Kingdom of Crowns: Garden of Stones (Part Six)
Title: Kingdom of Crowns: Garden of Stones
Author name: hunters_retreat
Artist name:
deadflowers5
Fandom: CW RPS
Genre: slash, threesome, m/m/f
Pairing: Jared/Jensen/Danneel
Rating:NC-17
Word count: 50,000+
Warnings/Spoilers: threesomes
Summary: As Jared, Danneel, and Jensen begin to settle into their new roles in the Kandilihar Triune, tragedy happens. Danneel is left to hold the walls in her king's absence but friends aren't always what they seem and no one expects the pregnant Queen Consort to hold the castle against foreign enemies. Danneel isn't called the Fiery Queen for nothing though and in the battle ahead of her, she needs every bit of steel she can find.
With Danneel keeping Kandilihar safe, Jared is plunged further into the murderous plot of his sister as he tries to undo the harm she's done while building new alliances and making new friends. His reunion with his husband is short lived though when Jensen confesses to prophetic visions that are leading him to a place no one would have dared guess; the fabled Crown of Kingdoms. The Jade Crown had once united the Six Lakes Realms under a High King where peace reigned until betrayal destroyed it all. Jensen has to find the crown to bring an end to the deaths and warmongering of Jared's family and to find a way to protect his friends, family, and the husband and wife he has come to love more than life itself.
It was happening faster than Jared had expected, even having been through as many battles as he had. Jared and his men had been waiting on the outskirts of the castle, waiting on the hopes that Jesina would be able to open it tonight. He had no idea how she expected to get away from Megan and have free access to the wall, but she had proven herself to be a true Pelagian.
He didn’t get a chance to see her on the wall before the castle gates began to open. Jared’s men and those men that they’d been able to gather of the Pelagian forces were ready for it though. Jared rushed forward with Cohen and Benedict behind him; Lehne was already at the gates having hidden on the other side of the walkway.
A cry went out inside the castle but Jared had expected that. Jesina might be able to get the gates open but there was no way to mask the sound of its opening or to keep other sentries from seeing it from their other stations.
Jared dashed through the opening to find Jesina there with a handful of armed men and Ruden. He pulled her into a quick embrace even as his men began moving through the castle to secure the gate area. “We were terrified,” he said into her hair.
She smiled up at him. “And I refuse to let men die when I can do my part. Our men are in the jails, anyone that even questioned Megan’s place in the castle. I gathered those that had been waiting for a chance to rebel, but I could not figure out how to free those men.”
“Ruden, take her out of here to safety,” Jared said to the Torugan. “At the southern dock, a ship is waiting with Joshua and men to keep him safe if this turns out wrong. She’ll be safe there.”
“Be careful, Jared. She is your sister but she is devious. She’ll fight tooth and nail to keep this castle.”
“And I will fight tooth or nail to save it. Don’t worry for me, Jesina. Just be safe.”
Ruden pulled her away then and Jared grabbed Benedict. “You remember where the cells are?” When Benedict nodded Jared looked over at Lehne. “I need the two of you to get down there and free the Pelagians. Megan might leave them there during an attack but she might send someone down to kill them, to keep them from helping us.”
“Would she do that?” Lehne scowled at the idea.
Jared let out a deep breath. “My father would have and she is proving to be his daughter.”
Benedict and Lehne left without hesitation and Jared was able to turn his attention back to his men. The plan had been worked out long before this day. In that, at least, Jared could thank his father. Jared knew the best way to cripple the armies of the castle once they got through the gates. Joshua had been taken aback with the speed in which Jared had planned the night, but Jared had confessed more than once his father’s plan to take over Pelagia. They had debate long and hard in how best to do it.
The men were already deployed; taking over the outer walls and moving further in to keep the castle gates clear. Megan had taken the castle with few men but brutal force and Jared didn’t expect the fighting to last long, especially not once Benedict and Lehne got the men free from the jails in the lower levels of the castle. Megan had expected the walls to keep Jared out and though she was as dangerous as their father could have wished, she didn’t have the experience that Jared did. He would never have left the walls with so few men guarding them when there was the possibility of attack. Maybe Megan hadn’t expected an attack, or maybe she’d expected a siege the way Jared and his father had planned, but the men in the castle weren’t well stationed. The Torugan with her fought well, but they were outnumbered by the men Jared brought with him.
It would be a short fight for the Pelagian castle, Jared thought as he pulled his sword from his sheath, but it would be bloody.
**
Her heart was heavy and Queen Danneel stared down into the early morning light and tried not to let the sight discourage her. “They’ve stopped coming,” she said softly to her companions. “It won’t be long before their siege weapons are built and they try to tear the castle apart.”
“King Gerald knew what he was doing when he planned this castle,” Orator Beaver responded. “It will take long days of battering before any of these walls give and it’s built on solid rock. The men are ready to fight as soon as you give the word.”
“You surely don’t plan on leaving the safety of the castle walls?” Orator Morgan asked.
“No Kandili king has ever stayed behind the walls during a siege. The castle was well conceived to allow the front gates to open and our men to leave without leaving the rest of the castle in jeopardy. The Kandilihar knights have always defended us with honor,” Danneel answered the orator. She felt pride in the men that served her, in the men who had fought alongside her husband and brother and defended one another. She had no doubt that the Kandili knights would see them through the worst of nights.
“Your Majesty, there is no reason to leave the castle. Orator Beaver said there is little chance of a wall breach. What reason is there to fight these men off? The Torugan are fierce fighters. Gerald tried your soldiers against them more than once and it was always a draw. This is not the time for rash thinking. Let the Torugans knock their heads against the castle walls until they’ve run out of provisions and see how futile the siege is.”
“And what of my people’s homes? What do I tell my people when their homes are burnt and their livestock is settling the in our enemy’s belly?”
Orator Morgan stood before her and let out a deep breath. “You tell them that none of their husbands or brothers died. You tell them their children will not lose their fathers.”
Danneel turned away, cursing the tears than sprung to her eyes. Her child was inside, asleep with the wet nurse to watch over him. She refused to name him without her husband present, so she simply called him her sweet child. More than one of her visitors had looked at her oddly when she told them she would wait for Jared to name him, but Danneel had no intention of doing this without him. She refused to believe he wouldn’t return home to them.
Every instinct in her told her that she should throw the might of Kandilihar Cavalry against the Torugan and Ruvien mercenaries that threatened her people, but Morgan’s words struck true. How many men would die when she opened the gates? If she delayed long enough, the men outside the gates would run into supply issues and they might grow tired or sloppy. Gerald had truly built a castle made to withstand a siege though she knew he would never have condones hiding behind its walls. He was a man that believed in retribution and the might of his sword arm. Danneel didn’t have that here though. Jared had been his father’s Swordarm, and when Jared had become king, Christian had taken that honor. She was without them and while her heart said she should throw herself into the heart of the battle, she couldn’t disregard the lives of the men that would be lost.
Danneel looked over to Orator Beaver but in the past few weeks she’d seen the Orator more tight lipped than ever before. Jim might not always agree with what was said, but he never allowed it to stop him from speaking his mind before. She wasn’t sure what she’d hoped, but Jim’s silence filled her with dread and she bowed her head slightly before looking up at Morgan. “You are a wise councilor. We will stay behind the walls, for now.”
The orator moved away but Jim moved closer to the wall, letting his hands rest on the cool stone. “You have little say on the affairs of state lately,” she said softly as she settled beside him.
“Morgan seems to have enough to say for all of us, and he has the Queen’s ear.” Jim’s voice was bitter and Danneel could feel her eyes widen at his words. “He may be a wise councilor but this isn’t Pelagia and he doesn’t understand how or why we do things the way we do them in Kandilihar. You might want to remember that you have a Kandili backbone too, Your Majesty.”
He left before she could respond to his angry words. She let out a shaky breath and turned back to look at the army that was waiting outside of the castle walls. The walls were always a cold comfort to her when her husbands were gone from her, but even the familiar look of the Kandili valley was blotted out with the foreign army in the way. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her strength around her like armor. She was as alone as she had ever been, but she would not fail her husbands or her people, no matter how her heart doubted.
**
The slash on Jared's thigh itched but he kept himself from scratching at it. He'd sat through darker meetings with far worse injuries but for some reason this wound bothered him far more than the others had. Jesina smiled at Jared from her seat on the dais though and Jared couldn’t help but smile in response. Next to her, Joshua sat on his father's throne, looking regal and every bit as lost as Jared had felt the first time he'd taken on the responsibility of the throne.
It was a heavy day. There had been casualties on both sides and while Jared knew most of the men and women in the Pelagian castle wouldn’t mourn for the Torugan, some of those men had died trying to right the wrongs done by the others.
Jared wanted to be out of the room, to be tracking down his sister, but he knew it was impossible. He’d seen Megan towards the end of the fighting, surrounded by a group of men as they raced her out of the castle and towards the docks. Jared had no doubt she would make it, especially not when he saw the one fighter among them; Carlson.
Jared had mourned for his friend when he’d realized Megan must have killed him in the fire at the inn but Jared almost wished it for him now. It was better to have died an honorable death defending those he loved than to find out he was a traitor and he’d betrayed his brothers-in-arms.
“King Jared,” Jared pulled away from his thoughts and took a step forward towards the newly crowned king.
“Brother,” Jared answered. Jared saw the way Joshua’s lips turned up in an almost smile and he knew he’d done the right thing. Megan’s treachery could cause a huge gash in his relationship with the Pelagian family, but Joshua had always known Jared had nothing to do with it. Jared and Joshua both wanted the Pelagian castle to know that whatever else had happened, the ties between Kandilihar and Pelagia would continue to grow stronger.
“Your men have been a great aid to us as we regained the throne. I cannot thank you enough for the aid, or for finding the allies that you brought forward in our time of need.”
Ruden refused to be acknowledged in any way before the Pelagian court, something that frustrated Jared and Joshua. He was not the king of his people though and he said his honor would not take the insult if he was acknowledged for his actions before he had a chance to prove Stuart false. Jared didn’t understand it entirely himself, but Joshua was giving him a chance to acknowledge the good the Torugan’s had done before the court in a way that would appease them all.
“We were fortunate to have the strength of the Torugan clans to right the wrongs done by my sister. I can only hope that we can do more to end the grief that Megan of Donara has caused.”
Joshua nodded. “My men have had no word of her yet. Could she have escaped?”
Jared nodded. Once the fighting had been done, he hadn’t had time to speak with Joshua. He’d called the courts to him and began at once to show his authority to settle the people. He wished he could have talked to the man about it when they were alone, but Carlson’s betrayal would be known soon enough.
“She did escape. I saw a group of Stuart’s men fighting a way through the castle gates with her. I wasn’t able to get to her or I would have brought her to you myself for judgment.”
“I was afraid of that. It would have been better to have her under guard. I fear what she will do elsewhere in the world.”
“As do I,” Jared said with a tired sigh. He wanted to find a meal and a bed, but he knew that though Pelagia was now in its rightful hands, he still had another battle to undertake. “She was not alone in her treachery,” Jared turned to look at Cohen and Benedict then. There were other men that would be affected by his next words, but Cohen and Benedict had been a part of Jared’s own lance of horsemen and they had known Carlson more personally than the others had. “Carlson was with her, defending her as they moved through the gates.”
“No,” Jared would have missed the whisper from Cohen if he hadn’t been watching for it. Benedict, however, didn’t seem to be surprised at all. When Jared met his eye, Benedict sighed.
“Carlson protected the Princess before her marriage to the Donaran Prince. He was unhappy about the arrangement at the time and he made certain that he was her guard when she was in Pelagia on Donaran business. He was always closer to her than he let the royal family see. I think he had … hopes.”
“What sort of hopes?” Jared asked. He was afraid to hear what Benedict might say, but the man was a good scout for a reason. Jared had no doubt if Collins or Abel were there that they would say the same thing.
“The Queen of Kandilihar was peasant-born and no one expected King Gerald to sell Megan’s hand in marriage for a political alliance. I think he hoped a knight of renown could win the Princess’ hand.”
Jared let out a small snort of disgust; betrayed for love of a woman who was even more treacherous than the knight was.
Jared turned back to Joshua. “This treachery was in my own court, unlooked for. For now Megan and Carlson are loose in the world and we know where Megan has her eye set.”
“You will return to Kandilihar then?”
“I have been away from my home for far too long. I have done what I could to right the wrongs done by my kin, but I have to turn homeward now. Danneel will keep the castle for us, but she will need more than the men she has to turn the tides of battle.”
“And my brother?”
Jared sighed. “If I know your brother, he’s lost on a journey that I could not begin to track. He searches for something that will put an end to my sister’s plans and that would unite the Six Lakes Realm. He chose to make this journey with a few good men and I fear that must remain the same. As much as I would like to go to my husband, our paths still remain divided.”
Joshua nodded. “For all my own abilities, I have had no premonitions of my brother. If I had, I might have tried to guide you to him, but you are right. We have no way of following his path or I would send as many Pelagian knights as could stand to travel. You must rest though. We will have food prepared for you and your men, and provisions for the journey ahead.”
“You have my thanks,” Jared said with a bow of his head.
“And you have mine, Brother.”
Jared was ready to turn to leave the King’s audience hall when a group of men came striding in. Jared moved before the dais, his men - Kandili and Torugan - moved with him. The men were sailors, rough and dirt encrusted but armed before the king.
The captain stopped before the assembly and looked at Jared before looking at the dais and smiling. He dropped to one knee and the men with him followed.
“Captain Sheppard, we have long wondered what had become of the Pelagian navy. What word have you?”
"Your Majesty," Sheppard said as he looked up to the king. "I received orders from King Alan to find the source of the pirate attacks on the Pela Sea. His orders were specific; I was to sail to Lastoran if there was any sign of trouble in Pelagia at our return. By the time we arrived here, the Torugan flag flew above the castle so I followed orders and awaited word from Prince Sebastian. He was a true friend to Pelagia and gave us a place to rest and stores to fill our larders as we waited for word of what had happened in Pelagia. It was on his orders that we returned when we did. Two days ago we crossed the Kandili coast border and we found the pirate army, under Princess Megan's flag, sailing towards Pelagia. Under Prince Sebastian's orders we engaged the enemy before they could bring men and goods to the castle. We have the survivors in the brig, waiting your orders."
Jared looked back at Joshua who motioned Jared aside. Jared let go of his sword hilt and stepped to the side and the men behind him fell back into place. Jared didn't move back to the sides though. He stood at the base of the dais to one side, ignoring the questioning look the captain gave him.
"It would seem that we owe Lastoran a debt of gratitude then. Captain, we will have a full debriefing as soon as we can retire from these chambers."
The captain and his men backed into the crowd then and Joshua stood, offering his sister his hand. Jesina took it, standing tall and proud at his side. She would make a brilliant advisor and Jared would make sure that Joshua took advantage of it, or he would send for her himself. Jensen would surely love to have his sister close to him.
Jesina took a step towards the Torugan men who had come with Jared and he could see the Pelagian soldiers who had been captured in the castle tense. She smiled softly as Ruden took a step forward. "Your honor is not yet met, Shama, and will not be until you prove Stuart is shama'che. As a man though, you have shown great honor to me. You followed me into danger though you did not know if I could deliver on the promises I gave you. You helped me save the lives of many of my countrymen who may have died trying to breach our castle walls, and helped find a way to open the gates so that my home would not be destroyed. I am no Torugan to understand what your honor means to you, but among the Pelagian people, you have proved yourself to be a great man. I hope that you remember, in the days to come, that we are not all faithless."
Jared saw the way Joshua looked at his sister then and he knew the king would not underestimate his sister again.
Ruden bowed his head low. "I hope you will remember, in time, that the Torugan are not either."
Jesina returned to Joshua's side then and Joshua looked back to Jared. "I believe Captain Sheppard’s words will concern you as we'll, King Jared. Ambassador Pileggi has arrived and I would welcome you to our discussion," Joshua offered. "And any you wish to bring. There will be a full table as we hear from our allies, so that you may break your fast as we hear the latest news."
Jared bowed his head slightly. "I would be glad to join your table, King Joshua."
The people in attendance began to dissipate and a servant came forward to show him to a room. He ignored them for a moment and found Ruden and Lehne.
"Will you join us at the King's table?" Ruden nodded but Jared could see Lehne's reluctance.
"It would not be appropriate for me to sit at the King's table, though I thank you for the offer."
Jared looked to Ruden for understanding but the other man just watched Lehne. Jared had no idea how to proceed but he knew he wanted Lehne at his side. The Torugan hadn't backed down from facing his actions so far and Jared didn't know why he was now. He had a moment's wish that his husband was there with him to navigate this conversation.
"You freed me from my sister who would have killed me soon enough. You led us to your people and helped convince them to stop Stuart. I have no right to be there if you do not."
Lehne watched him for a moment before he finally nodded his head. “I will be there with you then, if only to make certain you attend.”
Jared smiled at him and clapped him on the back. He knew how hard it was for the Torugan to bend their necks and Lehne was doing that for him. “Thank you. Now get cleaned up and meet me in my rooms before we head to Joshua’s council.”
Lehne turned and walked away, being led by a servant who looked as uncomfortable to be showing him to his rooms and Lehne looked to be led. Jared just shook his head and found the servant who had offered to take him to his rooms. He just hoped he wasn’t given the same room he’d woken up in when Megan had held him.
He was led towards the family’s living quarters in the castle and Jared was surprised when he was led to Jensen’s suite. He hadn’t been to visit those rooms when he’d come on his last visit; he’d feared his good intentions to court Jensen would be pushed to far if he was surrounded by Jensen in his own private room, but now it was a needed balm to his nerves. He thanked the servant and quickly stepped in. He closed the door slowly and stood there with his head bowed against the wood. When he turned around, he took a deep breath and looked around at the room that was his husband’s home. A large bookcase was filled with books on one side and a large window overlooked the island’s east sea port and beyond that the Pela Sea.
A table sat under the window and Jared could imagine Jensen sitting there with whatever work he had to attend to each day. There was a bowl in the center of the table with green sea glass and Jared picked a few pieces up, letting them fall back through his fingers into the bowl. Jensen had a smaller bowl of them in the wedding suites in Kandilihar and he would sit at the table there, letting his fingers play through the stones as he tried to wrap his mind around his troubles. He did it unconsciously and Jared felt closer to his husband as his fingers closed over the stones again.
He sat at the table, looking over the sea, fingers closing and unclosing on the stones again and again, losing himself in the memories of his wife and husband, and hoping that he would see them both soon.
On to Part Seven
Author name: hunters_retreat
Artist name:
deadflowers5
Fandom: CW RPS
Genre: slash, threesome, m/m/f
Pairing: Jared/Jensen/Danneel
Rating:NC-17
Word count: 50,000+
Warnings/Spoilers: threesomes
Summary: As Jared, Danneel, and Jensen begin to settle into their new roles in the Kandilihar Triune, tragedy happens. Danneel is left to hold the walls in her king's absence but friends aren't always what they seem and no one expects the pregnant Queen Consort to hold the castle against foreign enemies. Danneel isn't called the Fiery Queen for nothing though and in the battle ahead of her, she needs every bit of steel she can find.
With Danneel keeping Kandilihar safe, Jared is plunged further into the murderous plot of his sister as he tries to undo the harm she's done while building new alliances and making new friends. His reunion with his husband is short lived though when Jensen confesses to prophetic visions that are leading him to a place no one would have dared guess; the fabled Crown of Kingdoms. The Jade Crown had once united the Six Lakes Realms under a High King where peace reigned until betrayal destroyed it all. Jensen has to find the crown to bring an end to the deaths and warmongering of Jared's family and to find a way to protect his friends, family, and the husband and wife he has come to love more than life itself.
It was happening faster than Jared had expected, even having been through as many battles as he had. Jared and his men had been waiting on the outskirts of the castle, waiting on the hopes that Jesina would be able to open it tonight. He had no idea how she expected to get away from Megan and have free access to the wall, but she had proven herself to be a true Pelagian.
He didn’t get a chance to see her on the wall before the castle gates began to open. Jared’s men and those men that they’d been able to gather of the Pelagian forces were ready for it though. Jared rushed forward with Cohen and Benedict behind him; Lehne was already at the gates having hidden on the other side of the walkway.
A cry went out inside the castle but Jared had expected that. Jesina might be able to get the gates open but there was no way to mask the sound of its opening or to keep other sentries from seeing it from their other stations.
Jared dashed through the opening to find Jesina there with a handful of armed men and Ruden. He pulled her into a quick embrace even as his men began moving through the castle to secure the gate area. “We were terrified,” he said into her hair.
She smiled up at him. “And I refuse to let men die when I can do my part. Our men are in the jails, anyone that even questioned Megan’s place in the castle. I gathered those that had been waiting for a chance to rebel, but I could not figure out how to free those men.”
“Ruden, take her out of here to safety,” Jared said to the Torugan. “At the southern dock, a ship is waiting with Joshua and men to keep him safe if this turns out wrong. She’ll be safe there.”
“Be careful, Jared. She is your sister but she is devious. She’ll fight tooth and nail to keep this castle.”
“And I will fight tooth or nail to save it. Don’t worry for me, Jesina. Just be safe.”
Ruden pulled her away then and Jared grabbed Benedict. “You remember where the cells are?” When Benedict nodded Jared looked over at Lehne. “I need the two of you to get down there and free the Pelagians. Megan might leave them there during an attack but she might send someone down to kill them, to keep them from helping us.”
“Would she do that?” Lehne scowled at the idea.
Jared let out a deep breath. “My father would have and she is proving to be his daughter.”
Benedict and Lehne left without hesitation and Jared was able to turn his attention back to his men. The plan had been worked out long before this day. In that, at least, Jared could thank his father. Jared knew the best way to cripple the armies of the castle once they got through the gates. Joshua had been taken aback with the speed in which Jared had planned the night, but Jared had confessed more than once his father’s plan to take over Pelagia. They had debate long and hard in how best to do it.
The men were already deployed; taking over the outer walls and moving further in to keep the castle gates clear. Megan had taken the castle with few men but brutal force and Jared didn’t expect the fighting to last long, especially not once Benedict and Lehne got the men free from the jails in the lower levels of the castle. Megan had expected the walls to keep Jared out and though she was as dangerous as their father could have wished, she didn’t have the experience that Jared did. He would never have left the walls with so few men guarding them when there was the possibility of attack. Maybe Megan hadn’t expected an attack, or maybe she’d expected a siege the way Jared and his father had planned, but the men in the castle weren’t well stationed. The Torugan with her fought well, but they were outnumbered by the men Jared brought with him.
It would be a short fight for the Pelagian castle, Jared thought as he pulled his sword from his sheath, but it would be bloody.
**
Her heart was heavy and Queen Danneel stared down into the early morning light and tried not to let the sight discourage her. “They’ve stopped coming,” she said softly to her companions. “It won’t be long before their siege weapons are built and they try to tear the castle apart.”
“King Gerald knew what he was doing when he planned this castle,” Orator Beaver responded. “It will take long days of battering before any of these walls give and it’s built on solid rock. The men are ready to fight as soon as you give the word.”
“You surely don’t plan on leaving the safety of the castle walls?” Orator Morgan asked.
“No Kandili king has ever stayed behind the walls during a siege. The castle was well conceived to allow the front gates to open and our men to leave without leaving the rest of the castle in jeopardy. The Kandilihar knights have always defended us with honor,” Danneel answered the orator. She felt pride in the men that served her, in the men who had fought alongside her husband and brother and defended one another. She had no doubt that the Kandili knights would see them through the worst of nights.
“Your Majesty, there is no reason to leave the castle. Orator Beaver said there is little chance of a wall breach. What reason is there to fight these men off? The Torugan are fierce fighters. Gerald tried your soldiers against them more than once and it was always a draw. This is not the time for rash thinking. Let the Torugans knock their heads against the castle walls until they’ve run out of provisions and see how futile the siege is.”
“And what of my people’s homes? What do I tell my people when their homes are burnt and their livestock is settling the in our enemy’s belly?”
Orator Morgan stood before her and let out a deep breath. “You tell them that none of their husbands or brothers died. You tell them their children will not lose their fathers.”
Danneel turned away, cursing the tears than sprung to her eyes. Her child was inside, asleep with the wet nurse to watch over him. She refused to name him without her husband present, so she simply called him her sweet child. More than one of her visitors had looked at her oddly when she told them she would wait for Jared to name him, but Danneel had no intention of doing this without him. She refused to believe he wouldn’t return home to them.
Every instinct in her told her that she should throw the might of Kandilihar Cavalry against the Torugan and Ruvien mercenaries that threatened her people, but Morgan’s words struck true. How many men would die when she opened the gates? If she delayed long enough, the men outside the gates would run into supply issues and they might grow tired or sloppy. Gerald had truly built a castle made to withstand a siege though she knew he would never have condones hiding behind its walls. He was a man that believed in retribution and the might of his sword arm. Danneel didn’t have that here though. Jared had been his father’s Swordarm, and when Jared had become king, Christian had taken that honor. She was without them and while her heart said she should throw herself into the heart of the battle, she couldn’t disregard the lives of the men that would be lost.
Danneel looked over to Orator Beaver but in the past few weeks she’d seen the Orator more tight lipped than ever before. Jim might not always agree with what was said, but he never allowed it to stop him from speaking his mind before. She wasn’t sure what she’d hoped, but Jim’s silence filled her with dread and she bowed her head slightly before looking up at Morgan. “You are a wise councilor. We will stay behind the walls, for now.”
The orator moved away but Jim moved closer to the wall, letting his hands rest on the cool stone. “You have little say on the affairs of state lately,” she said softly as she settled beside him.
“Morgan seems to have enough to say for all of us, and he has the Queen’s ear.” Jim’s voice was bitter and Danneel could feel her eyes widen at his words. “He may be a wise councilor but this isn’t Pelagia and he doesn’t understand how or why we do things the way we do them in Kandilihar. You might want to remember that you have a Kandili backbone too, Your Majesty.”
He left before she could respond to his angry words. She let out a shaky breath and turned back to look at the army that was waiting outside of the castle walls. The walls were always a cold comfort to her when her husbands were gone from her, but even the familiar look of the Kandili valley was blotted out with the foreign army in the way. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering her strength around her like armor. She was as alone as she had ever been, but she would not fail her husbands or her people, no matter how her heart doubted.
**
The slash on Jared's thigh itched but he kept himself from scratching at it. He'd sat through darker meetings with far worse injuries but for some reason this wound bothered him far more than the others had. Jesina smiled at Jared from her seat on the dais though and Jared couldn’t help but smile in response. Next to her, Joshua sat on his father's throne, looking regal and every bit as lost as Jared had felt the first time he'd taken on the responsibility of the throne.
It was a heavy day. There had been casualties on both sides and while Jared knew most of the men and women in the Pelagian castle wouldn’t mourn for the Torugan, some of those men had died trying to right the wrongs done by the others.
Jared wanted to be out of the room, to be tracking down his sister, but he knew it was impossible. He’d seen Megan towards the end of the fighting, surrounded by a group of men as they raced her out of the castle and towards the docks. Jared had no doubt she would make it, especially not when he saw the one fighter among them; Carlson.
Jared had mourned for his friend when he’d realized Megan must have killed him in the fire at the inn but Jared almost wished it for him now. It was better to have died an honorable death defending those he loved than to find out he was a traitor and he’d betrayed his brothers-in-arms.
“King Jared,” Jared pulled away from his thoughts and took a step forward towards the newly crowned king.
“Brother,” Jared answered. Jared saw the way Joshua’s lips turned up in an almost smile and he knew he’d done the right thing. Megan’s treachery could cause a huge gash in his relationship with the Pelagian family, but Joshua had always known Jared had nothing to do with it. Jared and Joshua both wanted the Pelagian castle to know that whatever else had happened, the ties between Kandilihar and Pelagia would continue to grow stronger.
“Your men have been a great aid to us as we regained the throne. I cannot thank you enough for the aid, or for finding the allies that you brought forward in our time of need.”
Ruden refused to be acknowledged in any way before the Pelagian court, something that frustrated Jared and Joshua. He was not the king of his people though and he said his honor would not take the insult if he was acknowledged for his actions before he had a chance to prove Stuart false. Jared didn’t understand it entirely himself, but Joshua was giving him a chance to acknowledge the good the Torugan’s had done before the court in a way that would appease them all.
“We were fortunate to have the strength of the Torugan clans to right the wrongs done by my sister. I can only hope that we can do more to end the grief that Megan of Donara has caused.”
Joshua nodded. “My men have had no word of her yet. Could she have escaped?”
Jared nodded. Once the fighting had been done, he hadn’t had time to speak with Joshua. He’d called the courts to him and began at once to show his authority to settle the people. He wished he could have talked to the man about it when they were alone, but Carlson’s betrayal would be known soon enough.
“She did escape. I saw a group of Stuart’s men fighting a way through the castle gates with her. I wasn’t able to get to her or I would have brought her to you myself for judgment.”
“I was afraid of that. It would have been better to have her under guard. I fear what she will do elsewhere in the world.”
“As do I,” Jared said with a tired sigh. He wanted to find a meal and a bed, but he knew that though Pelagia was now in its rightful hands, he still had another battle to undertake. “She was not alone in her treachery,” Jared turned to look at Cohen and Benedict then. There were other men that would be affected by his next words, but Cohen and Benedict had been a part of Jared’s own lance of horsemen and they had known Carlson more personally than the others had. “Carlson was with her, defending her as they moved through the gates.”
“No,” Jared would have missed the whisper from Cohen if he hadn’t been watching for it. Benedict, however, didn’t seem to be surprised at all. When Jared met his eye, Benedict sighed.
“Carlson protected the Princess before her marriage to the Donaran Prince. He was unhappy about the arrangement at the time and he made certain that he was her guard when she was in Pelagia on Donaran business. He was always closer to her than he let the royal family see. I think he had … hopes.”
“What sort of hopes?” Jared asked. He was afraid to hear what Benedict might say, but the man was a good scout for a reason. Jared had no doubt if Collins or Abel were there that they would say the same thing.
“The Queen of Kandilihar was peasant-born and no one expected King Gerald to sell Megan’s hand in marriage for a political alliance. I think he hoped a knight of renown could win the Princess’ hand.”
Jared let out a small snort of disgust; betrayed for love of a woman who was even more treacherous than the knight was.
Jared turned back to Joshua. “This treachery was in my own court, unlooked for. For now Megan and Carlson are loose in the world and we know where Megan has her eye set.”
“You will return to Kandilihar then?”
“I have been away from my home for far too long. I have done what I could to right the wrongs done by my kin, but I have to turn homeward now. Danneel will keep the castle for us, but she will need more than the men she has to turn the tides of battle.”
“And my brother?”
Jared sighed. “If I know your brother, he’s lost on a journey that I could not begin to track. He searches for something that will put an end to my sister’s plans and that would unite the Six Lakes Realm. He chose to make this journey with a few good men and I fear that must remain the same. As much as I would like to go to my husband, our paths still remain divided.”
Joshua nodded. “For all my own abilities, I have had no premonitions of my brother. If I had, I might have tried to guide you to him, but you are right. We have no way of following his path or I would send as many Pelagian knights as could stand to travel. You must rest though. We will have food prepared for you and your men, and provisions for the journey ahead.”
“You have my thanks,” Jared said with a bow of his head.
“And you have mine, Brother.”
Jared was ready to turn to leave the King’s audience hall when a group of men came striding in. Jared moved before the dais, his men - Kandili and Torugan - moved with him. The men were sailors, rough and dirt encrusted but armed before the king.
The captain stopped before the assembly and looked at Jared before looking at the dais and smiling. He dropped to one knee and the men with him followed.
“Captain Sheppard, we have long wondered what had become of the Pelagian navy. What word have you?”
"Your Majesty," Sheppard said as he looked up to the king. "I received orders from King Alan to find the source of the pirate attacks on the Pela Sea. His orders were specific; I was to sail to Lastoran if there was any sign of trouble in Pelagia at our return. By the time we arrived here, the Torugan flag flew above the castle so I followed orders and awaited word from Prince Sebastian. He was a true friend to Pelagia and gave us a place to rest and stores to fill our larders as we waited for word of what had happened in Pelagia. It was on his orders that we returned when we did. Two days ago we crossed the Kandili coast border and we found the pirate army, under Princess Megan's flag, sailing towards Pelagia. Under Prince Sebastian's orders we engaged the enemy before they could bring men and goods to the castle. We have the survivors in the brig, waiting your orders."
Jared looked back at Joshua who motioned Jared aside. Jared let go of his sword hilt and stepped to the side and the men behind him fell back into place. Jared didn't move back to the sides though. He stood at the base of the dais to one side, ignoring the questioning look the captain gave him.
"It would seem that we owe Lastoran a debt of gratitude then. Captain, we will have a full debriefing as soon as we can retire from these chambers."
The captain and his men backed into the crowd then and Joshua stood, offering his sister his hand. Jesina took it, standing tall and proud at his side. She would make a brilliant advisor and Jared would make sure that Joshua took advantage of it, or he would send for her himself. Jensen would surely love to have his sister close to him.
Jesina took a step towards the Torugan men who had come with Jared and he could see the Pelagian soldiers who had been captured in the castle tense. She smiled softly as Ruden took a step forward. "Your honor is not yet met, Shama, and will not be until you prove Stuart is shama'che. As a man though, you have shown great honor to me. You followed me into danger though you did not know if I could deliver on the promises I gave you. You helped me save the lives of many of my countrymen who may have died trying to breach our castle walls, and helped find a way to open the gates so that my home would not be destroyed. I am no Torugan to understand what your honor means to you, but among the Pelagian people, you have proved yourself to be a great man. I hope that you remember, in the days to come, that we are not all faithless."
Jared saw the way Joshua looked at his sister then and he knew the king would not underestimate his sister again.
Ruden bowed his head low. "I hope you will remember, in time, that the Torugan are not either."
Jesina returned to Joshua's side then and Joshua looked back to Jared. "I believe Captain Sheppard’s words will concern you as we'll, King Jared. Ambassador Pileggi has arrived and I would welcome you to our discussion," Joshua offered. "And any you wish to bring. There will be a full table as we hear from our allies, so that you may break your fast as we hear the latest news."
Jared bowed his head slightly. "I would be glad to join your table, King Joshua."
The people in attendance began to dissipate and a servant came forward to show him to a room. He ignored them for a moment and found Ruden and Lehne.
"Will you join us at the King's table?" Ruden nodded but Jared could see Lehne's reluctance.
"It would not be appropriate for me to sit at the King's table, though I thank you for the offer."
Jared looked to Ruden for understanding but the other man just watched Lehne. Jared had no idea how to proceed but he knew he wanted Lehne at his side. The Torugan hadn't backed down from facing his actions so far and Jared didn't know why he was now. He had a moment's wish that his husband was there with him to navigate this conversation.
"You freed me from my sister who would have killed me soon enough. You led us to your people and helped convince them to stop Stuart. I have no right to be there if you do not."
Lehne watched him for a moment before he finally nodded his head. “I will be there with you then, if only to make certain you attend.”
Jared smiled at him and clapped him on the back. He knew how hard it was for the Torugan to bend their necks and Lehne was doing that for him. “Thank you. Now get cleaned up and meet me in my rooms before we head to Joshua’s council.”
Lehne turned and walked away, being led by a servant who looked as uncomfortable to be showing him to his rooms and Lehne looked to be led. Jared just shook his head and found the servant who had offered to take him to his rooms. He just hoped he wasn’t given the same room he’d woken up in when Megan had held him.
He was led towards the family’s living quarters in the castle and Jared was surprised when he was led to Jensen’s suite. He hadn’t been to visit those rooms when he’d come on his last visit; he’d feared his good intentions to court Jensen would be pushed to far if he was surrounded by Jensen in his own private room, but now it was a needed balm to his nerves. He thanked the servant and quickly stepped in. He closed the door slowly and stood there with his head bowed against the wood. When he turned around, he took a deep breath and looked around at the room that was his husband’s home. A large bookcase was filled with books on one side and a large window overlooked the island’s east sea port and beyond that the Pela Sea.
A table sat under the window and Jared could imagine Jensen sitting there with whatever work he had to attend to each day. There was a bowl in the center of the table with green sea glass and Jared picked a few pieces up, letting them fall back through his fingers into the bowl. Jensen had a smaller bowl of them in the wedding suites in Kandilihar and he would sit at the table there, letting his fingers play through the stones as he tried to wrap his mind around his troubles. He did it unconsciously and Jared felt closer to his husband as his fingers closed over the stones again.
He sat at the table, looking over the sea, fingers closing and unclosing on the stones again and again, losing himself in the memories of his wife and husband, and hoping that he would see them both soon.
On to Part Seven