The Blind King Read Online Free Page B

added, “I’m not getting
any younger.”
    “How much of
Ra’jhou will we be taking?” Ivor asked, despite knowing the answer.
    “I won’t stop until
the entire realm is under my control,” Tyrol responded. “Nilan won’t be spared,
nor will any of his line. We can’t risk having sympathizers or false claims to
the throne. Perhaps I will let you see to this.”
    Ivor smirked. “I’d
be delighted. Maybe I’ll start with the woman in my chambers.”
    Tyrol waved
dismissively. “You may do what you wish with her once the war has begun. I care
not. For now, though, she must remain safe and in communication with her
family. They must believe she is well treated and content in her new home. We
can’t have Nilan thinking he needs to mount a rescue.” Tyrol laughed quietly at
the thought. He knew the Ra’jhouan army was substandard, and he intended to
exploit that weakness.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Aubriana stood on her balcony, staring out
over the sea. Her husband had visited her bed in the night, but there had been
no sign of romance. Without a word, he had performed his duties while she
fought back her tears. Her dreams of having a loving husband had been childish.
Reality came crashing down on her as he left her room. Their marriage was
doomed, and her future was uncertain. With luck, she would soon become pregnant
and give birth to a male heir, which might bring a smile to her husband’s face.
Perhaps then he would appreciate her.
    “My lady,” Shala said as she approached the
princess. “Your ladies in waiting are here.”
    “I haven’t chosen any,” Aubriana responded,
wrinkling her brow. With a sigh, she realized she would not be given a choice
in the matter. A queen of Ra’jhou would choose her own court, but the princess
of Na’zora would get what she was given. “Put a smile on your face, Shala,” she
said. “Let us have a cheerful first meeting.”
    Holding her head high, Aubriana strode inside to
her sitting room. Seven young ladies dressed in blue satin curtsied before her.
“Welcome,” she said. “I hope to know each of you well, and I hope we may all
know friendship.” If her husband would not show her affection, she would
instead strive for companionship among these ladies. Perhaps some of them would
become true friends. It was her only chance for a happy life in her new
surroundings.
    Shala handed Aubriana the embroidery she had
worked on in the carriage. It featured a bright red rose with deep green
leaves. The image gave Aubriana hope, and she smiled as she looked upon it. “I
would like my ladies to wear red roses pinned to their bodices,” she declared.
She may not have had a say in choosing her ladies, but she would tell them how
to dress and what duties to perform.
    The ladies looked to one another and smiled.
Apparently, the princess’s first command had pleased them. They took their
places on cushions around Aubriana’s high-backed chair.
    “Tell me stories of this land,” Aubriana said.
With a shy smile, she added, “Romantic ones.”
    The ladies giggled at first, but one of them
finally spoke. “I will tell you the tale of a knight and the maiden who stole
his heart.”
    Setting her embroidery aside, Aubriana leaned her
head on her hand. “I would love to hear it,” she said. Tales of love would have
to fill the void her unhappy marriage had created. Though the previous day had
brought nothing but disappointment, today brought her hope for the future.

Chapter 6
     
    F our months
passed as Efren and Ryshel enjoyed the freedom that came along with their
marriage. Ryshel was delighted that her husband had proved to be a kind-hearted
man, and they frequently discussed everything from history to politics. Though
women in Ra’jhou were not typically expected to be educated beyond pleasing
their husbands, Efren had given Ryshel credit for her sharp mind. She had not
spent her formative years in frivolity. Learning about government and the lands
around her had been a