Chapter 48

After Dijana left Taeron, her father soon followed on her heels and escorted her to her room where he left her with strict instructions to stay away from that 'Calabrian brute'. Dijana waited for what seemed like an eternity before she opened her door to return to Taeron, not giving a wit about her father's orders. But he must have anticipated her disobedience because there were two winged warriors standing in the corridor, Guillem and Valter. They were attractive males that usually escorted her mother as her personal guard, and by their excessive flattery, she suspected her father was trying to tempt her away from 'that Calabrian brute.' Dijana wondered if her father had given any thought to how the emperor would feel about them reneging on their agreement, especially after he had sent the lord prince commander of all his warriors to Teralon a second time to quell the rebellion and liberate the queen from imprisonment. He might not be pleased if Lord Prince Taeron returned without his bride.

With a sigh, she closed her door on the flattery of the two winged warriors and waited for Chaela to return. When she did, Dijana did not even get a chance to ask her about Taeron because she was so excited that he had given her his dagger and charged her with protecting Dijana. As Chaela showed her the dagger, Dijana could only think about sitting with Taeron on his bed. She had not needed to take his blood because Chaela had offered her own and Dijana was not too proud to refuse. Seeing Taeron unclothed but for the bandage across his body had brought back many heated memories of Norvana, and when she realized that Chaela had not given him the medicine that cooled his ardor, Dijana decided to take advantage of his need. She had been so angry at her father for his interruption that she had not responded to anything he said as he escorted her to her chamber. With guards outside the door, Dijana felt as much a prisoner now as when Balak ruled.

Finally she decided to speak to her mother. If anyone would understand her desire to be with her own mate, Queen Neria would. So she set off with Chaela in the direction of the chamber that her parents shared, Guillem and Valter trailing behind like puppies. Chaela had rolled her eyes when she saw them before she ignored them as Dijana did.

Turning the corner to enter the corridor where the queen's large private chambers were located, she was taken aback to see her father standing before the closed door, his belongings scattered in the hallway around his feet.

Chaela snickered softly and leaned in to say, "I've seen this before. When my mother is very angry, she throws my father out of their chamber, and he is out for at least a night or two."

Dijana glanced at her. "I am eager to meet the emperor and his wife after all that you have told me." She could not imagine a man as powerful as Emperor Trey reduced to the sorry state that Dijana's father was in as he stared in bewilderment at the closed double doors.

Seeing Dijana, Roehan frowned, but his only words were for Guillem and Valter. "See that my things are taken to the guard barracks." With that, he marched past Dijana and Chaela.

When he had gone, Dijana knocked on the door, and it was opened by a serving woman who seemed relieved to see that it was Dijana. "The queen is in a mood. I leave you to her." The serving woman hurried out past Dijana and Chaela.

Neria was pacing, her wings extended behind her, and when she turned, her face furious and her mouth open to speak, Dijana guessed she had assumed that Roehan had returned because when she saw Dijana she closed her mouth after blowing out her breath in exasperation.

"That man is impossible! I don't know why I put up with him."

"Because you love him?" asked Chaela with a knowing smile. "Or he is a good lover? Or both?"

Neria looked at her. "You are impertinent, princess."

"Well, if he angered you and you didn't love him, I imagine he would be imprisoned or cut to ribbons."

To Dijana's surprise, her mother laughed. "You are right, princess. I don't know why you have come, but you may as well have tea with me. Lady Larya gifted me with a supply of this wondrous herb before I left."

The three women sat around a small table on padded chairs near the window. Dijana was not completely comfortable in her mother's presence, and even though she was her daughter, she was awed by the queen. The Neria that had been driven out by Balak must have been very different from the overbearing woman she had become.

As she prepared the tea, she talked of the enthusiasm in which the Calabrians had returned to the marshlands, and while she commented briefly on the flowers she had instructed them to bring back, she was more interested in their desire for the insects that she hoped would interest the emperor enough to make a trade agreement. If the Calabrians thought of the pests as a delicacy she hoped they could make a favorable deal and Chaela agreed with her that her father would probably be interested in a steady supply. The emperor had hoped to have that kind of relationship with Teralon after her marriage to Avar, but Balak had balked at any agreement with Calabria that would make it more subordinate than it already was.

Following that discussion to which Dijana had little to add, her mother did not give her a chance to ask her to allow her to visit with Taeron because Neria began to speak of candidates for the new council. She did not know any of them, so she just listened to her mother, not really paying attention. The remaining members of the old council had been escorted to their estates although Neria doubted they would remain docile. They had spent many years with power and would not give it up easily.

"My fervent wish is for them to act while Prince Taeron and his band of ruffians are on Teralon. I saw in his eyes how very much he would like to butcher the lot of them," she commented after taking a sip of tea.

Dijana frowned. "Why should he wish to do that? He does not know them as I do." Taeron's defense of her after what she had said about him before the council made her eyes mist. Why did he have to be so considerate? Did he ever do anything selfish?

Her mother must have realized she was overwhelmed because she moved to put her arms around her and Dijana was surprised that she felt grateful for her mother's comfort. "You have found something very wonderful, Dijana. He loves you very much."

After everything that had happened to her, she did not feel worthy of Taeron's love.

A moment passed and then Neria sat back and smoothed out the long skirt of her gown. "You have not asked about your father." Dijana opened her mouth to ask what she really wanted to, not caring why her mother was arguing with her bullheaded sire, but her mother continued. "Because he has proven himself unrelenting in demanding that Prince Taeron court you despite your feelings for each other, I reminded him that he did not court me. So, while your mate is making a fool of himself to claim you, I shall enjoy watching Roehan do the same for me."

Her mother paused and Dijana spoke quickly before she could continue. "Mother, I should like to spend time with my mate."

A knowing smile curved her lovely lips and Dijana caught Chaela trying to hide her own smile. Had she sounded desperate? "My dear, I am delighted that he pleases you, albeit somewhat surprised, but if I give in to you, I shall have to forgive Roehan as well and I am not willing to do it."

Dijana was surprised that she was able to reign in her anger although Chaela's hand on her arm must receive more credit than her own self-control. "I must sound very selfish," she said instead of what she really wanted to say, that she did not give a god's damn about her parents' courtship woes.

"Dijana, after everything that has happened to you, you have a right to be selfish. However, I have given Roehan's demands some thought and I must agree with him on one point. The hero of Varoonya lied to you and he has not been held accountable."

"I am sure that he suffered greatly in his dishonor," pointed out Chaela. "Taeron worked so very hard to overcome the circumstances of his birth, and after what happened with my brother, then his lapse in judgment concerning Dijana, the shame he felt must have been unbearable."

"Indeed," remarked Dijana's mother after taking a sip of tea. "I recall now how he groveled at the emperor's feet, tears streaming from his eyes as he told the emperor how much he loved you, Dijana, despite the anger of the emperor. At the time I was furious to see how Sharisse had destroyed such an honorable man, but now," she paused to wipe a tear from the tip of her dark lashes, "now I am moved by the depth of his love. He defied his emperor and his own honor for you."

Dijana opened her mouth to ask her mother again to allow her to be with him, but Neria sighed and said, "He will have the same opportunity to prove his worthiness along with the rest of the winged warriors."

"Mother! You cannot expect the lord prince of Calabria to sing a ballad to me!" Now Dijana was furious. "You will humiliate him with this ridiculous demand! And I think that my father has invited others to vie for my attention."

"I am sure that he has!" Neria laughed in the face of Dijana's anger. "I saw him speaking earlier with Guillem and Valter, two wonderful males, and I imagine he is inviting others to contest the Calabrian's right to you."

"Mother, Teralon has an agreement with Calabria! How will the emperor feel if we break it?"

"You did not seem overly concerned about that when you were accusing the lord prince of being less than capable as a male," Neria reminded her tartly. She raised a brow. "Did you find evidence to the contrary this morning?"

Her face grew hot and she shot Chaela a glare, but her friend was smiling into her tea.

"Your arguments are moot, Dijana, when we know you will choose Lord Prince Taeron despite anything your father says or does." She smiled and added, "Or should I say because of everything your father says or does."

"The latter is probably true," remarked Chaela with a humored glance at Dijana.

"Let us have an end to this discussion. Tonight the courtship will begin and I have not heard Lord Prince Taeron refuse to participate. You should return to your room to rest, but I wish to have a few private words with Princess Chaela. I have been dreadfully remiss in not expressing my sorrow at her loss. I did not know Kaerwen, and I would like to know something of the grandchild I was never able to hold in my arms."

Dijana glanced at Chaela first to see if she wanted her to stay, and when Chaela shook her head, Dijana stepped out of the room. In the corridor she found that Guillem and Valter had returned after doing their errand for her father. The former was golden-haired with brilliant blue eyes and a dazzling friendly smile, the latter had dark brown hair and dark eyes that viewed her with open interest in her body. She mused that less than a year ago men like them would not have given her a second look, and after Kai had finished with her, every male had turned his head away from her when she passed. Now their looks made her feel like ripe fruit that they wanted to sink their teeth into and she did not like it.

When Chaela finally came to Dijana's room after nearly an hour, her eyes were watery, but she smiled at Dijana when she took her hand. "Your mother was very kind," she told Dijana as they sat near the window in her chamber. "She wanted to know everything about Kaerwen, and I had not realized how much I wanted to talk about him until she asked me." Chaela wiped away tears that spilled onto her cheeks and Dijana moved to hold her in her arms. "I loved him, Dijana! He was the only thing that made living here bearable. When Avar turned away from me, I told him I would return to Calabria, but he warned me that he would not allow me to take Kaerwen. In the end, he took Kaerwen anyway."

Dijana considered consoling her by telling her that Kaerwen had gone to the gods, but that would not console her if he had been her child. She did not know how Chaela could bear his loss.

Chaela squeezed her hands. "I will always feel his presence with the ancestors," she told Dijana. Although Chaela had tried to explain the communion of the ancestors, Dijana did not understand it, but if Chaela was able to feel peace with her beliefs, then she was happy for her.

Wanting to check on Taeron, Chaela suggested that Dijana rest for the evening's festivities. Although his wound was greatly improved with aid from Amyr and Chaela's combined healing powers, one of the courtship tasks was to prove worthiness in combat, so she wanted to use her powers on him again. Having no recourse, especially with Guillem and Valter lurking outside her room to limit her movements, she had no choice but to remain when she wanted to accompany Chaela. But she did not rest. She paced until Chaela returned and assured her that Taeron would be fit to fight in three days. That he should have to prove himself a worthy warrior after all he had done on Teralon was not only laughable, but an insult to both Taeron and Calabria.

The evening meal could not come soon enough. Dijana was eager to see Taeron and hoped she would have an opportunity to tell him what she thought of this courtship ritual. When she was young and watched other women being courted, she had daydreamed of a handsome warrior that would honor her with his attention even though she knew the council would choose her mate. Tonight the females took the meal segregated from the males and Queen Neria sat with Chaela and Dijana as well as several other young females who chattered excitedly about what would happen that night. During the day, an anonymous message had been sent informing the female that a male wished to be considered as her mate. There was no mystery about who the male was although the women giggled and pretended to speculate who would approach, dressed in finery, to give his name, his antecedents and an accounting of his ability to provide for her future.

The finely dressed males were on their best behavior and Dijana had noticed a marked change in how they behaved when her mother presided over a meal as opposed to Balak. Now the female serving women did not have to worry about them groping them or dragging them on their laps. More than once Balak had laughed when a male had thrown a woman over his shoulder and hauled her out of the dining hall. When Dijana had asked him to help the female, he had laughed and told her that the female had wanted it. She had been a small child when she had innocently asked, and she had accepted his words as truth. No wonder Chaela had refused to dine in the hall after arriving on Teralon. Dijana had always believed it was due to her snobbery, that as the daughter of the emperor she was too good to dine with her husband's people. Dijana knew better now, and as she watched Chaela speak with Neria, their heads bent together, conspiratorial smiles on their lips, she thanked the gods for giving her such a wonderful friend. Chaela had called her 'sister of her heart' and Dijana had come to realize how important such a distinction was to a Calabrian. She felt the same for Chaela.

When the meal finally came to an end, the servants cleared the tables away from in front of the females who standing in lines on either side of their seated queen. The males would approach their chosen females to announce their intention, having already asked their parents for permission. Dijana had not seen the Calabrians enter and she feared that Taeron was insulted and would not attend the opening of the ritual, but a commotion at the doors drew everyone's attention and the Calabrian entourage entered. Stryfe and Darlac led the group, both arrayed in fine tunics, the latter wearing his customary black, and when they approached the dias where the females who had been summoned waited, they parted to reveal Amyr and Jeshed, also finely arrayed. They bowed to Queen Neria who was delighted by the glamorous display, then stepped aside to reveal their prince.

Wearing a deep purple blue tunic trimmed with gold that shimmered when he moved, his long hair held back from his face with a golden clasp adorned with a sparkling gem that matched the color of his eyes, the lord prince of Calabria was so dazzling that nobody could speak, least of all Dijana.

She gasped in surprise when he stepped forward and dropped to one knee before her mother. "Gracious Queen Neria of Teralon, I humbly beg your permission to seek your beautiful daughter's favor."

The females in the room, Dijana included, seemed to heave a collective dreamy sigh. As she waited for her mother's response, Dijana could not even breathe and she started to feel dizzy, but Chaela tugged on her hand and she gulped in a breath. She was being silly! Taeron was her mate! Her mother was not going to refuse to give him permission!

But Neria sat silently on her grand, padded chair, smiling with pleasure as she looked upon the lord prince. Could anyone blame her? He put every male in the room to shame with his beauty, the aura of strength locked in his finely formed body and with the flattery that spilled from his lips. Dijana guessed that the scribe had something to do with his choice of words, but she was not going to take her eyes from Taeron to see his brother preening.

After an embarrasing amount of time, Queen Neria nodded her ascent and Taeron rose to approach Dijana. The sultry look in his eyes when they met hers made her catch her breath and Chaela grasped her elbow to keep her upright as he stood before her. Had he always been that tall? She had to raise her chin to look up at him.

"Beautiful mate," he began and continued, ignoring the gasps of outrage from a small group of males nearby, among which notably stood Guillem and Valter, "I humbly come before you to ask your permission to prove my worth to you." As he listed his achievements, Dijana drank in the sight of him, wondering how she could find a way to be with him. She wanted to peel off his finery, to loosen his hair and run her fingers through it, to run her hands over his rigid muscles and press her lips to those perfectly formed lips that were suddenly no longer moving.

With a start, she realized he had finished and everyone was waiting for her answer. What should she say? "You may," she finally managed to say softly.

He smiled at her and when their eyes met, she felt her heart beat faster, as if he had taken her permission to mean something far different. When he stepped back, Dijana sighed in disappointment and she heard Chaela laughing softly.

Unfortunately, Dijana had to give the same permission to several other males who also received her mother's permission to present themselves. She could not be churlish to the men although they could surely guess where her favor would rest. Guillem and Valter also stepped forward one at a time, but she could barely pay any attention to what they said to her because her eyes kept searching for Taeron who had stepped away with his men. She wondered what he was thinking about the other males that would court her, but he did not seem to be angry. Why should he? She was his mate in all ways, but especially in her heart.

At least a dozen women were being courted, but only Dijana had several suitors. The last female had given her male permission, and yet Roehan had not made an appearance. There was a long stretch of silence during which Queen Neria drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair, her face impassive as she waited, and after a few moments, Dijana sensed that her mother was anxious when her mate did not step forward because she turned her head to look in all directions for him. Dijana had not even seen him during the meal, and now she worried that her mother had driven Roehan away.

With a pained frown furrowing her brows, she was about to speak when another man stepped forward. Jeshed came to bow before Dijana's mother who looked at him with surprise. "Gracious queen, I humbly beg for the honor to present myself to you."

She stared wide-eyed at that handsome young man, her mouth half-open in surprise, but when it appeared she might grant him permission to court her, a commotion to the back of the males forestalled whatever she planned to say.

A pair of golden-tipped wings spread out and the crowd parted to allow Roehan to step forward. "Don't be ridiculous, Neria! You will not accept his offer. You are old enough to be his mother!"

Neria gasped in outrage and her hands gripped the arms of the chair. "How dare you!"

"I dare because I am your mate!"

"You have not asked permission!"

"You gave your permission twenty years ago in a dark, dirty corner of the palace and I have been at your side since then, my queen, my lover, my life." He grasped a handful of Jeshed's pale hair, and he yanked him away, tossing him back towards the Calabrians who had not made any move to retaliate for his primitive behavior. "Recognize me as your consort here and now or I will return to the northern palace without you."

"Who is acting like an uncivilized brute now?" demanded Neria although Dijana sensed she was enjoying herself.

"Neria?" he growled in warning.

"But the Calabrians brought so many beautiful flowers from the marshlands..." she said, her voice suspiciously sounding like a whine. Queen Neria did not whine, did she?

Dijana noticed Taeron signal to Amyr who had raised his hand to wave to someone at the back doors to the hall. She wondered what they were up to when the dark clad warriors from the second moon filed in along with scores of Calabrian imperial warriors carrying large bouquets of beautiful, colorful flowers that filled the air with exotic fragrance. Dijana had never seen such a beautiful display.

"Oh!" cried Neria, tears in her eyes as they arranged the exotic blooms. "You are a hateful man, Roehan!"

Chaela leaned closer to Dijana. "Stryfe is going to be spending days and days telling my father about his stay on Teralon. Can you imagine Taeron planning this?"

Taeron's face did not betray his thoughts as he watched her parents with his arms folded over his chest. Jeshed was rubbing his head where his hair had been pulled and the scribe was whispering to Prince Amyr while the dark warrior stood watching with a smile.

"And you have been an annoying, overbearing female since the first moment you walked past me and reprimanded me for ogling you. For the record, Neria, I was ogling your serving woman, not you."

Her mother gasped in outrage.

He dropped to his knee before her and held out his hand to her. "I would never have dared to look at my queen in such a way until you drew attention to yourself. You and I have gone to the netherworld and back, Neria. I would gladly do it again to be at your side. I love you, my queen."

"Even when I am annoying and overbearing?" she queried softly as she reached out to take his hand to bring to her heart.

"By the gods, Neria, when are you not?"

She cupped his face in the palm of her other hand."Then I acknowledge you as my consort and my mate." Then her brows drew together. "Be warned, Roehan, that if you try to be more than my consort, I will not hesitate to cut off your wings and leave you to bleed to death in the marshlands."

While Dijana gasped in shock at her mother's ruthlessness, her father chuckled. "Neria, I would expect no less."

The celebration lasted far into the evening and when it was finally over and the guests had left the impromptu wedding, Dijana was glad to return to her room with Chaela. She had been disappointed that Taeron had left early with his brothers, but Chaela reminded her that he was still not recovered from his injuries. He would need all his strength to prove his worthiness in protecting her. Taeron would not wish to falter in her eyes.

While Dijana removed her clothing and readied for bed, Chaela stood at the window that she had thrown open wide to let in the light from the moon. Dijana slipped into her bed and waited for Chaela to come to her, to offer her wrist as she did every night.

Chaela looked a the moon for a moment longer and then she went to the bed. "Forgive me, Dijana, but I wish to sleep in my own bed tonight. You do not need to feed, do you?"

Dijana tried not to feel hurt as she shook her head. She had gotten used to Chaela's company, and she wanted to talk to her about Taeron, but her friend probably wanted time alone to think about Kaerwen after the conversation she had with Dijana's mother that afternoon.

"I don't think Kai will come to your dreams," Chaela told her. "He has not tried since his fight with Taeron. He may be too far away to control you or he is afraid of Taeron."

"If it were not for me, Taeron would have killed him," Dijana admitted sadly.

Chaela kissed her cheeks. "I will see you in the morning." Before leaving, she blew out the candles and left her alone with only the light of the moon.

Although she was tired and the first sun would soon appear over the horizon, Dijana had a hard time sleeping. Thoughts of Taeron and how handsome he had been kept her awake. Where Dijana had been reviled after Kai left, she was now the envy of all the women at her mother's court. She truly did not deserve him after everything she had done, after everything that had happened to her. Dijana would do whatever she could to make him happy. She did not have to hear him tell her in poetry or song that he would do the same for her.

As if her thoughts could conjure his voice, she heard him from far off just as she was finally drifting to sleep.

"Can you not climb any faster?"

"You should have gone first!" Was that Amyr's voice? Why was that bastard in her dreams?

"You are my guard. You are to precede me to make sure there is no danger." Taeron was scolding Amyr. What kind of dream was this? Dijana smiled with her eyes closed. Taeron needed to scold Amyr more often. A beating would be nice. Could she make the Taeron of her dreams beat Amyr until he begged for mercy?

"This is ridiculous! Whose idea was this?" Amyr sounded very annoyed.

"Shamara's."

"Shamara? She is not even here!"

Shamara? The first princess? Dijana opened her eyes. This was not a dream, and now she realized that the voices were coming from outside her window.

"She made me climb down with her from her chamber at the imperial palace to meet Prince Dagan during the night."

"My sister did that?" Amyr whistled. "She was a naughty girl!"

"Your father caught her and I thought he would strip me of my duty."

Dijana threw back her blanket and crept to her window. She noticed that there was a rope attached securely and hanging out, and she realized Chaela must have done it when Dijana was readying herself for bed. Depending on the outcome, she would either scold or thank her in the morning.

She peeked out to see that the two men she had heard talking were climbing up the rope. They were dangling so far above the ground that she was horrified until she saw the shape of the dragon cross the moon, and she put her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing with delight as she stumbled from the window and hurried back to her bed. Now her heart raced with anticipation for them to reach her room.

"You realize it is far easier to shimmy down a rope than to climb up. And none of the towers at my father's palace are this high. Damn birds!"

"Shut up and keep going or I am going to climb over you."

There was no more talking but Dijana could hear Prince Amyr's grunting with the effort to climb and she was startled when he slapped his hand on the window sill and hauled himself over.

"Quiet! You will wake her," warned Taeron.

Amyr stood at her window for a moment, his head turned toward the bed where she was pretending to sleep, nearly hiding her head beneath the blanket. He grunted and reached out to jerk Taeron through the window. "She is already awake and planning how best to handle your sword."

Dijana gasped angrily, and sitting up, she launched a pillow at Amyr's head, but he ducked and she watched with annoyance as it sailed out the window.

"I have plenty of practice, princess, and besides, I am an imperial warrior."

The second pillow hit the side of his head as he was bragging and he toppled out the window with it.

Crying out in horror, she leaped from the bed to dash to the window, but Taeron caught her around the waist and brought her against his body. "Forget about him," he murmured, his lips against her neck. "The medicine is wearing off and I don't want to waste a moment on that fool."

"But I have killed Prince Amyr!"

She heard a snort of laughter and she bent away from Taeron to look out the window to see the emperor's son holding the rope with one hand and swinging as if he were a child under a tree and not dangling so high above the ground that his body would be broken to bits if he fell. "Do you want me to get your pillows, princess?"

"Has he been drinking wine?" she asked with a frown. Many men and women had been drinking excessively to celebrate and would suffer very nasty consequences in the morning.

Taeron lifted her in his arms. "No, he is just a fool. If he falls, it will be his own fault."

With the dragon nearby, she doubted he would fall to his death, so she curled her arms around Taeron's neck. "Did you have something in mind, my lord prince?"

"We don't have time for everything in my mind, but I warn you to be prepared after this courtship foolishness is done. From sunup to sundown and the hours in between for several days won't even be enough time."

Dijana laughed when he tossed her on the bed and covered her body with his. "Then you had best get started, my lord, for the first sun will soon rise."

He lightly kissed her lips. "Don't worry about your father. Your mother promised to keep him busy until well after the second sunrise."

"Are you and my mother allies now?" she teased.

"She is indebted to me," he told her as he busied himself with finding the fastenings of her night shirt. "I gave her a beautiful wedding."

"Will you give me a beautiful wedding?" she asked as she ran her hands through his hair.

"On Calabria," he told her. He had given up with the fastenings, but he did find his way beneath the shirt and she gasped when he stroked his hands along her flesh. "My mother would never forgive me if she could not preside over my nuptials."

"I imagine it will be grand," she murmured as she nuzzled his neck.

"I did not come here to make wedding plans that my mother has probably made already." The garment she wore to bed ripped in his hands.

"My lord! You are a Calabrian brute!" But Dijana did not mind at all. Not one bit.