Page 50 of The Broken Elf King
NINE
At the wedding, the Bow Men had invited Raife and I to the beaches of Archmere to watch a sailing competition the very next day. The married Bow Men were bringing their wives and there would be beach games and suntanning. It sounded fun. I’d gone ahead to Samarah’s this morning and had her sew me a two-piece swimsuit like the ones we wore in Nightfall. I hoped it gave Raife a heart attack. Since bedding on our wedding night last night, Raife had softened. Kisses here and there at breakfast, holding hands, saying sweet things. He was allowing himself to feel his emotions without being afraid of what they would do, and that made me happier than I’d ever been. All I wanted was for us to give this a real chance. Let it be what it could be.
There was a knock at our bedroom door and I opened it to find Raife with his nose shoved in a typography book.
“Ready?” he asked without glancing up.
“Yep,” I announced.
He looked up then, and his eyes ran over my sundress. I normally wore the formal floor-length gowns with heavy embellishments, but that would be ridiculous for a beach event and suntanning. Instead I had on a short little sundress that came well above the knee. It was in a thin purple silk, my favorite color, and the neckline dipped low, giving a small peep of my cleavage.
“I can wait while you get dressed,” he said jokingly.
I laughed, throaty and sarcastic. “Oh, darling, I am dressed.”
His eyes narrowed, going from my cleavage to my bare legs, and I was delighted to feel a little jealously coming off of him.
“Oops, I almost forgot.” I ran over to my wardrobe and grabbed the large wide-brimmed white hat. “Now I’m ready.”
Raife took in a deep breath and then exhaled, holding the door open as I passed. I swear when I brushed up against him, he smelled me. “You kill me,” he breathed, and I just grinned.
Mission accomplished.
* * *
It wasan active horse and carriage ride to the ocean. Our carriage sat six with a table in between. Raife and I sat across from each other and there were two other couples. Raife’s top Bow Men, Ares and Cahal, played a card game with him, and I sat next to their wives, Baylie and Naia, talking about fashion.
“We were so sad when you couldn’t come to craft night,” Baylie said. “I hope you’re feeling better?”
I eyed Raife. He’d told them I was sick and they bought it? Raife was the greatest healer in the land. Would they not think he would heal me?
“Much better, thanks,” I told her.
Over the course of our carriage ride, I learned that Baylie was the chatty redhead who knitted and Naia was the quieter blonde who liked to sew. Both were extremely welcoming and I was relieved to see that the hem of their dresses was also short. I had no idea about being queen, but dressing appropriate while also sexy was my goal.
“I love that neckline.” Naia pointed to the beading I’d asked Samarah to add. It sparkled and drew the eye.
“Thank you,” I said.
We talked about the wedding and how divine the cake was and other light topics. All in all I was feeling pretty relaxed by the time we reached the beach. The carriage came to a stop and the boys exited first before reaching out a hand to each of us. When I took Raife’s hand, I started to descend and the tip of my sandal caught the lip of the carriage step. One second I was gracefully exiting a royal carriage for a beach date with my new husband the king, and the next I was flailing. A shriek ripped from my lips as I tumbled forward, ready to faceplant. Raife repositioned himself, grasping my hips tightly and lifting me up like I was made of parchment. When he set me back down before him, I reached out and grabbed his shoulders to steady myself.
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
How humiliating. Not only were the Bow Men and their wives looking at me, but so was half the beach. The first time the people meet the new queen and I couldn’t even exit a carriage properly. I wanted to die.
“Sorry if I embarrassed you,” I whispered to Raife.
He leaned forward, brushing his lips along my neck until they were up against my ear. “You could never embarrass me, Lani,” he said, and my stomach dropped.
With that, he slipped his hand into mine, stroking my palm with his thumb, and escorted me to the beach.
We passed some market stalls that had been set up and I peered at the items. Some artisans were selling crafts made of seashells, and some of the tents were food stalls. It all reminded me of my father. He’d written about this very place in his journals, where he would sell his wares. If he were alive today, would he be proud to know his daughter was queen of his people, even if it was all for show? I liked to think he would.
Raife had already counseled me that we would not be eating at this event as the risk was too great. Also, any gifts given needed to be taken by a Bow Man or one of their wives to be inspected later. There apparently were liquid poisons that could be painted onto objects to kill you with one touch. I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to constantly being on guard for an assassination plot, but it was my new life so I was trying to settle into it.
There was a trio playing the elvin violin, and with them was a hauntingly beautiful singer. She wore a thin cotton ankle-length beach dress, her black hair braided at the sides hanging way past her waist. She belted a sad love song into the sunny air and chills ran the length of my arms.
“Oh, Raife. She must sing at the Winter Ball,” I said. Now that I was queen it was no longer appropriate that I taste Raife’s food or be his assistant for much longer. I had been told I would be planning all the palace events until I could find the right tutor to help me become the physician I always dreamed of. They’d need to know the human science aspects of healing as well as the elvin ones. Raife said he would find someone for me, but to throw elegant parties in the meantime, starting with the Winter Ball in a few months’ time.
