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The woman bowed her head in agreement. "Yes, my lord. In times of peril and uncertainty, many question the wisdom behind this alliance." She hesitated before continuing, clearly apprehensive about how he would react to her words. "We are all aware of how tricky the fae can be, how dishonest they are, and now that you have taken a fae wife ... we are concerned for the safety of our people. What if the fae flock here in droves? What if they start cursing our children?"
Vinir sighed heavily and looked off into the distance for a moment before finally meeting her gaze again. He could sense the tension in the room as everyone waited for his answer; even those who had no stake in his decision were holding their breath in anticipation.
"It is true that we have always held issues with the fae, but our resentments are the result of events put to bed hundreds of years ago. The world is changing, and it is changing fast, and I believe it will be to our benefit to secure our favorable position with the fae. That said, I am aware our alliance with the fae has caused some unrest among certain factions," he began slowly, choosing his words carefully so as not to offend anyone unnecessarily or show favoritism towards either side involved in this situation. "But I have faith that our two peoples can coexist peacefully despite our differences."
He paused briefly, and while he was collecting his thoughts, a door to the side of the room opened, and Aelwen strode in, looking as stunning as ever.
She grabbed Vinir's attention the moment she walked in, even as the room erupted into hushed whispers. Aelwen made her way to the throne beside her husband, taking her place as he spoke about their alliance. The room's atmosphere changed slightly with her arrival, but Vinir was not sure if that was for better or worse.
"The fae is like any other people," Vinir continued, addressing the woman directly. "They have done wrong in the past, just as we have done in our own history, but there is no reason we should not try to forgive those wrongs and move forward together."
Vinir glanced at Aelwen briefly before continuing. "My wife has already proven herself to be a lovely asset to us, so I believe it is time for us all to move past our prejudices and come together to create a brighter future for us all."
As he finished speaking, Vinir's instinct was to take hold of her hand, but he couldn't. A week ago, she'd been immune to his curse, but what if the circumstances had changed since then?
Would she fall away, skin burning, like all the others?
"Thank you for sharing your wisdom with us today," the woman bowed profoundly and then made her way to her seat.
She was quickly replaced by a fat man wearing glistening golden robes. He was swimming in gold. In fact, Vinir recognized the man.
"Good afternoon, my king," the man said with a bow as he approached.
"Welcome to my court, Lord Sawgar. What is it you seek?"
"It's my wife, sir. We have been married for two years now, and in that time, we have had a wonderful marriage. She would let me take my pleasures from her whenever I needed it, and before long, she fell pregnant with our son. However, he was born almost a year ago now, and she will still not let me touch her. I am here to ask permission to drag her to bed and have her please me, as a wife is supposed to do for her husband."
Vinir's brow furrowed, but before he could clarify the matter, Aelwen spoke up for him. "I'm sorry, sir. Are you asking for permission to rape your wife?"
The man was taken aback, stammering in reply. "No! Of course not! I would never do such a thing!" He glanced nervously at Aelwen before continuing. "I'm merely asking for permission to take her to my bed and make love to her as any husband should."
Vinir's gaze flickered to Aelwen, who simply stared back in defiance. He felt a swell of annoyance rising within him, knowing this was some sort of challenge due to their last encounter.
He could feel the tension rising in the room as he tried to decide how best to handle this situation. To let Aelwen speak out of turn would be seen poorly if he didn't punish her, but this was also a delicate topic of consideration, where the wrong answer could make many people angry.
"Let me be clear," Vinir said slowly and carefully, ensuring everyone in the room heard what he had to say. "I will not allow anyone within these walls or under my rule to take anything they are not entitled to. No matter who they may be or what their station may be."
He glanced at Aelwen with approval before turning back towards Lord Sawgar and finishing his statement. "So no, you do not have permission from me or anyone else here today to take anything fromherwithout her consent, including forcing her into your bed."
"But, your majesty," he complained. "A wife is the property of her husband, is she not? I am not taking anything more than I am entitled to."
"But you arenotentitled to her," Aelwen said. "She is still an independent person, and if she doesn't want you, then you have to work out why without relying on force. Or are you incapable of earning a woman's trust and must rely on force to bed her?"
A brief scatter of laughter erupted from the assembly. Lord Sawgar's cheeks turned tomato red like he was about to explode in a volcano of rage. "You fae bitch clearly understand nothing about our customs! You shouldn't even be here. You should be waiting in your master's bed begging for the chance for him to fuck you."
Aelwen snarled and stood, but Vinir was faster.
He blinked down the steps, landing directly in front of Sawgar. Vinir's hands wrapped around his throat, and his skin began to sizzle on contact.
Ah, there was his curse again, so reliable to turn up when he needed it.
"How dare you talk to my wife like that?" Vinir snarled, tightening his grip on Sawgar's throat. "She is your queen, and you will treat her with the same respect you owe me."
Sawgar's eyes bulged in terror as he tried to pry Vinir's hands away. But it was too late. The curse had already takenhold, and the skin on his throat was beginning to burn with an intensity that made Sawgar gasp and scream in agony.
He writhed, trying desperately to escape, but Vinir held on firmly, snarling with rage despite the pain he was causing. This horrible, insolent man deserved far worse than to burn and suffocate for insulting his precious wife, and Vinir was happy to oblige.
The other courtiers gasped in fright, not daring to move or intervene as they watched the frightening scene unfold. But Aelwen calmly walked down the steps and placed a hand on Vinir's shoulder.
