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“She was precious,” Darith said softly.
“She was.” I agreed. “And so was her mother.”
“Yes, she was,” Darith glanced away. “In the end, don’t we all want the same things? To be loved and to love?”
“I think so. And maybe, just maybe, we can make that happen.”
Darith was right. Maybe Midarians and Elves weren’t so different after all? We all wanted the same things. To be happy, loved, and to love. And maybe that was enough.
It was easy to see why Darith was so sad when she saw them together. They represented everything she lost, but also everything she could hope for in the future.
It reminded me of my family and how much I missed them. I always thought of myself as strong, but at that moment, I felt like a little girl again. Longing for the comfort of my mother’s arms and my father’s smile. But for now, I was content to have found a friend in Darith. And that was a start.
Chapter 14
Spoons
Prince Maedras leaned down, looking at the map that was unrolled on the table before him. His golden eyes flicked up to me and he gave me a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.
I carefully examined his office, trying to commit it to memory. Hints of his personality were everywhere, from the books on his shelves to the way his furniture was arranged. It was clear he was a man who valued order and control.
But the symbolism was also clear to me. His office reflected his view of the world. A world where Elvish culture was superior to all others. Only Elvish books were on his shelves. Only Elvish art adorned his walls. His desk was arranged in a way that said he was the one in charge.
I entered his room quietly. “What are you planning?” I looked at the map.
The map showed the entirety of Manzimor. Prince Maedras’s finger traced a line from the Aeglire to a small village on the outskirts of the kingdom. In the region of Carthem. Just east of Lanthove, where the autonomous region of Midar was located.
They sent my brothers and father to that area. And news had been trickling in that they’ve been fighting... a lot. But no words about what they were fighting for.
I swallowed hard. “What is going on?”
Please don’t say we are going to war.
War was never the answer. Only destruction and death came from war.
Prince Maedras glanced at me, and his smile softened. “There’s no need for you to worry, wife.”
At least, not yet. The unspoken words hung between us.
“What are you planning, then?” I asked again. “My brothers and father are there. What’s going on?”
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. The tips of his fingers brushed against the golden circlet that rested on his brow. “There’s been some unrest in Carthem. They’ve requested our help.”
My gold rings clinked as I clenched my fists. “What unrest?”
In the last 50 years, Manzimor sent more Midarians to the border of Carthem. Izmir bordered Carthem to the south. But they sent the soldiers up north. It was no coincidence that the unrest was happening in the area where Midarians were sent to. The last time this happened was during the Hundred Year’s War.
“The borders have been breached, and they’ve asked for our help in defending them.”
That should be impossible. What was going on there? Attacked by whom? Qarath was unlikely the perpetrator. Trade relations between Qarath and Manzimor had been good for the last few centuries. It would make no sense for them to suddenly attack us.
News didn’t spread fast from them. But we welcomed a new ambassador almost a month ago. I couldn’t help but feel that all of this was connected.
I placed my fingers on the ribbed gold of the map. I followed the line of his finger along the wards. “Shouldn’t the wards be enough to keep any malicious intent out?”
He leaned down. “Something has breached before the wards. They may have been breached again.”
Wards were almost impossible to break. Especially millennia-old wards.
