Cursed by Darkness (Once Upon A Curse)

6. Bodin

SIX

Bodin

Theran ruled over Gilarn, shedding his light upon all those who lived there. Yet, within, he grew twisted and cruel. It was Eryx, with his shadows and darkness, who was gentler with his kingdom of Mesairla. And it was Eryx who gave Ronna her own portion of his lands to have as her own. Out of joy, she made Forosse a peaceful place that welcomed all.

Little did they know that small act would be their undoing.

“W

here is my wife?” Bodin glared at her head guard, Richard, who had returned without Juniper. Again.

He had come in earlier without her. Apparently, she ran off when he and Samuel, the Mesairlan guard Bodin had handpicked for her, were escorting her to breakfast. He’d immediately sent them and Laurent back out to search for her, but he’d requested that they kept it quiet for now. The last thing he needed was for someone to hear that the new queen was wandering around alone, especially in the middle of a war. Anything could happen to her. His stomach churned merely at the thought.

Raphael tried reassuring him that she was fine, that this wasn’t uncommon behavior for her. She liked to sneak around and explore. At least they weren’t worried… Unlike Bodin.

Now, the two Forossan princes ceased talking on the right side of the table, where they had been picking at their breakfast plates. Raphael asked Richard, “Did you check by the rivers and streams?”

Bodin almost laughed. There were dozens throughout Kehlir, weaving between buildings and around the palace. It would be impossible to search all of them that quickly.

The older man seemed to hesitate, as if picking up on his unspoken thoughts. “As much as possible, Your Highness. We’ve been searching the areas that overlook the water, but the palace is so large. I thought it might be best to return and see if she’d found her way here yet.”

With a sigh, Raphael ran his fingers through his light hair that was just a few shades darker than his sister’s. “Juniper…”

“I don’t understand,” Bodin said. “You and your father told me she’d been kept in a tower the past fifteen years. Now, you expect me to believe that this entire time, she’s been sneaking out, wandering the streets?” He glanced at each man. “How do we know she didn’t run away?”

“She’s very curious and doesn’t like feeling trapped,” the eldest prince said, still appearing not the slightest bit concerned.

Hugo remained quiet, his eyes on his eggs and toast. Once again, Bodin wondered what that was about. Last night, there had been tension between him and Juniper, and when she was telling Bodin about her brothers later, she hadn’t said much regarding him. She’d mentioned that they’d been close as children, but about a decade ago, he’d stopped spending time with her and had grown distant and rude.

“But despite having ample opportunity to flee from her imprisoned life,” Raphael continued, “she always returned. I would wager to say she simply wanted a moment to herself and to see her new home, and I’m sure she will be back soon. Unless… last night, you gave her a reason not to…”

“I didn’t hurt her if that’s what you’re implying.” I barely touched her .

Raphael opened his mouth, but it was Richard who said, “She seemed in good spirits, Your Highness. It did not appear as if anything were wrong.”

Bodin nodded toward him in appreciation.

Hearing that this was a common occurrence didn’t ease his nerves though. Like Richard said, the palace was massive. Even he hadn’t explored every one of its nooks and crannies, and he’d lived here his entire thirty-three years.

Besides, there were secret places she could stumble upon that he hadn’t planned to share with her. Not yet, at least.

He wanted to go look for her himself, but Raphael insisted she would be fine and that she could take care of herself. Tapping his fingers on the long table, Bodin waited. And waited.

He was about to ignore their advice and take off when the door opened and Juniper finally walked in with Laurent nearly half an hour later. Bodin pushed to his feet, releasing a breath.

She looked incredible in her mauve Mesairlan dress. Honestly, he was surprised she’d agreed to wear it. With its lower neckline that showed the tops of her pushed-up breasts and the slits on either side of the skirt that went from her ankle to mid-thigh, it was vastly different from the reserved dresses of her people. The tight-fitted bodice and thin, flowing material swaying around her legs let him easily imagine what was underneath—especially after seeing her in that tiny negligée last night.

But Juniper’s head was bowed as she walked toward him, not showing any of the fire he’d seen glimpses of before. She stopped near the table without speaking or taking a seat, some of her light hair falling around her face. The customs of Forosse were strict, keeping women from talking freely, from sitting without being invited. They punished those who disobeyed or didn’t act in what they deemed an appropriate manner.

Anger pulsed through him. Pushing his chair back out of the way, he approached his quiet wife and tilted her chin up with one hand, making sure to give her a smile. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she whispered.

Unable to resist, he brushed a strand hair that had fallen out of her braids behind an ear and leaned down to kiss her soft cheek. “I hope you slept well. You were still asleep when I left this morning”

She met his gaze with a look of confusion. Had she truly expected him to get that mad at her? What in the burning hells had she gone through growing up? He knew she wasn’t this docile, quiet woman. The night before, he’d seen her defiance, her bravery, and the spark of life behind those beautiful jade irises.

He refused to be the one to extinguish that fire further. His queen needed to have the freedom to shine bright beside him.Trying to convey that he wasn’t upset with her, he said, “I was worried you got lost.”

“I’m sorry. I…”

When she trailed off, he shook his head. “No need to apologize. This is your home. I meant it when I said you’re free to explore it as much as you’d like, but I thought we agreed you would keep a guard with you?” He narrowed his eyes but added a playful smirk so she would know it was in jest. “I was just concerned you wouldn’t be able to find your way here to eat with us.”

He released her to pull out the chair closest to his in offering. She inclined her head and took a seat. Laurent sat on her other side as Bodin returned to his place at the head of the table.

“Did you enjoy your stroll?” Bodin asked, handing Juniper a basket of warm bread.

She hesitated only a moment, glancing at her brothers, before she lifted her chin once more. As she took a piece of bread for her plate, she said, “I did. The palace is incredible.” Mischief entered her gaze, and he welcomed the change in attitude. He never wanted her to feel like she had to hide who she was in front of him or in their home. “I was particularly amazed by the walkway over the river, with its glass floor to see the waters beneath, and the art gallery at the end.”

Bodin stilled with a forkful of sausage halfway to his lips. He set it down and cleared his throat. “You found the art gallery?”

“Mmhmm.” She took a bite of her bread.

He glanced at Laurent, who gave a subtle nod, causing Bodin’s stomach to drop.

“There are some very interesting things to look at there,” Juniper added with what he knew was an overly sweet smile. She’d found the room. He didn’t know how. It should have been locked…

Thankfully, Raphael cut in. “As happy as I am to see you enjoying your new home, Juni, we need to discuss the logistics of this alliance.”

“Perhaps you’d like to take your breakfast elsewhere, maybe to one of the rooms with a beautiful view, while we talk?” Hugo finally spoke up.

The color leached from her face. Despite sneaking out, she’d been presumably left out of discussions and decisions all her life. Bodin wouldn’t do that to her. Reaching over, he put a hand on her forearm, bare from her split sleeves. “She’s welcome to stay if she so chooses.”

She met his eyes, not hiding her surprise well.

“I just meant for her own sake,” Hugo said. “The girl will probably be bored?—”

“The girl is my queen, and you will treat her as such,” Bodin snapped at the prince. “We do not pretend our women cannot handle the truth of war here; we do not hide them from reality or act as if they are fragile, like your people do.” He laced their fingers together, but it was Juniper who squeezed his hand in reassurance.

Raphael stared at them, the corner of his mouth twitching. If Bodin wasn’t mistaken, that was pride and approval in his golden-brown eyes. With a nod, the crown prince said, “Good. Now, as I was saying, we are prepared to send half a battalion to the front lines in the next month.”

“ Half a battalion in a month ?” Laurent said, his voice full of incredulity. “Gilarn has at least three thousand troops. We cannot hope to survive against them with so little help, let alone defeat them and take back our lands.”

Hugo and Raphael shared a look.

“The treaty was for at least two battalions,” Bodin said.

“How many are in a battalion?” Juniper whispered, leaning toward him.

“Around a thousand.”

Her eyes widened and shot to her brothers. “Five hundred against three thousand ? They’ll be slaughtered.”

“Five hundred, for now. We will send more in waves.” Hugo clenched his jaw, as if annoyed he had to explain.

Bodin took a deep breath; he was struggling not to tell the prince to leave. If Juniper wanted to learn more, she had every right. He hated the brief glimpse of embarrassment written on her face as she pulled her hand away and returned her attention to her food.

He might not want this marriage—he’d fought it until the last possible second—but it wasn’t because he was opposed to the young woman specifically. After losing two wives, however, he’d vowed never to love again. He’d closed off his heart to that possibility, and he had known it wouldn’t be fair to anyone if he remarried. Not to mention he’d lost his parents and brother, his entire family. He wouldn’t let someone in just to be inevitably devastated another time; he couldn’t take it. It was best to keep people at a distance.

Which meant that Bodin would never be able to offer her what she deserved.

But seeing her like this with her brothers? Maybe just being here, being free and respected, would be enough for her. He was glad she was here if only for that reason. Nadine wouldn’t let her be alone, nor would Laurent, and Bodin would ensure she had everything she could ever want.

“That is unacceptable,” he said, glaring at the younger prince. “The treaty said two battalions upon our marriage. We upheld our end of the bargain—the wedding as well as the trunks of jewels and coins prepared to return with you to your king.”

“The treaty didn’t say you would get them all at once?—”

“Then, you won’t be getting all of the coins at once.” He raised his voice.

Hugo shoved to his feet, and Juniper flinched at the sudden outburst. Laurent stood in an instant, his hand on the pommel of his sword, but Bodin simply stared at the man. To his surprise, it was Raphael who said, “Sit down, Hugo.”

“This is ridiculous,” he hissed. “For all we know, they didn’t even consummate the marriage, so why should we follow through? They wouldn’t allow a witness, and now he’s refusing to let the physician examine her for?—”

“Enough.” The whispered word was barely more than a breath, but Bodin was doing everything he could to remain calm. With each accusation, she had grown paler, sinking down farther into her chair. Through a clenched jaw, he said, “If you say one more thing about Juniper, I will send you back in pieces with the fucking jewels in a trunk. Am I understood?”

Hugo appeared flustered. “She’s my sister.”

“And she’s my wife!” he exploded, jumping to his feet and slamming his hands onto the table. “She is the Queen of Mesairla, and you are done speaking about her like that. Am I understood?”

“Perhaps you should be the one to take your food elsewhere, Prince,” Laurent said with a snarl so unlike him.

Hugo glanced at Raphael, as if he couldn’t believe the suggestion, but his brother only nodded. With an exasperated scoff, Hugo kicked his chair back and stormed out of the room, yelling obscenely once in the hall beyond. That was when Bodin noticed Richard mirroring Laurent’s stance, one hand on his sword. He’d angled himself between the path to Juniper’s side of the table and the door, watching the volatile prince leave.

Silence descended around the room. Bodin turned his attention to Juniper. Stepping around the corner of the table, he crouched next to her. “Hey. Are you all right?”

“You didn’t need to do that,” she whispered.

He found himself tilting her chin up again, almost as if he couldn’t stop himself, forcing her to look at him and silently vowing to do that as many times as needed until she held her head high on her own. He brushed his thumb across her cheek. “Yes, I did.”Standing, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head before he could think better of it. Something compelled him to protect this woman, to comfort her and make her happy. It was bizarre given they’d met yesterday, but it was like he couldn’t resist. “I’m sorry.”

He wasn’t entirely sure if he was apologizing for the fact that she had to deal with her ass of a brother or for kissing her again. When she gave him a small smile, he let out a relieved breath.

“Bo, maybe we should…” Laurent trailed off.

Bodin glanced from his friend to the remaining prince, who seemed shocked but not angry at him for dismissing his brother. “Laurent, will you escort Juniper back to the art gallery?”

His brow furrowed. “What?”

Juniper’s own jaw dropped slightly, but she shut it again without argument.

“She seemed excited about what she found earlier,” Bodin said, wanting both his friend and queen to understand that he wasn’t trying to get rid of her. Then, an idea struck. “Maybe you could show her around one of the more… exclusive selections. Something that will cheer her back up.”

Laurent’s eyes widened, but he quickly masked his surprise. “Yes… I can do that.”

Bodin faced his wife as she slowly stood wearing a defeated look. He gently grabbed her arm before she could walk away. “Unless you want to stay.” Lowering his voice, he said, “I’m not making you leave. I just thought after that, you might enjoy returning to the gallery.”

She stared at him for a moment, her demeanor shifting from crestfallen to excited. “You’ll let me see what’s behind the doors?”

He chuckled, loving that she put it together so easily. Her family truly didn’t give her enough credit. Pulling the keyring off of his belt, he held it up between them. The way her face lit up made his heart beat faster.

“Stay with Laurent,” he said with a pointed look. “You may take your most trusted guard if you wish, but no others, please.”

She nodded and reached for the keys, but he didn’t release them yet.

Leaning in, he whispered, “I’m trusting you with this, Juniper. I don’t let just anyone see what’s in those rooms.”

Her gaze met his, and the enthusiasm there morphed into a softer, understanding smile. “Laurent and one guard only. I promise.”

Bodin swallowed past the lump forming in his throat, fear making him hesitate. He’d known this woman for less than a day, yet he believed her. More than that, he realized he wanted to share this secret with her—the girl who’d been locked away, hidden from the world most of her life.

Her curiosity and enthusiasm reminded him a little of Elias. His brother was always sneaking around and getting into trouble. The two would have gotten along well.

And that realization was why he made a silent vow to make her happy.

She had no choice in this marriage, but he could give her a form of freedom.

He could share his secrets and let her explore more than just the halls of this palace.