THE KING

As the carriage drew to a halt in the large courtyard, several uniformed guards sprang into action. One opened the door and helped Alkaria and I down, another spoke to the coachman, while a third gestured for us to follow him.

It was a long time since I had made my one and only visit to the King's Court, so I looked around with interest, but there was not much to see apart from the buildings, gardens and guards. My magic, however, picked up a general sense of unease, whether from the guards, other members of the Court inside the buildings, or the King himself, I could not tell. As we followed our guide deep into the building, that sense of unease thickened. It was if a general malaise permutated the entire place. I did not like the way the feeling made me uncomfortable, it was almost as if a heavy weight was pressing down on me so I could not breathe.

We were shown into a waiting room, expensively furnished with several books left lying around for guests to while away their time until called for. Alkaria, not one known for reading, simply sat and waited, but I could not settle. My whole future might rest on the outcome of this meeting and I wondered if my mother's antagonism towards the King would affect his attitude towards me. I sat down for only a moment, before jumping to my feet and walking around the room. With nothing better to do, I looked at the paintings, examined the tapestries and picked up one or two ornaments for closer inspection.

'Do sit down, Karine, young noble ladies sit and wait patiently to be called!'

My aunt's voice sounded a little sharp, so I glanced over at her. She was pale and I wondered if she was afraid. I was fond of her, and hoped that my insistence that she arrange this meeting would not cause her any trouble. The least I could do was to sit and wait with the patience I really did not have. I sat next to her and tried to sit still, as befitted the heir to a noble House. After what seemed a very long time, a door opened and an older man entered and bowed slightly.

'Lady Alkaria, Lady Karine, I am the King's secretary, welcome to the King's Court.' He smiled the empty smile of an official and I caught a feeling of boredom from him.

'If you would like to follow me, Lady Karine, I will take you to the King. Lady Alkaria, if you need any refreshments, please let the servant know.'

I followed him down a well-lit corridor with a door at the end. Two guards stood outside. They watched us approach and opened the door as we reached it. I had expected to find the King in the room, but it was the Secretary's own chamber that we entered. He gestured for me to sit and went to a door I had not noticed, and knocked. He was away for a few minutes, then returned and beckoned me. As I entered the room, I heard the door close quietly behind me, I was alone with the King.

Merin sat at a large desk which was covered with parchments and books. His desk was not tidy, but looked as if someone had strewn the papers and books around while hunting for something. For a moment he continued with what he was doing before looking up. He was only a few years older than my mother, but he looked many years her senior and nothing like the portrait of him at the Guild. His greyish hair was thinning and his complexion had a yellowish tinge. He looked tired as if he had not slept well for a very long time. The smothering feeling of malaise I had noticed earlier definitely originated with this man. His face was expressionless apart from a fixed social smile, but his surface thoughts revealed a sense of shock as he stared at me. I was intrigued and probed further. He thought only one thing as he continued to stare – Akkarin. I had known that my father and the King had been friends since boyhood but no-one had told me the depth of feeling that the King felt for him. Seeing me had reawakened his emotions in a way he had not expected.

'Welcome Lady Karine, I am pleased to see you at last.' The King's voice hinted at displeasure that I had not been a regular visitor to his Court, but behind the bland façade, his emotions continued to surge.

I sank into a deep curtsey, 'Your Majesty,' I murmured, 'thank you for allowing me to visit.'

'I was intrigued when I heard you wished to see me. I wondered why after so much time, I was to receive a visit from the heir to family Delvon, House Valen. It was even more surprising to learn you wished to see me without any of your relatives present.' He continued to stare at me, waiting for an explanation.

For a moment, I was unsure what to say, then I thought to play the age card. 'I have only recently reached the age at which members of the Houses begin to go into the world', I murmured, while making sure I looked deeply into the King's eyes. I smiled at him while I used magic to encourage him to feel friendly towards me, not actual compulsion, a form of magic not approved of by the Guild, but more a reinforcement of his natural feelings. I hoped he would not notice I had not answered his point about my relatives.

'Oh, well, yes, I see that,' he replied in a slightly warmer tone. 'It is good to see you now, anyway. Has anyone told you how much you resemble your father? We were friends as boys, you know. I was about your age when he became one of my Companions.'

I sensed that Merin very much wanted to talk about my father, so for the next few minutes I encouraged him to speak about their time together. As I listened to his words, my magic was slowly delving into the King's thoughts. What I did was strictly against the rules for magicians. Permission was needed before a person's innermost thoughts could be read, but I was not yet an accepted magician, just a person with strong magic and the ability to enter other people's thoughts at will. With the arrogance of youth, I believed the rules did not apply to me, so I continued to examine Merin's thoughts.

At first, I did not understand the emotions at his core. I had not met anyone else who carried this level of anxiety and remorse. Then I understood, it was a heavy layer of guilt for so many things he had done in his life, but most of all for the way he had treated Akkarin at his Judgement. My mother had made sure I understood her feelings about the exile she had shared with Akkarin and who she blamed for it. It was not surprising that I shared that belief, as I had heard the story many times. If the King had believed Akkarin, and trusted him, the Guild would have been saved, Imardin would have been spared the fighting and High Lord Akkarin would be alive in the world.

However, part of me felt sorry for Merin. His ever-present sense of guilt accounted for the strong negative feelings he projected. It hampered his actions as King and as a man because it eroded his sense of well-being. As far as he was concerned, Akkarin was dead, and he could never make up for the way he had been treated. But I hardened my heart. I could not allow myself to deviate from the course I had set myself. I was here because I needed the King's help and if I had to stir up unpleasant feelings and cause him to want to help the daughter of his dead Companion, then that is what I would do.

As we continued our conversation, I sent tiny tendrils of magic into the King, shaping his feelings towards me and encouraging him to listen to me and do what I wanted. I had done something similar many times with mother's servants or even on occasions, Alkaria, when I wanted something, but I had never tried with Sonea as she would have caught me. I knew what I was doing went against all the teaching at the Guild. I also knew that Sonea would strongly disapprove too. Did I feel guilty? Perhaps, a little, but my fear of what Grandfather would arrange for me overrode every other feeling.

I continued to shape Merin's thoughts, putting into his head the idea of taking a personal interest in me and my future. I briefly mentioned Grandfather's talk of marriage, while planting the suggestion that the King himself should decide when and whom I married. By the time our conversation began to draw to a close, Merin was in a much warmer mood and, because I was not completely hard hearted, I used a little more magic to make him feel more at ease with himself and therefore happier.

Now all I had to do was wait for my next visit to see the family to see if my efforts had borne fruit.

Thankfully, everything went as I had planned. One of the first things my grandfather said to me was that he had received a missive from the King, one that he was not happy about at all.

'It seems the King has taken an interest in your future,' he said sourly. 'He wishes to seek a suitable alliance for you."

'He was forever mooning about after Akkarin and it looks as if he wants to do the same with you,' my grandmother muttered, just loud enough for me to hear.

I smiled sweetly at her, 'Perhaps, Grandmother, the King is fascinated with you. I resemble my father, Akkarin resembles you, so may be it is you which holds the King's interest.'

She turned away from me, the expression of distaste on her face clear to read, and I smiled to myself.

Later, as we lined up to walk to the dining room, Alkaria took hold of my arm, holding me back, 'You were not playing a Game with Sonea, were you? You were playing a Game against your own House!'

Alkaria's voice was unusually sharp and as I looked at her, her thoughts were easy to read - hurt and a deep sense of betrayal with underlying anger. All at once, I felt ashamed at the way I had used her, but I really had no other choice. I chose to brazen it out, 'I do not know what you mean, Alkaria. I have no control over what the King chooses to do. Perhaps it was my visit that reminded him of Akkarin and he wanted to do something for the daughter of his old friend.'

Alkaria stared at me, wanting to believe I was telling the truth, but she had been well educated in the ways Games were played so my claims of innocence did not convince her.

'You are not really a child are you?'

She let go my arm and walked away from me, after the rest of her family.