Blinding Beauty (2 page)

After being healed, Isa had
reveled in her new body. She had spent long hours out riding with
her husband, practicing archery, learning swordplay, and trying to
better understand her new powers as Ever had insisted she
do.

“
While being a ruler of the
Fortress does provide special strength,” he had told Isa when he
had handed her a crossbow for the first time, “it also means many
people will see your power. And there will be others that covet it
as well. I need to know you won’t be helpless when the time comes
that someone tries to test you, to see how far you can be
pushed.”

Happily, Isa had agreed. And in
truth, she had enjoyed the training. She just hadn’t noticed until
now how tan and hard her lean arms had grown during her many hours
in the sun. This new gown made her look almost fierce, and she
wasn’t sure she liked it. Gigi, however, seemed delighted, despite
her great disdain for all of Ever’s
activities
.

When the seamstress was finally
finished, Isa donned a plainer dress and cloak, and using what
little control she had over her powers, she made sure no one saw
her as she made her way down to Soudain.

Destin was full of many cities,
but none were as impressive as its capital. Or at least, that’s
what Ever said. There were no dirt roads, as Isa heard other cities
and villages had. Instead, every street was covered in cobblestones
or wooden planks. Lamp posts lit every corner at night, lighted by
small boys who ran from corner to corner with tiny flames on long
poles.

Isa inhaled the scent of fresh
bread and newly picked herbs as she passed through Soudain’s
largest square. People milled about, most moving from stall to
stall while others called out their wares to the passersby, but
nearly everyone looked content. Since Isa and Ever had broken the
Fortress’s curse, harvests were turning out to be been more
plentiful than ever, which meant full markets and happy citizens.
Isa felt herself relax a little in the familiarity of the setting.
It was almost the same sense of belonging she’d had here at one
time.

True nostalgia was impossible,
however, for she was suddenly aware of the two guards that flanked
her. They weren’t supposed to be visible in their commoners’
clothing, but Isa knew her husband would never truly let her go
into town alone anymore. She sighed a little. Perhaps she hadn’t
been as stealthy in her exit as she’d thought, just another
reminder of how unreliable her powers were becoming. But as she
finally reached her destination, she mustered up a smile before
walking through the door of the corner mercantile.

“
Isa!” Deline wiped her hands on
her work apron and drew her daughter into a strong hug. “I didn’t
expect to see you here today. Megane, take over for me while I
speak with your sister.”

They moved through the back door
behind the store counter into the main room of the house. Isa
exhaled deeply as she sank down onto the long bench beside the
table and watched her mother stir whatever was in the kettle over
the fire. It was here, with her mother close by and her guards
outside where she couldn’t see them, that Isa could truly
rest.

“
So,” Deline turned and sat beside
Isa, “what is it that you want to tell me?” Isa gave her a wry
smile, and her mother laughed. “I know you, love. What’s bothering
you?”

“I’m not sure if
bother
is the right
word...” Isa said slowly, tracing the grain lines in the wooden
bench with her finger. “We will soon be setting out for a betrothal
ceremony in Cobren. Gigi says the travel itself will take two days,
and the festivities could last up to a week, or even longer.
Apparently, something about this betrothal ceremony is different
from their traditional ones of years past. It will be a lengthy
trip.” To her surprise, Isa looked up to see a smile on her
mother’s face.

“
Isa, this is exactly what you and
your husband need.”

“
Truly?” Isa blinked. “I thought
you would be upset. It’s so far away.”

“
I am not saying that I won’t miss
you, but I trust your husband to keep you as safe as
anyone.”

At this, Isa had to smile and nod.
Ever’s strength wasn’t only known throughout Destin, but all of the
northern kingdoms. And he took her safety more seriously than
anything else. The guards outside were proof of that. She wouldn’t
have been shocked if more were milling about, unseen as
well.

“
You need to get away though, and
have some fun,” Deline continued, pulling a lump of bread dough
from a basket and beginning to knead it. “You and Ever have been so
busy since the wedding, I think some time together will be good for
you. You may be king and queen, but you are also newlyweds. The
strains on marriage don’t disregard couples just because they’re
royal.”

“
I have to admit, it will be nice
not to hear the Fortress gossips for a few weeks.” Isa stood up and
took the lump of dough from her mother and began to knead it.
Sometimes it was nice to have something to pound. They never let
her knead dough in the Fortress kitchens.

“
With that, I can’t help you.”
Deline let out a short laugh. “All I can tell you is that when the
good Maker intends for you to have a child, He will give you
one.”

“
You wouldn’t think that from the
way people whisper,” Isa grumbled, hitting the dough a little
harder than necessary. “You would think it has been five years
instead of just five months!”

Deline stopped stirring the kettle
and took Isa’s hands in hers, pulling them away from the bread
dough. “What else is wrong?”

Isa took a deep breath. It was
hard to talk with her family about the special strength the
Fortress bestowed upon its monarchs. The way it flowed from her
soul felt so natural, such a part of her that she didn’t really
have words to express what it truly felt like. Or didn’t, as of
late.

“
I practiced with Ever today, and
it didn’t go well.” She shook her head and glared at the floor. “He
doesn’t say anything, but I can tell he’s worried. I just cannot
understand what’s wrong with me. It felt like everything fell into
place at the wedding, but now I can’t seem to do anything right. I
feel like an impostor, like I’m just holding the throne until the
true queen appears. I haven’t produced an heir, and my strength
refuses to grow, and there seems to be nothing I can do about
it!”

Deline drew her into a tight hug.
Isa held on, clinging to her mother like a small child.

“
I know not what to tell you, but
just to trust the Maker. The Fortress acts on His will, and the
Maker never makes a mistake. The Fortress chose you, and no one
else. That has to mean something, as do these.” She pulled back and
touched just below Isa’s eyes, which Isa could feel burning with
the rings of blue flame she’d received with her powers. Just then,
Isa’s younger brother walked in.

“
Launce,” Deline said, not looking
away from her daughter. “Isa will be going to Cobren
soon.”

Launce stared at them for a long
moment, his mouth full of the bread he’d just shoved in, before
swallowing loudly. “Whatever for?”

Isa had to smile. It was no secret
that Launce detested everything royal. It didn’t help that Ever,
with good intentions of course, was determined to make him into a
respectable member of the court.

“
We’re attending a betrothal
ceremony for Princess Olivia.”

“
I’m sorry.” He shook his head and
grabbed another piece of bread. “Being around all those snobbish
royals sounds terrible.”

Isa had to agree with that. She
hadn’t met many of the other royals since her own wedding. And
while their introductions and smiles had been polite, many of them
had seemed less than genuine, particularly those of the women. When
Isa had asked her lady-in-waiting, Cerise, about this, Cerise had
admitted sheepishly,

“
Most of the women were either
vying for your husband’s hand just last year, or trying to obtain
it for their daughters.” Isa had immediately understood the rest of
what Cerise was not saying. Not only had their efforts been in
vain, but to add insult to injury, Ever had married a commoner. For
women who had been primped and primed to do nothing less than marry
a king, losing a conquest to a nameless peasant was unthinkable.
And while the opinions of others didn’t seem to bother Ever in the
slightest, Isa found herself dreading the trip once
again.

As Launce continued around the
room, gathering whatever food he could find to feed his voracious
appetite, Isa had an idea. “Launce...”

He looked up at her, suspicion in
his eyes. “What?”

Isa hopped over to her brother and
threw her arms around him. “I am going to ask you something, and I
need you to
please
listen before you say no.”

He stared at her for a minute
before his eyes bulged, and he tried to pry her arms off of his
waist. “No. No! Absolutely not!”

“
Launce, at least listen to what
your sister wants.”

“I know what she wants! And I
am
not
going to
Cobren!”

“Launce,” Isa whined, “you said so
yourself! I’m going to be miserable up there as the only commoner!
You’re going to leave me alone with all of
them
?”

“
You’ll be with King—”

“
Launce!” Deline cut him off. “I
told you I don’t want to hear that word in this house! And be
respectful. Your brother-in-law is still your king.”

Launce scowled. “It’s still your
fault,” he grumbled. “You didn’t have to marry him.”

“
You know that’s not true.
Besides, I love him.” Isa sighed. “I just don’t love everything
else that comes with being queen.”

Launce glared at her for a long
time before huffing.

“
Fine! I’ll accompany you in your
misery.” Then an evil grin stretched out on his face. “But you
still have to convince your husband to take me. I doubt he’ll like
it any better than I do.”

“
Leave that to me.” Isa smiled as
she stood up, suddenly ready to return to the Fortress.

***

“
Your
brother hates court affairs.” Ever frowned. “Why in the world would
he want to come along on this one?”

Isa shifted uncomfortably. It had
been easy to assure her family that Ever would accept Launce’s
company, but it was another matter entirely to actually secure that
acceptance.

“
I might have asked him,” she
finally admitted. Her husband’s gray eyes widened in surprise, and
she thought she detected a small amount of hurt in them before he
smoothed his features over.

“
I thought we would have the time
to ourselves,” he said.

“We will!” she hurried to assure
him. “I
want
the
time with you! It’s just that you tend to get rather... occupied
during official visits.”

Ever exhaled heavily and gave her
an unhappy look. Isa escaped his frown by moving over to stare out
the window near their bed. It was one of her favorite spots,
affording a view that stretched up the mountain side that the
Fortress sat upon. From the balcony, it was possible to see almost
all the way up to the summit.

“
You’ll have the court ladies to
get to know,” he finally said in a more subdued voice. “As queen of
the Fortress, it’s imperative to become familiar with
all—”

“
I will. But a week is a long
time.” She picked at a loose thread in her gown. “It gets lonely
being the only commoner.” In response, Isa felt him walk up to
where she stood and gently lift her face up to his. Her breath
caught as his fingers brushed behind her ear.

“
You are no commoner.” His deep
voice was unusually soft. “You never were. The Fortress chose you
before birth to be one of its keepers. Don’t ever forget
that.”

“
True as that may be, it doesn’t
guarantee that anyone will agree with you once we’re there.
Please,” she searched his face for a sign of resignation, “don’t
make me do this alone.”

“
I wish you could see the truth
about your place for what it is,” he said. After taking another
deep breath, he sighed. “But if it will make you feel better, your
brother may come.”

Isa put her head on his broad
chest. “Thank you.”

They stayed in the embrace for a
long, rare moment. Isa wished she could keep him there forever,
away from dignitaries, councils, and wars. Too soon, however, he
gently pulled away and kissed the top of her head before lifting a
stack of parchments from the table nearby, and sinking into a chair
to peruse their contents.

“
You know I don’t dislike Launce,
but life would be easier for both of us if he would just trust
me.”

Isa let out a short burst of
laughter. “Can you blame him?”

“
Actually,” Ever drew his eyebrows
together, “yes, I can. He should trust your judgment in marrying
me.”

“
To be perfectly honest, he thinks
you have me under a spell.” Isa couldn’t quite hide her bemused
smile as Ever’s head snapped up from his papers with a horrified
look. She walked over and sat on the edge of his chair. “Try to see
it from his perspective,” she said. “He blames himself for allowing
me come here in the first place. He didn’t see all the months of
change in you that I did as we broke the spell. All he knew was
that you threatened to kill his family in the autumn, and then you
married his sister the next spring. You know I’m trying, but it
will take time for him to really know you.”