Page 27 of The Prince's Fealty

“Come in!” he called.

It was King Nostex who stuck his head in. He had a robe pulled over a nightgown and didn’t look as put-together as normal, his graying hair a tangle around his face.

When he saw the three of them clustered on the bed surrounded by a shield, he grimaced, face distressed.

“I’m so sorry about that disturbance. I’m afraid one of the servants was caught stealing, and when he was confronted, he attempted to make a run for it. It took a few of my guards to stop him, but everything is quite all right now. You aren’t in any danger. I apologize for the disturbance.”

Var’s gut clenched at the thought of letting the shield go. Which was absurd, because there was clearly no threat now, and yet…

Jaw tight, Var made himself pull his magic back into himself. Permanent shields weren’t possible, and he’d save his magic for when it might really be needed.

“I’m sorry to hear about that,” he managed to say after a too-long delay.

“I’ll let you get back to sleep,” Nostex told them, expression chagrined. “I apologize again for the disturbance. The guards are right outside, and everything is fine.”

He closed the door behind him, and Ferna and Var stared at one another for a long moment.

Var blew out a breath that felt a little shaky.

“That was totally normal. It could have happened anywhere.”

“Right,” Ferna agreed, still looking too pale, especially with her fiery hair coming out of its braid, strands free around her face. “Completely normal.”

“Let’s put the baby between us,” Var suggested.

A little of the tension left Ferna’s body. “All right.”

There was no reason why Cala wouldn’t be safe in the cradle right next to the bed, but apparently neither of them were willing to risk it.

Ferna laid back down, and they nestled Cala in between them with pillows above and below her.

It took a long time for Ferna’s eyes to finally fall closed, and Var found himself watching her and the baby sleep until dawn cast a pink glow through the window.

His eyes felt gritty and heavy, but he felt better for having ensured they were all right. Nothing could ever make up for his failure towards Tor and his near failure with Cala, but he would do everything in his power to ensure nothing like that ever happened again.

Nostex took one look at him at breakfast and ordered him to bed.

“You can’t possibly function without sleep! Don’t be ridiculous.”

It was a lot like getting scolded by a parent. Var was thirty-five years old and the High King of the United Realms, and tears still prickled at his eyes. He’d insisted to Ferna that he was totally fine, but it seemed like Nostex wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

Var still wasn’t sure about leaving his family, though, and Ferna noticed his hesitation.

“We can have a quiet morning together,” she assured him. “At least once Cala goes down for her nap.”

“If you want, I can take her for a few hours,” Nostex offered.

Thankfully, Ferna turned him down before Var had to figure out how to be diplomatic.

“It’s all right, Father. I’m still not ready to let her out of my sight. Honestly, I think she’ll be forty, and I’ll still feel the same way.”

Nostex’s expression softened. “Ah, yes, a mother’s love for her child. I know better than to argue against that.”

Ferna and Var had always been fiercely protective of their baby, but now they knew real danger was out there. They’d redouble their efforts and make sure that Tor’s sacrifice hadn’t been in vain.

Chapter Six

Pel