In stark contrast to her dark hair and rich, amber eyes, Evelina was pale as milk by the time the first day of the Tourney wound to a close. Her lips were pressed to a taut line, her palms indented by hours of fingernails pressed deep beneath tight fists, her frown etched onto her brow. But as the fanfare announced the end of the trials, she rose from her seat buoyed upon a tiny flutter of relief – somehow, miraculously, all seventeen of her suitors had survived the ordeal. Each had slain their own beast, from grimhounds to shadow-crawlers, and although Sir Maxan of East Plain had suffered serious injuries, he would recover. At the very least, they had proved themselves fine warriors, and brave men – she just hoped that that would be enough in the perils to come.
Stiff-spined, Evelina left the box, refusing to look at Natalia, who fell back to walk beside Isabeau instead on the long trek back up to the palace. A heavy silence accompanied them, and as soon as the Queen reached the bounds of her sanctuary, she disappeared up to her apartments. Natalia sighed, her face drawn and unhappy.
"It was the right choice of Tourney," Isabeau offered. "These are desperate times, for everyone. Best to discover who is true in their intentions right from the start – and asking the Champions to risk their lives is an excellent way to separate those who simply have nefarious designs on your Kingdom. Most want power, but few are willing to risk their lives in its pursuit."
Natalia blew out her breath. "Thank you. I only hope Evelina comes to see it that way."
"You should have warned her, perhaps."
"She is not faint of heart," Natalia replied with a frown. "She merely cares too much – about everyone. She will always do what needs be done, but trivial loss of life does not sit well with her."
"I only meant that perhaps the Queen would not be so vexed with you, if she'd known prior what the tasks entailed," Isabeau said mildly. "Please do not mistake me, I am not questioning her grit. I saw her watch every competitor to the very last swing of his sword. She never looked away, not for a moment – even when I had to shield my own eyes."
Natalia smiled with soft affection for her niece. "She is a rare one."
Isabeau dipped her head. "Indeed. If you'll excuse me, My Lady, I will see you at dinner. I must freshen up, before."
Evelina was late for the meal, but when she finally arrived, every soul in the room stopped to stare. Even Natalia, seated already at the head table, widened her eyes as she caught sight of her niece. The Queen had chosen a gown even more intimidating than the one she had worn to the arena – red as blood, with black lace trimmings and a high, feathered collar – and cut a beautiful, daunting figure. She crossed the Hall to perfect silence, lifted her full skirts to ascend the dais steps, and then turned to face the room. Folding her hands against her lap, she let her gaze linger across the faces of each of the Champions, and the hush deepened. Quietly, she began to speak, and her voice reached every ear with effortless cadence.
"I have few words," she said, "To describe the courage shown in my Kingdom today. I have borne witness to feats of unrivalled skill, deep-seated tenacity, and the kind of valour I wish upon my soldiers fighting day and night along the front lines. I was unaware of what, exactly, these trials would entail, and I must confess myself quite taken by surprise." She paused, running her gaze across the sea of faces once more. "I have no wish to waste any of your lives, My Lords. If any man among you should decide that the risks are too great for the hand of one lowly Queen, I say now, he may withdraw with no shame. All of his honour has been earned already, in his defeat today of a beast from hell. You will have my respect, and my goodwill, for your bravery in facing a most terrible of foes."
As silence echoed behind her words, she collected her skirts and turned for the table, seating herself beside Natalia without meeting her gaze. As she did so, stewards appeared with steaming trays, quickly filling the tabletops with a vast array of food. Soon, the tables of Lords and Ladies fell to chatter, discussing the Queen's impromptu speech, and Evelina helped herself to a goblet of wine. She left the food untouched, finding herself with no stomach for it after the harrowing day.
"Evie…"
"I am in no mood," the Queen replied, brooding behind her wine.
Natalia sighed, recognising the stubborn set to her niece's jaw. "I only wanted to say I was sorry. I should have told you sooner."
Evelina faced her, eyes flashing. "Yes, you should have."
"I was afraid you would disagree," Natalia said quietly, "And I truly felt it was the right course."
"I would have disagreed," Evelina replied, "But not for the reasons you imagine. Trials of this nature will have separated those of mediocre lustings from the Lords who truly believe that an alliance with the Dawn Kingdom would be beneficial, before the former even thought to respond to their invitations. No man likes to die for something he doesn't believe in." Her grip tightened around her goblet. "But you should have brought such a dire decision to my attention – we could have found a safer alternative to achieve the desired effect. I do not enjoy being caught off-guard, particularly when it comes to grim-beasts breathing beneath my very nose. How many Knights do you have watching over the remainder in the hold?"
"Ten," Natalia mumbled.
"Summon Adimar to my parlour," Evelina bit out, feeling her unease grow to physical discomfort. "I wish to speak with him."
Dropping her gaze, Natalia nodded, and Evelina swept up from the table.
"Do it now," she commanded.
With a stricken face, Natalia watched her leave the Hall, and then got slowly to her feet to inform Adimar that his immediate presence was required.
Adimar hesitated uncertainly in the doorway, peering into the dimly-lit room beyond.
"Enter," came the Queen's command.
He did so, approaching the shadowed table where the Queen's silhouette dominated a moonlit window behind. Her fingers were steepled, and she leaned upon the padded elbows of her blood-red sleeves.
"Sit."
With a bow, he complied, clearing his throat softly. "Your Majesty."
"You are the General of the Dawn Kingdom's army," Evelina said, her voice low and measured, "You have seen for yourself what the grim-beasts are capable of. We have lost thousands of soldiers, countless civilians, and entire regions of the Kingdom. Yet you have brought these creatures to my very palace bounds?"
He cleared his throat again. "Lady Natalia –"
"Is a Lady of the Court. She has never been to the front lines, as I have. Never watched these monsters in action, as I have. But you have. They are intelligent in a way we do not understand, their attacks co-ordinated, orderly. They have an inexplicable way to communicate with one another, calling reinforcements to the areas of their greatest vulnerability. You know this, Adimar. What were you thinking?"
"I am sorry, My Queen," he mumbled, "I… did not think it through."
"Indeed, you did not." She lowered her hands, drumming her fingers along the tabletop. "How many more do you have in captivity?"
"There are twenty, for the next stage of the trials."
"Slay them all. Do it now. And post scouts across every inch of the hills. I fear for what may be to come."
Lord Adimar swallowed, his eyes widening in unhappy comprehension. "As you command, Your Majesty."
Hurriedly, he left the room to see to it, and behind him, Evelina allowed herself a heartfelt sigh. Oh, this was not what she'd had in mind – all she needed was a new beast-threat, right on her palace doorstep, endangering everyone under her care. Seventeen suitors were not enough to hold that at bay, brave as they may be. In the half-dark, she debated what to do. The safest course of action was to send all of their visitors home, to get them as far away from potential danger as possible. But that would require admitting that her Council – and by default, she – had made a dreadful mistake, and with the precarity of her position, she could not afford to lose face. She needed to marry one of the suitors who had come to contest for her hand, and she needed to do it soon. Time was running out; with the grim-beasts within her palace bounds, she was on death's row, and so was her Kingdom. She could feel it in her bones, and she'd learned long ago not to question her instincts. Trapped beneath the horrible certainty of that feeling, she'd spent most of the evening before dinner trying to work out how to prolong her Kingdom's survival, but no bright ideas had come to mind. All she could do, really, was watch the monsters descend upon her people, and fight beside them to her last breath. With a groan, she leaned forward to rub at her temples, and someone cleared their throat softly in the doorway.
"Your Majesty?"
Evelina looked up, and her frown deepened. "This is not a good time, Isabeau."
The Lady approached regardless, quietly taking a seat opposite her. "Something is troubling you."
"It's hardly your place to inquire."
"I'm well aware. But perhaps I can help."
The Queen laughed, the strain of it making her voice crack. "Do you have an army ten-thousand strong hidden beneath your skirts? A contingent of mercenary mages, perhaps? Because that's what I need."
"No. But I could help you get them. I am the Heir Apparent of Silver Peak, after all."
Evelina's brows shot up in surprise. "You… what? But I thought… Lucian…" She trailed off, entirely unsure what to make of that revelation.
"Oh, Lucian is a dashing prince, to be sure. But he is my younger brother."
Evelina shifted in her seat. "But your title…"
"I've always hated the term princess," Isabeau mused, "It never quite seemed to fit. Lady suits me better, don't you think?"
"Until you are Queen," Evelina breathed. "Gods, I had no idea…"
"I will forgive you, given your current pressing distractions," Isabeau smiled. She got up and rounded the table, coming to lay a gentle hand on Evelina's shoulder. "Let me help you, Evelina."
Without meaning to, Evelina leaned into her touch, closing her eyes with a sigh. Somehow, that single fleeting connection seemed to allay all of her fears, and she ached to remain linked forever. But Isabeau released her, tucked her hands behind her back, and turned to gaze into the sputtering hearth.
"You need to tell me what we're dealing with," she prompted.
"I… I will handle it," Evelina replied, loathe to show weakness – especially to the Heir of Silver Peak.
Isabeau's soft laughter tinkled through the dark. "You can't. Not alone."
She turned back to face Evelina, daring her to disagree, and the Queen released her breath in a rush as she bowed her head.
"You're right," she mumbled, "I can't. I don't have the men, or the weapons, and I fear we may be facing a renewed threat due to the presence of those creatures in my palace grounds. Gods, if I had only known what Natalia had intended…"
Isabeau pulled out the chair next to her and sat down. Thoughtfully, she took Evelina's hand, thumbing soft circles across the back of it, and the Queen stiffened beneath the burn of her touch. "But you didn't, and here we are. Soldiers, I can get for you. Mages, too, perhaps. Silver Peak has strong ties with the Order of Fire – it's possible the Firekin will send Knights to aid us."
Evelina blew out her breath against the miserable truth. "I thank you for your kindness, My Lady, but I'm afraid it won't matter. Silver Peak is too far away – they will never reach us in time." Suddenly, she squeezed Isabeau's hand hard. "You must go, Isabeau – you and all your contingent. The other suitors, too. Perhaps… you can take my aunt with you? If anything were to happen to her, I…"
Isabeau reached out to brush a single tear from Evelina's cheek. "We will send those most vulnerable away from the Dawn Palace, but I am not going anywhere. I don't doubt the Champions, too, will stay and fight. We will requisition soldiers and supplies from my Kingdom, and in the meantime, we will arm every last able-bodied person in your palace with whatever we have."
Evelina caught her eye in the half-dark. "Why would you do this?" she whispered.
Isabeau smiled. "Because… you are a rare one, My Queen." She leaned to press a soft kiss to Evelina's trembling lips. "The rarest of them all."