Chapter 62
"If you like the stones, my lord prince, I can send them to the jeweler to have them set in a necklace or bracelet for your beloved."
Taeron was moving his hand so that the brilliant green stones caught the sunlight. If Amyr were at his side, he would probably tease him and Taeron caught himself smiling at how he had managed to dodge his imperial guard in the hall so that he could have time to himself. For once the press of nobility had worked to his advantage and he had managed to put the males of house Caron between him and Amyr. Since learning of the role that house Caron played in his questionable birth, Amyr could not speak civilly to them and this morning was no exception. Taeron had heard him arguing with Aevan over some petty transgression, an argument in which Caerl had joined.
After leaving Amyr in a verbal battle with the house Caron males which would ultimately lead to him standing before his father yet again to listen to him urge him to control his temper, Taeron had gone to the marketplace. The activity, the sights, sounds and smells helped to distract him from the memories that plagued him since that day a week ago when Arora had painstakingly opened the doors of his memory that Staefyn had locked away.
Taeron hadn't thought it possible to hurt more after Dijana's rejection, but he had been wrong. He was able to maintain a cool facade, but the Guerani knew how he felt, and they felt responsible for his pain when one of their own had caused it. Amyr had been particulary solicitous, probably because he had been forced to witness his own behavior as a child through the eyes of another. He also had difficulty accepting that there was a strong bond between Taeron and Staefyn, one that could not so easily be broken. He might have matured in many ways, but Amyr could still be very selfish. Fortunately, he had his adoring son to distract him, and Yori knew exactly how to ease his father's anxiety from the pain Taeron felt. Yori reminded Taeron of Staefyn when he was that age and he knew that Yori would one day be as strong as his father's brother.
As an imperial guard Amyr's diligence was lacking since he had allowed Taeron to escape without his protection today, but then Trey had admitted that Apolo's worth was not in protecting him, especially not after Duo had taken that role and Arora was at his side. Apolo was his dear friend and brother. Taeron could take care of himself so he did not need Amyr lagging behind him.
Since his triumphant return from Teralon, the nobles had made no further attempts on his life, but that did not mean they were not planning a full assault. There were many that viewed Taeron with open jealousy because he commanded the emperor's warriors, and during the week that Trey did not leave his chambers so that he could be with his mate, Taeron held imperial court in his absence and made decisions in the name of the emperor. He would have to be deaf not to hear how offended the nobility were to have to abide by the decisions of Larya's bastard, and each time he was hurt and angered more, but acting upon his feelings would only prove them right in reviling him.
Now Taeron asked the gem merchant the price of the green stones and he was about to buy them outright, but a voice from over his shoulder made him turn in surprise.
"You should barter at least a little, son." Lord Duo stood behind him and Taeron noted that many people stopped their activity in the imperial marketplace at the foot of the palace steps. They were probably wondering if the emperor's disgraced imperial guard was going to lead an assault on the palace.
"My lord! What are you doing here? When did you arrive?" He grasped his father's forearm as his father did his before pulling him into an embrace.
"Trey did not tell you?" Lord Duo seemed surprised, and then he laughed. "I suppose I ruined his surprise. I had not thought to see you in the marketplace buying baubles for your females."
Taeron frowned at him. "I am not buying baubles for my females." Just one female and he did not plan for them to be baubles. He turned back to the gem merchant. "Send them to the weaponsmith. I shall have them set in a dagger."
As the merchant stood counting the credits Taeron had placed in his hand, Taeron looked at his father. "Have you come alone?"
Lord Duo had opened his mouth to speak and then Taeron heard his mother's beloved voice some distance away. "Take my purchases to the palace, and be quick about it!" She must have seen him even though he barely got a glimpse of her colorless hair that stood in contrast to the dark heads in the marketplace. She was headed in his direction and several steps back he saw Jeshed at a spice booth sampling something that made his eyes close in rapture. He was dressed finely in an embellished white tunic that only Lady Larya could have created. A handful of females stood nearby watching him with awe while Jeshed was completely oblivious to the stir he created.
"My lord prince!" Larya's escort did not need to clear a path for the beautiful governor of the first moon as she came to him because her presence made people fall away. Taeron drew her into an embrace and rested his cheek against the top of her head for a moment, the ache in his heart easing with holding her in his arms.
She seemed to sense his need because she held him tightly and Taeron guessed that Arora had contacted Apolo to tell him what Staefyn had done and that they had learned when Xuxa had bonded Staefyn to her. His heart ached to imagine how she felt to discover that the woman that had so mistreated her was yet alive.
Now he released her and she reached up to tuck back the strands of pale hair that had escaped bejeweled brooches that swept up the wavy white mass. There was no woman more beautiful, more elegant than Larya.
"You are here too?" he asked as he looked between his parents with a raised brow. "You are together and no one is bleeding."
"Only because of my incredible patience." She glanced up at Lord Duo. "He does travel at the pace of a sand slug."
"We could have moved faster if not for your baggage wain. I would have been here hours ago if you had not insisted on bringing every article of clothing you own with you."
Taeron could not help smiling to see them arguing. They filled him with hope and joy after so many days of despair. "Are you going to tell me why you are here?"
"The communications have been repaired and Trey sent the message several days ago that I should be here today and he asked that I bring Larya. I did not ask him what he has up his sleeve."
"He has his arm up his sleeve," said Larya with annoyance, and when she turned to look at the gems, Taeron exchanged a smile with his father over her head. "Such lovely gemstones!"
"They are from the Guerani hills," boasted the shopkeeper. "The lord prince has just purchased several."
She picked up a pale blue gem that reminded Taeron of Lady Keilana's eyes and she held it to the light. "Lovely, but flawed. Let me see the stones my son has purchased."
Taeron looked at his father as she picked over the gems and he caught him looking at him with the compassionate gaze that he had grown used to since his memories had been returned to him. Gods, he wanted to beat Staefyn senseless just for subjecting him to the pity of those he loved. "Apolo must have told you that we have been in sporadic contact with Quynn. Amyr spent several moments in a trance with her."
Lord Duo put his hand on his shoulder. "I know everything, son. I don't know how to feel about it, any of it. I don't want to be sympathetic to Staefyn, but after seeing the physical pain and the emotional anguish you went through in your separation from Princess Dijana, I can certainly understand how easy it is for her to manipulate him."
"Where is Jeshed?" asked Larya suddenly. She frowned when she spied him several paces away and that two females had taken either of his arms and were stretching up to say things to him that made his eyes wide. "Duo, for the love of the gods, rescue him from those whores or he will not come up for air until well after second sunrise on the morrow."
With a grunt, Duo headed in the direction that the females were leading Jeshed. Larya curled her arm around Taeron's. "Will you escort me to the emperor? And where is your imperial guard?" She turned her head in both directions to look for Amyr.
She did not find the explanation of what he had done to get some privacy nearly as clever as Taeron had thought it.
"You should not be so lax in your protection," she scolded him. As she spoke, Taeron noted several men wearing cloaks moving in the periphery, not stopping at any of the stalls set up in the plaza, so he knew they had not come to make purchases. "He may be a buffoon with a sword in his hand," she continued oblivious to any danger, "but like my beloved Apolo, he can sense danger."
As could Taeron, and now he jerked his arm from his mother's grasp and had his swords drawn before the men rushed towards him with blood-curdling shouts. He was concerned for his mother's safety, especially when two of them raced past him towards her, but his mother stood her ground although she had absolutely no training with a weapon. Blood sprayed across her before Taeron could react and seeing that his father had arrived in time to save her and that Jeshed whisked her toward the steps to the palace by scooping her up with an arm around her waist, Taeron concentrated on the attackers. He would not usually have difficulty dispatching the men, but he was concerned about the innocent bystanders in the marketplace, many of whom did not flee far enough away because they wanted to watch the emperor's imperial guard and the lord prince wield their deadly swords.
The numbers of men attacking grew, so Taeron knew one of the nobles was making his move on the emperor beginning with his imperial guard and lord commander. Taeron did not like fighting Calabrians that were not enthralled, but he had little choice. By the time warriors poured out of the palace to assist, he and his father had killed a dozen men and one remained that the imperial warriors had kept from escaping and dragged him up the steps where Taeron was not surprised to see that Trey had stepped out to watch the carnage in his marketplace. He frowned down at the man the warriors had dragged to kneel before him as Duo joined him.
Taeron went to his mother who stood a step behind the emperor. "You are not harmed?"
Her arched brow shot up in surprise. "You would not allow that, my son." She smoothed her hands on her elegant tunic and he winced at the splattering of blood. "Perhaps I shall start a new trend at court." One side of her hair was also crimson, but Jeshed must have wiped her face because his own tunic was also ruined.
"Who is your master?" Trey asked the man at his feet.
The man raised his face and Taeron saw the fanatical gleam in his eyes. "A man more capable of ruling Calabria than you!"
"That narrows down the possibilities," remarked Duo gruffly. "I cannot even think of one."
Trey glanced at him briefly then turned back to the man. "House Caron?" he guessed. That house had the resources to challenge Trey but had seemed content to remain in the south. Until recently, the lord's sons had not even returned to the imperial court after their obligatory term of training had ended.
The man spat at the emperor's feet. "They are not fit to rule a canyon beast's lair."
Taeron caught himself hoping that this insurrection was not directed by Staefyn, but the men that had come to kill him had no imperial training, and no imperial warrior would break his oath to the emperor.
The emperor named a few more houses. House Garlen, house Vaan, house Chasek, all houses who provided the emperor with many imperial warriors and who ruled large territories. Trey was avoiding the name they all suspected, but Taeron's father finally huffed in exasperation.
"Were you sent by Crown Prince Staefyn?" he demanded, seizing a handful of his hair and yanking his head back to force him to meet his gaze.
There was terror in his eyes as he looked up at the cold dark gaze of the imperial guard of the emperor, his bravado now gone. He seemed to realize that he was going to die very soon, and for a moment he remained silent as his lips moved to make peace with the gods before he finally said, "Warlord Kai."
The rebel's head bounced down the steps and reached the bottom before Duo put his foot on the body to shove it after wiping the blade of his sword on it. Taeron heard the emperor sigh with relief and he felt the same, fearing that Staefyn had sent men who might harm innocent men, women and children in the marketplace. He wasn't surprised that Kai would do such a thing, but he was troubled that the Varoonyan had not enthralled the bandits, that they had fought of their own free will. Taeron wondered if these rebels were more dangerous than thralls and just how many men living in the Guerani hills still refused to honor Trey as their emperor.
His father seemed to be thinking the same thing. "We should have done a better job of cleaning out the hills."
Trey did not respond as he watched the activity in the marketplace for a moment. He might be remembering how Apolo and Arora had begged him for leniency, that the deaths of so many in the sacred hills tormented the ancestors. The emperor was probably regretting giving in to them.
The guards that had come to aid Taeron and his father were dragging away the bodies, but the people were watching their ruler, waiting for him to speak, and Taeron wondered why he lingered on the landing above the plaza.
Finally, Trey turned to Duo, and Taeron was shocked to see him fall to one knee, lower his head and raise his hands to him.
"I beg your forgiveness, Lord Duo, for taking away the trust I had in you when you had done nothing to deserve it." He had said it loud enough for those people watching in the marketplace to hear.
"I would like to kick your ass," Taeron heard his father mutter. He leaned close to him. "You are not done begging for forgiveness."
Trey glanced up at him briefly and then blew out his breath and lowered his head again. "I beg your forgiveness for accusing your mate of doing harm to my people after all the good she has done for Calabria."
"That is a start," remarked Larya tartly. "You should beg your people's forgiveness for being a fool where Prince Staefyn is concerned."
"Larya," growled Trey who had not raised his head. He would not until Duo forgave him. "Stay out of this."
She looked as if she wanted to say more but she wisely pursed her lips together for which Taeron was glad.
Duo reached out to take the hands of his old friend. "You are forgiven, my lord," he said solemnly and the people in the marketplace who witnessed the event cheered loudly as the emperor embraced his imperial guard. But Taeron heard his father murmur to Trey, "By the gods, if you ever do that to me again, I will kick your ass and after that, I will leave Calabria for good."
Trey held him tighter in his embrace. "I could never replace you, old friend."
They separated and Trey turned to look at Taeron. "Perhaps instead of inciting Amyr to near violence with house Caron, you should have taken him to the market with you. Then again, because the guards were breaking up their argument in the hall, they were that much closer to the door to offer aid."
"Where is Amyr now?" asked Taeron, now feeling guilty for manipulating him as he had.
"Appeasing house Caron with insincere apologies." Trey frowned silently at Taeron for several moments and then he said, "Do you know why Amyr has taken such an intense dislike of house Caron?"
Taeron did not look at his father because he knew that Trey would suspect they were keeping a secret, a secret Arora did not want Trey to discover. After the failure of their alliance with Meridon which ended with Meridon's banishment to the moon, the remaining male of house Caron, Renaeld, had quickly pledged his oath to Trey and hurried back to his lands where he had remained. Because they were the most powerful house on Calabria behind the emperor and his governors, Trey had little choice but to accept his oath then and the presence of his wastrel sons at his court now.
Larya saved him from giving an answer that would just lead to more questions. "My lord, can this discussion not wait? My son is drenched in the blood of your enemies as am I." She put her hand on Taeron's arm and he was grateful for the reprieve.
As he walked away with her he heard Trey ask Taeron's father if he knew the reason and Lord Duo suggested that one of the males may have insulted Amyr or his mate. That excuse seemed to mollify Trey although in truth, Amyr was avoided at court because it was widely known that he had come into his Guerani powers and they feared him. And no one would dare to insult Prince Amyr's mate when she was the daughter of Lord Duo. A slur to Amyr would be a slur on the two most powerful houses of Calabria. While his father's answer momentarily satisfied Trey, the emperor would realize that it had been no answer at all if he gave it any further thought.
When they entered the hall, the elegantly dressed nobles shrank back from them, viewing their blood-splattered clothing with disgust. Larya walked between Taeron and Jeshed who towered over her like giants. She did not bother to hide her proud, arrogant smile, nor did she look away from the males that viewed her with hostility. Taeron heard the whispers, tried to ignore them as he did his whole life, but they seemed to be louder today as they called her a whore and him a bastard. His mother's grip on his arm tightened and she gave him a warning look to make him realize that he was gripping the hilt of his imperial sword. Even Jeshed turned to look at him over her head and he could see that his brother was concerned.
They had almost left the receiving hall to head for the private apartments when Taeron heard a man mutter, "She may be the emperor's plaything and his imperial guard's whore, but she'll always be Xuxa's strumpet slave, regardless of anything her imperial bastard does."
Righteous indignation poured through Taeron, racing through his veins like liquid heat and he shook off his mother's tightened grasp to find the male who had spoken, shoving men and women aside who shouted in outrage or cried out in shock and fear. When he found the portly scion of house Chasek sneering with unrepentant haughtiness, Taeron pulled his dagger and he would have cut off his head had Jeshed not leapt upon him, knocking him off balance so that they both tumbled to the floor. There were shouts for the guards as Taeron tried to shove Jeshed off him, but suddenly Amyr was there as well, and the two of them managed to subdue him.
Wyrad of house Chasek had tried to escape, but the guards seized him and dragged him back to where Amyr and Jeshed had Taeron pinned to the floor. Larya stood nearby, her lips pursed in disapproval as she looked at Taeron, but he felt less ashamed for his loss of control than he did for not gutting the hog now squealing about the rough treatment at the hands of the guards.
"My lord prince?" inquired one of the guards, looking at Taeron. "What do you want us to do with him?"
They had not asked why he had attacked him and those that knew the reason looked disconcerted as they should when the palace guard did not question the motives of the lord prince. At that moment Taeron had the power of life and death over the man that had grossly insulted his mother.
Before he could decide either way, the emperor's voice diffused the situation entirely. "Wyrad, is your mouth proving you to be an ass yet again?"
Wyrad bowed deeply to the emperor, his eyes warily on his imperial guard standing behind him, his brows raised, his clothing stained with blood. The man's throat worked as he swallowed nervously and he licked his thin lips. "My lord, I may have said a few words that the lord prince took offense to."
"Such as?" inquired Trey as he folded his arms over his chest.
The color drained from the cheeks of the stout noble. Trey looked at Taeron who did not speak and finally to Larya. "Might you have overheard what Lord Chasek's son said?"
"I do not listen to the grunting of wasteland swine," she said. She did not lie, but she did not answer the emperor who frowned at her.
"I do."
As Stryfe moved forward through the nobles, they parted with the same haste and fear in their eyes had an imperial guard walked among them holding a bloodied sword ready to swing. Jeshed and Amyr helped Taeron to his feet, both still holding his arms tightly, the latter whispering a warning to let the emperor handle the offensive man as Stryfe came to the end of the cleared path to them.
The smile Trey gave the scribe seemed to make a cold wind blow through the reception hall. "I can always count on you for the details, can I not?"
"You … you would listen to him?" snorted Wyrad of house Chalek derisively. "I did not see him in the hall!"
"Otherwise your mouth might not have betrayed you?" inquired Trey with a glance at the sweaty red face of the nobleman. He stared at him for a moment and did not look away until Wyrad blinked at the sweat stinging his eyes. He turned his attention back to his scribe. "Were you in the hall to witness the events?"
Stryfe bowed to him. "I was standing behind that pillar," he indicated with his thumb over his shoulder.
"Hiding in shadows and spying on people! That is all you do!" Wyrad wiped the spittle from his lips with the back of his hand.
The scribe shrugged. "I was not spying on anyone. I was enjoying the company of … well, I will not divulge the name of the female for public consumption being that it has no bearing on what I observed."
Taeron noticed that the emperor was trying not to smile. He was angry that they chose to humiliate Wyrad when his method would have been more direct and satisfying. If Amyr and Jeshed were not holding him, he would have his dagger in his hand again for the way the loathsome beast licked his lips as he looked at Larya.
"Do go on," prompted Trey. His gaze briefly flitted to Taeron who read the warning not to interfere.
Before Stryfe could speak, Wyrad blurted, "I humbly ask the apology of the lord prince!" He fell to his knees before Taeron and lowering his head, he held out his hands.
Even without Trey's almost imperceptible shake of his head, Taeron would not forgive the man. He did not speak as he glared down at him. Nor did Amyr and Jeshed release him.
"Scribe?" prompted Trey.
"To begin I must congratulate Wyrad of house Chasek for his ability to insult so many people in so few words." He gave the groveling man a half smile which he did not see because he did not dare look up. "Where do I begin? Well, he intended to gravely insult Lady Larya, so he began by impugning the honor of the emperor by referring to her as his plaything."
Trey raised his brows and looked at Larya. "You, my plaything? I cannot imagine such a situation."
"Nor can I," remarked Duo under his breath.
"As I suspected, you both have little imagination," remarked Larya tartly.
Smiling, Trey turned his attention back to Stryfe. "Do continue."
"He then referred to her as the whore of the emperor's imperial guard, but he failed to identify which imperial guard, but I shall assume that he meant my own lord father being that she is the mate of your other imperial guard and cannot be considered his whore unless all mates shall then be considered the whores of their bonded mates."
Trey stroked his chin thoughtfully before looking at Duo. "Is this an offense to your honor, my lord?"
"Worse things have been said about me," he responded. Taeron was not surprised that his father would not defend Larya and his own anger was deflated by the amused look on his mother's face.
Trey turned back to Stryfe, ignoring the whimpering of the man who seemed to be trying to burrow into the floor with his groveling. "Do go on, scribe."
"He then stated that Lady Larya would always be Xuxa's strumpet slave."
Trey nudged the man on the floor with the toe of his shoe. "Wyrad, have you forgotten that I outlawed slavery many years ago?"
"No, my lord!" He had not raised his head.
"And then he finished by reminding all that lord prince Taeron is a bastard and lord prince Taeron proved himself one by attacking house Chasek." The last was spoken by Aevan of house Caron.
Ever so slowly, Trey turned to where Aevan stood. "Do you wish to cross swords with my lord prince?"
"To what end?" scoffed the other man, his eyes on Taeron. "No imperial warrior has ever wielded one sword with the skill he has and yet he can wield two." He bowed deeply to Taeron. "Forgive me, my lord prince, for daring to question your actions."
Taeron shook off Amyr and Jeshed to stand before Aevan. "You may say what you wish of me. My behavior reflected poorly on the emperor, Lord Duo and my mother."
"What do you suggest we do to Wyrad?" asked his father. "I think he has wet himself."
"Perhaps Lady Larya could suggest a proper chastisement," said Aevan smoothly as he moved away from Taeron to approach his mother. He took her hand in his, stroking his thumb across the palm.
She raised her brows. "My dear Aevan, you flirt with danger." Then she looked at Wyrad. "My son has yet to forgive him."
"I will not." Taeron would never forgive him for his words and Aevan was dangerously close to having his head separated from his body. Before Taeron could challenge him, his mother drew her hand away and gave Taeron a warning look. He had done enough to embarrass her this day.
"We are at an impasse," said Trey with a sigh. Then he turned to look at the nobles, sweeping his gaze across them before he spoke again. "Regardless of your personal opinions which are not worth the dung of a canyon beast in this hall, I respect and honor Lady Larya. She is the wife of the brother of my heart, the dear friend of my own mate, and the mother of the son of my heart."
He paused then and turned to Taeron. "Any insult to her is an insult to Calabria because from this day forward, all of Calabria shall revere her as the mother of my crown prince. "
The crowd fell silent, and Taeron stood in speechless shock as one after another they dropped to their knee to do homage to the newly proclaimed crown prince.
His father smiled as proudly at him as his mother and Trey went to him to put his hand on his shoulder.
"This is not how I envisioned making the announcement, but I can no longer abide by the slander they speak, not when I love you as my own son, not when Larya is so dear to Arora and me."
"But …" Taeron wanted to tell him that he was making a mistake, that he could not be his crown prince, but Trey leaned forward to touch his forehead to his own.
"I know what I am doing, Taeron. I have waited long enough to do what is right, and what has just happened in the plaza has convinced me that it is time to realize that Staefyn cannot be trusted. He has no control over himself and no control over his warlord." He raised his head. "You should not have to suffer the indignities these people feel you are due, not when you are the most honorable of my warlords, the most devoted of my sons."
"Give them a day or two and they will be back at it," remarked Duo under his breath.
Taeron wondered if he was caught in some Guerani trance, especially when he saw Amyr smiling with pride. "This is real," he said more to himself than anyone else.
His father held out his arm to Larya. "My dear, you look positively awful."
She curled her hand around the bloody sleeve of his tunic. "You are as charming as usual, my lord."
"Tonight we shall celebrate," Trey announced. "Lord Duo has brought a shipment of tea and we will dine on delicacies from Teralon." As they murmured with joyful excitement, more for the tea and less for sharing a meal with the emperor, Trey put his hands on the shoulders of Amyr and Taeron. "Now, my young hotheads, perhaps you should retire and make yourself presentable. If necessary, bathe in calming tea."
"I have done that before," grumbled Taeron, remembering when Chaela had tricked him into doing so.
"And I will inform my dear wife that we shall have guests for dinner." Trey chuckled as he walked away with Stryfe.
Wyrad dared to raise his head. His face was wet from weeping, his clothing drenched in sweat and he had soiled himself, so everyone moved away from him. Since he had insulted the crown prince and his mother, his company was toxic. He moved away quickly and he would probably return to his father, but news of his disgrace would reach Chasek before his arrival. Since Chasek was a staunch supporter of Trey, his father would not allow him to leave his estates. Good riddance, thought Taeron. The man's tongue was the sharpest blade he could handle and even that was done poorly.
Amyr did not speak until they returned to Taeron's chamber and then he said, "I did not have a chance to thank you for trapping me with house Caron again. The lovely Keilana was quite desolate by your hasty retreat."
"Gods! Was she there?" The female was like something stuck to the bottom of his boot that he could not scrape off. "I am in your debt."
Amyr laughed as he headed to the private bathing chamber. Taeron waited a moment for him to send away the female servants who had come to help with his bath. By the time the fifth female sauntered past him with a sensual pout, he had reached his limit of courtesy and frowned at her and dispensed with thanking her for her thoughtfulness in serving him as he had done with the others. In the past, the females would have been splashing in the water with Amyr before taking their games to the bed and Taeron would have had to try to sleep on the terrace with their noises keeping him awake.
When he entered the bathing chamber, Amyr was already relaxing in the bath.
Taeron frowned at him, but before he could speak, Amyr did. "You are not going to ask if I let them put their hands on me, are you?" When Taeron did not, he nodded. "Good, because I might be offended and try to hit you, and then you will beat me and I would have had to heal us both. Then neither of us would be in much of a mood to attend my father's banquet to celebrate your appointment."
Taeron removed his clothing, sticky from blood, and he sat across from Amyr in the enormous bath. "Five females?" He could not even imagine what he would do with five females.
Amyr threw back his head in laughter. "It is like being in the marshlands on Teralon and glutting yourself on those beetles. They are everywhere and you cannot stop yourself from partaking and when it is over, you feel worn out and sick from overindulgence." He frowned at Taeron. "Don't try to think about it, brother, because I know you cannot imagine being with anyone but your beloved Dijana."
Closing his eyes, Taeron relaxed as he thought of Dijana. "I will ask the emperor if I can return to Teralon, but first I will put an end to Warlord Kai."
"I wish you luck, Taeron, because you will need it if you think my father is of a frame of mind to consider the princess of Teralon. The only thing he wants from that planet is a food supply and access to the frontier worlds. He already has access through Varoonya so I would not be surprised that the next time they are attacked from the frontier he will wash his hands of them even if it means an end to the newly discovered delicacies from Teralon."
"He would not do that to me," muttered Taeron.
"You are not bonded. You can have any female and he knows it."
Taeron opened his eyes to look at Amyr who returned his gaze. "He would ask me to take a mate knowing that I love another?"
"My father would prefer for you to have the woman you love, Taeron, but he will not allow you to pine for a female that has rejected you." Amyr smiled. "Perhaps you should imagine a future with Keilana of house Caron. I am sure that my father is already imagining it."
"And you should imagine rubbing shoulders with the males of house Caron every day for the rest of our lives," he retorted. By the gods, he would not tie himself to an insipid female like Keilana.
"I am sure my father has some plan and you will be powerless to stop it."
The plan the emperor announced that evening at the banquet was not to Taeron's liking at all. Trey stood up near the end of the banquet in which Taeron felt as if he were served as the main course to the females who were presented to him throughout, barely giving him a chance to eat when males of this house or that brought a female or two for his consideration.
"As you know," he announced, "my heir has returned from Teralon without a bonded mate." His remark did not cause any stir in the people assembled at this rare banquet at the imperial court since they were well aware of what had happened on Teralon. Taeron noticed Shamara and Chaela with their heads together and he realized that they were quietly sharing a laugh. He wondered why until the emperor continued. "The scribe has prepared a statement to be read to all people of the Calabrian Empire that Crown Prince Taeron will entertain all suitable offers of marriage."
Taeron knew now why Chaela and Shamara were laughing. Their father was doing to him what he had done to them. By the gods! If his life had not been beset before by females, now he was going to have to consider them from Bayman or Varoonya. Then again, Teralon was a part of the empire, and Taeron dared to hope that this was the emperor's way of urging Princess Dijana to act if she still wanted Taeron.
As if he had similar thoughts, Aevan of house Caron stood in the midst of the sudden cacophony of excited voices, mainly female. "My lord, what of the female of Teralon who has a prior claim to the crown prince? Will she be given preferential treatment should she come to Calabria and insist that the terms of the agreement with their world be honored?"
"The princess of Teralon has no standing in regards to the treaty. The treaty has been violated and we have made a trade agreement to satisfy the conditions." Trey started to sit, a self-satisfied smile upon his lips.
"My lord," insisted Aevan. "You did not answer the question. Will the princess of Teralon be given preferential treatment? How do we know that the crown prince is still not bonded to the creature? A thrall? A thrall of the very man who sent bandits into the marketplace this day to attack the crown prince and his mother?"
Trey waved his hand dismissively. "I have given the only answer you will receive, Aevan, and you may send that answer back to your father."
The house Caron male persisted. "How can you ask us to offer our females for your crown prince when he may be enthralled by the Teralonian female?"
Taeron stood to answer and he hoped the emperor would be pleased with his answer. "I am neither bonded nor enthralled by Princess Dijana." At least not in the traditional sense although he could not imagine his life without her. He was brimming with excitement at the fantasy of Dijana rushing to Calabria to ask to be considered as his mate.
"Yet you courted her like a lovesick wasteland dog on Teralon," insisted Aevan, dragging him away from thoughts of how he would show Dijana his approval. "The soldiers of our house that accompanied you to Teralon had many stories of your foolish behavior towards the female."
Now his head was aching and he had trouble controlling his temper when he only wanted to think about Dijana. "The courtship was a condition of her father."
"But ..." Aevan did not get a chance to finish because Lady Arora stood although her husband had put his hand on her arm to keep her from doing so.
"House Caron has no need to fear that Crown Prince Taeron is bewitched. If you feel insulted by their treatment of the lord prince, then you are welcome to gather a force to take to Teralon to express your anger. As for Princess Dijana, after the courtship, she chose not to marry the lord prince and he respectfully withdrew." She gave Taeron a smile of encouragement before she continued. "Crown Prince Taeron will consider each female."
"A female of Calabria would be a suitable choice for his mate," stated Aevan and there were shouts of approval. The only female on Calabria suitable to be Taeron's mate was Aevan's sister, Keilana, and he knew it.
"All females will be considered." With that, she sat beside her husband who took her hand and raised it to his lips as he gazed into her eyes.
The matter should have been closed. Taeron was even considering excusing himself to either have Amyr heal his head or make a cup of Lady Trynity's healing tea, but Aevan was not finished.
"I respectfully request that Teralon not be informed." The man was an idiot being that he could not see that the emperor was flirting with his wife in anticipation of retiring, but he was also very astute in his perception of Taeron's feelings towards the princess of Teralon.
Infuriated at being interrupted, Trey slammed his hands on the table and stood, focusing his thunderous gaze upon the male of house Caron. "So be it! Teralon has nothing of value to offer the empire and we have already made the one agreement that is to our mutual benefit. The scribe will not deliver the message to Teralon, and there shall be no communication between Teralon and Calabria until the crown prince has been mated to the female of his choosing. If Princess Dijana arrives, then it will be the will of the gods."
To prove he would brook no further argument on the subject, he reached down to take his wife's hand. "This banquet has become tiring. Let us find a more entertaining way to spend the evening."
Even before the emperor could escort his wife from the hall, Taeron had urged Amyr to slip out with him. He was troubled by the emperor's edict because he had a slim hope that Dijana would realize her feelings and come to Calabria if she knew that the emperor was offering him to a worthy female. After all that they had shared, he could not imagine that she would give him up to another woman. Even though he was not bonded to her, the very thought of being with another sickened him, especially if that other female was Keilana of house Caron. There was little doubt in his mind that he would end up with her, that no one believed any other female had a chance. But Trey would use this ruse to make alliances between houses by joining them when they flocked to Imperia under the guise of seeking the favor of the crown prince.
Amyr did not speak until they were in his chamber and he had thoroughly searched it to be sure there were no females hiding. He sat with Taeron on the bed where he used his healing touch to ease the ache in his head and when he finished, Taeron flopped on his back.
His imperial guard lay beside him on his back as well. "I am not sleeping on that uncomfortable mat," he told Taeron as he stared at the ceiling.
"Don't snore," Taeron warned him although he knew it was useless. In the many months that Taeron had remained on that uncomfortable mat, he owed part of his diligence in being unable to sleep to Amyr's loud snoring.
Amyr took his hand and laced their fingers. "Do not worry about Dijana." Amyr had become very good at easing his anxiety.
"You heard your father," Taeron said after sighing deeply. "He has all but forbidden Dijana's presence."
Turning on his side, Amyr smiled at Taeron. "Have the gods ever let you down, my brother?"
Just to be sure they did not have a reason to start now, Taeron left the bed and walked out onto the balcony where he raised his hands to the stars. There he stood praying that the gods would grant him this selfish request, that Dijana would still love him and that they would guide her to him.