'Asbrey, my brother,' she said quietly. She spun around to look at the older man standing behind her.
Finnikin turned to look at the man. His eyes were dull with shock, but his daughter began running, stumbling toward her family as she called out their names. Finnikin saw an expression of annoyance cross Froi's face when he sensed the commotion around him. The thief stood in front of the priest-king while the exiles behind him began to push past, trying to get to the young woman. But one of them tripped at Froi's feet, the one holding the baby, and the priest-king managed to catch the child and thrust it into Froi's hands to keep it from being smothered. So Froi held it high above their heads as it proclaimed its freedom, the cries heard all across the village and the square beyond and the palace up above.
And it was this image that was stamped on the hearts and minds of all who were present that day.
Of Froi of the Exiles holding the future of Lumatere in his hands.
Part Three
All the Queen's Women
Chapter 27
From where Trevanion stood, he could see nothing but burnt stumps and acrid smoke. It had been a week since they had entered Lumatere. Longer since the deposed impostor king heard the strange whispers from those inside the kingdom that spoke of the return of the heir. As a punishment, the impostor's men had set fire to the kingdom, destroying most of the cottages and the arable land of the Flatlands. In this village, only the manor house had survived. Unlike other parts of Lumatere, where plowing and rebuilding had begun, the fields here would need to be cleared before they were fit to plow, a task that seemed backbreaking. Yet each day as he rode by, resisting the urge to stop, Trevanion watched them as they worked. This village of Sennington. Beatriss's village.
He dismounted at the road and walked his horse down the long narrow path that led to the house. Several men were loading carts with rubble and bits of timber, the charred remains of a village. The workers stopped as he passed, exchanging glances and nodding in his direction.
He reached the front door and knocked. When there was no response, he entered tentatively, following the noise of chatter into the parlor. It seemed as if most of the village of Sennington was in the room. He recognized exiles among them. Some stood, but most sat around a long table, chewing on corn cobs and drinking soup. He guessed there was not much in their bowls but water and flavoring, yet their talk was cheerful.
And then they noticed him.
The room grew silent, and suddenly she was there, standing by the stove. She stared at him, pot in hand. Her hair, once long fine waves of copper, was short, framing a face darkened by the sun's rays. She was thinner than he remembered, but neither the exiles nor those trapped inside had much flesh on their bodies. He felt uncomfortable under her gaze, like an intruder.
'Lady Beatriss.'
Still no one spoke and then one of the men stood. Trevanion remembered him as Beatriss's cousin, a wealthy merchant who had spent much of his time traveling the land. Except in the last ten years.
'Captain Trevanion. Welcome home.' The older man bowed.
'Excuse my rudeness, Captain Trevanion,' Beatriss said finally as she came forward with a hand extended. Part of him wanted to laugh at the idea of them shaking each other's hand. Strangers and acquaintances shook hands. Not a man and a woman who had created a child. Not lovers who had cried out their pleasure in unison during those early hours of the morning when the rest of the world was asleep, their bodies speaking silently of never letting go.
Her voice was the same, if stronger and firmer. But her eyes had changed. He could only remember them looking up at him with trust, or at one of the princesses and the younger children with laughter and affection. During the past week, he had seen from a distance her tenderness with her child, but her innocence and openness were gone.
The silence became uncomfortable. Trevanion desperately wished Finnikin were by his side. His son would know what to say. He would charm them all with his honesty, and impress them with his earnestness and knowledge. No one made a move to accommodate him, but Trevanion could not blame them. Lady Beatriss of the Flatlands would never have been arrested and tortured, would never have been subjected to such horror if she had not been his lover.
The child appeared at the door. Trevanion had seen her frequently during the past week, in the palace village where members of his Guard handed out provisions and instructions. Each time, the sight of this other man's child was like a blunt ax carving up his insides.
She clung to her mother, staring up at him. He was suddenly aware of his appearance. He touched his hair, clumped in knots. There had been more pressing things to attend to during the past week, although Lady Abian had ordered him to stop by that very afternoon so she could attend to his hair and beard. He felt as he had when he was back in the mines of Sorel and Finnikin had first set eyes on him. Ashamed.
'I am sorry to have disturbed you,' he said quietly, and abruptly left the room.
He was halfway up the path and almost at his horse when he realized he was being trailed by the child. She said nothing, just watched him as she tried to keep up. Her tiny face was framed by thick copper curls, and she stared at him with large blue eyes.
'Vestie!'
They both turned and watched as Beatriss hurried toward them. She picked up her skirt to stop herself from tripping, and when she reached them, she took her daughter's hand. He stared at the child's arm, saw the scratches inflicted by their queen in her desperation.
'I'm sorry for her forwardness, Captain Trevanion,' Beatriss said. 'There are many new people passing through and it must be overwhelming for our children.'
Their children. Not his.
He looked around the village, or what was left of it, for a distraction. 'We would recommend that you move your people to Fenton,' he said gruffly. 'There is a pocket of fertile land there, the exact size of Sennington.'
He watched her face pale. 'Move my villagers away from their home?' she asked.
'There is nothing left here, Lady Beatriss.'
She looked at the blackened earth around her. 'Burning my land to the ground, Captain Trevanion, has been a constant these past ten years.'
The child was looking from one to the other.
'In the coming week, will you welcome Sir Topher and my son, who is assisting him in the census?' he asked. 'I have heard you and your villagers have kept the best records, and we need help in locating names ... people ... graves.'
She nodded and he walked toward his horse.
Her voice stopped him. 'It brings me great joy that you have been reunited with your beloved boy.'
'Sadly not a boy anymore.' He thought for a moment and nodded. 'But a joy all the same.'
'Finnikin,' the child announced.
Trevanion stared down at her, and his look seemed to frighten Beatriss. But not the child. She returned the stare, an inquisitive expression on her face as if she were attempting to recognize him. And when the awkwardness and silence became too much, Trevanion climbed on his horse and rode away.
When Finnikin returned home to the Rock Village, his great-aunt Celestina wept for what seemed an eternity. Although he now felt like a stranger among his mother's people, he allowed them to fuss over him, though they did so with a certain shyness and hesitation. At first he thought it was because he was one of the few exiles
