She spent a lot of time in the stables with her friend Lucan, which also bothered her father. He didn’t expect her to shun the people that worked for them, but it worried him that they were so close. Since Kevaan had gotten betrothed and moved away from the palace, she and Lucan spent many hours together. He was her friend, and confidant. Nothing could ever become of it, he knew, and so did she, for even she was not bold enough to start something romantic with a commoner. She respected Lucan too much to get him fired, or worse, hung for treason.
She preferred to stay away from court as much as possible. Whenever there was a party in the castle, she would make an appearance at dinner, but then sneak away soon after, before the festivities started and the men would prowl. Just like at her birthday celebration. She did not tell him what Fallon said, but he knew it was probably vulgar and disrespectful.
He looked back to that, how he had rescued her from what could have been a terrible situation. He promised her that everything would be fine, that father would never do anything without discussing it with him. How could he had been so wrong? Why was this so hard? If people would take the time to know her, they would see wonderful things.
Most men generally liked her, especially the less haughty ones, and there had been interest a few times, but none of them ever turned into anything more. She was down-to-earth and easy to talk to, putting people at ease, except those looking for a wife. Those men were intimidated by her; their egos were damaged in her presence. He wished he could help her, wished he could protect her once again from the pain she would soon endure, but he knew he could not. He would only be able to comfort her later, and he knew this time it wouldn’t be enough.
“I’m sorry, my little sweetheart, but this responsibility is father’s alone. What he has to say should only come from him. I don’t want to be the one to make you bare such news.”
Her pretty face scrunched up in a frown, and she slumped back down onto the bench. “You’re so melodramatic. You make it sound as though someone had died.”
Kevaan grimaced inside. That was one way to put it. “Now stop that, child, and go clean up like I told you to do,” he said trying to use his stern tone.
“Alright, brother,” she said. “I’m going.”
She picked up her towel and sword from where they lay on the bench. As she passed by him, she twisted up her linen and snapped him in the rear. He turned toward her with a pretend snarl, and she squealed, running from the courtyard with him quickly in tow.
***
When she went down to see her father, she found him pacing back and forth across the stone floor of his sitting room. When she entered she almost hesitated to bother him since he looked so distressed, but decided she had better see what he called her about. She cleared her throat; he stopped pacing and turned toward her. She made it a point to clean up and put on his favorite dress; it had been her mothers, and she hoped that whatever bad news he had would be less distressing if her appearance pleased him.
He saw her standing in the doorway, and he tried to smile at her, but he knew that doing so would be like lying to her, for the news he had would be painful, and he could not pretend otherwise.
He had not come to the decision lightly, despite what his son had implied, but the reality of the situation could not be frosted over any more. It was time for her to start her life.
He approached her and took her hands in his. He looked down at her, noticing suddenly the dress she was wearing. He had to breathe in deep in order to build up his nerve. Tears started to well up. He knew that if her mother were still alive, just as Kevaan had said, she would never let him go through with this. But if she were still alive, he reminded himself, he wouldn’t have to make this decision in the first place. Melenthia would have grown up a proper girl with a mother’s influence, a girl of the court, already married to a proper man. The dress was Melenthia’s way of trying to butter him up. But he had to be strong. His kingdom and Kevaan’s future depended on it. He could no longer put this off. It had to be done. He took a deep breath again and sighed.
“What is it, father? Why do you look so distressed?”
“Because I have something to say to you, and it’s something you’re not going to want to hear, but nevertheless, you must.”
He led her over to the bench on the far side of the room, and she sat down beside him, still looking into his eyes. She placed her hands neatly in her lap, her legs crossed daintily at the ankles. The many layered skirts of her dress billowed out on the bench, her bosom peeking out from under her corset. There was pain there she could see, and she was extremely worried about him. She had no idea that the pain in his eyes was for her.
“Melenthia, you are my beloved daughter, and you know that I love you more than life itself. I have always been supportive of your needs and wants, but it has come to a point in my life where I need to put the needs of the kingdom and my estates first. Your brother will inherit this realm, and I need to make sure that he gets a strong and secure kingdom to pass along to his next in line. I have been patient with you, but I can no longer wait for you to decide on a husband. I have come to the decision that I need to make the choice for you.”
Her eyes got wider. “No, father, you can’t.”
“You have given me no choice, Melenthia. I feel you are deliberately avoiding the decision, even though plenty of young men have come forward and offered their hand over the years. You have turned down all of the men who have shown at least some interest in you. You have given me no choice. You will marry. And since you have not made the decision for yourself out of love, I will make it for you out of duty. You are a princess whether you like it or not, and that means you have certain responsibilities. I have an offer for you, and I have accepted it.”
Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. She was no longer worried about her impression on him. She no longer wanted to be charming and cooperative. Her rebellious nature was coming out.
“Who have you chosen, father?”
He paused for longer than she could stand. His silence stung so much it hardly mattered that he did not touch her. A slap across the face would have stung less.
“You will marry Fallon Tab Rommel, Duke of Xenos.”
She gasped, and her hand flew to her mouth. The horror of her encounter with him at her party rushed back to her memory. She felt as though she’d swoon, but forced herself to stand. He stood up as well.
“Father, how could you possibly be angry enough at me to stick me with a sentence that cruel? He is an ogre, father, mean and vindictive. I couldn’t possibly marry him.”
“The choice is no longer yours.” His voice seemed to crack a bit from pain at having to put this burden on her, but he had to stay strong. He cleared his throat again. “I have no choice now. I have already given your hand to him. He and I have already come to an arrangement.”
She recalled what he said about being less painful if she went willingly. She realized that his come-on to her at the party was a warning. She suspected now that he was only there to secure a deal with her father. The party had been a lie. He had already promised her hand, and Fallon was just trying to secure what was already, unbeknownst to her, his property. She shuddered, but then yelled.
“My party. You and Fallon had already made the deal that night, didn’t you?”
“We made the final preparations, yes. He had already asked for your hand before that.”
She really seethed now. “Have the deal revoked!”
“I cannot. What’s done is done.”
“Father, I refuse to subject myself to that kind of torture. I thought you loved me enough to not do something so cruel. I will not do it!” She stamped her foot now.
He was saddened at his daughter’s pain, but he had to stand his ground this time. If he did not get through this by putting his foot down he would end up giving in to her, just as he’s done for years. He had already promised her hand, and although he would have rather her chosen someone else, anyone
else, her lack of cooperation brought him to this. He had a kingdom to think about, and he needed the army that Fallon possessed. Fallon was becoming more and more powerful, and he could not risk a war with him. Going to war was not something his kingdom could survive. With Fallon and Melenthia married, there was no way Fallon could ever enlist war with him. They would be family.
“I have tried for years to keep you in mind, to keep your want for love in mind, but you have over and over again failed to find that person you want. I’m beginning to think you have done it on purpose just to cause me grief. You have always been a willful child without a mother, and I understand that you were brought up by men, but enough is enough. You’re getting old. You’re already older than all the girls in the court who have been married for some time and already have children. I will not embarrass this house with an old maid for a daughter. I don’t understand why you are so obstinate.”
“I have not met one man who wants me for me. They want me to be someone I’m not. I’m not a giddy little girl who dotes on her man because he’s powerful and rich. I won’t be dutiful because I’m supposed to be while he brings multiple mistresses to his bed. If someone is going to marry me, they’ll get the whole package, the real me, not what they want me to be. I won’t be taken against my will!”
“If you would stop acting like a ruffian and start acting more like the princess you are, maybe you would find the right man for you. A man doesn’t want a woman who does things like a man. He wants a feminine woman, a woman who can charm his friends and raise his children. He doesn’t want a woman who can protect herself; he wants to be her protector. I told Kevaan it was a bad idea to teach you such things, but, like you, he doesn’t listen.”
“I don’t like who I am when I’m at court, trying to impress men who only want one thing from a woman. I want love, like you and mother had, not just a bed companion.”
“Your mother and I loved each other dearly, yes, but she was a proper woman of the court. She had her little quirks that I found amusing, but she did not flaunt them around for everyone to see.”
Tears started to well up, but she fought them back. “Please, don’t do this, father.”
“There is nothing I can do now, Melenthia. I have given my word, and my word is stone. It’s over, Melenthia. You will marry Fallon at the end of the month. He will be back here in three days to propose to you.”
She knew that he would never wait until marriage to take her. If he was coming here, she was in danger of being violated right under her father’s nose. She started to cry, knowing there was nothing else she could say to convince him, but she held it back. Crying would certainly not convince him, but maybe a threat would.
“I will be gone before that. I won’t be a slave in his house, a plaything he can discard for another when he tires of abusing me. I won’t be subjected to a life of misery and physical pain so that you’re not embarrassed, so that Kevaan can inherit a kingdom that is untarnished. I will leave before that happens.”
She thought it would work, but it did not.
“If you choose to do so then you will be banished from this house forever. You will never again be my daughter. You will be stripped of everything that is supposed to come to you after my death. You’ll be an outcast. I don’t think you want that.”
“You would do that to me to save your precious reputation?”
He paused for a moment, knowing his answer would break her heart, and his. “Yes.”
She started to cry now, but not fully; she held back as many tears as she could. This was her last stand and did not want to go out with weakness.
“So be it then, father. I will be gone before morning.”
“If that is your choice, then I will abide by it, but know this, if you do so, you will never again be able to see or speak to your family, even Kevaan. As far as I’m concerned, from the moment you walk out the door, you are invisible. You no longer exist. I never had a daughter. But I don’t think you would do that to yourself, or to your brother.”
She turned on her heel and ran from the room. When she was gone, Randor slumped down to the bench, his knees too weak to hold him up any longer. He placed his head in his hands and wept.
CHAPTER 4
On the other side of the kingdom, in a dark basement, a man worked diligently on an incantation of great importance. He had been taught by his previous master how to call upon the Dark One and, like he had done before, called upon him now for help.
The liquid in the large open pit bubbled and roiled, sending up thick acrid smelling steam into the air, which pervaded the room. After minutes of repeating the words in his head, he spoke, calling on the Dark One to answer his plea.
“Oh, mighty Lord, I call you from the depths of your slumbering place, to show yourself to me and fulfill my request. I’m here to do your will, but difficult times are upon us, and I need your guidance and wisdom.”
He waited for what seemed to him like eternity, then finally the liquid boiled higher and a face appeared in the gray haze. The face was hideous and not easily looked upon, but Fallon had seen him before, and the image was no longer disturbing.
“Why have you awoken me from my slumber and called me here?”
“The time has come, My Master. It’s time for me to start my campaign to power. It’s time to solidify my place in this kingdom, my place as ruler over all. The woman from the prophecy is growing stronger. The sword of the elves has sung. I have made my move with her father. Now is the time for me to move forward with my plan.”
“What is it you need from me?”
“I need more bargaining power in order to get the people of this kingdom to bend to my will. The Kings: Randor and Dainard, will be difficult to manipulate unless I have something to guarantee my success. My power has grown strong, but I need more resources at my disposal.”
“Indeed you have grown in power. I can feel the energy flowing through you. You are right, the people of this kingdom are not easily swayed, and the leaders are formidable. You need something to bargain with. Very well, I will send my servant to help you, a powerful being to control the minds of your adversaries. A being that can take many forms. You humans call him a wraith, but this wraith is special. All humans know about wraiths will prove wrong, and he will be the extra push you need. We call him…” The Dark One said his name, which was undecipherable to the human ear, then enlisted a human name, one that would be easily translated in man’s tongue. “But you will call him Jaron.”
The steam danced in the air, and flashes of light were seen from the pit in the floor. The sounds were eerie, and then a ribbon of smoke emerged from the pit. It had a human form, but shriveled and deformed, and when it took its solid shape, Fallon had to turn his head away.
The creature looked as if he had burned in fire, skin scaly and black. His eyes which were not present right away, then gave off a red glow in the darkness. His hands were wrinkled and long fingered, with yellow nails, and there was no hair on any part of its body. It was neither male nor female in distinction, and it stood hunched over and stooped.
Fallon finally found the courage to turn toward the creature, needing to see for himself the image it would take when needed. Fallon felt himself shiver before the horrible disfigured creature, then watched as it transformed into a human.
As quickly as it had emerged from the pit, it morphed into a man, tall and lean, with a raw power that emanated from its skin.
Jaron bowed to his master and said, “I am here to serve you in any way you require. Our master has sent me here to do your bidding.” It wasn’t entirely true. The Dark One did not answer to man, but he needed Fallon to carry out the ultimate plan. If placing Jaron in service would help Fallon obtain the goal, he would sacrifice pride for the time being and allow things to unfold. Soon, Fallon would not be needed either, and the Dark One would finally rule over this world once and for all.
“I need help getting obstacles softened in order to get them to do what is necessary for my rule. I ne
ed you to bend the minds of the strongest so that I can present my plan and put it into practice, without high ideals interfering. This world will be mine, and I can only do it with the old rulers out of my way. I need you to help me start a war.”
“I am here to serve. Tell me what you want from me, and it will be done.” He bowed.
“Good, very good.” Fallon smiled evilly. Soon, everything would belong to him. Soon, the world would know a new leader, a new power.
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