Rhiannon stifled a yawn as she walked down one of the winding hallways of the castle. Last night hadn't afforded her much sleep. Baudwin's presence in her bed had been more distracting than she had expected, and she'd struggled to relax enough to let slumber claim her. 

Eventually, in the early hours of the morning, she'd finally fallen asleep and by the time she woke up he had left. If anyone checked up on them, she'd slept through it.

Not having to speak to Baudwin should be a relief this morning. Their wedding night had been harrowing. But instead, she found she missed him. A silly notion that she'd do best to divest herself of. She couldn't allow herself to feel too kindly towards her husband. Not when she was meant to kill him. Not that she would, if she could avoid it. There must be a way out of this mess. She just hadn't thought of it yet.

Reaching the door to the royal library, she pushed it open and entered. It was a beautiful room with an arched ceiling, tall shelves on every wall, and a large oak table with matching chairs in the middle. Two comfortable chairs stood tucked away in a corner if anyone wanted to sit down for a read. 

She walked down the rows of books, reading the spines, hoping to find something interesting to numb her mind. Maybe some romantic tale of adventure and trickery. Or a volume on herbs she'd not yet encountered.

When she heard voices approaching, she ducked behind a suit of armour, not sure she was in the mood to be social.

"I'm telling you," a man's voice was saying. "If you give them a chance, you'll enjoy a good adventure story. Handsome knights and swooning ladies, what's not to like?"

A woman scoffed. "How about swooning knights and brilliant ladies?"

"There aren't as many of those, but maybe we could find one."

Sir Aurelian and Princess Braithe entered the library, him holding the door open for her. The Envoy to the High King grinned broadly as he ushered his wife inside. He was a handsome man with brown hair brushed back from his face and a winning smile. The princess had long hair, the same walnut-brown shade as Baudwin's. They made a striking couple.

"You're just trying to make excuses to keep me still," the princess muttered, her face sullen.

Her husband grinned again. "Perhaps, but you can't blame me. It's for your own good."

"You had better not use this excuse for the next nine months." She levelled a finger at him, and he held his hands up in surrender.

"I will have to think of other ways to keep you from running around throwing daggers at people." He took her in his arms and rested his forehead against hers, his teasing promise eliciting a chuckle from his wife.

Rhiannon cleared her throat before the couple could do anything embarrassing. They whipped around to stare at her, their cheeks flushed.

"Queen Rhiannon!" Sir Aurelian smiled. "We didn't see you there."

"I think she was hiding," Princess Braithe said in a stage-whisper.

"I know. I'm trying to be polite," he replied in the same way.

A smile tugged at the corners of Rhiannon's mouth. They were disarming, and their antics had somehow made her relax. "I beg your pardon," she said. "I wasn't in the mood to converse, but hadn't realised it was you arriving."

"Yes, everyone wants to hang out with us." How Sir Aurelian could say it with a straight face, she wasn't sure, but his blue eyes glittered with suppressed mirth. "We're delightful."

Princess Braithe elbowed him in the side before smiling at Rhiannon. "How are you settling in? Did you enjoy the wedding? It was a lovely ceremony."

How was she settling in? She wasn't sure. Being around Baudwin was definitely more enjoyable than it should be. Her life would have been a lot easier if she'd not liked the handsome king. But when had her life ever been easy?

"Yes, how are you?" Sir Aurelian looked her over, as if he was expecting to see proof of some grave illness. "We didn't really see you between your arrival and the wedding. I never got the chance to thank you for checking in on Braithe when you first arrived."

"It was nothing." If she kept quiet, maybe she wouldn't have to answer any questions, as they kept asking new ones.

"No, really... Thank you, Queen Rhiannon." He smiled at her as he crossed the floor and pulled a chair out for his wife. He didn't even have to tell her to sit, she did so on her own. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he kissed the top of her head. They were almost too sweet together.

"If there are any problems, let me know. I'm happy to help, Sir Aurelian."

"Oh, please just call us Braithe and Aurelian," the princess said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "There is no need for titles among family."

"I will, thank you. Same goes for you, of course." Rhiannon pulled a random book off a shelf and prepared to leave, wanting to afford the couple some privacy.

"Why did Baudwin say you're a witch?"

The innocent question stopped her in her tracks, and she turned back to look at Aurelian. There was no hint of judgement on his face, only interest.

"In the swamp where I lived, the locals called me the Swamp Witch. I'm not," she added quickly when it looked like he might question her. "But they assumed so because I know a lot about herbs and can dress simple wounds, adjust dislocated shoulders and such."

"Isn't that basically what a witch is? Someone who knows a lot about herbs and can brew potions?"

Rhiannon made a face. It was a common misconception, but she was tiring of correcting people. But she was also tiring of people thinking she was a witch. 

"Yes, and no. Witches possess some limited magic. Usually very limited. Not even enough to warrant the Sorcerers bringing them to Highglaive for training. Their greatest skill is using their limited magic in combination with their knowledge of nature's bounty."

"Did you brew potions for the locals?" Aurelian raised an eyebrow, seeming quite intrigued by the idea.

"Yes. But they were actually swamp water. Nothing magical about them."

The answer seemed to surprise him, and he laughed. "That's brilliant! You sold them swamp water?"

"They all swore it worked wonders." Smiling at the memory, she found that she missed the swamp. She'd felt safe there. Even if a little lonely. Not that she'd ever admit to such a feeling.

"I bet!" He chuckled. "I don't know what I was expecting, but I'll be honest, Rhiannon. You've surprised me."

"In a good way," Braithe clarified. "Don't offend the woman."

"In a good way," he agreed. "Oh, that reminds me! I haven't cleared this with Baudwin yet, but I think you should sit for a portrait."

"Why?" Rhiannon frowned, not a fan of the idea.

"The portrait gallery here is a dull place filled nearly entirely of old kings. I think it would be a good time to start a new tradition and also have portraits of queens."

The princess buried her face in her hands. "Not this again."

"It's boring!" Aurelian gestured with his hands. "And queens deserve portraits too. Much more fun to look at too." He winked at Rhiannon at this remark.

"I don't know..." It was better if there was no evidence of her presence, in case she had to disappear.

"I even know a wonderful artist," he continued, as if he'd not heard her. "He painted my wife and did a wonderful job. I will commission him to do yours as well."

Rhiannon groaned. The man was relentless.

"You said you lived in the swamps?" he asked, apparently done with the portrait discussion, and she nodded. "How long did you live there?"

"A few years."

"Oh? Where did you live before then? If I remember, someone said you've been gone for about a decade."

Not wanting to meet his eyes, Rhiannon looked down at the book in her hands. After escaping Messina with Devin during the battle, they had drifted around for a while before she realised who he truly was. What he wanted. The release of his father, Deva, and after that, the opening of the portal to the Nether Realm to free the Dark God Ondastos. 

No man alive remembered the Dark God, but there were stories aplenty of his misdeeds and they made the build-up and years of the war sound like child's play. No one should want a return of the Dark God. She had been a fool to listen to Devin when she first met him.

"I..." She debated what she might say without incriminating herself. "I travelled around."

"Have you visited all the kingdoms?"

The princess put her hand on her husband's. "Aurelian," she said. "Please allow the poor woman to breathe. She only just married my brother yesterday. Maybe don't interrogate her so soon."

Turning to Rhiannon, she smiled apologetically. "Please forgive my husband, he's very nosy."

"No, I'm charmingly inquisitive, honey."

"It's cute that you think so." She patted his hand.

Rhiannon held her book up. "I will go read this now. Thank you for keeping me company."

"Please join us again," Braithe said. "We're having a picnic in the garden tomorrow. Maybe Baudwin could come too if he can cut the meeting with the advisers short."

Aurelian raised an eyebrow, an amused twinkle in his eyes. "Aren't we in that meeting?"

"I guess he'll be able to cut it short then." The princess grinned. "Wonderful! You will both join us tomorrow."

Rhiannon nodded and quickly slipped out of the library, unsure of whether they had manipulated her. A simple trip to pick up a book had resulted in her agreeing to have her portrait painted and go for a picnic with Baudwin and his family. Apparently avoiding Baudwin wouldn't be as easy as she'd hoped. 

~~~~~~