Oath of Rings

Chapter 5

One of the problems with being raised to be a queen, Charlotte was quickly discovering, was that you grew accustomed to being treated like a queen before you ever officially wore the title. In her homelands, and even in kingdoms closer to Castle Flair, it wasn't much of an issue, since those rulers were all aligned with her father. Even Hunter, who had been called the Skull King well before he was betrothed to Princess Stephanie, treated her in many ways as Ric's equal. Knowing what she knew now, Charlotte was suspicious of his motives, of course, but the end result was essentially the same: in most of the places in her sphere, her world, she was basically treated like a queen already. It was such a given that she hadn't even spared it a thought until she started going further afield and fewer and fewer people knew of King Ric or Castle Flair, let alone his children.

Paige knew, of course, but Paige was a queen in name as well as bearing, since her mother had stepped down from the throne. Many suspected she had only done so because Paige had been injured in battle and wasn't coping with it well, so her mother knew she needed something to keep her occupied. Charlotte wasn't sure how well it was working, though. Paige had no qualms about yelling at her attendants, wandering off in the middle of official events, or speaking her mind very openly and very loudly. Charlotte had always admired her English brashness, but now Paige seemed to be amplifying it. "Good morning, Princess," Paige chirped as she finally entered the dining hall when lunch was about to be served.

It was hard to tell from Paige's tone if Princess was meant in the literal sense or as a stark reminder that Charlotte was not yet queen, so Charlotte merely smiled. She and her attendants had just arrived the day before and she was too tired to start playing political games quite yet. Her only plans for the day were sampling Paige's wine collection, taking a walk along the coast, resting, and perhaps finding a handsome young knight who could be trusted for a quick dalliance. She wasn't married yet, after all, and if she could find a way not to be—at least for a while—so much the better. "Good afternoon," Charlotte replied, finishing the last of her meal. "When my attendants are ready, I would like to go for a walk along the coast, unless you have plans. . . ." It chafed her to ask—to be expected to ask—but she was in Paige's castle, Paige's kingdom, and the English queen far outranked her. During the long journey across the continent and then the water, at least Charlotte had enjoyed the relative freedom of being in command. Now she had to answer to the reigning monarch and a quiet, treacherous part of her brain kept reminding her that if any harm befell her so far from home, her family would never be able to prove anything. Paige could even say that Charlotte had never arrived and none of her people would dare to contradict her. Charlotte didn't think Paige actively wished her ill, but as a future queen, she was learning to be wary at all times.

Charlotte thought her request was fairly benign and didn't expect to get a reaction at all. If anything, perhaps Paige would suggest a route to take or a spot to avoid or, in her sly way, a favourable knight who might be excellent company for such a stroll. She certainly hadn't expected the English queen to nearly choke on her wine. "Walk? Coast?" Paige almost bent over double as she coughed into her napkin. "You've seen how rocky our coasts are, Charlotte."

"Indeed. They're beautiful, and I'd like to see more of them." Of all the things she expected Paige to protest, a simple walk certainly wasn't one of them. Perhaps if Charlotte had asked for a sword and a fighting partner, she could see Paige having concerns, but what harm was there in a simple stroll?

There was clearly something, though, because Paige shook her head. "You'll have to wait until I can spare some knights, I'm afraid. We've had some problems with the damn Irish . . . and the Scottish. That's why we have so many patrols," she explained. Charlotte couldn't remember even seeing one patrol, but before she could comment, Paige was rambling on. "Perhaps around sunset. The ocean looks so lovely then. It's really the best time for it." One of Paige's serving staff nodded as he cleared empty plates from the table. "Right now it's just water and rock, really. Best to wait. Then you'll have all afternoon to rest and relax." Once they had the dining hall to themselves, Paige leaned closer and winked. "Besides, I have some wonderful new knights you haven't met yet and I'm sure you'd like to introduce yourself—"