He had the patience and wisdom to wait for me to speak. "Father, why did Lasair strike me? She dared strike the crown prince, and a dragon, too!"
"My son," Rogan murmured, concern on his face. "Did she hurt you?"
I saw this as an opportunity for sympathy. "She hit me very hard, and she's a strong girl!"
Rogan burst out laughing at that pitiful assertion, and dunked my head underwater. I emerged, incensed.
"Boy, she didn't hurt your face or any part of your body – though thank the gods she didn't put a knee to your groin, which she had every right to do. What she hurt was your damnable pride. She hurt your feelings. I know you like the girl, I know what good friends you are – or, rather, were. I don't know if she'll ever speak to you again, or even if she should."
I treaded water, looking at in him surprise. "I shouldn't have tried to kiss her, then?"
He sighed. "Caside, there's nothing wrong with wanting to kiss a pretty young girl. I'd be worried if you didn't. You're hot blooded, and young, and you're just beginning to explore a new part of life. It's better to learn early on that you can't force a woman to do anything she doesn't want to do – crown prince or King or whoever you are. Nor should you wish to. There will be times when your nature will try to get the better of you, and you'll want to force your will on another. But you must be stronger than that. As a future King, as well as a dragon, you must be careful to guard yourself. It is a great responsibility."
"Besides," he added, "now you know that if you're going to try to kiss a girl for the first time, don't be such a sodding clod about it!" He roared with laughter again, and it echoed off the trees and rocks that surrounded us.
Now, as I flew through the sky, the human part of my brain remembered his words. Once again, I'd been a sodding clod. I'd been clumsy and pigheaded. He was right now, as he had been then. Anabelle had hurt my feelings. My pride was the only thing that had suffered today, just as it had suffered when Lasair had struck me.
The difference was, then I was a boy. Now I was a man, and a King.
I reluctantly turned back toward the castle. I knew what I had to do, and I did not look forward to it.
Suddenly I saw Morgan flying toward me at a great rate of speed, his tawny scales reflecting the sunlight. I could sense that he was panicked, and once he came closer to me and saw that I was well, he slowed. But then he motioned for me to join him, and began flying with great haste toward the castle.
Anabelle, I thought. My mate. What had happened? Morgan and I raced back to the castle, the wind whipping around us. I thought about that frightening day when the windows in the great hall shattered. The selkies still haven't returned, I reminded myself.
It seemed to take centuries to get back, but eventually we reached the balcony that led to my mother's chambers. Morgan landed there, and I followed suit. Quickly we shifted to our human forms.
"What's happened?" I asked, frantic with worry. "Has someone been harmed?"
Morgan placed a reassuring hand on my bare shoulder, as two servants rushed toward us carrying dressing gowns. "Everyone is well in body, brother. But something alarming has transpired."
Our mother stood before the hearth, horror written on her face. Anabelle was standing beside her, and all of the fury of our altercation dissolved when I saw that she was unharmed. I rushed to her and took her in my arms.
My mother hadn't moved. "What is it? What has happened?" I asked, looking from my wife to my mother.
"Caside … " Anabelle murmured. "I was here, with your mother, when a vision appeared in the hearth."
I relaxed. Another one of Rhiannon's visions, then. I had been terrified at the thought of my mate lying in a pool of her own blood, when all that had happened was my mother had another vision.
"What did she see?" I asked, still unable to get a response from my mother.
"No, Caside," Anabelle corrected. "I saw it, too. We both did."
My blood ran cold. It was one thing to assume my mother was overreacting, but another entirely to know that Anabelle had shared the experience.
"Caside," Rhiannon finally said, "in the flames … we saw two figures that resembled you and Anabelle. And over them descended a dark cloud, and a giant dark figure emerged from that cloud to tear both of the other two figures apart. I watched, my son. It tore you and your Queen into pieces."
My eyes went from hers to Anabelle's face, and I could see that Anabelle agreed. She'd seen the same ominous vision. My arms tightened around her, my blood still cold in my veins. What could this mean?
"I'm sorry you had to see something so terrible," I said, trying to feebly to come up with an explanation for this phenomenon. "Are you sure it wasn't some sort of trick? I've heard that young Regan has proven himself skillful in the art of magic. Perhaps it was a joke on you, to show what he could do." Regan was the teenaged son of my sister, Nainsi. Their family had been staying at the castle ever since the wedding ceremony weeks earlier.
Rhiannon shook her head. "Nainsi and Regan left yesterday, Caside. Don't you remember?"
I was flustered. Of course they had left; I had seen them off myself. In my desperate attempt to find an explanation I had completely forgotten. But I still refused to believe that this could be anything but some sick person's idea of a joke. "Who could possibly benefit from frightening you so? Who could gain from planting the idea in our heads that our union is in danger?"
No one had an answer; not even Morgan, who always knew the best course of action in a tough spot. He looked just as concerned and perplexed as the rest of us.
I placed a reassuring hand on my mother's arm. "Mother, we're both safe. Look at me." She turned, and I saw tears in her eyes. "See? We're both here, before you. All is well." I turned to my bride, who trembled in my arms, though I could tell she was trying to appear brave. "The same goes for you, my love. I stand here, with you in my arms. Remember what I told you: You have the power of the dragon standing at your side. I will never let harm come to you. I would lay down everything before you."
I glanced at Morgan, and only then did I allow the fear that had planted itself in my heart to be known in my eyes. He nodded, shortly, to show that he understood.
"My queen, mother," I said, addressing them both. "Would you please excuse Morgan and myself? I would like to discuss this with him. We'll find out how to get to the bottom of this, and the person or persons responsible will pay."
I drew Anabelle closer to me, and whispered, "I'll tell you about it later. I'll never close myself off you to you again. But I think my mother needs your company." Anabelle drew back and nodded. I could see the relief in her eyes.
Morgan and I left the women there, and strode rapidly to the council chambers. Neither of us took the time to change from our dressing gowns; this was too urgent to stand on ceremony.
"Alert the members of council that I wish to see them immediately," I told one of my men as we made haste. He ran off to fulfill my wishes.
As soon as Morgan and I were alone, I said, "Brother, I wanted to ignore this. You know I did. But I don't feel that I can any longer. However, I don't wish to appear weak or frightened before the council."
Morgan nodded shortly, understanding my meaning as he always did without needing to be told. He knew that I would need him to present the situation to the council under the guise of being concerned himself, rather than as a concern of mine. I would stand back as if removed from the situation, and listen as though I was being told for the first time. This way I could decide to have the council take action from a place of power, rather than one which could be interpreted as fear.
And that's exactly what he did. As soon as the eight members of the group were assembled around the table at which we had already met earlier in the day, Morgan recounted the vision our mother had seen in the flames.
I had expected additional questions, incredulity – anything but the absolute silence that greeted Morgan's announcement. My brother and I both waited for some reaction. I saw two men, Seamus and Wynne, exchange looks I could only describe as frightened and full of meaning.
"What is this?" I asked. "Hasn't anyone anything to offer here? My brother has brought us what could be interpreted as a very significant piece of news. And you sit there, silent. For what reason do I have a council in the first place if you can't be bothered to be men of action?"
They all looked at one another. Each of them had been members of my father's council during his reign; when I came to power, after his death, I had needed all of the wisdom around me that I could muster. To this point, they had done an excellent job; I'd had no reason to remove any of them, saving my desire to replace Dogal with my brother. I looked at them, one by one, and the faces I had known since my childhood all looked down when my eyes fell upon them.