Waterborne (Wanderlust 3)

Chapter Fifty

Queen Avaloni of Navire was a beautiful, regal woman who Tanden guessed to be in her late thirties, or maybe her early forties. It was hard to tell, and he knew better than to ask.

He hadn't meant to visit her. Unfortunately, his attempts to claim reward money for the Exhun's sinking had resulted in having to tell people his name, and then it wasn't long before word of his presence reached the Queen and she invited him to the castle.

That said, he wasn't having a terrible time. His confidence in quite a few of his skills had been shaken, but not this particular skill. After all, he had grown up a noble. Whatever mysteries he was trying to work through about who he really was hadn't erased habits he had practiced nearly since birth.

And it was fun to dress up and look his best. He wore new clothing, dark pants and a light tan tunic. He would have preferred blue, which wasn't a common textile colour in Navire and had proven impossible to find that morning. He had trimmed his beard to its usual, short length, and Ara had expertly braided his hair back into the Morcean style he preferred. He almost, if he ignored the new facial tattoos, looked like his old self.

Soren was along, Tanden had insisted the invitation be extended to the Captain who had sunken the pirate ship. He too looked more or less like himself again. Cleanshaven, his hair trimmed and neatened. Tanden had dramatically lamented the loss of the beard, but really, he thought Soren was irresistibly handsome either way. Soren's new clothing were simpler than Tanden's, just dark pants and a dark tunic. He looked serious and professional, which suited him. Tanden was the dramatic one.

Across the table, Queen Avaloni looked incredibly elegant in an orange, wrap-around Navirian dress. Her dark hair hung loose and curly, and her brown eyes regarded them curiously. Her fingers were laced together on the table, and her many bracelets clinked together every time she shifted her arms. A gold headband crossed over her forehead—the Navirian version of a crown.

Tanden's first instict was to speak in Navirian, but he knew she could speak Teltish perfectly, and it wouldn't be fair to leave Soren out of the conversation. So when he finally broke the silence, it was in Teltish.

"We appreciate the invitation to dine with you, Queen Avaloni. Although, to be candid, I'm not sure why you would want to speak with us. Surely the sinking of a pirate ship isn't important enough to earn a private audience with the Queen."

"You know exactly why you're here," she replied.

Tanden resisted a glance at Soren. Of course, he knew. "My name isn't that important, really."

"Captain Lord Tanden from West Draulin isn't an important name?"

"It's just Lord, at the moment," Tanden said. He sensed Soren's surprised glance. "And, if we're going to be really accurate, it's of West Draulin. From simply means I'm from the city. Of means my family rules it."

It wasn't really important to correct her, he knew that. Luckily, she seemed to think he was entertaining. "If we're going to be really accurate, Lord Tanden of West Draulin, my name is Kaklias Avaloni pyr Alrato."

Tanden smiled. "Queen Avaloni the Twenty-Third. It's a beautiful name."

"Thank you. It took me some time to feel like I was living up to it."

"It took me hardly any time at all to realize that I didn't want to live up to mine," Tanden said. "But, I do recognize the benefits I've had because of it. It's a useful tool when I need it to be. I've just..." His words trailed off as servants rolled in carts laden with food.

They worked swiftly, serving first the Queen and then Tanden and Soren. Steaming bowls of rice topped with a fragrant sauce made of meat and vegetables were placed in front of each of them. Tall glass decanters were used to pour golden ovaisi into each glass. It didn't escape Tanden's notice that the queen's ovaisi was served from a different decanter.