stopped.
We were ushered into the sitting room off the library and made to wait for close to a full mark. Feeling restless, I made my way around the room, trailing my fingers across the pianoforte and then looking out of the high windows into the garden beyond. Through adjoining double doors, I wandered into the library, my heart racing at the beautiful leather-bound books. Knowing it may well be another mark or two before the king came, I settled into a chair with a book to read, but traveling through the night had exhausted me and I fell asleep.
An angry voice awoke me from my slumber, and the book slid from my lap onto the carpeted floor. Picking up the volume, I placed it on a side table and tiptoed close to the double doors, peeking through their slight opening and listening to the conversation coming from the sitting room.
“How dare you show your face here, Lorelai?” I assumed it to be King Gerald. The king had copper hair that fared toward red into his beard. His cheeks were flushed with anger, and he only had a little paunch in his stomach. He was still attractive, for his age. “After what you did to us?”
“You needed my help—begged for it, you might recall—and I gave it to you.”
“What do you want, witch?”
“Witch? Do you so easily forget that, once upon a time, you begged for my hand in marriage?” She laughed heartily. King Gerald’s jaw twitched. “I’ve heard the rumors about Florin and have come to help you.”
“I will not accept help from you. Your price is too steep, and I cannot afford to pay it again.”
“Fine, then I am here to collect on our first deal. Imagine my surprise when I received news of Prince Alexander’s upcoming nuptials. That is not what was promised to me, King Gerald. You promised me your firstborn, and I find you go behind my back and arrange a marriage.”
“It’s been years and nothing. You never came. I thought you had changed your mind, forgotten our deal or didn’t care anymore.”
“I never forget a promise. I just had no use for him yet. But now I do.”
“N-No, not Xander,” King Gerald cried out, and I heard the agony in his voice.
I gasped, covering my mouth and pressing my ear closer to the door. Never had I suspected my mother to be so conniving that she dealt in children. What deal had they made? What curse were they referring to?
“Yes, Alexander. You will stop this wedding this moment, and you will honor our deal.” I leaned forward just enough to see her hold out a scroll and unroll it. “Or does a deal in blood not mean the same thing as it used to?”
King Gerald sighed and sat down in a plush chair. “What would you have me do? I have no other male heirs to the throne, and Ameline is too young to ascend. If you take my son, you leave our kingdom in a predicament that could very well lead to war. You know we’re not on good terms with Florin. If they see we’re vulnerable, we will be attacked. Which is why the alliance with the Nueva family is essential for our country. We gain their armies.”
“Silly fool,” she snapped. “Why do you think I’m here? I have not come to demand your son’s life. I’m here to bring him his wife.”
“W-What?” the king stuttered, and I gripped the wall to keep from falling over.
“You will keep your son, he will ascend as king when you pass, and he will not marry this Yasmin girl but my daughter. She will be all you need to protect your precious kingdom.”
“I would never agree to this. I would rather he die than marry someone raised by you. You’re the epitome of evil.” King Gerald slammed his hand on the table, his face flushed a deep red, before grasping the chair for stability.
“If that is your wish, so be it.” Her voice was somber. “But be careful who you call evil.”
“I could have you cut down right here,” he threatened. “My guards will kill you, dispose of your body to be eaten by dogs, and no one will ever know.”
“Yes, you could, but that would not put an end to your problems.” She held up three fingers and smiled callously at the red-faced king. “I’ll give you three days to say goodbye, and then he will be gone.” She snapped, then made a poof motion