He was not always like this. He had just started acting strange the past year. She would find him muttering to himself, pacing across his throne room like an anxious pup. There was something bothering him these days, but he would not tell her what it was, and when she pleaded for Kevaan to ask him, he told her that it was just normal problems of state that plagued any king.
She knew that Kevaan was wrong, but if both of them refused to see what was really happening, they would never listen to her. She was a woman after all, and although Kevaan respected her and her opinions, she knew that he would never allow her to get involved in things that only men should deal with.
Kevaan, even as much as he doted on her, still saw her as a silly girl who doodled instead of studied and rode horses like a man instead of sidesaddle which was proper.
She was educated. She could read and write, and that was only because Kevaan had allowed it to happen, mostly behind his father’s back while he was too busy to notice. She understood the laws of the land and how the realm was supposed to work. The king held the seat over the provinces, and the dukes and earls held seats over their villages and cities. But she was seeing things that did not make sense in the order of things. The Duke of Xenos, for instance, in the south western corner of Aelethia, owned more land than anyone felt he deserved but won over her father with his meticulous accounting. She knew, however, that Fallon had a cunning tongue, and he was able to smooth talk his way through most things. She had had the awful pleasure of meeting him once, and he was no one she wanted to deal with again. He could flatter and compliment, but his eyes held a menace that made her shudder. He was evil, she knew it, but proving it would be impossible.
She had heard more disturbing accounts today in town, but she would keep them to herself until she was sure she could prove them. Her father would never believe they were more than just rumors. If only he would ride his countryside more often, he would see what was happening and maybe he could deal with them.
She rode under the arched entrance just as the guards were lowering the gate for the night. She galloped into the bailey and dismounted, handing her reins to a stable boy who came out to greet her.
The Captain of the Guard, Gerard Rainer, stepped in front of her and frowned. “Being outside the castle walls without escort, Your Highness, is against the rules.”
She glared at him. “Who are you to recite the rules to me?”
“I’m the Captain of the king’s guard, and I’m here to protect the king and his family, and that includes you, Melenthia. I cannot do so when you sneak off without permission.”
“What I do or where I go is none of your concern. I will do what I feel is necessary for the people of this kingdom. I have a duty to them, to hear their concerns and needs and report them to my father. I must be out among them to do that.”
“I do not fault you for your dedication to the people of this realm, Your Highness, but on your lack of judgment. You can do your duty with armed escort.”
She had her hands on her hips now and was scowling at him. “Are we done?”
“For the moment.”
She growled and turned on her heel, stalking away. Tomas, the new young squire in the guard, saw her heading for the front door into the castle and stopped her in mid-stride.
“Coming home a bit late again, Your Highness?”
“I lost track of time, if it’s any business of yours.”
She liked Tomas. He was handsome and funny, and he always covered for her whenever she came in late, or came home from somewhere she should not have been. Unlike Gerard, he understood her need for freedom. She knew she would get an earful from her father about the late hour of her return, and she already heard it from Gerard. She did not want to hear it from him as well.
“I don’t see an escort coming back with you. Perhaps you left him behind on the road when he could not keep up.”
“I don’t need an escort. I’m perfectly able to protect myself.”
“Aye, that is true, Your Highness, but it’s best if your father knows otherwise.”
“I’m sure Gerard has already told him.”
“Perhaps, but it would be best if we pretended we didn’t know that.”
She smiled at his implication. “Well then, did you enjoy your ride into town, Squire Tomas?”
“Quite, Your Highness. ‘Twas a fine day to be out and about.”
She smiled at him, and he smiled back. He would cover for her. Again. She started to head up the stairs but he cleared his throat. “I believe His Majesty is in his sitting room at this moment. It would probably be best if he was not disturbed.”
She caught his meaning and turned instead and went in the rear door through the kitchen. He called to her again. “I believe there is a trencher waiting in your room. I’m sure, Your Highness, that you are famished after your long ride.”
She smiled again. He had gone so far as to get a servant to bring supper to her room, knowing that in her father’s ire, he would demand she go straight upstairs, that dinner was over.
“As you were, Squire Tomas.”
He bowed to her and went back to his gate post. She went into the kitchen and trotted up the back stairs. Her father was waiting for her at the top. Busted.
“You missed dinner again, Melenthia. Where have you been?”
“In town, father. I have been talking to the citizens of Kingswell about how they are faring these days. I lost track of the hour.”
“That is the third time this month you have left this castle without escort and been late coming in.”
She became a bit rebellious. “I’m not a child anymore, father. I am perfectly capable of coming and going by myself. Besides, I did have escort. Tomas was with me.”
“Do not take me for a fool, Melenthia. I know Tomas likes you and covers for you often. If only you could charm a baron or a count so easily.”
She frowned. “If men of nobility were so easily charmed then I wouldn’t have a problem, but they only see what they want.”
“You are a lovely young woman, Melenthia. I wish you’d act more like a lady.” He looked down at her attire, then at her wind blown hair. “Look at you, you look like a ruffian.”
“I don’t need the pomp and circumstance that my station requires to know who I am. I have opinions and feelings, and I should not be brushed aside as if I were nothing. I am not some giddy child who follows around a handsome face like a love-sick puppy.”
“All this nonsense comes from education. Your brother had you study behind my back. Just one more thing he chose to do without my consent.”
“Maybe he felt it was important for me to know how my world works in order to understand the people in it. I’m able to help if you’d just give me a chance.”
“They are not your people, Melenthia, they are mine. I have Kevaan to help me in the affairs of state. It’s not for you.”
She scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “What did mother do? Sit next to you and look pretty; a rose and her thorn. Did she not help make decisions to shape the kingdom that she shared in?”
“She was my wife, yes, and there were certain things she understood, but she didn’t overstep her bounds. She knew when to speak up and when to remain quiet, a skill you have yet to emulate. She didn’t parade around the kingdom in the open and make promises to the people that she could not fulfill. You just don’t understand the responsibilities that I have, Melenthia.”
“Yes, father, I do.