The Emery Chronicles: The White King's Woman (FIRST BOOK)

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen- Magic in the Air

Arwen huffed for what seemed to be the umpteenth time. She had been sewing for the past two hours, and her hands felt cramped and sore. She was completely and utterly bored; you'd have thought, the way Finnian complained about her knowing nothing about the kingdom, that as queen Arwen would have a lot to do. It turns out, queens did absolutely nothing.

After the rather unpleasant breaking of her fast, Arwen was sent to the kitchens to speak to the chefs about the meals for the day. Then, she picked out fabrics for new matching outfits for her and the king for a joust to take place next month. Afterwards, she had taken a stroll through the garden with her ladies; apparently, an afternoon stroll was mandatory for a queen. Finally, she had been ushered into her very own private resting chambers where she now sat sewing; these chambers were a large room filled with cushioned seats along the walls, and along windows facing the garden below. Arwen sat at the head of the room in a cushioned throne, surrounded by her ladies, who were also sewing, and musicians playing light, soothing tunes to fill the background of the ladies' chatter. For Arwen, it was all very dull.

At least her mother had been with her all day. Bianca had kept Arwen company, keeping her calm and relaxed through the dullness of the day. Now Bianca sat, chatting away with the ladies and stitching a handkerchief. She was forming alliances, assigning spies and figuring out who she could and could not trust. Even now, Bianca was planning and scheming.

Suddenly, the doors to Arwen's chambers opened and her musicians stopped playing at once. Everyone bowed down to their knees as Gavin made his way across the wide room and stopped in front of Arwen. The queen immediately rose out of her seat, stepped forward slightly, and curtsied to her king. "Your majesty," she addressed him.

"My queen," he boomed, stepping forward and kissing Arwen on her right cheek, then her left. The people in the room stayed bowed until Arwen gave an imperceptible nod with her head to bring them up. "Give me the pleasure of joining me on a stroll through the gardens?" Gavin asked it as a question, but everyone knew you did the king's bidding, no matter what.

"The pleasure would be all mine, My Liege." As Arwen took Gavin's arm, two of her ladies and Bianca stood to follow, but Gavin raised his hand.

"If none of you object, I desire a private stroll with my bride. My men will stay here and keep you ladies company, for I want us to be wholly alone." Of course, no one could object, although Arwen sensed her mother wanted to. And so the king and queen exited the castle and walked into the gardens all alone.

"Aren't you always supposed to have guards with you, though?" Arwen questioned as they made their way through a path of rose bushes, each white rose glistening with dew in the afternoon light.

"Oh, they're around. They always are. They just aren't seen." Gavin smiled brightly at Arwen, his mood reflecting the cheerful day. Birds were singing and tweeting in the air, trees swayed with the rhythm of the wind, and every flower in the garden looked absolutely radiant in the sunlight. It truly was a beautiful Spring day. Gavin gently squeezed Arwen's arm with his, setting a slow, easy pace for them.

The sun may have been bright, and Gavin's face may have been too, but Arwen could sense something was amiss with her husband. She squeezed his arm back, nuzzled his neck and asked what was wrong.

"Nothing, love." Arwen could see him struggle with himself. "Only..."

"Only what?"

"Well, some of my councilmen are a bit uneasy with our marriage. They think I rushed into it without collecting sufficient evidence first."

"Sufficient evidence of what?"

"Whether or not you really are a witch." Gavin forced himself to say, looking guilty. Arwen flared with anger. Gavin probably noticed because he put his hands on her shoulders and gently said, "Love, it is not a completely wrong judgment. I never witnessed you perform any magic or do anything remotely witch-like--"

"I healed you!"

"Anyone could've done that with the right herbs--"

"So you're calling me a liar?" Arwen roared, pushing his hands off of her.

"No, of course not! I believe in you! It's just that some councilmen--"

"Some councilmen? Meaning Finnian?" Gavin looked down, avoiding Arwen's fiery blue eyes. She scoffed and continued, "I knew it! He has been against me and our marriage from the beginning. He is only trying to create difficulties between us!"

"No! Arwen, please, he is like a brother to me. When I was crowned king, I was only ten years old; I did not understand what was happening or what I was doing! But he was there for me, right from the beginning. I can never repay him for that, except by being as loyal to him as he is to me. He asked me to have you show me some proof of your magic, and I agreed to do so because I believe in him, too."

Arwen glared at him as he spoke, hating how his soft, lovable eyes were begging her to understand. She continued glaring some more after he was done, and then she spoke.

"I still do not trust him. I know you do, but I cannot, not yet. However, if he wants proof, I'll give him proof, because in my mind I'll be proving him wrong. I am not a liar, I am true and he needs to see that." Arwen took hold of Gavin's hands and closed her eyes, concentrating.

Gavin stood quietly, confusedly, watching as nothing happened. Suddenly, he felt a tingling in his hands. At first he thought Arwen was caressing his palms, but when he looked down, their hands were still. But he kept feeling the tingling sensation, and it kept growing, moving up into his arms, warming him and making his heart beat fast. He realized he was feeling her magic do its work.

The bright sunny day began to gloom and the light breeze was now a fierce gale. Flowers were ripped out of bushes and pulled from their roots, tree branches swung violently and leaves fell off in piles, leaving them bare. Once the garden was in shambles, Arwen released Gavin's hands and opened her eyes. Just as suddenly as it happened, the magic vanished. The sun came out from behind angry grey clouds, and the winds died down. It was as if nothing had happened, the only evidence of the carnage was the fallen leaves and flowers littering the garden floor.

"That is how strong my magic is, and much more. I can wreck an entire village to pieces, like this garden. The only way to fix this mess is to have nymphs heal the plants, otherwise I have ruined your gardens. Happy now?" Arwen snapped, crossing her arms and looking up at Gavin challengingly. She expected him to be a bit upset, especially since his once prized and beautiful garden was now in shambles.

But Gavin laughed joyfully, and forced Arwen's arms apart so that he could hug her. He picked her up and twirled her around. "Of course I am happy! Of course!" He placed her back on her feet and bent down to kiss her. His mouth warmly met hers, but she did not respond. He went on kissing her until her will was broken and she kissed him back. He ran his hands through her hair, messing it and tangling it.

When he broke away, Gavin chuckled and said, "I think it's time we retired to our bedchambers, what do you say my queen?"

"Why bother going all the way to our bedchambers when we have a perfectly good bed of roses right here?" Arwen huskily replied, her desire awakened. With a wave of her hand, the fallen petals from the rose bushes gathered into one large clump, and she pulled Gavin down with her. The soft, white rose petals blanketed the royal couple as Gavin raised Arwen's skirts to her hips and unlaced his trousers.

Making love on a bed of the symbol of their kingdom made Arwen truly feel like a Queen of Brigantia, and as Gavin moved within her, she rejoiced at having proven Finnian wrong.

~

Author: SUPER SORRY IVE BEEN BUSY!! But now I'm on summer break, so hopefully more time to update! please hang on with me, cause the story's finally gettin good and I don't want you guys to miss out! thank you for waiting, you guys are awesome, and I promise it'll be worth the wait!!! :) <3