Avalyne Series 01: The Queen of Carleon by Linda Thackeray

saying of course.’

Chapter FIVE:
DISCOVERY
    When Dare awoke the next morning, he found himself alone.
    His aching head reminded him painfully that the evils of drink should never be underestimated. Grimacing at the throbbing inside his skull, he sat up in his bed and stared for a moment at the empty space beside him and wondered where Arianne was. Slightly disappointed by her absence, he was not so drunk the night before to forget the heat of their lovemaking. It would have been much nicer to suffer the drumbeat inside his head if he could lie in bed with her.
    No doubt she was somewhere in the palace, attending to her own duties, most likely conferring with the seneschal regarding the comfort of their guests this morning. He supposed she would appear soon enough.
    Still when he climbed out of bed, a feeling of uneasiness came over him he could not explain.
    Ignoring it , he went about the rituals of morning, dressing and making himself ready to move about his court and appear kingly as he did so, still dogged by this odd sensation that something, somewhere was not right. These were instincts he had relied upon for much of his life and had saved him more times than he could count. Why he should be visited by them now, in a place he should have felt the safest made him tense. When he emerged from the royal chambers, he was gripped by this feeling that something was lurking in the periphery, waiting for an opportunity to ambush.
    Making his way to the Great Hall which had been cleared of the previous evening's decadence and readied for breakfast, Dare was certain that the others would be awake by now, headache or not. His long friendship with them had taught him one thing about his former travelling companions, not even Balfure could keep them from a good breakfast. Indeed, before he even reached the large doors that emptied into the room, he could hear the chatter emanating from the corridor. The sound of their animated voices brought a heartfelt smile to Dare’s face for it felt like old times again.
    However, before he could join them, he heard a familiar voice call.
    ‘ Dare.’
    Dare glanced over his shoulder to see Aeron behind him. Of course it was, he thought silently, Aeron was still the only person he knew who capable of sneaking up on him. As the elf approached, Dare stifled the smirk that wanted to come as he noted the prince did not have the usually spring in his step that the king was accustomed to seeing. In fact, for someone so light on his feet, it was safe to say that at the moment, the expression on Aeron’ face was positively grim.
    Elves were notoriously bad drinkers but when Aeron and Kyou resumed their playful rivalries, all good sense left them both. Last night, their competition was joined by Tully, Ronen and himself to a lesser degree. However, they were accustomed to drinking; Aeron was not.
    ‘ How do you fare this morning Aeron?’ Dare asked.
    ‘ I think I’m going to be ill,’ Aeron grumbled.
    ‘ The nearest window is that direction,’ Dare said helpfully.
    The elf gave him a look through narrowed eyes. ‘If you were truly my friend you would kill me and end my misery.’
    ‘ I thought elves were known for their ability to endure,’ Dare teased. ‘I am certain that your suffering will pass.’
    ‘ Not soon enough,’ Aeron grumbled as the two resumed their journey into the hall where the smell of food was wafting down the hallway towards them.
    ‘ Tell me,’ Dare asked as they approached the entrance. ‘Did you see Arianne anywhere?’
    ‘ No,’ Aeron shook his head. ‘I have not. Why?’
    ‘ It’s just that I have not seen her this morning,’ Dare replied, feeling once again that uneasiness, ‘I wonder where she is.’
    ‘ She is probably seeing to your guests,’ Aeron responded, noticing the concern in Dare’s face as real worry.
    Dare supposed he was being ridiculous. After all, they were host to some of the most prominent people in Avalyne during this celebration.