A Queen Conflicted (Alys Book #3)

Chapter 28

Dastrehan could feel exhaustion weighing him down when he and his small army arrived at Parthley Keep. They had ridden day and night for two days straight and arrived just after dusk.
"Welcome, Your Majesty," Lord Ivar, the lord of the keep, said as he stepped forward to secure the king's horse himself. The man's tone was serious, reflecting the dire situation they were all in.

Dastrehan did not reply as he swung himself off his mount and moved stiffly towards the large oak doors that made up the main entrance to the keep. Behind him, Sir Willem started calling out orders to their units, but the king took no notice, knowing his first in command would take care of everything.
Lord Ivar must have handed the horse off to a servant, because Dastrehan could hear the man puffing to catch up to him from behind.
The man was much shorter and heavier than the young king, with long curly greying hair and beard.
He was no warrior now, but back in his youth, he had held his own, proving his allegiance to King Nole and earning himself his own castle keep along the Tarkam-Catesh border: no small honor.
The great oak doors moaned as they swung back slowly on massive hinges in response to servants pushing them open for the king. Dastrehan moved through them, stopping once inside when he realized he did not know where he was going.
"How was your journey, Your Majesty?" Lord Ivar asked as he stopped beside the king, "If you will follow me, I have seen to it that a proper meal has been made in your honor."
Dastrehan stopped himself from scoffing; his honor was not something he was concerned about right at that moment. But he did need to get some good food in his stomach if he was going to keep up his strength to find Alys.
Dastrehan gestured for Lord Ivar to lead the way, and the thick man jumped forward and started off on a brisk walk gladly.
The king stalked behind the man, trying to be mindful that his brooding mood was not going to help matters. He had tried to remind himself to stay calm and be patient whenever they had to stop for a lame horse or something else urgent on their journey to the keep, but he found himself constantly being short with Willem and anyone else who dared to approach him.
It was hard to focus on being calm when inside he was so worked up and terrified about his wife being missing.
What if he never saw her again? Or worse; she could be alive and never be returned to him, suffering in captivity for the rest of her life.
Dastrehan's hands balled into fists at his sides. He had to stop letting his mind go there. Imagining what she could be suffering through made him wild with fear and rage, and neither were helpful at that moment.
He shoved his worries away from his mind as he entered a large hall, likely the main dining hall of the large keep. A massive table was filled with food and drinks, and would have been inviting had he been in any other mood.
Dastrehan stopped for a moment before moving to the table, staring at it. It took all his willpower to not make a nasty remark about wasting time preparing a feast when his wife, this man's queen, was missing.
Your bitterness will not help the matter, he reminded himself firmly. HoHo

Since Ezan and Krea had arrived at Tarkam Palace to inform him of what had happened, Dastrehan had found that his moods and emotions were reminding him more and more of his deceased father; a fact that disturbed him greatly.

He would not become like his father had, wicked and cruel, no matter how this situation ended. He owed that much to Alys and their children. He owed that much to his dead mother.

Lord Ivar had moved to the table while Dastrehan was lost in his thoughts, staring at the food. The older man cleared his throat carefully, pulling the king back to reality. Dastrehan shook himself slightly and mumbled brief words of gratitude as he pulled out a chair and sat down, reaching blindly to fill his plate.
For a few moments, he stared down at the delicious food, unable to stomach it. How could he sit here and gorge himself while his wife was missing?

It felt like he could not even breathe without feeling some form of guilt.
He should have made sure she was escorted with a bigger unit of guards.