Princess Elodi's Arc

Chapter 20 of 55

Damon walked Elodi to the dinner hall, her hand resting on his arm. The doors stood open. Inside, a long table gleamed with candlelight. At its head sat a broad man with a black beard streaked gray. His crown caught the flames. This was King Daeron, Damon's father, the ruler who had not yet decided whether Elodi could stay. He looked up as they entered. His eyes moved over her, slow and measuring. "My wife has told me much about the new face in my court," the King said. "Welcome, Princess." Elodi smoothed the purple sleeves. Queen Diana had gifted her this gown, and she hoped it might soften the room. She sat where a servant pulled out a chair. The otter settled at her feet, its jeweled collar bright in the candlelight. She remembered Diana's words. Speak plainly. Never flatter. "Thank you for having me," she said. "I should tell you the truth of how I came here." Daeron leaned back. "I prefer truth to supper talk. Begin." So she began from the beginning. She told him of the castle across the sea, of gates her mother guarded, of doors locked each night. She told him of the letter she left on the anvil. She did not soften what her mother had done. "She feared losing me," Elodi said. "My father sailed off one night and never came back. Grief made her build a cage. So I broke out of it." The King's face gave nothing. He turned his cup in his hand. "You left your mother without her blessing," he said. "You crossed my sea and asked shelter under my roof. Why should I harbor a girl who runs from her own family?" Elodi's chest tightened. Damon shifted beside her. She met the King's eyes. "Because a cage is a cage, even when love builds it," she said. "I did not run to spite her. I ran to breathe. I will earn my place here. I will not be a burden, and I will not lie to you, even now." The hall went still. Damon watched his father. The otter lifted its head. Then Daeron laughed. It rolled loud through the room, warm and sudden. "There it is," he said. He struck the table. "No flattery. No trembling. My son chose well." He pointed his cup at her. "You may stay, Princess. Bloomspire keeps its gates open. You will find no locks here." Relief loosened Elodi's shoulders. She had won the King on her own words. "But hear me," Daeron went on, quieter now. "Your mother's riders reached my shore this morning. They wait at the harbor. They ask for you by name." He set down his cup. "You are welcome in my house. That will not stop them from knocking." Elodi's relief turned cold. She was safe inside these walls. Her mother had found her all the same.