Chapter 11: Prince or King

King Javert was impatiently tapping his foot at Amie's tardiness. When she finally walked out of the palace entrance, King Javert lashed out at her, "Hurry up! We don't have all day!"

Amie was startled by the outburst. She quickly climbed into the carriage without saying a word. She waited for Jacques to make a witty comment, but he didn't speak. Amie couldn't think of a reason for Jacques' demeanor to change so rapidly from a few days prior, unless there was an argument that transpired between the King and him that she was unaware of. She settled on the possibility that Jacques was scolded more severely than usual for his crude comments about King Osred a few days prior to their current expedition.

Amie was content with this explanation until they approached their destination. She was confused to find that instead of going to Asturias, they were headed to León. Once they disembarked from the carriage, Amie was able to whisper to Jacques, "Why are we here?"

Jacques mumbled just loud enough for her to hear him, "King Aurelius and Prince Dapyx are dead. King Ordoño, King Ceredig, and Prince Demetrius have all been exiled. Be careful, my father thinks you might be cursed."

Amie suddenly knew the gravity of the situation. While marrying Prince Peter would be ideal to her, she had been mentally preparing to marry the first king or prince that wasn't completely grotesque in either sight or mind. She knew from early on that she would not have a choice and had tried to accept the outcome of her fate.

Knowing she was never supposed to make it to the bottom of the list, the prophecy from King Olaf came to mind. Amie began to wonder if the end of days was near for her.

They entered the castle in silence, waited for Prince Ferdinand without saying a word, and when Prince Ferdinand made his appearance, King Javert gave only a small greeting to initiate the conversation, "Greetings, Prince Ferdinand. I hope all has been well."

"Oh yes, everything is going splendid! Princess Adeline, I hope you enjoy your stay here. It will be wonderful to unify the kingdoms of Castile and León with Lutetia in holy matrimony."

King Javert exclaimed, "Oh! I didn't realize you were the prince of Castile as well." For once, it seemed as though there was some good news.

Ferdinand laughed, "Well, there has been some confusion about my titles for a long time. I'm actually only the Count of Castile at present, but all that mess will be cleared up next week at my coronation."

King Javert was a little uneasy, "Oh? So you are not actually a prince?"

Ferdinand explained further, "No, I am not. I have never been a prince, nor will I ever be. At next week's coronation, I'll become the King of León and Castile. Forgive me for not clarifying things sooner. My mind has been focused more on winning battles than on ever-changing titles."

King Javert was both relieved and concerned. For a moment, he thought he was marrying his adopted daughter to someone too low in status to make a difference politically, but now he had a different problem on his hands. The marriage was intended to build an alliance between the two nations and for King Javert to try to weasel more land or another title into his possession. The soon-to-be King Ferdinand, however, had a conqueror's look in his eyes.

King Javert was cautious with his next words. He needed more information, "Pardon me for asking so many questions, I did not want to address you by the wrong title. Forgive me again for not knowing, but I did not realize you had been in battle as of late."

Ferdinand replied, "Oh yes! No, again, it's my fault for not being clear. I am to be King of León now because I killed the last king in battle." His eyes were filled with danger and maliciousness.

King Javert knew right then that they had to leave, he was now looking for a way out, "Well congratulations on a battle well fought!"

Ferdinand replied, "Yes, thank you! It is why my first wife and I are no longer on speaking terms. We are in talks right now on how to proceed with divorce, but the Church does not make it easy."

King Javert seemed to have found a way out, "She disapproved of your winning the battle? Would she have rather you been killed? What terrible treachery."

Ferdinand's mood seemed to dim, "It is not that. She wished we had never gotten into the battle to begin with. My opponent was her brother. In her eyes, once the fighting began, that meant she was either losing a brother or a husband. But I initiated the battle, so she is blaming me for her brother's death."

King Javert knew he had to convince the soon-to-be king to stay with his wife, "That is a terrible predicament, indeed. I'm sure you had great reasons for fighting him to begin with, of course."

Ferdinand huffed, "Well absolutely! My wife and I have been married since we were children and her dowry STILL hadn't been paid! He wanted to keep all of León for himself, the greedy bastard!"

King Javert was stuck. The man in front of him was a crazed expansionist and now his target was King Javert. "Perhaps, if you gave your wife some time to grieve, the two of you could make amends? Coming from someone who has been married for many, many years, I can say with certainty that the loss of a loved one can put great strains on a marriage. It doesn't mean the marriage has to end, however."

Ferdinand was grateful for the advice, "Perhaps you are right. Maybe I'll try to approach her again in a few days." He then grew suspicious, "King Javert, is there any reason you do not wish for me to marry your lovely daughter?"

King Javert had to think quickly, "Of course not! I did believe you were single already, however. I have yet to hear of the Church granting a divorce to anyone, and I do not wish for my dear Adeline to wait until she is no longer of childbearing years to marry."

Ferdinand pondered this answer for a moment, "Well, I suppose you are right. I truly hope you can forgive me for not being clear from the beginning. I fear my lack of communication has caused great confusion."

King Javert replied, "No worries! We've cleared everything up so there is no need to continue to dwell on the situation."

Ferdinand responded, "I believe you are right on that! Given my current marital status, I do not believe it would be appropriate at the moment to continue talks of marriage to another woman. Would you be interested in staying the evening and discussing our current alliance situation."

King Javert hesitantly agreed, "Absolutely! We must take leave early in the morning, however. My schedule has been unusually busy this year."

Ferdinand nodded, "I understand what you mean. You plan for one thing, but there's always an unexpected situation popping up. Well, such is the life of a ruler I suppose."

"Indeed." King Javert replied.

With their conversation ending, King Javert and Prince Felix followed Ferdinand to his strategy room so they could discuss business and politics. Prince Jacques stayed behind with Amie.

Once she knew everyone was out of earshot, Amie turned to Jacques, "What do you mean I'm cursed? Why does your father think that?"

Jacques replied in an unusual tone of concern, "10 suitors and 9 have ended on very unfavorable terms, Amie. What did you expect to happen? It's completely unheard of. Two of the suitors already having a wife or soon-to-be wife isn't so bad. But seven suitors ending up either dead or exiled? There is no way that is not a curse."

Amie quickly did the math, "Wait, don't you mean six?"

Jacques replied, "We heard news of King Osred just before departing for here. He has been killed in battle."

Amie was saddened. As much as she was shocked by the sight of their visit, she never bore any ill will against him.

Jacques saw her expression change, "So you did have feelings for that pervert?"

Amie's expression switched to irritation, "I can feel bad for someone's death without having liked them."

Jacques laughed and redirected the conversation back on topic, "Anyways, six or seven kings and princes doesn't really matter. Both of those numbers are incredible high and we both know you are at least partly cursed."

Amie was growing uneasy, "I wish you weren't right. If only I knew what was going to happen next, instead of having to guess what that stupid prophecy meant."

Jacques raised his eyebrows, "I'd be careful if I were you. Calling a prophecy stupid is bound to aggravate the god that is playing with your fate right now."

Amie shivered, "You really think I'm cursed, don't you?"

Jacques grimaced, "There's no way that you're not."

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