Chapter 18

Anwen was lost in some wonderful dream that could only come from a deep, satisfying sleep. She could not say what it was truly about, but she knew it included Maddoc. She felt herself start to slip into the world of the awake as she heard a loud knocking. She fought to stay in her dream, but it did no good. She felt Maddoc’s arms tighten around her as her eyes opened.

It was still dark outside, and Anwen knew she could not have been asleep long. She turned her head to look at Maddoc. “Is someone at your door?”

There was another knock, and he groaned. “I believe so, though I don’t want to open it.”

“I believe you must. It has to be something important for someone to knock at this time of night.” Anwen suddenly felt a bolt of fear run through her. “You do not think it has to do with my mother?” She turned and sat up. “What if she has gotten worse?”

Maddoc sat up and stretched as the pounding at the door starting again. “I will go find out, but I am sure your mother is well.” He got up and found his pants and shirt, quickly putting them on. “Stay here, I will be right back.”

He walked from the room, and Anwen looked around until she found her nightgown. She leaned down from the large bed and picked it up to slip it on. As she adjusted her gown, she heard talking in the front room. She couldn’t quite make out what was said, but she could tell Maddoc did not sound happy. After a few minutes, she heard the door close, and he walked in holding a message.

“What is it?” she asked as he sat on the bed.

He looked down at the message in his hands. “There is more trouble in the south of the kingdom. One of my lords has written that some of the people are near revolting. He wishes me to come down and speak with them and the southern lords.”

She moved to sit beside him. “Of course, you shall have to go. You need to see to your people. If the people are near to revolting, conditions must be bad.”

“But if I go, I don’t know how long I will be gone. We are supposed to announce our betrothal tomorrow night. How can I just leave you?” He threw his letter to the side and stood up.

“You are a king, Maddoc, and you must do your duty.” She got up and walked to him, taking his hand. “It does not matter when we announce our betrothal. It will change nothing.”

“After last time, I don’t know if I can leave you again. The thought of you being hurt while I am away from you is too much. Your mother is ill, and my uncle is determined to have you. It will feel wrong to leave you now.”

“I know how to deal with Prince Korben, Maddoc, and I will not be alone. Brennan and Roxanna are here as well as Lord Aidan. I am sure Elias will keep better watch over me this time. I doubt he will let me out of his sight. I will be more careful as well. My mother was doing better before I went to bed. She even ate some supper before she went to sleep.”

“What if I am gone for the rest of the festival, Anwen? What if I come back, and you have left for Lucidala?”

She reached up and touched his cheek. “I will not leave this palace until you are back. I may not even leave then, though I know I shall have to go back to Awbrey to prepare for our wedding. I was hoping you would come with me.”

He closed his eyes and leaned into her hand. “You have to go see to your people, Maddoc. There is no alternative. I will worry about you the whole time, but I know you will be doing what is right.”

He took her hand that was on his face and kissed it before pulling her close. His arms circled around her, and she put her hands on his chest. “I will go, but I will not be gone long. I will do what I must to put the revolt to an end, even if it means seeing some lords lose their lands. When I come back, you and I shall not be parted again. I will go with you to Awbrey or wherever else you need to be.”

“And then after we marry, you and I will go to your summer palace, my king. We will spend at least two months there, just you and me.”

He bent down and kissed her. “I will have to remember it on this trip. It is what will keep me focused.”

“When do you have to leave for the south of your kingdom?” she asked.

“At first light.”

“Then we have some time. You should come to bed and rest while you can.”

Maddoc bent down and kissed her again. “I will go to bed, but I will not rest. If I am to be away from you, then I will need some fresh memories to take with me.”

Anwen pulled away from him. She looked at the fireplace and saw the fire was burning low. She threw out her hands, and it roared to life. She turned back to him as her hands went to the hem of her nightgown. She pulled it over her head and threw it on the floor next to her.

“I would like some memories as well, my king. I will need them to keep me warm while you are away.”

Maddoc gave a low growl before he reached for her. He kissed her passionately as he guided her to the bed.

They dozed a little before it was time to rise. Anwen went to her room to put on a simple dress and cloak. She met him out in the hall. She would see him off. She didn’t care who saw her.

They walked through the dark palace together and out into the cold early morning air. Matthias and several other guards were waiting with Maddoc’s horse. Before he mounted, he turned to Anwen and took her hands.

“Please watch yourself while I am gone. Try to stay with those you trust. I will come back as soon as I can.”

“Go do what you need to do. Take the time you need, and I will wait for you. I will be here whenever you return. Just promise me you will come back.”

“I do promise it. I could never leave you long. Once I am back, I will not leave you again. If I have to go somewhere, you will come with me, and if you must see to something, I will be by your side.”

She leaned up and kissed him. He put his arms around her and deepened their kiss, slightly lifting her off the ground. “I love you,” he said softly as he pulled back.

“I love you, my king. Go see to your people. I will be here, waiting.”

He kissed her one more time before he let her go. He mounted his horse and looked down at her.

“The sooner you leave, the sooner you can come back,” she said.

He nodded. “Stay safe, my princess.”

“You as well, my king,” she said.

He looked to Matthias before his group started their journey. She watched them go until she could see Maddoc no more. With a loud sigh, she turned and walked back into the palace. It was too early to check on her mother, so Anwen went back to her room. She sat quietly in front of her fire, unable to do much of anything but get lost in her thoughts.

Mrs. Owens came in to help her prepare for the day. “I understand you already know the king had to leave?”

Anwen nodded as Mrs. Owens pulled up her hair. “I saw him off this morning. I hope he is not gone too long.”

“He will be back as soon as possible. I am sure he had a hard time leaving you to begin with. He will do what he must and come back quickly.”

Anwen looked at the old woman in the mirror as Mrs. Owens put pins in her hair. “We had planned to announce our betrothal tonight if my mother was feeling well enough. Perhaps it sounds foolish, but I am worried the king will rethink things on his journey and change his mind about us.”

Mrs. Owens put in the last pin and laid her hands on Anwen’s shoulders. “You have had a great betrayal done to you in the past, princess. It has made you wary of love, but I do not think you need to doubt the king. He will come back even more anxious to make you his bride.”

“I am sure you are right, Mrs. Owens, and I shouldn’t burden you with my silly feelings of inadequacy. I just have a hard time believing a man like King Maddoc could love and want me.”

“Trust me, dear princess, you have much to offer the king or any many. It is a wonder he was able to procure your love as he was when you first met him. I would never say this in front of our king, of course, but I think it is him who needs to prove worthy of you.”

Anwen placed a hand over one of Mrs. Owens. “You are too good to me, Mrs. Owens. I hope you know how much I appreciate you.”

“I do, your highness, and I look forward to serving you for many years.”

Anwen checked in on her mother before going down to breakfast. Her aunt answered the door to her mother’s bedroom when she knocked. She told Anwen her mother was still asleep, and that she should come back after breakfast when the healer was expected. Anwen wanted to see her mother but thought it would be better to visit when she could speak with the healer.

At breakfast, she first spoke with Brennan and Lord Aidan who both wished to know how her mother was. She told them what she knew and hoped to know more later in the morning. After that, she was approached by Elias who had heard about Maddoc leaving.

“I suppose it has become serious in the south of the kingdom for our king to leave so suddenly,” said Elias as he sat by Anwen.

“It sounded as if it was. Maddoc spoke of unrest and a possible revolt if he cannot settle things down.”

“I hope he can find a solution quickly.” Elias looked at her. “I shall not let you out of my sight. You must not be alone when you are out of your room.”

“You cannot watch me every second, my lord. I will be much more careful this time.”

“I will still watch over you when I can. How is your mother this morning?”

Anwen gave a small shrug. “When I checked earlier, she was asleep. My aunt was with her and told me the palace healer will see her after breakfast. I plan to be there.”

“I spoke with the healer my family uses, and Mr. Quibly will come by in a bit as well. I hope you don’t mind, but I asked him to see the queen. He seemed concerned with her symptoms.”

“I don’t mind at all. I thank you for it. It has made me uneasy that the palace healer is not more concerned at my mother’s condition.”

After breakfast, Anwen walked out into the entry hall with Elias. People walked around them as they made their way to the stairs.

“Anwen, how dare you. How could you do this to me?” Gwendolyn walked down the stairs towards Anwen. Her normally perfect upswept hair was loose down her shoulders. She looked angry and half out of her mind.

“What do you mean, Gwendolyn?” asked Anwen as she walked to meet her cousin, Elias following her.

“He left because of you. You just couldn’t let me have him, could you? If you would have just stopped flirting with him and throwing yourself at him, he would have forgotten you. He would have been happy with me.”

Anwen looked around as people had stopped to stare at them. “Gwendolyn, you need to calm down. Whatever is wrong, why don’t you and I go into a room and talk together? I am sure there is no need for this display.”

“I don’t care who sees and knows what you are. He was promised to me, but you just had to have him. You give yourself to the king every night and flirt with every other man here. When is it ever enough for you? Lachlan was mine. He would have been satisfied marrying me if you would have just left him alone.”

“Princess Gwendolyn, I am not sure what is wrong with you, but you cannot mean the things you are saying. You are speaking falsely about your cousin in front of open company. Why don’t you come with us, and we will find a place to help you calm down? Then you can speak with Princess Anwen as her cousin should.” Elias walked forward and put his hand on Gwendolyn’s arm.

“Why should I calm down? He is gone. He has gone back to Awbrey. He wishes to find a way to be with my wretched cousin. Why her? Look at me. Why would he pick that little, insignificant thing over me?” Tears started flowing down Gwendolyn’s cheeks.

Anwen couldn’t help but feel some pity for her. She walked closer to her cousin. “Gwendolyn, I have no interest in Lachlan. If he has proven false to you, it is of his own accord. Now, why don’t we go to your room, and we can speak of this.”

She shook her head and threw Elias’s hand off of her arm. She looked around at everyone staring at her before she turned and fled up the stairs. Anwen looked at everyone who was watching and then at Elias.

“Ignore them, princess,” said Elias out of the side of his mouth. “Go on and see your mother. I will try to clean up this mess and wait for the village healer to come.”

“Thank you. I will have my aunt go see her daughter.” Anwen walked up the stairs to her mother’s room.

She found her aunt and the palace healer by her mother’s bed. Her mother’s eyes were open, and Anwen kneeled by her and took her hand.

“Mother, how are you feeling?” asked Anwen.

“I hardly know. Where are we, dearest?” said her mother weakly.

“We are in the Grand Palace in Quinlan.” Anwen looked at her mother in concern.

“Why are we here?”

“We have been here for a few weeks attending the Winter Festival. Do you not remember, mother?”

“I’m not sure. I believe Roslyn told me, and she said we came here for some reason.”

“To visit for the Winter Festival, my dear,” said Roslyn. “Rest now, Eira. All will be well.”

Her mother’s eyes closed, and Anwen stood up. “Aunt Roslyn, you should go check on Gwendolyn. I am not sure what has happened, but she made quite a scene out in the entry hall. I believe Lachlan may have done something foolish.”

Her aunt huffed. “I would like to stay with my sister.”

“You should go to Gwendolyn. She seemed almost out of her mind, aunt. I will stay with my mother and speak with the healer.”

Her aunt hesitated as she looked at the healer.

“You should go, your highness. I am sure the queen will just continue to rest. I will explain to the princess exactly what is happening.” The healer smiled at Anwen.

“Very well. I will be back soon, or if anything happens that I need to know, please come get me.” Her aunt nodded to the healer and left the room.

“So, have you figured out what is wrong with my mother?” asked Anwen.

“There is nothing really wrong with her as far as I can tell. I think she is just exhausted. You can see she is breathing very evenly and has no fever.”

“But why is she exhausted? Also, why is she so confused?” Anwen paced a bit and turned to look at the healer. “There must be something to make her act this way. I will not accept that nothing is wrong.”

“There is no need to get hysterical, your highness. Perhaps I could give you something to calm you down so you can rest.”

“I am not hysterical. I am worried about my mother, and I am beginning to think you have no idea what you are doing.”

The healer’s smile disappeared off his face. “Who do you think it was that saved your life this past fall, your highness?”

“I thanked you for your skills at the time, and I am sure the king paid you very well. This is not about my injury. It is about the fact you refuse to see that something is wrong with my mother.”

The healer walked a little closer to her and opened his mouth when the door opened. Elias and an older man walked into the room.

The palace healer turned towards them. “Lord Bennington, what brings you here?”

“I have brought Mr. Quibly to check on the queen. The princess and I both think a second opinion is needed,” replied Elias.

“You think the village healer knows more than me? I have been the palace healer for almost fourteen years.”

“You have,” said Mr. Quibly. “I believe a king died under your care so you will forgive me if I am not impressed with your skills.”

“I cannot cure every sickness,” said the palace healer.

“You certainly don’t seem to be doing Queen Eira any favors,” spat Elias. “I think it will be best if you step back and let Mr. Quibly look over her.”

“What if I refuse to let this man see the queen? I am the palace healer, and I have that right.”

“Princess Anwen, do you wish Mr. Quibly to check over your mother?” asked Elias, not taking his eyes off of the palace healer.

“Yes, I do,” replied Anwen.

“Sir, under whose command do you have your post?” asked Elias.

“King Maddoc,” replied the healer.

“And how would your king react if you ignored a request given by Princess Anwen? I believe you know how well regarded she is by him. He owes her his life.”

The healer looked at Elias and then at Mr. Quibly. “I will not stand in this room while you dismiss my opinion. I will go directly to Prince Korben and tell him how I have been treated.”

“Go, then. It would be even better if you were not here,” said Elias.

The palace healer glared at Elias before leaving the room. Elias turned to Mr. Quibly. “I believe you have an idea of what could be wrong with Queen Eira?”

Mr. Quibly nodded and stepped forward to look over Anwen’s mother. He picked up her hand and held it for a moment. He opened her mouth and looked in it before opening one eye and peering at it.

“It as I thought, Lord Bennington,” said Mr. Quibly. “The queen has been given a heavy dose of ditianas.”

“You mean the weed that grows in fields during the fall?” asked Anwen. “Why would anyone give her it.”

“I am not sure, but the weed, when brewed into a tea or slipped into some wine, causes extreme exhaustion and confusion. It is sometimes given in small and moderate amounts to those who are troubled in the mind.”

“My mother’s mind is very sound,” said Anwen. She looked down at her mother. “Will she recover?”

“Oh, yes. It would take more than a month of this substance being giving regularly at a large amount for it to come close to fatal. She will be tired and confused for a long while. I am guessing someone has been giving it to her for some time for her to be in the state she is. It will take many weeks for her to recover fully.”

“Is there any way to speed her recovery?” asked Elias.

“No, it just needs to work its way out of her system. You will need to make sure she is not given any more.”

Anwen looked at Elias, wondering who was giving her mother this substance. Elias turned to Mr. Quibly. “I thank you for your time, sir. You have done much to ease our minds. I hope we can rely on your confidence in this matter?” Elias brought out a large bag of coins from his pocket and handed it to the man.

“You can always count on me, Lord Bennington. I have served your family for many years and hope to continue to do so.” The healer took the bag putting it in his pocket.

As Elias saw the healer out, Anwen paced her mother’s bedroom, wondering what to do. She didn’t know who had been dosing her mother with the ditianas. The palace healer must have known and been in on it in some way unless he was just stupid. Did that mean Prince Korben or the queen had something to do with it?

Anwen shook her head. The first thing she needed to do was protect her mother. Her mother could not stay in the palace. Even if Anwen tried to watch her every second, it would not be enough. When her mother was safely away, she could try to figure out what was happening.

“Princess, are you alright?” asked Elias as he walked back into the room.

“I am though I have no idea what is going on. Who could possibly be doing this to my mother, and what would be the reason?”

“I am not sure, but we must make sure she does not take in any more.”

Anwen nodded. “I need to get her out of her and back to Lucidala.” She started pacing again as she thought. “Perhaps Brennan, Lady Roxanna, and Lord Aidan could take her. The palace in Awbrey would be too far, but they could make Lord Aidan’s manor in less than three days if they stay on the main roads.”

“You could take her,” said Elias. “It might be best if you go with her, princess. If someone is trying to harm your mother in some way, I am not sure you are safe here.”

“Something is going on here, Elias. Something that you or I or even Maddoc knows nothing about. How could I leave here not knowing what Maddoc could be coming home to? I also promised him I would not leave until he returned.”

“He would understand if it was for you and your mother’s safety. I can tell him where you have gone, and he can come find you. I cannot let you be harmed, princess.” Elias walked up to her as Anwen took his hand.

“I am capable of taking care of myself. I need to find out what is going on. If this has something to do with Maddoc and me, I have to figure it out. If I am going to be his queen, I will need to start acting like it. Someone high up must know about this. Maybe even Prince Korben or Queen Evalin. I need to figure it out for Maddoc and Calumbria.”

Elias squeezed her hand and sighed. “What can I do?”

“Go find Brennan and Lord Aidan for me. Tell them to come here. After that have Lord Aidan’s carriage ready to go by this afternoon. I will have my mother’s servants pack her this morning. I want her to be on the road directly after lunch.”

Elias nodded. “I will go at once. Are you sure you will be alright here by yourself?

“Yes. I imagine my aunt will be back soon, but I want to speak with her alone. I need to find out if she knew about this. I would hope not, but I cannot be sure.”

Elias left her, and Anwen sat with her mother and watched her sleep. She couldn’t help but wish Maddoc was there. She hated that this had happened to her mother, but it made it worse that she could not talk to him about it. She felt vulnerable and confused in the Grand Palace in her current state. At least if Maddoc had been there, she wouldn’t feel so alone.

Her aunt came in before Brennan and Lord Aidan made it to the room. She pulled up a chair close to Anwen and sat down.

“How is she?” asked her aunt.

“I had another healer look at her. Lord Elias insisted that the healer he used come. The palace healer did not like it, but I didn’t care.”

“You didn’t need Lord Bennington to go to such trouble. I am sure the palace healer can be trusted.”

“But it turns out he cannot be trusted as Elias’s healer has told me what is wrong with my mother.” Anwen turned to face her aunt, wanting to see her expressions.

“What did he find out?”

Anwen sat back a little. “He says my mother has been given a heavy dose of ditianas over several days. It has left her tired and confused.”

Her aunt blinked several times. “Are you saying someone is poisoning our queen?”

Her aunt looked shocked, and Anwen tried to tell if it was genuine. “I am not sure it classifies as a poison, but it is not good for her. I want to get her out of here as soon as possible.”

“Why would someone do this? It doesn’t make sense. I know of no enemies my sister has.”

“I am not sure why, but I hope to find out. First, I need to see to the safety of my mother. I want her to leave today if possible with Lord Aidan and Brennan.”

Her aunt nodded. “Of course our first priority must be to keep our queen safe. That is very wise, Anwen. Will you not go with her?”

“No, I need to find out what is actually going on. It seems that the palace healer might be involved, and that could mean those of this palace could have a hand in this.”

“You think the king wants to hurt your mother, Anwen?” asked her aunt

“No, I do not think King Maddoc had anything to do with this. I cannot say the same for Prince Korben or Queen Evalin though.”

“Queen Evalin does fret about your close relationship with the king. She might be driven to something like this to get you to leave this place.”

“I would not like to think of Maddoc’s mother going to such lengths, but I cannot dismiss it.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Lord Aidan and Brennan. Anwen quickly explained the situation, and both men were shocked by what she said.

“Of course, we need to take Queen Eira way from here, but you must come too, Anwen,” said Brennan. “We should all leave this place.”

“I cannot leave, not yet,” said Anwen. “I cannot leave this place until I know what is going on. I will not leave at least until King Maddoc returns.” She put her head down and fidgeted with her hands.

Brennan walked up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. “I know how you feel about the king, Anwen, but you must see you are not safe here. You will never be safe here. Look what they have done to your mother. It would be best to let him go and come home. I know it will be hard.”

She looked up at him. “It is impossible. I cannot just leave him, Brennan. Besides, we cannot let something like this just go. I must find out who has been harming my mother and do something about it. I will not run away scared. I will stand up for my mother and Lucidala.”

“Can we not convince you to go, Anwen?” asked her aunt. “You are the future of our kingdom, and your mother will want you to be safe. I want you safe.”

Anwen shook her head.

“I can stay with you, princess,” said Lord Aidan. “I would hate to leave you alone.”

She smiled at him as she wiped a tear from her eye. “I need you to see to my mother, my lord. I also admit I would like you out of harm’s way. My aunt and cousin should go with you as well.”

“No,” said Anwen’s aunt. “You cannot order me away. If you insist on staying here, I must stay as well. Your mother would want me to stay with you. I will do what is best for you for her, Anwen.”

“Are you sure, Aunt Roslyn? Our kingdom will need someone to see over it while my mother is ill.”

“Lord Dunne and his wife are in Awbrey. I am sure all is well with their leadership. I will not leave the future queen of our kingdom here by herself. I know we often do not see eye to eye, Anwen, but we are family. That means something.”

Anwen nodded. “Thank you, Aunt Roslyn. What about Gwendolyn?”

“I do not think she will benefit from leaving for Lucidala at the moment. She needs some space for a while. I am sure with time both her and Lachlan will come to their senses and patch up whatever little spat they had.”

Brennan looked curiously at Anwen who shook her head. She could not get into it at that moment. They spent the rest of the morning preparing for the journey. As Lord Aidan and Brennan left to pack their things and tell Lady Roxanna to do the same, Anwen helped the servants pack her mother’s belongings. Her aunt worked to rouse the queen.

Just after lunch, Anwen helped her aunt take her very confused mother down the stairs. Queen Eira was silent as Elias took her hand and helped her into the carriage. Before he closed the door, she leaned forward and stared at Anwen.

“I will see you soon; won’t I, dearest?”

“Of course, mother. You just need to go rest at Lord Aidan’s manor. I will come to see you very soon.”

She held out her hand, and Anwen walked forward to take it. “Be careful, my darling.”

“I will, mother. We won’t be apart long.”

Her mother held her hand tight. “I love you, Anwen. I am sorry if I haven’t always been there for you.”

“You have always been a wonderful mother and queen. Go take the rest you need, and I will do what I must here. I love you as well.”

Her mother finally let go of Anwen’s hand and sat back in the carriage, closing her eyes. Elias closed the door, and the carriage took off. Anwen spent the rest of the afternoon with Elias and Lady Alys in a small parlor of the palace.

“I believe you should come stay at my home or perhaps with Alys if she will allow it,” said Elias as he sat on a sofa watching Anwen pace in front of the fireplace.

“Of course, I will allow it. I would be honored to have you stay with me, Princess Anwen.”

“I thank you both, but I will not be chased out of this palace. I want it to be my home soon, and I cannot run away at the first sign of trouble.”

“But you are vulnerable here by yourself. If the king were here, I would understand, but he is not. He would rather you be protected away from those who could hurt you. I know he would.”

“I agree with Elias, your highness. You should come stay with me for a few days. It would not be so odd, you coming to spend time with a friend. I hope we are friends.” Lady Alys smiled up at her.

“Yes, we are friends, Lady Alys, and I know you and Elias mean well.”

“Then think it over, princess,” said Elias. “You could come with us after supper. Just bring a dress or two to change into. I am sure Alys could find you whatever else you might need.”

Anwen agreed to consider it before dressing for supper. She came down to the banquet hall and was called over by her aunt who insisted Anwen sit with her. Supper wasn’t as terrible as Anwen feared as Prince Rillian sat close to her. He had heard about Queen Eira and was concerned for her well-being.

“You should have left with her,” said the prince as he spoke very quietly.

“I could not leave here, and I believe you know why. I will not be chased away from a place I soon hope to call home. I also need to figure out what is happening.”

“Whatever is happening is not good. I would much rather you were far away from here. You could still go. I would be happy to escort you,” said the prince, keeping his head close to hers.

“I will stay. What truly awful thing could happen? You or Elias are always near me. My aunt is here, and I am very strong as well. I have been invited to spend a couple of nights in the home of Lady Alys, and I am strongly considering it.”

“You should go spend time with the lady. Stay away from here as much as you can until the king returns.”

As supper was ending, people starting walking around, talking. Anwen spoke with Lady Alys and let her know she was going to her room to grab a couple of changes of clothes before she walked with the lady to her house. As Anwen got close to the door, Prince Korben stepped up on the raised platform of the room and asked for everyone’s attention.

Anwen stopped near the door with Elias beside her. Her aunt hurried around some people along the wall to be near her.

“I have an announcement I would like to make tonight. It has made me very joyful, and though I wish our king could be here for it, I find that I cannot wait.” The prince looked out over the crowd as he held a rolled-up piece of paper in his hand. “I believe some of you may have thought I would never marry, but I was only waiting for the right woman. I have secured the hand of a very worthy woman, and I am anxious to make her my bride.

“I am pleased to announce my betrothal to Princess Anwen Claran of Lucidala.”

Anwen felt her blood run cold as Elias grabbed her arm. “What is he talking about?” he asked in an angry huff.

Anwen shook her head. “I have no idea. He has had no promise from me. If he thinks announcing it in front of the entire land will make me say yes to him, he is sadly mistaken.”

Prince Korben unrolled the paper he held. “I have Queen Eira’s agreement to this betrothal, officially uniting the kingdom of Calumbria to Lucidala. I believe this will be a wonderful partnership in our land that will soon be followed with another when our king returns.”

“There is no way my mother signed some paper promising me to Prince Korben,” said Anwen. “I will see to his.”

She started to walk towards Prince Korben to let him know exactly what she thought of his lies when her aunt caught her arm. “Anwen, do not do this in front of everyone. Come with me, and we will get to the bottom of this.”

“I have never promised to marry him, aunt.”

“I know, my dear, now come with me, so we can find you a place to calm down.”

Her aunt pulled at her until Anwen relented, allowing the woman to take her out of the room and through the entry hall. They went to a small parlor where a fire burned. As her aunt closed the door, Anwen saw both Elias and Prince Rillian walking towards them. Her aunt bolted the door.

“Let us have just one moment alone so you can compose yourself, Anwen,” said her aunt as she poured two cups of wine from a pitcher near the fireplace. She handed Anwen one of the cups. “Drink this, it will help settle your nerves.”

Anwen hardly knew what she was doing. She took the cup from her aunt and took a sip of the wine. “The audacity of that man. How he can say such falsehoods. I don’t care what piece of paper he has forged with mother’s signature. I will not marry him.”

“I know, dear. Drink some more wine. It will help calm you,” said her aunt.

Anwen took a long drink of the sweet wine in her cup. “I shall leave the palace tonight and stay with Lady Alys. I will not return until Maddoc comes back. He will know how to handle this.” Anwen took another drink.

“Oh, dear Anwen, you must see by now you are beaten. It won’t be such a horrible life, you know,” said her aunt. “You will be a princess of Calumbria and almost the queen in all but name. Once King Maddoc is spending much of his time in Parvilia with his wife, your prince will rule this kingdom.”

Anwen took another drink of her wine trying to comprehend what her aunt was saying. “What are you talking about?”

Her aunt took Anwen’s almost empty cup from her hand. “Do not worry, Anwen. I don’t believe you will have any worries for a while. Once you regain your mind and abilities, it will all be done.”

Anwen stared at her aunt, not quite understanding her. She sounded muffled. The room had grown darker, and her legs felt shaky. Her aunt smiled at her as she put the cup in her hand down.

“You have poisoned me,” said Anwen in a gasp as she tried to stay on her feet.

“Poisoned is a harsh word. Nothing I have done will hurt you permanently. I have only given you something to relax you and make you more compliant. I did it to your mother, and it worked wonders.”

“You; it was you.” Anwen stumbled and caught herself by grabbing a chair.

“I am only doing what is best for my kingdom, my daughter, and truly for you. You would have been a disaster as King Maddoc’s queen. Many of the high lords wouldn’t have accepted you. Calumbria would have been in full revolt within a year. Either you, your king, or perhaps both of you would be dead before long.

If you think about it, I am doing the best thing for you. I told you I would protect you for your mother, and I meant it. Now you can marry Prince Korben, and King Maddoc can marry the Parvilian princess. Lachlan will see you aren’t an option and turn back to Gwendolyn. You will all be happy. One day, my daughter will rule Lucidala, and you will have your place here.”

“No, you cannot do this.”

There was a knock on the door. “I hear my betrothed is unwell, and I wish to see her,” came Prince Korben’s voice through the door.

Anwen held herself up by holding on to the chair as her aunt opened the door. Anwen could see many guards gathered outside the door as Prince Korben came in.”

“Oh, my lovely one, you look quite done in. I hope you are not becoming ill. You must come rest in your room.” He walked towards her.

“Stay away from me,” slurred Anwen. “Do not touch me. You don’t know what I can do.” She tried to awaken her powers from her Gift, but she could not concentrate. Her body felt beyond her control.

“Yes, you are very ill, dearest.” He walked over and picked her up. She couldn’t even resist. “Let me take you to your room.”

Her aunt opened her door as Prince Korben carried Anwen out of the room. She could barely keep her eyes open, and all she could see were palace guards.

“Anwen,” said Elias loudly. “What have you done to her?”

“Release her,” said Prince Rillian’s voice from somewhere in the crowd.

“Prince Korben, what do you think you are doing?” Anwen recognized this voice as Queen Evalin’s.

“The princess is not well. I am taking her to her room.”

“You know what I mean. You cannot marry her. How could you do this to Maddoc?”

“It will be the best thing for him. I will speak of it with you in a minute. Let me see to my betrothed first.”

“Maddoc,” Anwen whispered pathetically. All she wanted was to see him. “He will not allow this.”

The prince chuckled. “He will not be back in time to stop it.”

That was the last thing Anwen heard as she could fight sleep no longer. She closed her eyes and let the darkness take her as hopelessness filled her.