Page 33 of Taken By the Lord of the Nocturne Court
On one side, the glow of the giant full moon floods in through floor to ceiling windows, illuminating a long wall of portraits.
Reiner smirks, gesturing at one of the paintings, which pictures a beautiful elven woman with a cascade of gray locks. Her long-clawed hands rest on the shoulders of a handsome man who’s just as human as I. “No, it is you who is underestimating the power you can have. Many years ago, His Highness's great-great-grandmother had been too lenient with the peasants, and it was creating dissent at court. It was her Dark Companion, Anton, who told her about the way such things are handled where he was from, and the peasants have been bound to the land throughout her reign. A much more convenient solution than what we’re dealing with now,” Reiner adds with a satisfied smile.
I give him a bewildered glance. I can only imagine how that looked if the human in question was born three hundred years ago, or so. I choose not to open that can of worms and point out the next portrait, since it seems we have an hour to kill. I need a distraction from the itch under my vambrace.
“Do all the pictures here depict the rulers with their Dark Companions?”
I glance in amazement at the variety of paintings and wonder if it’s possible that one day my portrait with Kyranis will be on this wall. Am I really about to leave behind all I know, vanish from my world and bind myself to a man I’ve known for a day?
I note that most of the couples are straight, but it seems that Kyran and I will be far from the first gays on the Nocturne Throne, which is rather reassuring. I can’t say my town is the worst when it comes to homophobia, but there've been many situations when I’ve felt aggressively othered, and, well, I did get beaten up twice. Inany case, it’s comforting, even if surprising, to find out that this fantasy world doesn’t share mores with medieval Europe.
I just never thought something like this could become my reality.
Reiner straightens. “All those who ascended to the throne after the Night of the Bloodknife.”
I pause and raise my eyebrows. Okay. Looks like I’m up for yet more stories about murder.
“Lord Larkin Nightweed and his Companion are missing from this hallway,” Reiner explains. “Sadly, the first Lord of the Nocturne Court has a troubled legacy. He ruled for almost five hundred years, creating a restless brood of children and grandchildren. After his Dark Companion died, he refused to take a new one for years, blocking everyone else from obtaining one, as per the laws he himself put in place.
“The Nightweed family, already splintered also into three bloodlines, and tensions eventually reached a boiling point, culminating in the Night of the Bloodknife. After killing the Lord, the royals turned on each other, and countless elves from noble families died. Those left decided on a trial, fighting a leviathan, to decide which royal line should ascend the throne. Princess Célestine Nightweed won.,” he points out an elven woman dressed in black with long dark hair, which reminds me of Kyran’s, “and the rest is history. It was also decided that no Lord or Lordess would rule for more than a century, which eased the tensions somewhat, but the Night of the Bloodknife is still remembered in these corridors as a time of absolute madness. My grandmother told me they were finding blood stains all over the palace forweeks.”
I listen with my eyes wide. “Did Dark Companions die too?” The last thing I want is to get murdered just because I’m attached to the wrong royal.
Reiner sighs. “Well, Dark Companions are a precious commodity after the death of the elf they are attached to, but some were slain, yes. The match with a Dark Companion doesn’t always result in strong romantic feelings, or even desire, though that is, of course, the perfect situation. That is the reason some Lords and Lordesses take additional wives or husbands. I’m happy the two of you don’t seem to have such issues, even if you bent the rules to test your compatibility.”
I soak it all in, desperate to know more about the union I’m about to enter. It doesn’t sit right with me that Kyranis might take a wife while I remain his Companion, and my heart sinks a little.
“So it’s mostly about my shadow being of use to him?” I ask, even though he showed me so much passion last night.
Reiner turns to me. “Oh dear. Please, do not make that face. It’s unbecoming. His Highness is clearly smitten. In fact, I’ve never seen him this attentive to anyone, so I don’t think this is something you should be concerned with.”
When we hear the click of heels, Reiner gasps and steps in front of me as if he were a bodyguard, not the house master.
“Whoever you are, turn around this instant! The prince’s promised cannot be seen before the ceremony!”
But two women turn the corner and reveal themselves anyway. Their elaborate dresses are a matching sapphire blue and their beautiful locks, golden.
“That is simply superstition, Reiner,” Elodie says, approaching in a rush. “We have important matters to discuss.”
Reiner’s chest pushes forward, as if he were a peacock about to unfold his tail. “What could you possibly have to discuss with His Highness’s promised? You should join the rest of the court and enjoy the refreshments.”
“Is that him?” the other woman asks, tugging on her companion’s puffy sleeve. “I am so honored,” she adds, bowing in front of me. “Princess Vinia Goldweed.”
Her features are very similar to Elodie’s even though she’s shorter and her eyes bigger.
“Luke. Luke Moor,” I say, stepping out from behind an exasperated Reiner.
Vinia covers her mouth as she gasps. “Oh, you look so glorious! The perfect Companion.”
Elodie turns to Reiner as I bite back a smile. “My matter is not with him, Reiner. Apparently, no one but you knows where the key to the Ancestral Sanctuary is kept. You must help us find it and time is of the essence. I brought Vinia with me, as I’m sure you wouldn’t like to leave Luke unattended.”
Reiner sucks in air, and his handsome face flushes. “His Highness told me to never leave him out of my sight, and,as you know, I can’t have him seen. This is an impossible request,” he says as Elodie pulls him away by the arm.
“Well, my cousin won’t be happy if he’s forced to desert his current duties sohecan unlock the Sanctuary either. I wouldn’t have bothered you if that wasn’t of essence!”
I shrug to reassure him. “I will be fine.”
Reiner frowns at me. “Donotleave thiscorridor.”