to her. She is a traitor, and she has wanted me dead since this all started in a field of undead.”
He continued to give the king all the details of what he’d learned, and what he suspected.
Jonas grimaced, “That almost makes this worse. Your sister is stirring up an old enemy in the south, it could very well come to war if you marry into the royal family. Demons are never to be trusted, and those fears may push the emperor into martial action.”
He opened his mouth, but Jonas held up his hand for silence and then continued.
“My daughter has made it… extremely clear what she believes and what she wants. You have fought for gold but with loyalty and honor, and the others at your side have done the same. I’ve spent most of the morning speaking to the barons you’ve met, and they all agree you’re a boon to the kingdom. They’ve also found your companions to be engaging and even charming. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but I agree with them. You are also favored in my kingdom by the commoners, I believe that will compensate for any dark rumors.
“The wedding will go forward tomorrow.”
He frowned, “What about Daca?”
The king shrugged, “Powerful men of principle make enemies in this life. If I flinched from my course at every disapproving frown, nothing would get done. I just wanted to see your visceral reaction to the news, don’t give in to that fear. It won’t be the first time a moral stance will get you into trouble. We’ll deal with Daca, the same way we dealt with the lich and the treacherous elves if need be. Our forces are back up to full strength now. The most experienced have been sent to the borders while the rest who are now competent will complete their training in the northern villages. The kingdom is strong.
“I won’t lie, having a demoness in my castle concerns me, but I will take you at your word. From what I understand, creatures of the lower planes deceive through misdirecting truths, and my daughter has had a very frank conversation with… Shar. You also have powers that we do not.”
The king seemed a little off balance by it all, but he was obviously taking a leap of faith based on his actions, not on mere words, fears, and accusations.
He was relieved, but at the same time it worried him. He wasn’t sure what his sister would do next to destabilize things between two kingdoms. Would she really try to push the humans into war merely to disgrace him for his involvement? He wasn’t sure but given her past sins he wouldn’t be surprised if she did. His hands were also tied on what he could do, while his sister was a rogue criminal marked for death, it also meant that she essentially had nothing to lose. If she discovered that truth, who knew what she’d do?
The king continued, “We also need to spread the truth. Benjamin and my barons will be handling that. The only thing that would gain more traction than rumors of your valor, would be rumors of corruption. Better they know what our kingdom’s defender is now, before your sister or Daca thinks to stir up our own populace against us.”
He nodded, “I’ll agree to that.”
It would no doubt cause some problems, but letting their enemy spread lies and disinformation around one shocking truth would be worse.
Jonas said, “I’ll handle that, go to your quarters to finish the wedding preparations. By dinner tonight all the nobles and most of the populace will know the truth. One more thing, if the advisor accompanying Prince Michael really is your treacherous sister, you must not confront her unless she attacks you directly. Such things have been known to start wars. Her status with the delegation ensures her safety under my roof.”
He didn’t like that at all, but he nodded in agreement.
The king dismissed them, and they moved through the castle to their guest quarters. He supposed that night would be the last night he’d use them, tomorrow he’d have his own suite on the royal family’s floor at the top of the castle. Of course, he didn’t think he’d be using it much, he planned to spend most his nights there in the princess’s bed.
The princess practically tackled him as he walked into the suite, and he chuckled as his arms went around her and pulled her close. Her natural feminine scent mixed with flowers