Finally, Aislynn got up and went in search of some food. She could feel that Eryk was anxious about something, and she was going to have to determine what that was. Things that made her protégé anxious could possibly lead to a dangerous situation, and despite the fact that he was being an imbecile, she wasn’t about to let him be killed. She’d figure something out.
Fortunately, as she made her way back to the dining hall, she ran into Byron, who was coming to find her and see how she was doing. She greeted him with a big smile.
“Feeling better, I take it?” he asked, taking in her grin.
“Definitely. And you’re just the person I wanted to see.”
“Really? Why is that?” Byron asked with an answering grin.
“I need to know what’s going on over in the castle right now. Eryk’s feeling anxious about something and I need to know what it is.”
“Oh.” Byron’s face fell. “I don’t understand why you would even care, after the way he treated you this morning. It’s not right.”
“It’s okay, really,” she started, shaking her head as if to clear it of some nasty thoughts.
“No, it’s not,” he was quick to interrupt. Just thinking about the conversation this morning made him angry.
“Regardless of whether it was right or not, I care because I have to care. Even if he wants nothing to do with me, I still have to protect him. Right now, it’s all that I am. I have trained to protect him for my entire life, and even being a princess has taken second place to that training. Can you understand that?”
He looked at her face, at her bright eyes and the stubborn set of her mouth, and he knew that she was deadly serious. At least for the time being, until she found a true role for herself here in Bacovia, she was nothing without Eryk. Byron sighed and looked away, not wanting Aislynn to see how much her devotion to Eryk hurt him.
“Okay, I'll help you, even though Eryk doesn't deserve it at all. What is it that you want to know?”
“Well, let’s start with the anxiety,” she said as she started moving along the corridor toward the dining hall. “What happened this morning?”
“The council decided that Eryk had to choose his bride by the funeral, for one thing. I know that would have made him anxious.” Byron chuckled a little, remembering the look of discomfort on Eryk’s face as he’d conceded to the wishes of the council.
“That could be it. What else happened?” she pressed.
“We also went over the procedure for tomorrow’s coronation ceremony. That was all that we had time for, because Eryk’s got a diplomatic meeting this afternoon, with the emissaries from Madelia.”
“We'll definitely have to talk about the coronation ceremony later. We know that the contract isn't complete yet, and the ceremony could be an excellent place for another attempt on Eryk’s life, so I'll need to know everything that you discussed at the meeting. For right now, tell me what you know about this diplomatic meeting.”
Byron shook his head. “I really don’t know a lot about it. I know that Madelia is the kingdom to the north of us and that there have been skirmishes across the border for about as long as anyone can remember, before and after the last war. Officially, the skirmishes are the work of bandits, but everyone knows that the bandits wear army uniforms under their scruffy clothing.
“Diplomacy really isn't my forte, and I haven’t been involved with the emissaries except to get them settled into their rooms when they initially arrived. They have their own guards, so I have nothing to do with them.”
“When did the emissaries get here?” Aislynn asked, a concerned look on her face.
“I don’t know. About two weeks ago maybe?” Byron answered, confused.
Aislynn stopped dead in the hall and turned to face him.
“So let me get this straight. You have diplomatic emissaries here from a nation that has been traditionally hostile. They have their own rooms with their own guards, so virtually none of the palace staff has anything to do with them. And they arrived right around the time of the first assassination attempts against Tarren and Eryk. Does any of this strike you as odd? I need to be at that meeting.”
Byron looked a little sick at Aislynn’s statements, and he nodded in agreement. “But how? Eryk wants nothing to do with you, for one, and even if he did, what excuse could there be for you to attend?”
“Well then I'll just have to hide, won’t I?”
Byron took a long, steadying breath and then started walking again.
“Let’s grab something to eat on the way by the dining hall, and I'll take you to the meeting room. I'll help you figure out something, even if he doesn't deserve it.”