Cassarah
Now that I officially wore the crown and was queen, the hard work began.
I’d already dealt with the dragon riders, having them swear their loyalty to me, but I decided to pass on having the village people do the same.
There would always be those who opposed my rule, and making them bend a knee in public like this wouldn’t change what was in their heart.
Instead, I had King Thomas, Crown Prince Phillip, and Queen Catharine join me in my office.
While I had verbal agreements with these men, I wanted it in writing and sealed with blood.
I was going to learn from the Raven Queen herself and ensure that none of them could stab me in the back without consequence, and I had the power to do just that.
“This should be a time of celebration, not dealing with this sort of thing,” King Thomas argued. “We can just as easily do this tomorrow.”
“No,” I stated as I sat at my desk. “This will happen now or not at all. There is no telling when the Lost King will make his next move, and I, for one, am unwilling to take a chance. What if he attacks you first, and for some reason, I decided it’s too risky to help you?
We have no agreement other than our words that we ever had an alliance.
Be smart, Your Majesty. This benefits both of us. ”
With a harumph, King Thomas sat across from me, next to Phillip.
It took us a few rounds, but we all settled on agreements for our alliances, creating a bond between the three kingdoms. Each of us is willing to come to the other’s aid in the form of military support, food, or supplies if the need should arise.
We added in a few other clauses that would cut out loopholes or prevent forced marriages of our children whenever Phillip or I had any. With the wording finalized, I took out a small knife, poked it into the pad of my thumb, and pressed it over my signature.
“Know that this agreement is binding by honor and magic. If any of us, or our children, fail to follow the alliance we’ve created, then it will result in punishment or death to the offender,” I explained as I handed the knife to Phillip.
Without hesitation, Phillip signed his name and placed his blood as I had. However, King Thomas hesitated a moment as he looked between us. “What happens if future generations wish to dissolve this alliance?”
“Then they create another contract and sign that one,” I informed him. “Only when all parties agree and come together can this contract be altered or dissolved. It’s to ensure that no one party can break the agreement without the others knowing.”
King Thomas nodded, reading over the words once more before singing his name and adding his blood, sealing the document for all. A zing of power raced up my arm from the thumb I’d cut, letting me know that the magic I’d infused it with was active.
“Queen Catharine, I would like to be clear that if you in any way try to break or twist the alliance we’ve just formed, you will suffer the punishment as well.
Any interference from the families who formed the alliance will have repercussions.
The same goes for any of my consorts or future wife that Phillip will have.
This extends to the children in this generation or the next.
The magic I’ve bound to this holds us to this alliance until it is dissolved, no matter how long that might take,” I warned, as I held her gaze, ensuring she understood what I was saying.
Her only response was to nod serenely as if there was no reason for me to have been worried. “I will bear that in mind, Your Majesty.”
While I didn’t trust the woman farther than I could throw her, I didn’t think she would be stupid enough to do anything right away. No, if she were going to make a play to get rid of me, it would be after the Lost King was gone and her kingdom was no longer being threatened.
“Come, the feast should be starting soon, and I hear they have some wonderful entertainment set up for the night,” Phillip suggested, rising from his seat and offering me his arm. “Come, dear sister, let us celebrate your coronation now that matters have been settled.”
He was right. I’d done all I could to prepare for our battle ahead. This feast was going to be the last bit of normalcy we’d have because, in the morning, we would be gearing up for war.
“Your Majesty, might I have the honor of this dance?” Alsten, the captain of the military, asked with a bow.
Surprised by the request, I turned from where I’d been speaking to Dayson to face Alsten. “A dance?”
Dayson’s hand landed on my hip, where he gripped it tightly, showing his claim to me.
“Yes, I haven’t seen you get the chance to dance once this evening,” he explained, meeting my gaze.
“I’m not looking for anything more than a friendly dance with my new queen.
There is no need for the death glare from your guardian.
I don’t think you have any need to add another man to your company. ”
I offered Alsten a small smile and accepted his hand. “I haven’t danced in a while, so you’ll have to forgive me if I stumble a bit at first.”
“Formal dancing isn’t something that happens here often, so you’re in good company,” he whispered conspiratorially as he led me to the dance floor. “Are you sure he won’t come and kill me in my sleep later?”
“Dayson, like the others, is over protective, but as long as you behave yourself, I don’t see there being any issues,” I assured him.
Once we reached the middle of the dance floor, we took up positions and joined the others in the waltz.
While dancing had never been my favorite thing to do while under my mother’s tutelage, it was actually enjoyable in a much more comfortable setting.
A real smile grew as he twirled me effortlessly, showing me he wasn’t as unskilled as he made me believe.
“You are a wonderful dancer,” I commented as we moved across the dance floor.
Alsten bobbed his head. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I could also say the same about you. I would never have guessed you were rusty on your skills.”
We danced another song before King Thomas approached and asked to cut in. “Might I have this dance?”
I agreed, feeling it was a smart move to show how our alliance was already progressing well. “Of course, I’d be glad to share this dance with you.”
Alsten bowed, stepped back, allowed the king to take his place, and headed off into the crowd.
“You are a hard woman to get a moment with,” King Thomas shared as we began our dance.
His words put me on edge, but I tried not to show it. “I apologize. I didn’t realize you needed to speak to me.”
“Oh, it wasn’t anything vital. I just wanted to get to know you better now that we share an alliance.
I feel as though when we first came to Sheca, my wife and I didn’t represent ourselves to you very well.
My wife is headstrong, and in many ways, I think she believes she is more king than I am.
I won’t lie to you and say she agrees with this alliance, but I can see the bigger picture,” King Thomas explained.
“This war isn’t something we can run from or hide behind our army like we normally would.
I’ve heard rumblings from our spies about this matter, and she keeps brushing them off.
What I want most is to grow old, see my son take over the throne and our kingdom prosper, and that is why I’m fighting for this alliance. ”
“Your Highness, are you saying your wife plans to hinder that from happening?” I asked in a hushed voice.
“All I will tell you is to watch your back where she is concerned. I will do all I can to honor and uphold this alliance, but I can’t say the same for her.
She is also trying to poison our children to the idea, so they might one day dissolve the agreement,” King Thomas answered with a heavy sigh.
“I might have also heard mention breaking her sister out of house arrest and bringing her back with us.”
Stumbling at his words, I tried to keep my expression even, knowing how many eyes were watching us. “Was this spoken about before or after the agreement was signed?”
“Before… she was talking about it last night after the attack,” King Thomas paused, licking his lips as he looked around a moment before speaking, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I have no proof of this other than knowing that woman for the past thirty years, but I think something happened to her. Three years ago, she went on a trip to visit a friend in Utros, and when she came back, things started to change. She’s always been opinionated and bossy, telling me how I should rule.
Slowly, I almost didn’t notice that she started to do things behind my back, like sending supplies to Utros and Errit.
It was small amounts I wouldn’t have taken notice of, but one of my stewards came to me asking what it was for.
I never agreed to send support to those kingdoms. That’s when I sent my spies out to investigate. ”
“What did they find?” I questioned as my mind started to race, connecting dots of information.
“It was the first time I heard about the Lost King, how he married the crown princess of Errit, and months later, she ended up dead. This made him the crown prince since they didn’t have any other children to take the role.”
I had to admit I was impressed with Henry’s plan to get to this point.
He’d systematically taken over two kingdoms in preparation and then conquered Norden, adding to his power base.
Now, the only thing standing in his way was Creisal and Sheca.
If what King Thomas told me was true, then Queen Catharine might have already been swayed by the Lost King.
His power of manipulation was unlike anything we’ve ever seen.
What if he’d managed to implant a thought into the queen’s brain that had the kingdom crumbling from the inside out?
“Your Majesty, are you willing to put your trust in me to see if your wife is under the Lost King’s control? It might explain so many things about how she is acting and why she is resisting this alliance when it makes perfect sense,” I asked, searching his face as he took his time to answer me.
The song ended, but King Thomas had managed to place us in the far back corner out of the way and out of sight. “Is there any hope if he has done something to her?”
“I don’t know, but I’m willing to try,” I answered honestly.
“Here, in this castle, I have access to power I’ve never experienced before.
If there were ever a time I felt hopeful of being able to help, it would be now.
If I can’t, then at least we know she must be under someone’s watch at all times or detained somewhere safe.
The Lost King doesn’t care about loss of life or ruining someone’s mind. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
King Thomas nodded, his shoulders slumping as he answered. “Tomorrow… we will settle things tomorrow. Let tonight be about a happy one, and we will discover just how strong a hold the Lost King has in our world in the light of a new day.”
I reached out and placed my hand on his arm, seeing the truth of this man with his royal facade dropped.
He loved his wife and children and truly wanted the best for his people.
He came here unsure of what to expect, and I’m not sure what he saw in me to convince him that I was worthy of his trust, but I was glad.
If the Lost King had a foothold in Creisal, we needed to remove it quickly, or this battle would be worse odds than it already was.
“Come, let us get some cake. I had a sample of it earlier, and it’s rather wonderful,” I suggested, hooking my arm through his and heading back toward the tables covered with food for people to enjoy.
The second Jade spotted me, he made a beeline to my side. “There you are, Your Majesty… need a break from all the dancing?”
“I was just telling the King he needed to try some cake, but I would like a refreshment.” Turning to the king, I smiled. “Would you mind greatly if I left you on your own while you enjoy your dessert?”
“No, my dear, enjoy the night. I’ve stolen enough of your time. I’m sure your men are getting anxious. You have quite a devoted group of consorts. I hope one day my children will find such loyal partners.”
With a quick bob of a curtsy, out of respect, I left with Jade. Soon, I had a glass in my hand that Cole brought over before I was whisked out of the ballroom into the back servants’ hall. There were the rest of my consorts along with May and Becka.
“What did the king want?” Jade demanded the moment it was safe to ask.
I held up a hand for them to give me a moment as I took a few gulps from the glass of water.
“That’s better,” I said with a sigh, not realizing how thirsty dancing had made me.
“The king and I had a rather interesting conversation. It seems that Queen Catharine and I will be having a chat tomorrow about a trip she took to Utros three years ago.”
Even though we were out of the way, staff still hurried back and forth, maintaining things in the ballroom. I knew my people well enough that I figured they could read between the lines.
“I’m sorry… did you say that happened three years ago?” Pax questioned.
I nodded, taking another sip. “Yes, she apparently is good friends with the royalty there. Such good friends that when they requested some help in the way of supplies, she sent them over.”
The guys swore under their breaths while the girls did better at controlling their feelings.
“I was also informed about a tragic story about how the Crown Princess of Errit died shortly after being married to a nobleman’s son from Utros.
Since she was their only child, her husband was named Crown Prince.
With how tragic their story is, I’m amazed none of us ever heard anything about it,” I mused, knowing full well why the story was kept secret.
Henry wouldn’t want people knowing how much influence he had or that he’d left his supposed prison in Utros. Paxton’s father had owned up to the fact he didn’t kill the boy, and now we are all paying for that man’s choice.
“Might I suggest this is a conversation that should be continued in our rooms?” Gavin interjected, giving us all a warning look. “The night is still young, and we have many guests who would like to spend time greeting their new queen.”
“Quite right,” Izel agreed, nodded, and slipped his arm around my waist. “But not before I get my chance for a dance.”
The rest of the night was spent chatting with my subjects and dancing with all my consorts. I managed to put the fears of the future to rest and focus on the here and now. When the clock struck midnight, I made my excuses and curled up into bed with Paxton and Gavin, where we promptly passed out.