Chapter 73
'Dear Naevia Ashcroft,
It brings me great comfort to learn that you have found happiness, for I have long held concern for your well-being. I keep you in my prayers each day without fail.
Ivoryspire is well suited to you, for it is a place shaped by peace and gentle affection. I am aware of Aelunira. Yseldra wept for days when she came to know of her, and in that moment I understood that she would prove a devoted mother. It would seem she has, once more, laid claim to your heart.
I wish you nothing but continued health and happiness in the years to come. Pray take care of yourself.
Sincerely,
Nerissea.'
I set the letter down upon my desk. She had spoken nothing of herself. This would not suffice.
I drew forth a fresh sheet of paper and began to write.
'Dear Nerissea,
I forgive you.
I understand why you acted as you did. Had I stood in your place, and possessed the same mind as yours, I believe I would have done no differently. We were all just bound within a most unfortunate circumstance, and thus I entreat you to extend mercy to yourself.
I ask one thing of you. Leave the temple. If you do not wish to return to the palace, then tell me where you would rather go, and I shall see that you are provided for.
Once more, I await your reply.
Your friend,
Naevia Ashcroft.'
I sealed the letter and set it aside, then reached for the one that had arrived today from Yseldra.
'To the woman I love above all others and most dearly long to fuck,
Why have you not replied to my letter???? Our daughter and I await your words???
I bring you glad news! I have discovered a mine abundant with Fumiah stones, and we have already begun their extraction. It is said Dunverra is rich in such magic for good reason!
Are you proud of me? You ought to be! And you must write to me, for you gave your word!
If you fail to reply, I shall come for you myself, drag you back, and to hell with the portals!
Yours above all others,
Yseldra Valebrinth.'
I drew forth another sheet of paper, a faint smile touching my lips as I set quill to it.
'Cease your whining.'
---
Time passed, and summer came into full bloom. Yet I received no word from Nerissea.
I stood before the twin portals within the city, set in a guarded quarter watched closely by soldiers. It is said that, because Dunverra lies at such a great distance, these portals require a span of seven hours before they may be used again after each use. Thus, for the present, only Yseldra, Millicent, and I were permitted their use.
Millicent smiled and gestured toward the entrance. "Go on. They have been tested many times, and no fault has been found. Speak the name of the kingdom."
"I had thought it was the name of the city," I said, confused at the change.
"Yseldra spoke Dunverra on her side by accident. It has remained so ever since."
"Why would she do such a thing?"
"She claimed she was overcome with excitement and spoke her kingdom's name without thought."
Careless, as always.
"Thank you, Your Grace," I said with sincerity, for my gratitude was genuine.
"There is no need. They serve my interests as well."
"About the House of Gab…"
"You need not concern yourself. I shall have Issac attend to it. Take as much time as you require. Go on now. She is most certainly waiting for you on the other side."
I inclined my head, moved by her kindness, then turned toward the portal. "Dunverra," I whispered, and stepped forward.
The moment I stepped from the exit portal in Dunverra, Yseldra seized me and drew me into her embrace. "Boo," she said, her smile wide, her golden eyes alight with unmistakable delight. I found myself mirroring her.
Only then did I take notice of our surroundings. The portals had been constructed within the palace gates, set just beyond them at the rear.
Why here? In time, others would surely be permitted their use.
I drew back and regarded her with narrowed eyes. "Why have you placed them here?"
"They are yours exclusively," she replied, taking my hand and guiding me forward.
"But Yseldra, they were built within the city of Valmoria in Ivoryspire. Surely Millicent intends for others to make use of them in due course?"
"Where she chooses to place them within her domain is her concern. Here, they are yours. There shall be no other portals in my kingdom."
My heart stirred at her words. It was as it had once been, when she acted in ways I had never thought possible, all for me alone, like the vows she cast across the sky. So she had not spoken the name Dunverra by accident. She had meant it, for this would remain the only set of portals within her kingdom.
She drew me into her chamber and had me sit upon the bed. "One moment," she said, before slipping through the side door.
When she returned, I was baffled. She stood before me entirely bare, and her cock, already hardened with alarming haste, bore a ring suspended by a string tied about it.
She stepped closer, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "You shall marry me."
"Yseldra," I said, pressing my fingers to my temple, "what manner of proposal is this?"
"Take the ring," she replied, indicating it with a small motion of her hand toward her twitching cock.
With resignation, I reached forward and carefully untied the string. As I drew the ring free and looked upon it, my breath faltered. It was the very one she had given me upon our first parting. She had kept it all these years.
"Yseldra," I said softly, guiding her down to sit beside me, "did you not once tell me that we could not be wed in truth?"
"I was a princess then," she answered, taking the ring from my hand. "I am a queen now, and I shall have you as my lawful wife."
She slid the ring upon the finger that bore such meaning, and pressed her lips to mine. I returned the kiss and I allowed her to take me as she wished.
---
At some distance from the main building stood an annex of modest grandeur. Yseldra held my hand as she led me within and up the stairs into a chamber. I had expressed a wish to accompany her, and she had granted it.
The room that awaited us was nothing short of exquisite. The chandelier alone spoke of its care, vast and luminous, casting a gentle brilliance across the space. Tall windows adorned the far wall, as though the architect had intended for sunlight to forever grace its occupant. Curtains of deep red silk framed them, their quality beyond question. To the left, before a softly glowing hearth, stood two long white sofas facing one another, and between them, upon a low table, rested a vase of fresh white lilies. To the right rose tall bookshelves, filled to their very edges, and before them sat a modest writing desk.
Scattered across the floor lay toys meant for a young child. And at the heart of the room stood a cradle, white and finely wrought. Within it rested a single toy.
A wooden horse of brown finish, a blue cravat tied about its neck.
It was the very one I had chosen with Yseldra when she courted me years ago.
Upon the wood before the cradle, a name had been carved with careful precision. A name I had long since forgotten.
Alvric Valebrinth.
The child of the royal line who had never drawn breath.
Yseldra lowered herself beside the cradle and drew me down with her.
She reached for the small wooden horse, her touch lingering upon it with quiet fondness. "Sister has returned," she said softly. "And I have brought the one I cherish most, that she might meet you. Forgive me for my absence. I have been remiss of late, yet I swear I shall come to you often from this day onward."
She then took up a children's book that lay nearby and began to read, as though Alvric sat beside her. At moments of humor, she let out a soft laugh. When the tale turned complex, she paused to explain it with patient care, as though guiding a child through each word. The scene unfolded was so warm, so beautiful, so tender, so… heartbreaking. I fought to contain my tears.
In the quiet room, she revealed herself anew. A mother in every sense of the word, and now, a sister who had never relinquished her place. It was plain to me that she returned here often, that this space was not one of memory alone, but of enduring love.
I withdrew from the room in quiet, leaving her to remain with dear Alvric. Downstairs, I came upon Sir Lorcan.
"She wept often through the years," he said. "She ceased writing to you when she lost hope. She made attempt after attempt upon her own life."
My heart faltered. "P-pardon?"
I had believed she ceased writing to me out of resignation alone. Never did I imagine she would turn her thoughts toward ending her own life.
"From seeking to cut her own throat, to casting herself into water, to leaping from balconies, she tried all manner of means. Luckily each time, I was able to stop her. You have my gratitude, Lady Naevia, for loving her once more. I have guarded her since infancy, and to see you here now is a wish long held. She is as a daughter to me."
He gave a deep bow. "I must see to her. I do not yet trust her to remain alone for long. Pray excuse me."
He moved and I followed. We reached the chamber together, and I lowered myself beside her. She was smiling brightly, so much so that it was difficult to reconcile with what I had just heard.
I drew her into my arms, holding her close. She let out a soft laugh.
"Why so sudden? Do I appear pitiable, seated here?"
"I simply wished to hold you."
Yes. So long as I remain at her side, she shall be well. We shall be well.