King's Throne(34)

“Of course, the blanche didn’t always live in Iceland,” the queen put in when the silence dragged on a bit. “If you go back a little further, our people emigrated from Europe, like most of the other big cat shifter species.”
King Frederick lifted a book from the basket his wife had put on the floor next to him and placed it on the table. “The rest is in here. A history of our people. As far as it goes. There are some parts missing. Lost to the mists of time. But most of the past few centuries are in here. I thought it would be a good place for you to start. This book focuses on white tigers, but some big events among the golden are in here too. Might give you context depending on how much you remember from your history lessons when you were a cub.”
“I admit I wasn’t always the best student as a youngster.” Mitch picked up the book and stroked one hand over the spine, admiring its age. “But I started to like history as an adult. It’s a hobby of mine. I’ll enjoy reading this. Thank you, sire.”
“Fred, remember?”
“Sire, I—” Mitch began, but the king held up one hand to stop his words.
“I’ll make it a royal decree if I have to,” King Frederick warned. “You are blanche now. We are the same.”
“With all due respect, we’ll never be the same.” Mitch’s frustration with the mindboggling situation he found himself in shone through his words. “I wasn’t born blanche. I am a foot soldier. A Royal Guard. Nothing more. I never have been.”
“I wasn’t born blanche either,” the queen said softly. Her expression gave away nothing of her thoughts, but it made him feel calmer. She was serenity itself. The perfect queen. If she could adapt so well to her change, maybe there was hope for Mitch? It was a concept worth thinking about.
They went on to discuss the political situation among the various groups of big-cat shifters that had organized into its current state during the Renaissance in Europe. Mitch spoke what he could of the pantera noir, while Frederick filled him in on the other groups. It turned out that while Frederick had been in exile for decades, he still had his ears tuned to the doings in the big-cat shifter communities. He was very well informed.
“What it boils down to is that my brother doesn’t want to be just the steward. He has made many attempts in the past to break through our defenses, though none in recent years. Gina was safe enough while she was still a cub. Even while she was in school. Gisli would not stoop to killing a cub, even as bad as he is.” The king sighed heavily as they finished eating and sat with full mugs of steaming coffee. “But things are changing. The unrest among our enemies and the sorry state of the Clan’s finances is pushing Gisli to action once again. Gina is an adult. Youth will not protect her. Especially now that she may soon mate and have young of her own.”#p#分页标题#e#
Mitch looked sharply at Gina, but she refused to meet his eye. Was she involved with someone? It didn’t seem possible. Nothing she had done to this point indicated she had a fiancé or boyfriend. Had he been wrong? Was she obligated to someone else? It didn’t seem possible.
Mitch almost shook his head in denial but caught himself. He knew women and he knew how they acted when they were in a committed relationship. Gina didn’t give off any of the signals. Perhaps her father was just talking generally. She was of an age to be taking a mate. It would be natural. But Mitch sincerely doubted there was a candidate waiting in the wings.
Unless the royal family indulged in such archaic practices as arranging marriages for their children. Mitch didn’t think so, but who knew what these exiled royals had been driven to in their lonely existence?
Cats were loners at times, but it wasn’t quite natural to be so isolated. Mitch hoped for their sake that they had a larger community of exiled tigers around them. Socializing with the Millers and their progeny was all well and good, but shifters needed more than just a few of their own. They needed the community. They needed the support and social structure to ground them and keep them human.
“The Clan is in shambles,” Candis spoke unexpectedly, drawing Mitch away from his troubling thoughts and back into the conversation. “While we do not participate in the politics or activities of those we have left behind, we do hear things,” she explained, her troubled gaze focused on Mitch. “For too long, we have sat by and done nothing. Could do nothing. It has been both frustrating and heartbreaking to see what has become of our beloved people. But I think the Lady has shown us clearly today that things are about to change. You’re going to change them, praise the Mother of All.”