Page 17 of Beast and Remedy (The Last of the Heirs #2)
A Response
M y first shift of spring was last night, and I was grateful for the snow no longer clinging to my mahogany fur as my magic tugged me through the evening. The timing was perfect before we set out with haste to Palaena, assisting with evacuating homes and being a beacon for our people.
We took turns outside the carriage to trek with citizens, conversing with Alec, Bronn, Marius, and other guards.
And when we arrived in the old Axidoria castle, the Lady of the House, Betina, offered more than enough means for our townsfolk, along with supplying a letter to Papa, one where the King and Queen of Palaena requested our presence.
We didn’t want to leave our people without any support, but Betina reassured my father they would be fine, and even suggested we take some to Queen Tove and King Jerrick while we all were still present.
Papa agreed and divided the traveling party, taking half our troops and citizens with us.
The welcome was effortless, like our last visit barely a month ago. But this time, when Tove asks to talk with me, I don’t feel a surge of anxiety but rather a steady calm.
And despite the few one-on-one interactions we have had, I feel a mutual understanding growing between us.
She offers, “We can chat in my offices or the library.”
The opportunity to explore every kingdom’s collection of books and learn everything essential about each territory has been a dream of mine for years .
“I-I would be honored to visit Palaena’s library,” I respond, my stomach fluttering at the potential of more knowledge. Maybe even more novels.
She loops my arm around hers. “Wonderful.”
I can’t suppress my grin as we climb a set of stairs, Tove leading the way. Not even the second staircase can deter my growing elation.
“How are you doing, Vi. Truly?” she asks as we walk down a narrow corridor, sculpted floor to ceiling in stone.
Warmth from hues of black, blue, gray, and red seeps in from the interior design, my spirits lifting even more with a balm of comfort. A balm reminding me a little bit of home.
Every few feet, mounted framed portraits of the kings and queens of Palaena hang beside metal lanterns, and a long, lush maroon rug stretches across the hall, stopping before tall arched doors.
“We are managing as best as we can,” I start. “I must extend my gratitude again for your and King Jerrick’s assistance through everything Belmur is facing. The shelter you are offering along with corresponding and working with me and your healers will help tremendously.”
“It’s an honor to help those who have helped me,” Tove says as we enter the royal libraries.
My eyes dart everywhere when we pass the threshold, and I absorb it with amazement and awe.
I scan the rows of shelves lined with books, ledgers, and parchments holding ancient texts and histories of Palaena and Draymenk. Curiosity sends my mind spinning, attempting to predict what documents are sacred or secret and how many have not been shared with anyone beyond these castle walls.
Tove releases a small laugh. “I knew you’d love it here.”
“H-How?”
“Your father gushes about you, and I guessed your knowledge of healing stemmed from a love of reading and learning.”
I cover my heated cheeks, her observation kind and a compliment I don’t know how to respond to.
Tove pats my wrist. “Plus, my husband is a reader, so I understand the need and desire to read the next new thing.” She gestures to a seating area on the far side hosting a small square wooden table stacked with books.
I follow her lead, waiting for her to pick her spot before joining.
Tove sighs and leans back in her chair, closing her eyes and holding her stomach. Her relaxed state reminds me of a time I saw her as a bear.
A few days prior to Queen Tove and King Jerrick’s wedding celebration, I needed to shift and my bear form ventured deep into Thresborn Forest. I stumbled on their camp, and they were nestled close to the lingering embers of their fire.
Something sweet lured me there.
Hints of sugar, strong and familiar, enough to have my stomach missing it. Craving it.
The memory blurs to their startled horse and a dagger cutting through my fur, lunging after her and King Jerrick, and the two of them jumping off a cliff.
She saw my injured bicep a few days later during the celebration, and Sweet Makers, if she ever found out the bear was me? She would probably freeze me to death.
Or King Jerrick would end me with whatever powers he has.
“Ah, finally in a room without so much noise,” she breathes, pulling me from my thoughts. Her ice-blue irises sparkle as they meet mine. “Can I be frank with you?”
I ponder what she could mean, my anxiety telling me she knows I attacked her and her husband.
Maybe her snow magic somehow has a way of reading my mind. Or maybe her husband can read my mind.
Stop thinking then, Vi!
I try to remain calm. “Of course.”
“I will admit, I was hesitant to bring this up around your father and sister, given its context, so I hoped discussing it privately will shed some light.”
Trepidation arches my spine.
“About what?”
She reaches forward, moving a stack of books before she lifts an unrolled parchment. “This is a letter I received from the King of Torgem. Care to explain how a message is addressed to me, yet upon opening it, I see it is addressed to you?”
My heart stops.
He… he wrote back?
My mind stutters to process the first letter between us in years , finally here. A piece of my wavy tresses fall forward, and I curve inward, wanting to hide the hope blooming in my heart.
Tove waits patiently, and I straighten, adjusting my features before she notices. “I-I wrote to them about the animal attacks.”
“Why? Wouldn’t Bernie warn his neighboring kingdom?”
A lump forms in my throat at admitting private information, but Tove didn’t mention this in front of Papa when she could have.
I peel at a raised section of dry skin along my fingernail, debating my response. “He would, but my father believes the King of Torgem to be behind the death of my mother.”
Tove’s eyebrows shoot up, and she clasps a hand over her heart. “I-I-I never knew. Bernie never said anything.”
“No kingdom does,” I confess, reassuring her. “His advisors heavily advised him not to act without evidence. Even though my father argued that the evidence was there.”
“There is proof?” Tove asks.
Though I hate speaking against my father’s beliefs, I can’t help but share my feelings and defend my oldest, dearest friend.
“I have a hard time accepting the accusation. Torgem used to be our closest ally. King Jerrick’s aunt, Esme, was my mother’s best friend and a political envoy for Torgem.
Our kingdoms visited each other frequently, and it never made sense to my sister nor I as to why my father was quick to cast the blame on Bea—King Beauvais. ”
I drop my gaze, taking a long breath before revealing more.
“There was a hunting trip on my sister’s and my name day seven years ago, and—the King of Torgem brought my mother’s body back to the Belmur castle grounds, saying he found her in the woods.
But with an arrow and multiple wounds, and the king being a well-renowned hunter, my father was quick to point blame. ”
“Oh, Bernie .” Tove’s voice dips. “And Beau…” she grimaces, shaking her head. “I can’t even begin to imagine what they both must have felt. And you and your sister—” Her voice cracks, and my eyes meet her ice-blue ones lined with tears, her features full of empathy and sorrow.
Queen Tove understands grief, and that mutual understanding makes me feel closer to her. “So, even though my father believed the king was behind my mother’s death, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if Torgem and their people were not warned.”
She glosses over the letter once more. “Is your father warning the kingdoms of the virus? Surely, we all need to help each other with a disease spreading amongst our people.”
“Yes, I agree, which is why our advisors sent word about the infection shortly after we began our evacuation to Palaena. Our hope is, with each kingdom and their healers researching and looking for a cure, we can find a solution fast.”
“What about Torgem? Another kingdom and their healers could shift the balance significantly.”
My heart warms with her questions, finally feeling heard from someone outside my family.
I want to ask Torgem. I want to venture into their lands and gather some of their resources.
But I fear if I go there, I will never want to leave. Especially if I saw him again.
That is the last thing my kingdom needs. Even though my heart needs it.
My soul needs it.
I bite my lip, hoping she can be the keystone to helping everyone in Draymenk staying safe. Even if I can’t work directly with Torgem, the least we can do is keep them informed.
“Actually, I was hoping you might be able to communicate with them in my stead.” Sheepishly, I add, “I don’t think my father wouldn’t be mad if you updated them.”
Tove smirks. “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She surprises me when she offers me the letter. “Would you like to read it?”
My skin turns clammy, and I’m unsure if I should read his words or see his handwriting… But I grab the note faster than my mind can shove away the thought.
To Princess Vivienne of Belmur…
I swallow at the use of my full name, no longer the nickname he once used for me and missing it. Rubbing the parchment, I press on.
I am grateful to you for writing, warning in detail of the travesty effecting your kingdom.
As our oldest of allies, I truly appreciate receiving this notice, even if it came from you and not the King of Belmur himself.
Torgem sends our prayers and thoughts to you and your family through this trying time as well as to your citizens who have fallen ill and victim to the animal attacks.
Should you ever need my assistance or that of my kingdom, my borders will always be open to you and your people.
Yours truly,
King Beauvais of Torgem