Page 9 of Veil of Winter

“Too bad they will be too late.” Indeed, Elyce was not sure what they could do anyway.

She had a hazy memory of this brother of Delia’s, Sir Gerard. So he was a knight now. Was he as handsome as he’d been a few years ago? He’d been tall and lean, beardless and awkward, as he was not much older than she was. But she’d never forgotten how he looked her in the eye, so straightforward and bold, in spite of his shyness.

So he thought he’d seen a vision. What good could he and a small band of knights do? It no longer mattered anyway. The preparations for the wedding were already underway, and tonight, the night before she was to marry Rodrigo, she would implement her plan.

Ysabeau entered the room carrying a tray of food and drink.

“Cook asked me why you ate so much yesterday but were eating so lightly today.” Ysabeau’s brows were drawn together and her eyes flitted around the room. “Indeed, I am frightened for you, being asleep for so long. It cannot be good for you.”

“Please don’t worry so much, Ysa. You only need to be concerned if I don’t wake up after three days.” Elyce laughed, but Ysabeau did not look amused.

“This whole thing makes me very nervous.”

“All will be well. This will be the salvation not only of me but of the whole kingdom. Do you want your brothers to work in Valkenfeld’s mines, down in the ground every day, unable to tend their sheep or see the sun?”

Already her father had allowed King Claude to take Montcielmen and put them to work digging a new mine on the border with Valkenfeld.

“Of course not, but... I did not say I would stop you, only that it makes me nervous.”

Elyce patted her hand. “It will all be over in a few days, and I will be free to get help for us.”

“I only wish your father could see what he is driving you to do.”

Elyce liked to think that had her mother lived, she would not have allowed Father to put her in such a predicament, to put their kingdom at the mercy of King Claude. But it had been thusly for so long. And now it was up to Elyce to fight against the powers that kept them all enslaved to King Claude’s will.

The idea of standing up to tyranny to improve the lives of her people made her feel a surge of confidence and hope and reminded her of the time she demanded that the guard stop beating the man in theMarktplatz.

“Did you tell Cook that I am not hungry because I’m nervous about my wedding?”

“I told her to mind her own business.”

“You did not!” Elyce laughed.

“I told her that what our princess ate or did not eat should be of no concern to her.”

“Thank you, Ysa. No wonder I trust you and Jacob more than anyone else.”

“You trust us the most because we are the only ones loyal enough to you to let you attempt such a foolhardy thing.”

“And to not tell anyone.”

“Only if everything goes as planned. If you don’t wake up—”

“Even then, you mustn’t tell. You can fetch Frau Saacha to come help.”

“Frau Saacha.” Ysabeau blew out a breath. “I am not at all sure you should be trusting her.”

They had been over all of this before. Jacob’s sister had vouched for Frau Saacha being very skilled at making potions and possessed of healing knowledge, even if she had not been to church or confession in many years.

“Let us talk of something else.” Elyce was nervous too, but she could not admit that or she might start to question her decision.

Ysabeau talked of her oldest brother’s newborn child while Elyce began to nibble at the after-dinner repast Ysabeau had brought her. Even if Frau Saacha had not told her to eat lightly the day before drinking the potion, Elyce’s nervousness would have prevented her from eating very much.

She planned to stay up all night and drink the sleeping potion an hour or two before sunrise, so that Ysabeau could scream later that morning—her supposed wedding day—saying that Elyce was not waking up, and Father and King Claude would find her unresponsive and think she was dead.

She did not like to think about causing pain and grief to her father, even though she did feel abandoned by him, but it could not be helped. It was for the greater good. Besides, acting on her feelings of empathy for her father could ruin the lives of all her country’s people. No, she must be strong and make her decisions based on what was best, not on her emotions.

Elyce could see the wisdom in not always acting upon her emotions. But why had God given her emotions, if they were always bad and untrustworthy? Should she be emotionless, like her aunt, who never mentioned her husband, never had children of her own, and didn’t seem to mind? She did not feel love for anyone, as far as Elyce could tell.