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Chapter 7
The men were given guestrooms on the second floor near my own suite. The rooms there were usually reserved for visits from close friends, but I had sent word ahead of us via phoenix messenger bird to let the household staff know to prepare the rooms for permanent habitation by my new mates. There were more guestrooms on the first floor, tucked away in their own wing, where we usually stowed visiting politicians and people from the outlying areas of Larkwood who came to meet with me on business. So, there was no fear of running short of space if we had overnight visitors.
It was strange, knowing that I no longer shared my home with a few staff and the occasional guest. Knowing that I wouldn't ever truly be alone again. At least not for the next year.
And yet, I felt lonelier than I had in a long time.
I was too cowardly to demand that the men join me for some awkward dinner affair. So, the first night back in Mistvale, we ate dinner in our respective rooms alone. I usually relished the quiet that settled over the manor at night. But that evening, it was uncomfortable. After getting washed up and changed, I ate my lonely—but delicious—dinner. Then I turned to work to distract myself from the absence of the men who were supposed to be sharing my life.
There were letters to answer, documents to sign, and a journal full of updates from Saffron about things that had happened around town in my absence. By the time I got all of that attended to—or at least somewhat sorted—it was well after midnight. Between the late hour, the weeks of travel, and the temptation of my soft, cloud-like bedding, I was finally able to crawl into bed and sleep like a rock.
I woke up the next morning to soft sunlight spilling over my bed from the window on the other side of the room. The light danced through the stained-glass birds and flowers along the top of the large, round portal, painting the space in a rainbow of colors. I stretched long and hard, letting out a massive, relieved sigh.
Home at last. Things might not be perfect with the new mate situation and all, but at least I wasn't still stuck amid the shallow, petty court and all their games. And I wasn't forced to sleep on the hard ground while we traveled. The relief had me nearly skipping as I got out of bed. I did my morning routine, dressed in a pair of nice but serviceable breeches and tunic, then tied my hair back from my face in a simple ponytail. Slipping on a soft pair of calf-high boots, I stopped before the mirror and gave myself a pep talk.
"You can do this," I said seriously, staring into my own dark brown eyes. "You are Katrina Bellflower, steward of Larkwood and all-around tough cookie. You are in charge here. You are not scared of a few pouty noble highborns." The nervous fluttering in my gut didn't stop, but I nodded resolutely to myself anyway before I headed out the door.
I was in the dining room pouring over a report about the mines and ignoring my breakfast when my mates arrived. They slowly entered the room together and stood there for a moment, as if waiting for an invitation. Then Fife rolled his eyes, pushed past the others and went to the sideboard where Cook had laid out the platters of food over magic-fueled warming plates.
"Good morning," I said as the cleric dished up breakfast like he owned the place. Which…to be fair, he sort of did own the place now, as much as any of us did. "Help yourselves! I don't insist on anything formal around here, so you'll starve if you're waiting to be served."
The others joined Fife at the sideboard, and I nibbled at my neglected toast for something to do. "Did you sleep okay last night?" I asked awkwardly into the silence as they filled their plates. "Are the rooms to your liking?"
Fife came over and took the seat furthest from mine, at the opposite end of the long table. "Adequate," he pronounced with a haughty sniff. Then he set about devouring his food without looking up.
I shook my head at him. Such a snob. But then again, he had been the heir to the Zora stewardship, which was a much wealthier territory than my own—at least for the time being. I suppose his lodgings now were a bit of a rustic downgrade compared to whatever riches he was used to at home.
The others came and took seats at the table, as Mirri once again jumped in to make peace. "The rooms are very comfortable," he said with a small smile. "Thank you."
"I meant it when I said you can ask for anything you need," I murmured. "I know this estate is probably not as fancy as what some of you are used to." I poked at my breakfast for a moment, wishing I knew how to fix this awkwardness. Then I forced myself to sit up taller, frustrated with my moping. I took a bite of my delicious scrambled purple ostrich eggs, then smoothed a hand over the report that was lying on the table next to my plate. Clearing my throat, I redirected the conversation to something other than our stilted living arrangements.
"I thought I would visit the mines today," I said evenly. "I got a report from the supervisor there, and it sounds like things are coming along well. But I would like to lay eyes on the operation myself." I glanced around the table. "Also, I know the working theory is that the people who sabotaged the tournament and tried to make Lion team the winners thought the Prize was going to be someone of royal blood. But…we can't be entirely certain that was their motivation. It's possible that whoever was behind it all knew that I was the Prize. And if they somehow knew that the tournament's prize was from Larkwood and still went to such great lengths for their team to win…well," I shrugged as I followed that line of reasoning to its logical conclusion. "That would mean they knew this territory was about to become very wealthy."
No one objected to my paranoid conclusions, so I carried on.
Every issue led to more issues. Every task to more tasks. But that was how it went. "And that," I continued, "means it's probably time to make some sort of official announcement about the magic dust find, just in case." It was time to do so anyway. This was just one more reason to make things public. I didn't want to be accused of hiding anything from our people, or make anyone think they could use the secret knowledge in some sort of ridiculous scheme.
Staring at my plate, I frowned as I mentally created a list of things that would need to be done. "We'll need to hold a get-together of some sort to formally announce our good fortune. But I'd like to talk to the people in charge of the mines and make sure everything is still running smoothly and that they don't have any concerns that didn't make it into the report before I release an official statement."
I lifted my gaze to glance at the men silent around me. "If you're up for it, I'd like you to join me and see what you all think. We might make a few other stops along the way to touch base with some locals over some issues that came up while I was gone, while we're at it. It would be an excellent opportunity to introduce you to the people of Mistvale."
It was as if they had been holding their tongues until that moment, maybe waiting to be invited to take part in the daily running of their new territory. Bach took a drink of his juice—a combination of multi-colored citrus fruits from the estate's own gardens—and nodded his agreement. "You're probably right to be cautious. And that sounds like a sensible plan. It will allow us to see more of our new home."
I handed the report to him so he could read it and pass it around to the others while I focused on eating my food. "Do any of you have any experience with mines?"
We discussed things in a general sort of way over breakfast, and as we rode out to the mines at the foot of the Old Scourge. It turned out that no one had direct experience with mining operations—which wasn't really a surprise given that my new mates were all from a coastal territory with a different set of resources than Larkwood. But Bach had some experience with coordinating employees and work teams for his family's estate. And Fife had learned from his mother how to oversee improvement projects and construction that would affect their territory—though he only contributed to the conversation in one-word answers when the others asked him questions.
Adder hadn't been trained to be an heir. But he had spent a lot of time around the steward of Zora and her son while he was growing up. I was sure he had absorbed some things, though he was mostly quiet and stoic, as usual.
And Mirri….
With everything that had happened since the end of the tournament, I nearly forgot that one of my mates was a self-taught scholar. The path to the mines took us down a wide gravel road that led through a portion of the Wilds, and I got to experience Mirri's curious, analytical mind first-hand as his questions about the setup of the mines suddenly switched to excited questions about the surrounding wilderness.
He reminded me of Jasper on our trip to Larkwood. But while the squire, who had been invited to train with the royal guards today, was full of youthful exuberance and flitted from one new wonder to the next… Mirri was more focused. I would not have been the least bit surprised if he had pulled out a notebook and begun taking notes.
I answered all of Mirri's questions—or at least the ones I actually knew the answers to—as the others rode along in silence, content to let their knowledge-hungry friend have his moment. Fife didn't ask questions about the rare plants and occasional crystal formations that I knew were lurking in this stretch of wilderness. But I noticed his green eyes taking it all in with an eager shine when he thought I wasn't looking.
My heart swelled at the thought that though they might not want to be here, maybe my mates could find something to be happy about during their time in Larkwood.
