"As long as I have breath in my body, he has not!"
Xavier felt his heart swell with pride when he heard those words. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Charlotte had had to grow up so much in the last few days alone. He wondered where the little girl had gone, the one who used to trail her father to council meetings. The young princess who was awkward and self-conscious.
He had barely blinked and she had grown into a queen.
Their age gap weighed heavily on his mind. He could recall vividly the day she had been introduced to the Frahadrain council. She was barely eight, her dark hair in ringlets about her chubby face. She had almost tripped as she attempted a curtsey.
He could still see her embarrassed face, could hear his own ringing laughter. He had felt the need from that day onwards to challenge her at every turn, to pick apart her every argument. Many said that he had made a sport out of it and his younger self would have boasted of the times when he had verbally defeated the Crown Princess of Frahadry.
But it went deeper than that. She was too protected. So much so that many could never see the silent strength that Charlotte possessed. Xavier knew from that first awkward curtsey-where she had refused her father's help and had righted herself on her own-that she didn't need protecting. She needed a challenge and he had issued one with his mocking laughter.
The little princess had answered admirably, with her head high executing a perfect curtsey the second time around.
A small smile stretched across his features but he was pulled from his thoughts by someone calling his name.
"Xavier," Hayden hissed, "are we going to stand here all night, or are we going to go in?"
"Quite!" He threw over his shoulder as he righted his dark jacket before motioning for Falin to raise the tent-flap.
Three pair of female eyes riveted on him but he ignored them and made his way to one of the side tables that held the liquor.
"Sister dearest, you need to stock up on better wine," Xavier said nonchalantly, pouring himself a glass of the red liquid.
"I do apologise, younger brother. Kindly do inform me beforehand next time you intend to host a war meeting and I'll buy up the best product from Garshail." He heard her sister's sarcasm-laced voice reply.
He rolled his eyes and took a large gulp from his glass. He needed the liquid fire to fuel him through the meeting. Especially after his dramatic exit earlier.
Xavier grimaced from the sharp aftertaste and was careful to pick up the glass in his uninjured hand. After brushing off the broken shards, he had made a makeshift bandage as the cuts weren't too deep.
He flexed his bandaged hand and turned around only to find familiar dark brown eyes assessing him with worry.
"Are you alright?" the princess asked, motioning towards his hand.
"I'm fine," he spat out as he took a chair across from his sister at the head of the table. Xavier regretted how cold he sounded and he noticed how closed off Charlotte's expressive face became.
He didn't want to push her away, rather quite the opposite. Nothing would make him happier than spiriting her away to a land without war where she would be safe, and more importantly, his.
But just as he had known instinctively that the little clumsy princess in the council room didn't need his help, he knew now that she wouldn't be happy with such a life. Charlotte was born to be a queen. And besides, with Avon after her would she ever truly be safe?
The fear gnawed on his insides. The fear of losing her. The fear of failing. Xavier took another generous sip from his glass and steeled his nerves. He would help Charlotte win back her kingdom. He would keep her safe. And if her crown came at the cost of his happiness, so be it.
"Let's carefully analyse our problem and see what solutions are open to us." Xavier rubbed his chin and looked around the table at his company.
The fair-haired Vida leaned forward on her arms and said, "As I was saying before you barged in, Diego isn't our only enemy on this land."
"I agree," Hayden spoke up from his seat to his right. "When Gideon challenged Charlotte, not one member of court stepped forward in her defence."
"Taking back the throne then won't be enough." Ari said.
"We need to reestablish her authority." He finished.
"How is the important question." Vida added.
"We can't look to our neighbours for assistance. One kingdom is the cause of all our problems." Xavier mused out loud.
"But the other might be willing to help." Hayden said as he suddenly got to his feet and left the tent in a hurry.
"What was that about?" Vida asked him.
"How should I know?" He leaned back in his chair trying to tackle the problem from a different mindset.
Silence descended upon all of them as they waited for Hayden to return. Xavier found his eyes unintentionally being drawn to the princess. She hadn't said much, nothing at all, and he wondered what she was thinking.
Charlotte was sitting up straight, her eyes focused on her hands resting atop the table, looking seemingly lost. But he of all people was well-acquainted with that look.
That slight crease between her brows, the set of her jaw. Her mind was working. Good, it'll keep her distracted from her recent loss.
Too much had happened in little more than two days and the guilt at having not been there made his insides churn. The King was a good man. Xavier would miss him for his booming laughter and sound advice. For his misplaced jokes and fierce loyalty. He had loved Frahadry and it's people even if he hadn't been born to this land.
"Ari?"
He blinked twice to find that Charlotte had turned slightly to face his sister. Marissa waved for the princess to continue.
"I'm supposing that the rebels have an army, a fighting force of sorts."
"Yes, but we aren't very well equipped. The number of our fighting men would be almost the size of your royal guard. We have a few ships as well but none worthy of battle." Ari answered.
So little. Xavier had feared as such but the sting of disappointment was only partly dulled by the alcohol in his system.
"But they are loyal men and very resourceful." Vida added.
"And they are at your service," his sister smiled at Charlotte.
"They are?" Vida asked incredulously.
He heard a loud thump under the table that sounded suspiciously like a kick. The leader of the eastern rebels threw his sister a dirty look before forcing a smile and saying, "they are."
Charlotte bowed her head in gratitude and a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "I'm grateful. How far is Darley from here?"
"Half a day's journey south-west." Xavier answered,wondering what Charlotte wanted with the small, quiet village of Darley.
"How much do you know of Lord Fitzroy's disappearance?"
The princess hadn't turned to him while asking the question, but he knew it was for him. He was the White's inside informant after all.
"Not much. Only that there has been no communication for awhile."
"I don't understand how you misplace an army." Vida asked no one in particular.
He heard another thump from under the table and before Vida could scold Ari, Charlotte spoke up, "The Frahadrian army is one unit. The land and naval forces are all under Lord Fitzroy of Garshail. They have their bases in the western edge of the kingdom. No trees grow there, no mountain as as far as the eye can see, the weather is harsh and water scarce. The perfect conditions, my father used to say, to train an army. New recruits are sent to other parts of Frahadry as well for training, but for the most part the army is camped in and around Garshail, our last city to the west."
"I can't imagine why," Xavier said as he swirled the remaining red liquid in his glass. What he wouldn't give to have Garshalian wine in his system right about now.
Charlotte ignored him and continued, "A few months ago a large unit was dispatched and was heading to Havsham. I don't know why. Father never told me. But along the way, near Darley, all communication stopped. That is natural enough, only that it has been over a month. Father sent Jadus to see what has happened. They couldn't find a single trace of the army. The ones that had been left behind at Garshail were also suddenly missing. The naval unit deployed to the eastern seas are likewise nowhere to be found."
Xavier's was trying to process the information Charlotte had just shared with them. He couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. He had considered himself a close advisor to the late King, yet he wasn't aware that the situation was this dire.
Vida seemed shell-shocked. In his correspondence to the rebels, he had told them what he knew. And it seemed he knew very little. They hadn't even been aware that a unit had been heading towards Havsham!
But why? What did the king fear? He knew of Avon's hold over the Whites but he also knew that Lethe could bypass most orders. Did King Maxim know that Avon would get desperate and send his own people?
He closed his eyes as he thought over every recent interaction he had had with King Maxim.
"He knew."
Xavier wasn't aware that he had spoken out loud until his sister's voice reached his ears, "What are you talking about?"
"The king knew this was going to happen. Or at least had an inkling." Xavier levelled his gaze on Charlotte, "do you remember Simon? He was one of Diego's staunchest followers. An unnecessary casualty. We weren't aware Diego would attempt to plant deathtraps in the king's own study."
"Foolish really," Vida scoffed. "It would never have worked."
"It wasn't supposed to work. It was a warning." Xavier continued. "when I brought the case to the King, I told him how Lethe had nothing to do with this. He asked me to take the case to you, Charlotte. To see how you would handle it. He explicitly told me to give you the bare minimum facts. Then the rebel meeting in the PureBorn Inn. It was staged for the benefit of the royal guard. We wanted to get Damon to be more cautious. As Diego proved, Lethe didn't have full control over all of the rebels. The king had me write an anonymous note to you as well."
"The note was from you?" Charlotte asked, sounding slightly breathless.
He nodded, "Rochelle went in your stead and I believe that was a wise choice. But we hadn't counted for Anastasia's meddling."
"What--" Charlotte stopped herself as realisation dawned, "the assassins. We assumed they were employed by Amberley. Graham had seen them taking orders from her."
Xavier almost felt sorry for how lost and dazed Charlotte seemed. But if they had to move forward, she needed to know everything.
"They were Anastasia's men, offered to princess Amberley to scare Rochelle. It was supposed to be another deadly warning except for Graham's rather timely interference."
"Good Queens above." Charlotte rubbed her face with her hands and leaned back in her chair. "It has always been connected. And Rochelle--"
The princess seemed unable to continue and Ari threw him an annoyed look. Xavier knew he would be getting a good scolding later. He hadn't meant to dump so much information on Charlotte but after she shared what she knew about Lord Fitzroy, he had wanted to take the upper hand again. He felt guilty but he knew that someone had to lay out the facts.
"It's alright, Charlotte." Ari said in a soothing tone.
"It isn't. Rochelle left for Caim."
"What?!" Vida almost jumped out of her chair in surprise. He would've laughed if he wasn't equally shocked.
"She wanted to prove that Graham and Daniel didn't have anything to do with Father's poisoning. I knew deep down that they didn't, but I needed someone to pin the blame on. Narcis planted in her mind the idea that Caim holds all our answers. She never could sit still so she left on her adventure. I suppose it was her way of dealing with things. She just wanted to be useful." Charlotte sounded defensive even to his surprised mind. He could tell she was worried for her cousin.
"Caim doesn't exist," Ari said softly.
"Then at least she should be safe. Diego has placed a personal target on her and I shudder to think what he would do--"
"I have a letter!" Hayden burst into the tent, holding out a piece of paper for Charlotte.
"Very good!" Vida said sarcastically, "you've just been demoted from a lord to a messenger. I'm sure it pays better and comes with benefits."
"More then I'm sure what a sneaky rebel is making these days." Hayden answered back.
Vida's reply was cut off by Charlotte coughing loudly and holding her hand out for the letter. Hayden passed it across the table and sat as far from Vida as he could.
Charlotte studied the seal with her brows drawn close. She took out the single sheaf inside and quickly scanned the contents.
"Where did you get this?" Charlotte looked up sharply at Hayden.
Xavier turned to his friend as well and found him to be scratching the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, I should've given it to you sooner. But I really just forgot. One of Damon's lieutenant helped Xavier and me get inside the castle. He gave this to me just as he was summoned back into the main hall. All he said was that the letter was from Prince Daniel."
Daniel? What did he want?
Everyone looked up as Charlotte got to her feet. She made her way with sure, measured steps to the burning iron brazier in the middle of the tent. Xavier was halfway out of his chair as his mind registered what she was about to do.
The moments seemed to crawl at a snail's pace but they were just too late to stop the princess. The letter was thrown into the embrace of the burning coals and was reduced to a mass of dark ashes in mere seconds.
"Why did you do that?" Vida demanded.
"Because we don't need his pity." Charlotte still hadn't turned around and her shadow seemed to stretch across the length of the tent.
"What did the letter say?" Ari asked as she raised a hand to stop Vida from saying whatever was on her tongue.
"He wanted to help. The letter asked for my forgiveness and his willingness to make, as he termed it, my time in the dungeons as comfortable as possible. He wouldn't have dared help me escape. He loves Anastasia too much to incur her wrath, wherever she may be."
"And the prince is no fool." Xavier felt it necessary to add. "He knows where the power lies at the moment, but he is also well aware that you wouldn't sit by while Diego rules from your throne."
"It was his way of establishing a middle ground. I must say I'm impressed." Ari said, leaning back in her chair. "Would his brother help? We could well use an army."
"King William made it clear when the accords were made that after the marriage, Daniel would cease to be a Weardomese prince and all his children shall have no right to William's throne. The brothers hold no love for each other and I don't think William would risk a war for his brother. Maybe he would care more for his sister, but Amberley has been sent back." Charlotte replied.
"Then we are right back where we started." Vida complained.
"Not necessarily." Charlotte turned towards them all and came to stand behind her chair but didn't sit down.
"What do you mean? What should we do?" Hayden asked.
"We head to Darley at first light."
"To find your missing army?" Vida asked, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Yes. We need Lord Fitzroy. Even if we manage to purge Havsham of Diego and his men, what shall we do if Avon decides to attack with his full force?"
"That is a valid point." Ari conceded.
Charlotte nodded her head at the rebel leader and continued, "The Jadus are missing as well. We don't have any leads in that regard. But we do know the last whereabouts of the Frahadrian army. And besides we have a head's start."
"What do you mean?" Ari leaned forward with interest.
Charlotte glance at him once resting both her hands on the wooden back of her chair. "Lord Aldvin might be correct in assuming that my father was aware of his approaching demise."
Xavier hadn't been aware when they had stopped using each other's formal titles, but to hear the princess address her so coldly seemed to send a dagger straight to his heart. A cold traitorous voice inside of him whispered that he deserved it.
"The people don't seem aware of the missing army until it is mentioned, hence father thought it best to keep it quiet." Charlotte continued. "He sent a contingent of the Royal guard to investigate discreetly. We should try to find them and see what they know."
"I think it's an excellent place to start." Ari declared. "The five of us should leave at first light with a small unit of our fighting men."
"What about everyone else?" Vida asked.
Xavier could see his sister consider her answer for a moment before she replied in her usual brisk and assured manner. "We'll send them back to their usual circuit. The Whites are in danger of discovery if stay in such a large group for much longer. We'll only take a small guard with us. It'll make travelling easier and faster. The rest of the rebel army can join us in Darley as soon as the villagers are seen off safely."
Vida didn't seem convinced. She turned towards the princess to ask, "I think it's a fool's errand. What makes you so sure the guards won't betray you?"
Charlotte met Vida's challenge unflinchingly and seemed to be biting back a smile. "I would like to retire for the night if we want to get an early start."
"I'll escort you." Hayden offered since Xavier wasn't going to.
The princess smiled and nodded before making her way to the exit. Right before she stepped out of the tent, she turned slightly towards them again. "And Vida, you don't need to worry about betrayal from the guards sent to Darley. I'm sure Damon would be glad to see us."
The tent flap heavily swung back into place behind Hayden and Charlotte, leaving behind a suffocating silence.
Xavier realised that the old King had hidden much more from him. As far as he had been aware the captain of the guards was in Kelna to see off princess Amberley. He closed his eyes in frustration as he suddenly realised that Kelna was on the way to Darley. It was a double mission which none of them had known about.
He wasn't looking forward to meeting Damon again. Especially not after how he had treated Charlotte tonight. He was afraid she would run right back to the captain now that the king was no longer there to stop them.
The silence lingered but Vida as always was the one to break it. "I like her. She has a lot of spark."
"She does, doesn't she?" Ari smiled and pulled a fresh piece of paper towards herself. "Vida, go round up Falin and Walden. We need to quickly give out orders and then get some rest."
As the fair-haired rebel left, Xavier was stranded alone with his sister.
"Don't," Xavier warned.
Ari didn't even look up from the letter she had been writing. "I haven't said anything."
"Yet," he mumbled under his breath and groaned as he realised his wineglass was empty.
His sister closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose, "I'm not going to reprimand you, Xavier. You are far too old for that. But I will give you some advice; do not rush into this. Things are far too complicated for that girl as it is and you are not making it easier."
"I haven't done anything." He feared he was sounding like a pouting child.
"Exactly," Ari said, "either pledge your love and loyalty to her or leave her alone. She knows she can trust you, that should be enough for the moment. If it is meant to be it will be. Do not rush it and make things emotionally difficult for her and for yourself. War is fast approaching, brother, and you will need your wits about yourself."
They fell into an uncomfortable silence which was punctuated by the scratching of Ari's quill. He unwrapped his bandaged hand and found his palm to be smooth once again. It still had the roughness to it after so many years of training, but the scars from the glass had been healed. He smiled bitterly as he realised that his sister's words made sense and that he couldn't share everything with Charlotte. Not yet.
He needed to let her go. But if it was meant to be, he knew she would find her way back to him.
•--------------•
A/N We just wanted to take a moment and thank everyone who has been following and supporting this book! It means the world to us! Thank you so much! We also have two announcements to make. Firstly, Forsaken Blood just won first place in Fantasy in the awards hosted by @/GalaxyBookContest and we couldn't be more excited or happier! Yayy! When we started this book we never thought it would be so well received! The second announcement is that we've decided to enter FB into the Watys this year and are keeping our fingers crossed! Anyway we hope you enjoyed this week's update! (Sorry it was a little late!) See you next time in 28(III) ;)