by Terry Spear
“I assume if Prince Tarrant isn’t here, you are needing to negotiate with your father over this matter,” Lord Benton said.
“True.” Owen wasn’t about to discuss this with his father’s advisor. He soon reached Princess Esmeralda’s side and said, “May I have a word with you in private?”
“Is it not good news?”
“We need to talk privately before I see the king.” Owen took her hand and transported her into the hedge maze fountain garden. There, he led her to the gazebo and had her sit. “We were to marry, by order of your brother and my father, but the only way the magic user will agree to help us is if I wed her instead.”
Princess Esmeralda’s eyes widened.
“Yes, that’s the first condition.”
“She asked for more?” Esmeralda sounded astonished.
“She did. If she’s going to do this for us, yes. I need to speak with my father privately about it.” Owen noticed Esmeralda didn’t get all weepy about losing him as a prospective husband. The business of her having lost her heart to someone else must be true. Or at the very least, she just didn’t love him. “I hope you will forgive me.”
“We have no choice. You must save your kingdom no matter the sacrifices you must make.”
Owen smiled, thinking the sacrifice wasn’t going to be his. Then he bowed. “I will return you to the courtyard.”
“I will be returning home forthwith. Your father has already had my servants pack my bags because of the upcoming war. I was only staying a couple of more days to learn if you had word about the magic user and if she’d help your father save the kingdom.”
Which was another reason the princess would make a poor choice for a queen. Would she always run home to her people if his kingdom had to fight another?
“I’m afraid my father may not be happy with this arrangement, but we must all do what we must.” Owen took Esmeralda to the courtyard and they walked into the castle together, gave each other a parting embrace, and she hurried off to the stairs that led to her guest chamber.
His father’s advisor joined him. “I’ve told King Yarrow you have arrived and were speaking to your betrothed about the news. He’s eager to hear what you have to say.”
“Thank you.” Owen knew his father would be highly displeased.
He soon reached his father’s solar where he met privately with his father to discuss matters of state, not the throne room where the king met with everyone else.
His father was graying at the temples, his brow wrinkled deep in thought as he sat upon his chair in the solar and Owen took a seat on another. He would have rather stood, paced, but no one was supposed to stand when the king was seated, unless the king’s seat was elevated above the masses.
“Speak. I know you’re troubled by the news you have for me. You wouldn’t even tell Benton what it was.”
“I discovered Sigrid living with the golden fae, and paid Queen Avalon to ensure the magic user could help us win this battle, but Sigrid had other plans. She left.”
“Against her queen’s command?” The king looked aghast that the woman would disobey her queen.
“She didn’t wait to hear them. In all honesty, she wasn’t given a command to come with me. I’d approached Sigrid first, asking her to help because these people are hers also.”
“And she refused.” A vein in his father’s temple pulsed, showing just how angry he was with the woman.
“Yes. She didn’t even know we existed. She did know that my grandfather had killed her grandfather.”
“She should understand that her grandfather led a rebel cause and the traitor was killed for his actions.”
“She felt her grandmother, taking care of two small children, shouldn’t have had to flee the kingdom.”
The king motioned for Owen to cease all this talk about Sigrid and the past. All he cared about was what was going on now. “You’ve found her and convinced her to come here or you wouldn’t have returned already.”
“The dark fae queen has offered her a safe haven to stay within her territory.”
The king growled. “Irenis always had it in for me.”
“She asked for gold just so I could meet with the woman.” Owen sighed, knowing his father was going to be torqued off to hear the next bit of news. “Sigrid wants to be my wife.”
His father’s eyes rounded, then he rose abruptly from his chair and paced. “She is the granddaughter of the man who had to be put down for his traitorous plans. And you are the crown prince, someday to be king. Unless…” The king smiled. “Unless you do not become king.”
Owen rose from his chair and stared at his father in disbelief. His father would take the throne away from him to avoid putting Sigrid on it when the time came for his father to step down? Now, Owen didn’t feel as guilty about telling him the rest of her demands. He opened his mouth to speak, but his father continued.
“Your cousin, Prince Tarrant, will rule instead. He can marry the hawk fae princess, and when I’m ready to step down in another couple of decades, then he will be king. Which means you marry her and she’ll still believe you’ll be king someday.”
Owen was furious. He had gone to do his father’s bidding, and this was how he repaid him for being a loyal and obedient son all these years? He hadn’t even mentioned the part about his father giving up the throne! “The only problem with that is Sigrid wants you to abdicate your throne, if she’s to marry me and help us to defeat our enemies.”
“What?” the king roared.
“It is the only way that she’ll go along with it.”
“Your abilities have not returned?” his father asked, looking as though maybe he should have asked that first.
“No.” Would it make any difference to Owen if they had? Would he not take the falcon fae for a wife? Wouldn’t two of them wielding magic be even more powerful than one?
The king went to the window and stared out. “King Malcolm gave us an ultimatum. We surrender in two days’ time, or he will annihilate us. I will agree to this”—Yarrow waved his hand at Owen—“business and will step down, for appearance sake. When we are done, I will ascend the throne again. You can divorce her and—”
“If she is as powerful as you believe her to be, we would have to face her power next.” What did his father think? That the woman would readily agree to those terms?
“Then you will be close to her.” His father shrugged. “Poison her, kill her on a hunt, just any way you can do it. You will not be forced to pretend the marriage, and I will not be forced to give up my throne.” He gave a bitter laugh. “Of all the gall. I can’t believe the witch would even suggest such a thing.”
“You don’t think that if she saves our kingdom, she would deserve—”
“The kingdom? Are you mad, son? No. And she will never be part of it.”
“Except to save it for us.”
“To make up for the sins of her grandfather. Now return and tell her the good news. I agree to everything.”
“Yes, father.” Owen couldn’t have been angrier with him than he was now. Would it have made a difference if Owen hadn’t felt something for Sigrid already? He hoped that he would be seen as a king who honored his commitments. Yes, all fae were devious, but they chose which rules to obey and which they would not.
He didn’t completely trust Sigrid either. What if she decided to eliminate him and rule in his place, then select her own husband among the falcon fae?
“Send Princess Esmeralda to me. I wish to speak to her about marrying Tarrant instead.”
Did his father still think to put Tarrant on the throne? Because Owen had brought his father such disagreeable news and Yarrow would prove to him and anyone else who would be his successor? They kill the messenger came to mind. Owen realized he couldn’t really trust his father.
One thing Owen knew, he was marrying the falcon fae upon his return to the dark fae kingdom, and then they would return to pretend to take over the castle. Though he had no intention of truly pretending anyth
ing. If they could save the kingdom together, it was theirs.
“I spoke with Princess Esmeralda already, my Lord Father, about the marriage being terminated.”
“You did what? Without speaking to me first?”
“I had to end the betrothal to wed Sigrid. Princess Esmeralda has already returned home,” Owen said. She might have. She said she was going. He didn’t want her to have to marry Tarrant next, if she had her heart set on another. Tarrant hadn’t been interested in marrying the hawk fae princess either. And Owen didn’t want her brother, King Tiernan, believing she was marrying the next falcon fae king, if he thought Tarrant would be it. “I will return tomorrow with Sigrid. The dark fae queen insists I marry her before I leave her castle.”
“So Irenis is partly behind this charade.”
“Aye, and she’ll pledge her support to Sigrid if she is queen.”
His father’s face turned red. “Let her think all will be as they wish. When the battle is over and we are victorious, everything will be as before. Send Tarrant in to see me then.”
“If we are victorious. I left Tarrant behind to watch over Sigrid in the dark fae realm. I still need your signed statement that you agree to my marriage to Sigrid and that you will step down from the throne.”
His father went to his writing desk and pulled out a sheet of velum, dipped a quill in a pot of ink, and wrote a note, then signed it. He motioned for Owen to read it. “Does this suffice?”
“It does.”
“Don’t believe for a minute that I won’t deny I signed this after the war is decided in our favor.”
“As you wish, My Lord Father.” Then Owen took the dried vellum, rolled it up, tucked it in his tunic, and left his father’s solar. He hurried to meet with Connelly, though he still needed to have the two queens paid for their help with Sigrid or they’d have another battle on their hands. He and his cousins were best friends, but would that change if Tarrant knew that his father would make him king instead of Owen? Possibly.
He would still tell him what his father had said. He’d rather it came from him than his father. At least, he could judge Tarrant’s reaction. He was certain his father would speak to him alone otherwise.
“How did he take it?” Connelly asked as he and Owen met near the doors to the castle and headed outside.
“Worse than I expected.” Owen had never considered the possibility his father would not make him king when the time came.
“I knew it wouldn’t be good. Are you marrying the girl?”
“Yes. And then I’m supposed to eliminate her. I suspect my father knows I won’t do it.”
“So he’ll have assassins trying to take her out at every turn—after she saves us,” Connelly said.
“Right.”
“What about the part of the agreement where he has to step down from the throne?”
“He will pretend to.”
Connelly smiled. “Once you have the throne, he won’t be returning to it. Guaranteed.”
“Nothing is ever guaranteed in our world,” Owen reminded him.
“And Princess Esmeralda?”
“She was relieved not to be marrying me.”
“As you were her. I’ve heard rumors she’s in love with a pirate, of all things, and a griffin fae, who have been enemies with the hawk fae forever.”
Owen smiled. “Now that, I wouldn’t have suspected. Now I know why her brother wanted her wed to a crown prince in a kingdom far from theirs.” He wouldn’t tell Connelly about the business of Tarrant possibly becoming king. He could see the two brothers siding together in this and agreeing. It was his place to speak of it to Tarrant first. He motioned for the king’s advisor, and said, “We need to pay the golden fae and the dark queen these amounts.”
The advisor looked at the total gold required and smiled. “You are paying the golden fae half as much gold? She would be livid if she knew the truth.”
“Which is why I won’t be telling her. We’re off. Try to keep the hoards from attacking until we return.”
“With the magic user?”
“She will be my wife, and my father will step down from the throne.” Owen showed the vellum to Lord Benton.
The king’s advisor’s gaze shifted from the vellum to Owen. “This can’t be true.”
“It’s the only way Sigrid will agree. I know my father doesn’t intend to honor the agreement once she helps us to win this war. Just be careful which side you take in this, Lord Benton.”
The older man smiled. Owen had always liked the man, but that didn’t mean Lord Benton would side with him.
Owen eyed the pack Connelly was now carrying. “I took the liberty of picking out an outfit for you, for me, and for Tarrant to wear to your wedding.”
Owen smiled at Connelly. “I had every intention of doing that and promptly forgot about it in my haste to leave for the Denkar kingdom.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m sure there’s a high-ranking position that you will nicely fill when I take over.”
Connelly laughed.
Owen and Connelly walked outside and transported to the golden fae territory. It was too far to travel straight to the dark fae kingdom by transporting. After a respite, they made their way to the Denkar territory. Late into the night, they arrived at the dark fae castle, and the gates were closed.
“Great. I’m tired and could use a nice soft bed,” Connelly said.
Then lightning lit the sky and thunder followed.
“We’re in for a downpour,” Owen said, then hollered to the guards. “We’ve come on the queen’s errand.” At least as far as she wanted him to wed the falcon fae and make her queen.
“Who are you?”
“Prince Owen of the falcon fae.” And soon to be drenched.
The gate creaked open, and Owen and Connelly hurried inside. They transported to the doors to the castle, smelling the rain in the air before it came down. The guard transported to the doors and opened one of them, then went inside with them. He told another guard, “Find the queen’s advisor. I need to know what to do with these two.”
“We’re princes of the falcon fae kingdom, and on the queen’s errand,” Owen said, hoping they’d get some faster action.
A male servant hurried toward them, apparently tasked with seeing to their needs as soon as they arrived. “Come this way. Her Majesty said you would stay in these chambers, if it pleases you. Is it good news?”
“My father has agreed to everything,” Owen said.
“Good. I will tell the queen’s advisor, and he’ll inform the queen.” The servant led them to the chambers on the third floor. “Prince Tarrant is in that chamber,” the man said, motioning to the middle door. “Do you require anything else?”
“We’re fine. Thank you.”
“Prince Tarrant wished to learn what had happened between you and your father as soon as you arrived here, no matter the hour,” the servant said.
“I will speak with him,” Owen said.
The servant bowed, then headed down the hall in the direction of the stairs.
To Connelly, Owen said, “Retire for what’s left of the morning. We’ll see you when we wake.”
“I can’t wait to hear what my brother has to say about all this.” Connelly smiled. “Goodnight, Owen.” Then he left for his chamber.
Owen went to Tarrant’s guest chamber and knocked on the door.
It didn’t take long before Tarrant was pulling the door open. “What took you so long? Come in, come in. I’ve been dying to hear what transpired. After the festivities, the queen met with Sigrid and Tanya and they retired for the night.”
“It was a long journey. Yes, I’m marrying Sigrid. But here’s the rest of the news.” Owen took a seat on one of the chairs while Tarrant closed the door. Owen handed the signed contract to Tarrant who read it and smiled. Then Owen told him the rest.
Tarrant laughed. “So now I’m to be king?”
“Yeah, you know how it goes. Tell my father news he doesn
’t want to hear, and he will remind you how he is still king and he makes all the rules.”
“I saw the way you danced with the fae. Unless you’re a lot more devious than I suspect, you aren’t planning to kill her.”
“No, and I’ll do everything in my power to protect her.”
“If she’s as powerful as everyone believes, she might not need your protection or anyone else’s. If I were your father, I’d be respectful of that. Which is another reason, I wouldn’t think anything of the offer of the throne. I want to live a grand, long life.”
Owen slapped him on the back. “Truthfully, I hope that’s the case. For all of us. I’ve got to get some sleep, or I’ll never make it through the day tomorrow. After we’re married, we’ll be returning home.”
Tarrant smiled again. “I will sleep the rest of the morning away, thinking of all the changes I would make in the Kingdom of Raymore as the new king.”
Owen chuckled, but Tarrant might still be serious. Owen couldn’t worry about that for now. He left for his chamber and saw Sigrid coming down the hall to meet him.
“What did he say?” she asked, her voice hushed.
Surprised she’d be awake at this hour, but then again, considering how this would affect her, he could understand why she’d be awake, he showed her the vellum. She read it and frowned up at him. He knew she didn’t believe the king would keep his word, any more than Owen did.
“Yes, it’s a sham and he plans to kill you after you save the kingdom.”
She smiled up at him so brilliantly, he realized he truly had lost his heart to her. She hugged and kissed him then, and he embraced her back. “He will not be successful,” she said, with complete confidence.
“I will protect you.” He told her about his father’s plan to install Tarrant as his replacement when the time was right. And then he kissed her goodnight. “I will see you after I’ve had some sleep. Goodnight, my fae princess. Until later.”
She nodded, tears in her eyes, then he returned her to her chamber before he retired to his, thinking his whole world had changed—not how he had expected it to at all.
