Finally, some peace and quiet, the young king thought as he lay back down on the table. Maybe now I can get some sleep before Mary gets here. I hope she gets here soon. With that thought, he did in fact fall fast asleep.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Wake up, sleepyhead," a pretty female voice said as King Christopher phased back into consciousness.
“Five more minutes, Mommy. Just five more minutes, then I’ll go to my falconry lessons,” he mumbled, still only semi-conscious.
“I'm not your mom, Chris. It's me, Mary,” the voice chided him.
“Mary?” His face broke out into a wide grin.
He opened his eyes and took in her slightly worried expression, then shot up and hugged her in spite of the shooting pain in his arm. “I’m so glad you came!”
"Of course I came, silly.” She pulled back a bit and fussed with an unruly tuft of his hair. “I love you and I worry about you."
“That’s so sweet, just like you. You’re the nicest person I know,” Christopher told her, finally letting her go fully and slumping back down onto the table. “I love you too, Mary. In fact, I want to ask you something. You see, we’re going to war with Fusong in six days to right the wrong they’ve done to me, and I’m gonna need some help if I am to win and come back alive.”
Mary crossed her eyes and scrunched her nose. “I love you, silly boy, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“I was getting to that!” he quipped. Then he took a deep breath to calm his nerves. This next part had to be just right. “You see, I need something to look forward to. A reason to hurry back, if you will. Something amazing to look forward to and help me have the strength to persevere.”
Mary giggled. “You’re still not making sense. Are you sure you shouldn’t rest some more?” She gave him a sideways glance and gently rubbed his chest.
“Blast it, woman, I’m trying to ask you to marry me!”
Mary’s mouth fell open. She didn’t respond for almost a full minute, which made Christopher worry.
“Well,” she started, smoothing the fabric of her blouse, “I must say that is the strangest proposal I’ve ever heard, but I just don’t know, Chris. I mean, that's an awful lot to ask a girl."
"Come on, Mary,” he pleaded. “We've known each other for two years now, and we love each other. What more do you need?”
"I need a guarantee that you'll be alive every day. Not just today," she said bluntly, hands on her hips. “That you won’t go running off into any more wars.”
Christopher frowned at her and looked deep into her eyes. He cupped her face with one hand and imagined a happy life, growing old next to her. It felt right. "Okay, after this war is over, I promise I'll never put myself on the field of battle again."
She cocked her head to the side. "You promise, Christopher Marcus?"
The young king nodded. "I promise. Now come here and give me a kiss for good luck."
"I never could say no to you, could I?" Mary said, smiling and inching forward.
"Then you'll marry me?"
She shook her head, her curls bouncing in the process and giggled again. "Of course I will, silly."
"Good. Now I can win this thing knowing that I'll soon be wed to the woman I love.” He grinned from ear to ear. “Now how about that kiss?"
Mary gave him a deep, long kiss. He spent a few moments in her arms, then left the operating table, headed for his room. He didn't get very far before he needed help, but he figured a night's rest would fix all that. He sat in his room for a while, thinking, before someone got him to go make his address.
* * * * * * * * * *
Six days had passed since that fateful day when an attempt on King Christopher’s life was made, and they were now standing in the fields of Huozong before the assembled might of the Fusong army.
Their forces looked a little disheveled, but the two armies were about even in number, and it was widely known that King Caballar was quite the strategist, so it was hard to tell from the onset just which side would win.
Nevertheless, the young king would not back down so easily. Besides that, he had more mages on his side and some good strategies of his own.
Christopher squinted up at the sky. The sun had just risen an hour ago, and its light was glinting off the army of Fusong’s vanguard, making it hard to concentrate.
Talon was droning on, trying to discuss the terms of surrender they should offer to their enemy, but Christopher had long since blocked it out of his mind. He was under no mood to accept a surrender, even if it was offered.
Besides, King Caballar was already waiting in the middle of the field for Christopher and Talon to finish talking and come to meet him. He needed a little more time, though, for all his plans to fall into place, so he kept up the charade a bit longer.
Several minutes later, King Christopher, Talon, and his lieutenants broke up, and the young king sauntered toward the middle of the field where King Caballar waited patiently with his bodyguard in tow.
He looked out over the fields and then centered his gaze on the enemy king. “Are you willing to discuss terms of surrender?”
King Caballar sat there for a moment in thought. “Yes, I will discuss such terms, and you can even go first,” he said with a thick, hard to understand accent.
“Alright,” Talon started calmly, “We will accept your surrender and leave you be if you accept the following conditions: one, you must make a formal apology for your assassination attempt in front of King Christopher’s subjects; two, you withdraw your armies from the field peacefully and return to your
