She had to agree with Sylanna in one respect: Veil spells certainly had their uses.
They were a useful tool for much of a mage's work. They let one slip from notice and, occasionally, slip into notice. Years before, Bryana had used such a spell to catch the eye of Prince Kudan of Kressin. Once, the man had been part of the same plot to corrupt Neral Jaye to kill her queen and plunge Erette into chaos that had eventually involved Bryana herself. Once she'd turned, she and Deres had systematically snared, used, or undone all involved. As long as justice was brought to the people that would never see it otherwise, all was as it should be.
Kudan was once a brash slave to his own urges, namely drink, women, and reveling in his own ego, Royalty was often the same in that way simply because they could afford to do as they pleased, as the only real accountability for an unfit sovereign was a blade clean through the neck. And, as much as subjects could grouse about taxes, corruption, or the royalty over them being poor examples of humanity, they would tolerate a great deal over a long period of time before they reached their breaking point.
Bryana simply shifted his slavery from his own urges and penchant for ego masturbation to her, and quite successfully, if she were giving a brutally honest appraisal of things. She had demanded of what was hers that he change the course of his life. No more was he some part of drunk most days, now only taking alcohol when ceremony required it and nothing beyond that. She had demanded that he grow his power and his reach and he had done so carefully and thoughtfully. She interceded indirectly from time to time to make certain that he was growing his power not at the expense of others, and to see to it that the people prospered as much as himself.
Even though she kept him within her reach, it wouldn't have taken a spy to know that he had recently ascended to the throne following the passing of his father or the fact that he was set to soon marry who was, by all accounts, a stunning young woman. When Bryana knew that she might make use of him, she sent word that she wanted his complete, to-the-minute schedule for the foreseeable future and he had been anxious to comply. Knowing where he would be and when, she walked the street in a black dress with red lace trim at the neck and cuffs. She wanted to stand out in the crowd and made sure that she would. People in the street let their eyes linger now and then as they passed and smiling politely, with some of the men letting their gaze linger a bit too long, as this new face was also exceptionally heavily painted, as it was the night she took him. He had served well and she had not visited personally since that night, so, she decided he had earned at least that much for his obedience.
So, she simply enjoyed the walk along the main thoroughfare before the castle, pausing for the occasional gaze into the shop windows. She didn't often buy baubles such as those offered in shops such as these. She had always been a practical woman and most of them served no purpose beyond being pretty, and, spending much of her life traveling the world alone, moving from contract to contract, there simply wasn't room for such unnecessary baggage in her life. But they were pretty and worth appreciation if not ownership.
Aside from that, there were more than enough such things in her home already and no more were needed, Neral enjoyed them, as did Khylen. The little one liked the small bits of crystal or glassware that caught the light and Neral seemed drawn to anything small, fragile and with etching, carving, or anything else that displayed attention to detail. Bryana and Deres always thought she was drawn to them because a soldier's life could be a harsh one and they were expressions of the gentleness in the soul that crafted it.
Her ears catching the rhythm of her footfalls she realized she was marching. It was a bit more casual, of course, but too much time walking with the woman who spent her life marching took its toll. It had its advantages though. Once she took that stride, the distractions of the occasional polite greeting disappeared entirely, all seeing her as someone who wasn't searching for such niceties.
Reaching the buffer between the city and the castle that was the outer gardens, she began the task of waiting patiently, finding her own path around those exploring the gardens with her so that she remained unbothered by others. The timing for the trip was nice for this aspect at least. She found some lovely and unusual variations of color among the flowers that horticulturists in Erette hadn't seemed to manage and in another week or so the fragile things would be transplanted indoors, so she would have missed them. Deres would appreciate them and she suspected she'd have little trouble convincing Kudan to gift them to her.
She knew Kudan was returning well before she ever bothered to look up, the sound of the hooves of the horses that carried his escort beating against the street and the rush of air as people hurriedly moved past her to catch a glimpse of their king returning from a meeting with a gathering of nobles. They didn't know the why, of course, they only knew that there was the chance to glimpse him as he went by and perhaps be noticed with a wave or a smile. After allowing two children to run past her so quickly she suspected they were hoping to fly she moved with purpose to the street.
Then she could hear the wheels of the carriage moving with the usual rhythmic squeaking as she moved behind several others. The street was the usual crowded for a royal city near noon, so that meant that, while there was no shortage of onlookers, she was able to mostly pick her place, and she did so just outside the outer gate, though she did have to push past several others to find that place, ignoring their looks of annoyance at her rudeness. Such things were forgotten anyway as the carriage drew closer, none of them wanting their king to see them frowning.
She locked eyes on where the center window would be when it passed her. Bryana didn't have control over him to the point that she could simply think the thought and will him to take an action like looking in her direction, but, even veiled, she could always rely on her belief in herself as an immutable force of nature when need be in order to draw attention to herself. Between that and the dress that was crafted to stand out, she had no doubt of her ability to be spotted.
And spotted she was. He surveyed the crowds with interest, eschewing waves of his hand in favor of smiles and nods with his eyes scanning and pausing, making it look to them that he was making personal contact with them with his betrothed at his side, head turned toward her window arm extended. Bryana could tell that she was waving energetically. From what she knew of Keyla, she seemed much more a woman of the people. His eyes scanned the street and found Bryana's and she saw his features go from that practiced amiability to shock and excitement. He stuck his head out the window just to get that much closer to try to prove to himself that he wasn't daydreaming of her as he often did.
But she was there. She was truly there and when she smiled at him and gave him a small wave, the sun emerged through the clouds for him even though the actual star was still under a thick patch. He would have noticed her in any event with so much her being so much a part of his life she was even without her physically in his presence. She'd been in his mind and he hadn't been able to escape her since their one night together years before when he was a lesser man.
That person disgusted him now. He was a vile thing concerned only for his immediate desire for gratification and giving no care for the safety of his kingdom or future of his people. So much so that he was willing to hatch a plot to indirectly attack Erette by depriving it of its queen and hoping to gain from the chaos. He told himself it was for Kressin, but, even before that night, he knew it was for himself His father's health had been failing even then and he had seen the possibility of being king, using the turmoil to expand Kressin's reach if not its land.
But that was before he met Annissa. When he first saw her, it was as just another in the stream of endless whores in the river of endless bars. When he met her, he had to have her simply because she was beautiful, beautiful enough to be a courtesan to nobles and not some bar trash receptacle for drunken men with money left at closing. So he did what he always did when he met women he could use: he met them, groped them, and made arrangements to meet at one of the many rooms available for such rendezvous.
He went there already half drunk to meet and fuck a whore, but, when the sun rose the next day she had changed the direction of his life. The sex was thrilling; the stuff of erotic dreams. She knew how to pleasure a man better than any woman in the world, that he would wager every bit of his wealth on. It was so much more though. Between bouts they talked about what seemed like everything. She was as intelligent and articulate as any ten of his advisors, and she could see through him. She could see past all of his lies and self-delusions and forced him to see the truth about the world around him and about himself, as painful as that was. She showed him that he owed his people decency and dignity, and that he owed those things and had to give them to himself as well.
And she was right. She was right about everything, and, with the sun, he resolved to be the man he could be and the one his people deserved. But now he was that man and he was proud of it, and hoped she would be as well. She traveled the land, not the type to stay somewhere for long, but he knew their shared night moved her as well. Annissa had stayed in touch, sending messages or sending friends to offer counsel in her name, and they were, to a soul, as wise as she. Her advice was truth and taking it had put Kressin on a path to prosperity and steered it away from tragedy. Kudan had reached a point where he knew he would probably never see her again in the flesh, but he had made peace with it because that night lived in his mind every day and with each message and each small request made of him, he knew she still thought of him and Kressin and valued both. Yet, there she was again and life was perfection. He tracked her until he passed beyond the gate, heart threatening to break at the thought that she might vanish once again.
