Enchantment of the Bow

Chapter Forty-Eight

"How did you find out so quickly?" The King is standing by my fireplace, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He doesn't seem surprised so much as annoyed at my discovery. 

"How did I find out?" I echo, laughing humorlessly. "It nearly got me killed. I was walking with the Duke down the south corridor on the first level, where mother so conveniently ordered the servants to redecorate. We were passing by a large looking glass  when I noticed Sage's reflection. It would seem that whatever magic user you hired to disguise her had a few gaps in their cloaking spell."

We had moved back into the warmth of the main bedchambers, and my mother and I sit at the table while the King stands with one arm leaning against the mantel, head resting against his forearm. Once the Queen is done fussing over me, she had allowed me to sit to eat my well deserved meal. I order Lance and Kaladin to sit across from me to eat in my company, even in the presence of the King. I set the dish of cooked meat scraps on the floor beside me for Sage, who digs in after I tell her it is alright in Noshiel. 

Before I had the opportunity to start with my food, Kaladin leaned over and took a bite of everything on the dish, following through by sipping from my cup in search of poison. Finding none, I am allowed to commence with my meal. 

"Oh, but I am so relieved that you aren't hurt..." My mother says, her voice as soft as ever. She reaches over the table to touch my arm with feather light fingers, as if I am a porcelain doll she doesn't want to break. Ironic, if you ask me, but I do not pull away from her.

"Only thanks to Lucan. I would be dead if not for him," I leave out the part that Sage also had a huge part in preserving my life, so not to prove the point that my father undoubtedly plans to make. "Now enough of that, I do not want you to kill Danak. Not until you can prove his guilt entirely."

The King spins around to look at me, his brow raised in a way that causes his forehead to crease. "Prove his guilt? Lyra, you and your Guardsmen watched him attempt your murder. What more do you need to convict him?" He remarks in disbelief. He must believe that he raised a fool for a child.

"I have reason to believe that his hand was forced," I say after a few bites of my food, buying time so that I can rifle through hazy memories to recall what exactly Danak had said before hand. "He was acting nervous and anxious, and he all but apologized to me before the attempt. He said that he admired me, and because of that it would 'make this so much harder.'"

"If I were planning to murder the Princess of Nordic, I may be anxious as well," The King says, turning his back to me, unconvinced. "That proves nothing. Why are you intent on this man's preservation? You should want him dead as soon as possible." 

I half wonder if the King is upset because his daughter was attacked, or if it is because someone had the audacity to attempt a murder in his house. "He kept saying that his parents sent him. Perhaps you should bring the Duke and Duchess in for questioning before sentencing anyone to their death," I say, ignoring his question. I would have answered it, if I knew how. "Now, I politely request that you cease changing this topic and explain about Sage." 

The King sighs heavily, turning his profile in my direction so he is half looking behind him. The firelight casts dancing shadows across his tired face. "Lansing, I blame you for this woman's temperament. Before you came about teaching her how to wield swords and cross-dress, she was a polite lady who would listen to a man's valuable opinion."

 Lance swallows his food to look up at my father, keeping his head lowered in respect. "Forgive me, my dear King, I would apologize if I were true to regret teaching Lyra these things." He doesn't sound the least bit apologetic.

  "Ah, but you are a true man, correct? Honor is a rare quality to find in these times." My father muses, dark eyes flickering in the shifting shadows.