His absence left a slight, dull ache—the product of the pull of the Stones. At least now it was less noticeable, perhaps because he was still nearby. Or perhaps because they were now permanently joined. Emariya wouldn’t mind a slight lessening of the intense awareness between them. At times it could be quite uncomfortable.
Jessa gently guided her into the tent. “Riya, I’m so sorry.”
The emotion of the situation welled in Emariya’s throat, making her words husky. “Which of my gowns do we have with us? Anything green? I’d like to look more like a daughter of Eltar than a princess of Thalmas today.” Emariya wiped at her eyes.
It didn’t take long for Jessa to find the perfect gown, and soon Emariya was clad in green and gold and sitting stoically while her friend tamed the chaotic blonde curls swirling around her head.
“Do you want to lie down while we wait? It may take them a few hours to get your father ready.”
Emariya shook her head as the grief inside her tried to fight to the surface. Even wracked with exhaustion, she knew if she lay down the torrent of tears would come. She couldn’t break down. Not yet.
“Torian said you needed to rest.” Jessa bit her lip nervously.
“Torian worries too much.”
Jessa smiled. “Perhaps. When it comes to worrying about you, though, he’s in good company. You really shouldn’t worry him so.”
“I’ll be all right.”
“What did it feel like, using your gift to do something so enormous? I could barely believe my eyes when you built the bridge,” Jessa asked.
“Scary,” Emariya said. “I was terrified I might lose my focus and drop everyone into the fjord waters.”
Jessa laughed, but then grew serious. “It was scary for us, too, when you collapsed afterward. Are you nervous...about being married now, I mean? About how things might change with you and His Highness.”
“You mean because we’ve bound the lines?” Emariya asked. “It doesn’t look like ‘darkest night’
to me.”
Jessa shrugged. “Well that, but that wasn’t what I meant.” The redheaded girl gave Emariya a pointed look.
Suddenly Emariya got Jessa’s meaning and frowned. “Well, I
wasn’t
worried.” She and Torian had lain next to each other every night for weeks, but innocently, to draw comfort in being near each other.
Would he expect to draw a different type of comfort tonight?
Rink stuck his head through the tent, preventing Emariya from further contemplation. “They’re ready for you, Lady Riya.”
Swallowing hard, Emariya followed Rink outside. She could hear Jessa close on her heels.
A chorus of well wishes met her ears as she worked her way through the waiting men from Eltar.
She slipped the flap of her father’s tent open and stepped inside. Tears rushed to her eyes when she saw him, dressed in the cleanest clothes the men had been able to find, laid out peacefully on his litter.
Torian, Garith, her uncle, and even Blaine pressed back against the sides of the tent—out of her way, but there to lend their support. Torian started to come to her but she shook her head and walked to her father’s side alone.
If she didn’t know better, she’d swear he was sleeping. Unfortunately, she did know better.
Leaning down carefully, she kissed his forehead. “Goodbye, father,” she whispered before stepping back.
Jessa clutched at her hand and Emariya turned, barely able to see through her tears. “We will get you through this,” her handmaiden promised.
Once she had stepped out of the way, Emariya suddenly realized that the crowd in the tent wasn’t there to support her. They’d each come to offer their highest possible tribute to her father. Garith, Torian, Rees, and Blaine each took up a corner of the litter. Rink fell in on one side, holding the middle. Norval, the unofficial spokesperson of the Eltar troops and one of Oren’s oldest friends, came in when they were just about to proceed. Commander Plank, of the Thalmas Royal Forces, accompanied him.
After a quick discussion, Commander Plank accepted the honor of carrying the remaining side.
Jessa and Norval each took one of her hands and led her to the head of the procession. The soldiers from both Sheas and Thalmas joined the men of Eltar. Standing shoulder to shoulder, each man tapped his fist to his heart before dropping to a knee with his head bowed as she passed, leading her father to his final rest. Once the procession passed, each man stood and crowded behind the litter, following it toward the bluff.
When her father had been laid in the prepared grave site, each attendee was given the chance to say their final goodbye. One at a time, everyone stepped forward and added a scoop of dirt along with a word of respect, or a memory, until finally all that remained was a carefully piled mound of the earth, welcoming its son home while his daughter stood by shaking with grief and pride.
Emariya stepped forward, then knelt to the ground. Placing her palms in the fresh soil, she sent as much warmth and love as she could muster into the soil, even while her thoughts chilled her deep inside.
I love you Father. Reeve will pay for this, and soon. I swear it.
Emariya looked at the men seated around her in the dimly lit command tent. She glanced at Torian, and then took a deep breath. “Before we decide anything, I just want to say thank you. Each of you did my father—and me—a great honor when you bore his litter. I won’t soon forget it.”
Rees cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably. “Perhaps I should have paid respects to your father sooner. I held ill will where I should not.”
Standing behind his father, Blaine Hendel looked as if he wanted to say something, but he remained silent.
Emariya looked her uncle straight in the eye. “How can we ensure Sheas and Eltar never raise arms against each other again?”
Rees turned slightly to face Torian. “If we enter into a peace agreement, Thalmas will join?”
“Absolutely,” Torian said. “We’d like nothing more.”
Turning back to Emariya, Rees asked, “What assurance do I have that you can halt your brother’s attacks on my people? It would do no good to promise a peace you cannot deliver.”
Emariya gestured around with her hands. “You saw the men here follow me, and heed my demands. Your heard my father’s words. Eltar is mine to lead.”
Rees laughed. “Child, I know many things, not the least of which is that you may declare yourself leader, but you don’t truly lead until the people chose to follow you. Setting aside one leader for another can be harder for the common people than you might imagine. You will essentially be asking your people to admit they have followed someone not worthy of being followed.”
“They didn’t have all the necessary information. None could have foreseen my brother’s machinations.”
“All the same, while I am hopeful from what I have seen here, I am not yet convinced you can bring your land to heel.”
Fear of defeat threatened to close Emariya’s throat, and she willed herself not to tremble. “Has it all been for naught then?”
Her uncle regarded her carefully, and then at last he shook his head. “I will give you until the weather turns cold again. If you cannot make them follow you and renounce your brother in half the year, I will move upon Eltar before winter comes.”
“And what will convince you they follow me? Surely you aren’t asking that I deliver you my brother’s head, so what action will be enough?”
Will anything be enough?
“While I would greatly like to see your brother come to justice for his crimes, and I suspect you would too,” her uncle paused and his eyes briefly met Torian’s, “I recognize that may not be realistic.
I will send my son with you, and he will be my eyes and my ears. He will see whether you are met with celebration or opposition. Convince him that your people recognize you as their true leader, and you will have convinced me.”
Emariya’s hopes sank. Blaine hated her. Convincing him of anything wouldn’t be easy. Especially if he thought it would be in his best interests to see her fail. “I will accept your terms, if you accept a condition of my own.”
Rees sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I’m listening.”
“If we are successful, you must reinstate the Roths.”
Anger and shock crossed Blaine’s face, while amusement colored his father’s.
“Father, she’s trying to bring us under her command as well! She said she didn’t want the throne of Sheas!”
Emariya arranged her features into an impassive mask. “And I don’t. But if peace is to be long-lasting, it must be far-reaching. Your own land has suffered under their removal due to the misunderstanding between our lands. Welcome them out of exile, so we may truly lay the bad will to rest.”
Blaine’s shoulders tensed. “So who do you propose lead Sheas? If they are reinstated, that makes Sheas your brother’s or yours, by rights.”
“I formally pass on that right, under the condition we remain at peace. The moment peace is broken between our lands, I promise you I will come and claim it with any force necessary. And I think you should lead, when your father passes on or decides it is time. You can bring together the Roth and Hendel regimes.”
Rees stood from the table. “I suspect my son may learn much about leading from you while he accompanies you into Eltar.”
Behind his father, Blaine glared, but at least he was glaring at his father, not at her. Still, she didn’t think they would be friends anytime soon. She really couldn’t fathom what Jessa saw in him.
“If you would please sit, uncle. We still need to decide the matter of the fjord. It is my hope that you, or your son, will decide to swear allegiance to a combined Three Corners when I bring Eltar fully under my control and unite it to Thalmas. With that in mind, I want our choices here at the fjord to reflect that.”
“If and when that happens, we will consider it. Undoubtedly our lands are stronger and more prosperous together. There is much to be decided first, as you said. What do you propose for the fjord?
I have no intentions of withdrawing.”
Emariya smiled. “I didn’t expect you would. In fact, I would like to see you remain here, and work closely with our representatives to build a permanent outpost. If our lands are to be united, I think it would benefit us all to have a central location for trade. As we are close to all three borders, and accessible to your ships, this seems like a good spot.”
“Who would control it?”
“Think of it as a trial run for future peace. It would be a collaborative effort. I would leave a representative, His Highness would leave a representative, and so would you. The three of them would then work jointly to oversee the building and the operation of the trading station.”
Rees rubbed his chin, nodding to himself. “I like it.”
“Who would we leave, Father?” Blaine asked.
“I will stay here, until I am able to summon someone from Sheas Harbor.”
Emariya turned to Torian, sharing a warm smile. “And who will you leave, my love?”
“Commander Plank will stay on behalf of Thalmas. He has experience with building our guard outposts. Garith can continue to command my forces on our travels, unless of course you’d intended to leave him here as your representative.”
“No,” Emariya said, perhaps too quickly. She couldn’t imagine leaving him behind. An idea dawned and she grinned. “I will leave my handmaiden, Jessa, to speak for me. She has a good sense of what is fair and I think she will be excellent at advocating for our interests, without causing additional conflict.”
Torian grinned. “That may be so, and while I have no concern for her station being a problem, I don’t know how well she would manage commanding an outpost of men. While many follow you eagerly, My Lady, you are the exception, not the rule.”
Emariya sighed. She’d relished the idea of keeping her friend away from Blaine’s foul intentions.
“Fine. Rink and Norval may stay for me. Norval is a distributor, so he will be invaluable at organizing the trade. He can train Rink so he can be more heavily utilized in the future.”
“That sounds reasonable.” Rees stood once more and turned to his son. He clapped him on the shoulder, and then exited the tent.
“When will you be wanting to leave?” Blaine asked.
“As soon as arrangements can be made. In the morning?”
“In the morning then. I’ll see you at first light.”
Once Blaine was gone, Emariya turned to Torian. “I need to go find Rink,” she whispered, dreading the conversation to come.
Emariya fought to hold her tears back as Rink looked at her, displaying his broken heart blatantly on his face. They’d walked together toward the bluff, gazing out over the sea. The piercing anger in his eyes stabbed her, but while he spoke his frosty demeanor melted, leaving a puddle of hurt behind.
“You’re leaving me behind?” he whined as his lower lip trembled.
“I’m giving you an opportunity,” she said as the wind whipped her blonde hair in front of her face.
“Going with you is an opportunity!”
Emariya smiled. “I know, but this is an even bigger opportunity. You will eventually be the sole person at the trading outpost with the authority to speak on my behalf.”
Rink turned his head to the side, looking at her skeptically. “No foolin’?”
Emariya put her hand over her heart solemnly. “No fooling.”
“But how can I protect you if I’m not with you? I promised my father I’d help protect you.”
“You’ll be protecting my interests, and helping me secure the peace we’ve been striving for.”
Rink bit his lip and tears spilled over. “I need to tell you something, Milady.”
“Only if you want to,” Emariya said.
“I’ve wanted to for a long while, Milady, but I made a promise. But if I’m to be your voice, I think you deserve to know that my loyalties are to you, not to my father or anyone else.”
“It can be hard when we feel like our loyalties are split, it is true.”
A wretched sob broke from Rink’s tiny body and he darted forward, flinging his arms around her waist. Emariya hugged him tight.
“My father was there. He killed your mother,” Rink wailed.
Emariya pulled away and knelt down in front of the boy. She put her hands firmly on his shoulders. “No, Rink. Your father was there when Russell killed my mother, but he didn’t kill her.