Melina Marchetta - Quintana of Charyn

‘The milk will come in handy once you all start breeding like normal people,’ Orly said, pulling away from Phaedra, not liking the fuss. ‘I’ll be off now.’

‘Orly! Stay a while,’ Constance argued, rolling her eyes at the awkward ways of her kin.

‘We’re to go now,’ Lotte said woefully. ‘He’s feeling this very strongly, Phaedra. He thought the moment you returned, Lucian would take you back up to the mountain, but the lad’s gone to the palace village and we are fearing the worse, we are. The worse,’ Lotte cried.

‘What is she saying?’ Cora asked. ‘This one talks too much.’

‘That Lucian is still an idiot,’ Tesadora said.

Another day passed. Another set of visits from the Monts. The Charynite valley dwellers also joined the discussion. The men lay bets.

‘Five days,’ one said.

‘Ten,’ another argued. ‘She was the one who left him this time.’

‘But he sent her back the first time, so he’ll feel contrite for that. Seven.’

It was neither five nor ten nor seven days. Kasabian guessed it right.

‘When the lad sorts out what he needs to sort out, he’ll come for you, Phaedra.’

Everyone was on their feet in shock and surprise when Lucian appeared on the third day. Phaedra watched him cross the stream, his eyes taking in the large party staring his way with curiosity. She could see by the set of his shoulders that he was dreading whatever he was about to face.

He greeted them all politely with a nod of his head.

‘I want to speak to Phaedra,’ he said, his eyes firmly on hers. She could read nothing in them. No, there it was. Panic.

‘Alone,’ he said, holding out a hand to her.

No one moved.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Cora said, pulling Phaedra away. ‘Kasabian’s her chaperone in the place of her father.’

Florenza snorted out a laugh. ‘That is so not true –’

But Jorja hushed her daughter.

‘What you have to say to Phaedra you can say in front of everyone, cousin,’ Constance said. She received instant approval from the camp dwellers, who understood exactly what she was saying.

‘I agree,’ Pitts the cobbler said. He came down most days to enjoy Jorja’s hospitality.

Phaedra took pity on Lucian and held out her hand. He looked too nervous for any of this to turn out right and she had an awful feeling that she was going to cry in front of everyone.

‘This is a matter of privacy between two people,’ she said firmly.

There was a chorus of disapproval at the suggestion, but she could feel the tears burning her eyes and she wanted to leave. Lucian was staring down at her, horrified.

‘Enough!’ he shouted at the crowd. ‘You’ve all made her cry.’

‘I’m not crying,’ she cried.

‘You’re the one who made her cry, running off to the palace the moment she arrived,’ Constance said.

Lucian was shaking his head with exasperation.

‘I thought it best that we make our marriage official,’ he blurted out. ‘The first time it was in Alonso and … quite a miserable affair. My cousin insists we make it less miserable and I couldn’t agree more.’

‘Your cousin Jory?’ Phaedra asked, her heart hammering to hear the words.

‘No,’ he said with a sigh and Phaedra could see how uncomfortable he was under everyone’s scrutiny.

‘What cousin?’ Cora asked.

Lucian pointed across the stream. Isaboe of Lumatere stood on the other side of the stream with her child on her hip and her consort by her side, surrounded by the Lumateran Guard.

‘That one.’

The Queen looked annoyed. ‘ Lucian! ’ she called out. ‘What’s happening over there?’

Lucian turned back to Phaedra and the others. ‘The Priestking is coming too. To conduct the ceremony,’ he said.

Lucian waved the royal party over and suddenly Jorja was taking deep breaths from the shock of seeing the Queen of Lumatere walking towards her cave.

‘I don’t want any fanfare,’ Lucian said gruffly when his cousin reached them. ‘Nor does Phaedra. Is that clear, everyone?’

‘You can’t speak for her,’ Constance said.

‘I don’t want any fanfare,’ Phaedra said, and she caught Lucian’s grateful smile.

‘No, none at all,’ the Queen of Lumatere joined in, accepting Jorja’s invitation to sit down. ‘Although we’ll have to wait for everyone on the mountain to come down. Balconio, too. They’ve all promised to travel up … and down for the wedding. As has August and Abian and their lot and Trevanion and the rest of the Guard. Very small. Compared to ours.’

The Queen turned to her consort.

‘I think the whole kingdom came to that one, didn’t they, my love?’

‘No, some of the Flatland lords boycotted it because they thought you were marrying beneath you,’ Finnikin of Lumatere advised her.

Jorja was looking flustered and Phaedra knew she had little to serve as refreshments.

‘The groom’s family is responsible for the feast,’ Isaboe of Lumatere said, ‘and they’ll be arriving with the food soon.’

Phaedra knew the tradition was the exact opposite in Lumatere, but she didn’t dare challenge the Queen.

‘While we wait for the arrivals, we thought we could take time to speak of matters,’ Finnikin said to Harker, and Phaedra watched everyone’s stillness as the valley dwellers gathered close.

‘To be honest, it’ll be a long time indeed before Charynites live in Lumatere. The wounds cut very deep. But we …’ Finnikin looked at the Queen. ‘My queen and I thought we’d speak to you about ideas for this valley. Perhaps it’s time to build and make plans … for permanency.’

There was silence from the valley dwellers.

‘It needs a leader, Harker,’ Isaboe said. ‘And you seem to be that man.’

Perhaps it wasn’t exactly what Harker and Jorja and the rest of the valley dwellers had journeyed here for, all that time ago, but they were interested in what the Queen and her consort had to say.

‘The way we see it, this valley will have the best that Lumatere and Charyn have to offer,’ the Queen said. ‘It could become a thriving place of progress. A place where both kingdoms meet.’

Jorja suddenly gasped and jumped to her feet. ‘How could we have forgotten? It’s a good thing you’ve visited, Your Majesty,’ she said. ‘The Charyn palace has sent a letter. Go get it, Florenza. And then we’ll find you a pretty dress, Phaedra, for the ceremony.’

‘Well, if I may,’ the Queen of Lumatere said, ‘I brought a dress that belonged to my sister, Evestalina. Lucian was her favourite, do you remember that, cousin? She’d let you get away with anything. Even more than our brother Balthazar.’

Phaedra saw the emotion on Lucian’s face. The Queen rarely spoke of the past and everyone present knew the importance of her speaking her family’s names on the Charynite side of the stream.

‘Well, she would have wanted your wife to have it.’ The Queen looked at Phaedra. ‘It shames me that it has taken me so long to acknowledge you, Phaedra of Alonso.’

Phaedra shook her head. ‘It shames me to have spoken to you the way I did in the caves after you put your life at risk for Quintana of Charyn.’

‘Enough said.’ The Queen’s voice was brisk, but filled with emotion.

Florenza returned with the letter, handing it to the Queen. The Princess Jasmina cried to have it.

‘Jasmina likes the pretty seals on the letters,’ the Queen explained, ‘especially those that are red.’ There was much oohing and aahing from the valley dwellers, who were besotted by the little princess.

The Princess Jasmina took a liking to Florenza, gripping her hand tightly, trying to drag her away.

‘Be careful,’ the Queen said firmly. ‘She’ll try to control you.’