บท 5: Revelations
"Marry the king?!" I ask incredulously.
"Yes. He needs a bride, and I think you will be perfect. You will challenge him and maybe even knock him down a peg. Besides, all the other princesses have been disqualified," she replies.
"But...I just told you...I don't want to get married," I explain.
"You don't want to marry King Luther, who's probably going to snuff out that beautiful light inside you. But I swear to you that my brother is nothing like him," she informs me.
"Oh my goodness! You're a princess?" I ask.
Now I feel beyond incompetent and embarassed. I couldn't stop myself from blurting out everything about my life, and I did it in front of the king's sister.
"Yes, but I am often traveling between the lands, healing the sick and helping where I can. Not many people know me as a princess," she replies and smiles kindly.
The king couldn't possibly be that horrible if he's anything like his sister. I might even grow to like him. If he lets his sister train and work as a healer, which is very rare because she is a woman, he must be a little progressive in his thinking.
Maybe, just maybe, he's not so bad after all.
I hear heated voices speaking outside the tent and it sounds like an argument between a man and a woman. I look at Faye warily, but she brushes me off and tells me not to worry about it.
"So, what now?" I ask, and I give her a hesitant smile.
"I'm so glad you agreed. I would never have forced you, you know? I would have just told my baby brother it wasn't a good match," she replied, took a deep breath, then continued.
"That being said, I will warn you that he was a little...hesitant about the idea of marrying anyone. He may come off gruff, but he'll warm up...eventually."
My father has never been a very warm man, so I'm not afraid of a little arrogance or gruffness. As long as we can come to a mutually satisfying arrangement, I don't see why we can't learn to get along. Most royal weddings nowadays end up being more like business deals anyway.
"Is there anything else I should know?" I ask her pointedly. I may think myself capable of handling the king's mood, but I don't want any surprises either.
"Just be yourself, Wren, and I have a feeling you will break through that icy cold heart of my brother's," she tells me, giving me a cheeky grin. Then she adds, "And my feelings are almost never wrong."
"Ok…" I reply with reticence.
"There is one more thing before I take you to meet the family. My mother is probably going to give you a little bit of a hard time. She dotes on my brother and she doesn't really believe any woman, princess or not, will be good enough for him," she tells me.
"The good news just keeps coming," I mumble. She laughs loudly and pats me on the shoulder.
"Just think of it as an adventure!" she exclaims.
I take a deep breath before she leads me out of the tent. I see that most of the guards are gone, in particular my mystery man. There is a distinct tension in the air, created by the king's mother eyeing me up, her judgment apparent in her expression.
"Mother, this is Renata. Renata, this is Queen Catherine," Faye introduces us and I do a quick curtsy.
"Lovely to meet you, Queen Catherine," I say.
"It remains to be seen whether I agree with that sentiment," she replies with a quirk of her eyebrow.
I'm getting the feeling that Faye underplayed much of what she told me about my potential new family.
"And what's your name?" I turn to the king's little sister and give her a warm smile.
"I'm Franny," she replies shyly.
"Princess Francesca," the queen interjects bossily.
"It's very nice to meet you, I'm Wren," I say. She sends a quick glance at her mother and then smiles broadly at me.
"Well, now that we've gotten the niceties out of the way, shall we adjourn to the castle? Our men will escort your father there as well so we can begin negotiations," Catherine says.
As we walk, I give Faye a troubled look. How is she going to convince my father to agree to this marriage and shun King Luther? How is she going to satisfy everyone involved and avoid a huge confrontation?
"I've got this," Faye whispers in reassurance.
We make our way out to the royal carriages and off we go. The castle, which I thought was enormous before, becomes downright massive when you get closer. Made of stone and featuring towers so tall they touch the clouds, I can't help but be a little intimidated. A large moat and high walls surround the structure and I swallow nervously.
As the guards lower the portcullis, we are ushered through the gates with all the respect due to our status. I let Faye take the lead and follow her to the great hall, where I am instructed to wait for my father to arrive. Princess Francesca gives me a friendly wave goodbye before she's led away and Faye and her mother go into a room off the hall to have a private chat.
I look around at the beautiful tapestries hanging on the walls, all unique but all bearing the same crest. The family seems to have a history going back centuries and their tastes run a little in the direction of folklore. The dragons on their crest suggest a time long forgotten.
From my studies I learned a little about the history of dragons. They used to be prevalent throughout the lands, roaming free but mostly keeping to themselves. People were in awe of their strength and abilities and everything seemed to be prosperous when they were around.
Then, one day, a dragon attacked one of the kingdoms. The rumor is that he went completely mad and satisfied his bloodlust by burning down everything in his path. The destruction was absolute and the kingdom and all the people in it went up in smoke. The remaining six kingdoms then banded together and started hunting dragons, determined to destroy them before they destroyed us.
I always took issue with this part of the story, because even at a young age I knew there were both good and bad people in the world and the good shouldn't be punished for the actions of one bad apple. But the people of the lands were in support of their leaders' hasty decision, and all the dragons were wiped from existence.
As Faye and her mother's voices get higher and louder, signaling an obvious disagreement between them, my father bursts through the door.
"Renata! What have you done? Come with me, we must leave this place at once!" he announces, walking towards me with determination.
"She's not going anywhere," a deep voice booms.
Faye and the queen come out of the room they were in looking perturbed, my father's face turns beet red with anger, and I begin to look in the direction of that familiar voice all at the same time.
My stomach drops.
The mystery man.
Except he is no longer dressed as a knight; now he's dressed like a king.
With a crown on his head and a menacing look on his face.
My head spins with a multitude of questions. The king is the man who rescued me in the woods, the man who was staring at me intensely while disguised as a knight during the contest. He was hiding his identity the whole time. But why?
"King Drake! I'm glad to meet you. I'm happy you're here and we can sort this mess out between us men," my father says.
King Drake stalks towards him slowly, like a predator circling his prey.
"King...Albert, is it? There is no mess to be sorted. I have chosen your daughter as my queen. Other than the contract, no further details need to be discussed," he states.
"But...she's already betrothed...to King Luther. The arrangements have been in place for many years and there is no way to back out of it now," my father protests.
"King Luther, hmm? Well I don't know him and I don't really care to. Whatever agreement you have come to with him, I will double what he's offering," Drake replies.
My father's eyes glaze over a little when Drake offers to double his money. I let out a little huff of frustration. Of course my father is willing to sell me to the highest bidder. They are talking about me as if I'm not in the room and it's very irritating.
"I owe him a great deal of money, so I will need my debts secured and an additional sum to continue to run my kingdom," my father informs him and then adds, "And protection, in case King Luther takes issue with this change in circumstances."
I am instantly embarrassed at my father's greedy behavior and I want to crawl under the furniture and hide. I see annoyance flash in Drake's eyes but it quickly disappears and he maintains his steely expression.
"Done. Come into my study so we can get the details down on paper and finalize everything," he says and gestures for my father to follow him.
Faye winks at me and she and her mother also follow them into the room, which looks like a study. When I try to do the same, a guard comes out of nowhere and shuts the doors behind them, locking me out. I let out a sigh and sit back down to await my fate.
After some time, my father comes out looking like a cat that's got the cream and Faye's face is shining with excitement. The king and his mother both look unphased and stoic, wearing matching expressions that are equally hard to read. The queen leaves without announcement and my father is escorted out as well.
"What's going on? Is my father leaving without me?" I direct my question to Faye.
"My broth - the king - feels it's best for you to stay here in the castle until the wedding, for safety," Faye explains.
"That's unheard of! Who will chaperone me while I'm here and secure my reputation?" I ask in protest.
"Your father is going to send your ladies maid back to us with your things," she replies.
"Can he send my horse, Cleo, as well? I ride every day," I ask.
"From now on you will defer to me with questions of your daily habits and requests about living arrangements," the king interjects with a stern tone.
Great, I think. Another bossy man to tell me what to do and where to go. I am regretting my decision fiercely at this moment and I direct my anger at the king.
"I'm not your wife yet, King Drake. Until then, my habits should be of no consequence to you," I retort. He gives me a blazing look and purses his lips into a straight line.
"Leave us, Faye," he says.
"That's not appropriate!" I exclaim.
"I assure you, princess, your innocence is safe from me at the moment. We need to have a talk about what's expected of you once you do become my wife," he informs me.
"Don't worry, Wren, I'll be close by," she whispers as she passes me on her way out.
I turn to him and cross my arms in front of my chest, giving him an annoyed look.
"Wren? Is that a nickname. I thought your name was Renata," he says.
"It seems I'm not the only one hiding my true identity, sir," I reply haughtily.
He stares me down and begins to walk around me, looking me up and down as if I'm a brand new toy for him to play with and he can't wait to break me open to see how I work.
"Ahh...you are referring to our brief interlude in the forest? But, you see, I never told you I wasn't the king. You assumed otherwise but that had nothing to do with me," he explains.
"You were there for the contest as well, dressed not as a king, but as a knight," I reply.
"I wanted to watch it without pretense. I wanted to see for myself as a man, not a king, who would prove themselves worthy to become my queen," he tells me.
"Sounds like you like to play with words and other people's lives. You justify your trickery with an explanation that rings false, your highness," I say.
All of a sudden his expression turns angry and he comes right up to me, too close for comfort. I try to ignore the allure of having his body so close to mine.
"Are you calling me a liar?" he asks in a low, dangerous voice.
"If the crown fits," I reply with a roll of my eyes.
He grabs my waist and pulls me flush against him. I am overwhelmed at the contact and I take deep, steady breaths to calm myself.
"Did you just roll your eyes at me?" he asks with a growl.
I try to swallow but my throat won't work. My mouth is dry and I feel like I'm caught in a trap with a powerful and dangerous animal. I struggle a little against his grip but it's useless; he's too strong. He's not hurting me, but holding me firm so I'm stuck plastered to his body, forced to obey his will.
"You will learn to show me the respect I am due as your husband and as your king, or you will suffer the consequences. Do I make myself clear?" he asks.
My blood boils at his arrogant tone and I'm dying to give him a piece of my mind. But it's too late to get out of this marriage contract. I've traded one ruthless king for another.
"Crystal," I reply sarcastically.
He reaches up and brushes his thumb across my lips and a jolt of desire shoots through my body. I'm caught in his fiery gaze and I suddenly realize I would be happy to burn with him, if only he would press his lips to mine. He abruptly releases me and I feel the shock of his absence.
"Once we are wed, you will be a dutiful wife and obey me in all things. Trust me, princess, it will make your life a whole lot easier," he says, and then adds, "And don't roll your eyes at me again."
He immediately turns his back on me and strides from the room, never once looking back.
I'm so angry I kick the leg of a nearby chair, then howl in pain when I hurt my foot. Faye lied to me; her brother is no better than King Luther.
My assumptions were all wrong, right from the beginning. He's not progressive, at least not when it comes to his future queen, and he is horribly bossy and overbearing. He is not like his sweet sisters at all, he's like his mother. Cold and unfeeling.
I've jumped out of the frying pan right into the fire.
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