“Lady Zaya has contacts there?”
“So it is said. She will plead for sanctuary there, sir. And you know how Skarde treats asylum seekers.”
“Yes. We must make sure we stop her before she gets to Astrida. But… if she is still with the Curan, I don’t think that will be a problem…”
I rubbed my beard and mustache. This had to be the emissary from Farian. It was surprising that they had only sent one, but then, they were a very proud, almost arrogant, warrior race. And if he was just charged with giving me the offer of alliance, then, there would be no need for back-up. I had no need to feel threatened by him.
Why he had escaped with my soon-to-be new bride, I didn’t know. She may have told him some tale that pulled at his heartstrings. He might just be using her, in which case his head would be one for the slaughter, too, regardless of the deal Farian might have to offer. Who knew? Regardless, when he realized it was my bride that he was interfering with, I was sure he would back off. Curans were nothing if not rational and prudent, and particularly loyal to the Beast King and his throne. If it wasn’t just some strange coincidence, then we didn’t have to worry about them going to Astrida just yet: they would come straight north, they would be headed right into my hands.
I had paid a pretty price for Lady Zaya, and not just monetarily compensating her father and the chieftain of her village in the northeast mountains. I had chosen not to burn down and pave over their village, instead moving my route through the mountains just a few miles south. It didn’t seem like much of a cost, but it left us more open to attack in a certain pass, particularly from Skarde’s men, if he ever chose to take sides, say with General Truloy, if it came to blows between her and I over who ruled this planet. The road wouldn’t even be able to be constructed until this next summer, and I was already reaping the rewards of the deal.
Sometimes, I still worried that I had made the right choice. Had I chosen my own happiness over the power of my military’s might? Had I potentially put young soldiers and my throne in danger during some future battle?
But Zaya was so beautiful… I licked my lips and my pants tightened just a bit, just thinking of the way her hips swayed and her breasts swelled when she gasped out my name.
I had wanted her. So I took her. But, I was trying to win the favor of the populace, since I was the leader of the world now, so I compensated her father, quite generously, in my opinion. Granted, it had been a: “give me your daughter and I will give you money and not destroy your homes” type of situation, but he was a wise man, understanding to the ways of the world…
She had seemed happy the first few months, adjusting to life in army barracks, training in the weapons she chose to with my most elite soldiers, but then she started to turn sour and run away for hours at a time, hard to find, and she would refuse my advances…
I hit my fist in my hand. I thought it was just because we weren’t married yet, so I had commanded some of the women to start laying those plans with her. I was kind of busy these days, couldn’t she understand? Bloody woman…
I would find her. I would find her and I would teach her a lesson, and then I would show her what love with me could be like, and she would fall for me, like I planned her to all along.
She would be my Queen once my plan was complete, standing next to me for all to see, with her gorgeous turquoise eyes and cunning wit.
My plan was for conquest of the planet and General of the military wasn’t enough:
I wanted a crown. I wanted to be called King.
Ten
Cartari
Frost was starting to show on the inside panes of the window glass. The storm was still roaring outside and it was threatening to break down the door. The warm, rosy glow of the cabin had been reduced to a slight hue just around the fireplace. Zaya was snuggled deep into her towel mound, huddled as close as she could to the fire. I could just see the shine of her turquoise eyes, tracing my movements as I rose and put on my cloak. I had been delaying that move as long as I could, but now I could see my breath inside and my fingertips were starting to stiffen with cold. I slipped on my gloves.
I dug into one of the baskets that had held the towels and pulled out a pair of slender, kid’s leather gloves. I tossed them to Zaya. “They are better than nothing. Will your hands fit?”
She pulled them onto her dainty hands and balled them into fists. “Thank you. That’s much better.”
I rolled over the logs that lay in front of the fire. They were just too damp. I had pulled them inside hours ago, to try and dry them out more quickly, but they had been rescued from under days of snow pack. I put one on the fire, anyway. The flame feebly licked at the dried bark. Maybe it would help.
If the storm lasted many more days, it might start to get difficult for us, here. We could
