Maxi anxiously paced the room and could not stop glancing out the window. At noon, three carriages and aprocession of knights bearing royal banners finally entered Loverne Castle. By the time Maxi went downstairs to greet the king, the spacious hall was packed with hundreds of people.
Elliot spotted her dithering as she silently debated over where to stand. He politely led her to her spot.
“Please stay close to me, my lady. I was charged with your safety during the length of the mediation.”
Maxi meekly followed and stood behind the Remdragon Knights. Soon after, King Reuben, Princess Agnes, and a group of attendants entered the great hall. Riftan, the Duke of Croyso, and the Earl of Loverne stepped forward to kneel before the king.
The earl bowed his head. “We thank you for undertaking this strenuous journey, Your Majesty.”
The king apathetically waved his hand. “It was very strenuous indeed. How splendidly you all have managed to hassle me into journeying here in the middle of winter.” He swept a haughty, golden gaze over his vassals. “Here I am, as you wished. Let me make it clear, my dear Duke Croyso, that I shall be greatly displeased if it turns out all that travel was for nothing.”
Even from this distance, Maxi could see her father clenching his jaw. It was something he did to hold himself back when his anger was at its peak. The veins in his hands bulged as he clutched his cane. He shot Riftan a murderous glare before replying to the king.
“If I may remind His Majesty…I did stress that taking this arduous journey was wholly unnecessary.”
His speech was slightly slower but nowhere near enough to warrant ridicule. The degree of authority and pride ingrained in the Duke of Croyso’s being refused to kowtoweven before royalty. He would never allow himself to look pathetic.
Nonetheless, the humiliation of his defect stood stark on his face. Anger flashed in his eyes with each word he spat. He glowered at Riftan with such hatred that it sent a ripple of nervousness through the audience. Riftan’s burning animosity was just as palpable.
King Reuben passed an annoyed gaze over the two men champing at the bit to rip each other’s throats. He clicked his tongue. “Let us get a few hours’ rest before we commence. It appears we’ll have to step in before our favored vassals start stabbing each other.”
The earl hastily stepped forward. “Allow me to escort you to your room, Your Majesty.”
The king shook his head. “No. You watch over these two to make sure they don’t tear each other to shreds.”
The earl responded with a bitter smile and instructed the castle’s steward to show the royal guests to their chambers. King Reuben led the princess and his attendants up the staircase shrouded in gray shadows. As the royal delegation left the hall, those who were kneeling rose to their feet in unison.
Maxi watched uneasily as her father retreated behind his knights. A sense of foreboding rose in her chest at the malice she saw on his face. It was clear that no words would be able to change his mind.
Riftan directed a contemptuous glare at the duke’s back, then turned away as though the sight of the man revolted him.
“Maxi, come here.”
He strode over before starting toward the annex wherethey would be staying. As his reassuringly large frame blocked her father from view, Maxi finally exhaled. Riftan led her to an empty room and began to persuade her once more.
“I’ve told you countless times, you don’t have to attend. This isn’t a formal trial. It’s just a meeting called by King Reuben to mediate between me and the duke.”
Maxi resolutely shook her head. “No matter what you say…I cannot s-stay out of this. My father intends t-to bring you to trial…for breaking into his castle and assaulting him when…you were only trying to save me….”
“I’ve always wanted to beat that man to death,” Riftan said savagely.
Maxi exhaled a tired sigh. “Riftan…you believe that you had j-just cause for attacking my father, but how will you prove that if I am not p-part of your story?”
Riftan’s shoulders slumped, looking defeated. Maxi clasped his frozen hands and gave him a determined smile.
“I am not…the naive noblewoman you th-think I am. You must know this by now. I-I had a rough childhood…and I have journeyed across h-half the continent. Not to mention I have experienced…a t-terrible war as well. This isn’t enough to hurt me.”
As Riftan’s expression darkened and his eyes clouded with pain, Maxi thought that it might have been better to have stayed quiet. He looked as if he was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. Ursuline’s voice came through.
“Commander, the king wishes to speak with you before the mediation.”
Riftan silently gazed down at Maxi, his eyes full of anguish, before he reluctantly turned to leave the room.
“Don’t let anyone in.”
After giving the stern command to the knights guarding the door, Riftan cut across the hall. Maxi sat before the fireplace and anxiously waited for the mediation to begin. A second felt like a minute, and a minute felt like an hour. Weighed down by the fraught tension, she began biting her nails when there was another knock.
“My lady, the mediation has begun,” Ursuline said through the door.
