Page 21 of North Queen
“I should. All this took an absurdly long time.”
His smile widened.
“Good morning, Lord Justice,” Catherine greeted him with a sternness in her voice.
Alexander snapped to with a quick bow, and Norah looked on in amusement as she suspected he hadn’t even noticed her grandmother.
“Good morning, Queen Regent,” he replied to Catherine. “I trust you’ve rested well.”
“As well as all this excitement would permit.”
“The council waits in the judisaept,” he told them.
The queen regent looked at Norah. “Remember what I told you, and you’ll fare just fine.”
Norah’s pulse quickened. Catherine had run through what to expect and how to respond to the council while Norah had been shoved into her dress and powdered like a ball of dough, but she still drew in a nervous breath. Remembering wasn’t her strong suit at the moment. Catherine had told her to keep silent about her memory loss, but she still didn’t understand why. Surely people would figure it out right away. She tried to push her fear from her mind and followed after her grandmother.
The judisaept was a smaller room than Norah had expected, given the stature of the castle she’d seen so far, but it was no less splendid. Carved beams ran along the walls and between the stone, reaching to the ceiling. In the center hung a large iron chandelier holding candles within delicately blown glass flutes. Underneath sat a rectangular table, with beautifully scrolled trestles. Large shields adorned the walls. They weren’t made for decoration, as each of them bore the marks of battle.
Around the table stood four councilmen, who bowed as she entered.
“Princess Norah!” called the man to her right, coming forward. “Welcome home!”
Edward,maybe, based on Catherine’s description. He was a shorter man, pale and balding, and about the same age as her grandmother. He was thin, except for a slightly protruding belly not entirely hidden by his council robes. His facial features were sharp—especially his nose and chin—but his face wasn’t unkind. He reached out and took Norah’s hand, which he promptly brought to his forehead as he bowed.
Her heart raced as she forced a smile and tried to appear calm. Could he feel her clammy hand shaking? He seemed oblivious. Everything her grandmother had told her evaded her mind, and all she could do was pretend normalcy.
“Councilman Edward,” Catherine replied, “is she not the image of her mother?”
“Indeed, she is.” He pulled Norah forward, extending his arm to the rest of the councilmen. “The gods smile upon us.”
The councilmen all bowed again, clapping their hands, and Norah swallowed back the lump in her throat.
“And the gods favor upon the lord justice for bringing you back to us,” he added with a nod to Alexander, who had taken a position on the side of the large table.
Alexander bowed his head stiffly, shifting under the attention. “As was my duty,” he said. His eyes locked with hers again and held her. Was duty all it had been?
Edward turned back to her. “You must first tell us, Princess, where you’ve been all this time.”
Norah’s attention turned to his question, and her breath caught in her throat. Of course that would be their first question. Her heart beat faster.
“Councilman Edward,” Catherine said, “there’s so much to discuss, but I see Councilmen James and Elias aren’t with us?”
“They’re in Damask, and we expect their return in two days,” Edward answered. “We’ll assemble the state then.”
The state? Norah didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t sound like something she would look forward to.
“The princess’s return is a serious matter,” Catherine said firmly, “and requires our full council. We’ll not discuss it without them.”
Norah could already see the skill with which her grandmother handled these conversations. She couldn’t imagine doing the same herself.
The councilman paused with a crease in his brow, but then he nodded. “Uh, yes, of course.”
Norah let out a silent breath of relief.
“There will still be celebratory festivities, yes? To present her?” another councilman asked. He was about the same height as Edward, but double the width, and wore a thick cover of white, short-cropped hair. Norah couldn’t match him to the names and descriptions her grandmother had run through. Henricus, maybe? “Everyone will be expecting to see her,” he added.
Catherine gave a smooth smile. “Arrangements have already begun for tomorrow evening.”
