Sworn to Defiance

by Terah Edun

  “Dirk, however, lived for one week afterwards. And he slew everyone involved in Viviana’s capture and torture before dying himself.”

  “It’s said he died of a broken heart,” Melina said solemnly. “So you see, the seeleverbindung is quite the commitment.”

  Ciardis looked at Sebastian. Sebastian looked back at Ciardis.

  They already had the bond, but she had the feeling if they hadn’t she still would have said yes. With everything they had been through, if she hadn’t left him yet, she had no plans to.

  Ciardis cleared a hoarse throat as she said, “‘Til death do us part, right?”

  Sebastian smiled with relief. “‘Til death do us part.”

  She had to wonder how long Sebastian had been aware their bond was a seeleverbindung but she guessed she’d have to ask him when they left. But she had a sneaking suspicious that a lot of his anger when they had resided in the imperial chamberlain’s house had less to do with jealousy now and more to do with heartbreak.

  Melina cleared her throat. “If there’s nothing further to be added to the patronage contract, children stipulations, investment procedures, or other standard procedures, we can move on.”

  “I have none,” Sebastian declared.

  “I have none as well.”

  The head pro tempore of the Companions’ Guild blinked. “Very well. The standard contract will be drawn up, signed by both parties, and Lady Vana Cloudbreaker with the stipulation that it can be amended in six months due to the stupidity of young love—”

  Thanar broke out in laughter. When he stopped, he said, “I think I like you, Madame.”

  “—and it will include the provision contract of a seeleverbindung bond, which the Companions’ Guild will fully acknowledge with rights due to the seeleverbindung couple upon provided proof that the bond has been instigated,” she continued dryly.

  Sebastian and Ciardis looked over at her bemused.

  “Agreed,” Vana Cloudbreaker said quietly.

  “Very well,” the gray-haired man said with a wave of his hand. The scribe quickly shook some kind of magical dust over his parchment paper to dry the ink. She knew it wasn’t sand. That would only trap itself in the ink. Whatever it was the drying process was done quickly and the scribe handed the first copy of the patronage contract to a servant who brought it over to the table.

  All three signed the contract with Melina Hibblebottom watching over the proceedings carefully.

  Satisfied, she announced, “Now we may proceed to the grand finale. The marriage contract.”

  Sebastian looked a little grim.

  “Don’t worry, Prince Heir,” Faris cooed. “Compared to a seeleverbindung bond, you will have to give up very little. Just half of your father’s fortune. I hope you came prepared.”

  Sebastian glared at the woman and stated tightly, “I’m starting to think you don’t like me, Madame Faris.”

  The woman gave him a wicked smile. “Now what would make you think that?”

  This time it was Ciardis fighting laughter.

  Chapter 19

  Thanar smirked. “Who’s going to preside over this lovely negotiation?”

  The Companions’ Guild members looked at each other and back to Melina.

  Melina Higginbottom smiled and said, “We were thinking the engaged couple would.”

  Silence as every head turned to Sebastian and Ciardis.

  Sebastian prepared to speak.

  Ciardis quickly said, No, let me.

  Be my guest, he whispered back.

  Ciardis untwined her fingers from his and clasped her hands in front of her table.

  “Lords and ladies, you know why Sebastian and I are here. You’ve taken into account my membership into your illustrious guild and not found me wanting. You have considered Sebastian’s petition to take on my patronage and found him acceptable. Now I ask that you pronounce your blessing for our formal union under imperial law.”

  Melina hummed approvingly as she said, “Have you spoken to Emperor Bastien Athanos Algardis?”

  “We have,” Ciardis answered clear and strong.

  “Has the emperor offered his approval of your union?”

  “He has,” Ciardis said.

  “Were there any stipulations?” the head of the Companions’ Guild asked.

  “There were not,” Ciardis answered.

  “Do you go into this union of your own free will?” Melina questioned.

  “We do.”

  “Do you have any reservations, Companion Weathervane?”

  “I do not.”

  “Why do you wish to enter into this marriage?”

  “Because I love him,” Ciardis answered simply. There was no other answer. This one popped immediately into her head. Above political maneuverings, financial gain, or magical power. She truly did find Sebastian in her heart as her true love.

  Melina squinted and then sat back satisfied. She waved a hand at the silver-haired gentleman.

  “As you might guess, Companion Weathervane,” he intoned, “we have no objections to your union with Prince Heir Sebastian Athanos Algardis. If we had, we would have not approved his patronage.”

  Ciardis nodded, thankful.

  “Seeing your adventures with the prince heir over the past year has only strengthened our belief that your union with him will be a strong one. Or, at the very least, a non-boring marriage,” he said dryly.

  Ciardis flushed in mortification.

  “Now we just have to agree upon remuneration,” he said quietly.

  Ciardis felt her hackles go up. The word, the very idea, irritated her. “I’m not a cow to be bought and sold. I agreed to pay you for your membership services and training, but I will not allow Sebastian to pay you for my body.”

  Sheer surprise flowed into the man’s eyes and then laughter erupted at the other end of the table.

  A man leaned forward and smiled. “Neither would we. I believe you have misunderstood my dear Marcus’s intentions.”

  “Oh, well then,” she said uncomfortably. “Please explain.”

  The silver-haired man, Marcus, leaned forward. “By remuneration we merely meant which party would pay for the wedding and all of the assorted things associated with that. Any dowry we request is simply for the parent of the spouse that is not a member of the guild to pay for the greater portion of the festivities.”

  Farvis sniffed. “We’re not barbarians; of course we wouldn’t barter you like a cow.”

  Melina said with a slight tsk of disapproval. “My people have long been called barbarians, Companion Farvis. You know I dislike that word.”

  Ciardis had the pleasure of seeing Farvis squirm. It was as delightful as watching Vana blush would have been—if she ever grew embarrassed about anything.

  Ciardis’s eyes brightened and she smiled. “A good policy.”

  “A convenient policy,” Marcus corrected gently.

  Melina cracked a smile. “It certainly saves us a lot of paperwork.”

  “Speaking of paperwork,” Marcus said. “We will have a small financial agreement today between the sponsoring parties but the actual marriage contract will be signed on the day of the wedding. Is that amenable to you, Lady Companion Weathervane?”

  “It is,” said Ciardis. “Now what exactly will the financial dowries be covering? And from whom?”

  “Very good questions,” said Melina. “The three financing parties will be the Imperial Treasury on behalf of the Emperor Bastien Athanos Algardis per his son Sebastian Athanos Algardis, the Weathervane family courtesy of Lady Lillian Weathervane, and the Companions’ Guild Treasury as a boon for our companion’s marriage rights as a full member of the guild.”

  Ciardis leaned over as Vana whispered in her ear, “One of the many other rights you can take advantage of is the guild financing, via a tax-free gift, of thirty percent of your wedding expenses. Traditionally the spouse not of guild membership, in this case the emperor’s son, would take up sixty-five percent of the cost, and the rest w
ould be borne by the companion’s family.”

  Doubt furrowed Ciardis’s brow as she looked over.

  Marcus, apparently realizing the trouble, said, “Of course, until the status of the Weathervane family fortune can be fully reconciled, as you just reached the age of majority and your mother has recently arisen from the dead, you will not be required to pay the traditional portion of the expenses.”

  “Perhaps just the cost of the dress,” opinioned Melinda Hibblebottom.

  “I should be able to pay more as soon as I talk to my financiers,” Ciardis promised.

  Marcus smiled gently, “I’d take the offer of just the dress and run with it. We all know how fiercely independent you are, Weathervane, but the dress alone should cost a minimum of four thousand shillings.”

  Ciardis eyes bulged and she felt a little faint. “Did I hear you correctly?”

  Sebastian put a hand over a shoulder. “Relax, you look a little peaky.”

  “You would too if someone told you that you have to wear a dress worth more than a manor. What if I damage it? ” she said, horrified.

  This time the entire room erupted into laughter. One man at the very end was laughing so hard he was snorting as he slapped the table in amusement.

  Ciardis stiffened. “Did I say something amusing?”

  “Oh dear,” Melina said, “I must attend your session tonight with the nobles. I cannot imagine it would be anything less than amusing. I haven’t been this entertained on a capital visit for over a decade.”

  Ciardis still didn’t see what was so funny.

  Vana kindly explained. “The imperial wedding dresses of females are always made from the fabric of thousands of silk worms. It is beautiful, radiant, and is guaranteed to be indestructible for the fifty years after it’s spun out. No matter what destructive forces are put to the test. In fact, these types of dresses came into fashion when the empress presiding over the first civil war married. She was so reviled that her guards feared that she would be assassinated while walking down her matrimonial aisle. So they asked her to wear armor. She refused. But the silkworm fabric was brought in as a compromise.”

  “So it’s arrow-proof?” Ciardis asked, incredulous.

  “And fire-proof, venom-proof, and sword-proof as well as a host of other treatments that have been forgotten,” Melina said, amused. “Will that be enough to protect your dress from harm?”

  Ciardis thought about it seriously for a second. She had to. Her last few dresses had been stabbed, slashed, burned, and bloodied and that was just run-of-the-mill activities.

  “I believe so,” Ciardis finally conceded.

  “Very well,” said Melina Higginbottom. “I believe we are of accordance if the prince heir will sign his agreement to cover sixty-six percent of the cost, the guild will cover thirty percent, and Lady Weathervane will cover the four percent of the wedding costs that are associated with the dress.”

  Ciardis did some quick calculations in her head and blanched. If the dress cost four thousand shillings, the wedding would cost close to one hundred thousand. “One hundred thousand shillings?” she squeaked. “What could possibly cost that much?”

  Melina blinked. “Well, for one, there hasn’t been a wedding in the capital for over twenty years. It will be a cause to celebrate. But to answer your question, food for the entire city of at least forty thousand people, attire for the entire wedding party of at least two hundred individuals, security, decorative arrangements, the emperor’s proclamation announcement which will send by amplifiers across the land, the—”

  Ciardis hurried to interrupt. “I think I understand. Thank you.”

  “You look shocked, my dear,” said Marcus.

  Numbly, Ciardis said, “I just didn’t think it would be big deal.”

  He raised his bushy eyebrows. “Imperial weddings are always a big deal. You weren’t alive for the last one, so you can be forgiven your lack of excitement. Just know that your wedding will be the talk of the city for weeks to come, the actual festivities will last for days, and people all across the land will welcome their beautiful new princess heir.”

  “Member of the Companions’ Guild,” finished Melina proudly.

  The scribe finished and personally bore the new financial agreement over to the table. Ciardis signed, Melina signed, Sebastian signed, and they watched as the ink dried.

  Farvis stood and raised a glass. “To the new princess and prince heir!”

  “Hear, hear!” intoned all twelve Companions’ Guild members before them while tossing back glasses of what looked like grape wine. Then as one they all threw their glasses over their shoulders. Glass shattered and red wine flew everywhere, but the happy grins and shouts of joy from the Companions’ Guild members told Ciardis this was just what was supposed to happen, this was right where she belonged, and all was right with the world.

  Half an hour later Vana stood with a signal for Sebastian and Ciardis to do so as well. As they did all of those around the table staggered from their chairs.

  “On behalf of Lady Lillian Weathervane, formerly known as Serena, I thank you for hosting these negotiations in our guild hall,” Vana said.

  Melina raised gracious hands. “We were happy to have such a joyous occasion. It’s not every day that we welcome a full member, companion, and future imperial family member into our fold.”

  Vana nodded. Sebastian and Ciardis extracted themselves with gracious murmurs.

  Before they turned to walk out the door, Melina pulled Ciardis aside. “I had heard you are going to face the nobles’ court this evening.”

  Ciardis nodded politely, her mouth dry. “We are. Not just to inform them formally of our upcoming wedding, but also to gain their support in a forthcoming fight.”

  Melina said, “Your war against bluttgott?”

  “You know about him?”

  “My people are shamans. They have visions of the future and they have seen this god.”

  Ciardis sucked in a breath. “What else did they see?”

  “Nothing that can help you in Sandrin.”

  “What do you mean? If there’s something you know, you must aid us.”

  “I must do nothing,” Melina said haughtily, “but for the sake of my people I will tell you this. The secret to defeating the blutgott is in Kifar. You must journey on the western path. I will send a guide for you and find it in the ancient city of the dragons or all is lost.”

  “Find what?” Ciardis said, frustrated.

  “I don’t know,” Melina said dully. “The visions are powerful but not always clear. The guide has seen that there is a special person bearing an object of old importance. But I don’t know much more. You will know when you get there.”

  As she backed away, Ciardis reached out hastily and grabbed a fistful of rope. “Wait. Does that you mean you support our cause?”

  “I personally do,” said Melina ruefully. “But not all people are as open to believing my peoples visions as others are.”

  Ciardis pressed her mouth into a thin line. “Then all is lost if we cannot get the Companions’ Guild and the membership on our side.”

  “All is not lost,” said Melina flatly. “They may be imbeciles, but I will knock some sense into them. Before the week is out you will have three thousand companions and companion trainees advocating on behalf of your cause.”

  “Three thousand?” said Ciardis faintly.

  “Yes, is that enough?”

  “More than enough,” Ciardis said while looking down at Melina. This was the first hint of good news Ciardis had heard all day. They didn’t have an army but their certainly were about to. The companions would advocate to their patrons and Ciardis got the feeling that a good many would join the front lines themselves. After all, what was advocacy if you were threatened with annihilation?

  “Thank you,” said Ciardis with a curtsey.

  “Don’t thank me,” said Melina, “just get to Kifar as soon as you can. The success of our cause depends on it.”

 
Ciardis nodded, wondering how she was supposed to be able to travel halfway across the empire, leave behind her imprisoned mother, drop wedding plans, and leave an imposter emperor on the throne.

  “Sounds like my life just got a tad more complicated,” she said to herself as she linked her arms with Sebastian and they began to walk back out of the castle.

  “What was that about?” Sebastian asked quietly with Vana and Thanar walking behind them for the moment, giving them some time alone.

  Ciardis looked over at him. “Kifar. It always seems to come back to the city of Kifar.”

  Chapter 20

  By the time they left the Companions’ Guild courtyard in a carriage that could accommodate all of them, it was approaching three o’clock in the afternoon. They had precisely twenty-five minutes before the nobles’ meeting convened.

  Ciardis looked out on the busy streets. With the traffic the way it was, it looked like they would arrive in just the nick of time.

  Ciardis sighed and leaned back into the soft cushions of the back rest. Sebastian sat across from her, Vana sat next to him and Thanar loitered in a corner with his wings spread and his feet up. When asked why he was taking up one third of the carriage, he had conveniently used the excuse that his wings needed space. So Ciardis just scrunched into her end without a further comment.

  Vana’s sharp tone cut through the silence like a knife. “What did she want? That woman is trouble.”

  Ciardis looked over at Vana curiously. She knew who Vana was talking about, but the woman had seemed anything but trouble. Crafty and serene but not troubling. “Why would you think that?