Redemption, M J Marlow [best way to read ebooks TXT] 📗

caught up in a circlet matching her own, and neatly trimmed goatee, strode down the stairs from the main building. Her father, Marit realized as he helped her off the horse. His green eyes were warm and welcoming and Marit felt her fears ease. He pulled her arm through his and held her hand, then led her inside. Once the doors closed, he cupped her chin in his large hand and looked down at her.
“You look so much like your mother, my child,” he nodded. Marit felt like she had just passed another test. “It is almost as if she is back with us.” He looked past her a moment to where Taryn and Tavin were entering the hall. “I trust your uncle and cousin served you well on your journey here.”
“Uncle?”
“Taryn is your mother’s older brother, my child,” her father nodded. “I am surprised he did not speak of this with you.”
“He had other things on his mind,” Marit replied.
“Perhaps that is best,” Marius nodded. He motioned to the brown-haired man that had caught Susa’s attention. “Am I to assume then that your cousin did not properly introduce himself to you either?” He struck the young man upside the head. “Rafel, you have far better manners than that.”
“I bowed to the greater wisdom of king Taryn, Uncle,” Rafel blushed. He took Marit’s hand in his and bowed over it, smiling. “Princess Marit. Allow me to introduce myself to you. I am Rafel, your father’s nephew and ward.”
“I hope this does not mean you have been trifling with my friend’s affections, cousin,” Marit frowned as she glanced over to the group of ladies who were introducing Susa to their acquaintances. “Because if you are…”
“I have nothing but the utmost respect for the little one,” Rafel broke in, his eyes warming as he looked over at Susa.
“She has been my closest friend, Father,” Marit told Marius, who had listened to this exchange with great interest. “I would not have Susa treated like a mere appendage.”
“The lady shall be treated with the utmost honor,” Marius assured her. “In fact,” he said as he motioned to someone, “we have need of a family to stand as overlords for the valley her village resides in. We shall contact her family elder and make the necessary arrangements for a patent of nobility.” He saw her shock. “Your little friend with be a lady of the court in all respects from this moment on.”
“Thank you, Father,” Marit smiled up at him in gratitude.
“It is a minor thing, but we are glad it pleases you.” He signaled to a tall, thin man with white blond hair, pale skin and deep black eyes. “This is the lord Kedys. He is our steward. If you have need of anything, you have merely to send a woman to him to make request. Kedys, show our daughter’s companion, the lady Susa, to the chamber adjoining the princess’ rooms. We would spend some time alone with our daughter.” He led Marit to the gardens and they sat down by an immense fountain. “You look puzzled, child.”
“I was told my father and mother were dead, sir,” Marit told him honestly; “only to find that you are quite alive. And that I am expected to marry a man I have never met to form an alliance?” She sighed heavily. “My life has become unreal to me.”
“Would you prefer I had left you to Horis Tun?” her father asked her bluntly. He saw her shudder. “I did not think so.”
“My uncle was bringing him here to you, wasn’t he?”
“The man has paid for the abuses he heaped on you, my child,” Marius told her. “You can put him out of your mind.”
“They killed him, didn’t they?” Marit cried out in horror. She remembered the blood on the tree and went pale. “But…”
“Do not defend him, daughter,” Marius snapped. “What he did to you made him beneath notice.” He cupped her chin in his hand. “You will be meeting your future husband soon.” He motioned to four young men standing nearby. “These nobles are your personal escort, daughter. They are husbands or relatives of the ladies who were chosen as your companions.”
Marit smiled as they approached her. They were all rather young, she thought, but very self-assured. Edmund of Fellstone, she learned, was brother to the lady Naji. Lorenz, son of the Duke of Thaxton, was courting the lady Celia. Martyn of Solliston was the husband of her first companion, the lady Sysha, and Teodor of Marshwood was soon to be married to the lady Naji. Marius finished the introductions and looked past her to where Kedys was waiting.
“Lord Kedys will show you to your chambers now,” he told her. “You will have time to refresh yourself before we greet the nobles in the Great Hall.”
Marit smiled as her father kissed her on the forehead. She followed the steward up a staircase to the third floor, followed by her personal escort, and the guards opened a set of immense doors for her. The men bowed their heads to her and closed the doors once she was inside. Sysha and the other women were waiting for her. Susa was missing, and Marit found herself worrying. Her little friend had become quite enamored with the cart driver who had turned out to be her cousin. What if he took advantage of her?
“The lady Susa is in the next chamber, princess,” Sysha told her when Marit asked after her friend. “She will be with you shortly.” She took the circlet and veil off Marit’s head and set it on a stand on an ornately carved cabinet along one wall. “Your father will expect his daughter to be the most beautiful woman in the room tonight,” Sysha smiled as she looked Marit over critically. “It will not be a hard task to make that be so.” She saw the girl blush, and wondered how such a beautiful girl could not be aware of her own beauty. “If you will remove your travel clothes, Princess, Naji will show you to the bathing chamber; while we ready your silks.”
Marit removed the leather over gown, boots, and bracers and followed Naji into the next room. An immense pool of heated water waited there. Naji helped her remove the rest of her clothing and Marit stepped into the pool. She sighed as the warmth pulled stiffness from her muscles. But she was not allowed to bask. Naji helped her out once she had finished washing and wrapped her in a thick towel. They went back into the bedchamber and the women helped Marit into a silken undergown of emerald green. It flowed around her body soft as a whisper and she ran her hand over the fabric. She had never felt anything like it. The sleeves went down to the center of her hands and were laced from elbow to wrist with golden cords that had beads of emerald and gold dangling from the ends. The trim around the lacing points was gold chased with designs in emerald. The neckline rose up over her throat to just below her chin and the collar was banded in the same design as the trim on her sleeves.
An over gown fashioned from emerald green velvet that laced up the sides with golden cord was drawn over her head and laced up. Embroidery in gold and set with pearls and diamonds edged the neckline and hem. The sight of herself in the rich gown astounded Marit; this was a dream, she told herself as she spun. She stepped into slippers of emerald velvet embroidered in the same fashion as the over gown and sat down so Sysha could place the sheer gold veil over her head and put the circlet in place. The door to the other side of the room opened and Susa came to her side, wearing a plainer outfit in silver and blue. An engraved circlet of silver held a matching blue veil over Susa’s hair.
“It’s so beautiful,” Marit sighed as she sat down and they combed out her hair and braided it with cords of emerald and gold. She fingered the fabric, delighting in the feel of it against her skin. “I’ve never felt anything so soft.”
“You are beautiful, Marit,” Susa sighed.
“Indeed she is,” her father said as the doors opened. All the ladies went into a curtsey as the king entered. He held his hand out and pulled Marit to her feet. “My daughter,” he smiled as he looked down into her eyes, “you do our house proud.”
He put the circlet Sysha brought over on Marit’s head himself, then tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow and led her out. The ladies fell in behind them in rank order and followed. They swept down the main staircase and were joined by their men. Susa smiled as she found she was to stand next to Rafel. Trumpets sounded as they entered the Great Hall and the nobles rose to their feet and bowed their heads or curtsied as gender demanded. King Marius took his daughter to the dais and they took their thrones, leaving the others to find their own places. Kedys stamped his staff three times and silence reigned.
“His Royal Majesty, King Marius, and Her Royal Highness, the Princess Marit,” he intoned, “stand ready to greet the worthy lords of the borderlands.”
Marit nearly jumped as the doors at the end of the hall burst open and two lines of men, dressed in court versions of traveler garments strode in. They were all tall and well-formed she noted, and of varying ages. From the resemblances, the older men on the left were father to the younger man at their right. The two lines stepped out and two tall men with russet-hair and blue eyes strode down the center of the lines and went down on one knee, heads bowed before Marit’s father. Whoever they were, it was obvious that they were of a higher rank than the others as heads bowed while they passed. Marit felt as if her heart had stopped when they looked up and she saw the expression of relief and then pleasure on the younger man’s face. He was the man from her waking dream.
“We welcome King Jozef and Prince Justin of Northfell to our court.” Marius’ voice boomed into the hall. “It is our pleasure to present to you our daughter and heir, the princess Marit.”
“Greetings to you, sovereign lord; most beauteous princess,” Jozef bowed his head briefly, his eyes cold and arrogant. This, Marit noted, was a man who was filled with his own self-importance. She fought the chill his gaze on her engendered. “My heir and I give you all due allegiance.”
They rose and took their seats, King Jozef to Marius’ left, and Prince Justin beside Marit. She blushed as he bowed his head to her before taking his seat. The rest of the introductions continued and Marit did her best to commit face and name to memory. Once the other lords were seated with their ladies the banquet began. A table was brought out and put in front of the thrones. Marit watched the servants as they moved among the tables in surprise. Several near collisions nearly made her gasp. She heard laughter to her right and looked up at Justin.
“I understand that you were raised away from the court, Princess,” Justin smiled down at her. “You will get used to the sights and sounds quite quickly.”
“I hope I never get so used to it,” Marit told him, as she saw one of the nobles cuff a servant for moving too slowly, “that I forget that even the lowliest ranked person is worthy of regard.”
“What a quaint notion.” Jozef frowned as he