The king's sharp intake of breath surprised Rayne enough to lift her head. She cringed, expecting him to look furious, but instead she was surprised to find he looked just as shocked as she was.
"Well, that’s a first," he said with a raised eyebrow. "What did you do? Spike her drinks with honeysuckle wine?"
Rayne took in a sharp breath of her own at his suggestion, but when she saw the way his lips twitched upward in a smile, she realized he was trying to make a joke.
"I'm sorry." He shook his head and took half a step forward. "I should be thanking you, not mocking you. Elia has never fallen asleep unless I was there with her."
Rayne's mouth almost dropped open in shock. "Never?"
The king shook his head.
"Many tried. I had more than one nursemaid for her when she was little, but unless she was in my arms, she would not sleep," the king explained. "She has fought sleep every night until I arrive, until now."
Rayne felt an oddly satisfied glow at that. She may have been rejected by the king himself, but at least his daughter was more than comfortable with her.
Trying not to make a big deal of it, Rayne forced a smile and said, "Well, now at least I know for tomorrow."
"I will look forward to it," the king assured her, and for one wild moment she allowed herself to imagine he wasn't just talking about seeing his daughter. In her mind's eye, he stepped forward and pressed his lips not to hers, but to her forehead in an affectionate farewell before retiring to his bed.
In reality, he bowed his head respectfully, and Rayne quickly returned the gesture with a curtsey of her own. She could feel the sensation of his eyes burning into her skin long after he’d turned and disappeared down the hall.
Chapter 6 - Asher
Brother,
I’ve received word of your plight regarding your subjects’ insistence you should be presented with a bride of their choosing through their traditional rituals, and as I have struggled through a similar situation, I thought, as your elder brother, it is my duty to offer my advice.
If not for the tradition of trade brides in my own kingdom, I might never have met the love of my life and mother of my children. I urge you to at least find a way of giving your island's traditions a chance even if you do intend to outlaw such traditions as I have done myself.
You never know. It might be the making of you.
Sincerely
Ember
Asher groaned as he read the letter. Little did his brother know, his subjects had already forced his hand. Ember had likely sent this letter days ago, well before Rayne had ever picked her painted stone from the elder's bowl.
Would it have changed anything if I’d received this letter before I met her? Asher thought, reminding himself of how Ember and his beautiful wife had been thrown together in the strangest of circumstances. Could that be Rayne and me?
He quickly forced the idea away. How could he allow himself to hope such a thing when he’d spent the last three years trying to prevent his subjects from going through with their traditions?
With a chest rattling groan, Asher leaned forward in his chair to pull open the top drawer of his desk. He pulled out his ink pot, quill and parchment, and began to pen a letter.
Ember,
If only your letter had come sooner. I find myself in quite the conundrum. Normally, I would not admit this to anyone, but as you say, you have been in a similar situation, and I am in desperate need of your help.
He paused in his writing to close his eyes as a memory surged up against his will and took hold of his mind. Rayne stood before him outside the nursery. The closed door behind her had appeared to be the perfect surface to pin her against to steal a kiss. It had merely been his own stubbornness that had stopped him. He would have taken the slap that would likely have been her reaction to his sudden advances.
And how could I blame her if she did? he asked himself before quickly pushing the thoughts away altogether and trying to concentrate on his letter once more. He placed quill tip to parchment and continued to write:
My subjects are no longer threatening to fulfill the ritual as it has already taken place. I was adamant not to allow them to choose my bride for me, and so I rejected her, but you should see her, brother. She might very well be the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes upon.
Asher paused in his writing again. How could he possibly send this letter? If he did, he would be admitting that he’d made a mistake. He would be admitting that he regretted rejecting Rayne without giving her a chance. And if he did that, he may as well just go to her right now and tell her what a fool he’d been.
Dropping the quill abruptly onto the parchment, he leaned back in his chair and watched ink leak from the tip.
Watching it with fascination, he vowed to himself, I am a king, and kings rule their emotions. I cannot allow them to get the better of me. I have made a decision, and now I must stick to it.