A Touch of Poison Read online

  “What’s the matter?” Alwyn demanded. “I’d heard something had happened, someone calling for a healer! I’ve brought my own personal physician, just in case he might be of some—” His attention fell on Gwen, which brought him to an abrupt halt.

  Keeping a straight face was decidedly difficult just then. Gwen could almost see the exact moment Alwyn’s artificial look of confusion became a very real one.

  “King Alwyn!” Bryn said, “I myself have only just arrived. I was woken by calls for a healer, and I came immediately. I fear—”

  “Where’s my son?” Alwyn shouted, his eyes never leaving Gwen. “What have you done with my son?”

  One of Bryn’s healers returned from the bedroom, his brow furrowed in confusion. Bryn immediately began wringing his hands, giving the man a look of anxious concern.

  “Is my son-in-law well?” he asked. “Is there anything wrong?”

  “Uh, I don’t exactly know,” said the healer, thumbing toward the bedchamber behind him. “King Gavin isn’t in there.”

  “Oh, Goddess! How could this—” Bryn did a double-take. “Wait... what?”

  It took all her self-control not to burst out laughing right there.

  “I said he’s not in there,” the healer said with a shrug. “And the fellow who is in there seems to be perfectly fine.”

  As if on cue, a second figure emerged from the room, looking tentative and apologetic. He held himself awkwardly, likely due to the fact that instead of his normal knight’s uniform, he now wore a tasteful white nightshirt and a pair of black trousers from Gavin’s wardrobe. He looked around, bowed to Alwyn, and then stood in place.

  She looked back over to Alwyn and her father. It was plain neither of them knew what to make of this development, and each of them took turns staring at her, then the knight, then the room from which he’d just emerged.

  Unable to contain herself any longer, Gwen covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her laughter. Both Alwyn and Bryn’s attention fell upon her, at which point she regained control, stood up a bit straighter, and smiled at them both.

  “Yes, I’m so sorry, this is all a bit awkward, but I can explain. Entirely my fault, this whole situation. You see, I’ve always loved military clothing, and I absolutely adore the uniforms of the Rhegarian knights; they’re so much more interesting than our drab Calderian ones. Perhaps it was a silly wish, but I desperately wanted to see how my new husband might look wearing one. Gavin was agreeable, and so we invited in the two knights who were standing guard outside of our room, and your knight Roderick here,” Gwen bowed her head towards the nightshirt-clad fellow, “was kind enough to allow Gavin to try his uniform on for size.”

  The knight, Roderick, gave Alwyn a second apologetic bow.

  “And then,” she continued, “though I feel silly to confess it, I was overcome. The mere sight of my dearest Gavin wearing that uniform, well, it caused me to feel the slightest bit light-headed and dizzy. My husband ordered both knights to stay with me and then immediately left the room to fetch some help, though that was quite some time ago, and I fear he must have gotten himself turned around or something. We waited, and eventually I sent Faryl, the other knight, to fetch some help instead. Roderick, gentleman that he is, offered to watch over me until help arrived.” Gwen smiled at the nearby healer. “Thank you for arriving so promptly. I do feel much better now.”

  “Enough of this!” Alwyn shouted. “Where is my son?”

  “I’m sure he’s about the castle, somewhere. In fact...oh look! There he is now!”

  Both men turned to find Gavin entering the antechamber, an easy smile on his face. There was a sword at his hip, and he had nearly a dozen knights in tow.

  Gwen smiled over at her father, who was staring at Gavin and the knights, then at her. He half-opened his mouth as though about to say something, then closed it again.

  “Gavin!” Alwyn shouted, striding forward. “I wish for you to explain what in the seven hells is going on here this instant!”

  Gavin flinched slightly, shying away from his father’s rage as if out of habit. Then, as though remembering something, he relaxed, and his gaze quickly sought out Gwen.

  She gave him a reassuring smile.

  Grinning back at her, Gavin stood up straight and considered Alwyn, then took a slow and cautious breath.

  “Nah,” he said finally, abruptly walking past his father and towards Gwen.

  Alwyn’s eyes bulged at that, and he began sputtering incoherently. Gwen wondered if he’d fly into a fit of apoplectic rage.

  “You...your voice,” her own father said, staring at her disbelievingly. She watched as he swallowed, gathering himself. “How can you...if you haven’t kissed him, why—”

  “Gavin, my darling!” she smiled, pushing past her father and holding her arms out invitingly. “Oh, I know it’s only been a short while, but I’ve missed you so!”

  And with that, with both their fathers watching, the two of them shared a long, lingering kiss.

  The silence was thunderous. When Gwen broke the kiss and turned back to them, both fathers resembled a pair of astonished statues.

  “Oh look, dearest!” Gavin said, grinning as he pointed at the stationary figures. “Bookends!”

  Gwen giggled and kissed Gavin once more for good measure. Then, she turned her smile upon her father.

  “Oh, and I want to thank you, Dad, for your most excellent taste when it comes to suitors. I do admit I was a bit dubious about the whole arranged marriage thing at first, but now I’m completely sold on the idea! Why, Gavin and I barely had any time to get to know one another before our wedding day, but we’ve since discovered we have so many things in common. Same passion for horseback riding, same love of the outdoors.” She grinned slyly. “Same diet.”

  She watched as Bryn looked at Alwyn, and Alwyn looked at Bryn. Soon their looks of dawning comprehension were replaced with mighty scowls.

  “Yes, that’s right,” Gavin said, his tone cheerful. “Both of you had come up with the exact same plan. I’m sure the two of you will have much to discuss shortly, having so much in common yourselves. And, Father, you’ll also be delighted to know that Gwenwyn has been teaching me reading and writing, since you always seemed too busy to bother with such matters. Why, I’ve even learned how to write my name! Would you like to see?”

  Still smiling, Gavin reached into his pocket and pulled out a ragged piece of fan paper, holding it out before his father.

  Alwyn stared at it, and his eyes narrowed.

  “A royal decree?” He glared at Gavin and set his jaw. “I wish for you to explain this at once!”

  Gwen clicked her tongue disapprovingly, shaking her head in mock disappointment. “You don’t catch on very quickly, do you? Your son no longer has to do what you wish. If you want an explanation, you might want to try reading that paper he’s got there. Most of the writing is mine, but Gavin did sign his name completely on his own. A beautiful job, too — much better than my own first attempt.”

  “Well, I did have some help practicing it earlier,” Gavin admitted. “And I’m afraid that poor tablecloth is never coming clean.”

  Alwyn stared at them each in turn, then stared at the paper being held before him. After reading it, he looked even more confused.

  “—rescind all prior orders from...rescind? You don’t even know what that word means!” He ran frustrated fingers through his white hair, his eyes growing bigger the more he read. “I’m... I’m no longer in command of my knights? But this is nonsense! You can’t just—”

  “I already have, actually,” Gavin interrupted, smiling. He looked to one of the Rhegarian knights standing nearby. “Honestly, they seemed pretty happy about it, too. Maybe even a touch relieved. And not just those knights that came with us, either. Even now, a sizable group of them are going around and spreading word of this to Rhegarian and Calderian kni
ghts both as we speak.”

  “Sergeant Niven,” Alwyn roared, turning his ferocity on the knight standing next to Gavin, “you will cease and desist this absurdity at once!”

  The knight stiffened slightly, but said nothing and continued to look forward.

  “That’s Captain Niven now, actually,” Gavin said, laughing. He gave the knight in question a quick nod. “It would appear I have things well in hand here, Captain. If you would be so kind as to leave two or three knights with me, and then take the rest to go look into how Trevor and the others are faring, I would appreciate it.”

  “Majesty!” he said, thumping his closed fist to his chest in salute.

  Alwyn stared open-mouthed as the small group of Rhegarian soldiers walked past him and down the hallway.

  “Amazing things, words,” Gavin said, idly inspecting the paper he held. “All I had to do was become king, show a bunch of words to the head of my father’s personal guard, and suddenly he’s doing everything I ask. I had no idea writing was so useful. And my signature...isn’t it good? Although—” Gavin frowned, inspecting the paper critically, then looking over to Gwen. “Are you absolutely certain the ‘i’ has to have a heart over it?”

  “Well, I think it looks nice,” Gwen said.

  “Hmmm. I might have to make a slight change to that later,” Gavin said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

  “It’s your royal signature, Darling. You can’t simply change it.”

  “Are you saying a king can’t even change his own—”

  “Treason!” Bryn snarled, now red-faced and outraged. “You think I’m going to stand around idly while you attempt to wrest control of my own kingdom from me?” He closed the distance between Gwen and himself. “This is a bloody coup!”

  Gwen felt her stomach tighten, felt all of the old fears and anxiousness well up inside of her. And then she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, a gentle reminder that she wasn’t alone in this. Her fears abated. She looked up at Gavin, who gave her a quick chuckle.

  “It’s hardly a coup if we’re king and queen now, is it?” he asked. “And as for bloody,” Gavin gave Bryn a significant look, his hand now resting upon the pommel of his sword. “Gwenwyn told me all about her life here in the castle. If you would prefer things bloody, I could most certainly arrange it.”

  Bryn hastily retreated a step.

  She wasn’t facing her father by herself, Gwen realized. Never again would she have to weather the storms of his anger alone, nor Gavin his father. Neither of them was alone any more. He was her strength, and she was his.

  Gwen touched Gavin’s shoulder lightly and smiled up at him.

  “Now, now, you can’t do something like that, Husband. What would Eirene think?” Gwen looked thoughtful, tapping her lips with a finger. “Besides, why get your own hands dirty? They both had the same plan, and both acted like pushovers in front of each other, hoping to appear weak. Both probably had some way to get rid of the other eventually. We could always put them out to sea on the same boat, see which one of them comes back.”

  “Ooo, I hadn’t even thought of that!” He grinned. “Wonderful idea, Darling!”

  “Why, thank you, Love!”

  She watched as Gavin turned back to their fathers. “I guess the point is there’s really nothing you can do about it, is there? Your plan failed. There’s a new king and queen ruling the two kingdoms, and we’ve already taken a few steps towards ensuring things stay that way. We’re not monsters, of course, amusing as Gwen’s plan may sound. No, we’ll probably just lock you both in a room while we take care of some remaining details here and in Rhegar, make sure there’s a clean transfer of power.”

  Bryn hadn’t moved in a long while, and looked utterly stunned. Alwyn remained speechless, gaping at them. Gwen was content to simply stand there, watching both men, grinning.

  The silence was broken by scuffling and muted yelling coming from beyond the antechamber door, and as the noise grew in volume, a bedraggled Anifail staggered into the room, having been shoved forward by two large knights.

  “You have no right!” Anifail said, struggling to right himself. “I demand to know—”

  It was then he saw Gwen and Gavin standing together, and he froze. She watched him calculate what was going on, grinning at him once she saw understanding dawn.

  And then Gwen looked past Anifail and focused on the two figures beyond him, and her grin disappeared entirely.

  Rhosyn was walking with the assistance of the fellow Gavin had called Trevor the first day they’d met. Trevor was being attentive and wore an expression of concern, but Rhosyn was haggard, and the nightshirt she wore was little better than rags. Her eyes were rimmed in red, and her cheek discoloured by the weal of an enormous bruise.

  Gwen realized she was clenching her jaw.

  “Any problem finding my wife’s lady-in-waiting?” Gavin asked, his tone hard and level.

  “None, My King,” said Trevor. “She was in the same room as this fellow here. We found her next to his bed, standing, near exhaustion, her arm chained to the top of an oak nightstand in a manner that prevented her from sitting.” He gave Rhosyn a worried look. “She hasn’t said a word yet, nor made any sound.”

  Teeth still tightly clenched, Gwen strode forward, not stopping until her face was inches away from Anifail’s. Though every part of her wanted to lash out and strike him just then, she instead raised an upturned palm between them expectantly.

  “There’s no way you’d just leave it lying around someplace,” she said quietly. “Let’s have it. Now.”

  Anifail gave her a slight sneer, and jutted his chin out at her.

  The two of them remained frozen in place, locking stares. After a few moments, Gwen allowed her face to light up in a beatific smile, and she clapped her hands together excitedly.

  “Oooh! I’ve just thought of a lovely new game!” she announced loudly. “It’s called How many holes can we poke in Anifail before he empties his pockets? Who wants to be the first to play?”

  Anifail snarled a curse, attempting to shake off the knight who held his arm. Gwen gestured to the knight, who let go of him, at which point Anifail slowly reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small spherical object Gwen recognized as a geis sphere. He held it out before him, and fixed Gwen with a look of contempt.

  Gwen held her open hand out underneath his. He dropped the sphere onto her palm.

  As soon as she had possession of the sphere, she spun in place and dashed it against the stone wall next to her. It exploded with a pop, ballooning luminescent dust that very quickly settled to the floor.

  The sound of Rhosyn’s sob could be heard immediately. Then, as if hearing her own voice had just made things worse, she let out a cry and buried her face in Trevor’s shoulder. Though seeming very surprised by this, Trevor instinctively hugged her, and began patting her lightly on the shoulder while glaring about the room in a protective manner.

  Watching Trevor, Gwen felt an immediate sense of gratitude. She wanted to comfort Rhosyn herself, but she wasn’t properly covered up — no gloves, no sleeves, none of the stuff she usually needed to safely embrace her. As much as she wanted to just then, she couldn’t risk giving her friend a hug, which made her glad there was someone there who could do what she couldn’t.

  The two of them made quite a cute couple, actually.

  Anifail gave a snort of derision, which brought her attention back to him.

  “Queen,” he laughed, taking a moment to spit on the floor. “You think you’ve won. I’ve got friends everywhere. I’ve got resources your feeble little mind can’t even comprehend! You’re not smart enough — not ruthless enough — to hold on to the crown. Not even by half! You don’t have the nerve for it. Honestly, Princess, you’ll never be more than what you are already — a scared, frightened, pathetic little girl. So go ahead. Enjoy this victory. Enjoy your time pl
ay-acting as queen. Once you’ve proved to everyone you’re nothing more than an inept, empty-headed little doll, those of us who know how real power works will be right there, waiting. Waiting for you to make a mistake.” He smiled cruelly. “One. Single. Mistake.”

  Gwen caught the barest hint of a growl coming from Gavin, and he seemed about to step past her towards the blonde man, but Gwen waved him away. Once again she stared at Anifail, who continued to stare back defiantly, a smirk on his lips.

  He was doing what he’d always done, she realized — attempting to make her feel timid and fearful, so she might become timid and fearful as a result.

  This was her first day as queen, the very first day of her brand new life. A life with Gavin. A life where she didn’t need to feel afraid, or weak, or fearful, or ashamed. She wasn’t about to let someone as worthless as Anifail set the tone for that new life.

  Gwen smiled sadly. “Oh Captain, you’re absolutely right. I’m not ruthless at all. I’m just a frail, weak little girl who’s lived in fear for most of her life. I have no experience when it comes to running a kingdom, or being queen.” She gave a light shrug. “I suppose my new husband and I are just going to have to pick it up as we go. We’ll probably make a right mess of things, but I suppose eventually we’ll just have to trust ourselves and our judgment, do what feels right. Learn.” Gwen surreptitiously licked her lips and looked over at Rhosyn, who was now quietly watching from the protection of Trevor’s shoulder. “You know, Captain, I feel as though I haven’t properly thanked you for taking such good care of my lady-in-waiting these past few weeks.”

  And with that, Gwen threw herself at Anifail, wrapped her arms around his neck, and planted a big, wet kiss on his cheek.

  Anifail staggered back, alarmed, and then became frantic, letting loose a piercing scream as he fell to the floor. Foul-smelling smoke had already begun to appear around his face and neck as he thrashed, screeching inarticulately and pawing at his cheek.