Awakened Beauty Read online

  “Tell me about yourself.” I settled back into my seat. “Remind me of what I’ve forgotten, Rune.”

  4

  Rune and I had spent quite a bit of time together in my dreams, where time was actually relative. What seemed like months had only been hours in the waking world. He told me how we had walked through fantastical dreamscapes of misty gardens full of monstrous blooms, vast palaces in the sky, and sparkling caves of precious jewels. When Rune spoke, his eyes would soften and he would look at me wistfully. I wanted to feel whatever it was he was feeling. But I didn’t.

  We left my chambers after a few hours of his reminiscing and went down to the great hall to join my parents. They looked relieved to see me at ease with Rune, but I wasn’t finished with them yet. I asked to speak privately with them in our family library.

  My mother hugged me again as my father shut the library door. “I missed you, Seraphine.”

  “I would have missed you too,” I said gently, “had I known we were separated.”

  “Did you—” My father cleared his throat and tried again. “Have you settled things with Rune?”

  “We talked,” I said. “He has convinced me of the truth.”

  “Oh.” My father shared a look with my mother. “So you haven’t consummated the marriage?”

  “Rune is giving me some time to remember him first.”

  “He’s a good man.” My mother smiled. “In a way, I’m pleased with how this has ended.”

  “It’s hardly ended,” my father muttered.

  “What do you mean?” I asked him.

  “Meara did this to you,” my father growled. “I may be an old man now, Seraphine, but I am still a king. And I still control one of the most powerful armies in the world.”

  “We held back because we weren’t sure what would happen to you if we hurt Meara,” my mother said. “But now that you are awake…”

  “You want to go to war with Tassaros?” I was shocked.

  “I want those dragons dead.” My father’s jaw clenched. “All of them.”

  “Aren’t you angry that she has stolen these years from you?” my mother asked. “From us?”

  “I am. Of course, I am.” I frowned. “But perhaps it’s best to let this feud die.”

  “I will not let this go without retaliation.” My father’s eyes were just as sharp as I remembered, and it relieved me to see that he was still the man I admired.

  His eyes were icy blue, a beautiful contrast to my mother’s deep sapphire stare. Somehow those two blues had combined and produced gray in me. My eyes were the color of storm clouds instead of sunny skies, and I’d always wished it were opposite. At my birth, the soothsayer had announced that my stormy stare was a forecast for my life, and I would either bring the storm or be the center of it.

  “Seraphine?” My father had continued talking as my mind wandered. “Are you listening to me?”

  “Let it go,” I whispered.

  “What?”

  “Let it go, Father.” I sighed with some frustration. “Let the rage go and maybe we can have sunny skies again.”

  My mother started to cry.

  “Mother.” I went over and hugged her. “Do you truly want revenge so badly?”

  “No, it’s not that.” She sniffled. “I agree with you. Our happiness is more important than our vengeance. And it has been so very long since we were happy.”

  “So be it.” My father sighed, his shoulders dropping. “If it is peace you wish for, I will not send our armies against Tassaros.”

  “Thank you, Father.” I smiled, hoping the storm had passed us by this time.

  But storms could be difficult to predict.

  5

  “My lord.” Lady Kensington curtsied deeply as Rune passed, showing off her corset-elevated breasts to their best advantage.

  “My lady.” Rune barely spared her, or her group of giggling women, a glance. He came straight to me and helped me descend the last stair into the grand entrance room of the castle. “My lady wife.” His smile warmed his eyes.

  The giggles stopped, and an envious sighing started.

  “My lord husband.” It felt strange to say it, but politeness dictated I return the salutation in kind. “Enjoying yourself?” I shot a pointed look towards the ladies of the court.

  “Hardly.” He scoffed and led me past them. “You realize that I am not a royal? I’m uncomfortable around such vapid women who try so blatantly to get my attention.”

  “No, I hadn’t.” I blinked. It had never occurred to me that I could marry a man not of royal birth. “And am I not one of those vapid women?”

  “Of course not.” He scowled. “You, I know for certain, are not vapid. Nor do you have to try to get my attention; it is yours already.”

  I pushed away the happy jolt his words brought. “But I don’t really know anything for certain about you.”

  “Does it offend you that I’m not a prince?” Rune stopped walking to confront me.

  “No.” I shrugged. “Frankly, I don’t care for the princes I’ve met. They are usually…”

  “Arrogant asses?” Rune smirked.

  “Yes.” I chuckled.

  “Would you like to know more about me?” Rune offered as he began to escort me forward again. We were heading toward the main doors of the castle.

  “Of course, I would.”

  “Even if it meant visiting a home far more modest than this one?”

  “Your home?” I glanced sideways at him with interest.

  “Yes.” He didn’t look at me.

  “All right.”

  “Yes?” Rune finally looked over hopefully. “You will?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because”—he waved a hand around the grand room—“this.”

  “I am not ‘this.’ ” I stared at him reproachfully. “If you know me so well, you should know that.”

  Rune stopped to open the door for me and paused. “You’re right; I shouldn’t have been surprised.”

  “Good.” I nodded and stepped outside.

  There were horses saddled and waiting for us. I turned to find him smirking at me.

  “So maybe I wasn’t all that surprised.” Rune smiled wider. “Come, my lovely wife. I will help you onto your horse.”

  Rune took the reins from the waiting groomsman and offered me a hand. I chuckled as I climbed into the saddle. I took the reins and turned my horse about as I waited for Rune to mount.

  “Is it far?” I asked as Rune brought his horse abreast of mine.

  “Not very.” He led us out of the courtyard and over the drawbridge. “Especially if you’re up for a run.”

  “Absolutely.” I grinned.

  “Excellent.” Rune urged his horse on, and I followed.

  Rune’s home was within our kingdom and didn’t take too long to reach. I had expected some kind of eerie witch’s cabin deep in the woods, but that wasn’t it at all. We trotted up to a manor house set amid vast farmland. Crops of all types grew: grapes, wheat, and assorted vegetables. The house was large and in good repair. It surveyed its domain like a proud papa, but it was a mother who emerged from it to greet us. Rune’s mother.

  “Rune!” The woman was tall, sturdy, and beautiful. Her slate-gray hair was braided up around her soft face, and her clothes were simple but made of fine cloth. “You’ve come home!”

  “And I’ve brought a wife with me,” Rune declared as he dismounted. He rushed up to the woman and hugged her. “It’s good to see you, Mother.”

  “A wife?” She pulled away from him and peered up at me. “Princess Seraphine?” Her expression went blank then shocked as she stared from Rune to me and back. “Are you jesting?”

  “No.” Rune helped me down. “Princess Seraphine is my wife, Mother. Seraphine, this is my mother, Lady Bromley.”

  “My lady.” I curtsied.

  “You saved her.” Rune’s mother blinked. Then she launched herself forward and hugged me. “Welcome, Daughter. Come inside. Stefan will s
ee to the care of your horses.” She waved at a young boy waiting near the side of the house. He came running up. “Thank you, Stefan.”

  “My lady.” He bowed and then collected the horses.

  “I knew you could wake her,” Lady Bromley was saying to her son. “I knew you had the magic in you. I just hadn’t expected you to wed her.”

  “It was more than magic that was needed.” Rune took my hand. “Love broke the spell.”

  Lady Bromley paused and considered us. “Yes, it did, didn’t it?”

  “I had to enter Princess Seraphine’s dreams to wake her.”

  “I suspected that you might need to.” Lady Bromley nodded crisply. “Let’s have some tea, shall we?”

  “Yes, I believe we should,” Rune agreed.

  I frowned at him. Their tones seemed rather serious for something as simple as tea.

  “Mother reads the leaves,” Rune explained.

  “Oh.” My interest was piqued. I’d never personally consulted a seer before. “You can tell our future?”

  “A little of it perhaps.” Lady Bromley nodded.

  She led us into a room with polished wood walls and a long dining table. Rune helped me into a seat as his mother went through a door at the end of the room. She came back within moments.

  “Sylvia will bring us the tea when it’s ready.” Lady Bromley took a seat at the head of the table.

  “Will I meet your father as well?” I asked Rune.

  “Uh…”

  “My husband died three years ago,” Lady Bromley said. “I’m sorry he didn’t live long enough to meet you. He would have been delighted.”

  “Oh.” I felt awful. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

  “It’s all right, Princess… er… Seraphine.” She stopped and chuckled. “This is so strange, isn’t it? I suddenly have a princess for a daughter.”

  “Do you have any other children?” I asked her.

  “No, Rune is my only child.” She sighed. “I was worried for him when he left. It’s a relief to have him home.”

  “We won’t be staying long,” Rune said gently. “I’ll have to live with Seraphine now.”

  “Oh, of course.” Lady Bromley’s face fell.

  “You are welcome to live with us,” I offered. “I’m sure my parents would agree.”

  “Oh, that’s very kind.” Lady Bromley frowned and looked about the room. “But this is my home. I am the Lady of the Manor, and I don’t think I could be content were I to become a mere lady of the court.”

  “I understand.” I nodded.

  “My lady.” A young girl brought in a tray with our tea.

  “Thank you, Sylvia.” Lady Bromley helped the girl settle the tray on the table.

  The girl curtsied and left.

  “We will visit often,” Rune promised his mother.

  “That will be nice.” She smiled softly as she poured the tea. “There.” She placed a cup before me. “Help yourself to cream and sugar.”

  I stirred in some sugar as I stared out the window across from me. There were several workers tending the fields and some herding animals. Rune may not have been born royal, but he hadn’t been born poor either. His mother was a lady, which made him a lord, a nobleman. A nobleman of the country, but noble nonetheless. Which was probably why my parents didn’t balk at our marriage. Though I doubt they would have cared who Rune was, so long as he helped me.

  “I assume that you are the one Rune inherited his abilities from,” I said.

  “Yes.” Lady Bromley handed Rune his tea. “Rune’s father didn’t have any aptitude for magic. But he was a good man, and I loved him.”

  “Can magic be learned?” I asked.

  “Only if you have the ability.” Lady Bromley considered me. “Do you have any magic users in your family?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  “A pity.” She sighed. “There are a few other ways to gain magical talent, but they are rare. For the most part, you must be born with it.”

  “I see.” I caught Rune staring at me strangely. “What is it?”

  “Nothing.” He took a sip, then nodded toward my cup. “Drink your tea.”

  I drank, munching intermittently on the scone Lady Bromley had set before me. Rune spoke casually with his mother, but their love for each other was very evident. I enjoyed watching them, seeing how their eyes—so similar to each other—would light up in the same fashion. Lady Bromley asked after my parents and nodded politely through my responses, but nothing of great import was spoken of. I had a feeling that this was done on purpose. My feeling was confirmed when I finished my tea.

  “Good, now we can dispense with the inanities.” Lady Bromley reached for my teacup. “May I?”

  “Of course.” I handed it over to her.

  Lady Bromley went somber, holding the cup in both of her hands as she swirled the remnants of tea within it. Then she tipped it over onto its saucer. When she lifted it, the little bits of tea leaves that lurked in the dredges were spread around the sides of the cup. Lady Bromley stared intently at the patterns they made, her face drawing into lines of concentration.

  “It is true love,” she whispered, a little smile spreading her lips. “You will be so happy…” She blinked and looked closer. “You have no memory of Rune.”

  “Not from my dreams, no,” I admitted.

  Lady Bromley stared at her son in surprise. “It lingers?”

  “It does,” he affirmed. “How much do you see?”

  “There is enough, I think.” He cast a glance at me. “Yes, enough.”

  “Enough of what?” I narrowed my eyes at them.

  “I’ll explain it later, when I have a better idea of what we have to work with.” Rune held up a hand. “It’s nothing for you to worry about.”

  “And yet, you’re worrying me.”

  “There are some lingering effects from your enchantment,” Lady Bromley said. “Rune needs to spend more time with you before he can learn how much magic remains.”

  “Magic?” I leaned back. “Could I fall back into that sleep?”

  “No,” Rune said immediately. “Sometimes, when a spell is broken, there are traces left behind. They can’t hurt you. It’s like ash after a fire. I just need to figure out how to clean it up.”

  “Oh.” I frowned. “All right. But you saw happiness for us?”

  “For now, yes.” She smiled.

  “For now?”

  “The future is fickle.” She shrugged. “Every decision we make alters it. I can only see the direct future: what is coming soon. The rest is too uncertain to predict.”

  “What about Meara?” I whispered the name. “Does she know I’ve awakened?”

  “I saw no mark indicating as much,” she said.

  I let out a relieved breath.

  “But word spreads,” Lady Bromley went on. “Be wary.”

  “We will, Mother.” Rune reached across the table and took my hand. He caught my eye and nodded. “I will protect you.”

  “Wonderful!” Lady Bromley smiled brightly. “Now, what about children?”

  6

  We were on our way back to the castle when we were attacked. Not by Meara or any of her soldiers. Not even by one of her witches. Common brigands attacked us; normal men who had turned to a lawless existence. They had spotted two obviously wealthy people on the road and thought they could take us easily.

  They were mistaken.

  It hadn’t occurred to me that Rune and I had left the castle without any of my usual guards attending us. I was still getting my bearings back from being asleep for so long. Otherwise, I would have insisted we bring some knights with us. It would have been unnecessary, though. Rune hadn’t brought knights with us because we already had all the protection we needed—him.

  As the criminals surrounded us, Rune eased his horse closer to mine. Then he lifted his hands, ignoring the brigands’ demands for our gold and jewels. My gaze was on our attackers, but I quickly focused on Rune when I saw his hands begin to
glow. The men around us froze, their horses shifting restlessly as they stared at Rune along with me. By the time they thought to flee, it was too late for them. A brilliant light flared out from Rune’s palms, forcing me to turn my head away and close my eyes against the glare. When I was able to see again, the men were dead upon the ground, their horses stomping in agitation. As I continued to gape at the scene, Rune dismounted, gathered the reins of the brigands’ horses, and climbed back into the saddle.

  “Seraphine.” He looked me over in concern. “Are you all right? Did I scare you? I’m sorry, I acted on impulse.”

  “Scare me?” I blinked at him in wonder. “You just saved me… again.”

  “I was the one who brought you out here to begin with.” He shrugged. “So, I don’t believe this counts towards my good deeds tally.”

  “I believe it does,” I said firmly, looking over the corpses. A shiver raced through me. I had never seen a man killed before, much less several. But I knew it had been necessary, and I also knew this wasn’t the time for me to have a panic attack. This was a time to be strong. Rune had protected me. The least I could do was not become hysterical. “What shall we do about them?”

  “We can send some soldiers back to see to them.” Rune urged me along the road. “For now, I want to get you back to the castle.”

  I looked warily around us then spurred my horse forward.

  7

  We made it safely back to the castle, and then Rune sent some soldiers back to bury the bodies. My parents heard the commotion and called us in to have our midday meal together. They wanted to hear all about the criminals who had attacked us, and what Rune had done to stop them.

  I sat silently, listening to Rune relay the events with very little detail and even less credit going to himself. I pondered him, this self-effacing man who had saved me with magic twice. With anyone else, I would have called it artifice; I would have looked deeper for the ulterior motives he was hiding. But with Rune, I knew this was simply his way. He saw things differently than the rest of us.