The Lady of Toryn Anthology (Lady of Toryn trilogy) (62 page)

After a long pause, punctuated only by her gulping
breaths as she tried to regain control, she looked up at Aik.

“Are you…” Her voice cracked a second time, and she
cleared her throat before continuing. “Are you suggesting that we hide the fact
that I am…illegitimate…from the people of Toryn? That we allow people to go on
believing that I am the Elder Heir?”

“I realize that it’s incredibly dishonest, but let
me explain. Your father went to great lengths to hide his first marriage,
knowing full well that he had to produce an Elder Heir or Toryn might fall into
chaos upon his death.”

“Boy, I really screwed up his plans,” Ashlyn said
flatly.

“Yes, and think how much worse it would be now if
the people of Toryn learned that their Elder Heir, who has only just returned
from her travels, is an illegitimate daughter. They will lose all faith in the
pagoda. The monarchy will disintegrate.”

He was right, of course, but it still felt so wrong.
Ashlyn sighed, rubbing her temple. To think she’d thought that Restlyn might
have been Lord Li’s illegitimate daughter. She’d pitied Restlyn earlier,
actually
pitied
her, as if Ashlyn had
any right to be arrogant at all!

“Okay,” she said. “I understand what you’re saying.
I’ll go along with it. But before we do that, I need your help- I need you to
do something for me.”

Aik cocked his head to the side, indicating that he
was listening.

“The real Elder Heir…my father’s eldest daughter. I
think we all know by now that it has to be Restlyn.”

“It…could be,” Aik conceded. “That would certainly
make sense.”

“You said you were browsing the Cosmean public
records earlier. Obviously that includes records of death- does it also include
records of birth?”

His eyes gleamed as he nodded, understanding her
intent. “Yes, it does.”

“Find Restlyn’s birth certificate. If it has my
father’s name listed, that will be proof that she is his daughter, and…and…”
Ashlyn couldn’t believe she was saying this. “And she can be acknowledged as
Elder Heir, which means that she can ascend the pagoda and become Lady of
Toryn.”

Aik frowned. “Are you sure you want me to do that?”

He was such a good friend, fully aware of how
difficult this was for her. Ashlyn’s heart splintered, just a little.

“Yes, I’m sure. She’s my father’s daughter. I’m
almost sure of it. I wouldn’t take that away from her. I…couldn’t live with
myself.”

Aik jumped down from the chair. “In that case, I
will begin the search for her record of birth immediately. It will give me
something to do while we wait for Var-“

At that moment, Vargo breezed through the door. “All
taken care of,” he announced, clearly pleased with himself. “The Spartans are
headed into the Caverns, and there is a messenger en route to Civitas as we
speak. If Jackson has the stane, it’ll be in hand within a few days.” He
suddenly realized how silent his companions were, and fell silent, looking
suspiciously back and forth between Ashlyn and Aik. “What’s going on?”

Another pause.

“Nothing,” Ashlyn mumbled. “Aik was just leaving to
look some things up for me.”

“Yes,” Aik said, and nodded to Vargo. “Excuse me.”
He padded out the door, obviously relieved to be escaping at that moment.

Vargo turned back to Ashlyn, “What’s up? You’re all…pale.”

“Thanks,” she said, leaning over and grabbing the
other journal. She wasn’t sure why Aik had brought two. “I’m fine. Aik just…had
some surprising news.”

“From your old man’s diaries?” Vargo grabbed a chair
and spun it around, straddling it backwards. “What’s the deal?”

“Nothing.”

His expression was skeptical. “Doesn’t look like
nothing.”

“It’s nothing!”

“Are you seriously gonna lie to the guy who risked
his life to save you?”

“How long are you going to hold that over my head?
It’s not like I asked you to attack a bear when you were completely unarmed.
You did that all by yourself.”

“I did it to save
you,
sweetheart. Is lifelong servitude really so much to ask in
return?” At her wry expression, he held up his hands. “All right, all right,
I’ll settle for brutal honesty. So spill. Is Restlyn your sister?”

She’d already forgotten that they had discussed
Restlyn’s possible blood relation earlier. Somehow the fact that he asked a
direct question made it easier for Ashlyn to focus. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Aik is going to check the public records for her birth certificate. It should
have her parents listed.”

“What if she’s not…you know, your sister?”

“I don’t know,” Ashlyn admitted. She propped an
elbow on the table and rested her chin on the heel of her hand. “I guess I just
forget this whole nightmare ever happened.”

Vargo pursed his lips, still staring at her. “I’m
not exactly buyin’ that the possibility of Restlyn being your sister is what’s
got you all worked up.”

“You know me so well,” she said, wishing he didn’t.

“You don’t want to talk about it?”

“No, I do...I just-“ She broke off as the barkeep
walked through the door, carrying several bags. When he saw her, he offered a
nod and smiled. Typically he wouldn’t have let anyone stay in the tavern while
he was gone, but there were certain perks that came with being a member of FLD.
All the same, Ashlyn wasn’t all that keen on airing her dirty laundry in front
of him.

“Want to go for a walk?” she asked, standing and
scooping the journals up.

“Not particularly…” Vargo trailed off as she rounded
the table and brushed past him. “But I guess I will,” he said, clambering to
his feet and following her. “Did you forget I’m still recovering from that
whole mauled-to-ribbons incident?” he complained, lengthening his stride to
catch up as she walked out the door.

“Did it affect your ability to walk?” Ashlyn asked.
She looked skyward, noticing the storm clouds lingering above for the first
time.

“Ha. Funny.” Vargo put a hand on her shoulder,
steering her slightly to the left so they were headed towards the well-used
walking path that ran through Cosmea. The path was generally used by mothers
with toddlers and the elderly, most people preferring more challenging hiking
expeditions. “Have a heart, and let’s just go this way,” he said when she
opened her mouth. “You may have forgotten, but Lockhart didn’t offer me any
vamp blood when I was near death. My healing is taking a more natural
timeline.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t veer off the path.
“Okay, you want to hear the real story?”

“Sure.”

“You have to promise me that you’re not going to
tell anyone. I mean
anyone.”

“Of course.”

“I’m serious, Vargo. Not a soul!”

“What do you take me for, Ash?” he said indignantly.
“Did you forget I’m a Spartan?”

“No, but-“

“But nothing. I’ve got war stories you wouldn’t
believe, but you’ll never hear them because…because…” He paused, appearing to
think it over. “Well, I guess you’ll never hear them because you’ll probably
never be interested, but even if you were, I wouldn’t tell. I’m good with
secrets. It comes with the job.”

 
“Fine, then.”

Silence followed her words, until they both cracked
a grin, exchanging a sheepish look.

“All right, all right. I trust you not to share this
with anyone,” Ashlyn conceded. A raindrop glanced off her cheek, and she
crinkled her nose, looking up. She should probably make this quick, but there
was so much to tell. “It’s a big secret. Aik is the only one who knows right
now, and may end up being the only one- besides you- who knows,
ever,
because it would be such a huge
disaster
if it ever got out.”

“Should I guess what it is? Wait, let me guess. Are
you secretly a man?”

“Oh, shut up.”

“Because if you are, I’m ticked that you let me kiss
you without even
telling me beforehand-“

“Shut
up!”
she
exclaimed, and almost punched him in the arm, but thought better of it and
shook her head instead. “You are such a clown. And now you’ve successfully
sucked all the seriousness out of this situation,
thank you-”

“You’re so welcome.”

“-But anyway, it turns out that the chief’s daughter
and my dad actually got married before Chief Redhorse died. Like, married for
real.”

“No kidding.” That surprised him, at least. Vargo’s
eyebrows knitted, and he said, “So what’s the deal? Did she and the baby die
somehow?”

“Nope. Well, not as far as we know.”

Vargo was silent for a moment. “I thought Toryns
couldn’t sever marriage ties?”

“We can’t. Once you marry a Toryn, it’s permanent-
at least according to Toryn law.”

“I don’t get it.”

Ashlyn shook her head, raising a hand as if to say,
Neither do I,
and letting it slap
against her thigh. “There’s not much to get, really. They got married, but my
dad went back to Toryn and she stayed here. They kept their marriage a secret.
Aik found a journal entry where my dad admitted that his marriage to my mom was
a total sham. Not even legally binding.”

“
What?”
Vargo
stopped walking, and Ashlyn took another few steps before stopping reluctantly
and turning to face him.

“So…you’re not the Elder Heir?” he said, his eyes
registering total disbelief.

Ashlyn shook her head again. Her entire body felt so
heavy, so weighed down, that even that simple gesture took monumental effort.
“I’m not the Elder Heir. I’m just a…an illegitimate commoner.” She cracked a
half-grin, trying to lighten the sting of her own words.

“Oh, Ash.” He closed the distance between them and
pulled her tightly to him. More grateful for the sympathy than she could
express, she hugged him back, her fingers scraping against his bandages through
his thin white shirt.

“That
sucks,”
he
said into her hair.

“I know,” she said, her voice muffled against his
chest. “You can’t call me princess anymore.”

“Yeah, right- I will call you princess until the day
I die,” he replied. “And sweetheart. And for special occasions, my little
lotus.”

She groaned, and put a hand against his shoulder,
extracting herself from his arms. “Okay, moment ruined.”

“Sorry,” he said, grinning briefly, but then his
expression turned serious. “I never know how to handle serious situations. I
really mean it, though…that sucks.”

“Tell me about it.” She started down the path again,
Vargo walking beside her. “But Aik had a really good point. He and I- and now
you- are the only ones who know about this. He thinks we should keep it a
secret. I should ascend the pagoda anyway and get Toryn back under control.”

“I hate to say it, but he’s right. The last thing
the Toryn people need right now is to hear that you’re not the Elder Heir after
all.”

“That’s what I said. Well, except for the whole
Restlyn possibility. That’s why Aik is looking through the public records. If
Restlyn really is the Elder Heir, she should be Lady of Toryn- not me.”

Vargo nodded slowly. “I can’t say I like it. But I
can’t say anything against Restlyn. She’s done a hell of a job in the interim.
Like we said before, though, she might not be your sister at all. I mean, it
lines up, but it’s still just a possibility at this point.”

“And if she’s not my sister, I guess I’ll keep my
mouth shut, ascend the pagoda and…” Ashlyn paused as a young mother pushing her
baby in a cart approached from the opposite direction, offering a smile at the
twosome as they crossed paths. “…And lie to my people. For the rest of my
life.”

“You’d be following in your father’s footsteps,”
Vargo observed candidly. “He lied to everyone- even you.”

“He tried to tell me, before he died,” Ashlyn said.
“He knew I didn’t feel ready for leadership. He said there were other options,
but then he was too tired to keep talking, and I feel asleep beside him…” And
then she’d awoken to find Kou standing over her, ready to stab her through with
her own bo shuriken. Ashlyn shook her head, and changed the subject. “Aik said
that my dad was really heartbroken when G, the chief’s daughter, wouldn’t go to
Toryn with him. After Chief Redhorse died, she decided to stay here and take
over as chief herself.”

“Couldn’t they have just done it long-distance?”

“I think my dad wanted to. It sounded like G made it
a problem. In the entry where my dad talked about marrying my mom, he said that
G had made it clear she was moving on. She’d already remarried and her new
husband adopted my sister. I guess Cosmeans can sever marriage ties, so it was
probably no big deal for her.”

“That’s total crap,” Vargo said heatedly. “No
willing father should ever be forced out of his child’s life. Think about it.
If G had just let your dad have a relationship with his daughter, maybe she’d
be dealing with this whole mess instead of you.”