the kitchens after the family ate,and enjoying the attentions of Ursula, no doubt.The kitchen maidhad been looking overly pleased with herself of late.
Anastasia sat to Aleksi’s right, whichwould’ve been decided by Maksimillian, and was a public display ofthe king ranking his bastard son over his daughter, who was botholder and born in wedlock.Sahar couldn’t help but smile every timeshe glanced down the table at them, and caught Aleksi’s bemusedgaze more than once, as well as Anastasia’s spiteful glare.
It was hard to feel any pity for the harpy,especially knowing how miserable she’d made Aleksi’s life.He was avictim of his birth, as was anyone, but how they chose to deal withtheir life’s circumstances were as different as night and day.Anastasia, born to privilege and wealth, had chosen to use herelevated rank in selfish, hateful ways.Aleksi, raised in his youthas a prince and then brought low, had chosen to work hard and provehimself a self-made man, helping his friends Pyotr and Serge alongthe way, as well as any stray, starving kitten he found.
Sahar had chosen to fight and rail againstthe preconceived notions of a woman in her privileged position.Shehad proved she could ride as well as any man and better than most,and that she could survive bad men trying to defile and debase her.But she hadn’t helped anyone else.Certainly not any of thehundreds of thousands of poor women in the world who survivedhardships daily, and had little choice or say in the matter.
She felt ashamed.
Ashamed that she had acted exactly like theproud, spoilt princess Aleksi had accused her of being.If herbiggest problem was proving people’s ideas about her wrong, atleast she had that ability.She could play to or against theirprejudices without having to worry about having a place to live orfeeding her children, and without being at a man’s capriciousmercy.She could choose a husband because she wanted to, notbecause she needed to, though she also knew that not all daughtersof royal households had that choice.
