Bitter Bloodlines

Chapter Four

Following my mother throughout my first two days at the castle, I quickly learned the different factions present at Avelinian court. My aunt Anastasia and my cousin Phillip were both angling to take the throne, and each had a small but devoted group of supporters, though Phillip held more sway as a member of my mother's council. The council was made up of powerful nobles, most of whom had been chosen long ago by my father before his death. From what I could tell, the majority of them still expected my half-brother James to take the throne eventually, and saw my mother the Queen as a temporary placeholder. As James grew older, they had been growing more and more impatient.

Alongside these, there were also foreign powers at work: diplomats from Raverre across the channel, and from Peria, which bordered Aveline to the North. Raverre was of course an ally by marriage, but the relationship with Peria was more contentious. Several generations ago it had been part of Aveline, before an ugly civil war tore it apart, and trade deals between the two countries had only recently been repaired.

To make things worse, the Perian ambassador did not seem fond of me.

"Forgive me, your majesty, but I thought I had requested an audience with you alone," he said, on my second day, when he found me by my mother's side. We were technically not the only ones in the dining hall - a pair of acrobats were performing nearby, hoping to be hired by the Queen for the upcoming public feast - but of course, commoners were not being counted.

"Sir Francis, I feel like we are quite alone," she replied, gesturing for him to sit on her other side. "Princess Audrianna is my nasferata, and my daughter. She is a part of me."

Francis nodded in my direction as he sat down, but did not bow.

"I was hoping to return to our discussion about the southern mines," he said. Sat as we were, on either side of my mother on a long cushioned bench that faced the performers, I could not see his face, but I could hear the tension in his voice. One of the acrobats was currently spinning just above the floor, holding tight to a long silk ribbon that hung from the ceiling.

"We are still seeking to make a deal to acquire iron," Sir Francis continued, as the acrobat on the ground spun the ribbon to make the one aloft soar higher. "Your southern nobles are willing to sell, if you will allow it."

"I'm sure your understand my hesitance," the Queen replied. "Selling materials that will allow you to craft weapons and armor, when there is still tension between our countries."

"Peria has no quarrel with Aveline, as long as our borders are respected."

My mother clicked her tongue quietly, an expression of doubt. The acrobat on the ribbon began to climb it, swinging herself heels-over-head and wrapping the red silk tightly around her hips and thighs.

"Sympathize with my position, Sir Francis." My mother reached into her bodice and pulled out a small folding fan, began to fan herself with a leisurely sigh. "I am a monarch dealing in trade with a country that once rebelled against mine, and that refused to install a monarchy of its own after separation. There are many on my council who would advise me not to make any deals without another king or queen to sign them, especially ones that could arm your people against me."

"Queen Valentina, we are allies." I could feel him getting agitated, the quickening heartbeat. He was quite young for his position, and obviously trying very hard to keep it.

"An alliance signed by a collection of upraised peasants and strangers is difficult to trust. There is a reason monarchies forge alliances with blood."

The acrobat on the ribbon, now nearing the ceiling, dropped suddenly, flipping through the air as the silk unspooled around her. She caught it a few feet above the floor, hooking her knee through a loop and swinging herself upright again.

"We respect your customs, no matter how strange our people might find them. Many of my own people might advise not to make a deal with a queen who holds court with...what they might call a monster. But we know what is best for our nations."

His words were carefully chosen, filtered through layers to make it sound as if they weren't his own. He leaned forward, and I caught a glimpse in his face of the same disgust that Lady Carmen had given me in the dungeon.

"Our country is overrun with blood-suckers, and they do not behave as yours does," he went on. "We need weapons to hunt them, and as your ally, we can use the same weapons to protect our shared island against invaders should it become necessary."

In front of us, the acrobat on the ribbon flipped herself upside-down and grabbed her fellow performer by the wrists, lifting the other woman off the ground. Their lithe muscles strained as they clung to each other, interlocked. I thought of the dungeon, of holding onto Carmen by her chained wrists, of the sweat on her skin.

"I am sorry to hear about your problem with strigans," my mother said. "We have them as well. Perhaps the two of us could come to an understanding."

"What kind of deal would you consider making?"

Whatever the Queen said next, I did not hear. I could see, in the moment it happened, the trembling in the top acrobat's arms as she started to swing the lower one up onto the ribbon above her - a nervous shake, perhaps, or a tremble of fear as the beads of sweat made her partner's skin harder to grip. I moved with reflexes faster than a simple human's, standing as she began to fall, dashing forward as gravity ran its course.

She fell halfway through the lift, tumbling in a way that would have landed her on her back, and I caught her on the way down - a hard, clumsy landing, her elbows colliding with my ribs, but a softer one than the flagstone floor. She looked up at me from my arms and met my eyes, for just a fragment of a second, with confusion and relief.

Then she blinked, and the expression turned to fear. She moved quickly, escaping me with a dancer's grace, her tight, beaded costume leaving scratches on my soft leather bracers.

"I - I'm so sorry, your highness," she stuttered, backing away. Above us, her partner spun down and dropped to her feet, checking on the situation.

I turned back to my mother, looking for her approval on how I should respond, but she was deep in conversation, leaning close to Sir Francis as they discussed a deal. I wondered if either of them had even noticed the fall.

*****

That evening, I found James waiting for me in the hallway outside my rooms. He was unattended, and gave me a half-bow from his wheelchair when he saw me. He looked more pleased to see me than I expected.

"Your highness," he said, in greeting. "I came to invite you to join me for falconry tomorrow."

"You practice falconry?"

"Yes. I can ride, too, when my body allows it."

I raised an eyebrow. "It comes and goes? Your illness?"

He nodded. "Some days are better than others. But when you practice falconry, the bird does all the work."

He did look better than he had when I arrived, I noticed. His skin had more color, and his expression was far less pained.

I remembered what I had heard the servants whispering about - theories that I had come to court to murder him, to take his place. I was surprised that he seemed unconcerned now about taking me out onto the grounds.

"Would we be...joined by anyone?" I asked.

He smiled, a little crookedly, as if he knew exactly what I meant. "I don't think I will need my attendants tomorrow. My dog will come - he's very well behaved."

I understood this for what it was - an offer of private allyship, friendship even. At the very least, a connection I could have with someone who knew court better than I did.

"I appreciate the offer," I told him. "Yes, I will join you."