The Betrothed (The Betrothed #1)(34)

“No, my lord,” I shouted over the noise, grinning ear to ear. “I support diplomacy.”

He got a good laugh out of that and waved Silas over.

“Very good show, sir. And I appreciate your . . . statement.”

Silas removed his helmet and bowed to the king. “Thank you, Your Majesty. It was an honor to fight today.”

It took King Quinten a few blinks of his eyes to be sure of just what he was seeing, but once he was, he stood furiously.

“Why do you wear no colors?” he demanded. “Where is your blue?”

Jameson turned to him. “He is a Coroan now.”

“He is not!”

“He fled your country to find sanctuary here. He has sworn his allegiance to me. And yet he wears no colors so as to not insult you. And you take it upon yourself to shame him?”

Quinten’s voice was low and gravelly. “You and I both know he will never truly be a Coroan.”

Just past them, I could see Queen Valentina clutching her stomach, her eyes flicking between Quinten and Jameson nervously. Up until now, she’d seemed above anything so common as nerves, but she was clearly worried about how this would unfold. I didn’t want to see it, and my guess was she didn’t, either.

“Come with me, Your Majesty. You mustn’t get overexcited.” I walked her down the stairs and into the shade behind the royal box. We could still hear Jameson’s and Quinten’s voices, but their words were muffled.

“Kings, huh?” I joked, trying to break the tension.

“I think it’s just men in general,” she replied, and we both laughed.

“Can I get you anything? Some water, something to eat?”

She shook her head. “No, I’m just happy to get away from the yelling. His Majesty gets upset easily, and I prefer to stay out of all that.”

“I feel bad for the swordsman. I think he meant well.”

“Silas Eastoffe.” She looked at the ground. “I think he only ever means well.”

It was funny. I was aware that Silas knew of the queen, but I’d never considered that she knew of him.

“Has he done things like this before?”

“Not exactly. I’ve caught him in a few conversations where he tried to get the person he was speaking with to consider the other side of the argument. He just wants people to think.”

I nodded. “I don’t know him well, but that sounds about right.”

A stampede of footsteps came down the stairs and Quinten was there, bearing down on his cane, pulling his wife away so quickly I didn’t get to curtsy before she went. Jameson came down shortly after, hands on his hips.

“Well, the tournament’s over. Quinten decided he’d rather rest than be insulted.”

“Oh, no. Your Majesty, I’m so sorry.”

He shook his head. “I know that boy was trying to do something clever, but he ended up causing a big mess.”

“This is so ridiculous! Whatever the color, wasn’t this meant to be entertainment? A diversion?”

“Yes, of course, but—”

“And doesn’t one person desperately seeking middle ground set a great example of something we should all aspire to? Why does everything have to be a competition?”

“Hollis!”

Jameson had never raised his voice to me before. I was stunned into silence.

“You don’t have to worry about this. You don’t have to think so hard. All you need to do is show Coroa how good a queen you can be. And upstage that girl of Quinten’s.”

I swallowed. “Surely considering how to better our relationship with the largest country on the continent is part of being a good queen.”

“I’ll do that, Hollis.” He shook his head. “That foolish boy. Let’s hope this can be undone.” He kissed my hand and went on his way.

I was left feeling small. Jameson had never been unhappy with me before. He’d never corrected me before. Then again, I’d never really shared my opinion before. Was . . . was Etan right? Was I an ornament?

I couldn’t bring myself to believe that. If I was to join a long line of magnificent queens, shouldn’t I be following in their footsteps? The footsteps that led to the homes of the poor? The footsteps that led to a battlefield?

I’d spent so much time being afraid of measuring up to them. Now the thought of not even trying to come close was unimaginable.

I marched over to where the competitors were milling about, hoping I’d be able to find a particular family in the mass of people. I pushed through the crowds until I, unfortunately, saw a familiar face.

“Etan!” I called.

He turned, and I waved, trying to get his attention. He tipped his head in acknowledgment.

“Where’s Silas?”

Sighing, he walked over and grabbed me from the swarm. “Do you not have eyes?”

“I’m not as tall as you. Is he all right?”

“Yes, Uncle Dashiell tucked him away near the tree line while things calmed down, and most everyone is going in the opposite direction now. Here, this way.”

I followed as best I could, trying to keep up with his long strides. We finally came upon them, Silas sitting on a barrel, talking to his parents with a bewildered expression on his face. Once he saw me, he stood and began attempting to atone for his mistakes immediately.