Chapter 8

EIRWYN"S brOWS ROSEat the announcement, and she looked over Bella"s shoulder to her brother.

"Isn"t it amazing? When the king came to the tavern to fetch you, we started talking and fell in love. We announced our engagement yesterday to the Chancellor and Council and get married in a month. I"m just so glad you"ve made it back before word got around."

Eirwyn frowned, turning to Gastone. "But you just said we shouldn"t fraternize with the peasants. Yet here you are marrying Bella? Which is it?"

Bella"s eyes frowned in pain and a flash of anger as she pulled back. But Gastone just rocked on his heels.

"I just did what you were doing, sister dear. Don"t you like it when the shoe"s on the other foot?"

Eirwyn looked at Bella, then back at Gastone, biting her tongue. She didn"t want to say anything else that would upset her friend, but something wasn"t right here.

"It"s an ingenious plan though, isn"t it? This will endear me to the people even more while sticking it up Glathen"s backside. A marriage alliance will never happen now."

Eirwyn blinked. Glathen had sent a marriage alliance and peace proposal to Busparia six months ago. But Gastone had ignored it. Glathen"s representatives had asked her about it at the peace talks, but she had said her brother was still considering the option.

Bella turned to look up at him. "But we fell in love?"

Eirwyn ached for her friend at that wounded tone of voice.

Gastone looked down at her and winked. "Of course we did, dear. Never doubt it for a minute. The rest is just icing on the cake."

Bella still looked troubled, and Eirwyn"s chest felt like a lead weight settled on it. She took Bella"s hand and leaned forward.

"I"m happy for you," Eirwyn said softly with a smile. "There couldn"t possibly be a better queen for our people."

The small lines of worry around Bella"s lips eased as she smiled and tucked a stray brown hair back into her loose braids.

"Thanks. The king has already arranged all the best tutors, so I"m finally being classically trained in magic. And the books! Eirwyn, you didn"t tell me how big your library is."

Bella"s eyes turned excited again as she looked around the cavernous room. Floor to ceiling shelves lined the wall, and it was two stories high, with a landing and more ladders and more shelves above.

Eirwyn smiled weakly. "It never came up. What"s going to happen to the tavern?"

Bella waved a hand. "Oh, I"ve hired a manager to oversee things for Pa until he returns from the war. It"s been a hard transition to living in the palace this month, but I"m adjusting alright."

Eirwyn"s eyes widened. "You moved in?"

So her brother had moved Bella in before they"d announced their engagement. Interesting. She wondered what the townsfolk thought about that slap in the face of propriety. Not that she was one to judge.

Bella blushed and nodded. "Yes, it was just too much going back and forth trying to plan the wedding in secret. We kept waiting and waiting for your return to announce it, but when the Chancellor returned yesterday and said you were on the way... well, we decided why wait?"

Eirwyn looked to her brother who arched a brow as if waiting for her to challenge him. She turned back to Bella.

"And it"s a good thing I"d already moved in because the number of people who swarmed the tavern lately. Whew! No wonder the king was concerned about security. Isn"t he sweet and thoughtful?"

Eirwyn"s face scrunched up before she could stop herself.

Gastone stiffened and narrowed his eyes, a faint wisp of smoke coming out of his nose. "We"re having an engagement dinner tonight, so your return is well timed. Would you step into my office, please? I have something to discuss with you."

He strode out the door, and Eirwyn felt a knot of uneasiness grow in the pit of her stomach as she followed him.

****

Bella picked up herbook and frowned as the two walked out the library door. Was Eirwyn just surprised or did she truly not approve of the match?

So what if she doesn"t approve? This is your chance to learn everything.

She breathed deeply and her shoulders relaxed as a happy haze filled her. She looked around the library, awe filling her that she was even here.

In just a few short weeks, this would be her library. She held the book to her chest and fell back on the settee with a giggle, her mind shifting to the first time she"d come to the castle.

She"d known from the moment they met that her entire life was about to change. The king had stormed into the tavern and almost burned it down in his anger at Eirwyn sleeping around.

The next day, he"d sent workers to repair the tavern and had invited her to the castle for a private dinner. Nerves had kept her on edge all day. Even with a calming spell, she"d almost thrown up when the carriage had pulled up to the front door.

The king had set her mind at ease within just a few minutes though. He"d made her relax with a pleasant, intelligent conversation unlike anything she"d get at the tavern. There, talk was rough and coarse and unrefined.

With Gastone, she could discuss so much more. They"d admired the famous paintings in the parlor and his mounted hunting collection on the walls of the foyer and grand staircase. Over dinner, he"d been so kind, discussing magic and asking about her upbringing.

She squirmed under his attention, twisting her spoon nervously. "No, I didn"t go to the mage school. We couldn"t afford it, and there was always more work than hands available at the tavern."

The king had nodded, stroking his chin. "You"re quite talented for a low magic user. If you didn"t get formal training, where did you learn?"

Bella"s back straightened and she tilted her head up even as her cheeks burned. "I studied with the priests, exchanging lessons for cleaning services. When I"d read all their books and they no longer had anything to offer, I moved on to the local healer."

"Ah, and are you still apprenticing with her?"

Bella shook her head. "No, sadly I"ve also exhausted her limited resources."

The king"s glittering eyes made her feel nervous, like he was about to pounce. She"d had to be firm at the tavern, quickly learning how to defend herself and keep people in line.

But this was the king. She couldn"t use the same tactics as with her customers.

He pushed back his chair and stood. "In that case, come with me. I have something you"ll be interested in."

She followed him out the dining room and down the hall. A servant opened the library door, and she stepped in. Her jaw dropped. It was multiple stories of nothing but books. Rows and rows, stacks and stacks. If she read one a day, it would take years to read them all.

She walked into the center of the room, spinning a slow circle with her hands to her lips in awe.

"Do you like it?" he asked.

She nodded, clutching her hands to her stomach. "Oh gods yes, I"ve never seen so many books. Think of all the knowledge that can be learned just from this."

"Think of what you could do with both the books and magical lessons from the best minds in the kingdom."

She chuckled dryly, disappointment and anger flaring in her chest. "Indeed, your majesty. It"s too bad that I haven"t even been able to afford a wand much less lessons like those."

He"d stepped closer, invading her personal space. She froze, an intoxicating scent filling her nose. She tipped her head back and tilted it to the side. The logical side of her questioned his actions.

"What are you doing, your majesty?"

He"d looked down at her, his hands behind his back. "I"d think that was obvious. I"m getting close to you."

"But why?" Her heart raced, and her hands flattened on her stomach as it twisted and churned.

"I"d like to seduce you. You"re fascinating, my girl."

Bella gasped, stepping away toward the fireplace. She stood straight and turned, matching his stance with her hands behind her back.

"I"m sorry, I don"t think that"s wise."

He arched a brow. "Why not?"

She tilted her head up. "I may be Eirwyn"s friend, but I"m not like her, your majesty. I don"t just follow every urge at the drop of a hat."

He scowled and tipped his head. "Give me a week," he said. "That"s all I ask. I"d like to pry open your mind and see what all you know. You"re much more than you seem."

She raised her brows, afraid of what the rejection would bring her. She"d heard he was so temperamental. Eirwyn was always talking about his mood swings. She started to shake her head, then he said, "You could have full access to the library, and all the tutors at my disposal."

She looked around the room, and despair clawed at her. "A tempting offer, your majesty. But at the end of the week? What then?"

He arched another brow. "Then you accept my proposal, my dear girl."

Bella"s heart raced, and her lip beaded with sweat. "Proposal?"

He grinned slowly. "To be perfectly frank, I need a wife. I"m a reasonable man. I wouldn"t expect you to agree just because I"m the king. So get to know me, then make your choice."

Bella smiled and blinked up at the alfresco painting on the ceiling of the library. She was so glad she"d decided to take a chance. Now she had the entire kingdom at her fingertips.

She"d learned more about magic in the past month than she had in the previous years combined. Now that she had the resources, she had learned how to make more than just healing potions. She"d begun exploring other types of magic other than animation of objects and illusions.

The only other way she would"ve had access or learned any of this before was if she would"ve sold her soul to Asmodeux. She snorted at the absurdity of it all. Once she was queen, she"d make a scholarship to send one child a year from each village to the academies.

She sat up and set her book aside. She went to the fireplace and pinched her cheeks then tucked a stray hair behind her braid.

There is much planning to do and so much to learn. The bottom bookshelf to the right of the fireplace has an interesting section about transmutations.

Bella didn"t question how she knew. She just went to the bookshelf and found the book. She opened it, but before she could get sucked in, a servant came to tell her it was time to get ready for the engagement dinner.

She sighed and looked at the mirror. "I want this mirror in my chamber. Replace it with the one on the vanity please."

The servant nodded succinctly. "Of course, your ladyship."

Bella blushed, her heart racing as she grinned. She still wasn"t used to everyone obeying her the first time she said something. Normally, she had to cajole and threaten the maids to doing their actual job.

She grinned and skipped out the door. By the time she reached the grand stairs, she had the book open and read as she walked, her heart light with endless possibilities.