The Servant Crown: Ice Dragon Tales, #3

by Hurri Cosmo

  There’s that noise again.

  Ariope stood taller, pushing her shoulders back. “That does not answer my first question, young man. Who are you?”

  Shifting a sleeping Aydin in his arms, Diagus took a slight bow. “I am Diagus Amar, King of Blade Rain.”

  It drew the breath from her he was expecting. “King…” The queen gasped, her mouth hanging open, but only for a moment. She regained her composure quickly, then asked, “Might I inquire of Your Majesty, what you are doing in Dark Marsh…?” She eyed Aydin again. “With a child?”

  “This is my son, Aydin, the crown prince. And I was chasing your daughter,” his gaze returned to Annen, “who had kidnapped him.”

  Ariope’s eyes grew very large as she turned to Annen, as well. “Kidnapped? Explain yourself, my daughter!”

  “Mother! You were enchanted! I needed to save you! I… I was going to… barter with the witch.”

  “Enchanted? I have been gone for a few days’ time and you fear me enchanted?”

  “Days’ time? Mother, you have been gone for three months!” She looked down at her mother’s stomach. “I did not know you were with child.”

  Ariope’s mouth dropped open again. “I… I came here because… that witch, Black, said she could guarantee my baby would be a boy this time…” She absently rubbed her distended stomach. “She had me drink a potion…” She looked back and forth from her daughter to Diagus again and again. “Three months?” she finally whispered. “Is this true?”

  The question was directed at Diagus, although he wasn’t sure why. He had been so distracted by the possibility there might be someone else undetected in the wood. He handed the sleeping child over to Tama as he addressed Ariope’s question, “I am new to all of this information, Your Majesty. All I can attest to is that your daughter stole my son and was about to sacrifice him to a witch. If it was to save you or not, I don’t know. But here’s something I do know. The wedding is off.”

  “Wedding? What wedding?”

  Abruptly Diagus pulled Tama and Aydin behind him as he turned to face what was left of the woods. “Come out! You are discovered, sir! I perceived you the instant we came into the clearing. Show yourself!”

  Tama leaned against Diagus. “King Diagus! Who are you talking to?”

  “An intruder, Tama. He has been trailing us for some time now. Come out, I say!”

  Everyone held still and silent for a moment, but then there was movement beyond the trees and a large hulk of a man walked out. He swept his hat off his head when he caught sight of the queen and princess and came to stand in front of them.

  “Dyban!” the princess shouted.

  “Dyban!” the queen growled. “You get away from my daughter this instant! What’s the meaning of this, Annen? Have you lost your mind?”

  “Mother, I’ll explain…” The princess looked up at Diagus. “I am glad the wedding is off. No offense, but I never wanted to marry you. I am in love with Dyban.” She reached out to him and pulled him to her side.

  Tama stepped forward. “That’s the man you were arguing with back at the castle.”

  Princess Annen glanced at Tama. “Excuse me? Argued? Oh. Yes. I…he didn’t want me to do this…”

  The king put his hands on his hips. “You mean, kill an innocent child?”

  Annen glanced at her mother, tears in her eyes. “Mother! I… I didn’t mean for that…” She turned to Diagus. “Father told me that if I marry you, produce an heir, and give that heir to Black, not only would we have our mother back, but I would be free to mate with Dyban.” She took in a deep breath. “I was desperate. Dyban has no noble blood nor is there any hope he could join and rise in the ranks of the castle army. He is only a blacksmith. I am the oldest and need to marry well. I am so sorry, King Diagus, but this was all my father’s idea.”

  The queen put her fists on her hips. “I will have a long talk with your father, my errant and very foolish daughter. You will not be mating with this…this… excuse for a man! His brains are very clearly scattered even though he has been able to lead you astray. It is his fault you have done this vile thing!”

  Annen began to cry as she fell into Dyban’s arms. “I didn’t mean to harm the child! I…I didn’t!”

  “What’s that?” Tama pointed to a dark pouch on the hip of the newcomer. “Your bag appears to have some yellow substance on it.” Tama stepped toward the large man, but at the last moment, Diagus pulled him back.

  “Stop, Tama. What are you talking about, yellow substance?”

  “That.” Tama pulled free of Diagus and walked up to the man “This looks suspiciously like Witch’s Bane.”

  Dyban frowned. “Yes. What’s it to you?”

  Tama drew in a breath and turned to face Diagus. “Your Majesty! This is the man who hired the ruffians to attack you.”

  Diagus glared at the large man, once again pulling Tama and Aydin behind him. “Is this true?”

  “What? Me?” He laughed nervously. “Why would I do such a thing?” But the man was looking back and forth from Diagus to the princess, acting guilty as hell.

  The princess yanked on the man’s arm. “Dyban! What did you do?”

  Dyban glowered then turned to Annen. “Is it true? The wedding is off?”

  Annen glanced sideways at Diagus, her face becoming red. She looked up at Dyban. “It’s off,” she murmured.

  “Good. I… I love you, princess. You mean the world to me. I just couldn’t…”

  The princess huffed. “Answer the question, Dyban. Did you hire someone to kill King Diagus?”

  “Kill? What are you talking about? I…I did hire a couple of men, that I did do, but only to use the Witches Bane to change the king’s mind about marrying you. I didn’t hire them to kill him.”

  Annen stood staring wide-eyed at Dyban. “Witches Bane is poison, Dyban,” she said softly. “It’s a very deadly poison.”

  “Poison?” Dyban jerked his head back and forth from Annen to Diagus several times. “Poison? I… I swear, Your Majesty, I didn’t know…”

  “What did you think it was?”

  “An anti-love potion. I thought to make you fall out of love with Annen. I wanted to stop you from marrying her.”

  Annen grabbed at Dyban’s arm. “Anti-love? You thought King Diagus was in love with me?”

  “He came to Thunder Wolf seeking your hand. That is what the palace servants said. Besides, look at you. How could he not be?”

  “Ohhhh!” Annen whined, “I should have told you everything; what happened to mother, what my father said. Dyban, I am so sorry.”

  Dyban sighed. “Yes, Annen. You should have. I know I am not very smart. But knowing all now what truly happened? You should have trusted me.”

  Diagus had never really been concerned about who it was that tried to kill him, even though Tama seemed to be. The actions of the ruffians were so inept, he figured the one who had hired them couldn’t be any more talented. But he was interested in one thing.

  “How is it they found me?”

  Dyban frowned at the king. “It was easy. You never seemed to even notice that I followed you. I just happened to catch you leaving the castle all alone. I thought it was strange and wanted to find out what you were up to. My belief was you were going out to meet up with some lover.” He looked down to his feet. “I was going to confront you, tell you to give up on Annen, that she was mine.”

  “But that didn’t happen. So, what then?”

  Dyban sighed. “Well – I’m not proud of it – but I got drunk.” He shook his head. “I followed you all the way to Elven Port, through every one of those ale houses. I never got close enough to hear what it was you were after and…I was angry with myself for not confronting you. Finally, at that last one, I don’t remember the name of it, these…thugs approached me, thinking to con me. But—well—by the end of the night, I had given them the Witch’s Bane and pointed them at you. That’s it.” He began to shuffle his feet.

  “Where did you get the
Witch’s Bane?” Tama asked from behind Diagus. Diagus reached around to make sure the man stayed behind him.

  Dyban jerked his head to look at Tama. “That’s... not a good story, either. But I suppose I’ll tell it.” He sighed. “I met a man in Blade Rain. A man by the name of Drek.”

  “Drek?” Tama whispered.

  Diagus turned to Tama. “You know the man?”

  Tama looked up at Diagus. “No… not really. Do you?”

  “I have no idea. How do you know him?”

  Tama looked back over at Dyban. “Probably the same way Dyban does. He approached you? In a place called Harpy’s Inn.”

  “Harpy’s Inn?” Diagus repeated. “I do know of that place.”

  “Yes, Harpy’s Inn,” Dyban continued. “Drek wanted…something from me.” Dyban touched his throat where Diagus could see two small marks. “He offered the Witch’s Bane in return.” Dropping his hand, he shook his head, pursing his lips tightly together. “I had told him the reason I was there. Told him I was following the man who had taken my girl. He was the one who told me what Witches Bane was and offered it to me in payment for…for…” Dyban shivered. “Needless to say, I paid the price. I was just so angry…and lost without Annen. I thought if I could get you to change your mind…” Looking directly at Diagus, a hand over his heart, Dyban wailed, “I’m sorry. I honestly didn’t know Witches Bane was poison. I was too full of loneliness, drink and male bravado. Craziness. Nothing more.”

  Diagus huffed. The man was pathetic, doing anything to gain his lover’s attention. Even something as horrible and revolting as offer himself up to the bloodsuckers. Only problem was, he understood all too well how the man felt.

  Still.

  “Do you think that makes what you did all right?” He looked down at the princess. “Either of you?”

  The princess scowled. “No. I don’t. Do to me what you will, but let Dyban go.”

  “No!” Dyban stepped in front of the princess. “Let the princess take her mother home. I will pay for the crimes of both of us.”

  “Dyban!” Annen tried to pull him back. “The king is right. I stole his child. Even though I had no idea what the witch intended, I knew it couldn’t be good. I was still doing it for my own gain.” She reached out and touched her mother. “I have brought shame.”

  Diagus harrumphed. This had to end. “It is your father, King Lexand, who has brought shame. All of you, go home. Go back to your kingdom. Tell your king to never test my borders again. If he even looks north, toward my kingdom, you tell him I will amass a large army, one that will include the whole of Claymoor Doom’s and Blade Rain’s combined, and take his land from him. Tell him I know of his true plot now and will not forgive quickly.” He glared at the queen. “He is lucky I do not throw his precious daughter and her lover into my dungeons.”

  Ariope gasped but said nothing. However, she grabbed her daughter’s arm and pulled her close.

  “Go!”

  They all scrambled to mount up on the two carriage horses, the princess and Dyban together on one, and trotted off. Diagus chuckled when Annen told her mother not to worry, that she had a carriage just up the road.

  “No, Princess Annen, you do not,” Diagus called out to the departing party. “I pushed that damn thing into the swamp. You will have to see about a carriage when you reach Ghost Pines.”

  But Diagus did send one of his own men with them to make sure they made it home. It was a long way, and due to the condition of the queen, it would not be a fast trip. He also sent another man on ahead to warn Thunder Wolf Kingdom of their homecoming and to deliver both messages. One, there would be no wedding, and two, his promise of all-out war if the man so much as breathed Blade Rain air. He was quite sure he would have no further trouble with King Lexand.

  Diagus went to stand next to Tama after seeing the group off. Tama touched Diagus’s arm and he looked down at his angel’s smiling face. “What, my sweet?” he asked as he smiled back.

  “I was just thinking about that witch trying to upset you by saying you are not the king. You are everything I would ever imagine a king to be. I find it difficult to believe she could even think such an insane thing.”

  “Well, she is wrong. I am the king…legally. At least, I am now.”

  Tama cocked his head, showing he didn’t understand. How could he? There were only three people in this world who did.

  “Long story, my sweet. One that I would love to tell you, but not here. Back at my castle. Will you come with me? Will both you and Aydin come and live with me?”

  “Live with you?” Tama’s heart began to pound heavily. Could happiness for him truly be possible? This was what he dreamed of. A safe home for both Aydin and him in Blade Rain Castle. No more backbreaking farm work. No more going to bed hungry. No more selfish, lazy father to placate. He had thought about it constantly ever since Kelay announced her pregnancy by the king.

  “We will all live in the castle someday. And no worries, Tama. Even you will have servants. People to order about.”

  “People to order about? Me? I would be happy if only Papa would have someone other than me to order about!”

  But of course, it was Aydin. He was the crown prince. Of that, Tama did not question. His bloodline was far more important to King Diagus than Tama ever could be. The king couldn’t possibly mean what Tama thought, what Tama truly wanted.

  Could Tama still live in the castle when this wonderful and amazing man finally took a wife, when King Diagus finally decided on a bride and queen? No!

  But how could he take Aydin from his destiny? He was going to be king someday. Aydin, for sure, had to go to Blade Rain. Could he leave the child behind? Would he simply be able to walk away?

  No. He could not. He hugged the child closer. But maybe the house of Amar would opt for Tama to care for Aydin. Perhaps, if persuaded, they would hire Tama as the nanny or the governess.

  But that didn’t solve the problem of having to watch the king be with someone who wasn’t him.

  “Tama. What’s wrong? Do you find me repulsive?”

  Tama jerked his head up to look at this beautiful king. “Repulsive? How could I find anything repulsive about you? No. I only fear… I… What if I do not want to live in the castle?”

  “Then we will live somewhere of your choosing.”

  Tama was taken back. “My choosing? You mean you… and I…would leave the castle?”

  “In a heartbeat. If living in the castle meant living without you, I won’t live there. Tama, I want to be where you are. Where you and Aydin are.”

  “That’s just it. Aydin. I understand you will want to get to know your son. It’s only right…”

  “I want to get to know the man who has been raising him. I want you, Tama. I know we only just met. I don’t understand it, either, but you are my angel. I want no other. You are, I dare to say it, my soul mate. The one destined for me.”

  Tama stood for a moment and let what the king said, sink in. Then he reached up with his free arm, grabbed the big man around the neck, and pulled a chuckling Diagus down for a deep, long, exploring kiss. When he finally allowed Diagus breath, Tama smiled.

  “Then my answer is yes, My King. My answer is yes.”

  Chapter 12

  “You really loved Joron, didn’t you?” Tama was sitting on a couch in the king’s chamber right off the Blade Rain throne room. They had come into the room a short time ago, both of them checking in on Tama’s father, who had been put up in a room somewhere in the castle, a healer tending to his superficial wounds. They had found him still at the Harpy’s Inn, the innkeeper having done what he could to make the man comfortable. Seemed his father had had enough coin with him to pay for several nights. Tama had been surprised. Nowhere near as surprised, though, as his father had been when Tama walked in with the king.

  “You know the king?” he had sputtered.

  To answer that question, Diagus had pulled Tama into an embrace and kissed him right there in front of his father. Tam
a remembered being flushed and happy and shocked and any manner of other emotions as he tried to sort them all out. When he had turned back to his father, who sat with his mouth hanging open and his eyes as wide as they could be, both Diagus and he laughed. Tama vowed, then, he would take care of the lazy old man. He didn’t deserve it. But Tama was not going to let his past affect any part of this future. Besides, the castle was large. There was no reason to believe he would ever have to see the man.

  After a number of interruptions from various people, an irritant that Tama barely put up with, finally, Tama and the king were left alone. Tama had a cup of tea that he absently sipped while listening to the incredible story of how Diagus became king. All the lies and deceptions, murders and kidnappings that played major roles, were mind-boggling. It was like hearing some melodramatic ancient folklore or dark fairy tale. But it wasn’t some creepy anecdote at all. King Oxys had not been Diagus’s father, and up until this very day, Diagus had not known who his true father had been. Tama thought Diagus was regretful that he had never been able to meet the man. He had been a long time dead, most likely by his mother’s own hand.

  But it was new information about ancient history. Information, according to Diagus, that would be one more secret that would die with him. Tama was awed that not only was this king sharing this information with him, totally trusting and open, but that, with it, he was feeling closer to this wonderful man. It was amazing he had come through all of it unscathed. Diagus was incredibly strong and resilient, and Tama found himself falling more and more in love with the man. So, it made sense that the one thing he would have trouble with was how in love Diagus had been with Joron.

  “I still do.” Diagus was standing by the fireplace with a drink in hand. Tama didn’t know what it was, some strong liquor, no doubt.

  With those three little words, Tama was now thinking he just might trade in his tasteless tea for a glass of whatever it was Diagus had. Or several. “Still?” he choked.