Kinshield's Redemption

Chapter 1

Gavin Kinshield took a deep breath to steel himself as two members of his First Royal Guard brought Queen Feanna, barking and snapping at them like a rabid dog, from the lordover’s guesthouse. Every step she took twisted another knot in his already aching muscles.

Her honey-colored hair, normally well kempt, was wild and matted, and she wore the same wrinkled gown she’d thrown unceremoniously on the floor the day before.

Despite his best efforts, Gavin’s mind conjured the scene again: his wife lying naked in the bed and one of his First Royals, just as naked, hiding in the wardrobe. His stomach churned in empty disgust while his heart bled. His love, his life, the one who’d kept him sane while he grappled with the challenges of being king, was lost, probably forever.

Don’t do that to yourself, his champion, Daia Saberheart, said softly. Her light-blue eyes were kind and warm, like her touch on his arm. The marks of storms, imprinted on her forearms during the battle the previous day, were still visible but fading.

Do what? he asked, examining his own forearms with feigned nonchalance. The marks of storms, like a red tattoo of the lightning that had struck him, were more pronounced on his arms but were fading fast. The ones on his neck and face made people stare, but thanks to the scars, he’d gotten used to that over the years.

Daia pulled one corner of her mouth taut, as if to admonish him for asking a stupid question. We’ll fix this. In the meantime, she’ll be safe in Tern, and you won’t need to worry about her.

Wouldn’t he? There was plenty of mischief to get into in Tern, not the least of which was the secret he’d kept from his sister-in-law about his supposed bastard daughter. Gavin had no doubt that Feanna would tell Liera at the first opportunity that the child wasn’t Gavin’s at all but his dead brother’s.

He should have been accompanying her. It was a husband’s duty to keep his family safe and yet, he’d failed most profoundly—again. Images came to mind of his first wife and daughter, murdered in front of him nearly six years earlier. It reminded him of his incompetence in the most basic role as a man: to protect his family. And now he’d done it again. He’d let a malefactor escape and poison his wife, turning her from a cheerful, compassionate woman into this.

The queen’s attendants bustled to and fro with eyes averted, loading cases and crates and whatnot into the wagon.

Don’t put that there, idiot! Feanna shouted. Put it over here. And hurry up, you bindlestiff. The sooner we can get out of this piss-smelling city, the better.

Until yesterday, Gavin had never known her to call people names or speak unkindly to anyone.

What are you just standing there for? she asked him. You’ve got more brawn than intellect. Make yourself useful for once. Or does the king think he’s so high and mighty that he can’t help his wife pack?

Gavin began to tremble, overwhelmed with guilt, anxiety, and anger. In recent weeks, he’d tolerate her occasional outbursts because he thought she’d been overly emotional due to her pregnancy. She was different now. Evil.

No, not evil, he reminded himself. Only kho-bent. Everyone possessed the hard, cold nature, but Feanna had more of it than the soft, warm zhi essence because of that damned well water. He turned his head so he wouldn’t have to look at the monster in his wife’s body. It wasn’t her fault.

Beside and slightly behind him stood Cirang Deathsblade, her head bowed in guilty silence. It had been her fault. She knew it, she’d owned up to it, and she would help find a way to fix it if it was the last thing she did. And it might be. He owed her an execution for her past crimes, and her apologies and tears of remorse wouldn’t be enough to stay his hand when the time came.

Good for nothing, Feanna muttered before rushing over and slapping one of her attendants across the face. Didn’t I tell you not to put my books in the wagon?

I’m sorry, Your Majesty, the attendant said, covering the red hand print on his cheek. My mistake.

You must be as daft as my husband.

Gavin took Feanna by the arm and pulled her aside. Listen, take your frustration out on me if you got to, but don’t abuse your attendants. They aren’t paid well enough to put up with that.

With a seething glare, she yanked her arm out of his grasp and turned her back to him. She continued to holler at the workers, but at least she didn’t strike anyone again.

The weight of all that had happened over the last few months slowly crushed him. His muscles ached, his mind slowed, and he longed to ride off into the wilderness alone and hide in a cave for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to be king. He didn’t want any of this, yet there he was, expected to find the solutions to all the country’s problems. Except that they were problems he had ultimately caused.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. All he could do was steel his resolve and forge on. The invisible crown atop his head was more like a yoke across his shoulders. Now he knew what a plow ox felt like, slogging through a muddy field.

Did you send the letter? he asked, turning his attention back to Daia.

Yes, and I have another. Daia squatted on her haunches, rummaged through her satchel, and pulled out a folded paper sealed with blue wax. I thought we should send a copy with Tennara, in case the bird doesn’t reach Tern. We’ve got to be sure Edan knows what to expect when Queen Feanna arrives.

Good thinking. The letter, dictated by Gavin and penned by Daia in her fancy handwriting, summarized the events of the last few days. In it, he cautioned his adviser, Edan Dawnpiper, to remove all glass and sharp objects from the king and queen’s bed chamber and lock Feanna inside. She should receive all the food and drink she needed, and have her personal needs met according to her station, but the staff was not to take orders from her, let her wander the palace without a guard, spend time with the children, nor leave her alone with any man.

Even with the warning, Gavin wasn’t sure Edan would be properly prepared for what he would encounter when she arrived. None of them would.

When the wagon was loaded, Feanna approached to bid Gavin farewell. The mystical, hazy bubble around her swirled like a storm cloud, black and foreboding. It reminded Gavin of the monsters that had invaded Thendylath for so many years. Though her haze wasn’t pure kho like theirs had been, what little zhi remained was difficult to see or feel. The closer she came, the more his skin crawled. When she put her arms around his neck, he recoiled, turning his face away.

Kiss your wife good-bye, Gavin, she said. And I want the tongue. He was much too tall for her to kiss on the mouth without his cooperation. She tried to pull his head down towards her, but he resisted her efforts.

One of the many things he used to appreciate about Feanna was her ravenous hunger for lovemaking. She’d always been willing, no matter the time of day or her mood or plans, and she’d become pregnant almost immediately after they were wedded. Now, however, his mind filled with unwanted images of her writhing in pleasure beneath Adro Fiendsbane, the man he’d once branded for crimes of seduction and debauchery. The man he believed had turned into a decent buck. The man he’d trusted to protect his wife.

Feanna’s rounded belly pressed against him, and he wondered again if the baby growing there was his. Adro had met her before Gavin had, kissed her while accompanying her from Saliria to Tern, and claimed to have bedded her before she and Gavin were married.

He took her by the waist and moved her away. A fortnight earlier, he’d seen the tiny haze and determined that the baby was a boy. He’d even felt his son reach for him. Now, it took greater effort to see through Feanna’s ugly haze to the tiny bubble buried within. The baby’s haze seemed smaller than it had earlier, as if it were cowering in her womb. Was it recoiling from Gavin or from the ugly haze that engulfed it?

Vile loathing overtook him, so intense that his stomach lurched. For that moment, he despised that baby more than he’d ever despised anything, even a beyonder. Gavin snatched his hands back, breaking his contact with Feanna. The feeling left as suddenly as it had come.

He gripped her by the throat and shoved her against the carriage, wishing he could choke the kho out of her. Don’t ever do that again, he growled through clenched teeth. He glared down into Feanna’s laughing gray eyes. She thought it amusing to use her empathic gift to push that hatred into him, but it had to have been her emotion to begin with. Did she hate him or the baby? Was that why his son’s haze was cowering? Gavin’s heart shattered to think of his son developing in the toxic womb of a mother who hated him.

You won’t hurt me, she said. Not as long as I’m carrying your precious heir.

She was right. He released her, disgusted with his own weakness. Despite what she was inside, Feanna was still the queen. You’d better hope that baby in your belly is my son, he told her. If there’s a way to find out through magic, I’ll learn it. If he’s not mine, I’ll put you out so fast, you won’t know what happened. He would divorce her. It was a shameful thing, divorce, but better by far than raising his disloyal queen’s bastard. In the meantime, I suggest you begin treating me with more respect.

Or else what? she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Or else you’ll suffer a punishment unbecoming a queen.

A sly smile curved her lips. Will you spank me? I might enjoy that.

Don’t test me. He pulled her back to let the footman open the carriage door and assist her aboard.

This baby is yours, Gavin, she said through the open window as she settled onto the seat. "I suggest you begin treating me with more respect. All it takes is a nasty tumble for your treasured prince to be born with some terrible affliction."

He lunged at the carriage and tried to reach inside to grab her, to haul her face close to his own and threaten her with his wrath, but she leaned away from his groping hand. If I even suspect you’ve hurt my son—

You’ll do what? Feanna laughed. You can’t intimidate me, Gavin Kinshield. I know what you are beneath the invisible crown atop your head: a stupid ’ranter. I’m far more clever than you are. I’m Thendylath’s beloved queen, trudging through alleys in the pouring rain to save wet, dirty, orphaned children while the aloof king sits warm and comfortable in the palace and hands out mere morsels to people who line up to beg.

That had a ring of truth to it, he realized. Did people see him as aloof, lazy, or stingy? No, she was goading him, trying to elicit kho-like behavior from him. That was what the kho-bent did. He stepped back and gripped his will so as not to succumb to her taunts again, no matter how tempting.

Tennara approached and bowed to him. I’ll make sure she reaches Tern safely, my liege, and I’ll keep an eye on her once we’ve arrived. Daia handed her the letter addressed to Edan, and she put it into her knapsack.

You’ve got my leave to handle her as you see fit during the journey, Gavin told her. Do you have the shackles? At the battler’s nod, he said, Use them if you must. And if you need to gag her for a moment’s peace, then do it.

Daia withdrew a wooden gargoyle carving from her satchel and offered it to Tennara. The two black onyxes set into its eye sockets contained magic that turned the gargoyle into a protector for whatever wooden object its owner set it upon. If you need to lock her into the carriage, use this.

My thanks, Tennara said.

Lilalian approached, leading her horse by the reins. Her short, blond hair had been combed straight back from her face, but the breeze blew a few strands out of position. Don’t worry about us, my liege. We’ll manage.

Feanna had traveled to Ambryce with six guards, but Adro, Anya, Hennah, and Mirrah had been corrupted by the well water. They were in gaol and wouldn’t be returning to Tern until Gavin had time to arrange for their secure travel. Your job won’t be pleasant or easy, he said. There’ll be a bonus for you when I get back.

Brawna came to him, leading her own horse. Are you sure you won’t need me with you, King Gavin?

As much as he’d have liked to keep Brawna and Calinor with him to assist with his task, he needed them to get his wife safely to Tern. Though the beyonders were gone, brigands had become bolder, attacking and robbing travelers unguarded by a warrant knight. They were generally in teams of two or three, but occasionally a pack of four or five hid in wait for the unwary. Two guards for his queen were insufficient, and the lordover needed every one of his armsmen to maintain peace in Ambryce and arrest the now kho-bent citizens who’d also taken the sacrament, as Feanna had. It was only a matter of time before they would start brawling or stealing or, worse, killing.

With Daia’s mystical conduit, his enchanted sword, and his own magic, Gavin was completely safe from any dangers a contingent of guards would shield him from. It was the supernatural hazards of what lay ahead that concerned him.

Gavin watched his wife’s caravan depart for Tern, glad he wouldn’t have to suffer her company for a few days and ashamed of being glad. He loosed the shudder he’d reined in, letting the memory of Feanna’s vileness ripple down his arms and spine. Shooting Cirang a resentful glare, he told her to bring the horses. He burned his gaze into her as she hurried to the stable. Because of her, his wife was gone and his unborn son was either lost along with her or suffering the horror of being imprisoned within a monster.

And still, everything sat upon his own shoulders.

The Lordover Ambryce, Efre Nasiri, a young man impeccably dressed in fashionably tight breeches and high-heeled shoes, hurried over. Oh, dear. I’ve missed her. I meant to thank the queen for her visit to our fair city and wish her a pleasant journey home.

Gavin smirked, certain the lordover had timed his arrival so that he wouldn’t have to suffer Feanna’s foul manners again. Sorry about last evening, he said.

The lordover had insisted on dining with the king and queen the previous night, despite Gavin explaining about the contaminated water in the temple and the effect it had on the dozens who’d drunk it. Efre witnessed that effect clearly for himself when Feanna threw a handful of buttered turnips in his face, asking how dare he feed such a foul vegetable to the queen. Gavin had spent the rest of the evening apologizing for her behavior, but he had tried to politely decline. Now the lordover knew why he’d wanted to shut the queen away until he bustled her out of town.

Oh, Your Majesty, please don’t give it another thought. I should have asked her preferences before my cooks began preparing. The fault is my own.

He thanked the Lordover Ambryce for his generous hospitality and for the water in their skins and the food in their satchels.

I’m sorry to see you go so soon, my lord king, the lordover said, but I understand the urgency of the task before you. Can I offer any assistance? A mason to help repair the leak? Perhaps a guard or two?

Gavin shook his head. I appreciate the offer, but your mason gave me a mix of sand and other crap to make a putty. I just got to add water when we get there. If it doesn’t work, I might need to send for him, but he’s done what he can for now. He hadn’t seen the need to bring the mason along because, according to Cirang, the leak was too high and the mountain face too sheer for anyone to reach without ropes and scaffolds. Gavin would have to use magic to push the putty into it, so he only needed a mason to mix the right mortar. If that didn’t work, he’d return with an entire construction team and figure it out.

Cirang approached leading Gavin’s dappled, gray gelding, Golam, and Daia’s mare, Calie. A stable hand followed with a white mare, previously owned by the couple Cirang had murdered outside Ambryce. Cirang stood by, head bowed, waiting for Gavin’s next order. Though she dressed in Vandra’s chain armor, the blue ribbons in the sleeve had been replaced with black so that no one would mistake her for a First Royal Guard. Gavin wanted her alive for the time being, which was why he didn’t let her carry a weapon. She wouldn’t attack him, but she might try to kill herself to escape her punishment.

Do you have something to say to the lordover before we leave? he asked.

Cirang looked up, confusion wrinkling her brow. My liege?

You left his city a horrible mess. He deserves an apology.

Yes, my liege. He does. She looked briefly at the Lordover Ambryce before lowering her eyes again. My lord, I’ve done terrible things, but few as awful as what I did to the queen and to your citizens. I don’t expect or deserve forgiveness. Please know how truly sorry I am. If it’s in my power to reverse the damage and right these people’s lives, I’ll spend every last minute of my life working to that end.

He and Daia shook hands with the lordover and his captain and a few guards who weren’t too embarrassed to express their excitement over meeting the king. He used his magic to mask himself and Daia as an elderly couple in tattered robes. He made Cirang look like a half-bald woman with broken and rotted teeth, facial boils, and hands blackened from flesh rot. He also put a disguise on the horses, fearing that Golam might be recognized as well. With that, they set out towards the Well of the Damned to repair the leak and, hopefully, prevent any more people from suffering Feanna’s fate.

Chapter 2

And then I speared it in the head with my sword, nine-year-old Iriel said, thrusting with one arm as if she had a weapon in hand. It burst open, and worms came out. Hundreds of them. They tried to eat my toes, but I squashed them like this. She stomped her feet, but the sound was dampened by the plush rug.

That’s quite a dream, said Edan Dawnpiper. Were you frightened? When Gavin and Feanna had first left on their respective journeys, he’d been apprehensive about mealtime and bedtime with their nephews and adopted children. Gavin’s sister-in-law, Liera, was an experienced parent, but he couldn’t leave her to manage seven children on her own. Getting them to the table, the classroom, the bathtub, and bed was easy. It was what to do in the meantime.

He’d never spent much time around children and didn’t know what to say to them. What did children talk about? He quickly found that to be the least of his concerns. Iriel had a vivid imagination and enjoyed the attention. Once Tansa saw how attentive Edan was to Iriel’s stories, she began to chatter as if she were competing for a medal in who could tell a story using the most words per minute. Trevick was his usual quiet self, which didn’t bother Edan because Trevick was quiet when Feanna and Gavin were home too. Jilly had started coming out of her cocoon when she slowly realized that the beyonders really were gone forever. Her sweetness and utter adoration of Gavin was touching. He wouldn’t have said so aloud, but Jilly was his favorite of Gavin’s children.

Sit back down, sweetheart, Liera said. Finish your egg.

At first I was, but then I remembered I was a Viragon Sister, Iriel replied, sliding back into her seat.

There aren’t any Viragon Sisters anymore, GJ reminded her.

Except me. I took a vow to uphold law and honor. Only King Gavin can release me from it.

Galiveth of the First Royal Guard entered the dining hall and approached. The room fell silent. Forgive my interruption, but there’s a visitor requesting an audience with the king.

At that, Edan stood, his heart filling with dread. He knew this day would come. He’d only hoped it would be while Gavin was home and after they’d had time to build an army and have weapons and armor made for them all. I beg your pardon, Miss Liera, children. I’ll see you again for dinner. Edan led the way out of the room. Is the visitor a foreigner?

Yes, my lord, Galiveth said. He claims to come from Cyprindia with a message for the king and queen. Her mail jingled with every step, echoing against the polished marble floor and high, wooden walls.

Have you told him they’re out of town?

No, we weren’t sure that was wise. Lord Jophet’s waiting in your office.

He’d told Jophet, Supreme Councilor of the Militia, what he knew of the war with Cyprindia, but Jophet had already read every text he found on the subject. Like Gavin’s, his reading skill was underdeveloped, but his dedication to the position was incomparable. Though Gavin thought he was being overly concerned, Edan believed caution and vigilance were warranted, at least until Gavin could reach out as king and offer a peace treaty between the two nations. The beyonders had kept their old enemy from their shores for two hundred years, but the beyonders were gone. It was unlikely that Cyprindia had simply forgotten about the unsettled score.

He entered his office and found Jophet pacing, hands behind his back. He’d shaved the graying beard he’d worn as the Lordover Tern’s Captain of the Guard, making him look a good bit younger than his forty-seven years, despite the gray hair at his temples and the wrinkles beside his eyes. His brow was drawn and his lips pressed tightly together when he looked up. Ah, Lord Edan, good morning. I’m sorry to have interrupted your meal. I thought this a matter we should confer upon.

Yes, I agree. Thank you. Have you spoken to the visitor? Has he come with forces?

He has only a single guard with him, though they have a ship docked off the coast of Delam, no doubt filled with warriors. I’ve sent several First Royals out to search Tern for any others who may be waiting, but nobody reports seeing more than those two.

What message? Edan asked.

He says it’s for the king and queen only, and he won’t leave until he’s delivered it.

Edan nodded. Let’s go talk to him, shall we? I want to see this man for myself.

Absolutely. He’s in the receiving room.

Edan and Jophet walked together in silence through the palace to the receiving room near the front entrance. Four guards stood in the hallway, two flanking the door and two across the corridor, facing it. Four more guards stood inside the room, hands on weapons and ready to draw.

Two men stood in the corner farthest from the door, both unusually tall and with wavy, dark-brown hair, olive skin, and brown eyes. There, their similarities ended. One was shirtless but for a small, metal breastplate covering his heart. His upper chest was tattooed with thick, black lines and swirls, forming a yoke. A similar band was tattooed around both upper arms. His body was chiseled with thick muscle, but his skin was unscarred—as near as Edan could tell—which was perplexing, given that his armor plate was so small. He wore what looked like a short, leather skirt and knee-high, brown boots that laced up the front. In his right hand, he clutched a glaive, whose blade point reached almost to the ceiling.

The man made Edan uneasy. It wasn’t only his obvious strength or the glint of steel at his command. He had a fierceness about him and something else Edan couldn’t quite identify, a foreignness that went beyond merely speaking another language or having been born in a different land and culture. Edan felt better knowing he had four battlers at his back and Jophet beside him.

The other man, adorned with a gold ring in his lower lip, was dressed in a long coat of golden yellow fabric that was richly embellished with red and brown embroidery and colorful accents that sparkled, like glass or gems. The coat was buttoned closed to the hip except at the keyhole-shaped neck opening. Beneath the coat was a brilliant red shirt with many folds and tucks, and a medallion pinned at his throat. Though his manner of dress was foreign, he looked sharp, as if he’d taken care with his choice of attire. This was the man who bowed on Edan’s and Jophet’s entrance.

Good day, Edan said with a polite bow. Welcome to Thendylath. I’m Edan Dawnpiper, Supreme Councilor of State and adviser to King Gavin. I believe you’ve already met Jophet Renoun.

We are pleased to make your acquaintance, the man said. Though he spoke with an accent, he enunciated clearly. I am Kaoque Ewhirk, Twelfth Emissary to Lord Ruler Cicoque of Cyprindia, and this is my protector, Tokpah Woksu, Warrior Chief of the Eighteenth Battalion of the Cyprindian Force. We have come peaceably with a message for your king and queen.

Edan’s first impression was that Kaoque was amiable, polite, and intelligent. Considering the longstanding hostility between their two countries, he thought it better to keep his distance to put his guests at ease. Ah, yes, I’m afraid they’re unavailable.

Jophet Renoun has told us. If we could know when the king and queen will be available?

I’m unable to say at this time. However, if you tell us where you’re staying, we will send word when they become available.

Kaoque cocked his head. We are staying here. He spread his arms wide to indicate the receiving room.

Edan smiled politely. I’m afraid I haven’t made myself clear. The king and queen won’t be available today.

Yes, we understand. Tomorrow or the day after?

That isn’t likely, I’m afraid.

We cannot return to Cyprindia until the message is delivered. Will you tell us what date to come back?

One moment, if you please. Edan signaled to Jophet to step into the hall with him. Outside the visitors’ earshot, he said, I’m not comfortable letting them wander about Thendylath unescorted. What do you think about giving them lodging here? Can your battlers handle that?

Jophet nodded. If we send them to an inn, we can’t keep an eye on them without drawing attention to ourselves. There’re only two of them. We can manage.

They returned to their guests. Please be our guests here at the palace, Edan said. He didn’t want to tell Thendylath’s enemy that the king and queen were out of town and unable to respond to a threat, but he saw no way around it. King Gavin and Queen Feanna are away, but they’re making their return at this very moment. I’ll send the porter to assist you to your rooms.

Kaoque and Tokpah shared a few words in their own language. We do not wish to burden you. We will stay at an inn and return every day to inquire as to the king’s availability.

Edan smiled a polite warning. No, I insist. You’ll be much more comfortable here, and we’ll have a chance to get to know one another.

Kaoque bowed deeply. Your generosity is appreciated.

Chapter 3

Relieved to be on the road again? Daia asked. She sat beside him in front of the cook fire they’d built when they’d stopped to camp for the night.

Gavin nodded, mentally shaking off his cloak of melancholy. Traveling had become a way of life for him before his ascension to the throne, and he was glad for Daia’s companionship. She’d become more than his champion in the last few months. She’d become his closest friend.

You’re turning gray, she said. Must be the stress.

He ran a hand reflexively though his hair. At twenty-seven years old, he shouldn’t have gray at his temples or deepening lines at the corners of his eyes, but the mirror didn’t lie. Maybe I’ll store a spell in one o’these gems to keep up a youthful disguise. He picked up his sword and examined it in the firelight. The hilt, fashioned like two intertwined snakes, had gems for eyes, gems he’d earned by deciphering the King’s Runes that spring.

No, don’t. It looks good on you, gives you an air of distinction. A few moments of silence passed. May I ask you a personal question? she asked in a voice low enough that Cirang, trying to fend off Golam’s ear-nibbling advances while tending to his hooves, wouldn’t hear.

You can ask, Gavin said. He crammed the last bite of bread into his mouth and softened it with a swig of water.

I’ve only known you a few months, but you’ve never struck me as a man who would tolerate people treating you the way Feanna does. Why do you let her berate you publicly?

He brushed the crumbs off his hands. Why indeed? He’d never have put up with that behavior from anyone else, but he’d given Feanna free rein to thrash him verbally, blaming her moods on her pregnancy.

Don’t answer the question if you don’t care to, but remember, I grew up in a noble house. In Edan’s absence, perhaps I can offer you some advice.

He gazed into the fire. Though he was sensitive when it came to matters pertaining to his wife, he was curious about Daia’s perspective. As a woman, maybe she saw things differently than he or Edan did. What advice would that be?

How a noble couple behaves, and how the people expect them to behave. My parents disagreed more often than they agreed, especially where I was concerned. They argued in private, but in public, they always appeared united. What that meant, of course, was that my mother put on a face for the people, feigning support, while my father went about his business as usual. Feanna doesn’t seem to mind chastising you or disagreeing with you in front of other people. I wondered why you don’t put a stop to it.

He could think of only one answer. She’s the queen. She has that right, I guess.

She’s queen consort, and no, she doesn’t have that right.

Queen what?

Consort. She’s only queen by marriage. You’re the king whether you’re married to her or not. You have the right to insist she defer to you in the company of others. In fact, for the sake of the people, you must.

At that moment, Gavin realized he’d never truly felt like the king. Yes, he’d taken the oath, lived in the palace, wore the clothes, and made the decisions, but he’d continually questioned himself, wondering how a king would behave, what a king would do. And yet he’d fully accepted Feanna as the queen. She’d had a more distinguished air, a delicate, and queenly visage, and Gavin would always look like, sound like, and feel like a warrant knight, a ’ranter. A peasant.

Their perception of you determines their confidence in your leadership, Daia continued. In your private chambers, how the two of you interact is your own business. People used to wonder why my mother endured my father’s unpleasantness. She didn’t, not truly. They just didn’t see that side of her. Perhaps Feanna needs an adviser as well to caution her to rein in her feelings and save the outbursts for when you two are alone.

He felt his face warming with embarrassment. Edan had once tried to tell him to take a firmer stand with his wife in the presence of non-family members, but Gavin hadn’t seen the larger issue and had responded defensively. It’s too late for that, he said, shaking his head. She’s kho-bent now, and she doesn’t give a damn how a proper queen should behave in public.

True, but perhaps after... after we fix this. Once she returns to her former self.

He looked at her squarely, surprised she didn’t understand the gravity of the situation.