Charging the shield wasn't strenuous labor, but after the hellish day and unpredictable night, it proved a tiring task. Alori had hoped that the first time working with her bard prince in an official capacity would be one of the greatest moments of her life. Instead she was plagued with fear and uncertainty. By the time they were done, having threaded her Shieldmaker magic through three of Taelan's songs, similar to how they had repaired the breach in Ville-Tokki, they were both yawning.
Alori stepped away from her workspace in front of the windows. "Let's go back down before we're too tired to manage the stairs."
"Good idea." Taelan scooted away from the piano, tucking the bench under the keyboard as he stood up. "I would offer to carry you, but something tells me you're better equipped for this than me."
She smiled wearily. It was all she could do not to break down in tears again.
The next few minutes were bound to be awkward. It was late, and she wasn't ready to pick up where they'd left off at the Conservatory, before Reeve had pounded on her bedchamber door. The innocent thought of sleeping beside Taelan was painfully tempting, but she couldn't bring herself to invite him back to her apartments. Before they took their relationship any further, she had to decide what she would do about Yuka. Taelan hadn't said anything, but she knew he suspected the mind-meld was to blame for her changed mood toward him, and she respected him too much to pretend he was imagining it.
A somber aura followed them down from the spire. Liahfey was waiting near the bottom of the staircase, her tall heels clicking over the marble floor as she glided toward them in the corridor
"Ali, finally. What took you two so long?" She batted the air with her hands, her cheeks reddening. "Don't answer that, actually... Guess what? Mendmaster Doari says your friend will be just fine!"
It was wonderful news, but Alori's stomach lurched upon hearing it.
"Is he awake?"
Liahfey's few cascading curls shivered as she shook her head. "I don't think so, but his fever has broken and they're confident he'll wake up soon. I came straight away to tell you."
"Thank you, Lia." Alori glanced at the clock below the mezzanine. "You should go on and get your beauty rest. Now that the excitement is over, there's no reason to be out wandering the halls."
She sounded dull and matronly, and possibly even petty, but she couldn't wish Liahfey a good night. It would have been another lie. She continued past her sister on wooden legs, ignoring the insulted expression she knew she'd find on the second princess' face if she turned around.
"Why don't you go check on Reeve?" She squeezed Taelan's arm as they crossed into the Amethyst wing. "I've been occupying so much of your time the last few days, and I'm sure you two have things you'd like to discuss without me around. I should probably take my own advice and put myself to bed, but please give him my best. With any luck, tomorrow will be less chaotic."
"I hope so." He laid his palm over her gloved hand, another trepidatious question in his hooded gaze.
She glanced past him down the dimly lit corridor, heat rising to her cheeks. As much as she wanted to give him a different answer, she couldn't.
He let out a quiet sigh of understanding. "Sleep well, my lady. I'll let Reeve know he's in your thoughts. "
"Thank you."
There was so much more she wanted to say, but the words caught in her throat. How was it that she could feel both hollowed out and overwhelmed at the same time?
Alori stood watching Taelan a moment longer, then turned and headed down a connecting hallway. She was halfway to her apartments on the second floor before she realized she hadn't confirmed his sleeping arrangements were settled with the butler. Until they were wed, her fiancé would be treated as any other honored guest of the royal family, which meant that Taelan would be accommodated in the Amethyst wing with Reeve– and Yuka, once he woke up.
If she intended to arrange a sleepover with her betrothed, it would be a clandestine one. Not that anyone would truly care, if Hamoni's attitude was any indication.
As she got ready for bed, Alori wondered what her grandmother would make of her messy predicament with the blue-haired bard. She'd never ask the marchioness' opinion, of course, but Alori couldn't help but think that Hamoni would find a way to laugh the whole thing off, a feat Alori was sure she would never manage, even if she lived to be as old and gray as her grandmother.
♪♫♪
It was close to noon when Alori dragged herself out of bed the next day. She couldn't remember the last time she'd slept so late, but she tried to cut herself some slack. She'd only gotten nine hours of sleep, and she'd been exhausted. Truth be told, she was still exhausted.
The rest of the Villenatas were in the royal family's private dining room eating lunch when she joined them. Both her sisters were quiet and focused on their meals, which was unusual for Liahfey, but their brother more than made up for the girls' silence with a stream of unending questions about Alori's demon encounter that had Hamoni unleashing her rare and terrifying stern voice on him.
"Don't test me, Arias Renji Villenata." The marchioness pointed her spoon at the young prince. "For your sake, I hope you never have the misfortune of encountering a demon."
"I hope I do." The wonder and total disregard for authority in Arias' voice was concerning.
Hamoni scoffed, sharing a long-suffering look across the table with the king, her expression seeming to say, The apple didn't fall far from the tree with this one, son.
Ira jabbed her twin in his side and Arias scowled, swatting her hand away. At least he wasn't harassing Alori any longer.
She thought she might be able to finish her salad in peace, but Hamoni had a different idea.
"Where is your fiancé, dear?"
"I wasn't sure he'd be comfortable eating with the family yet," Alori said without looking up from her plate.
"Ah," Hamoni murmured. "I see."
Alori didn't doubt it. Her grandmother missed nothing.
No one else commented on her engagement or asked after Taelan's absence, which was a small mercy, except she wasn't hungry anymore. Her father was the first to rise from the table and she eagerly followed him, abandoning her half-eaten lunch. She walked a few paces behind him as he headed toward the stairs, a familiar gloomy feeling settling under her skin.
Without his crown, the king resembled any other wealthy lord of the Ville-Realms in a well-tailored jacket and trousers. His brown hair was beginning to gray around the temples, and a few shallow lines stood out on his forehead, but otherwise he looked young and healthy for his thirty-nine years. It always made her a little sad to see him walking alone.
When Alori was younger it had seemed like her parents were eternal, like they'd been together for time immemorial. Now that she knew better her heart ached for her father. He had lost the love of his life much too soon. None of them had gotten enough time with their queen.
"Father," she called, matching his quick strides over the violet and sapphire carpet.
She assumed he was going downstairs to convene with his advisors in the throne room. Usually she joined him for such meetings, but she wouldn't be expected to do so again until she was married. Now that she was engaged, her primary responsibility other than tending the shield was to plan her wedding. But after what had happened in Ville-Tokki, coupled with her father's admission that there had been other attempted attacks, she couldn't afford to take a step back.
"Why did you send the royal guard to Ville-Saseum yesterday morning?"
The king's expression clouded, but he didn't slow down. "Your grandmother sent a rider late the evening before last with word of a breach in Ville-Tokki. "He sounded slightly winded, but she knew it was due to frustration rather than poor fitness. Her father trained with the retired guards daily. "Kors and his men were supposed to escort you there mid-morning, then bring you safely home. But we were informed that you left in a hurry."
He turned his nose down at her, a critical glint in his dark eyes. But there was affection there as well, and genuine concern. These last five years, Alori had become an excellent judge of her father's moods.
"You shouldn't rush into battle so brazenly, Ali. That demon managed to silence your magic because we let down our guard. You nearly died because of my oversight." He paused at the top of the staircase, pressing his calloused musician's fingertips to her cheek. "Please be more careful in the future, I'm begging you. If your magic is ever affected again, don't keep it a secret from those who could help you." He gently pinched her jaw. "I don't know what I would do if I lost you, too."
Alori closed her eyes, allowing his words to sink in. She thought of the female guard Dantalion killed. That woman might still be alive if she'd acted with greater foresight.
"I'm sorry. I made rash choices, I know that."
"You were also clever. You outsmarted an old and powerful demon. I'm proud of you." He gifted her with a rare, wry smile. "But my brave, fearless girl, you must never do anything like that again. Ever. Swear to me you won't."
"I swear." And she meant it. From now on, she'd do her best to honor her promise. Too many people could be left hurting if she failed.
Besides, she wasn't fearless. Not even a little.
"Thank you." He patted her arm and started down the winding stairs.
"Father, wait. There's one more thing." He turned back expectantly, his hand anchored around the polished banister. Alori straightened her spine. "Hamoni didn't tell me about the rider. I wasn't informed about the breach until yesterday morning, when I walked in on a meeting in Tomso's office. They both claimed the breach was minor and nothing to worry about. I only rushed to Ville-Tokki after realizing that Thelix was dangerous. Had I not done that, he might have done even more damage."
"You've always had good intuition, Alori. No one knew what was going on under our noses at the Conservatory, or that the shieldmage had been murdered and their back-up shield nullified." The muscles in his jaw stood out in relief against his stubbled cheek. "It turned out the man had a young family. I'm sending reparations to his widow, and have made inquiries to assure she's gainfully employed."
"That's good." Alori tried to remember the shieldmage's name. She was sure someone had mentioned it, but the memory was lost. Hopefully his widow and children would be all right. "We also need to send a summons to the patrollers who helped me destroy Dantalion. They should be recognized for their contribution."
The king nodded. "I agree. For now, why don't you go check in with the menders? They were asking after you before lunch. Your bard friend woke up."
"He did?"
Alori's heart skipped a beat.
Why did the menders want to see her– had Yuka told them about the mind-meld?
"I'll head right over." She hoped her father couldn't sense her growing dread. "May we speak again this evening?"
"Mhmm. By then I'll have sat down with your fiancé. It's nice to finally put a face to the mysterious composer who won my daughter's heart and had her racing off to discover his identity before the law required it of her." A playful expression mellowed his sharp, aquiline features. "I'll let you know what I think of the lad."
"I'm sure you will."
Alori had no doubt her father would approve of Taelan. But if he thought she was nervous about the interview, she wouldn't persuade him otherwise. The last thing she needed was for him to find out about her fever-dream with Yuka, and kick the convalescing bard out of the palace before he was fully recovered.
"I want to talk about what I mentioned last night." She didn't think she needed to remind him what she was referring to, Dantalion's claim that the Ville-Realms had once belonged to demonkind.
The amusement in the king's eyes faded, his royal mask slipping back into place. "Whatever was said, it was a twisted version of the truth, if there was any truth to it. Dantalion was a pest and I'm glad he's been taken care of. I only wish you hadn't been involved."
"You know, father, at some point you'll have to let me become a leader. I'll be coronated in less than two years."
"Must you remind me so often?" He retraced his steps, pulling her into his arms. His chin rested on the crown of her head, his voice becoming wobbly. "You're so much like your mother, lovely and stubborn as a stone. I wish she were here to guide you in ways I can't."
"Me too," Alori whispered.
On the rare occasions when her father became sentimental, it was hard not to cry along with him.
"I love you, Papa."
"I love you too, Ali. We can have that talk after supper. Don't let me forget."
She lingered at the top of the mezzanine until her nerves won out. The only choice left was whether to descend like her father had, or retreat. Staircases had always seemed symbolic, and the palace was abundant with them. Right now, each step required more courage than Alori felt capable of mustering, but she'd surprised herself before and knew that she could do it again.
Yuka was awake, and Taelan had to be wondering where she was. Her time for procrastination had run out.