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She waited for him to answer.
“We received several threats when your blood-oath banners were posted. However, with an allegiance with King Ajali, we did not feel overly intimidated by such threats,” he responded.
“Are we on the brink of war, Father?” she asked.
He inhaled deeply. “I fear we are on the brink of anarchy. There are many rumors of movements within the different kingdoms. Spies have reported that Avindar and Mevia have been making preparations for war.”
“Why?”
“We are not sure, my love,” her mother responded. “They are whispers of the Kingmaker stirring, and he is an omen for war. A kingdom will lose its ruler soon. We have received several threats from both the Mevia and Avindar that warned us against joining with Nuria. Then the emperor of Mevia offered for your hand. We had already signed a binding oath with King Ajali and could not consider his proposal.”
“We are not the only kingdom with the healing elixir, Mother,” Saieke said. “Why is Boreas so coveted?”
“We are not sure. We need an allegiance if war is to threaten our kingdom; whether it is fifty years from now or several centi. It took us a long time to recover from the second Great War.”
Saieke looked at her parents and felt her insides twist. They loved her, but the love of their people was greater. That was something she understood. They had to make decisions that held the lives of millions in balance, and her life was one.
“I am aware I need to pass through several councils before I can sit with you and make decisions for the better of this nation,” She took a deep breath and continued, “If I had been made aware of exactly what was happening, I might have not fled. Yes, I ran out of fear he would ravage our lands and change the laws and the will of our people. You feared that as well, I can see, but you believed it was better to have a tyrant’s protection instead of none. I understand. We are still recovering from the war, and it was King Ajali who murdered thousands of our citizens, and burned our mountains and homes to ashes. I cannot marry him and hand to him our kingdom to rule.”
“Saieke,” her queen said, “If you refuse, Nuria will seek your death for the insult given to their king, and they will succeed in killing you. Our people will wage war upon your death, and without an alliance we could not hope to win. We fear that if you are not with the Nurian nation, the Mevians will come for you to further their agenda and we could not hope to resist that either.”
She looked at her king as he sharply stood and paced around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. His royal robes fluttered about his feet, and several times Saieke thought he was about to trip. She understood so much more now.
She could not marry the Nurian King as war would be declared when Drac came for her, and she knew with every fiber of her being that he would come. She had felt the echoes of possession and love from his beast.
“The Nurians already consider you their king’s bride,” her father said as he stomped his presence into the carpet. “They will take you by force when they leave and there is nothing we can do as a kingdom to prevent that from happening. You may refuse to confirm and refuse the ceremonies, but they will take you until you have confirmed the oath.”
“Yes my King, I may be considered his bride, but I have to confirm the oath and his kingship before he can gain heir-ship to this kingdom. Even when he takes me, I will never sign my blood or make an oath to him and Nuria.”
They will have to break me.
Her father came over to her and clasped her hand.
“As a king, I do not regret all that as transpired, but as your father, I have many regrets. My actions placed you in this position, and I can only beseech to our ancestors you will make the right decision.” He kissed her lips and walked out of the room, defeat bleeding heavy from his chakra.
“Mother,” she whispered, “advise me.”
Her queen leaned over and wiped the tears that were rolling down her face. “You love this consort of yours?” she asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“Is he of this kingdom?”
“I cannot tell you.”
“Is he of a royal line where we can forge an allegiance with his bloodline?”
“No.”
“I wish to tell you to follow your heart, but you are a princess. You have millions that will be affected by your decisions. I know your pain because I fled my kingdom to be with your father; but I was not a princess, and my nation has yet to recognize our union and claim an alliance.” Regret burned in her eyes. “We did you a disservice in how we signed the oath without consulting you. You are not just a princess, you are our daughter. You also dishonored your house and kingdom by taking a lover in the hopes of breaking an oath your Ricarkri made. You have put our nation’s honor at risk. If you refuse th
e Nurian king, he will take you, as is his right by the oath, and your people, when they learn of it, will rebel. You are loved by all Saieke. War will be inevitable. If you refuse to name your consort and his kingdom, the Nurians will demand recompense from us. The only way for us to start to mend the hurt and the fear, Saieke, is for you to give up your consort and confirm your oath with King Ajali. In time, you will learn to love him, give him a chance.”
Her queen leaned over and brushed a kiss across her cheek. “The council will summon you shortly, Saieke. Prepare yourself.” She gracefully rose and swept out of the room.
Saieke trembled as a rush of emotion swelled inside of her. All of this could have been avoided if she had stayed and met the Nurian king. She knew she would not have felt the same fascination for him that she felt when she met Drac, but mayhap she would have forced herself to be dutiful and not willful. Yet, the love that she felt for Drac and all he had to offer made all pain and sorrow gently fade.
“What will you do, Saieke?” Rai asked her.
