Chapter 22: A Letter

The clouds had just been painted by the faintest glimmer when Enzo pushed into the cold dark study. Exasperated he huffed, "You have requested to see me, your highness?" Riona sat on her desk, her toes curling freely with boredom. Her face tilted up, yet her eyes stayed on her feet. "Yes, she has," confirmed a low voice. Enzo flicked his head towards a darkly dressed frame. A gentleman sprawled over the couch, his attire a mess, as if he had spent the night in it and his hair tossed back.

"The famous Lord Valleric Faxon. What an honour to see you in person," said Enzo rather plainly, turning back, "How could I be of service, your grace?"

The queen smiled, but one that unsettled the guard on the spot, his feet shifting slightly. "I would like to request a favour: to deliver a letter."

"A letter?"

"Yes, and the location: the Moth castle."

Enzo's gaze grew wide. His surprise evident as he repeated with audible disbelief, "The moth castle?"

Riona nodded, her fingers lifting to reveal a crest-stamped letter on pale blue paper. The guard eyed the envelope, sniffing a bitter-like scent. He crinkled his face, querying, "Wolfsbane?"

"Why yes, for your safety, I went through lengths to obtain it. It will ward off beasts and the moths will surely see it as a statement as they have a liking towards bitter tastes and certainly smells."

Valleric sat up, the material of the couch wrinkling as he straightened his back in a stretch, a yawn escaping his mouth. Riona side-eyed him, choosing to ignore his silent plea for attention. "I expect you to deliver it immediately," she added.

Enzo sent another glance towards Valleric, silently observing him before respectfully bowing his head. "I will leave at once."

"Very good, I shall await their reply. Do take care, I do not wish to retrieve you from their clutches if you end up offending them. They are our neighbors after all."

Valleric chuckled, "No need to worry, Enzo. I will gladly fly to the rescue."

Enzo raised a brow. "I would have preferred her highness, for I lay my trust in her."

Riona nodded. "As you should."

With that, she waved the guard off, earning her the silent space to herself to occupy. "I would like you to keep an eye on him. And, while you are there, keep your ears open on the name Vance Venetus. If you happen to cross ways with Vance, kill him and bring me his father's ring from his right hand."

"What importance does this ring have?" wondered the lord, stepping around the desk, his focus dwelling over the winter-glazed patterns on the window glass. Riona leaned back, answering, "His father was a friend of the late king, I wish to place it near the grave. They were inseparable in my younger years. That is why I would like to put King Deveraux to rest and gift him a piece of his best friend."

"That is awfully kind of you to do such a favour for a dead man," commented Valleric. Riona frowned, her fingers curling intensely into a subtle fist. She gritted her jaw, snapping, "He is not simply a dead man, Valleric. That man was a father to me and so was Knight Venetus. I owe them for all they have done for me."

"I did not mean to offend you, Riona," muttered Vally, gently settling a palm on her shoulder, "I am only curious as to how and why you have such an entwined connection with a man who was never your biological father."

"He raised me as his own daughter, that is all it takes to be a father. He was well aware of the chances that I might have not been his biological daughter because of my mother's tendencies... Yet, he always looked at me lovingly. He never held my dark wings against me, he never encouraged me to be what I was not and certainly never dared to imply that I was not worthy of the throne. One is not bound to fatherly duties simply by blood, but rather by character and a mind. He chose to be a father to Drystan and I, and for that, he has my respect."

Valleric wrapped his arms around Riona unexpectedly, pressing her small frame to his. Riona held her breath, awaiting explanation. "How blessed you are to have had such a caring parent, I would have given my right hand to earn the chance to meet mine."

Riona blinked perplexed. Her lips parted to query on his words, yet clamped back shut when she remembered: Shadow guards are picked at a young age; at times, even at birth. He must have been one of those cases... she thought.

"We are not defined by our past, Vally, I hope you realise that," sincerely whispered the woman, stroking his ruffled hair with tender fingers. The man leaned into her touch, relishing in the contact. His skin prickled with light bumps. He inhaled deeply into her hair, identifying the light scents of lavender and cotton. His hands wafted over the loose fabric of her dress, trailing over the folds and creases of a sleepless night imprinted onto fabric. His fingertips came into contact with bare skin and he froze, his heart thumping audibly in his chest.

Riona tilted her neck, her fogged-over eyes peering into his. She blinked, her eyes hinting a light smile. A cold hand latched over his, slender fingers entwining between his knuckles. With a knowing smirk, she pulled his palm steadily across the patch of naked skin from her shoulder to her neck and then brought his knuckles to her lips to place an ever so soft kiss to them, her eyes teasingly holding eye contact. Valleric gulped, his stare resembling one of fear, yet thrill overthrew it by far as he anxiously awaited her next move.

Riona chuckled, "Have I bewitched you by a mere grain of affection?"

Valleric let out a breath, his lips querking up nervously as he admitted, "The mere idea of your touch is bewitching enough, your touch itself brings my knees to tremble with more ease than any threat could wish to."

She leaned to his ear, smugly voicing, "Then imagine being married to me. Oh how thrilling that would be, now wouldn't it?"

Valleric latched his palms onto her shoulders, pushing her back to face him properly. He laughed, "I advise you to stop before I consider committing sins."

Robust laughter erupted from the queen's chest, her head snapping back in response as her arms folded around her stomach. "Ha! What a tease I am!" she snickered, wiping an imaginary tear, "Be a good shadow and you might earn yourself a kiss after the mission."

Valleric scrunched his brows, yet a smile played on his face. "You are ruthless to play with my strings."

"Perhaps that is why you are fascinated by me."

He leaned to her face. "That is exactly why I could never leave you."