Chapter 15: Meet the Lennils

The road to Rhinnea was treacherous, but the company of soldiers was every bit as professional and polished as their gear looked, and Annalise had full trust Soren would keep her safe. They left Dovelan two weeks before the winter solstice and expected to take a full month to reach Rea, the capital city of the Rhinnean kingdom, leaving them two months and a few days to spare before the spring equinox. 

After the second day of travel, Annalise yearned to ride a horse with the others instead of staying cooped up in the carriage. Before her mother’s illness, she and the queen would spend entire afternoons out riding. Her mother loved horses, and Annalise knew how to ride a pony nearly before she could walk. It was one thing she missed the most about her life before the curse—now the risk of injury was too great, with potentially disastrous consequences if someone was exposed to her blood, so she suffered in the cramped carriage in silence. 

Several days into their trip, a light snow fell, covering the evergreens in a white filigree and blanketing the road and fields in a fresh alabaster coating. Annalise took it as a good omen—a new start to the world, just like her journey was leading to a new start in her life. 

When they camped at night, the soldiers pitched Annalise’s tent in the center of the camp with Soren’s just across from it. The inns were few and far between on the western side of Dovea, and Soren was adamant that it would be easier to keep Annalise safe amidst a company of armed men than it would in a wooden building shared with others. Priscilla stayed in the same tent as Annalise and slept on a pallet beside Annalise’s cot. 

The weather grew colder every day, and the two women spent most evenings huddled over a brazier as winter winds blew against the tent walls. Soren and his first lieutenant often ate the evening meal with them. First Lieutenant Rorarck was a bear of a man nearing his thirties who rarely smiled, but was never afraid to lend a helping hand. After the meal was over, Soren often told a story or two from his time on the sea before he and Lieutenant Rorarck left to check on the troops and retire for the evening.

Strangely enough, despite how much time he’d spent with her back in Dovelan, beyond their evening meals Annalise saw very little of Soren. He most often rode at the head of their group, too far directly in front to see him from the carriage. 

A village sat at the base of the pass that led through the mountains to Rhinnea. There was an inn for travelers in the center of the village square, but Soren ignored it and led them all the way through town to where a Dovean garrison sat just inside the outer walls. 

The main building of the garrison was two stories tall and made of hewn wood and stone. Several outbuildings surrounded it—Annalise guessed they were barracks and stables. After the carriage pulled to a stop outside the front entryway, one soldier opened the door, and Annalise was greeted by a middle-aged man dressed in a colonel’s uniform who introduced himself as Colonel Lennil. Up close, he was rather attractive, with hair the color of the night sky and dark brown eyes set within a weathered face that spoke of a lot of time outdoors. 

Annalise introduced Colonel Lennil to Soren and then accepted his offer of a place for her and her men to eat and spend the night. Soren escorted her inside, following the colonel as Lieutenant Rorarck barked orders to the men behind them. 

The chambers assigned to Annalise, while used for visiting high-ranking officials, were positively austere compared to her lodgings in Dovelan. However, after so many days spent traveling in a freezing carriage and a tent that never quite seemed to keep out the cold no matter how many furs she piled on her cot, the worn couch, wood chairs, and bed felt like the height of luxury. 

Priscilla ordered a bath for Annalise, and once it was ready she reveled in the water’s warmth and scrubbed her skin clean. Once Annalise had bathed and washed her hair, she laid down on the straw mattress and thick woolen blankets for a nap. It seemed like she’d hardly closed her eyes before Priscilla was waking her to dress for dinner. 

Just as they were about to leave Annalise’s chambers, a woman knocked at the door. By the lines on her face and the handful of small streaks of gray interspersed through her mousy brown hair, Annalise judged she was in her mid-forties. While she wore no jewels, she carried herself with a certain gravitas that spoke of landed gentry, if not nobility, and her slate gray dress fit her well and was stitched with a lovely intricate white embroidery. With a smile and a dip of a curtsy, the lady introduced herself as Amelia Lennil, wife to Colonel Lennil. 

“It is very nice to meet you, Mrs. Lennil. Is there a problem with dinner?” Annalise asked. 

The lady stood with her hands folded in front of her and her brown eyes bright. “Not at all, Your Highness, and please call me Amelia. I just wanted to make your acquaintance away from the prying eyes of the dining hall. You see, I was a friend of your mother’s.” 

At the mention of her mother, Annalise immediately invited Amelia into her chambers. Priscilla procured a plate of cakes and dried fruit from one of the small traveling chests, and they sat down to talk. 

“You met my mother? Please tell me more about her. It’s been so many years since she passed, and I rarely get the chance to speak with anyone who knew her well. I wish I could have spent more time with her. It feels like I’d barely started to learn who she was as a person before she was taken from me,” Annalise said. 

Amelia revealed that she’d been one of Queen Elvira’s assistant ladies-in-waiting when she was young, and that she’d loved the kind and compassionate Queen. “Unfortunately, I didn’t serve her for very long—I married Colonel Lennil when you had just turned six, but your mother was a truly grand lady. I was a young, childless widow from a minor noble family when she accepted me into her circle and cared for me as if I came from one of the big Dovean houses. She was always so kind, even to those who didn’t deserve it. I don’t think anyone could have been a better queen,” she added. 

“Hearing such glowing words about her is a treat. The court whispers are not nearly so kind,” Annalise said. Her time on the road must have loosened her tongue, and she regretted the words almost as soon as they were out of her mouth, but Amelia only smiled and dipped her head in acknowledgement of the things both said and left unsaid.

“I’ve heard that King Evert’s court has begun to resemble the additional title he’s taken to calling himself—that of the Serpent King. Despite the … challenges of her marriage, I believe your mother played an integral role in keeping the drama and scheming of the court relatively stable. I can only imagine what the King’s proclivity for mistresses has done to the atmosphere. It must have been difficult for you to navigate the intrigue when you lost her, especially without help if the rumors are to be believed.” Amelia nodded at Priscilla, who had taken the opportunity of the tête-à-tête to buzz around Annalise and add a few finishing touches to her outfit. “Is this your only lady’s maid?” 

“She is. Unfortunately, finding suitable women willing to serve a cursed princess was quite difficult. I am exceedingly grateful for her every day.” Annalise smiled at Priscilla, who gave her the smallest grin in return.

“I see. Well, there isn’t long before the meal, but I wanted to gift you something now.” Amelia pulled a small brown and silver rectangle from the folds of her dress. “We know of your curse, as well as how you prefer to eat most of your meal in your rooms and only nibble at the table while you are at court, but I thought I would offer you this.” 

Annalise took the gift. It consisted of several thin, dark brown rectangles of wood attached to a square of silver cloth. Despite the cloth’s thickness, it draped nicely over her fingers, almost like delicate chain mail. She traced the dainty swirls etched into the wood; the carvings gleamed like honey when she tilted it a certain way in the candlelight. “It is certainly beautiful.” 

“It’s a mask. The wooden part goes over your nose and cheeks, and the cloth will obscure your mouth without limiting you as much as your other mask. I know that once you are used to hiding, it’s hard to stop, but my husband and I wished to give you this. If you accept it, you can dine with us without having to adjust your mask constantly or watch food pass you by.” Amelia paused, and her face softened. “Of course, if you wish to dine with no mask at all, you are more than welcome to. We are not afraid of the consequences.”  

A lump rose in Annalise’s throat. “If you know of my curse, you know why I wear my full mask at the dinner table.” 

“Yes, I’ve heard of the woman who accused you of coughing on her food, causing her to lose the child she was carrying. I’ve also heard that beyond that isolated incident there have been no other accusations leveled against you.” Amelia placed her hand on her stomach and smiled. “If it sways your opinion, my two children are nearly grown, and neither my husband nor I wish for more. If we take ill, it is more likely to be because of the damp and cold of this outpost than anything that you do, provided you don’t spit on the serving platters. Please consider accepting the gift and dining with us as friends.” 

“If the king hears…”

“He won’t. But even if he does, what can he do about it? My husband has commanded this outpost for nearly a decade and has been awarded several medals for his service and wisdom. I’m afraid that he’s become rather invaluable to High General Kierson and will remain here until he retires. If we’re sent anywhere else, it’ll be an upgrade in the living conditions. Plus, after your soldiers refuel and rest, you’ll cross the pass into Rhinnean territory to be wed to their king. By the time your father hears of the mask, you’ll be well outside his influence.” 

Annalise considered the mask in her hands, and then with the barest hint of nods, she unfastened the ribbons of her ivory mask and set it to the side. 

A sharp intake of breath from Amelia made Annalise pause and look at the older lady, the wooden half-mask held halfway to her face. 

“Don’t mind me; it’s just that you look so much like your mother I couldn’t help myself,” Amelia said, dabbing at her eyes with the edge of her sleeve. 

For a moment, words failed Annalise. She opened and shut her mouth three times before she finally found her voice. “She was a beautiful woman; thank you,” she replied before fastening her new mask in place. 

That evening, for the first time in years, Annalise could dine in the company of others without constantly adjusting her mask or having to go without. Instead of worrying about upsetting her father, weighing the opportunity cost of each morsel of food, or defending herself from Larken’s barbs, she spoke with the Lennil’s, laughed with the town mayor, and even surprised herself by flirting with a few of the ranking officers from the garrison. Soren sat across from her for all of it, and whenever their eyes met, his shone with encouragement and happiness. 

For once, Annalise wondered if perhaps her new life wouldn’t be so terrible after all.