29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
We ride unicorns to the Hermit King’s castle.
His stone wall towers several stories into the air, so that his castle cannot be seen until you enter the large onyx gate.
Fire burns in the moat around the castle.
It was done using an eternal fire spell that I gave him as partial payment for the new land.
The castle is large but not elaborate. Simple grey stone and four turrets on each wing are as fancy as it gets.
An entire village is within the wall with many little stone cottages with red roofs and a marketplace where several are bartering for goods.
It would appear there is little reason the leave the castle grounds.
The smell of livestock overwhelms the brief reprieve of baked goods that occasionally strikes the air. There are dozens of unicorns grazing in a nearby pasture, and a lake takes up a large space on the southern end of the area.
“You keep your entire kingdom in your wall?” I hop off my unicorn when men come to collect him, and I offer my hand to Evelia to help her safely to the ground.
The Hermit King dismounts as well from his grey stallion and helps his wife off her white one.
“As you know, I have a lot more land than this, but everything of value to me stays behind these walls. We don’t have a lot of citizens, but any who want can make a life here behind the safety of our wall.
We are a peaceful people, but those around us often aren’t. ”
“War is sometimes necessary.”
“Yes, but should be avoided by any means possible. It’s why I was happy to host this summit. Peace in the realm means a better future for all of us.”
Evelia hooks her arm in mine, and we continue into the castle.
The decor is minimal, with only a painting here and there and a few plants tucked into corners.
Round lights sit in the ceiling and on the lower part of the walls.
We’re given one room with an enormous bed and bathroom.
After they leave us to get settled, Evelia stares at the bed.
“I can sleep on the floor,” I say.
“No, it’s okay. I trust you not to touch me if I don’t want you to.”
“I thought you didn’t trust me at all.”
She scoots her trunk to the end of the bed. “If you wanted to force yourself on me, you would have done it long before now.”
“That’s not something I would ever do, no matter how strong the desire to be inside you burns me alive. Maybe one day we can get back to that place.”
We go to bed, and it takes me a long while to fall asleep with her so close to me. This time, I put the pillow between us to make her more comfortable, but my eyes burn, knowing how much I desire what is under the same blanket as me.
The next morning is the summit, and we go to breakfast with Dinivan and CiCi first. It consists of tea, scones, and a few pastries. There is a small plate of meat and eggs. Mostly, they keep their meals modest, and very little is taken away by the servants when we’re finished.
The peace talks happen in a room painted blue, and the northern wall has a painting of a beach and birds flying across a cloudless sky.
An oval grey table has around ten high back chairs around it.
Guards are lined up against the wall. Dinivan takes his place at the front, and CiCi has a chair exactly next to him rather than on one side.
It seems symbolic of her holding equal power in his kingdom.
Her long gown is the same deep blue as his shirt and pants.
Even their crowns are a smaller and larger version of each other.
There are wooden carvings with names on them at each seat, and I pull Evelia’s chair out for her.
Two women and a man in all white sit across from us, and we sit for a while beyond when the meeting is supposed to begin.
it seems the entire thing was a ploy from Sarek, but finally the door opens, and he walks in with his wife, Apricity, whose blonde curls fall just below her shoulder and go well with her royal blue dress and sapphire crown.
The queen’s delicate facial features match Evelia’s, all except her dark eyes that are fogged over, like she’s not truly in the room with us.
Evelia stares at the couple and grips her chair as though it’s an immense struggle not to run straight for her mother and embrace her.
Apricity sets the goblet in her hand on the table but quickly thinks better of it and takes a long drink. She wobbles in her chair, and Sarek sends her a disapproving look.
Queen Zantara enters the room by merely popping into a seat. The near translucent look to her shows clearly that she’s safe back at her castle. She brings no one with her, and there’s no concrete evidence that she has any kind of spouse or partner to bring with her.
Dinivan stands and spreads his hand toward the three random people in white. “This is Delahew. He is one of my best scribes and will be writing down the event and agreements. The other two will help me mediate between all of your discussions. Are there any questions?”
We all deny any inquiries, and the meeting begins.
King Sarek is given the room first, and he rises while his wife remains seated, downing her wine quickly and asking for refills one after the other.
“The first nonnegotiable is that King Lazzus will return my daughter, Evelia, and pay full restitution for the citizens he slaughtered at her wedding and all of my soldiers that he killed at his wall.”
Dinivan slams his wooden hammer on the table. “What is your response to this, King Lazzus?”
“No, my answer is no to all of it. His daughter is my wife and bonded. She agreed to marry me.”
Sarek jumps back up. “Under duress! He broke into my castle, killed all our wedding guests, and threatened my life. That’s the only reason Evelia agreed to marry him!”
Dinivan slams the hammer down again. “It is not your turn to speak, King Sarek. You will wait your turn.”
“My answer is no to all of it.” I sit back down.
“Are you willing to give on any of it?”
“No, because he promised me his daughter first if I helped him gain the weapons he asked for. I fulfilled all aspects of our alliance, and he broke it and gave his daughter to our mutual enemy. If anyone should pay restitution, it should be him!”
Dinivan raises his hand toward Queen Zantara. “What have you to say about this queen? What will it take for you to accept peace?”
Zantara’s image flickers as she stands up.
Her blonde hair, pinned high in a bun, takes the longest to return to the room.
“King Lazzus has no true claim to any throne. He killed the last king and his heirs and set himself up as king of the southern kingdom. He spreads violence and cruelty wherever he goes. I want a new king placed. One that would have naturally followed the order of succession of the old king. When that is done, we shall have peace.”
Dinivan slams the hammer down. “King Lazzus ascended to his throne through accepted means. While I do not agree with violence to take over a kingdom, he followed the laws of the southern kingdom. The last king found his place there in the same way. Now we will open the floor to find acceptable terms for all. But first, I’d love to hear from the lovely Queen Evelia on what she wants in all of this, since all of you discuss her life as though she is not in the room. ”
My heart drops and will most likely never recover because, given the chance, Evelia will leave me.
My skin ripples, ready to turn to smoke and flee the room with her.
There is no one here I can kill for causing the rage building in me.
Dinivan and CiCi are simply hosts and allies, as are his three mediators.
Evelia’s parents will not be harmed because it would hurt her, and Zantara isn’t physically here.
If Sarek takes my wife, he will pay a price much higher than he imagines.
Evelia squeezes my hand for several seconds like she’s trying to soothe my rising rage.
She stands and stares at her father. “King Lazzus did the things my father said he did, but my father also did the things Lazzus said he did. They are both guilty of doing things against each other. I chose to go with Lazzus and said our vows by choice, and I will keep those vows to my husband. My father will hopefully grant peace to the kingdom that is now my home.” My bride sits but doesn’t retake my hand.
Sarek slams both palms on the table and leans toward me. “She feels she has no other choice. Can’t you see that?”
Dinivan slams his hammer down, and we are each allowed to say one last thing before it is left to the mediators to come up with just terms.
The only woman among the three people dressed in white rises.
“We have decided that all kingdoms involved have caused grave damage to each other. King Lazzus has caused more bloodshed, but it was in response to King Sarek’s betrayal.
King Sarek’s soldiers were killed because of his actions as well.
For there to be peace, we believe Evelia should be given the choice to go where she pleases, and a new treaty should be created. ”
We spend the next few hours writing up terms all three of the fighting kingdoms can be happy with.
It is not agreed upon by sunset, so we return for the next four days until it is enough to satisfy all involved parties.
Everyone gives and takes something, and on the fifth day of the summit, a new treaty is signed.
I’m not fool enough to believe Sarek will actually keep it, but I don’t exactly understand his motives for signing it all. He seems disgruntled about it, but he follows what Queen Zantara tells him to.
Dinivan claps his hands, and the rest of the room joins him. “We will have a ball to celebrate.”