(eng) Karen Azinger - Silk & Steel 05 by The Knight Marshal

Author:The Knight Marshal [Marshal, The Knight]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

33

Liandra

Sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows bestowing a flush of colors on the marble gods. Liandra found the princess grieving in the royal chapel. Pale in a gown of dark velvet, Princess Jemma knelt before the statue of winged Marut, the goddess of justice. Her hands clasped, her head bowed, her shoulders hunched, every line of her body bespoke prayer alloyed with grief. Dismissing her guards at the door, the queen crossed the checkered floor, a soft rustle of emerald silks. “We grieve for your loss.”

Startled, Princess Jemma looked up. Tears glistened in her eyes. “A messenger came today…my mother…” her voice broke. She struggled to swallow a sob.

Such courage, such beauty, Liandra ached to see the pain etched on the young woman’s face. “Sometimes grief has to be shared in order to be endured. Come and sit with us.”

Wiping her tears, the princess rose, following the queen to the royal pew. Elaborately embroidered pillows softened the oaken bench. The two women sat side by side beneath the soaring vault. Pierced by sunbeams, the stained glass windows illumed the chapel with dazzling colors. Ruby reds, sapphire blues and emerald greens, the jewel-box colors painted the stone-carved lacework with vibrant hues. A delicate confection of polished stonework melded with light, so beautiful it soothed the soul. Staring at the soaring ceiling, Liandra imbibed the chapel’s peace. “My mother died in childbed, giving birth to my stillborn brother. I barely remember her…but I grieved hard for my father.”

The princess shook her head in bitter denial. “My mother wished ill on no one. She did not deserve to die…” her voice cracked with grief.

“She must have been a marvelous woman.”

“She found pleasure in the smallest things. A colorful seashell washed on the beach, a sea eagle’s feather found on the rampart, a rainbow at sunrise, she found joy in them all, yet she was always the queen, and always…our mother.” Stories poured out. For more than two turns of the hourglass, the princess shared memories large and small. Liandra listened to the emotions laced beneath the words. By the time the sun dipped towards a russet sunset, the princess’s sharp grief had bled to a bearable sorrow.

Falling silent, the princess cast a grateful glance toward the queen. “Thank you.”

“You are most welcome, my dear.” The queen swallowed her own emotion. “We wished for you to be our own dear daughter-in-law.”

“I know. In many ways, I wished for it too. But Jordan will make your son very happy and she will be a fine queen.”

“And what of you?”

The princess stilled. “The murder of the Royal Is was terrible…but mother’s loss will break my father’s heart.”

The queen waited.

“Father will pass the crown.” The words were spoken with sadness underscored by cold conviction.

“Will you reach for it? Will you dare to try for the seaside crown?”

“Reach for it, no, though I dearly want it.” The princess shook her head. “No, the seaside crown must be freely given. The king and council will decide what is best for the kingdom.

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