Training mid-morning. Rides to the Forest and back. Long lunches and longer walks. Stealing kisses like teenagers in the shadowy corners of the hallway while staff passed by unsuspecting.
A few weeks had passed since their first night together, and the pair fell into a blissful routine. Most evenings, Iona and Leo had dinner with Theron, and sometimes Heston, and returned to their respective bedrooms for show. They took turns sneaking down the hall every night and back in the morning. It took some convincing, though not much, for Iona to feel at ease with the recess; Leo swore up and down that they had worked hard on the ball and deserved time off, until Iona concurred. The outstanding issue, which nagged at Iona with each day she ignored it, was that Heston had not committed to any of the women he met at the ball.
She asked him at dinner after several days had passed if anyone caught his eye, to which he responded, “Many.” When pressed to elaborate, Heston answered, “I have a lot to think about.” And that was that. Courting in Chryson culture could last years before a proposal came, though Heston was on a severely shortened timeline. But Iona and Leo weren’t exactly putting the pressure on, instead caught up in the joy of their new romance.
One morning, Iona woke up early for some training, followed by a solo breakfast as Leo had stayed overnight with Theron in town after catching another show. Poppy was wandering back and forth from the kitchen, picking up a platter at a time, refilling Iona’s coffee more than necessary. As she poured another fresh cup for her, Iona struck up a chat. “Ahem, so Poppy, how are things? How’s your family doing?”
“Oh they’re just lovely, Commander, thanks for asking. My daughter and her husband just moved back from the coast, so now my grandsons come over on the mornings I’m off, and I cook them a big breakfast spread,” she effused, “It’s just wonderful having them home again.”
“That’s wonderful, I’m glad to hear that!”
“Indeed, indeed…well, so while we’re talking about breakfast,” Poppy added.
Were we talking about breakfast? Iona thought, tilting her head, while she sipped from her mug.
“Since you’re not training early in the mornings anymore, you know, I would be happy to bring coffee or breakfast up to your room whenever you’d like. For you and…you know, anyone else that may also want breakfast brought up.”
Iona choked on her drink, spattering coffee all over the table. She coughed and grabbed a napkin to dry it off, waiving off Poppy’s attempts to pat her on the back. “Sorry, sorry,” Iona stuttered, righting her breath. “That’s, um, very kind of you, Poppy, but I prefer eating breakfast in the dining hall. You’ll have to check with Heston and Leonon to see if they want breakfast delivered.” She hoped her flushed cheeks didn’t give too much away, though the time seemed to have passed for that. Poppy and Iona stared at each other for a brief second, Iona praying that the baker would take the hint.
“Of course, Commander,” she smiled, before grabbing up the wet napkins and retreating from the hall once again. Well, maybe her and Leo weren’t being as careful as they thought. Oops. As Iona stood to leave, she heard Heston talking to someone in the hall. She hurried out to catch him, and saw the Prince was chatting with a guard. He was dictating a letter and the guard scribbled furiously.
“Heston!” she called, hustling to his side. She looked at the guard, who had pulled the letter to his chest away from her sight. “Sending a letter?”
“Uh, yes,” he answered, glancing at the parchment, then back at Iona, “What’s up?”
Hmmm. “I came to check in. Have you chosen anyone to court? It’s been three weeks,” she asked.
Heston rocked back on his heels, and shooed away the guard, “Always right to it with you. Don’t you think choosing the new queen of the kingdom should be a well thought out and calculated decision?”
“Not when your father is on his deathbed,” Iona responded with a sarcastic smile.
Heston cringed, “I understand the circumstances.”
“Do you?” she followed up. There was a balance to be struck between being Heston’s friend, the Prince’s advisor, and High Commander to the King.
“Jeez, yes, Iona. Look, I have a few names knocking around in my head, I think maybe I’ll give them a visit, and choose from there.” Of course Heston wants to date around. Of course he’s stalling in the most annoying way possible. Iona made her frustrations known with a deep sigh. Heston grinned, “I know you’re staying on top of this because it’s your duty, but I swear, I have it all under control. I will be…” he swallowed, “Engaged. Soon enough.”
“Fantastic,” she answered, unconvinced. She pointed a finger at Heston’s forehead, “Is one of the names knocking around in there ‘Jessa’ by chance?”
Heston cocked his head with a theatrical scratch of his chin, “Jessa….hmm…Jessa…”
“Tall, black hair, stunning. Her gown was made from that emerald fabric you can only get in the western port towns. Her guard was wearing it, too.”
“Ah, yes, green dress. Dark hair. Jessa- her name is on my list. Definitely,” he assured. “In fact, I will prioritize visiting the coast, in that case.” Spinning on a dime, Heston dismissed himself from any further butting in from Iona. At least that’s something, she thought, shrugging her shoulders. She decided to head to the library, grab a couple of new books, and spend the afternoon in the courtyard. A few paces down the hallway, and she heard someone call her name.
“Iona!”
Leo, she realized, her spirits lifting at his voice. She turned back, and glanced around to ensure the hallway was empty before jogging towards him.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
Leo snatched her off the ground in motion and crooned, “Hello, beautiful.”
“Welcome back,” Iona grinned, scanning the hall once more, just in case. Confirming it was only the two of them, she reached up on her toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. “How was your night?”
“It was good, would have been better with you along,” he smirked, “But my father asked me to find you. He wants to have a chat, I guess.”
Iona's face fell at that, “Why? Is everything okay? What did he say?”
Leo chuckled, “Of course everything’s okay, and that’s all he said. ‘Find Iona, I want to speak with her.’ He’s in his chambers.” Iona closed her eyes for a moment, stifling the spiral that threatened to grow in the few minutes until she found Theron.
“Alright,” she said, “I will go have that chat. Which doesn’t make me concerned at all.” Leo pressed his lips together, and she could tell he was trying not to laugh at her. He never assumed anything was wrong until he had all the information, never let the uncertainty get to him or mess with his head. It was a quality of which Iona was quite jealous.
A couple attendants turned into the hall, and Leo dropped his hands from Iona’s waist. He cleared his throat. “So, I will perhaps see you later, Commander,” he said a bit too loud, accompanied by a curt nod. He stepped past her and marched off. Subtle.
Iona pulled at the collar of her sweater as she walked towards the King’s chambers, which was less a bedroom and more a fully built office, mini library, and conference room that happened to have a four post bed. The final chill of winter was hanging on by a thread, but the spike of anxiety got Iona sweating beneath the knit. She knocked on his door and heard him call her in. The King was laying propped up in bed, a large portfolio full of what looked to be old letters sitting next to him. “Your majesty,” Iona greeted him, along with a bow.
“Iona, there you are. Pull up a chair, would you?” His voice was shaky, but it had been for a while now. The King seemed to still be aging at a rapid pace, even over the last few months that Iona had been home. She couldn’t even guess as to how much time he had left. She grabbed a seat from the round meeting table in the adjoining room and situated herself at the King’s side. He motioned for Iona to take his hand, so she abided, noting the affection that he’d grown in his old age. “I was thinking about that day I found you in the hallway snooping around. Back then, a war seemed a near impossibility. So did the idea that a little girl from the countryside would be the reason we not only won it, but recovered from it.”
No, that’s not true. “Sir, I appreciate that, but it wasn’t me. It was you, and Heston, and Leo, and our soldiers- not just me.” Of course, she led their strategy for the War, as well as the reconstruction, but Iona was never going to be comfortable taking credit for it.
“No need to be humble, Iona, it’s just the two of us,” he chided. “You pushed us to take the Ladrons seriously. You coordinated our battles and fought on the lines. You jumped right into fixing our towns and villages as soon as the War closed. These here,” he motioned to the portfolio, “Are all the letters you wrote me. The updates from every town your men rebuilt. Such care in the way you wrote, the way you took care of my people. I count myself very lucky your mother answered my call and brought you into our lives.”
Tears pricked at Iona’s eyes, “I’m lucky she did, too, Your Majesty.” The way Theron looked at her was new- the hard, stern face she was used to was gone, replaced with softness and withered lines, resigned to whatever came next in his story.
“It makes the reality of dying easier knowing that Heston will have you still once I’m gone. I know you haven’t gotten on well with Leo, but the three of you have many years left in this life, and I hope that you can be there for him, too. You’ve always pushed him to live up to his potential, whether you knew it or not.”
Iona felt a bite of guilt knowing that she was keeping her relationship with Leo hidden from Theron, when he would clearly appreciate the news. But now wasn’t the time, not without Leo here. Instead of letting their secret slip, she squeezed the King’s hand, “I will always look out for them both.”
Theron patted her hand, and his eyes began to droop. “Ah, Iona,” he breathed, his eyelids heavy, “It won’t be too long until I get to see my daughter again.” Whatever hold Iona had managed over her tears broke, the beads rolling down her cheeks until she tasted salt on her lips.
“Make sure to say hi for me,” she entreated. The King responded with a subtle smile and fell asleep. Iona released his hand and picked up the binder of letters, placing it on his desk. She stopped by her room to splash some cool water on her face and let the redness in her eyes fade before she went to find Leo. Theron’s time was coming, and the two of them needed to light a fire under Heston’s ass.
“There you are!” Leo announced as Iona walked into his room. He popped up from where he had been kneeling in front of a dresser, clothes stacked next to it, and kissed Iona hello.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked, noticing a travel bag packed to the brim sitting on his bed, “Didn’t you just get back from staying in town?”
“Your observational skills astound me, Iona my dear, they truly do,” Leo teased. “I am going somewhere, and so are you. We are taking a little trip.”
“What? No, we can’t take a trip. It’s been over a month since the ball, and Heston has barely written a list of women he intends to visit. We need to sit him down and force some sense into him!” Iona lectured. Even with her chastising, the grin on Leo’s face stayed put, making her suspicious. “Hello, are you listening to me?”
Leo snickered, adding fuel to Iona’s fire, before he led her to the chaise that sat beneath his bedroom window. He cracked it open, letting in the breeze which carried the sweet, grassy smell of early spring. “Now, I thought the same thing, until I chatted with Anuk when we returned from town. It turns out, Heston has been secretly traveling basically every day that we don’t attend some event in town with our father.” Anuk was the palace’s stable master. Iona raised her eyebrow and thought back to the guard earlier, clutching a note Heston wanted sent. “He always leaves at night, and returns early in the morning. Sometimes after a day, sometimes after two.”
Iona’s jaw dropped at the exciting development, “So he lied to me? Why is he being so strange about it?”
“Probably to keep us from hounding him. Heston just digs his feet in when he’s being told what to do anyway. But this is the part you’ll like best.” As someone who had been justifiably accused of being too nosy more than once in her life, Leo’s delivery was scratching her gossipy itch. “Anuk said yesterday morning, he rode up wearing a riding cloak he’d never seen before. And Heston took it off and stuffed it in his saddle bag before reaching the stalls. He described the cloak as a color between blue and green.”
A full on gasp escaped Iona, “Jessa! Oh gods, I knew it, I knew the way he reacted when I mentioned her earlier was odd. And if they’re exchanging gifts, he must be close to a proposal!” Excited like children on their birthdays, Leo and Iona traded squeals and an enthusiastic embrace.
“Exactly,” Leo confirmed, “Anuk said Heston asked for a horse to be ready tonight for him to leave again, saying he’ll be back tomorrow. So, let’s go on a trip. I have the whole thing planned, Corso and Tower are prepared, and I packed our bags already.”
Iona couldn’t remember the last time someone planned anything for her. She stuck out her bottom lip in a happy pout before pulling Leo in for a kiss, “I would love to go on a trip with you.”