Chapter 25

In the years since Queen Elvira’s death, Annalise’s memories had faded until the idea of her mother-before-she-was-sick was hardly more than a nebulous outline cast into shadow by her illness and death. Annalise had loved her mother dearly, but the circumstances of her curse left her with a bitter taste in her mouth and far more questions than she had answers. 

Still, as she walked with Helene to the infirmary, Annalise was reminded of all the times she’d walked beside her mother through the halls at Dovea. Helene’s nose was more hawkish and her jaw a hair stronger, but the resemblance between her and her sister was strong. As they walked, Helene told Annalise about the history of various weapons or tapestries on the wall—small talk to put her at ease, and also a history lesson about the half of her family tree that she’d given up ever knowing. 

It took no time at all for them to reach the infirmary, which was a stone building separated from the main keep by a wide walkway. Two rows of beds were inside, with a wide aisle running down the center of the room. Each bed was made up with a mattress of straw, white sheets, a wool blanket, and a pillow. The room was almost empty; there were no sick or injured Muranans, and Doveans occupied the six beds on the far end. Soren sat propped up against the wall in the bed furthest from the door, but he was too busy speaking with a healer to see his visitors. 

As she walked down the center aisle, Annalise looked around. Several glass windows let in light, and a merry fire burned inside the hearth. Overall, the atmosphere was calm and peaceful. The only black cloud appeared to be hanging over Soren’s bed, if the scowl on his face was anything to judge by.

“Mairu, this is Princess Annalise, my niece. She is the Dovean princess we’ve heard so much about, and these men were assigned to her protection detail. How are our guests?” Helene asked as she came to a stop at the foot of Soren’s bed. His scowl morphed first into surprise, and then shock when he saw Helene and an unmasked Annalise standing at her side. 

“They’ve been injured, some more than others—”Mairu glanced at Soren, whose scowl had returned”—but as far as we are aware, there are no life-threatening injuries, Lady Telimary.” 

“I see. That is good news indeed. Is there a problem here?” 

“Captain Kierson isn’t taking his condition seriously. The man can’t walk without a limp but still seems to think that he’s ready for more travel despite terrible bruises that cover nearly half his body. To put it frankly, Ma’am, it looks like he got run over by a herd of horses.”

“I’m fine; it’s just a little bruising that will fade in a few days, and then I’ll be right as rain,” Soren said. 

“How badly is he hurt?” Annalise asked. 

“I fear he’s fractured something; if I had to guess, based on his symptoms, I’d say his hip or his pelvis, possibly both. Frankly, I don’t understand how he was able to walk or ride here.” 

Soren leaned his head against the pillows and closed his eyes. “I was able to do so because I’m not really that injured…and because even if I was, I had to rescue Princess Annalise. I wasn’t going to let them take her from me… not when…” His voice dropped to a whisper, then faded away completely, and his face relaxed. 

“We gave him some pretty powerful pain medication a few minutes ago. He’ll be out for several hours,” Mairu murmured to Annalise and Helene. 

“What’s the prognosis for him and the other Doveans?” Helene asked. 

Mairu nodded and lifted her index finger to her lips before leading them away from the other injured Doveans. “As I was trying to explain to Captain Kierson before you joined us, anytime a horse falls on someone there’s a risk that it will kill them. He should have immediately seen a healer, but instead he walked on his injured side for nearly five days. If he’s lucky, he’ll only need two weeks of rest.” 

Annalise gasped. “A horse fell on him?”

“That’s what he told me. I had to drag it out of him—he wasn’t too keen on speaking with me, and Captain Padrin had to escort him here. I fear when he wakes up he’ll be spitting mad; he was very concerned about his duty of getting you to Rea on time.” 

Annalise ran her tongue over her teeth and clenched her fists. “I’m going to kill him. The stubborn seabird with all his talk of chivalry never told me about a horse falling on him.”

“Is he on bedrest?” Helene asked. 

“No, my lady. Unless his condition changes between now and tomorrow morning he’s allowed short walks but shouldn’t do anything strenuous, including fighting or riding, for several weeks.” 

“I see.” Helene dipped her head. “Thank you, Mairu. Captain Kierson looked like a handful, but it appears you handled him well. I’m sure we will be back later. Please give the Doveans whatever they need and let me know if there is anything you require.” 

Mairu bowed. “Thank you, my lady.” 

As they continued back into the keep, Annalise worried her lip as she thought about the timeline for her travel to Rea. They’d crossed the pass, but she was unsure how far away they were from Rhinnea’s capital city. 

“I thought that I’d show you the town today to help you get a sense of surroundings since it sounds like you’ll be here for a little bit,” Helene said as they entered the foyer of the keep. Two servants were waiting with armfuls of thick winter cloaks, hats, and gloves lined with fur. 

“You look troubled. What worries you, Annalise?” Helene asked as she slipped her cloak around her shoulders. 

“How long would it take to travel from here to Rea? I have to be in Rea by the spring equinox for my wedding to King Nelan. If I’m not, there will be a war between Dovea and Rhinnea, but I don’t want Soren to rush his recovery and hurt himself. The Rhinnean delegates were insistent that we leave Dovea as soon as possible for fear the pass would close, but they didn’t say anything about the weather on this side of the mountains.” 

“Don’t worry; crossing the pass was the most time-sensitive part of your journey. Depending on the weather and speed of riding, travel from Orighet to Rea will take anywhere from several days up to a couple of weeks if it’s particularly nasty, but the main road is very well marked and cared for. Even factoring in Captain Kierson’s recovery, you’ll have plenty of time before the spring equinox.” 

Annalise breathed a sigh of relief as she walked with Helene out of the keep and into the town. She’d left her mask behind, handing it off to a servant who’d promised her he would ensure it was delivered to her chambers. “No guards?” she asked, looking around in surprise when no one followed them out of the keep’s gates. 

“No need. We don’t have many visitors in Orighet at this time of year, and everyone knows who I am.” Helene withdrew a long dagger from under the folds of her cloak and gave Annalise a fierce grin. “But if anyone gives us trouble I’ll be more than happy to show you how a Telimary woman protects herself.” 

Orighet lived up to Annalise’s first impression of it. As they walked through streets that, while made of packed dirt, didn’t have any large holes or ruts from wagon wheels, Helene pointed out the various crafting halls and guilds as well as a handful of notable shops. After a brief tour of the village, they returned to the keep, where her aunt invited her to dine privately with her husband. 

Dinner was a lovely affair of roasted venison, potatoes, and a squash medley that was so tender it nearly melted in her mouth. It was accompanied by a pitcher of mead and several soft rolls. Lord Telimary was a bit of an odd character in the best way—if Helene was a cat, sleek and well put together, he was an industrious badger, and he insisted on Annalise calling him Frenz. In their short time together he always seemed to be thinking of how to improve the Muranan farming yields or ways to make things more efficiently, and the stories of his mishaps and failed experiments made Annalise’s face turn red with laughter. 

Seeing her aunt and uncle made Annalise’s heart twist painfully in her chest. She’d always known that there was little love lost between her own parents, but seeing a couple who’d been married for years and were still so obviously in love was like spending a lifetime staring up at a night sky and thinking the cold twinkling stars was all that could be wished for, and then stumbling upon a raging bonfire. 

They didn’t talk about her parents or her curse. Such heavy conversations didn’t feel quite right for the happy reunion between Annalise and the half of the family tree that she’d thought was lost. Her mother had so rarely spoken of her relatives that Annalise had grown up thinking they were estranged, or far too distant to be of any help. She still had many questions about her heritage, her maternal side of the family, and her parents’ marriage, but for one night at least she was content to simply be happy.