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Mercy nodded. “I understand. It’s just that all that time I thought my mum was trying to find you to make me your mistress when she was—”
“Seeing to your protection,” Bryce said, “seeing you safely reunited with your brother, the king. She gave her life for both of us.”
Charlotte shook her head. “I don’t understand any of it.”
“Let me explain,” Dolca offered, looking to Bryce for permission.
He nodded, and she continued.
“After Bryce’s da was killed in battle, my daughter, Kate, knew that she had to do everything possible to protect the future king, and so a plan was set in motion. She had yet to receive her Pict markings, and so she decided that the best way to protect her son was to get close to his enemy. She had told Bryce time and again that if anything were to happen to her or his da, he was to go to Mara, her best friend, and she would take care of him. Once Kate was certain that Bryce had arrived at Mara’s safely, she left, and it took her a little time, but she made herself known to King Kenneth. Since she was a beautiful woman, he could not resist her; and so she became his mistress.”
Dolca looked to Mercy. “She had no plans to give birth to the king’s child, but the herbs she took to prevent it from happening failed once, and so she gave birth to Mercy. She loved her dearly and knew that if the king ever found out that his daughter was half sister to the true king, he would surely kill her.
“Kate spied on the king for years, supplying the MacAlpins with information they could never have learned any other way. She would pass the information to me, and I would pass it to Mara. Not many men pay attention to gossiping women. When she learned that the king knew of her deception she—” Dolca choked back tears.
Mara continued. “She contacted her son and asked to meet with him so that she could be the one to tell him the truth. She also requested that he bring the piece of hide with him. It needed to be destroyed. No one could get it and learn the truth.”
“What truth?” Charlotte asked.
“That his queen was not living among the Picts,” Mara answered. “Bliss’s grandmum predicted the birth of the queen and how important it was to keep her safe, and so when she was born, her mum and da, Picts, left Pict territory and set out on a journey to do just that and to teach her all she would need to know to be a great queen.”
Idris stepped forward. “Forgive me, dear daughter, for not telling you the truth, but it was imperative that you be kept safe for the king.”
Charlotte shook her head, as if trying to comprehend it all. “I’m a Pict,” she said, as if saying it helped it to make sense. “What if I hadn’t fallen in love with the king?”
Trey laughed. “Fate had decreed it. You and Bryce were always meant to be.”
“You knew?” Charlotte asked.
Trey shook his head. “None of us knew about you. That was for the king alone to know, and we all believed that was why mum was not too happy when you showed up with Bryce. You were no Pict as far as we knew.”
“I wasn’t sure either since I was kept from knowing the queen’s identity,” Mara said. “It was only until later, when I spoke with Dolca, then with Idris, that I was told the truth.”
“Again, I am sorry, Charlotte,” her da said. “I did what had to be done. What I knew would make you happy, and I was so very happy when you introduced me to Bryce. I knew when I saw how much you loved him that your mum and I had made the right choice those many years ago.”
Charlotte turned sharply to glare at Bryce. “When did you know I was to be your queen?”
“I knew nothing until after I fell in love with you and decided I would wed you whether you were a Pict or not,” he said.
“That was a foolish and selfish thing to do,” she scolded walking over to him, then smiled. “But I am glad to hear it.”
He took her in his arms. “It is also why I have waited to wed you. We will have a wedding ceremony and huge celebration once I am crowned king. And then I will crown you my queen.”
There were many misty-eyed women and grinning men as the king kissed his future queen.
Bliss leaned back against her husband, and it was a good thing she did. The vision hit fast, and she felt her body go limp and Trey’s arms close around her.
Charlotte and she ran from the keep into the woods, snow covered the ground, and the skies were gray. She couldn’t sense if anyone followed, and yet she knew danger was near. She urged Charlotte to go faster, then, suddenly, they both stood on the edge of an open field, and she felt it heavy around her ... death.
She woke with a gasp and was grateful to find herself cradled in Trey’s arms, where he knelt on the floor. He held her close and looked relieved to see that the vision had ended.
Everyone else stood in a circle around them, each looking more concerned than the other and for different reasons.
Bryce asked the obvious question. “What did you see?”
“Charlotte and I running from the keep and into the woods, snow on the ground, a cloudy sky, then an open meadow—” She grabbed her throat and coughed, unable to bring herself to finish.
Trey stared at her, letting her know that he knew she had not told them everything. She turned, pressing her face against his chest, silently imploring him to leave it be for now. Thankfully, he did, though she knew it was only a temporary reprieve. He would want answers, and she would have to tell him.
