TheRedKing (4 page)

The assassins Hippolytos sent had almost succeeded in
killing Areus just before he was to leave for his wedding. The skirmish he’d
mentioned to Urion and Delia had actually been an attack on his life during a
training exercise outside the castle walls with his men. Two of their enemies
had been killed, but Areus ordered the third taken alive for questioning.

The man had finally broken that afternoon, under Etor’s
hand.

Now Areus’s greatest fear had been realized. It was only a matter
of time before Hypatios led one of the largest armies in the world on Lortia.

“Options?” Areus asked.

“We either fight or surrender,” Leandro answered.

“Surrender means certain death for everyone in this room and
torment for the rest of Lortia,” Etor said.

“Surrender is not an option,” Areus stated. “I would burn
all of Lortia to ashes before allowing Zaltana to take it.”

“And they call Hypatios a madman,” Simon muttered under his
breath.

“I heard that and you know I’m right,” Areus told him. “You
saw what Zaltana did to Tanek and other settlements not far from our border.”

“Do you think the Ruby Order will back us?” Etor asked.

“I hope so,” Areus said. “Rain will be joining us soon. If
we’re to go to the Ruby Order, he needs to be part of this discussion. I’ll
send word to Prem that I want a meeting with Urion as well as the other
remaining kings here in the north. The only hope we have is to unite.”

“Some believe that you want to rule the entire north,”
Leandro said.

“If the kingdoms do unite, there will be one leader,” Philip
added. “You’re the strongest, but that doesn’t mean the others will agree to
turn their armies over to you. They might believe that once Zaltana is
conquered—
if
it is conquered—that you won’t relinquish control.”

“Even if that’s what they believe, they’ll have to choose
between me and Hippolytos, because if we don’t unite, he’ll most likely be king
of the entire Western Continent. If he succeeds in that, I doubt he’ll stop
there.”

“Which is most likely the only reason the Ruby Order will
back you. If they’re with us, we’ll have a much better chance of winning.”

“I know.” Areus drew a deep breath and released it slowly.
He had so much on his mind, so much that he wanted for his kingdom.

For as long as he could remember, the people of Lortia had
lived under threat of Zaltanian attack. He wanted his people to feel safe and
secure. He wanted them to thrive and be happy and until they extinguished the
danger of Zaltana, that would not happen.

A short time later, Rain arrived and the discussion
continued well into the night. They ate supper in the meeting chamber and by
the time they finished talking tactics, it was quite dark outside.

Areus went to his own chamber. Finally alone, he stretched
and strolled to the window to draw a breath of cleansing night air. He felt
restless and his body stiff. Usually he trained with his men in the morning,
but he had forgone that activity today. Not only did he spend most of the day
with his advisors, but when he’d arrived the previous day after riding hard
from Prem, he’d torn his stitches again. Seth, the chief healer at the castle,
had mended them, but warned that he needed at least a few days to heal.
Breakneck riding and hours of wrestling and swordplay would only make the wound
worse and prolong his recovery. Though the injury still ached, Areus was
desperate for diversion. Energetic by nature, he enjoyed exercise. It kept his
body healthy and his mind clear. He also longed for some conversation that
wasn’t about battle and politics.

He ventured down to the great hall. A fire blazed in the
enormous hearth. Several off-duty guards and servants lingered around, talking
and drinking. A few engaged in a game of dice. Rain sat by the fire, his two
enormous, tawny dogs asleep at his feet. In chairs across from him sat Delia
and her maid, Echo. They were talking softly to the Knight. All three chuckled
at something Rain had said and Delia cast an amused glance at him. A twinge
shot through Areus at the sight of his new wife talking so cheerfully to
another man. She hadn’t smiled and laughed with him on their wedding night.
She’d actually gone out of her way to argue with him.

Maybe she found Rain more attractive? The oversized Knight
was ruggedly handsome. Delia had no say in her marriage to Areus. For all he knew,
she might prefer brawny, dark-haired men such as Rain.

Areus had been trained since childhood to disguise his
feelings. A leader must hide his pain and self-doubt. Anything that might be
considered weakness could not be revealed or else he risked his people losing
confidence in him. As he approached the small group by the fire, he made a
point to appear complacent.

“I see you’ve made yourself at home,” Areus said.

Echo and Delia looked startled and began to rise, but he
motioned for them to stay seated. Delia noted that Sir Rain hadn’t moved. It
was said that outside of formal ceremonies, Knights of the Ruby Order neither
stood nor bowed to any ruler. While she found Rain pleasant and for the most
part respectful, his ways differed from that which she was accustomed. She
wondered if all Knights of the Ruby Order were like him. Areus didn’t appear to
mind Rain’s ways, or perhaps he overlooked them because he needed the Ruby
Order’s aid against Zaltana.

“Yes, I’m trying to,” Delia said. “You have a lovely
household. Far more pleasant than my father’s.”

“She’s amazed by the cheerful servants.” Rain flashed an
amused smile.

“The conditions here aren’t like those in Prem.” Delia gazed
up at Areus who still stood above her. “There servants must never be heard and
rarely seen.”

“It’s like that in many countries,” Rain said. “It used to
be that way here as well, before Areus made some changes.”

“Happy people are more willing to serve and far more loyal,”
Areus added.

Delia held his gaze. “I agree. If you could convince my father
that such changes are beneficial, Prem would be a far better place to live.”

Areus offered her a knowing smile. “Convincing your father
to change is at the top of my agenda.”

“Well, I think I’m going to turn in,” Rain said. The Knight
stood and stretched. He smiled at Areus. “See you in the morning.”

Rain left and Areus stepped closer to the fire. He squatted
in front of it and held out his hands, warming them as he watched shapes
created by the flames.

“Your meeting went well?” Delia ventured.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. “Well enough.”

“I like Alexa very much.”

Another smile tugged at his lips. “I’m glad. She became like
a second mother to me after my own died.”

“How old were you?”

“Seven.”

Delia studied him for a moment, then asked tentatively,
“Were you close to her?”

“Yes. She was a kind woman. What’s your mother like? She
seemed rather quiet at the wedding.”

“Because she’s afraid of my father, like everyone in Prem.
It’s how men hold on to power isn’t it? Making sure everyone fears you.”

“I like to think it’s a little better than that, and you
don’t seem afraid of your father at all.”

“I won’t be like my mother.”

He believed she meant it and he had no desire to frighten
his wife into submission. The line between fear and respect was often blurred. Areus
preferred one side to the other—not that he didn’t realize that there were
times when one must rule with a heavy hand.

His army followed him not only because he was king, but
because he was a strong warrior. In Lortia, the king always went into battle. Areus
was especially gifted in the fighting arts. Few if any of his most elite guards
could best him. With his men, he trained hard and often. They respected his
skill and dedication and as Delia had suggested, he instilled enough fear to
keep them from becoming overly relaxed in his presence.

While he didn’t want his warriors to be too comfortable
around him, a wife was an entirely different matter. He hadn’t thought much
about his marriage at first. It was a means to an end. Now that he’d met Delia,
he hoped for friendship between them and possibly more. Falling in love with
one’s wife was a fanciful notion, especially for a man in his position, but
didn’t even a king have the right to dream?

“I won’t be like her,” Delia stressed, her voice soft but
determined.

Areus turned to hold her gaze. “I don’t expect you to be
like anyone but yourself.” He rose and offered her his hand. “Shall we retire?
It’s late.”

Delia glanced at Echo who gazed at her hands folded tightly
on her lap.

“Yes. Of course.” Delia slipped her hand into Areus’s. She
had such a small hand. It was warm and though calloused in places, probably
from needlework, it was far softer than his. He remembered how her hands had felt
on his body, caressing and teasing him.

Beneath his breeches, his cock twitched to life. His
heartbeat quickened when he thought about claiming her once they reached his
chamber.

“I’ll prepare your bed, my lady.” Echo hopped to her feet.

“That’s not necessary,” Areus said. “My servants have
already prepared mine.”

Delia’s hand jerked a bit in his—or was she squeezing it? Staring
into her large, hazel eyes, he saw curiosity and anticipation that matched his
own. He could hardly believe he was this eager to bed his convent-reared wife.
It was an unexpected and most welcome twist of fate.

She didn’t speak as they walked upstairs, still hand in hand.

The maid followed to help Delia undress. He wanted to order
her out and undress Delia himself, but one look at the dozens of tiny buttons
on the back of her dress and he changed his mind. Patience wasn’t among his
virtues, at least not when it came to things such as clothing.

Or maybe undressing her would be fun. He would have to try
it at some time, but not tonight.

Why would women put all those silly buttons on the back of a
dress? What if she had to get out of it in a hurry and there was no servant
around to assist her? In some ways the dress was a bit like armor—trapping a
body inside.

Thinking about it made him feel restricted in his own
clothes. He could scarcely wait to be naked in bed with his wife.

While the maid helped Delia remove the dress, Areus turned
toward the hearth. He used a poker to prod the wood, sparking the fire to life.
Then he stood and pulled off his billowy black shirt. Beneath, his middle was
still swathed in bandages, but this time he hadn’t bled through.

He rested a hand on the hearth and gazed at the fire,
waiting for Echo to finish undressing Delia. Only when he heard the door close
behind Echo did he turn to Delia who lay in bed, her light-brown hair unwound
from its braid and spread like silk on the pillow. She wore another thin shift.
The sheet just barely covered her breasts and her arms rested at her sides.

Areus offered her a faint smile, but she didn’t return it.
Instead she watched him with those doe-like eyes. He sat on the edge of the bed
and pulled off his boots and socks. Then he removed his breeches. Standing near
the bed, one knee resting on it, he narrowed his eyes at Delia who still hadn’t
moved a muscle.

“Are we going to play this game again?” he asked.

“What game?”

“The one where you pretend to have no interest, where you
lie there as if you were ordered to.”

“Wasn’t I?”

He smiled, then laughed. “I don’t know what to make of you,
woman. All day long I prepare to wage war. Now it seems I’m fighting another
battle in the bedchamber. Do you enjoy being obstinate?”

“I’m merely speaking the truth. Everyone seems to think
you’re a fair man and appreciate the truth.”

She exasperated him. Just moments ago, thinking about
coupling with her had his heart racing and his cock hard. The way she’d looked
at him in the great hall and the way she’d touched him on their wedding night
had revealed her attraction to him.

Why did she seem bent on deflating him now that they were
alone again?

He sighed, one foot still on the floor. “What truth?”

“You didn’t ask if I wanted to join you. You commanded me
here. It’s your right, of course, as king and my husband. I’m merely following
orders.”

“I thought you’d want to be here. If you don’t, the door
adjoining our chambers is there. Feel free to use it.” At the moment he didn’t
care if she did. He was tired, concerned about the threat from Zaltana and in
no mood to argue with a petulant girl. He would have enjoyed sexual release,
but he wouldn’t take it from a woman who wanted no part of him.

He climbed into bed and lay with his back to her, the sheet
covering him to the waist. He should be tired enough to sleep, but she’d riled
him and he couldn’t stop thinking about political problems. When would Zaltana
attack again? How long would it take Hypatios to arrive from the south? Would
the other kingdoms unite with Lortia and would the Ruby Order lend their
support?

Delia remained in bed and after a moment, he asked, “Why are
you still here?”

“I didn’t mean that I didn’t want to be with you tonight,
just that I would have preferred to be given a choice.”

Again he sighed and tried to rein in his annoyance. He
rolled over to face her and said, “I’m not accustomed to thinking about
everything I say in my own household. I meant no insult, Delia, but I assumed
that as my wife you would want to share my bed. I have much on my mind right
now and if I’m brusque or inconsiderate it’s only because I have more urgent
matters to think about than preparing a written invitation before I couple with
my wife.”

As he spoke he saw her expression change from possible guilt
to anger again.

“I’m not asking for a written invitation,” she said coolly.
“Just some common courtesy, but I shouldn’t have thought a king would
understand anything common.”