Broken Vows
Chapter 25

Something to replace

Gavin leads the way out of his private study, and we twist down halls and through the castle in silence. We approach another sitting room, and Rana is chatting with a young fairy that brought tea and sandwiches on silver trays. Jakob is looking at the trays, personally offended by them.

“Please, I beg your apologies, sir. Tyrina, why would you serve our guests on silver when clearly gold is more suited to them.” Gavin sounds jovial, but his face is anything but. The fairy notices her mistake and turns bright red covering her face and curtsying to the king.

“Oh, your majesty, I’m sorry I just didn’t think I didn’t mean any offense truly. I am sorry. I will fix the mistake immediately.” She pleads through her hands.

“No, bother.” Jakob’s face softens, and his fatherly nature bleeds through. I just won’t touch the tray. Rana, could you hand me the plate of sandwiches? I am hungry, you know, like a wolf.”

The lousy joke makes everyone chuckle, and Rana hands him a whole plate of sandwiches. Jakob wastes no time digging into them. Wolves do have voracious appetites.

The little fairy looks relieved now, and Gavin’s face has softened to its normal, carefree state. I can’t see him the same knowing what I know now.

“I would like you all to stay as my guests for a few days. Willow has piqued my curiosity, and I am not in a hurry to let her leave me so soon.” The nuances and meanings laced in his words have the young-looking fairy blushing. She could be older than me, but you could never guess by looking at her. She giggles as she runs away, and Gavin relaxes slightly.

“Sorry have to keep up appearances.” He says low now the room appears to be empty. “Walls have ears here, so I can not say much. I know what you wanted, and I can be little help to you for my own reasons. I have offered the use of my library, and I hope that will be enough to give you the aid you need.” Gavin is brief with his explanation, and the change in his demeanor seems to have confused everyone in the room except me.

“We will just have to make do, and I think we will be able to replace something useful in the library.” I pat his arm and hope it comes off as sympathetic.

“Well, I will have someone show you to your rooms, and I will meet you in the library. Just give me an hour. I still have to take care of a few things with the council.” Gavin rolls his eyes and leaves the room.

Rana Is eyeing me, and I move closer to her, and she locks arms with me. I have Gavin’s ring tucked away in a pocket of my dress, and Rana and I start to walk the room as the men talk about whatever men talk about.

I keep looking around the room, trying to replace any sign that someone is tucked away to spy on us. I know it seems paranoid, but at this point, I know we can’t be too careful. I am also aware that no fae would simply hide in a corner trying to listen in. they have much less obvious means.

“His majesty seems well.” Rana starts the small talk, and the sly look she is giving me from the side of her eye has me giggling like when we were girls and didn’t want people to know what we were talking about.

“Oh yes, he is very well but tired. The pressure of being king does take a toll on one. I just wish he had a little comfort of a friend. He told me of a friend he had years and years ago, but sadly he no longer has them to lean on.” I muse thoughtfully.

“Oh, that is a shame. Is there any way that he might want new companions?” Rana casually says.

“No, he is so set in his ways that to lean on someone. Now would feel too much like a weakness in his eyes.” I sigh a bit dramatically, but if someone is listening, then I may as well make the performance count for something.

“Oh, that is a shame. Is there nothing to be done to help the poor man?”

“No, I fear not. We will just have to hold him in our thoughts perhaps one day soon he will need someone.” I say as we do another lap around the room.

“Will you two stop? You are making me dizzy.” Jakob laughs at us and we both make a face at him.

The same fairy is back, her little wings sparkling behind her. They are beautiful to look at. She is like a little doll, and it’s easy to see why they are thought to be the most delightful creatures. Stories paint them as such good and kind things, continually granting wishes. If people only knew the truth about them.

They tend to have a nasty streak that matches any sweetness they may have. I would not want to be the one to cross a fairy. They will replace a way to not only get even with you, but they will also replace a way to make sure it is the last thing you do. Naturally, that isn’t true for all fairies, but I still don’t trust fairies and certainly don’t grant wishes. They prefer to use the gesture as a cruel joke at your expense.

“Your rooms are ready.” She smiles sweetly at us and we all start to follow her to our rooms. A young man is waiting in the hall to lead the men to their rooms, all for the sake of being proper. Jakob and Richard follow him and Rana and I follow Tyrina as she leads the way.

Reaching the rooms, I’m relieved to see Rana’s room is next to mine. This uneasy feeling I have is causing me more than a little paranoia. The slight heavy feeling in my head is annoying. I regret the few last drinks of elderberry; the taste lingers on my tongue.

Falling onto the bed and bearing my face into the over-stuffed pillows, the thought of screaming into the more and more appealing.

Waking up to Rana sitting on the bed, my head hurts, and my mouth feels like there is grit in it. Sitting up and rubbing my face, she gives me a funny look.

“How long was I asleep?” The words come out sounding slow and stupid.

“You only slept about thirty minutes. I thought it was best to wake you. So you could freshen up.” Rana gives me a slight smile, and I groan.

Scooting off the bed and moving to the wash basin, I fill it and splash water on my face. Catching sight of my reflection and seeing how old and tired looking I have become. I feel so much older than 29.

“He really won’t do anything to help us against Hadeon, will he?” Rana is still sitting on the bed.

“No, he can’t. He seems to have little authority and doesn’t want to hurt his only child. It seems he is not the one in power around here. I don’t see the council wanting to go to war anyway. Gavin said he tried to bring his family home but he never could.” I say, fixing my hair.

“But he knows what Hadeon is.” Rana is shocked.

“I told him.”

“And still, he doesn’t want to hurt his child.” Rana sounds disgusted, but she has also never been a parent she can’t know. Some day she will know how hard it can be trying to do the right thing for your child just to replace you did everything wrong. She can’t know how your heart breaks and the sleep you lose over every decision you make for them.

“I just hope we can replace something in the library on how to free death. If we can do that, I think Hadeon will be vulnerable.” Slipping my hand in my pocket, I clasp the ring Gavin gave me. I still wonder if Hadeon could have something like this ring or my neckless. He can’t possibly contain all of that power just inside himself, can he?

The rap at the door makes me jump, and Rana answers the door. Tyrina is there again, smiling as brightly as ever.

“His majesty has requested the Lady’s presence in the library.” She giggles the last words out as she speaks to Rana.

“Rana will be going with me.” I’m not asking, and the little fairy looks like she might want to argue but thinks better of it, just bowing her head instead.

We follow her for what feels like miles through the castle. I would become so lost in here if I was alone. Doors all look the same, and every hall looks like the last. Reaching our destination, the doors to the library are open wide.

Tyrina leads us straight in and to the middle of the expansive room. I have never seen so many books. It would take a hundred years to make a dent in reading them. Gavin sits at the larger table, looking bored, thumbing through a book of poetry.

“Awe, good Willow, you made it now. Perhaps things will be a bit less dull, and you brought the beautiful Rana with you. Rana, you are still as breathtaking as ever.” Gavin gushes, and Rana’s cheeks flush. “Thank you, Tyrina. You may go,” Gavin says in a flat tone. The maid leaves and shuts the doors behind her.

“We should be able to speak freely here. I did check the room and found nothing to be too concerned with. I also sent for Rich and Jakob, was it? They should be here shortly. This will take you a good bit of time to replace anything helpful, but I do have someone that can help you.”

When the oldest-looking man I have ever seen emerges from around a shelf corner, I wonder how he is even standing. This man looks like he’s more than two hundred years old. How much help can he be?

“This is Edmond. He is the caretaker of the library and knows where everything is.” Gavin continues, “Well, we should get started then.”

Sitting at the table, I grab the parchment and ink and begin listing every type of book I think might be helpful. Once done, I hand it to Edmond, whose eyes go wide.

“This should be interesting.” He mutters, and his voice sounds like he’s breathing dust. He takes the ink and another parchment. When Rich and Jakob join us, he starts making two more lists. Rana catches the men up, and soon Edmond has five lists written out and hands them to each of us.

“you two will replace these up the stairs and to the right. You, Miss, will replace those six shelves to the left of here. Your majesty, you know where those are and take that one with you. Her books are two rows over from yours.” He says, gesturing to me and breathing hard like that much talking was physically exhausting for him. I get up and follow Gavin looking at the list of books in my hand. There are thirteen books on here, and the others looked to have about the same amount I had. This is going to take forever.

“Well, we should get started. We have quite a lot of work cut out for us, don’t we?” Gavin muses, looking his list over. The others spread out, following Edmon’s directions as he stays seated at the table.

“All right then.” I stand, brushing off my skirt and following Gavin “here is hoping there is something to replace.”