In The Name of Love

Minna stares blankly at her reflection in the silver looking glass at the dressing table in the suite she will be sharing with Adalberto tonight. Behind her, Greta is brushing her hair and humming a soothing melody.

“Everything’s going to be all right, Your Highness,” she tells Minna, smiling at her in the looking glass. Minna tries to smile back, but the result is less than convincing. Her eyes are still puffy from crying, and exhaustion and worry radiate from her in waves. “I promise, Your Highness. He seems a good man, and all the staff I’ve spoken with have said the same.”

“I’m worried about the king…” Minna whispers.

“Aye, we all are. But there’s nothing we can do for him other than pray, and you’ve done aplenty of that this evening, Your Highness. The best thing you can do now is try to rest and take care of yourself and your husband.”

Minna nods woodenly, but her mind is racing. She wants to help Adalberto however she can, but she has no idea how to go about it. He’s still grieving Valeriya, and now his father and King may be dying and he’s the de facto regent, handling everything, taking care of everyone else…. What can I possibly do for him? she wonders. Her eyes burn for want of tears, but she’s cried herself dry. Will he even want to do what we’re meant to do tonight? Will I be able to oblige if he does? Her maids have tried to help her prepare, but she’s still not clear on the details and doesn’t know how to ask.

“All right, Your Highness. Let’s get you into bed. I’m sure your Lord Husband will arrive any moment,” Greta directs. She helps Minna out of her chair and across the room to the large, canopied bed. The sheets and coverlets are fine, soft fabric, but Minna takes no pleasure in them. She’s self-conscious in her new night-rail; it clings to her body, accentuating her curves, and if the light catches it just right, the silver embroidery glitters and her pale skin shows through the fabric. Her maids and seamstresses assured her this is nothing to be ashamed of but rather a gift for her new husband. Their words bring her less comfort than the dim candlelight of their chamber as Greta extinguishes the torches near the dressing table and leaves Minna alone in the room, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Before she can worry herself into a frenzy or fall asleep, Adalberto enters the bedchamber from an adjoining room, clad in a long nightshirt with a deep neck opening that reveals some of his chest hair. Minna’s face heats up and she looks away from him, focusing instead on the candle burning on the nightstand beside her.

“Are you all right?” she asks him. Although she cannot meet his eyes, she’s concerned about him.

“Better now,” he answers as he approaches her. She glances up at him and sees that his cheeks are flushed and his movements uncertain. He settles beside her on the bed, leaving space between them.

“And the king? How is he?”

Adalberto sighs deeply. “Unchanged. The healers still fear to move him from the Great Hall. They’ve made him as comfortable as they can. Mother won’t leave his side. I’m afraid this will be too much strain for her health and that morning will find them both in peril, but…she won’t listen to me or her maidservants.”

Minna takes his hand and squeezes it, hoping to offer him some comfort. “This has to be very difficult for her, as well.”

“Yes. They aren’t…openly affectionate with one another, but they care for each other deeply. Every time I came to see how he was, Mother demanded to know what we’ve done with his assailant and why we’ve allowed the Barhestans to remain here alive.”

“And…what have you told her?”

“The truth. Which is that they’re worth more in negotiations with Barhesta as prisoners rather than corpses. A concept that has been rather difficult for Casimiro and Emiliano to accept. But the two of them have been…instrumental in the interrogations.”

Minna swallows hard and shudders. She doesn’t want to imagine how the interrogations have gone. “What have you learned? Why did they attack the king like that?”

“In their words, to ‘cut off the head of the snake’ so that they can achieve their goals with Andelios.”

Minna grips Adalberto’s hand tighter, and he pulls her closer to him, then wraps his arm around her shoulders. She leans against him a bit, trying to relax and ignore the way her heart has sped up from his nearness.

“It’s awful, but I can understand how they decided….” Adalberto continues. “My father is not willing to part with Andelios for any price or any reason, and he is a skilled commander of troops. Removing him from the situation, from their perspective, would give them a better chance of achieving their goals, and our wedding gave them the opportunity to get close enough to try.”

Minna nods. Her mouth fills with bile at the idea and she chokes it down, wincing as it burns her throat. “And…if they succeed? What are we going to do if—”

“All we can do is take one day at a time. For now he is alive and in good hands. The Barhestans are secured in the dungeons, and a message is en route to Barhesta with our fastest, most trustworthy couriers.”

“And the message…?”

“I hope to avoid war, if I can manage it. If my father will let me manage it. Right now he can’t argue with me about it.”

Minna nods, and a bit of relief washes over her, letting her relax into Adalberto more. Her arm slips around his waist, bringing them closer together. To her surprise, he lets his head rest on hers. Warmth and contentment, in spite of everything, bubble up within her.

“I want to help however I can,” she murmurs. He lifts his head off hers, and then his fingers gently lift her chin so that their eyes meet.

“You are helping,” he assures her. “Just being able to talk with someone who understands, and cares…. This eases the burden.”

Minna smiles, but she doesn’t know how to tell him that she wants to do more to lighten the weight on his shoulders. Her eyes flicker to his mouth, and then she leans towards him, eyes fluttering closed as she brushes her lips against his. For a moment, Adalberto tenses up, but then he pulls her closer, deepening the kiss.

When they break for air, they rest their foreheads against each other, eyes closed, breathing each other in.

“You don’t have to carry it alone anymore,” she whispers. He pulls her even closer to him and kisses her again, tender and sweet. Minna forgets about everything except the two of them and this moment. At least for tonight, the rest of the world and all their worries can wait.