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“Should I bring Francilia in?” I asked, sensing that it was something Mother wanted to keep secret.
“No. Good day, Francilia. I would have to excuse my daughter for now. I need to talk to her in private.”
Francilia curtsied. “Aye, your Majesty,” she said, and then to me, “Your Highness, I will be in the Great Hall. The courtyard used to be the best place for us to meet. We loved going through the maze and sitting on the grass in one of the turns that people did not frequent. However, the heat had become more intense that it was no longer comfortable to do so.
“Have a seat, Luella,” my mother said. She still held herself poised, though everything must have been weighing her down.
I obeyed.
“You must marry soon,” she said, getting directly to the point.
I was too startled to speak. I looked at my mother in horror, wondering if my father’s illness had gotten into her head.
“It would not be a good idea, Mother, and you know that. Coming from you, it’s –“ I fumbled for the words.
Her face softened.
“I understand. I was in your situation when I was much younger, but I refused to marry the wrong man. However, let us face the truth. You will not find a match on your own. Not at this point,” she said, sighing heavily.
My mother was right. Nobody would want to marry me. Did she know someone who would risk his life? Was it someone who needed my inheritance?
“Who would marry me, then, Mother? Who would want to marry a monster?”
“Luella, there had been threats to your virtue. We had received letters from misguided men.”
“They know that they will not survive the attempt! Why would they even want to?”
“Some say that they would be willing to die if it meant shaming you. I am at a loss at how we are back to this barbaric way of thinking, but the drought had people fearing for their livelihoods.”
“I did not cause the drought! I burned a man’s hand, but I don’t think I have the power to affect the whole continent.”
“Yes, I believe you, Luella. Farah had mentioned the possibility of a magic stealer, someone who might have taken all our powers and used them to hurt Queenspell and its environs.”
“I can find the witch for you, Mother!”
“No. You need protection, someone who can assure everyone that you are not a threat. It should be someone who can live as your spouse. Nobody else will know if -,” she stopped herself.
“You mean nobody else would need to know that my husband is not bedding me? What type of man would want to be in a marriage like that? Are you making deals with a fortune hunter?”
“On the contrary, you are marrying a wealthy prince, Luella.”
My mother must be even more affected by the magic stealer. She had taken leave of her senses.
“What prince would want to marry me?”
“H-he does not know yet, but I had sent a letter to his father weeks ago. The king had responded that he was interested. After his son was born, he said that the forests had come alive and their kingdom had cooled down. It is still hot but no longer dry. The prince himself helps till the soil.”
“So, you are going to marry me off to a wealthy, magical prince. Do you not think he will come to hate me once he knows that he would not be able to bed me?”
“Luella, we do not have many options. King Doro offers his solidarity with us. My mother, Queen Thora, lived in Arrowspear with her family for a time. They fled to the continent when they were being persecuted here in Mogochislenia. She thought that there was no royalty there, but she was wrong. The Arrowspear royals worked alongside the peasants. They had a different way of looking at hierarchies. They believed in equality.”
I had to admit a rush of admiration coursed through me. However, I stopped myself. My mother was probably only making me feel like I was about to be married to a humble hero. Wouldn’t it be unfair to trap this hero into a sexless marriage even if it were true?
“Does King Doro know about me?”
“Yes, he does. He says that if anyone can find a way to do something about your fire, it would be his son, Prince Metheus.”
“Why? Is he too chilly that he could freeze my fire?” I laughed.
“I am not jesting with you, Luella. The king assures me that his son will receive the deal as a challenge. He will come here to care for our crops, too.”
“A challenge? Now, I am a challenge. Has he been sleeping around now that he would be sated for all time when he gets married to me?”
“Again, on the contrary, my darling daughter. King Doro is, let us say, the most unsubtle royal anywhere. He says that his son is a virgin.”
“What? How old is he? Ten? Twelve?”
“Twenty-eight.”
I had jested about chilly, but I did not know he was frozen. For a moment, though, I wondered if the marriage would somehow work.
