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“You would marry into the North?” Lord Buschnick asked.
All eyes on me, I took in a deep breath and nodded. “Yes, that is my intent.”
The voices rose again.
“A marriage to one of the minor rebels wouldn’t be strong enough to scare King Louis away.” Otter’s hands rose and fell wildly as he spoke. I was about to put him in his place, when others joined him.
“He is right,” Lord Buschnick agreed. “Alrick von Wilbrandt is not powerful enough of an alliance to end this war.” He cleared his throat and stepped forward. “I, on the other hand, have twice his army.”
I took a step backward.Did I just hear that right?Did Lord Buschnick just suggest a marriage to him?
“And I double your wealth,” Lord Otter barked at Lord Buschnick. “That would make me more powerful than you. I should be the one marrying the Rhine Queen.”
“Wait...” I tried to interrupt the fight, but nobody was listening.
“Well, in that case.” Lord Grundig dragged his little son forward by the arm. “I’m the richest, and my lands are larger than both of yours. My son is of marrying age. It should be my house bonding to the Rhine Kingdom.”
My gaze dropped to the little boy. His terror-filled, wide eyes found mine. Everyone was talking at once now; individual words were impossible to pick out any longer. Alrick was desperately trying to calm the lords, but at this point, nobody was looking at him. Even Wimfred was politely asking for calm, but his attempt was even less successful than Alrick’s. Rune, on the other hand, was standing in silence, his contempt written all over his face.
This whole meeting had completely spiraled out of hand. If I didn’t do something, the rebels would end up at odds with one another, and then everything would be over before it even began. King Algar would wipe them out easily, and I would lose my crown to one of the many greedy men reaching for it.
No. Not like this.
Fists clenched, I filled my lungs with air, ready to yell for silence, when Frida’s voice rolled over us all like a thunderstorm.
“Quiet!” she yelled. Some of the bickering died off, but a few more rebels kept going. “I said quiet, you children!” she shouted, and this time, it worked.
All eyes on her, I stood in awe at this tiny woman. Men thought strength was defined by who could hold their drink or how many kills he left behind on the battlefield. But in reality, power was about confidence: even a cat could chase away a bear with nothing more than will and determination.
Frida sighed. “Children...” she mumbled to herself. “You are all wrong. No marriage to any of you rebels will achieve what you want to accomplish.”
“What?” I turned toward her, feeling suddenly betrayed.
She reached for my hand as if to hold me in place. “There is only one man in this kingdom right now who can save my dear queen and all of your North with it.”
Her wrinkled lips curved into a sad smile.
“No,” I muttered, realization dawning on me.Don’t you dare speak another word!“I demand silen—” was all I got out before she responded.
“The bastard son of King Algar,” she said. “Lord Rune Blackwood is the only man here who can save my beloved child from becoming the Queen of Ashes.”
I tore myself from her grip, looking around at the men to gauge their reactions. Why the hell was it so quiet all of a sudden? Why did nobody protest? This was ridiculous!
“No,” I announced loud and clear as I turned to look at Alrick. His face was filled with sadness, anger, frustration, and...agreement.
“Have you all gone mad? Alrick, say something,” I begged, my voice weak and soft. But Alrick stood with both fists clenched, his eyes gazing off into the forest.
“Wimfred!” I called out in desperation. “Tell them why this is not possible. Why—” I looked for all the arguments against this plan, yet my mind was blank. “Why this is not possible,” I said again.
Wimfred lowered his head in defeat. “My Queen—”
“Stop it,” I demanded.
“It would give you King Algar’s army without needing to go to war, and your enemies would fear you like no other. You would finally be safe,” Wimfred explained.
“I said no!”
“His word that the rebels had nothing to do with the Rhine King’s death would be believed on both sides in the North,” the lord with the long hair concluded. “After all, he is our enemy and has no reason to lie.”
