"Ideally, you should have the king's child."

Rhiannon stared at Ailla's reflection in the mirror as the young woman brushed her hair. The lady's maid had been very pleased when she discovered that the couple now spent every night together. Rhiannon had more or less moved into Baudwin's chambers, only keeping her own for storing clothes and herbs.

"Hopefully, you'd have a son and when you fulfil your mission to kill the king, your son will be the new ruler. It would help our cause greatly."

"Surely they would chase me out of the kingdom, if not execute me?" Rhiannon grimaced. The idea of having Baudwin's child was more appealing than she'd admit. Fortunately, she was regularly chewing some leaves that prevented such things from taking root.

Ailla scoffed. "Don't be stupid. I'm sure you can think of several ways to divest of the king with no one ever tracing it back to you."

Looking down at her hands tightly gripping the hem of her dress, Rhiannon forced herself to relax her grip. Even if she could, there was no way she would ever go through with it. She could never kill Baudwin. Not even to save herself. For now, he was safe, while his adversaries expected her to do her duty. When the time came and she had to refuse them, she would have to live with the consequences of the mistakes in her earlier life. She would have to come clean and tell Baudwin everything. She would have to watch his love turn to hate. But not today. Not yet.

"Has he told you anything else?" Ailla asked as she braided Rhiannon's long hair.

"No, they've not heard anything new. Still just taking precautions."

"And no one knows who Son of Deva is?"

Rhiannon shook her head. They had the same discussion nearly every day, but Ailla seemed to need the constant reassurance that everything was proceeding as planned. The one thing the lady's maid had not asked about for some time was the Godstone, but she'd caught her rooting through her room for it. Having not found it, she must have concluded that Rhiannon spoke the truth when she said she had stored it somewhere safe.

Resisting the urge to touch the locket to ensure it was still there, she surveyed her hair in the mirror. Ailla had pinned the long braid around her head like a crown. It was a new style. She was used to leaving her hair out, but had to admit it didn't look half bad. The lady's maid handed her a set of earrings to put on and after threading them through her ears she stood up. Still wearing only her undergarments and a loosely tied corset, while her hair and face were immaculate, she looked rather ridiculous.

They were having an open meeting that afternoon, allowing Baudwin to garner the support of the other lords to help against the attack from the western lords which was considered imminent. Only two days ago they had received word that they were gathering their troops and getting ready to march on the capital. What was her stepfather playing at? Did he really think he could dethrone Baudwin? While the western lords had large armies, they would not measure against the king's and his vassals'.

Ailla pulled tightly on the strings of her corset, and Rhiannon had to take a gulping breath. The lady's maid either enjoyed torturing her, or she didn't think women needed to breathe. Either option left her with a tightly laced chest that made breathing difficult.

"A little bit more room, please?" she asked, feeling a little faint from only being able to take superficial breaths.

The lady's maid muttered something, but allowed her another half inch. Barely enough, but why be greedy? Rhiannon pressed her lips together in a grim smile.

When finished, Ailla did her usual inspection, nodding as she approved of the maroon dress. It only really lacked a bit of gold, and Rhiannon could have attended the banquet as the Breoch banner. Fortunately, the dressmaker had chosen a black damask pattern on the skirt instead, but no one could ever blame her for not representing her kingdom.

Not much later, she was at Baudwin's side in the Great Hall as the lords of the realm gathered to hear their king out. Without calculating exactly, she estimated there to be around twenty to thirty men in attendance. They had set out large tables, with ale and some bread and other finger foods available. And now she felt hungry. She doubted the tightly laced corset would allow her to eat, though.

"Thank you all for coming," Baudwin said, his firm voice carrying easily through the hall. "I'm sorry to have to call upon you all, but I must ask your aid in an incoming attack against the crown."

A surprised murmur spread around the table, but died down again at Baudwin's raised hand.

"The western lords have made their disapproval of my ascension known from the start, but things have now come to an edge and they are getting ready to march on Ossol as we speak." He splayed his hands on the wooden table as he scanned the crowd. "We will have to fight this uprising and quench their complaints once and for all. Do I have your support?"

"I don't have many men to spare," a youngish lord with ginger hair complained. "Is there no other way? What do they want? Can we reason with them?"

"We cannot."

Rhiannon respected Baudwin's tempered response. Had it been her, she would likely have snapped at the lord and made an enemy for life. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"I tried to find a compromise that both sides could work with, but the western lords do not wish to be governed by me. When I suggested that they didn't have a choice, their response is to mount an attack." Baudwin sighed, but his voice didn't falter. "Trust me. I wouldn't go to battle if I didn't have to. There is nothing I despise more than the unnecessary loss of life."

An older man with dark hair sprinkled with silver stood up, bowing his head towards his king. "Your Majesty," he said. "My men are yours. I fought with you in the Battle for Messina, and I was there when you stood up to your parents two years ago. Anyone opposing you is opposing one of the most honourable kings this kingdom has ever had."

Baudwin smiled grimly and nodded towards the lord. "Thank you, Lord Marrek. We appreciate your support."

After that, the lords fell into place one after the other. Even the whiny ginger twat. When they began discussing battle preparations, Rhiannon tuned them out while watching a chicken bone, wishing she could shed her corset. Maybe she would just stop wearing them. There must be some benefit to being the queen. She was just debating unlacing her corset when Braithe, who was sitting next to her at the head table, touched her arm and nodded towards the open doors leading outside.

Relieved, Rhiannon nodded, and while the men continued discussing, they left the table and entered the large balcony outside the arched doors. The garden spread out before them, with the silhouette of the maze in the distance. Taking a deep breath—or as deep as she could—Rhiannon took in the fresh, sharp autumn air.

The princess leaned her hips on the stone railing and watched her with an amused smile. "I thought you looked like you needed a breather. It gets awfully stuffy in those meetings. So many men."

"You're used to it, I suppose."

"I am, but it's still dreadfully boring." Braithe shrugged. "It is what it is. All these stodgy old men. There were quite a lot of complaints when Baudwin added me as one of his advisers."

"Few rulers see the benefit of women making decisions. Many people assume we're only good at sewing and having babies. I am quite knowledgeable about healing herbs and human ailments, yet no medic would ever ask my opinion."

"Women should be allowed to be medics too." The princess clapped her hands together, making Rhiannon jump from the sudden noise. "I know! Why don't we start our own university, where women can train as medics?"

Rhiannon frowned as she stared out over the darkening landscape. A university for women? Such a thing was unheard of in most kingdoms.

"I'm not sure if we could convince anyone to be an instructor, but it's an intriguing idea." If she wasn't certain she'd have to leave before too long, it was definitely something she would have liked to try. What was the point in being a queen if you couldn't use it for change?

"It definitely warrants more thought." Braithe was smiling. "A woman rules over the Elves. The Kingdom of Bergen, too. I don't see why the other kingdoms are so behind."

"Too many stodgy old men?" Rhiannon suggested with a small smile.

The princess giggled. "Yes. I think that's it." Sobering up, she searched Rhiannon's face. "How are you settling in? I feel like you and Baudwin had a bit of a rough start, but it seems like things have improved?"

Hoping the encroaching darkness masked the heat in her cheeks, Rhiannon nodded. "We've found common ground."

"And how are you settling in here? It must be quite a change to the swamp."

Definitely more questions than the swamp. Flashing a smile, Rhiannon shrugged. "I can't complain. I have every comfort at my fingertips."

"That doesn't really answer my question," Braithe shrewdly pointed out.

"I forget that you're more clever than you look."

If she'd worried about insulting her sister-in-law with the quip, she needn't worry, as the princess giggled.

"Oh, I used to enjoy playing stupid. I hated having to pretend I enjoyed embroidery and other such boring things."

"You don't enjoy embroidery?"

"The only stabbing I do is with daggers."

"One day you will have to tell me the story of how you and Aurelian met," Rhiannon mused. "He mentioned something about you dressing as a man. It sounds like a good tale."

"You might enjoy it." Braithe grinned. "I suspect Aurelian would tell it much better than I, though. He's much better with words."

Turning her back to the garden and leaning on the railing, Rhiannon looked back towards the gathered men indoors. "From what I gather, there will be plenty of men defending. I don't think the western lords will stand much of a chance. I don't see why they're risking it."

"Maybe they're hoping to reach us before the reinforcements?" Braithe shrugged. "They have a slight advantage in that they have been planning this for some time. But even if they reach us first, Ossol can withstand a siege for a considerable time, so all we'd need to do is wait them out."

Rhiannon frowned. Her stepfather wasn't stupid. What was he hoping to gain? What was their plan?

~~~~~~