Page 7 of A Kingdom of Lies
I watched Althea contemplate my words. Her stare was lost to a painting on the wall behind me.
“Anyway, how is it we went from having an Asp at every corner before the Passing, but now there has not even been a whisper of one?” I said.
“Their benefactor had his head caved in by…” Althea cut herself off as she glanced at me. The name was on the tip of her tongue.
Flashes of his bloodied fists and twisted face of anger filled my head. “Erix.”
Althea swallowed her next words, changing the course of the conversation before I could dwell on his loss of control for another moment. “If I was to gather the funds to put forward then I would need Mother’s involvement. I may be a Cedarfall, but I cannot simply walk into the royal bank and demand the papers required. Such decisions and commands are not as simple as that. I hardly imagine Mother would allow it; finding Briar is not exactly on her list of current importance.”
Althea was right. Our conversations bounced between the Hand or King Doran. The guild of assassins was solely a topic of discussion that kept our small group distracted from those other matters. That and the fact that Althea felt scorned and used; I’d come to learn those two emotions didn’t sit well with the Cedarfall Princess.
“Could I help fund it?” I asked. The idea of having access to money was strange and new. It was still incredibly hard to imagine.
Althea’s gaze brightened for a moment. “Perhaps. The Icethorn court should have access to coin, however it has been many years since anyone occupied the capital of Icethorn. The Court’s vault has likely been ransacked during your family’s… absence. Without visiting it’s impossible to know whether the funds survived the storm, or if they were stolen during it.”
And for that, we had to leave Farrador. Except we couldn’t, not with King Doran’s desire to capture Erix, making visiting anywhere but this castle impossible.
There was much to being a king that I’d not had the luxury of uncovering yet. Queen Lyra encouraged the idea of creating a council who’d help with my future ruling, since I had close to no idea how to rule anything besides a ramshackle pub, and those days were long gone.
Surrounding myself with people who had knowledge on courtly affairs and what it meant to be a ruler was a good idea. But creating a council required finding people who wished to see me take my place within Icethorn. So far the Council consisted of myself and Eroan – the seamster who dressed me – and I couldn’t imagine the gentle threadmaster had much experience in courtly matters beside what they would have worn during important meetings. However, Eroan had been the only fey from Icethorn who had shown interest in returning.
I was a king of one.
Erix’s voice filled my head, echoing amongst my anxieties.A king of one is still a king.
“When this is all over with Doran and his attention is diverted from me, then I will leave for Icethorn. I cannot be expected to hide within Farrador’s walls forever. I have a responsibility now, I just need the chance to locate it.”
“Hear, hear,” Gyah cheered. “If I cannot visit the Wychwood border, then I require an excuse to stretch my wings.”
“A little trip may be exactly what is required,” Althea agreed, a fleeting smile flittering across her face. “I was never one for sitting still. And castle life is rather dull. It was why I left and threw myself into the missions of infiltrating Hunter camps and taking back the stolen fey. Gives life more purpose, you know? Makes it less boring.”
“Life is far from boring.” The comment slipped out of me without much thought. Deep down a small part of me would have traded this all for the chance of being back in Grove, sleeping in bed after a long shift at the tavern. My shoulders were less heavy, the burden almost non-existent.
“Could be worse.” Althea nudged my knee with her own. “You might never have met us.”
That conjured a smile, a small but genuine one that warmed my chest. Althea was right. I had never had friends like them before.
“Or me.” Our heads snapped towards the door to my chamber to see Erix leaning up against the frame. His arms were crossed, his chest standing out prominently through the formfitting black top he still wore from our morning training.
Althea rolled her eyes, gesturing with a nod towards Gyah. “Andthatis our cue to leave.”
“Oh, do not rush out on my behalf,” Erix purred, striding into the room with his chin held high. “I just got here.”
“Exactly, Erix,” Althea said, turning her focus to me. “Robin, I suggest you get some rest tonight. You are going to need a clear head for tomorrow.”
“I will try.”
Althea raised a brow, her expression smug and knowing. “Say the word and I will dismiss him for the evening. I don’t imagine the nights are restful with your personal guard warming the bed.”
“Or messing up the bedsheets,” Gyah added.
I leaned into Althea, mischief twisting in my chest. “Believe me, I have always slept better in a warm bed. And even if you dismissed him, do you truly believe he would listen to your command?”
“Not at all.” The corner of her lip tugged upwards as she exhaled a light chuckle. “Gyah, I am going to need a drink to remove a certain image from my brain.”
Erix cleared his throat, a sly grin creeping up his cheeks. “Thinking about me, princess?”
Gyah’s chortled laugh was a mix between a bark and a grunt. “Actually, I think we will need more than one drink.”
