Chapter 16

The day dawned gray and cold. A light rain fell from the sky, just enough to make the idea of traveling seem miserable. It was decided they would stay one more night at the Farrow Estate at Lord Farrow’s urging. Conri could admit he was relieved to hear Caerwyn think it was a good idea. Another night in a warm bed sounded like heaven to Conri. It would be another two days until they reached the Northern Temple, and then they would have to make their way back to Lord Haven’s estate as well.

Conri decided he would explore the house in the morning, and maybe the rain would slack off by the afternoon. There was a small village close by, and he hoped Caerwyn would agree to let him explore it. It seemed odd letting himself be ruled over by another man. He was a prince and soon to be king. Shouldn’t he be telling others what to do? Still, he knew Caerwyon only wanted what was best for him and the land. Until he gained more experience, Conri would rely on his guardian and guide to do what he must to keep him safe.

Walking into the large parlor from the night before, Conri hoped to find Eleri. He wished for her to walk with him and spend the morning with him. After their conversation the night before, he was anxious to put her at ease and find his own relief in seeing her in a better mood. He was sure she was just tired from their journey. She could not think herself wrong for him. After the tender kiss they shared, he thought she must have some idea of how he was beginning to feel for her. He was very ready to move their relationship forward by getting to know her better and letting her get to know him. He was afraid she would find he was the one lacking, but he would do what he could to win her over.

He walked into the parlor to not find Eleir, but Caerwyn who was standing by the fireplace. He turned as Conri entered the room.

“What are you up to this morning?” asked Caerwyn.

“I was thinking of exploring the house a bit, but I thought I would ask Eleri if she would join me first. Have you seen her?”

“Not since breakfast. I believe she said she was going to rest for a bit. I don’t think she slept well last night.”

“I suppose I should let her be then.”

“I could walk around with you if you wish. I have stayed a couple of times here and know my way around. I am sure Lor Farrow would not mind if we kept to the public rooms. Is there anything in particular you wish to see?”

There was not. In truth, Conri could care less about the house. He really only wanted an excuse to spend the morning with Eleri, but there was nothing he could do about it at that point. “There was nothing, in particular, I wanted to see. I will be happy to walk with you and leave it up to your better knowledge of anything interesting in the house.”

“Very well,” said Caerwyn as he moved from the fireplace closer to Conri. “Let's go to the conservatory first. We cannot be outside this morning, so let's visit the next best thing.”

Conri walked with Caerwyn to the entry hall, where they followed a hallway to the left.

“How many times have you been here before?” asked Conri as they kept going down the long hallway.

“Twice. I came once with my uncle when he wished to visit Lord Farrow and once when Eleri, her father, and a couple of other council members who came to speak of the land.”

“Did you discuss me?”

“We did. It was two years ago, and some wished to hurry along with your blessing. Lord Cadwin was against it, saying it was tradition to wait until your twenty-second year. In the end, it was decided to wait, as you can see.”

“I believe I am glad you waited. As immature as I can be now, I was worse at twenty. You would have been very disappointed by what you would have found.”

“I doubt it,” said Caerwyn. “I have made enough mistakes in my life that it is impossible for me to judge others.”

“You make mistakes? It hardly seems likely. You are so careful.”

“Trust me, your highness, I have made plenty of mistakes. At least a couple I would do anything to take back,” said Caerwyn as they stopped by a large door.

“Does it have to do with a woman?”

Caerwyn put his hand on the door to open it but stopped and looked back at Conri. “Why would you say that?”

Conri shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems like most mistakes I have made have been with women. I figured it might be a usual thing with young men.”

Caerwyn sighed and opened the door. They entered into a large room that had two glass walls. The room was filled with plants and small trees. Conri walked around looking at the plants as Caerwyn followed him. They both stopped by the same glass wall and looked out upon the dreary day before them.

“So I guess it has to do with at least one woman since you didn’t contradict me.”

“Perhaps it does have to do with a woman, but it is no matter. There is nothing that can be done about it now, and there never was a right way to go about it except to have left her alone, to begin with.”

Conri turned and looked at Caerwyn. “Why must you remain without a wife? It seems a cruel fate.”

“My complete loyalty is supposed to be to my ruler, to you. A wife would only divide my attention and priorities. How could I put your life over any other if I am tied to a woman I love? If I ever had a family, how could I be the guardian and guide you need?”

“Is there a woman you love, Caerwyn?”

Caerwyn turned away and shook his head. “I shouldn’t be talking about this with you.”

“Why not?” asked Conri. “We are supposed to have this bond like no other, but I barely know anything about you.”

“You know enough about me. I will not fail you, which is all the information you need.”

“You don’t want to talk to me about women? Then let's talk of something else. What is your father like?”

“You are getting further away from subjects I like to expound on.”

“You have a brother, correct?”

Caerwyn nodded. “I do. He is almost two years younger than me; His name is Guin.”

“And has he found his wife?”

“He is married. They have a very young son and another already on the way.”

Conri walked up to Caerwyn to be able to look at him. “And that young son, your nephew, he will follow you as the Bright One, correct?”

“Yes. That is how it works.”

“So that young boy is already doomed to a solitary life seeing to my future son. Is that what you are saying?” asked Conri.

“I would not use the word doomed. I do not feel doomed to serve you. Being the Bright One is a tremendous honor. It is a duty few ever have.”

“But I imagine it is a lonely existence. Did your uncle never speak of it to you?”

Caerwyn turned back to look out the window. “Not much. We didn’t have as much time together as either of us would like. He was killed in an ambush just as I turned seventeen. He was on his way to see me. I was to travel with him for the next two years, learning all I needed to know. Perhaps the subject would have come up then.”

“What does your father have to say about it?”

“My father is a traditional man. He wishes me to do my duty as many before me.”

“I have a hard time believing every Bright One before you avoided falling in love. I can’t imagine not being affected by women.”

“Who says I am not affected by women? It is not that I am inherently different than any other man. I have urges. I just have to know how to handle those urges and deal with them appropriately.”

They were both quiet for a moment before Conri said, “I will be king some day soon. Couldn’t I change things? Could I not release you from your duty in some way or make it so you could still serve me and have a wife?”

“You would receive too much push back from your council. The court of Guildan has been set up this way from the beginning.”

Conri laughed a little. “But I will be king, won’t I? I will have the final say. I could make it, so some silly tradition does not bind you. If I believed you could serve me well and still take a mate, no one should question it. Caerwyn, if there is a woman out there you believe is your mate, I would not like you to ignore it. I would like to see you completely happy.”

“I appreciate the sentiment, your highness, but you should have all the facts before you make statements like that. For now, let us focus on getting your crown and saving our land. What happens after is of no concern now.”

“I just would not like you to think you have no hope of finding true happiness. I know what it is like now to meet a woman who inflames every part of me. I don’t know what my future may hold with her, but I can’t imagine dealing with the thought every day that there is no hope at all.”

“We should move on. There is more to see on this estate.” Caerwyn walked from the room, leaving Conri little choice but to follow him. They saw an impressive music room and a couple of parlors that were much too fussy for Conri.

“These look like there were updated not too long ago. Was it done just before the lady of the estate passed?”

“The current lady of the estate has not passed. She is just not at home,” replied Caerwyn. “She is never at home. I wonder if poor Lord Farrow even remembers he married a second time.”

“A second time?” asked Conri.

“Yes, the first Lady Farrow died not long after giving birth to Bren Farrow. Lord Farrow remained single for many years, as is usual when a mate dies. You know most do not marry again, but it seems a young woman piqued his interest about five years ago. They married rather quickly after meeting. She is young and beautiful but comes from a large poor shifter family. I suppose she saw being Lady Farrow as a way out of her circumstances.” Caerwyn walked over to the fireplace and picked up a small picture. “I believe this was done fairly recently.”

Conri looked at the picture of the young, blonde woman. She was quite lovely with sharp blue eyes and a small mouth with full lips. “She is very pretty, but I am not sure I like the look about her eyes.”

“She is clever and knows what she wants. I hate to judge anyone who grew up as she did. I can’t imagine what it is like not knowing what your future held or if you would even have enough to live upon. She saw an opportunity and took it.”

“You know this woman well?”

“I did,” said Caerwyn. “She grew up not far from my father’s home. We spent some time together in our youth.”

Conri looked at Caerwyn as he took the picture back to the fireplace, placing it gently on the mantle. He wondered if this was the woman he was eluding to earlier. Perhaps it was why he thought his situation so hopeless. It wasn’t just that Caerwyn was bound to Conri, but that the woman he loved was hopelessly attached to another as well.

“Lord Farrow is rather old and seems not to be well,” said Conri carefully. “Who knows how long this woman will have to endure being Lady Farrow.”

“Who says she is unhappy in her situation?” asked Caerwyn as he looked at the prince. “Lord Farrow is not a cruel man. I was joking when I said I wonder if he remembers if he is married. He is happy to let her travel as she pleases. When she does come home, I don’t believe she is entirely opposed to the man.” He started walking from the room. “Now, I believe the library is the last room you would wish to see.”

They walked to the library, which stood close to the grand parlor. It was a handsome room with a good number of books. After looking over some of the shelves, Conri looked out the window to see it was still lightly raining. “I had hoped the rain would stop. I wanted to walk outside the grounds a bit. Maybe even visit the village.”

“You wish to visit the village? I am not sure that would be safe, your highness.”

“You would be with me, Caerwyn. I was hoping Eleri would go as well, which means her guard who shadows her would attend us. I am sure no harm could come from a short stroll through a humble village. I have never even been in a shop and would like to try it.”

Caerwyn blew out a puff of air. “If it stops raining after lunch, I will escort you into the village. I am sure Eleri will agree to come as well as Aron. We can have a few of the other guards watch the village to see if anything is amiss.”

“I hate to be so much bother…”

“Seeing to your safety is no bother. If you wish to see the village, then you shall see the village. You need to experience more of the land and people if you are to rule it.”

Conri nodded. “Until then, I think I will look around the library and see if there is anything interesting here.”

“Anything, in particular, you are looking for? I could help you find something,” said Caerwyn.

“If you see anything about the great mother’s prophecy, the one about my future queen, I would appreciate you letting me see it.”

Caerwyn stopped looking at a shelf he was near and turned to Conri. “You wish to see information on the prophecy?” He sounded surprised.

“Yes. Why does it surprise you? It greatly affects my life. While I have never taken much stock in it, recent introductions have started to change my mind, as you know. Also, I discovered something interesting in the Haven’s manor library.”

“Oh?” asked Caerwyn. “What did you find.”

“One letter of the prophecy was different in a certain book I found. All the writings of the prophecy I have seen before where it states, ‘United only with the wolf gold and strong, but one of the books in the Haven’s library says bold instead of gold.”

Caerwyn moved his head from side to side as though considering the information. “It is probably just a miscopied letter from the old language. It doesn’t change much.”

“That is what Eleri said,” said Conri.

“You should the miscopied prophecy to Eleri?”

“Yes. It affects her life as much as mine. I am afraid she holds back from me because of her mistrust in the prophecy. Also, she has told me she had been affected by another man before. I do not want to see her caged in by some old words on paper. I wished to give her some hope that the prophecy is not set in stone.”

“I would think her believing in the prophecy would suit your desires,” said Caerwyn as he went back to looking at the shelf.

“Perhaps it would, but I do not wish to have Eleri by my side just because she feels she is forced to do it. I would like to win her heart and be sure of mine. I understand that taking a mate and wife is no little thing. If I am bound to someone forever, I wish for both of us to be happy and secure.”

“Still, I don’t think one word of the prophecy being off changes anything,” remarked Caerwyn. “If Eleri is destined to be the queen, she would have to marry you to accomplish it. You are the only one in this land who can be our king and ruler.”

They searched for any books that looked promising but found none. At lunch, they gave up and went to join Lord Farrow in the dining hall. They entered the room to find only the old man at the table. As lunch was brought out, Caerwyn looked at the lord. “Shouldn’t we wait for Lady Eleri?”

“She sent word that she would not be joining us. I believe she went for a walk as soon as the rain cleared. When she comes back, I am sure she will call for refreshments as needed.”

Conri looked out the nearest window to see that while it was still gray, the rain had stopped. “Do you know if anyone went with her?” He didn’t like the idea of her walking out by herself with the knowledge that Lord Fellen wanted to take her.

“I am not sure, but I think her guard went with her. I can ask a servant for sure if you like.”

Conri looked at Caerwyn, who shook his head before saying, “I am sure Aron went with her. After lunch, we can look for her ourselves. I believe you wanted to go see the village, my prince?”

Conri nodded, and they started lunch. He began to wonder how long they had to stay not to appear rude. He was anxious to walk into the village and see that Eleri was well. He wondered why she seemed to be avoiding him. He wanted some sort of resolution to their conversation the night before.

Lord Farrow finally excused himself, saying he needed to write a message to his wife and son. Conri glanced at Caerwyn to see if this brought any sort of reaction out of him, but Caerwyn looked as calm as always. All three left the table, Lord Farrow to his study, and Conri and Caerwyn towards the front door. They waited while their cloaks were brought to them, and two of the Cadwin guards were found.

Once they had their cloaks on and two guards with them, they left the manor, walking towards the gate that would take them to the path that led to the village. It was cold and damp. A wind blew around them, causing Conri to pull his cloak against him tighter. They made it to the town without passing another person, and Conri was happy to find that many of the buildings blocked the wind.

He was excited to look around, seeing a few stores and a handsome inn. He first went to the store closest to him, looking in the window where a dress and some books were displayed. He looked at Caerwyn, who nodded. Conri opened the door and stepped into the cramp and warm space.

It was a shop that had a little bit of everything. There was material and fully made simple dresses. There were candles, linens, and even some jewelry. Conri saw some beautiful green jeweled hair combs he imagined would look very well in Eleri’s hair. He did not buy them as he had no money on him, never having dealt with coins, and he didn’t want to appear to forward, buying her gifts.

He moved on to look at two bookshelves towards the back of the store, which were full of different books, while Caerwyn spoke to the shopkeeper about some candles and flint. Conri looked over the shelves, not finding anything interesting. He was about to turn back to the front when he saw a door was slightly open. He could tell it was dim in the room, but a small light as though a fire burned inside came from the slit in the door.

Curious about what could be in the room, Conri moved towards the door, smelling a combination of different spices. He looked towards the front to see no one near him and opened the door, stepping inside the room. It was full of glass vials and bottles. They all had different powders and liquids inside of them. He moved on into the room to find larger jaws with different creatures in them. There were insects and mice. One held a dead bird.

He was looking at the creatures closely when something bumped into him. He looked over to see a figure wearing a black velvet cloak.

“Excuse me, sir,” said a delicate voice as the figure took down her hood. She straightened up fully, showing she was a beautiful, tall woman with dark hair and olive skin. Her eyes were bright brown, and she had a playful smile on her face as she looked at Conri. “Hello there. I didn’t mean to bump into you. I got quite caught up in my own thoughts as I shopped for ingredients.”

Conri looked her up and down, seeing her svelte figure being hugged by a tight dark red gown under the cloak she wore. “It is no matter. There is no harm done. I was distracted myself.”

The woman moved a basket she held from her right hand to her left. “I’m sorry, but have we met before? You seem very familiar to me.”

“I am sure we have not. I would have remembered meeting someone as lovely as you,” said Conri without thinking.

She laughed, and it was almost musical. Conri felt pulled towards the woman. She put her hand on his arm as though they were old friends. “I am Ciara Sullivan. What is your name?”

She stared at him with her large, beautiful brown eyes, and he could not resist her. “Conri,” he said without thinking. Somewhere within him, he knew it was stupid to give this woman his real name, but he could not help it.

“Conri?” She pulled her hand off his arm. “Where have I heard that name?” She took a small step back. “Wait, you aren’t? Well, how could you be?” She lowered her voice. “You aren’t the prince, are you?” She moved closer to him again, her eyes never leaving his. “I believe you might be. I have seen a portrait of your father, and you look much like him, though you are even more handsome.”

“You have seen my father’s likeness?”

“Oh, yes. My mother served your father as the palace healer. She was the most powerful sorceress in the land. I should have taken her place, but there was that awful business, wasn’t there?”

Conri nodded, not knowing what to say.

“Well, this is good luck. I have longed to meet you. Why don’t you and I take a short walk to the inn? We could get a drink, and I could tell you what I know of both your parents.”

He looked back towards the door he came through. “My guardian is in the other room, waiting for me.”

“The Bright One is here too?” she asked, sounding delighted. “He will not mind you coming with me. You are as safe with me as you would be with him. I am very proficient with my skills.” She took his arm and pulled him towards a back door.

“You are sure?” asked Conri feeling far away. He knew he should not go with her, but he could not resist her.

“I am very sure, my prince. We will not be gone long, and Caerwyn will find us. I am sure he will be happy to see me. We are old friends.”

Conri let himself be led out the back door by the woman. He blinked his eyes against the outside light after being in the dark room. Turning to look at Ciara, he found her even more lovely in the daylight. Her hair was shiny even with no sun in the sky. Her skin was so smooth and such a beautiful shade, he almost reached out to touch it. Her full lips must have been painted red for them to be such a striking color.

She pulled him along towards the inn at the center of town, chatting away as Conri nodded at all she said.

“I can’t believe you are actually here, my prince. Where have you been hiding all this time?”

Conri almost told her about the Haven’s estate when he heard a voice call out for him that woke him up.

“My prince, what are you doing out here without your guardian?” asked Eleri as she came towards him.

Ciara made a noise that sounded like something between a hiss and growl before putting on a small smirk of a smile. “Lady Eleri, how good it is to see you.”

Eleri stopped short, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Ciara, what are you doing here, and how did the prince come to be with you?”

“I was traveling, and my supplies were running short. I ran into the prince in the back of the shop, and we decided to get a drink.”

“Did you?” asked Eleri with irritation. “He is needed back at Lord Farrow’s estate, and we have an early morning tomorrow, so he will not have time for a drink.”

“Oh come now, my lady, one drink will take no time at all. You could join us, though I think the prince would like it to be just him and me. Wouldn’t you, my prince?”

Conri shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Part of him wanted to spend time with the beautiful woman at his side, but a larger part of him longed to listen to Eleri. “Lady Eleri is right. I do not have time today for a drink.”

Ciara smiled. “It is a pity. I have much to tell you about your parents. I could also tell you about your companion here. She has an interesting history as young as she is. I am willing to wager she has secrets you do not know.”

“Stop speaking nonsense, Ciara, and let the prince be,” Eleri reached forward and took Conri’s hand.

He felt a bolt of something run through his arm, waking him up further. He looked at Ciara and found she was not as lovely as he thought. Her eyes were not a soft brown but a cunning dark coffee. Her full lips were done up in a sneer as she looked at Eleri. He moved closer to Eleri as her hand went up his arm. She pulled him close, making him feel secure.

“Don’t you make a pretty couple,” said Ciara with a laugh. “I suppose you have him believing that prophecy, my lady. We will see how it works out for the both of you.”

“It is none of your concern. You should leave before Caerwyn finds you out here tiring to charm our prince.”

Ciara laughed. “You think I cannot charm the Bright One?” She leaned in close to Eleri. “I have done it before. I think I know him at least as well as you.”

Eleri leaned back, keeping a firm hold of Conri. “Go, Ciara, before I make you myself.”

“You think too much of your abilities, Eleri, just like your mother.” Ciara moved back from them both. “Good day, my prince. I am sure we will meet again, and hopefully, next time, we will not be interrupted.” She turned and disappeared.

“My prince, you must be more careful. You cannot just take strolls by yourself with someone like her,” said Eleri dropping his arm.

“Is she really so bad?”

Eleri looked at him in exasperation. “She just used a charm to bend you to her will, and you fell right into it. There is no telling what she would have had you saying or doing if you had joined her for some drink. You need to be more careful.”

“There you are,” said Caerwyn as he hurried over. “Where did you go? I didn’t see you even leave the store. Did you come in and take him, Eleri?”

“You need to keep a better watch over him. I found him out here being escorted towards the inn with Ciara Sullivan. You know enough about her to see how that would have gone.”

Conri thought Caerwyn blushed a little as he scratched the back of his head. “Where did you meet Ciara, your highness?”

“In the back of the store. I hardly knew what I was saying or thinking around her. It wasn’t until I heard Eleri call for me before I even knew where I was heading with her.”

“She charmed him, Caerywn. Thank the gods I was walking by, or she would have him deep under one of her spells by now. She could have been spying for Lord Fellen. It wouldn’t surprise me.”

“She isn’t as bad as that, Eleri,” said Caerwyn. “She is a little devious at using her tricks, but I don’t’ think she means any harm.”

“You think it is alright if she just bewitches our prince, then?”

Caerwyn glanced at Conri. “You sure she had to use any spells on him? She is a beautiful woman, and we already know how much he likes a pretty face.”

Conri grew irritated. “I may enjoy the attentions of young ladies, but I am not as weak as you think, Caerwyn.” He looked down for a moment. “Perhaps I did find her lovely, but I was most interested in what she had to say about my parents. She said she could tell me all about them. No one has ever really spoken to me about my mother and father.”

Eleri touched his arm. “We know you are not weak, your highness, but you are inexperienced in the world. Of course, you wish to know more about your parents. We should have thought of it. Once we are done with this task, I will have my father come see you or take you to him. He knew both your mother and father very well. He can tell you all about them.” Eleri hooked her arm with his.

“We should go to the inn and get a quick drink before we head back to the manor. I believe it is going to rain again, but I think we have some time.”

Conri smiled at Eleri before looking at Caerwyn to see if he would agree. He nodded, and they all three started walking towards the inn, Caerwyn walking behind him and Eleri.

“I did not mean to be so hard on you, Prince Conri,” said Eleri quietly. “I know how persuasive Ciara can be, especially to young men. I was only worried about you.”

Conri looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. “You were only worried, my lady? Were there no other feelings you had when you saw me with the woman?”

Eleri glanced behind her before she sighed and said quickly, “I did not like seeing you with her, and that is all I will say.”

Conri pulled her a little closer. “Does it help that I did not find her as lovely as I thought she was when I compared her with you?”

She laughed. “Maybe a little.” She looked back at Caerwyn again. “She is very lovely, though. You wouldn’t be the first young man to be caught in her spell.”

Conri glanced back at Caerwyn to see him looking away from the both of them. “I will not be one who is taken in by her, my lady. I believe I have the perfect talisman to her charms. No one could ever look at that woman when you are near.”

Eleri shook her head, but she squeezed Conri’s arm affectionately. She kept close to him the rest of the day, which suited him very well.