real father is. But I will be all right if we never do. We will always do what is best for her. It’s for her mother to decide.”
“Do you love your child?”
“I do not know her, but I care for her a great deal. That is my one true regret in this, that I cannot freely love her.”
“That’s so sad. I don’t know what I would do were our positions reversed.”
“Once you learn the cold ways of the court, you will see why I wish to keep her distant from it.” He squeezed her hand. “Part of me wants to keep you distant from it. You are so young and naïve in the way of things here.”
“That’s twice now you’ve called me naïve. I don’t like it,” she said with a frown. “I know more about the world than you think I do.”
“We shall see what you know,” he said with a thoughtful smile. “And though I find you naive…” She gave him a dirty look and he hurried on. “…I find you to have an inner strength that is compelling. You are very brave, to beard the lion in his den,” he said, waving a hand to encompass the castle before them. “And you are honest to a fault. Both qualities I find I like in a woman.”
“My king!” a loud female voice announced from ahead of them. Suddenly Gersa appeared on the path. She was on the arm of a young man Sarea did not know. They both bowed gracefully. Gersa eyed Sarea a long moment. “It seems we had the same idea. The gardens are lovely today, are they not?” Gersa said, her manner all elegance and charm.
“I find them exceptionally beautiful today,” the king said, looking at her as he did so. Sarea flushed. It was one thing to accept his compliments in private, but in front of others…?
Gersa’s smile faded a little then she brightened again. “I hear we are to have a masque! How exciting. Please let me be the first to claim the first dance with you, my king,” Gersa said.
“Apologies,” he said shortly. “For Sarea has already claimed me for the first two dances.”
Sarea felt all the color drain from her face. She stiffened on his arm and he felt it. He looked at her curiously and she looked away.
“If you will excuse us, Sarea’s mother awaits her,” the king said, moving to step around the couple.
“Oh do let Goddrick take her,” Gersa said patting her escort’s arm. “That way you and I can enjoy the gardens together a while longer.”
“No, I thank you,” the king said firmly. “I took her away from her mother and so I shall return her to her. As is good manners. And I am nothing if not polite. A skill many in my court could stand to learn.”
The king gave the couple a curt nod and then led Sarea away. As they climbed up to the terrace he asked her, “Have I done something wrong?”
“Oh. N-no. N-not really,” she stammered.
He stopped, pulled her into the shadows and tipped her face up to his.
“We have a pact you and I. We are to be wholly honest with one another…whether the other person wants to hear it or not.”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” She sighed as a blush crept over her cheeks. “I cannot dance. I most certainly cannot dance in front of others and here you have told her that I must dance the first dance with you! You who everyone will be watching! And not just one dance but two!”
“But all young noblewomen can dance. They practically live for dances. Look at how eager your friends are to put on the masque.”
“My tutors tried to teach me, but my feet never went in the right direction! I could never remember all of those complicated steps to all of those intricate dances. Well, I remember the gliding one. That one is pretty and simple. Perhaps we can just do the glide. Although I do tend to trip over my own feet. Oh why did you have to tell her that we would be dancing!”
“Because we will be dancing,” he said, calm in the face of her frazzled nerves. “And you will be beautiful and graceful and perfectly lovely as you do it.”
“But I can’t--!”
Whatever else she was
“Do you love your child?”
“I do not know her, but I care for her a great deal. That is my one true regret in this, that I cannot freely love her.”
“That’s so sad. I don’t know what I would do were our positions reversed.”
“Once you learn the cold ways of the court, you will see why I wish to keep her distant from it.” He squeezed her hand. “Part of me wants to keep you distant from it. You are so young and naïve in the way of things here.”
“That’s twice now you’ve called me naïve. I don’t like it,” she said with a frown. “I know more about the world than you think I do.”
“We shall see what you know,” he said with a thoughtful smile. “And though I find you naive…” She gave him a dirty look and he hurried on. “…I find you to have an inner strength that is compelling. You are very brave, to beard the lion in his den,” he said, waving a hand to encompass the castle before them. “And you are honest to a fault. Both qualities I find I like in a woman.”
“My king!” a loud female voice announced from ahead of them. Suddenly Gersa appeared on the path. She was on the arm of a young man Sarea did not know. They both bowed gracefully. Gersa eyed Sarea a long moment. “It seems we had the same idea. The gardens are lovely today, are they not?” Gersa said, her manner all elegance and charm.
“I find them exceptionally beautiful today,” the king said, looking at her as he did so. Sarea flushed. It was one thing to accept his compliments in private, but in front of others…?
Gersa’s smile faded a little then she brightened again. “I hear we are to have a masque! How exciting. Please let me be the first to claim the first dance with you, my king,” Gersa said.
“Apologies,” he said shortly. “For Sarea has already claimed me for the first two dances.”
Sarea felt all the color drain from her face. She stiffened on his arm and he felt it. He looked at her curiously and she looked away.
“If you will excuse us, Sarea’s mother awaits her,” the king said, moving to step around the couple.
“Oh do let Goddrick take her,” Gersa said patting her escort’s arm. “That way you and I can enjoy the gardens together a while longer.”
“No, I thank you,” the king said firmly. “I took her away from her mother and so I shall return her to her. As is good manners. And I am nothing if not polite. A skill many in my court could stand to learn.”
The king gave the couple a curt nod and then led Sarea away. As they climbed up to the terrace he asked her, “Have I done something wrong?”
“Oh. N-no. N-not really,” she stammered.
He stopped, pulled her into the shadows and tipped her face up to his.
“We have a pact you and I. We are to be wholly honest with one another…whether the other person wants to hear it or not.”
“It’s not that. It’s just…” She sighed as a blush crept over her cheeks. “I cannot dance. I most certainly cannot dance in front of others and here you have told her that I must dance the first dance with you! You who everyone will be watching! And not just one dance but two!”
“But all young noblewomen can dance. They practically live for dances. Look at how eager your friends are to put on the masque.”
“My tutors tried to teach me, but my feet never went in the right direction! I could never remember all of those complicated steps to all of those intricate dances. Well, I remember the gliding one. That one is pretty and simple. Perhaps we can just do the glide. Although I do tend to trip over my own feet. Oh why did you have to tell her that we would be dancing!”
“Because we will be dancing,” he said, calm in the face of her frazzled nerves. “And you will be beautiful and graceful and perfectly lovely as you do it.”
“But I can’t--!”
Whatever else she was
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