Her brown eyes darted from her son to Nora and then back to her son. To the bruises forming around his neck.
“Your father?”
Alexandre shook his head.
Queen Maria swallowed and nodded, her face nearly as green as her pale dress that was liberally covered in dirt. “How?”
“The courtiers hung him in the tennis court after he locked them in there,” he said, the timbre of his voice shaky. “They strung me up too, but Nora arrived with kitchen knives.”
Queen Maria took his right hand, tracing the handkerchief of dried blood, her expression full of horror. “What did you promise, Son?”
“To end the war with Urka and to never attack them again.”
“That is as it should be,” she said with a shuddering breath. “I told your father that nothing good would come from attacking Urka or my niece, but he would not listen. He would never listen to me.”
“You already know that I am not your niece.”
Queen Maria looked at Nora. She truly looked at her. At the freckles, the scars, the hard angles of her face.
“You protected your cousin. My sister would have been proud of you both,” she said, and struggled to get to her feet. Her legs must have fallen asleep while she was hiding in the small priest’s hole. The queen took another unsteady step toward Nora and then threw her arms around her neck. “Oh, my dear Nora, I am so glad you’re alive.”
Nora felt the queen’s tears against her cheek and awkwardly returned the embrace. She hadn’t been hugged by a mother figure in nine years. She’d forgotten quite how it was done. But even if her hands felt foreign on the queen’s back, it felt good. Queen Maria knew that Nora did not have the blood of her sister. But blood did not make one family.
“I’m pretty relieved myself,” Nora said.
Alexandre gave his high-pitched laugh and then Queen Maria joined in taking both of their hands. They stood in a circle, in the stinky privy, holding hands and laughing.
“Let’s go somewhere else,” Alexandre suggested. “Somewhere less smelly, perhaps?”
They all laughed as they left the king’s privy, through the king’s bedchamber, and into the hall. No one was there, but Nora could hear the sound of many hooves. The Sanian Army was nearly there.
“Aunt, I mean, Queen Maria,” she said. “Let me do the talking if you want your son to keep his throne.”
“I am your aunt,” she said, pulling Nora into another hug. “I will always be your aunt. Even if you were not my sister’s blood daughter.”
Warmth overcame her weariness. “Come, we must go and meet him. They will be at the gates of the palace soon.”
“King Matteo?” Alexandre clarified, his voice unsure.
“Come, Cousin,” Nora said, smiling wickedly. “I won’t let him kill you.”
He nodded, gritting his teeth before stepping forward. But his mother stayed in place. “Mother?”
Queen Maria picked up her dirty green skirt and let it fall back to the floor. “I cannot meet the King of Sania dressed like this.”
“Trust me,” Nora said, touching the bandage around her neck. “It’ll be better for you both if you look a little worse for wear when Matteo sees me like this.”
“Very well, Nora, lead the way.”
She led them out to the front steps of the palace, where she stood between them. Even dirty, Queen Maria held herself as if she were dressed in her finest clothes. Prince Alexandre’s neck was already a rainbow of purple and greenish bruises. And he was not wearing a wig and very little remained of his beloved facial cosmetics.
But she didn’t have eyes for either of them. How could she? Matteo was nearly here. He rode on his black horse in front of his cavalry. His curly dark hair was mussed and his uniform, once blue, was now generously splattered in blood. He was so handsome that it made her heart ache.
“It’s about time you arrived,” Nora called out, cupping her mouth with her hands.
The serious look on Matteo’s face vanished when he saw her, and it was as if his countenance was made up of light. He swung off his horse, strode forward, and took Nora in his arms, kissing her soundly in front of all of his soldiers.
She’d waited nearly a year for this kiss and it did not disappoint. His lips were the answer to her every doubt. His arms made her feel both strong and safe. His heart beat loudly against hers.