Since they were growing short on time, Rowan ended up leading her directly to the dining room that he and his father favored for private meals. Not that they had very many private meals together, usually preferring to go their own way since his mother had passed. He noted Lyssa carefully marking the twists and turns, so he started to point out small details that would help her to navigate. Since this was her home, he wanted her to be comfortable here.
This was something that surprised him. Yes, his mother had raised him to be courteous, but he'd never bothered to go beyond the bounds of politeness. If people couldn't manage something as simple as navigating the palace on their own, then they weren't competent enough to be part of the court or to work for the royal family. But he found himself wanting to make it as easy as possible for her, to show her every little nuance and secret to successfully navigating both the palace and court.
Still, as she pointed out a small detail and smiled, he couldn't help but smile back at her. It was worth it, this unusual feeling, if she would keep smiling like that. If she was happy, she would be much more likely to stay. The palace had been a solemn place for a long time now, perhaps she could brighten it up, like she'd already brightened his life.
He frowned slightly, that is, if the court didn't try to extinguish her light. The court was highly resistant to change and Lyssa was very different from what they were used to. He wanted to shelter her from that but knew instinctively that she wouldn't thank him for that. Although he hadn't seen anything more than a glimpse here and there, he had a feeling that she was a fighter to her core.
She touched his arm lightly to catch his attention, her head tilted slightly as she studied his expression, "Rowan? Is something wrong?"
He shook away the irritating thoughts of court for a later date, "Not at all, just thinking. Here we are."
He paused before the closed doors and hesitated before speaking. "Father means well, he wants me to be happy. But if you are uncomfortable at all, just say something and I'll handle it. Or you can leave at any point, you have my word."
She smiled up at him, "I've handled worse than a few nosy questions. Wait until you meet my family someday. Don't fret, Rowan, I'm sure that everything will be fine."
Thinking of all the recent friction, Rowan winced but allowed to the subject to drop. He had just begun the courtship, he didn't want to make her flee. Instead, he pushed open the door and escorted her into the room. This room had been one of his mother's favorites, a light and airy space where they could relax out of the public's eyes. Large windows with gauzy curtains swaying lightly in the breeze gave the room a sense of freedom and movement as well as filling the room with warmth and light.
King Airell was already waiting in the room for them, a pensive expression on his face as he stood looking out the window.
Praying that the meeting would go well, Rowan cleared his throat quietly to attract his attention. Airell turned to look at them, smiling when he realized who was there. He crossed the room to them, his expression welcoming.
X
Alyssa slid her arm from Rowan's, nervousness shooting through her nerves. When the king reached them, she curtsied deeply, placing her hand over her heart and bowing her head, "Greetings, Your Majesty. May the wind always be strong beneath your wings. I apologize for my failure to introduce myself last night. Lady Alyssa of Anaria at your service."
He held out his hand and waited patiently for her to take it before gently tugging her back upright, "Not at all, Lady Alyssa. I'm sure that it was overwhelming yesterday, with both the event and the recognition of your bond. I'm delighted to meet such a charming woman and I welcome you gladly to the palace."
He kissed her hand and then allowed it to drop, taking a small step back so as to not crowd her. Alyssa felt her cheeks heat again and had to sigh inwardly. These royals were charmers, that was for sure.
King Airell smiled broadly at them, "Come, let's eat. I'm sure that you both must be hungry. I hope that you've found your room and stay comfortable so far?"
He turned and moved towards the table and Alyssa turned to Rowan, surprised. She muttered softly, "He doesn't know? About the assassin?"
Rowan frowned, gently leading her toward the table, "He should've been informed by now."
He pulled out her seat and helped her get comfortably settled before moving away to the sideboard that was laid out with food. The king noticed her watching Rowan and said cheerfully, "I thought it would be better for us to get acquainted without all of the servants staring, don't you? So, was everything satisfactory? I hope that we didn't inconvenience you by moving you to the palace so suddenly, but it was a matter of security."
Alyssa swallowed hard, steeling her nerves. If she could deal with foreign traders and raiders trying to despoil Anaria, she could deal with her sovereign who might also end up being her father-in-law. Her stomach lurched and she pushed it aside to process later. Right now, she just had to get through this initial meeting without making a fool of herself.
Taking a deep breath, she met the king's hopeful gaze and answered gently, "Yes, I found my rooms quite lovely. However, there was an incident last night."
Airell turned and scowled at Rowan, obviously blaming him for whatever had happened. It looked like the relationship between the two of them was not as well as she'd thought. However, unwilling to cause a misunderstanding, she hurried to clarify. "Yesterday was very eventful and I found myself fatigued by the end of the evening."
Airell refocused on her, his expression gently encouraging her to continue. She nodded, "Rowan graciously escorted me to my room so that I could rest and we parted ways for the night. But..." She sought for a way to say it diplomatically but decided that it was best not to tiptoe around the matter so as to not cause confusion. "Unbeknownst to either of us, there was an assassin lying in wait in my quarters. Rowan was returning to ask me to brunch and heard my cries. He was able to intervene and save me, but neither of us had ever thought that I would be in danger."
Airell's eyes widened in shock before looking to Rowan for affirmation, "An assassin?"
Rowan nodded, returning to the table with a pair of laden plates. He held out the plates and allowed her to select the one she preferred before sitting next to her. "Yes. He was taken into custody immediately and secured. He is currently being interrogated and when I find out who was behind this, they'll wish that they'd never been born. However, I am surprised that you weren't informed of this."
Airell shook his head, his eyes sharp, "I should've been informed immediately, even if they had to pull me from bed. I will look into this oversight, I assure you."
He turned to Alyssa, "Were you harmed, gentle lady? I cannot believe such a travesty would happen beneath my roof."
Feeling amusement course through her at being called gentle, she shook her head and was about to respond when Rowan broke in, his expression furious, "She received a cut on her arm and it was a miracle that it wasn't from a poisoned blade. If I'd been even a little slower or if I hadn't returned to ask her about brunch, who knows what might have happened."
Feeling irritation at the fact that they seemed to think her incapable of protecting herself, she reminded herself firmly that they didn't actually know her yet, despite the fact that she was Rowan's mate. Also, knowing how irritable Kitala males got about any perceived harm to their females, her best course of action for the moment was to try and calm the situation.
Smiling, she pulled up her sleeve enough so that they could see the bandage, "It was a small cut and it will be healed in no time. See, the bandages are clean, so there hasn't been any further bleeding. So, you see, I'm fine. And like Rowan said, the assassin was easily subdued and is now in custody." She took a bite before adding thoughtfully, "He seemed most ethical for an assassin. He merely knocked out the maid and guards, didn't kill them. I don't know if he dislikes killing innocents or if too many deaths would have drawn too much attention to him and his employer. However, he did promise me a clean death, so I'm leaning more towards a distaste for needless death."
She looked up to find them staring at her, with identical shocked expressions on their faces. Oops, she hadn't meant to say that. She hurried to change the subject, "Still, all's well, that ends well, right? I must admit, the palace is beautiful, what I've seen of it. Rowan took me for a stroll this morning and showed me one of the gardens. I've never seen such a gorgeous assortment of flowers before. And this room here, it's so light and airy. If I lived here, it would be one of my favorite rooms without a doubt. Do you know who designed it?"
Resisting the urge to hold her breath, she waited to see if they'd accept her abrupt topic change or not.
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