The Reluctant Queen (The Queens of Renthia #2)(23)

He turned to them and bowed slightly. "May I present my wife, Naelin."

"And me!" Llor tugged on his father's shirt. "Present me next." He said the word "present" carefully, copying his father.

Renet ruffled his hair. "This is my son, Llor, and my daughter, Erian."

Erian curtseyed and then drifted closer to Naelin. Automatically, Naelin put her arm around her daughter's shoulders. She didn't blame Erian for being wary of these newcomers. She certainly was. They seemed to fill the house just with their presence.

Llor hopped over to the man. "Is that a longbow? Can I see it? Is it hard to pull?"

"Llor, don't pester him," Erian said.

Naelin squeezed Erian's shoulders before letting her go and stepping forward. "Welcome to our home. I'm sorry, but Renet didn't say your names. . . ."

The man ducked to fit under one of the rafters. Drying herbs brushed his hair. "I am Ven, Queen's Champion. And my companion is Captain Alet, a member of the royal guard." 

She felt as if all the air had been siphoned out of the room. It was harder to breathe. She sucked in more air, aware she was gasping, unable to stop. This was at the same time the worst and most wonderful thing she could have imagined. A champion, here. Queen Daleina's own champion, in her home!

"Wow," Llor said, his eyes as wide as an owl's, "you're a hero."

"What's the queen like?" Erian asked breathlessly at the same time. To the woman, she asked, "Are you her personal guard? Do you know her? Is she as beautiful as they say?"

"More beautiful," the guardswoman said gravely.

"Did she really defeat a hundred spirits by herself?" Erian asked.

"I heard they flee when they see her!" Llor jumped in. "She just has to look at them, and they run. I heard she tore one apart with just a word! And she destroys them too and sets their trees on fire from miles and miles and miles away!"

"She can do all that," the royal guard said.

Llor's mouth opened in a silent "wow." He was staring at the champion and the guard as if they'd descended from the sky above the forest. Naelin understood-she'd told tales about Queen Daleina and her champion to Llor (and Erian, who claimed she was too old for bedtime stories, but always listened in). Queen Daleina was the one who kept them all safe. She was Aratay's protective charm, the woman who battled fear and won. And this was the man who'd taught her.

And now they were here . . .

"They wanted to meet you, Naelin," Renet said, his voice trembling. "Please, I know you're angry, but please listen to them, Naelin. They've been looking for you."

She took a step backward, and the heels of her feet hit the hearth. Oh, no. He'd promised! He'd kissed her and promised, and she'd believed him.

"According to your husband, you controlled tree spirits and earth spirits yesterday, to protect your family," the champion said.

All wonder at their presence drained out of her. It didn't matter how legendary they were; what mattered was why they were here. "He lied," Naelin said flatly.

"I know what I saw!" Renet cried. "You were surrounded, and you sent them away. How, if you didn't control them? Admit it! You have powers."

She shook her head, hard. I have to convince them. "Renet, what have you done? You lied to these good people, these important people, interrupted their day, took their time. I'm sure they have much more important things to be doing than visiting us."

"Oh, please stay and visit!" Llor cried. He grabbed on to the wrist of the champion and hung there, dangling his full weight. The champion's arm muscles tightened, supporting the child's weight, but he didn't shake him off or even look at him. The champion's eyes bored into Naelin, as if he could see all her thoughts and all her secrets. Naelin looked away, at the woman, but the guardswoman's eyes were no more comforting-in fact, they were almost hostile.

"I'm a simple woodswoman," Naelin explained. "I make charms for my family and for sale. Over the years, I've gotten adept at it. As soon as the spirits came close enough to sense the charms, they fled. There was no power involved. No commands. I'm afraid my husband, in his enthusiasm, was mistaken." Please, believe me, she thought.

The champion continued to study her, and she felt her face flush red. She wished she were a bird and could fly out the window. Her daughter pressed closer to her again, and Naelin put an arm around her, unsure which of them was comforting the other.

Kneeling in front of Llor, the champion asked, "Did your mother scare away the monsters?"