“You are anxious, dear. And who can blame you, with all that you have experienced, and how you must be feeling with your return under such dire circumstances?”
“I’m overwhelmed, Aunt Rashel. I want to be strong; I need to be strong. But I am conflicted.”
Aunt Rashel patted her niece’s hand. “Go on, love. Let it out.”
“For half my life I was treated like a monster by those closest to me. Running away did not work for me; I see that now. But coming back, and facing it…” Katryna shook her head, “coming back is more than I can handle.”
Aunt Rashel leant in closer, still holding Katryna’s hand to try and comfort her. “When I was young, no older than you and Willem were, your father nearly burned down half of Castle Bower.”
Katryna burst out laughing as she wiped away a tear. “What?!”
Aunt Rashel nodded. “I’m serious. He would have been around fourteen at the time. You father was angry at the priest for making him study long hours- longer than any of the other children had to. In response, your father snuck into the chantry one night and attempted to burn the priest’s copy of the Words of Power with a flaming torch!
“By the Creator’s good grace, the fire he started did not burn down the entire castle, but much of the chantry caught alight before the servants were able to put it out! It was very dangerous indeed, and a very silly decision made by your father.”
Katryna could not believe the words she was hearing. Aunt Rashel’s worn, crooked teeth were hard to look away from, due to the huge grin across her face.
“Is that where the smoke marks on the walls of the chantry came from?”
“Yes!”
Katryna’s palm met her forehead. “Father told me a candle had burned a tapestry.”
“The liar!” Rashel laughed. “Anyway, upon questioning, your father denied it, out of fear of repercussions. He did not intend for the fire to get out of hand like it did. He had not foreseen the consequences of his actions.
“But, he felt guilty. He knew he had done the wrong thing and was conflicted about whether or not to come forward. So, after confiding in me of what he had done, I stepped forward and took the blame for starting the fire.”
“What? You took the blame? Why would you do that?”
“Because that’s what you do for the ones you love. You protect them at all costs. I knew that the consequences of admitting I started the fire would be far less harsh than what Giliam would have received. He was the eldest child, the prince who was to become king one day!
“Expectations were far greater for him than they were for me. I knew he had learned his lesson. So, I made the decision to take the fall for his mistake. It was, after all, a mistake. He let his emotions get the better of him and lacked the necessary foresight.”
Katryna nodded. She was astonished that her father, the man who was so strict with rules, so hard on her when she was growing up, had done such a reckless thing, and had never told her about it.
“Why do you tell me this?” Katryna asked. If there was a point to the story, she could not see it.
“Because I want you to know that no one is perfect. Not even your stubborn, perfectionist father,” Aunt Rashel said. “You can’t let your emotions get the better of you. Use the head that you’ve got on your shoulders when facing these obstacles and try to think outside of the circle you have drawn around yourself. That barrier is good at protecting, but not much else.”
Katryna kissed her aunt on the cheek, thanking her for the kind words. Her leg stopped shaking.
As they finished their fruits, Katryna thought about what Aunt Rashel had said on repeat in her head.
Think outside of the circle…
An idea came to her, something she had learned when she was young. She recalled her lessons with the strange Magisters, of how a woman can never rule in Camridia… unless…
It was a possible leg-up in the situation unfolding.
Katryna stood up after finishing the last piece of prickly peach. “I need to be heading off now, Aunt Rashel. I am to meet with the Emberian diplomats.”
“Perhaps you can convince them to take us home with them.”
Katryna gave her aunt a hug.
“Thanks for getting me out of the castle for a little while,” Risha said.
“I thought you would need it.”
Aunt Rashel smirked. “I really did.”
“Me too.”
Chapter 16 - United
Preparations for the Uniting Tourney, being held to commemorate the marriage of Wesley Seynard and Ciana Blacktree, were well underway by the time Jodie Blacktree had awoken from a restless sleep.
Jodie unlatched the shutters, sending in a beam of white sunlight to illuminate her quarters. She looked around for her husband, but Petir was nowhere in sight.
He must have already awoken.
She braided her long, obsidian-coloured hair, leaning against the outer frame of the alcove and peering through the windows to the city below.
Andervale was alive with activity and celebrations, from the farmlands around the Andervale plateau, the poorest city streets, and the alfresco markets, all the way up the hill of Chateau Cardell.
All these festivities for her sister-by-law and new brother-by-law’s wedding. King Tobius was renowned for flaunting his money, and House Seynard was probably the second wealthiest royal family in Alyria- so the extravagance was not at all surprising.
The Church of Luminance, the colossal heart of Caldaean worship of the Moon Mother, stood solid and proud like an ornate statue. Its white stone exterior and scale about the
