1st Draft Fridays - A Fistful of ... (#6)

Grehafen

Not that Aidan has ever done either of those things. Not that Aidan would ever. But his few years as consort here aren't enough to counter the expectations set up by the rulers that preceded his wife, especially not since he keeps uncovering people who are still doing things like that.

The abusers aren't all men, either. The men just tend to leave more evidence, perhaps because they're so used to getting away with it. Evonalé might be queen, but she's young, female, elfin, and illegitimate. All four categories have been trampled for generations here, and many treat her orders as suggestions, often while criticizing her for refusing to give orders on particular things they want. It's hypocritical and annoying and exhausting.

Some citizens of Grehafen, and more of places that the past few rulers of Grehafen swallowed, are ecstatic about the changes she has implemented and continues to make. Some, particularly ones who enjoyed power under the old regime, are fueling the assassination attempts.

Those death threats are increasingly targeting Aidan himself. Possibly because he's competent enough with blades and magic to help protect his wife--not that she's incapable of defending herself, but she's better at stumbling on someone than she is at searing them. Possibly because he's probably not the source of the infertility in his marriage--even his wife's brother had difficulty fathering a child on his mistresses, and that man's lineage had lacked the severe incest in Evonalé's.

"Tea?" Evonalé asks as she returns from the water closet, with obviously forced levity. She sits carefully on her chair, with a straight-backed stiffness that always reminds him of his anxiety-ridden rescue dogs, not his prim teaching ones. She's tiny like the serving maid--

Oh, maybe the server is one of the elves who stayed in Grehafen, rather than return to Marsdenfel after Evonalé freed them. He's too used to his wife to notice the difference, anymore.

Kitra can see Evonalé's fear, too. Maybe because she has experience with surviving and can recognize signs. Maybe because she met Evonalé when he did, over a decade ago when his now-wife was a small terrified child, convinced it was just a matter of time before she would experience her mother's fate.

Regardless, Evonalé is a queen now, and she hates it at least as much as his father hates his own kingship. But abdicating would allow the abusers free rein, and neither she nor his father will do that to their respective realms.

"Thank you, Zania," Evonalé tells the server--not an elvish name, so maybe she's just a small human. "How's your back?"

There's a pause before the woman answers, "Fine, Your Majesty."

Evonalé eyes her dubiously. "It looks painful."

"To be expected, at this point of pregnancy. It's fine, Majesty."

Doubt showing clearly on her face, Evonalé focuses on her cup. The raspberry leaf always makes his nose itch a little, but it helps her with the pain and cramping of moontime.

Evonalé sighs a little, then focuses on her guests. "So AMaC offered me a verifier, and I wasn't sure if that was a threat, an insult, or an offer of assistance, so I wrote Silva, and her husband said that's not a positive sign and I should talk to you about it."

Silva, Ferrel's twin, is married to a verifier, so he would know.

"Well, you and Lallie," she continues, as is her wont, "but Creator only knows where she is, these days. I haven't even heard from her stepfather since her mother fetched him to help her with something. Dakadza--er, Lallie's brother--says Geddis is doing okay, though. Well, as okay as she can be, considering."

Considering Geddis, Ferrell's younger sister, had been the one mistress who bore Evonalé's brother a child, before his assassination? And someone had kidnapped the infant? And someone (possibly Aidan's father, since she wouldn't say who did it) had done something to Geddis's magic to keep her from being able to Find her child? Yes, 'okay' was probably being generous.