Crown of Beauty and Vengeance

Chapter 2

"That doesn't sound good," Jules said, looking at Lyv. "Any idea what about?"

She shrugged, but a little whisper in the back of her head told her she already knew the answer.

***

Gideon fixed the tap with only ten minutes to spare until the queen's one hour deadline. He was cursing anything and everything as he did, too, which made all the patrons in the tavern more interested in what he was doing than their own conversations. By the time he finished, they all cheered and clapped as he bowed to them all...and then promptly poured himself something to drink.

Of course, they knew him as Vandor, the captain of the palace guard and Lyv's rumored lover. But everyone loved him, just as they loved Lyv. That was another reason the queen couldn't do anything to him, even if she threatened. He made himself untouchable by gaining the love of all the people.

He and Lyv left the tavern with just a few minutes to get back by the queen's deadline. They ran hand-in-hand through the back alleys since the market was still going strong. When they reached the palace gates, the guardsmen on either side bowed to them both and let them through without hesitation.

Rushing inside, they bolted down the main hallway toward the throne room doors and found Merek, Gideon's second-in-command. The nineteen-year-old guardsman's navy cloak flowed down from where it was fastened to the shoulder plates of his armor. He paced in front of the double doors, his hand resting on the pommel of the sword at his waist.

Lyv had known him before. He regularly trained with her for nearly two years after he joined the guard at sixteen. She remembered the day when they went head to head in a fight with Balian and Merek had landed a punch to her jaw. She'd sent him flying into the hay beside Balian.

Balian...no. No more of those memories.

After everything had happened with the queen, Lyv was surprised to see Merek still in the guard, having been loyal to her father. She kept close eye on him, though, trying to figure out if he had been manipulated by the queen. He caught her watching him one day, though, and called her out.

Apparently, he'd been charged by her father to keep an eye on her himself. He told her everything, including that he was going to keep his word to his king in keeping her safe, even though Bence was more than likely dead. Merek didn't realize his king was still in Escarral, not until the next afternoon when she'd taken him to the cottage where he was living.

Merek had seen the former king first, his jaw slacking when he did. Bence just laughed and hugged the young man. He had another shock when he saw the pixie Jett sitting on his shoulder and waving at him.

He had known Gideon, too, but found out who he really was that night. By that time, Gideon had been training as a guardsman, quickly working his way up in the ranks. It wasn't until he came through the door, still in his human glamour, that Merek realized he wasn't as he seemed. It didn't help that he dropped that glamour as soon as he entered the door, not noticing the young guardsman sitting at the table with Lyv and Bence. When Merek tried to speak, it came out as jumbled awe, having idolized the Fae warrior his whole life with the stories that found their way from Dalcaine to Escarral...and now he was here with the former king and princess?

Needless to say, Merek had known about everything ever since.

When his dark eyes met theirs as they skidded to a halt in front of him, he threw up his hands. "Don't you think you are cutting it a little too close?"

"Sorry," Lyv huffed, trying to catch her breath. "We got caught up."

Merek raised a brow.

"The tavern. Jules put him to work."