A Beast's Tale

Chapter 44

After I left Ivetta that evening, I went to my library and pulled the book from Garnet down from the shelf, flipping it open to the first page and the inscription. It was written in the same neat, elegant hand as the journal.

To Evelyn, my love and my queen.
May these few verses keep you warm during the nights when we cannot be together.
From your devoted husband and king, Arvon.

Sariel didn't need to fabricate an acceptable background for Ivetta. She was a princess.

I read the journal in its entirety that night. King Arvon was diligent to record an entry every day, and most of the journal's contents were inane details of court life. But then relations with Obsidian took a severe turn for the worst. Queen Evelyn had received little mention in the mundane matters at the beginning of the journal, but toward the end, she received frequent attention. They came up with an escape plan for her should Obsidian invade, involving many secret friends the couple had within Obsidian's borders. She was to come to the palace here in Rhodolite for aid, carrying this journal with her so the Emperor wouldn't find her trail. Garnet was on Obsidian's northwestern border, and she was to cut her hair, dress as a pauper, and travel straight through the heart of Obsidian, under the very nose of the Emperor.

Which she had. Except she never came to the palace, choosing to scrape out an existence as a commoner, resigning Ivetta to a life of misery and poverty. Why?

King Arvon's words ended before all the pages of the journal were filled. I flipped through the blank pages absentmindedly, still processing everything, when a new hand appeared on one of the last pages. A thready, weak hand, written in the same language as King Arvon's writing, with many starts and stops where the author had to take breaks.

Ivetta's mother, Queen Evelyn, wrote this in her last days, specifically in a language Ivetta could not read.

To me.

Prince Chevalier Michel,

You know the truth now, about me and about Ivetta. I'm sure you have many questions, chief among them why I hid this from her. Maybe I was wrong, but I do love her very much, and everything I did was in her best interest, or so I thought. I am writing this to offer some explanation for my actions and, I hope, rectify at least some of my errors.

A year or so before Obsidian's invasion, the Emperor invited Arvon and I to Obsidian to discuss a deal that he promised would stabilize relations between our countries. He wanted us to promise the first princess of Garnet to Prince Gilbert as his bride. We hated the idea, but we felt we had no choice if there was any chance at peace, and so we agreed. I know now that the Emperor never had any intention of holding to his side of the agreement. The invasion came, followed by a siege of the castle, and Arvon insisted that I escape and leave him to fight. We didn't know that I was pregnant. I realized after I crossed the border to Rhodolite, and I was afraid to reveal myself until I knew the gender of the child. The Emperor would not hesitate to use a daughter as a political pawn against Rhodolite, the same way he had used her against Garnet before she was even conceived to trick us into lowering our defenses. So, I settled in the village near the palace, and when I gave birth to a girl, I made the decision to remain in obscurity and do my best to raise her alone.

I know Ivetta deserved much better than I gave her. She has always been so sweet and kind, my reason for living when the heaviness of my past threatened to destroy me from within. I could never have asked for a better gift than the one I received in her. It is no stretch to say that she has kept me alive all these years, even before I became ill. We weathered many hard times, but as long as we were together, I knew we would manage. That was why news of my illness devastated me. I didn't fear for myself; I feared for Ivetta. She is a strong, intelligent, resourceful girl, but alone, she is far too vulnerable to those who would mistreat her. Unfortunately, you know this all too well.