“Why do wish to marry him and be empress?” he asked.
“I do not,” Faelina replied.
Aedan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You do not?” Ariel said nothing, merely sat there watching him, a slight smile on her face. “Why, pray tell? And why then have you come?”
“I came because it was my duty,” she replied. “As to why I do not wish to marry Emperor Michael, it has nothing to do with him as an individual. I do not know him. I have never even seen him, save once, at a distance. How can I have a wish to marry a man I do not even know? Aside from that, I imagine life as Empress of Anuire would be much more confining than the life to which I have grown accustomed. I love the rolling plains of Aerenwe and the peaceful beauty of the Erebannien, where I can roam at will and spend my days schooling my horses. I can sew, but I have little taste for such things as embroidering and weaving and spending most of my days indoors. Given my choice, I would prefer a life that is more active.”
“You are fond of horses, then?” said Aedan, seizing upon that.
Faelina’s eyes lit up. “Oh, yes! I love them. There is no greater pleasure for me than to breed and raise them and train them to saddle. I do not even allow my father’s grooms to touch my babies. I care for them myself.” She held out her hands, palms up. “These are, I fear, not the hands of a great lady. But then, they are hands that do not shy from honest work. My father has never pampered me, for which I’m grateful. Perhaps it makes me a bit too common, but like my father, I find virtue in hard work and self-reliance. I say these things because I do not wish to pretend I am something I am not. In many ways, he raised me like a son.”
“Did he take you hunting?” Aedan asked, his interest growing.
“I have gone hawking with him since I was a child,” she replied. “And I have trained Chaser, my hawk, with my own hands. He goes with me everywhere.”
“Then you have brought him with you?” Aedan asked.
Faelina nodded. “I thought, perhaps, there might be an opportunity to fly him, and I could not bear to leave my pet behind.”
Aedan smiled. “Then we must go hawking after breakfast,” he said. “I will ask the emperor to join us so that you may meet him and … form a more personal opinion.”
* * * * *
Michael never missed an opportunity to go hawking, so he agreed readily when Aedan made the invitation. In passing, he mentioned that Baron Moergan and his daughter would be accompanying them and that they had already left by boat for the royal stables by the parade ground.
Ariel decided to come, as well, as she was eager to see Michael’s reaction to Faelina and enjoy some time riding in the fields after all those long days spent indoors, conducting the selection process. It was unusual for ladies to go hawking because few cared for the sport; those rare exceptions generally did not dress in breeches when they did so, as Faelina did. She made no apology for not having worn a skirt, but explained she found such attire cumbersome on horseback and had never cared for riding sidesaddle. To Michael, that made perfect sense.
Her hawk was a handsome creature and Michael took time to admire it. As they spoke, Aedan and Ariel watched them and Ariel beamed with pleasure. “He likes her,” she said. “I can tell. She can discuss with him the sort of things he enjoys.”
“We shall see,” said Aedan, cautiously optimistic.
Faelina’s horse, which she had ridden from Aerenwe, was a handsome and spirited black stallion. Michael, an excellent judge of horseflesh, immediately asked if he could try him. Faelina hesitated and glanced at her father. Moergan shrugged slightly, indicating her response would make no difference to him.
“If it were anyone else, Sire, I would say no,” she replied, “but you may try him if you like. However, I caution you that no one has ever ridden Midnight save me. He may not suffer you upon his back.”
Michael smiled. “Oh, I suspect I can manage him,” he said as if humoring her.
“Suit yourself,” Faelina said. “But don’t say I did not warn you.”
With a smirk, Michael swung up into the saddle. Immediately, the stallion reared and started plunging wildly, bucking and kicking and leaping up into the air as Michael struggled to hang on. For a few moments, he managed to stay in the saddle, but it did not take long before he was flying through the air to land hard on chest and stomach. Aedan and Moergan hurried to his side.
“Are you injured, Sire?” Aedan asked with concern.
“Only my pride,” Michael replied sourly as he dusted himself off.
“You should have listened to her,” Moergan said. “I tried to mount that beast once, and he nearly broke my back.”
Faelina seemed more concerned for her horse than for the emperor. She caught the stallion by the reigns and murmured to it, stroking its nose and apologizing for having let another rider mount him. Then she swung up into the saddle easily and reached out her gloved hand to the squire, so that she could take her hawk.
“Whenever you are ready, Sire,” she said.
Michael snorted. “Well, she sits that hellspawn well enough. Let’s see how well she rides.”
They mounted up and set off for the woodlands around the coastal hills. Once they had reached the plains, Aedan flew Slayer, whom he had named after his favorite bird from boyhood. Faelina launched Chaser, and the two riders set off together at a gallop across the fields. Michael’s horse, Thunder, was swift and strong, but Midnight was easily his match. The others had to ride hard to keep up as Michael and Faelina raced across the field, each trying to outpace the other. Faelina was every bit his match as a rider, and they hurdled over walls and post fences neck and neck. Their guard escort was hard pressed to keep up. Aedan and Ariel didn’t even try.
“You were right,” Aedan said to Ariel as they reined in to watch the others race across the field. “She’s perfect for him.”
“I think it remains to be seen if he is perfect for her,” Ariel replied.
“I doubt Michael is perfect for anyone save Michael,” Aedan said. “But I think you were right. She may be exactly what he needs.”
The royal betrothal was formally announced a week later. By then, it was obvious to everyone that the emperor was in love. And happily, it was a love that was reciprocated in full measure. No one seemed more surprised that Moergan.
“I must confess,” he told Aedan privately after Michael had asked him for Faelina’s hand, “I never thought to see Faelina fall in love. I always thought her a bit too spirited for most men. She’s a good girl, and would have married as a duty to me, but it does my heart good to see her happy.”
“They do seem made for each other,” Aedan said. “And with such a couple, I think we may look forward to a strong heir.” And perhaps to a few years of peace and quiet, he added mentally. For the first time, there was something else to occupy Michael’s attention besides plans for new campaigns. He did not delude himself into thinking Michael would settle down and give up on his goal of expanding the empire, but at least for a while he would no longer pursue it with such single-minded determination.
The wedding would take place in the spring and would be celebrated throughout the empire. For a change, thought Aedan, there would be no spring campaign. And he would welcome the respite from going on the march, especially since Ariel was pregnant once again. This time, the midwife assured them it would be a son.
A new heir for Michael to carry on the rule of the Roeles and a son for Aedan to carry on the tradition of the Dosieres as standard-bearers and lords chamberlain to the empire. They had gone through much to reach this point. The empire was reunited and stronger now than ever since the glory days of the original Roele. There would be time for future conquests, but right now, the immediate future held a promise of peace. Aedan was looking forward to it with a great sense of relief. Everything had fallen neatly into place. It seemed now as if nothing could go wrong.