“Dear Sybil,
My request may sound strange, but I promise to explain it later and to compensate you accordingly. I need a priest who can perform a wedding ceremony tonight. It must be as simple as possible, with only you and another trustworthy witness. Please find a suitable church and send me an emissary with the location. I’ll meet you there.
My best regards,
Astrea”.
When I finished reading her letter, I already had a priest and a church in mind. There are some few things in life that can light my interest: gossip, the spiciest are my favorite; games, especially the rare foreign ones; conspiracy, all of them; and prospectus duchess Astrea. The ladies of the court are as boring as they can be; the lords are disgusting and foolish. But the afternoons I stayed in the Conwenna’s country house with Astrea were always exciting and unpredictable. Astrea was an untamed beast, kept away from what we called civilization and high society. How not to love it? And, today, she brings me another riveting situation.
“Helena?”, I asked, calling my maid. She followed me like a shadow since I brought her to this house. I trained her to act like my dagger, stirring chaos in society for me to enjoy and keeping my life less dull. She could never betray me, because she loved chaos almost as much as me.
“Yes, Milady”. As if coming out of nowhere, she appeared beside me.
“We have an interesting situation in hands. Call Father Austell and reserve the Moonglade Chapel for tonight. Make sure it’s empty and that no one will bother us”.
“Yes, Milady”.
“Itzal”. If Helena was my right hand, Itzal was my left. Born as a slave, but trained by me to be the most outstanding butler, and also hot. I intended to keep him for the eye candy, but he was indeed a competent and loyal follower.
“At your service, Milady”.
“Send a message to prospectus duchess Astrea to meet us at Moonglade Chapel”.
“As you wish”.
“Ah… And get her a beautiful bride’s dress”. It would be delightful to see that ruffian girl dressed as a well-mannered lady.
I arrived at the chapel to meet with Father Austell. One of my hobbies was to collect handsome and loyal men; Father Austell was both. He is a rare type whose vocation really was the church, and who chose never to abuse his position and to dutifully comply with his responsibilities. Unfortunately, he had no interest in woman, nor man. I couldn’t even tease him. Luckily, he had an easy weak point: his love for ancient scriptures.
“What a lovely evening, isn’t it?”
“It was before you arrived. I was having a great time studying”. That was his way of asking what he would get.
“I just ordered some new materials I think you’d enjoy”. Upon hearing my words his mood changed drastically and a happy childish smile appeared.
“Indeed, it’s a lovely evening. Where are the bride and groom?”
“They are coming”. Just after I said that, my dear friend appeared accompanied by Itzal.
“You can really do anything, Sybil”. She was having a hard time walking with a wedding dress, as if that was heavier than a silver armor.
“Everything for my best friend”, I approached her with a smile, “Now, explain”.
As a child who had just be caught doing something wrong, she blushed and started to recount the events of the day. The proposal, she explained, surge as a joke, a dream-like situation that grew more real as they talked about it. From a pre-nuptial agreement to a magical contract, a plan was concocted and put in practice. A part of me was really proud: my little beast has matured. My baby was already scheming; this was a once in a life time opportunity.
Soon, the groom arrived. When I first heard about the engagement – the first one -, I thought those two could be a match made in heaven. All I knew about the prince were from rumors, but my general idea was correct. And upon meeting him, I couldn’t be surer: they were the same. Two hot-headed, impulsive, militarily absorbed freaks, with a leadership aura that could attract anyone to follow them. In resume, two happy and strong idiots. I had to make them mine.
The wedding happened without any incidents. With me and Itzal as the witness, they made their vows in simple standard words. They decided not to face the king directly, but instead send them a marriage certificate and a letter reminding them to fulfill the agreement. The contract said its terms should be satisfied in three days after the marriage. No one would dare violate a magical contract; the punishment was death. Hence, they just had to wait.
“Before you go”, I intervened when the ceremony ended, “I would like to receive my payment”.
“I got some great games I didn’t give you yet. Should that suffice?”, Astrea promptly answered.
“I was thinking of something different”.
“What would that be?”, the prince asked suspiciously.
“Make me your lady-in-waiting”.
***
Since it would be hard for them to go back to the royal mansion, I offered shelter in the third house of the Kovač. It was late, and this day should have been tiring for all parts, but we still had much to talk about. The house had been mostly abandoned by the family, so I used as a location to train my servants, who in exchange took care of the mansion. I sent Helena in advance to prepare them for our arrival; hence three maids wait for us at the door.
“Good night, milady”, Irie, Aza and Naava saluted us.
“Good night. You can bring us some tea. We’ll drink in the main office”.
Naava directed Irie and Aza to prepare the tea while she guided us to the main office. We’ve just sat when the tea arrived. My servants were all wonderfully trained. Made me proud.
“It’s late, so allow me to be direct. Do you have a copy of the contract, I would like to take a look at it”.
Prince Ewan and Astrea exchanged a look before handing me a paper. The contract was clear and they did their best to avoid multiple interpretations. Nevertheless, there were many dangers hidden in those lines.
“I was right in guessing you’re really impulsive and didn’t think this through”. By saying this, I thought I’d extract some reaction from the prince, but the look I got was from a broken soul. He still had a strong aura, but it was so filled with heaviness and sorrow, like someone who had given up on life. At that moment, Astrea extended her hand and grabbed his. It was an automatic movement, and I could see how she felt silly doing it, but that was enough to light his eyes again. All this happened in a few seconds, but it told me much about the situation.
I’ve met the prince once, before the event that cost his legs. It was in a court reunion, four years ago. When he talked to the generals, he was fierce and direct. Everyone would stop to listen, as soon as he opened his mouth. Everyone except the royal family. The other princes avoided him and looked down on him every time he got even a little close. His parents were similar. I even heard the King badmouthing him, although the prince just won an important battle in his name. After he became paraplegic, the situation definitely worsened. Enough to break him and make him think of himself as useless. However, there’s nothing they can break that I can’t fix.
“But your impulsiveness worked. And to be able to write this contract in such a short time, that’s really commendable. You thought things quickly and got the best outcome of a bad situation. However, we still need to tie some loose ends”. Some good words can change the whole direction of the conversation. The prince relaxed, and spoke without fear. That was the leader I was looking for.
“What do you mean by loose ends? I believe that we weren’t capable of analyzing everything in the moment, but if you could see something we missed, you can speak freely about it”.
“I will. Let me just ascertain this first. I choose to stay by your side, no one is making me do it. And I did it because I believe the two of you have the potential to lead this country, to make it grow and put it in a better position globally than it is today. I’ve known Astrea since we were kids. The two of us, your highness, barely know each other; however, I see in you what I saw on her almost twenty years ago. And, if your military accolades can be a good reference, I know the two of you can work well together. I could say you are natural leaders, capable of making the wildest beasts follow you unconditionally. Moreover, you are hardworking: all you accomplished was by your own merits.
“Prince, you are older than me, and I should speak respectfully to you. But, at this time, I must forget the four-year gap that separates us and speak freely, as you told me so. I was born in a loving family, and they would do anything for me. When I told them none of the suitors interest me, they let me be. However, my older siblings are starting to pressure me to get married and leave the family. And being a lady-in-waiting in the prince’s house will be beneficial to both of us. I shall not inherit the title or lands, but I have the connection and influence you will need henceforth. In addition, I have my servants at your disposal. I chose and trained them to be their best. Astrea knows how I work, and have seen their training personally, including participating on them. Those that work for me are my family, the only children I will ever have, and I’m proud of each of them. Before I can say anything else, that’s what I offer. I need to know that you accept it, and will give me back the support to continue developing my activities”.
“I may speak in her favor, as she already talked about it. I’ve been to their training grounds more than once, and sparred with them. Even the ladies who work in the kitchen have basic military and emergency training. All of them who had mana developed it in a way comparable to the high-class nobles. The ones without it will still be able to fight, being proficient in multiple weapons. I’m not saying this because Sybil is my long-time friend. In fact, the only person in the court who I can count on and with who I recognize a friendship bound. When I needed information, she was the one I searched. She may be a manipulative schemer, but she is loyal”. I knew Astrea regarded me well, but to hear her words was reassuring. I heard a little laughter coming from the prince; he seemed satisfied.
“Right now, we don’t have many resources, personnel or influence. I don’t think we are in a position to refuse any kind of help”. He smiled and took a sip of tea. “Moving on, you still need to say what are the loose ends you talked about”.
“Now that everything is arranged, we can talk about the real problems. Firstly, we have the problems with the second prince, Attiko Scevola. This marriage was supposed to take you out of the competition, and guarantee the support for your brother. Although the first prince, Andrin, hasn’t given up yet, the king has many times shown openly his intention of making the second prince his successor. The king even planned to use the birth of the second prince’s fourth child to gift him half the lands that were rightfully yours. The rest would, supposedly, be used in negotiation to increase the second prince’s support among the nobles and bourgeois. At the moment, the second prince has two of the four dukes and three of the four marquises on his side. By refraining him from having access to those lands, we already started our plan to stop his ascension. But the route is long, still. Luckily, prince Ewan, it seems that you’re the only one with brains in your family, and who is capable of strategic planning. I don’t want to leave this country in the hands of those idiots”.
“So, you want to make me a king?”. The prince asked, bedazzled.
“Yes. You’re probably the only one in the royal family with any leader potential”.
“I appreciate the sweet words, but I have given up on the throne a long time ago. Now, it’s almost impossible to catch up”.
“I disagree. Although the nobility is presently divided between the first and second princes, it’s not loyalty. They don’t have faith in their candidate; they just chose one among the available options. We just need to show them there is someone better they can support; someone who can really fulfill their interests”.
“It’s possible. We’d have to plan a lot, and to talk with lots of people. But it might be doable”. Astrea said, her chin resting in her hand.
“Maybe. But I believe that’s not all you wished to talk about, is it?” The prince asked.
“Nope. Let me get to the second point: the Second General position. Currently, the Second General is the second son of the duke of Vilhjálmur. The Vilhjálmur control the lands on the north, which, as you must know, are habited by the Great Beasts called Terror. Their fur is an expensive resource and the Vilhjálmur detain their monopoly. The northern lands are also rich in crystals, especially mana storage crystals, that can only be explored with the duke’s authorization. That made the Vilhjálmur family one of the richest ones, and their endorsement is imperative to any king candidate”.
“Although the contract says three days, the process to remove the present general and nominate another would take at least three weeks. As long as they don’t do anything with the intention to violate the contract, they can delay it as much as they want. That’s the time we’ll have to fix it”. The prince answered. As I thought, he had a much better understanding of the military system them I did.
“I hope it takes at least a month and a half. Two months if we are lucky”.
“Why?”, Astrea asked.
“We’ll need to rely on the bet you made. You need to get pregnant as soon as possible”.
“What?”, they both asked.
“The Second and First Generals have a long feud. However, the First General is old, and his retirement is close. If we can prove that you are not seeking the Second General, but the First General position, it would cause much less chaos”. I said.
“I never thought that clause would come in handy so soon. However, it’s not that easy to get pregnant. And, in the end, I will be the one who will have to carry the baby for nine months”. Astrea exclaimed.
“It’s your decision, in the end. I don’t want to pressure you to do anything you don’t feel comfortable doing. However, your friend is right. That’s is, as of now, our safest bet. I’ve met the First General, Konrad Rhydderch, back in the army. He is the son of the current duke of Rhydderch. His dad is already old, I believe he is on his eighties. Konrad should have gone back home a long time ago and took over his father, but he refuses to retire. However, I believe that is mostly because of his pride. All the time he opened his mouth, it was to talk about his family. He regrets how much he missed while he was away in battles, and would constantly talk about going back home. That was three years ago”. The prince seemed to know a lot about the military personnel. His knowledge would be useful.
“His oldest daughter got married recently, and he wasn’t able to attend. Some rumors say that she is already pregnant, and the general won’t be able to come to see his granddaughter’s or grandson’s birth. If we provide him with enough reasons to retire, we may be able to settle this matter”. I’ve met the duke’s oldest daughter a few times. She was a little older than me, but was a bright woman and the apple of her father’s eye. She was probably in the first trimester of her pregnancy and trying to hide it, but her maids whispered a lot.
“We’ve already agreed to have kids, and to try to have a kid in a year at last. If it is for the best, I think we should try it”. Astrea answered.
“Then, if you agree, I’ll send someone to gather more information about the First General’s family. We shall not anger the Second General either, so I’ll have someone investigate them too”.
If my plans develop accordingly, our side will soon have the military control. However, we needed a baby first.
