The Witch's Retribution

Chapter 11

The banquet hall was crowded with more people than it had seen in years. Both King Char and Lady Irene were present, and with the exception of Mercuri's king, who probably wouldn't have shown anyway, that accounted for all Railark's allies. Pierake was still somewhat hostile towards them for being a kingdom of magic, and Elysium held strong to their neutrality as did Eretai, the tiny kingdom of druids hidden far too well in the neighboring forest. Even so, there were more than enough people to entertain, and Basil tried not to leave the moment he arrived.

He watched from a shadowy corner as Irene spoke to Char, attempting to be discreet in her avoidance of the newborn held so lovingly in Mari's arms. The soon-to-be queen stood beside her, seemingly oblivious to Irene's tense posture until Sage moved up behind her. He leaned in close and whispered something into Mari's ear who then gave a sheepish smile to the other queen before moving away to speak with other guests.

It was no secret to Basil, or any of his siblings, that Irene had lost her own baby many years ago, a boy. The entire kingdom of Wisteria had been brought to a standstill as their queen fell into a depression so great they nearly lost her. No one even knew who the father of the child had been; the solitary queen was well-known for her promiscuity, but at that time, she had not had any known suitors visiting her. Basil suspected Sage knew--a part of him almost believed it had been his brother's--but there was no way of knowing now. He supposed it didn't matter. No good ever came from digging up the past.

He winced at a sudden flare of pain as his sister brushed against his shoulder, a goblet of wine clutched tightly in one of her callused hands. "You shocked me." He complained. "Control your magic."

"I'm trying." Lily hissed. "I don't know what's wrong with it!"

She wore a silver dress, the frayed hem hanging just past her knees as if she had taken a knife to it just before the banquet. Her hair curled at the tips against her tanned shoulders from the lingering summer heat, their mother's charred locket glinting at her throat whenever the torchlight caught at it. She seemed better than before, if not a little irritable.

"The baby's magic is trying to break free of your own. It's probably going to start changing colors soon. Then you really won't be able to hide it anymore." He gestured to her goblet. "And you can't drink that."

"It's not for me. It's for you." She thrust it into his hands. "You're single-handedly bringing down the entire room. Cheer up a bit."

Basil sipped it with a tiny glare. It was stronger than most wine he had tasted, burning fiercely as it went down. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"Never said there was." She plucked a goblet of water from the tray of a passing servant and took a long drink, watching him over the rim with thoughtful eyes.

"How is Liam doing?" Basil asked to take the focus off himself. He didn't really care how the other prince was, still not having forgiven him for the troubles Liam had brought down on his family.

Lily looked out at the banquet, her eyes turning distant. "He's fine, I suppose."

Basil sighed, remembering how she had said she wasn't adjusting to marriage very well. It was to be expected. He had always figured Lily wasn't the marrying type. "It's only been a year."

"I'm not saying I regret anything." She replied, a bit defensive. "Just...there is a fine thread of tension in everything we do. Barely noticeable, but it's there."

He didn't know how to reply. He knew nothing about marriage and knew it wasn't something he could ever go through. Too many promises that ran the risk of being broken. Besides, he doubted he could handle it, living everyday in fear of watching your lover slowly begin to hate you right before your eyes. To become so used to waking up to someone warm and safe that it would feel like dying when you had to inevitably wake up cold and alone again. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, but he knew he didn't want that. Anything but that.