Chapter Thirteen
Among those who stood in the crowd were Philippa, Odelia, and Clarice. Maddox looked at me from the platform with barely concealed surprise. He was probably wondering what the nervous wreck of a tutor was doing here yelling at everyone.
“Stop,” I said, panting with my hands on my knees. “The nymph is innocent!”
Cicero, the emissary with greying hair and a severe grimace, stepped forward from the platform. “And what caused you to have this conclusion?
My only proof was what Nezira had told me. How could I prove the mere words of a nymph? Would people believe me on the pretense of what Nezira said?
Then it hit me. Of course they wouldn’t believe me. I wasn’t supposed to be capable of talking to nymphs in the first place!
But I had come all this way—I wasn’t going to back down now. So I improvised.
“She was forced to sing,” I told him as I walked through the crowd, which parted like I was plagued with an infectious disease. “Didn’t you see the chains that bound her feet at the banquet? It wasn’t her fault!” Nezira’s expression was that of surprise as she caught my gaze. She never expected me to go this far. Heck, I never expected me to go this far. “You can’t kill her simply because she was forced into a decision in which she had no control over. It’s wrong. Aria is a just and merciful kingdom that had an equally just king!”
The crowd came to a stunned silence—whether it was from what I said or my horrid appearance, I didn’t know. I caught Titus’ gaze, but quickly looked away. Odelia left her position next to the platform and stalked over to me. “Ms. Brackenbury, you have no place to say that,” she said with a ferocity that would have scared me had I not been too exhausted to feel fear. Odelia grabbed my arm. “Leave at once. This nymph assisted in the murder of one of the royal family members.”
I yanked my arm out of her grasp and stared at her shocked face in defiance. “No, I do have a place to say this. It’s perfectly obvious that the dryad is innocent.” I looked at Cicero, who narrowed his eyes at me. “What would you do if you were forced into a situation where you would be killed immediately if you didn’t do what you were told?” I glanced at the citizens surrounding me, clutching my hands to keep them from shaking. “Aria is better than this. We don’t send innocents to unjust deaths, whether they are human or not. Do you have such prejudice against magical creatures that you would sentence any creature to death?” I couldn’t believe the words escaping my mouth. I knew I would regret this false mask of bravery in the future.
Sweat beaded upon my brow as Cicero frowned at me. He had been down in the prison—he was the one who had spearheaded the nymph’s execution. But he was only Odelia’s emissary. What business did he have in ordering the guards around? I saw his hands clench into tightly balled fists. “Ms. Brackenbury, I know how you feel—”
“No,” I interrupted him. “You don’t. None of you do.” I knew what he was going to say, but I would not stand for rejection. If I had to be imprisoned, then so be it. I would not let Nezira die without trying to save her. “This nymph is innocent. Your Majesty.” I turned to Philippa, knowing that I was putting her into a difficult position. I would apologize to her later. That is, if my nervous system didn’t implode on itself before I got the chance to speak with her. “You told me that the nymph’s fate had not yet been decided. What brought about this sudden change?”
Philippa’s expression was conflicted. She put a hand to her forehead as she spoke, “Lannie, I… We decided this shortly afterward. The council came to an agreement that immediate action must be taken.”
I knew that I was on the losing side. Aria had a natural prejudice against magical creatures—they were the cause of the previous king’s death, after all. But I had to try.
“Why?” I challenged. “Isn’t the jester far more dangerous? He actually tried to kill Titus. And almost succeeded. And you all know what happened with the jester’s assistant and Fallon.” The crowd began to murmur as I continued, “This nymph was forced into the situation. You saw the shackles on her ankles when she walked into that banquet hall. It’s because she is a slave.” I looked specifically at the Royals and Cicero. “You cannot kill her under this pretense.”
Titus stepped forward. Although he had been silent until now, he spoke with a confidence that I admired. “I think we should investigate the situation more,” he said, glancing at me, “and see if what Lannie says is true. I agree that it would not be right if the nymph were executed under false terms.”
Cicero’s face turned every shade of red imaginable before he sighed defeat. He turned and bowed his head to Philippa. “What do you say, Your Majesty?”
A veil of silence covered the crowd. The queen paused a long moment in clear hesitation. I held my breath, waiting anxiously for her decision. Finally, she nodded, and I released my breath before I passed out. “Let it be done.” Philippa turned to the Captain of the Guard. “Maddox, return the nymph to her cell. Lannie,” she said to me with a firm look, “come with me.”
Despite the feeling that everyone was ready to murder me, a small feeling of triumph overtook me as Nezira was freed from the guillotine.
But when she looked at me, her look was not filled with gratitude.
It was filled with anger.
————————
“I can’t believe you told my mother off like that!” Clarice whispered excitedly as we walked behind Philippa. "She looked SO angry when you yanked your arm away."
Now that I had done my heroic act of lunacy, I kept asking myself, Why am I such an idiot?
“Clarice,” Philippa said over her shoulder, “I never asked you to accompany us. You too, Titus.”
I glanced behind me to see Titus trailing after us. I snorted. It was just like him to be so far in the background as to not be noticeable.
“Please, Philippa,” Clarice whined. “I won’t do any harm! I just want to hear the whole story of what happened to Lannie.” She turned to me with sudden curiosity. “What did happen to you, Lannie?” she asked, looking pointedly at the blood and dirt that caked my clothing.
I sighed in exasperation. The only thing clean about me was my mother’s pendant tucked firmly within my tousled blonde bun. There was no way they would believe me if I told them the truth. Besides, I was too exhausted from the nymph-freeing experience; I wouldn’t be able to tell them even if I wanted to. Instead, I just said, “Long story.”
“Wow, if you’re speaking in sentence fragments, then you really must be tired,” the red-haired girl remarked in amusement.
I glared at her. Clarice grinned happily, but it vanished when Titus joined us. “I’d like to say something, Mother, if I may,” he said.
Philippa raised her hand in silent approval for him to continue.
“Why do you think the nymph is innocent?” Titus asked me, eyeing at me with genuine interest.
There was no avoiding it now, even if I was exhausted. But that was a question I didn’t want to answer. What would they think if I said I could talk to nymphs? The day I first traveled to the castle staggered across my memory. “Because of the shackles, of course. I met her earlier in the Lower Quarter. She was in the possession of a slave trader.”
Titus didn’t look entirely convinced. I could never convince this prince of anything, it seemed. “Sure. Okay, then what happened to you to make you look”—he indicated to my dirtied clothes and bloody, ripped trousers—“like this?”
“I’m trying out a new style. I call it the rugged look.”
Titus chuckled and shook his head, but Clarice was obviously unamused. “Seriously, Lannie. What happened?”
“I got lost somewhere in the castle and fell down a couple of times,” I explained. It was true, although I didn’t think they would believe it. Especially when half of my leg was soaked in water.
“Titus, Clarice, I need to speak to Lannie alone,” Philippa said as she stopped at a familiar door. It was Clarice’s study room.
Titus sighed and nodded. “Very well. Goodbye, Lannie.” He waved a hand and trotted off in the other direction.
Clarice harrumphed in frustration and left without a word.
“Shall we?” Philippa opened the door to the lesson chamber.
I entered the room. A certain part of me was scared to death as I tried to think of what Philippa could possibly want to talk to me about.
————————
The cool air flowed in from the open window into the lesson room. Philippa and I sat in silence at the small table, watching the peaceful activity of the castle courtyard as people bustled to and fro.
“Your mother would be proud,” Philippa finally said.
That was not what I had expected. “Excuse me?”
She smiled warmly. Although she had clearly been miffed earlier, that countenance was now gone as she studied me. “Helena would have been so proud of what you did today. Standing up for what was right. I want to sincerely apologize to you, Lannie.” The queen bowed her head. “It was wrong of me to rush into that decision because I was pressured to do so. I had not considered that the nymph could have been forced into that situation.”
I nodded awkwardly. Having the Queen of Aria bow her head to you was disconcerting, but having her apologize to you? It made me want to crawl under a rock of embarrassment.
“But I am curious, Lannie,” she said as she rubbed a silver bangle around her wrist, “as to how you came upon this information. I know the realization that this nymph was innocent did not come to you immediately. You are not the type of person to jump into things like that.” Philippa folded her hands in her lap, waiting for my reply.
Should I tell her? “That…” I sighed. Philippa was no danger to me, and I knew she wouldn’t think me insane if I explained the situation. Or maybe she would. Either way, I decided to tell her. “I met the nymph through a series of happenings,” I said, avoiding the delicate issue of the guard’s possession. “I don’t know how, but she was able to speak to me. She didn’t say that she was forced to sing at the banquet, but she said she had no choice in the matter.” I remembered Nezira's hesitancy at telling me who the culprit was. “I think someone was controlling her actions. She said she would be killed if she didn’t do what she was told.”
Philippa sat back in her chair. Unexpectedly, a look of understanding crossed her face. “I see.”
The silence that resulted was nearly unbearable. Philippa seemed to be thinking. “Er. Philippa?”
She shook her head and smiled at me. “I will look into the matter. Would you go with me to interview the nymph?”
I held my hands up. “Wait, you believe me?”
“Yes,” she said. “Why would you lie to me?”
I considered her question. “You have a point. But Nezira can’t tell me anything. She’d be in danger.”
“Nezira? The nymph? Well, that does pose a problem.” Philippa rubbed her chin in thought.
I wanted to relay to Philippa what Nezira told me: The threat is closer than you think. I wanted to tell her that the enemy was most likely inside the castle. That it was probably someone very close to the royal family. But I couldn’t. Something inside of me squirmed at the thought. Would the queen quickly deem Nezira as a liar? Would that hasten her decision to send Nezira to the guillotine once again? I hadn’t known the queen for long, but humans were utterly unpredictable. Behind that kind, gentle face of hers, Philippa could actually be unyielding and cruel. The human heart was not something that could be trusted, especially my own.
“I’d rather you not reveal this to anyone, Lannie,” the queen said, jolting me out of my thoughts. “Don’t mention the fact that you can speak to nymphs. That would undoubtedly cause unrest among the council if they knew.”
I nodded. So she believed me after all. Or she just didn’t want me to share my insanity with the entire castle. “Is there any particular reason why I can speak to nymphs?” I asked, as if the queen possessed the answer to my oddity. “It doesn’t make sense. Didn’t you say that communication was barred completely between humans and magical creatures?”
Philippa took a moment to answer as she pondered my question. “I can only assume it’s because your mother had the same ability.”
“My mother?” I stared at her in confusion. How was that possible? “But why was she able to communicate with them?”
“That’s…rather hard to explain. But you’ve been in the dark for far longer than Helena intended. I don’t believe there’s any harm in telling you.” She took a deep breath, as if what she was about to say was weighty and dangerous. “It’s because—” Philippa was cut off by a knocking at the door. “Come in!”
Cicero opened the door. A man of medium height, he had a square jaw and a mouth that always seemed set into a grimace. Somehow, he reminded me of a sour, rotten pickle that had been sitting too long in vinegar. “Your Majesty,” he said, “I know this is sudden, but…” The emissary gave me a hesitant glance—or was that a glare? “May I speak to you alone? It concerns His Majesty.”
King Gavin?
Philippa looked at me, her eyebrows drawn in worry. “I see. Lannie, I do hate to ask you, but could you—”
“I’m on it.” I stood up, brushing some of the dust from my trousers. I shivered. My appearance was that of a common tramp. I looked terrible. And in the presence of Queen Philippa, on top of that. “Will we talk later, Phil— Your Majesty?” I coughed awkwardly, covering the mishap. Cicero gave me a keen look, but said nothing.
“Does a garden walk sound appealing to you? Tomorrow evening?”
I nodded in affirmation as I turned to exit. “No pond, though.”
The queen smiled that warm and gentle smile which always brought memories of Mother to my mind. “No pond.”
————————
All I wanted was take a bath at my house and escape embarrassment.
Titus, on the other hand, never seemed to understand anything about women. At all.
“Lannie!” I froze at the call of my name. The exit to the castle presented itself enticingly before me. My one escape.
I turned to see Titus De Luca jogging into the entrance hall. He was out of breath when he stopped in front of me. I couldn’t gauge whether the look on his face was one of disbelief or happiness. Maybe a little of both. “I… My… You’ll never believe—”
“Spit it out! I want to take a bath!”
The prince glanced up at me, smiling slightly. “Ye—yeah. But…” He took a deep breath, regaining his composure. “My father has been found.”
I blinked. Once. Twice. “Say what?”
“My father—”
“I know that,” I snapped. I realized how irritated I sounded and lowered my voice. “How? Is he unharmed?”
Titus nodded. “Father is fine. He’s arriving here tomorrow. It seems that there was just a communication issue with the messengers.”
I let a sigh of relief escape my lips. A piece of my mind was put at rest again. Now I didn’t need to worry so much about what had happened in Nor to the king. Although there was something strange with Titus’ behavior. Even though I could see the relief in his eyes, I would have expected him to be happier at the news of his father. I shook my head and attempted a smile. “I’m glad, Titus.”
He smiled, although I couldn’t discern the origin of it. “Yeah…”
We stood there for at least ten seconds before I finally realized the awkward situation and coughed. “I better go. I have to take a bath.” I indicated to my filthy clothes; thankfully, I had the insight to borrow a cloak from Clarice. Although it was utterly royal and extravagant in appearance, it did its job.
He nodded. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“See you then.” I turned on my heel and exited the castle, raising my hand in farewell to the Crown Prince of Aria.