Lydia said softly, more to herself, than
to Jaisyn. “I can only give you the
warning I received before I married
his father. Guard well your heart. That
way, it cannot be broken.”
Jaisyn came to her feet, the lady’s
words ringing in her ears. Vulcan was
nothing like the king she’d just
described. He was moreso hot than
cold, as his temper and passion
proved. He would never think to cast
her aside for another, especially when
she was carrying his heir. Frederick
sounded like a madman, but Vulcan
was most certainly not. “You are
wrong. My husband is not the cold-
hearted monster that his father
obviously was. He is passionate,
strong, and loving and he would never
do to me what his father thought to do
to his mother.” Lydia spun and faced
Jaisyn, her eyes widening slightly. “I
thank you for your concern but it is
not needed.” She made a step in the
direction of the door and Lydia hastily
moved in front of her.
“You are blinded by the love you
already hold for him. Do not think that
because you are his wife Vulcan will
treat you any different than a mistress.
Do not think because he married you,
he will not cast you aside. And do not
think that he loves you, Jaisyn. I am
afraid Vulcan is incapable of that
emotion.”
“And what of your son? What of
Varian? Is he incapable of that
emotion as well?” Jaisyn demanded,
glaring at the woman who was telling
her the man she loved could not
possibly love her.
Lydia drew in a deep breath, her
face tightening, even as her nose lifted
high in the air and she pursed her lips.
“Varian is unlike both his father and
brother. I raised my son with warmth.
I showed him how to love and care for
others. Frederick was unconcerned
with Varian until he was of an age to
learn war and therefore could not
instill in him the coldness he instilled
in Vulcan.”
“I have met Varian, milady, and he
can be every bit as cold as, if not
colder than, his brother.”
Lydia’s nostrils flared and she
flicked a piece of invisible thread from
the embroidered bodice of her gown.
“My son is nowhere near as cold as
Vulcan,
Jaisyn.
I
believe
your
emotions are confusing you.”
“Did you never think to teach
Vulcan as you taught Varian?”
Jaisyn’s voice was like ice, cold and
hard. The entire conversation upset
her, and she felt the need to defend
her husband to this woman.
“Frederick kept his heir to himself,
as I told you—”
“I would have still found a way to
—”
“I have told you all that I know,
Your Majesty
. Some of us are not as
strong or willful as the women foreign
to our nation. We are not all raised to
fight the wishes of our husbands. I
pray you do not share the same fate
as Lady Eleanor.” She cast her eyes
downward. “With your leave, my
lady, I am tired and would now rest.”
With that, Lydia gave Jaisyn a small
and compact smile before walking to
the other end of the room, and giving
Jaisyn her back once more. It was a
blatant dismissal.
Not wanting to be in Lydia’s
presence anymore, Jaisyn left. Her
brain churned with what she’d just
learned. Lady Mor’an had coddled
Varian, and left Vulcan to his monster
of a father. That was what she’d
gathered. She’d learned that Frederick
had mistreated Eleanor, and people
believed that had led to her demise.
She wondered if Vulcan was aware of
their thoughts. Was that why her
husband had turned out as he was,
afraid to love? Because he’d learned
of his father’s treatment of his
mother?
She paced her room slowly, her
hand resting on her belly. The swell
was more pronounced, as she was
over four months gone.
She’d also learned that the Morden
kings could break something as sacred
as a marriage quite easily. Vulcan
would never do that to her. He was a
better man than his father: he’d
admitted his love.
After he said he did not know what
it meant,
a voice nagged her.
He’d showed her his love openly in
the past month. Talking, and even on
occasion laughing with her as they
spoke in the Great Hall or his study,
especially in their chambers. As she
could not pick up a sword, while she
was pregnant, she’d taken to walking
down to the courtyard to watch the
men train. He’d allowed it, whereas
before, he would have told her in
succinct terms to return to the castle.
She took in Lydia’s words but
refused to believe that Vulcan was like
his father. If she’d heard those words
months ago, when she hadn’t known
how gentle and loving he could be,
she might have believed them. But not
now. Especially not now.
Vulcan loved her and he would love
their child.
***
Jaisyn lay on her back, naked. The
soft light from the fire at the hearth
traced the curves and angles of her
body, giving shadow to some parts
and pointing at the difference in
complexion to the man who lay
besides her. One hand was at her side
as the other stroked Vulcan’s bare
torso. He lay facing her. A hand under
his cheek propped his head up, while
the other caressed the bump that was
her belly. Since his return to her bed,
Vulcan enjoyed stroking her belly.
She would fall asleep with his
calloused hands gently stroking her,
but tonight, she had something on her
mind. Lydia’s words kept haunting
her and she intended to ask Vulcan
the question that kept pricking at her
mind this very night.
“What worries you?” he murmured
softly, staring into her eyes.
“Can the king dissolve any marriage
without reason?” she asked slowly.
His grey eyes narrowed, but he never
stopped his calming stroking.
“Yes.” Vulcan had tensed when she
asked the question, wondering where
it would lead, and more than certain
he would not like it.
“Even his own?” she continued, her
fingers trailing a path across his
muscles and back to his chest.
Vulcan shifted slightly but he replied
truthfully. “Yes.”
“Even if there is a child?”
“Yes. In Morden, the king is second
only the Gods. Morden law makes it
that, with reason, a king can dissolve
any marriage.”
“And if there is a child, is the child
then considered illegitimate?”
“No. If it is a boy, he is made the
heir, as the eldest son of the king. If it
is a girl, it would not have mattered in
any instance, as she would still face a
political marriage.”
Jaisyn
nodded
but
her
heart
tightened in her chest. He’d just
confirmed some of what Lydia had
told her. If he tired of her, she could
be cast aside. She’d always assumed
that a marriage was binding. In her
homeland, a marriage was a sacred
union that was not entered upon
lightly and could not be broken except
for death or an annulment. The
Lytherian kings could not terminate
marriages on whim and they certainly
could not break their own marriages.
“And what of the mother?”
“Her dowry is returned and she is
returned to her family.”
Jaisyn sat up, forcing his hand away
from her as she glared down at him.
“She is returned to her family in
disgrace. And no one will have her, is
that not so?”
Vulcan pushed himself up and faced
her. “She is in no way disgraced. It is
an honor to be the wife of a king,
mother to a future generation of kings.
Where is this coming from, Jaisyn?”
She shook her head and moved
away from him. Vulcan’s eyes
followed her nakedness as she walked
over to the fading fire at the hearth.
Perhaps Frederick had meant to throw
aside his legal wife for another. And
Vulcan…he spoke of the act as if it
were nothing, as if a woman should be
pleased that she’d whored for a king
and been cast aside. She felt tears fill
her eyes as she stared at the barely
licking flames. When she delivered her
heir, would he do the same? He was a
Morden king. Would he think it his
right to do so?
She suddenly felt him behind her
before his large hands were at her
waist, pulling her against his hard
body.
“Do you fear I will dissolve this
marriage after you birth my heir?” he
asked, resting his chin lightly on her
curls and inhaling her scent.
Jaisyn didn’t reply so he continued.
“If I wanted to dissolve our marriage,
Jaisyn, I would have done so a long
time ago.”
“That isn’t the point, Vulcan. A king
should not have the right to cast his
queen aside for something as fickle as
his pleasure.”
He spun her so she faced him.
Looking up into his face, she found his
eyes warm, and not cold, as she’d
expected them to be.
“That is because you are thinking
like a Lytherian, Jaisyn. You have
your laws. We have our own and so
far, they have worked for us.”
She shook her head frantically. “It’s
a bad law, Vulcan. All it shows is that
a queen is chattel, that she is no more
than the king’s possession. This isn’t
about the Lytherian or Morden laws,
Vulcan. This is about natural rights.
Do you not believe women are equal
to men?”
An arrogant brow lifted. “In what?
Jaisyn’s eyes practically froze in her
head as she replied angrily, “In any
and everything. I can use my sword as
well as any man. I can read, write, do
accounts, name it!”
“You are one woman, Jaisyn,”
Vulcan retorted, glaring down at her.
“And you were also a princess,
ranked higher than the average
woman. It is why you can think of
yourself on equal terms with the
average man.”
“Vulcan,” she beseeched, lowering
her voice and staring pleadingly at
him. “I have female friends not raised
as royals who can manage their
numbers, be in control of their own
businesses. In Lytheria, a married
woman is allowed to keep what
property is given her by family, and
any woman is allowed to start a
business if she has the necessary
funds, without a male vouching for
her.
He seemed thoughtful for a few
minutes before he shook his head.
“Lytherian
rules
work
best
in
Lytheria. One cannot bring Lytherian
rules to Morden and expect them to
work.”
Releasing a deep breath, Jaisyn
nodded. “Will you at least consider
changing the law that allows a king to
dissolve any marriage at whim?”
His hand fell to his side and he
shook his head. “I have already told
you, Jaisyn. I will not break this
marriage. I am very content in the
wife I have chosen.”
“I don’t ask for me, Vulcan, but for
future queens of Morden. The law
does not serve any purpose—”
Vulcan released a deep sigh and
walked back over to her bed, where
he put both hands behind his head and
looked at her.
“Come back to bed, wife. We will
discuss this later.”
She contemplated defying him, but it
was pointless. Jaisyn didn’t wish to
fight at the moment. The last month
had been peaceful, and she’d been
very happy. Her legs took her back
over to the bed and she lay down,
staring ahead. Vulcan’s hand reached
out and caressed her belly again.
Jaisyn turned to look at him. He’d