Chapter 15: Ninety-Four
"Wait," I blurted. "How old are you, your grace?"
The Queen didn't answer.
One of the elders did, like facts were safer in another mouth.
"Our Queen is ninety-four," he said. "She bore twins sixty-three years ago."
I stared.
Ninety-four.
She didn't look older than twenty-five.
The elder kept going.
"Both our Queen and King Ca'Eleva were heirs to their parents. When they separated, each took one son to raise as heir."
My mouth went dry.
"So," I said slowly, "she's ninety-four. She has two sons who are sixty-three. One is already a king. And—"
I looked around, searching for the prince, the heir, the supposedly sixty-three-year-old man.
"So where is your son?" I asked the Queen. "Your heir."
"I'm here," a voice said behind me.
I turned.
A boy walked in—seventeen at most—holding the hand of a girl who looked sixteen.
My brain refused the image.
I pointed like an idiot.
"What? You want me to believe that boy is sixty-three?"
The elders ignored me completely.
They bowed to the Queen.
"Your grace," one said, "we knew if we told you the truth, you would go north to join the war. We could not afford to lose you in a war we could avoid."
The Queen's expression was tight with old anger.
"Now that the war is over," she said, standing, "we will sail north to our sister tribe."
She looked like the decision had been waiting in her bones for fifty years.
"I will see my son."
Then she turned toward the room.
"Make sure our guests are well taken care of."
And she left.
The elders followed.
I exhaled shakily.
"I think we're going back to Rovena soon," I muttered.
I turned to the girl who'd entered with the prince.
"You must be Prince Aaron's daughter," I said. "The princess."
The princess stared at me like I was a knife she hadn't decided whether to use.
"Did my father send you to kidnap me," she said, "and kill my lover?"
"What?" I said, acting confused.
"You're the third group of assassins he's sent so far," she snapped.
"Do we look like assassins?"
"My father would never admit I ran away unless the people he sent were meant to erase the problem," she said. "He loves sending people to eliminate enemies."
"Well," I said, "he did ask us to bring you back. And kill your lover."
Rowanda shifted beside me like she might punch me.
I kept going anyway.
"But that's not why we're here. We came to warn you. Protect you."
The princess's eyes narrowed. "And what do you get for that?"
"Safe passage to Hekhenden," I said.
"And I should believe you?"
"Believe what you want."
"I should tell Ca'Libren to hang you right away."
"Then you'll hang too," I said.
Her mouth opened. "Why would I hang?"
I gestured vaguely. "The Queen just told everyone to take care of us."
We stared at each other a long moment.
Then I squinted at the prince.
"So who is Ca'Libren anyway?"
"That would be me," the young prince said, voice cold.
I blinked.
"So Ca'Eleva was the father, and his sons are Ca'Preva and Ca'Libren…" I looked back toward where the Queen had left. "What's the Queen's name? Does it start with Ca too?"
"Queen Est'Chamali," the prince said.
I nodded once.
"I'm so glad my name is Leno."