Part Three: The Crown Prince
Chapter 63
This day started out like most recent days. Dijana awoke after second sunrise, but she remained abed dozing until a maid crept in to remind her that her parents awaited her for the morning meal and asked if she needed help dressing. Dijana rolled away from the maid and hugged her pillow as she tried to recapture her dream which was the mingling of a memory from Norvana in those days after Taeron had bonded himself to her and that one night he had spent with her during his courtship. The gods had surely meant to torture her by waking her before she dream could end to her satisfaction.
"Princess?" The maid was still waiting and turning, Dijana saw that she was holding a lovely gown of soft pale green fabric from a frontier world. Since Taeron's departure, her mother had given her many new gowns and jewels so that she would not have to wear Sharisse's clothing. Her mother called her beautiful and males watched her when she passed by, but Dijana had no interest in them despite her father's insistence that she choose a mate. The effort to leave her bed was more than enough to handle let alone a male that would make demands of her that she did not want to fulfill for any but Taeron.
Sighing, she dragged her weary body from the bed and after washing, she accepted the young woman's help in dressing and then went to her mother's chamber. Guillem and Valter were waiting outside. Her mother's ever vigilant guards had become her friends of a sort although her father wanted her to choose one of them as her mate. They had been at the northern palace for several years with her parents, so she could not blame him for hoping she would find one of the men to her liking. They were handsome males who did not lack in female companionship, but she was not attracted to them. She had even refused their offer of blood.
She could hear her father's voice raised. "Sleeping late again! I have better things to do while she lazes about in her bed!"
"Those things can wait for you to spend time with your daughter," her mother replied. "You can hardly expect her to be fully recuperated after such a short time."
"Three months, Neria!" he shouted furiously and Dijana suppressed the urge to wince from the sound of his voice. Both Guillem and Valter shifted anxiously, probably wondering if they would need to save the queen from her mate. Dijana knew that her father was all bluster. He would never hurt the woman he loved.
"Well," remarked her mother with a huff, "I think it would take me a little longer than three months to recover after everything that has happened to her, not the least the loss of the man she loves."
"Speaking of which, how in the name of the gods are we to fulfill the terms of the trade agreement? Our men cannot go into the marshlands!"
"You should have thought of that before you forced the lord prince to leave without his bride." Queen Neria had no sympathy for her husband's plight. Dijana had heard that several men had been grievously sickened by a foray into the marshland to seek what the Calabrians wanted by way of trade. "We shall have to ask the emperor to send his own men to harvest."
"We will not!" shouted Roehan. "I do not want those Calabrians back on our planet!"
"You are ruining my appetite. I no longer wonder why Dijana prefers to remain abed rather than join us."
Dijana glanced at Guillem. "You may open the door now. I think it is safe to enter."
When he opened the door, she forced a smile to her lips and walked in. Her father's wings were out and he spun to look at the door, but when he saw her, he tucked back his wings and his expression softened. "Dijana, you look tired this morning."
"Are you feeding?" asked her mother as she pushed around the fruit in a bowl on the table before selecting a juicy red fruit. When she took a bite and the juice ran down her chin, Dijana's stomach lurched and she had to swallow to keep from gagging.
Neria dabbed at her chin with a cloth. "Quite delicious. Do try some of the cerise fruit. I am told that the harvest was exceptional this year. You did not answer my question, Dijana."
Dijana had not fed since last taking Taeron's blood although many had offered when in the past Balak had forced them. But Dijana did not want to share that intimacy with anyone, and to her surprise, she had yet to feel any ill effects except the malaise she had been experiencing. She had little appetite in the morning and sharing the meal with her parents was a trial when she did not want to eat. Watching her mother eat made her feel queasy, so she looked down at her own empty plate. Fortunately, by late afternoon she usually felt better and in the evenings she was able to share a full meal with her parents although too much food would have made her sick after Kai's departure.
"I have not needed to feed," she responded to her mother.
"Nonsense!" her father barked. "I was told that you have been doing so since the Varoonyan invasion. Are you telling me that something in that Calabrian's blood has healed your affliction?"
"Leave her alone," snapped Neria. "She is a bit pale, but her maid told me that even when she was feeding regularly, Dijana's skin was colorless, even gray."
Dijana did not need a reminder of how unappealing she had been. Sharisse had been very willing to point out her sickly appearance and she had seen the aversion of the men and women in the palace too many times to ever forget.
"Perhaps the Calabrian healed her," Neria dared to say.
"Then we should send him a basket of beetles to thank him," snarled Roehan sarcastically, obviously hating the idea of being in the debt of the lord prince any more than he already was.
"We could if you could manage to harvest enough," remarked her mother with an arched brow.
Roehan spun to glare at her and Dijana held her breath, waiting for him to shout, but he suddenly relaxed. "I have made up my mind. Today I will leave for the northern palace for a few days, Neria, and I hope to come up with some solution to our problem."
He did not see Neria's disconcerted look because he had turned away. He came to Dijana and dropped to one knee beside her chair, taking his hand to raise to his lips. "I will miss you, daughter. Would you come to the northern palace with me?"
Before Dijana could respond, her mother snorted derisively. "Truly, Roehan, you are transparent. You think Dijana will find some way to go to Calabria in your absence? She would not be welcome, of that I am quite certain. What we forced on lord prince Taeron was abhorrent, especially after all that he suffered."
"Then he should not have bonded with my daughter!" Without another word, he stomped to the door without waiting for her answer.
When he had slammed the door behind him, her mother sighed. "At least he did not ask for your word that you would not run away."
Dijana frowned. "I would not run away. What you said is true, mother. I hurt Taeron and he had his bond broken by the sorceress." When her mother informed her that they had received word from their contact on the frontier that the service for which the queen had paid an enormous fee had been carried out, Dijana had not shown how hurt she had been. But late at night she sobbed as she let the pain of having part of her ripped away overwhelm her. Despite what she had told him at their last meeting, she had hoped that he would not submit to the sorceress. She could never expect him to forgive her now.
Neria was smiling at her. "His feathers are ruffled now, so I suppose I shall have to accompany Roehan. The telespace communications have been restored to Calabria and this morning we received the order to supply the emperor with the men agreed upon. I do not look forward to being separated from Roehan when he takes them to Calabria, not when he has been at my side these many years, but it is the price we must pay." She rose and went to kiss Dijana's cheeks, then laid her hand on her cheek as she looked into her eyes. "Rest as much as you like while we are gone. Perhaps I can talk some sense into him and he may be able to consider Prince Taeron again."
She wanted to tell her mother that she loved Taeron, that she found their separation unbearable, but she merely looked down at her hands. "He may be unwilling to see me, mother."
"Ha!" Neria laughed as she straightened. "Lord prince Taeron doesn't need a bond to want you for his mate. He is in love with you. Please inform the council of my departure and I will trust that you can handle any emergency." She marched out of the room and Dijana heard her mother tell Guillem and Valter to keep her safe.
After taking a few bites of food, Dijana decided that she did not feel up to eating, so she left her mother's chamber and after reporting to the council that her mother had gone with her consort to the northern palace to better study a method to harvest the noxious creatures that the Calabrian emperor demanded in trade – Dijana suspected they really wanted time away from her and there would be little effort expended in hunting beetles – she took a walk in the garden that was now meticulous according to her mother's specifications. Dijana avoided the grotto because of the memories that hurt her so much, not the least of which was the last time she had gone there to tell Taeron that he must leave her.
In the beautiful garden, she sat on a stone bench and she raised her face to the suns that were past equal distance. No wonder her father had been annoyed by her tardiness to take the morning meal. It had become an afternoon meal. Roehan had promised to train her to use her neglected chakrams, but he had no time as he spent most of the day with the men that would report to the emperor. Of late he had been busy leading men into battle in the marshlands to retrieve a certain green beetle with red speckles, blue water slugs with yellow stripes, large stinging marsh hornets that were the cause of much discomfort in the men who were not laid low by its venom, and murkwater spiders that were the size of a man's hand. Dijana winced as she imagined Calabrians gathered around a table eating the grotesque creatures.
At the image of them biting into the hideous spider, her stomach rebelled and she leaned to the side and vomited what little she had eaten that morning over the back of the bench. When she turned back around, it was to find a yellow flower so close to her face that she had trouble focusing on it at first. The flower was held in the hand of Guillem who seemed to be oblivious to what she had just done.
"Princess, you are as beautiful as this flower." Without waiting for her permission, he dropped on the bench beside her. "You see, it is golden like your hair and the green petals are like your eyes."
Dijana wanted to return to her room to rinse out her mouth and crawl into her bed after suffering body wrenching spasms. But she took the flower from his large hand. "I thank you for your kind words."
Guillem's dark handsome face was beaming with his toothy white smile. "I would make you a happy woman," he said and she realized that he was making a proposal of marriage to her. Before she could respond, he pulled a quill from his feathers and she barely had time to even gasp when he cut his arm and held it before her, his blood oozing from the self-inflicted wound. "My blood is red and pure. You may taste it."
Instead she turned and started heaving again, just the smell of his blood nauseating her.
"Princess!" he cried in despair before he started pommeling her back, not ceasing until she had pushed his hand away and was able to sit straight although her stomach was still cramping.
She swallowed when she was sure she would be able to do so without gagging, and then she forced herself to look at Guillem. "I am sorry, Guillem, but I will not allow you to think there is a possibility that I would consent to be your wife."
His wide, beefy shoulders slumped. "Is it Valter? He told me that you would prefer a man like him."
"A man like him?" A muscle-bound oaf that could not put two words together properly? She shook her head. "You may tell Valter that I would not be his wife either."
"But your father ..."
"My father is not choosing my husband," she said. Only her mother or the council could do that and Dijana knew Neria would only consider the lord prince of Calabria a suitable mate for her daughter. The council would have little say.
Guillem sighed with what seemed to be relief. "I do not mind so much losing you to Lord Prince Taeron. He is a worthy warrior and a gods' blessed man."
His words only depressed her more, so she thanked Guillem for his kind offer and as he escorted her back to her room, they came across Valter who had cornered a giggling serving woman, but when he saw her, he hurried to fall into step behind her with Guillem. Dijana turned her head to tell Valter that he need not make the effort to court her, that he could continue to flirt with the serving women because she would not entertain a proposal from him. Valter did not seem bothered that she rejected his suit. In fact, he sighed with relief and proceeded to tell her that he hoped the serving woman with whom she had just seen him, Jilain, would consider him. He had ample proof that they would were compatible in every way, and would she please not tell her father that he had been courting another woman when Roehan had wanted him to court his daughter. By the time Dijana closed her door on the winged warriors, she had been talked into speaking to Jilain's mother on Valter's behalf.
The days during her parents' absence followed a new pattern in which Dijana rose shortly before second sunrise so that she could begin her duties, nibbled at food brought to her room, forced her feet to the council chamber to discuss the minutia that kept Teralon running and she would then seek her bed for the afternoon. Without her parents there to force her to attend them, she could sleep as long as she wanted and she took full advantage of their absence.
She wondered if her fatigue might have something to do with not feeding from those that offered, but Dijana could not bring herself to do it. The urge to do so had disappeared completely and she was glad. Could the Calabrian blood have something to do with it? More than likely it had been Chaela's Guerani blood that had fought off the need to feed on blood. She wished fervently for Chaela's company because she had no one to speak to besides Guillem and Valter. The council members were reserved in her presence, so Dijana suspected they were wary of offending her because Neria's wrath would be spoken about in generations to come. During one of the morning meetings with the council, Dijana requested to use the imperial interplanetary communications satellite to contact Chaela, but she was outright refused, and when she tried to use her authority as the ruling princess to force the issue, she was informed that communication to Calabria from Teralon had been disabled by Calabria. If Teralon needed the empire's assistance again, they would be unable to contact Calabria so the emperor was washing his hands of the planet.
After hearing the news, Dijana left the council feeling more miserable than any day since Taeron's departure. She had hoped to hear news of him through Chaela, but now she realized that she would probably never hear from him again. Guillem had heard her sobbing and came to hold her as she cried, soothing her by telling her the many ways he would make the emperor of Calabria suffer if only the gods would give him the power to do so. During the recitation of dismemberment, she was able to gather her wits and she started to laugh as she imagined the faceless old emperor having his limbs torn from his torso.
After that day, Dijana started to feel better and when she rose earlier and managed to eat a meal, she talked Guillem and Valter into giving her lessons to defend herself. Neither seemed eager to do so, but Guillem finally relented. As Guillem worked with Dijana, Valter flirted with Jilain whose mother had been overjoyed to receive the recommendation of Princess Dijana for the winged warrior. Valter was looking forward to the formal courtship when the queen and her consort returned from the northern palace. Dijana hoped her father would not be angry that Valter preferred a servant to his daughter.
As she trained with Guillem, Dijana regained her energy and the lethargy that had taken over her life since Taeron's departure dissipated. She did not question why her parents chose to remain another week in the northern palace, nor did she care. Dijana enjoyed working with Guillem, and when he left her, she practiced on her own. Chaela told her that Taeron had spent hours and hours by himself, perfecting the moves the masters taught him. She worked herself into exhaustion, and when she fell into her bed at night, she barely had time to mumble a prayer to the gods to allow her sleep without seeing his face. Her body might be recovering, but her heart still ached for the man she loved.
Two days before the scheduled return of Queen Neria and her husband, Valter rushed into the practice yard out of breath to tell Dijana that a force from the direction of Varoonya was approaching Teralon. Dijana almost fainted in terror, imagining that Kai was coming for her, and Guillem's solemn vow that he would not allow the Warlord to recapture her did not encourage her. The Varoonyans had somehow known the most opportune time to attack their neighboring planet. Teralon's winged guard was already decimated from the recent civil war, the emperor had all but proclaimed the planet fair game for anyone strong enough to control it and to make matters worse, the queen along with her consort were still at the northern palace to which communication had never been established from Nidum.
Dijana hurried to the communications room in the council chamber where she found the four women and two men chosen by Neria to rule arguing about the course of action. When she arrived, they turned their arguments to her until Dijana finally shouted at them to shut their mouths.
"Has the Varoonyan fleet contacted us?" asked Dijana when they ceased speaking. She could see on the monitor that the fleet consisted of a dozen transports and her heart dropped. Even the invasion force several years ago was not that large.
"Not yet," spoke up one of the males, Dunston, a grizzled old warrior who looked as if he would rather be napping in the shade of a tree. "We did not wish to make the first move."
Males were idiots, thought Dijana as she looked at the female councilors. "Perhaps we should ascertain their motives for coming here."
Glorina, the eldest of the females responded with a frown. "The reason should be obvious. The Calabrians have proved us ineffectual and they must have learned of our disfavor with the emperor."
"How do we know that the emperor did not send them?" demanded one of the males. "Perhaps he intends for the Varoonyans to rule us."
"I knew marriage to Roehan would be a mistake," remarked one of the other females. "If it were up to Neria alone, that Calabrian war dog would have bred you by now and the emperor would be well pleased."
"Now we cannot even contact Calabria and because of the emperor's displeasure, King Dagan will not aid us either."
An incoming communication started to beep and Dijana swept the assembled council with a glare worthy of her mother. "I will not suffer your arguments as I speak to them. We are united. Is that clear?"
Taking a deep breath, she nodded to the female at the communications monitor, and when she pressed the button, Dijana squared her shoulders.
The communication crackled and there was no picture. "Teralon, this is Princess Cydeara of Varoonya. My ship has taken damage and I request permission to land for repairs."
Dijana turned to look at Glorina. "Who is she?"
"Cydeara is the last direct descendant of the ruling house. She is the sister of Prince Rangyor."
"Do you think she can be trusted?" asked Dijana. She knew so little of Varoonya and hoped that the councilors could do their duty and advise her.
"Because she is still alive, Princess Cydeara probably cooperated with the provisional government of Lord Taeron," Glorina told her when the others did not speak. Dijana made a mental note to tell her mother that they were a worthless bunch of elders, then scratched it because she guessed they had been chosen exactly for that reason. Neria was not about to let a council of elders tell her what to do. Dijana would have appreciated more from them than speculation.
"Is that all you can tell me?" she queried, leashing her temper.
"We have no way of knowing for certainty, princess. Balak must have broken off contact with Varoonya after he made his alliance with the outlawed Warlord Kai, so there are no records of what has been transpiring there save that one of the Calabrian commanders, Lord Andwar of house Vaan, was to take the position of governor."
Princess Cydeara must have lost her patience because she spoke again and this time she sounded every bit as imperious as Neria. "My ship is damaged and I am landing to make repairs. If you do not like it, I will instruct my men to land as well and we will decide what happens from there."
Dijana took a calming breath and then said, "I am Princess Dijana. Please land your damaged ship at the southern edge of the marshlands just north of Nidum. Will you require technical assistance?" Dijana doubted they had any technical assistance to provide, but she thought she should make the offer.
The Varoonyan princess laughed. "No assistance is necessary. My own people can make the repairs. I will be landing shortly. If you send your warriors, they may escort me to the palace for formal introductions."
For a moment she did not speak because the council looked at her with expressions ranging from curiosity and doubt to outright suspicion from the males. Only Dunston dared to say, "Will you let them into the palace again, Princess Dijana?"
None of them defended her, but then Dijana did not deserve to be defended after what she had done several years earlier. "If the Calabrians put trust in the Varoonyan princess, I can do no less." And while the words rolled off her tongue, she could never truly trust a Varoonyan.
So she left the council with orders to remain in their chambers, and after sending Valter and Guillem with an armed escort to the southern edge of the marshland, Dijana quickly changed into an elegant gown with the help of her serving woman who swept up her shoulder length hair to arrange with jeweled combs. Although she now looked the part of the Teralonian princess, Dijana was so nervous as she walked to the receiving hall to await the Varoonyan's arrival that her legs wobbled and her stomach wrenched violently.
But as she sat on her mother's chair waiting, she managed to reign in her fear and she hoped she appeared calm as the doors swung wide. Guillem entered first, his wings spread and as he came to drop to his knee and put his hand to his heart, Dijana wished his wings were tucked in so that she could see the female, but she knew this display of respect was necessary. He rose and stepped aside.
The Varoonyan princess had dark hair and dark eyes, her skin a shade darker than Dijana's, and Dijana could see little resemblance between her and the beast Rangyor. Her dark hair was tightly braided and held back from her face which was breathtakingly beautiful. There were few pure-blooded Varoonyans like Rangyor and Kai, but they were all startling in their attractiveness. Her eyes were slanted under perfectly arched brows, and while she had long, thick black lashes, Dijana felt a frisson of fear travel down her spine when she met the crimson gaze of Princess Cydeara.
While Dijana was dressed elegantly, the Varoonyan female was wearing animal skins as Kai did. She wore a leather jacket that was short in the front but swept the floor behind her, and instead of a skirt, her legs were encased in the same black leather. Her perfectly curved lips were blood red and Dijana wondered if she had fed before coming to see her.
When she dropped slightly and bowed her head in greeting, Dijana noticed that she carried a whip and several daggers on her person. Her gaze went from the armaments to Valter who shrugged and she guessed that the princess had refused to surrender her weapons.
"Princess Cydeara," Dijana finally said.
"Princess Dijana." The other woman straightened and moved closer, sauntering with the assurance of a woman who had power and knew it. "I thank you for your hospitality."
"If your people need anything to repair your ship..."
"My ship is not disabled," she said with a sly smile and Dijana's heart began to beat faster in fear. Her eyes went to the weapons at her side, but she pushed back the feeling that she had betrayed Teralon again. Although she had badly misjudged Kai, she sensed that this woman needed something from her.
"Send your men away." The Varoonyan curled her hand around the hilt of one of her daggers and Dijana did not need to be told that she would fling the weapon before Guillem and Valter could even react if she did not do as she demanded.
Reluctantly, she nodded to the winged warriors, feeling guilty that if she died, they would pay with their lives. When they had gone and closed the doors, she looked at Princess Cydeara. "Why have you come here?"
"Why indeed?" Her brows raised and she raked her crimson gaze over Dijana.
"There is nothing on Teralon that would interest you."
"You interest me, Princess Dijana. I know for a fact that you are preparing to head to Calabria. I would accompany you as my fleet remains behind. We do not have the resources to make the journey and I need to get to Calabria."
Everything that Princess Cydeara said shocked Dijana. "Why would I be headed to Calabria?"
The Varoonyan female made a sound of disgust. "What worthy female in the binary system is not headed to Calabria in the hope of attracting the notice of the crown prince."
"Prince Amyr is bonded and wed," Dijana told her. "You are mistaken."
"I am talking about Crown Prince Taeron," Cydeara said with impatience. "The emperor announced his decision to elevate the lord prince of his armies to that of crown prince." The beautiful woman sighed. "It is a shame because I had hoped to continue my special friendship with Lord Taeron upon his return to Varoonya. But when Andwar of house Vaan received his appointment from the emperor to act as governor, I knew he would not be returning and now I know why."
Dijana pushed back the hurt and jealousy she felt as she imagined the special friendship Cydeara had shared with Taeron. Taeron was not her mate, and it had been by her choice so she should not have these feelings. "Why have you come to Teralon with an army?"
"Because Andwar has chosen to back another for the throne that belongs to me! That Calabrian traitor sent forces to hunt me down and I was barely able to escape. I hope to ask the emperor to reconsider his appointment of Andwar of house Vaan, to persuade him that I can be his loyal subject."
"You fled Varoonya with an army large enough to control Teralon," Dijana pointed out.
"Why would I want Teralon?" scoffed Cydeara. "There is nothing on this planet of any worth. The only reason my brother tried to take it in the first place is because Kai had grown too strong and since he feared him, he hoped giving him Teralon would appease him." She came close to Dijana and her beautiful lips parted in a knowing smile. "You have Kai's marks all over you, and yet I sense something else. Magic?"
"I have no magic," Dijana told her although she shriveled inside to hear the other woman point out what she was to Kai.
"And yet you have managed to shatter Kai's hold." Cydeara whistled appreciatively. "He is strong and yet you have bested him. Kai will not be pleased. He has never marked another as he has you, and to have lost you?" Cydeara's laugh unnerved her. "How did you do it?"
"I do not know," Dijana told her and then she explained how Kai had found it impossible to feed from her after her stay on Norvana which did not surprise Cydeara who told her that the magical properties of the planet were probably responsible. She also agreed that the protective magic of the Guerani sorceress may have played a role in easing if not curing the effects of Kai's hold on her.
When they finished the short discussion, Dijana returned to the purpose of Cydeara's arrival. "We have not received the invitation of the emperor."
"Now that you know, you should contact Calabria to demand the reason."
"Even if Teralon were allowed to contact Calabria, which we are not, I already know the reason." Although she had no reason to trust Princess Cydeara, Dijana told her what had happened with Taeron, and when she finished, Cydeara stared at her with her mouth ajar.
"I presume that you know what you have given up," Cydeara finally said when she could find her voice. Dijana nodded miserably.
"If the emperor does not wish for me to present myself to Crown Prince Taeron, then I cannot," she said. "And my father will have made precautions precluding any flight from Teralon, so I cannot help you, Princess Cydeara."
"Then we shall travel on my ship and you will present yourself to the crown prince."
"You do not wish to present yourself?" asked Dijana, fearful of her response.
Cydeara laughed softly. "I have no desire to rule Calabria although I would enjoy ruling Taeron in my bed very much." She saw the heat that rose to Dijana's cheeks, anger from thinking of the other woman with Taeron and heat from the memory of Taeron in her own bed.
"I can see that you have some experience in those matters." Cydeara was studying her intently. "Since I do not, you can tell me how he fares as a lover. I often thought about it during those long, dreadfully boring administrative meetings over which he presided.
"I should wait until my parents return and ask their opinion," said Dijana without satisfying the other woman's curiosity.
Cydeara raised a brow. "Do you think they will allow you to leave? With a Varoonyan? To go to Calabria? To offer yourself to Crown Prince Taeron?"
Dijana did not need to think about her father's reaction. "I will gather some clothing and we can leave immediately."