Page 50 of The Masked Princess

“You are to be my wife, and Rhinnea’s future queen. This gelding is only the first gift of many.”

Without a word, the groom folded his hands together to give Annalise a boost, and she settled easily into the saddle.

“Is everything to your liking?” King Nelan asked.

“It is. Thank you for providing the side saddle; I have not had the chance to ride in one in some time,” Annalise replied.

Both of his eyebrows rose. “You are used to riding astride?”

“I am, although I am not wearing the correct dress for it today.” She smiled at him. “All Dovean noblewomen are taught both ways; one for pageantry in the park, the other for hunts and more vigorous rides. Is Rhinnea not the same?”

“Not at all… but perhaps that will change with a Dovean queen on the throne.”

“It doesn’t have to. I may be Dovean at heart, but I have no desire to offend the Rhinnean people.”

King Nelan’s smile was warm, although something about the way he bared his teeth made the hairs on the back of Annalise’s neck stand on end. “I think you and I will get along very well, Princess Annalise. Perhaps one day we will go riding together away from the crowds, and you can show me how accomplished you are at riding astride.”

The purr in his voice made Annalise blush, which she hid by ducking her head and gathering her reins. “Yes, well, shall we be off?”

“Your wish is my command. You may put your mask back on now; it will certainly help the people understand who you are.” Nelan bowed to her before straightening and turning to Soren. “As the princess has been delivered safely to Rea, my guards will take it from here. Turn over her carriage and dowry to them, and then you and your men may return home. I have no further use for you.”

His words were like a bucket of icy water to Annalise. She’d not expected to lose Soren so quickly and hadn’t been prepared to say goodbye yet.

“You want them to return so soon?” she asked without thinking.

King Nelan turned to her, his jaw clenching and his eyes icy. “Of course. There is no longer a need for your Dovean dogs now that you are safely in Rhinnea.”

CHAPTER 39

Soren clenched his fist at King Nelan’s insult. Next to him, Annalise’s lips pressed into a thin line. He wondered if perhaps her years spent with the mask hiding her face had done her a disservice—she hadn’t needed to control her face then, but judging from the way Nelan’s eyes darkened when he saw her expression change, she would need to learn soon.

“As much as I appreciate Your Majesty’s concern about allowing my men and I to return home to Dovea, unfortunately it is out of the question for two reasons: first, we are tasked with her safety until she is married and second, the pass into Dovea is snowed in and unable to be accessed until after the spring thaws,” he said.

“There are other ways to Dovea. Rhinnea has a port, and the crown will pay for your passage back to your home,” Nelan replied through gritted teeth.

Soren bowed, this time not quite so low as before. “King Everet is a fearsome taskmaster, and if we leave without ensuring the safety of his only daughter and the alliance between our countries, then I fear we risk his wrath.” He raised his voice so that both the Rhinnean and Dovean guards could hear him. “Princess Annalise is the crown jewel of Dovea. If we leave now and harm befalls her in whatever way, I fear the first thing you will hear in the spring is not the tweeting of birds, but the stomp of Dovean boots.”

“You dare threaten me, in my kingdom, in front of my men and my betrothed, Captain Kierson?” King Nelan asked.

Soren recognized the cold tone and made a note of it—some men had tempers that burned as hot as a bonfire. Those were easily enough dealt with. Others’ anger was a cold fury that sliced like a well-crafted blade of ice, or that came in the night and killed silently like a frost on unsuspecting travelers. If the Rhinnean king was of the second type, he would not be easily swayed or manipulated.

“I would never threaten you, Your Majesty. I am simply informing you of an outcome that I would like to avoid. King Everet made me personally responsible for the princess’s safety and for the securance of the alliance between Rhinnea and Dovea. I am an honorable man and will not shirk my duty, especially when doing so places my people at risk,” Soren said as flatly as he dared. From the corner of his eye, he saw Annalise stiffen in her seat and just barely held back a quirk of his lips. He’d not meant to parrot her words from the night before, but there was something fitting about the phrase. If she insisted on doing her duty to the letter, so would he.

King Nelan appraised him for a long moment, and Soren held his gaze. He was not royalty, but he was the son of the best general Dovea had seen in generations as well as a member of the nobility in his own right, and he would not let a foreign king dismiss him as if he was a mangy dog on a leash.

An older man with the face of someone who’d seen his fair share of battles rode forward, adding a new player to their little standoff. “Your Majesty, is there any way that I may be of assistance?” His voice was deep and boomed like a clap of thunder. It was the same tone Soren’s father used when trying to intimidate troops, or King Everet used when intimidating his court. Unfortunately for the newcomer, Soren had heard that type of voice since he was in the womb, and it had roughly the same effect on him as the bleating of a goat.

“The Doveans are refusing to quit the field and insist on remaining with Her Highness until the marriage ceremony as some form of misguided protection. They question my hospitality to my guest and my chivalrous nature, General Anar,” King Nelan said without looking away from Soren.

“I see.” The man rubbed his beard. “We do have space in the barracks and plenty of rations in our storehouses. We are more than equipped to house them until the spring.”

“And if they attempt treachery? What then?” King Nelan’s hand drifted to his side where an ornate sword hung.

Soren nearly growled but just managed to regulate his tone at the last second. “We would never do such a thing and risk the princess. Her life is as dear to us as our own.”

“If they do try something, it would be the height of folly. Our soldiers will watch them like hawks. Please, Your Majesty, I counsel you to let them in. If the situation were reversed and you were sending your sister to the Dovean King, you would punish any soldier who came back before her role was made official,” the general said.

Soren cut his eyes to the general’s, hoping that if he broke eye contact first, it would give the Rhinnean king a sense of victory and he would back down.