Page 6 of The Moon Blessed King
Elician glares at her. His jaw is clenched, his nostrils flaring. ‘Queen Alenée had terms in the agreement she was to sign with your father that would have seen Gillage and Fenlia married.’
‘What?‘ Fen blurts out.
‘This war has gone on long enough. If we want it to stop, if we want to let our soldiers finallygo home, then we need to make amends and we need to form unbreachable alliances. And if we are to dothat, then I will satisfy the spirit of her intention and marry the true heir of Alelune in penance. Can you sellthatto the government?’
‘Canyou?’ Adalei retorts.
‘Yes.’ Then, with a savagery Fen is not used to seeing from her brother, he says, ‘My people love me. I fought that war with their brothers and sisters, I read the names of their dead into remembrance. I have suffered just as they have and they know that. But despite every agony and loss our people have faced – I am willing to open my heart and home to the son of my enemy. But the longer I wait, the longer I call this a betrothal and not a marriage, the more doubt will sink into their minds over whether I do actually mean for this alliance to be binding. If I marry him at the coronation, then there is no doubt, no confusion, and my will and determination is set.’
‘And yet, he still has no power,’ Adalei reminds him. ‘And he will need an army to reclaim that power.’
‘No,’ Cat says, interrupting the dispute so sharply that Fen startles. She glances awkwardly at the others. Lio, still grimacing at Adalei’s side. Marina and Zinnitzia, quiet and observing to their left. Elena and her husband lurking to their right. Everyone melted away during Elician and Adalei’s argument. Now, there’s a general shuffling. People sitting up. Refocusing, readjusting. ‘If we march into Alelune then no one there will ever follow me,’ Cat continues. ‘If I marry Elician, one way or another there will be no invasion into Alelune. Any conflict or fighting will be self-defence alone.’
‘Then how will you get your crown?’ Adalei asks. Cat wilts under the question. He casts a furtive look at Marina, as if she might have an answer for him.
The wizened Reaper only sighs, shakes her head and says: ‘You’ll need support from inside the country. Someone who would recognize you as heir.’
‘Is there anyone in Alelune that would vouch for you?’ Adalei presses. ‘Anyonewho could recognize you as Stello Alest?’
‘People knew I was alive,’ he replies, biting his bottom lip, ‘but I don’t know if they’d vouch for me.’
Adalei frowns. ‘What about the Blue Lands?’
‘Where they mine the blue stones?’ Fen asks. Those stones are Alelune’s most precious resource, capable of emitting light and serving as a power source, and they only come from one region of the country. Soleb has always longed for access to those mines and the stones within, only ever making do with stealing the stones from Altas whenever they have managed to retake control of the city. It has always been a source of irritation in Cat; Fen never fully understood why it mattered, but now she cannot help but wonder. ‘Didn’t you say you grew up near the mines?’
‘His father was their master,’ Adalei replies for him, not bothering to turn to Fen as she speaks.
‘How do you know that?’ Fen asks. Cat has never said such a thing toher.
‘It’s my duty to know such things,’ Adalei replies. ‘As an ambassador in Glaika, I spoke frequently with the Alelunen ambassador, Demaintain. She was from the Blue Lands. She said the Blue Lands were passed to the care of a Captain Partho de Rus following Prince Marias’s death. She said the captain was once your father’s dearest friend, and that he took the title ofstewardrather thanlordwhen the lands were passed into his care. Given that those lands should have been yours by birthright, I find his actions a curious choice. Were you close to this Partho?’ Only a few hours ago, Fen called Cat her best friend in front of Elician. Now, she cannot help but wonder just how much she does not know about him. It’s a realization that hurts.
Zinnitzia scoffs. ‘A better question would be:wouldthis dear friend of your father’s hold it against you that you were forced to kill your father?’
‘I don’t know. I never saw him again after the…after the execution. He was there…he saw it happen but…’
‘Ambassador Demaintain seemed to imply that since Partho tookover the Blue Lands thereseemedto be a coldness to their interactions with the crown,’ Adalei continues. ‘They often avoided public functions, tithing their due as required but staying isolated from the rest of the lands. It’s possible if they were truly displeased with Queen Alenée…they may well beverydispleased with Prince Gillage as well. And ifthatis true, then the wealthiest and most powerful prefecture in Alelune could potentially be those veryfriendsyou’ll need when it comes time to take your throne.’
It feels too simple. Too neat. A problem suggested, and a solution provided.
Marina clears her throat, then says: ‘If all that is true, then it would be prudent to contact the Blue Lands to gauge their support. But as far as I can tell, we have no way of reaching anyone there. It’s on the entire opposite side of the country. If that fails…what then?’
‘We have time,’ Elician murmurs. ‘My vow to bring peace to our countries supersedes a normal lifespan. If everyone dies and it is just Alest and I – we will still be there. Trying to set this right. But right now, we are rushing to solve a problem we aren’t going to solve in one meeting, let alone a month of meetings. Adalei, you want me to sell the idea of marrying Alest to the people – the idea is this: he is the rightful heir, and our marriage is a sign of my commitment to an eventual peace. And a sign that I will not accept any future unnecessary loss of life. That’s it. That’s all I have. We can manage peace talks and negotiations and parlays and treaties and all the rest later. But can you support me on that?’
Adalei hesitates. She looks between Cat and Elician both. She glances at Lio, who shakes his head ever so slightly. It is so subtle, Fen doubts he wanted anyone to notice at all. Adalei takes a long breath in through her nose. She lets it out slowly. ‘Yes,’ she says. ‘Then in the meantime, I will send a letter to Demaintain. With luck, she will forward it to Captain Partho at the Blue Palace. That could, hopefully, lead to some results.’ The uncertainty drips from each word. It is less of a plan and more of a prayer.
‘Would she?’ Zinnitzia muses. ‘Betray her new king, that is?’
‘Well, that’s the gamble we are all taking in trying to put Alest on the throne, is it not?’ Adalei asks. ‘Would it be considered a betrayal if she supports the true crown prince, the real Stello of Alelune, in his ascension? If we mean to collapse the Alelunen government without loss of life, then it is exactly what we all would hope for. Is it not?’
‘Yes,’ Elician says.
‘Yes,’ Cat agrees just half a moment slower.
‘Then that is the plan. We will return to the palace in Himmelsheim. A letter will be sent to Demaintain, you will be crowned…you will be wed…and while we wait…you will have time to recover and gather your strength for whatever comes next.’
‘I’m fine,’ Elician says.
‘You’re not,’ Cat interjects. Fen’s breath catches. Even Elician seems surprised by it, betrayal creeping across the contours of his too-thin face. ‘The wait will be good.’
