Page 9 of To Save a Kingdom

Zadé gaped, wide-eyed. “Already?” Had the night passed so quickly? How long had she been staring at the guard’s puddle of blood while her mind wandered?

“Indeed.” Tsara re-secured Zadé’s arm. “Svialto says this should be entertaining.”

“Entertaining?” Zadé scoffed as Tsara tugged her up the stairs. “Elsan has clearly never sat through a council meeting.” Except he had—he’d been to every single one since King Malkov’s execution, even if the humans had no idea he was there. If Princess wasn’t careful, she’d end up with a permanent shadow in Elsan for the rest of her reign. Though, judging from the way Princess ogled him, she didn’t want him just as a sulking bodyguard.

One corner of Zadé’s mouth curled up at the thought of how Aliya’s nobles would react to an elf sharing their throne. That was something even Princess may not be able to pull off, despite her charisma and the full support of the mages.

Zadé stumbled over a loose cobblestone as Tsara led her from the cells into the too-bright courtyard. Blast it—Tsara was right! The sun was long past up and the council meeting would likely start any minute, if it hadn’t already.

The rough step as she caught herself jostled her brain, sending waves of pressure stabbing behind her eyes.

Blasted hangover. What in the nine realms had she been thinking yesterday?

“I really don’t need to be there,” she tried again.

“Nonsense,” Tsara said, tightening her grip on Zadé’s arm. “You’re coming, and that’s an order.”

Zadé scowled as she jogged after the other female, only managing to stifle her protests because, as a royal, Tsara did outrank her. If the sun elf princess ordered her to attend, she had no choice.

But that didn't mean she had to like it, or that she couldn't do everything in her power to make sure Tsara never dragged her to another unwelcome meeting again.

Chapter 5

Aliya

Aliya stifled a yawn as she settled into her chair at the head of the council’s table. She laid the too-short stack of papers she’d managed to wade through in front of her. Steeling her spine, she raised her gaze and met the eyes of every person sitting before her. On her right, each noble family had one representative, clad in their house colors: Lord Alinac in forest green; Castegrass in an orange tunic matching his fluffy beard; Havenhash in corn yellow with emerald embroidery; Macherall in his rich purple; and at Aliya’s right hand, her father wearing the pale blue of House Larimar. On the left, Princess Tsara of the sun elves sat with Thane Hedul of the dwarves and Jalius Cogtinker representing the mages.

The table was frustratingly unbalanced, with all the humans crammed in on one side. But with tensions running high, she shouldn’t be surprised her nobles preferred to cluster together, despite the cramped quarters. Safety in numbers and all that. Something furry rubbed against her ankles with a coo-purr.

Shadow.

A heaviness settled in her gut as she scanned the periphery of the room until her eyes caught a slight movement of white hair in the gloom.

Elessan was here, too.

It would be nice if he would sit at the table, with her, instead of watching from the shadows, responding with one-word answers only when she specifically addressed him. As if he wasn’t the one most worthy of being her advisor.

What he didn’t realize was his opinion was the only one she cared about or wanted, and that he had more of a right to a place on this council than the entirety of the human nobility.

Taking a deep breath, she cleared her throat.

Peeling the top document off her stack she slid it to Thane Hedul.

He caught it, eyes widening at her signature scrawled across the bottom above the royal seal. She’d signed the trade agreement before leaving her room to come here. The ink was probably still wet. “Your Majesty?” His voice held a barely disguised wobble.

“Would you prefer to spend more time in negotiations when we both know the terms are reasonable?” she asked, meeting his gaze. “Given the current situation, they’re as close as they can be to the prior treaty.” The one that had stood for centuries until the Cerels dissolved it. “I see no reason to drag things out.”

He snapped his jaw closed with a satisfied nod. Rolling the parchment up, he shoved it into a canister that appeared out of nowhere. “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Princess Tsara turned to him. “Does this mean you’ll be heading back to Vagkuldir today?”

The thane brushed his finger under his nose, as if his moustache itched. “I think first thing tomorrow will be the better option. We’ll have time to pack and supply.” He focused his attention back on Aliya. “Assuming that’s convenient for you, Your Majesty?”

Aliya blinked. The new title and deference were going to take some time to get used to. She nodded, hoping no one noticed her pause. “Of course. My people are at your disposal.”

He dipped his head in thanks. “I will leave my cousin, Kavol, as ambassador for the time being. I will await your representative.” His gaze swept around the table before settling back on Aliya. “In due time.”

Meaning, as soon as she got her court straightened out. Aliya swallowed past the tightness in her throat. It seemed she couldn’t hide the difficulties she was facing from the dwarves. She’d been kidding herself to think anyone in this room would evaluate what she’d done so far and not find it…lacking. There were a thousand people in the kingdom with more experience and more skill at managing and getting the populace to work together than her. Men and women who knew what they were doing, who were actually qualified to run a realm. In contrast, she was like a child who’d stumbled into the deep end of a lake, only to discover they’d never learned how to swim.