“Forgive me, princess, but what authority does a woman have to ask such questions of two royal ambassadors? Our affairs are confidential, as I’m sure you can understand,” J’rillo N’va jeered.
“My lords,” Katryna began, taking in another deep breath to cool her temper. The Emberians were frustrating but head-butting with them would solve nothing.
She thought carefully about her response, considering what Aunt Rashel had told her during their breakfast, picking through her collection of knowledge and experience from growing up.
Think outside of the circle you have drawn around yourself.
Katryna cleared her throat. “While you are standing on Camridian soil, you adhere to Camridian customs and laws. Unlike the kingdom of Ember, Camridia is one which values men and races of all kinds, including women.”
It was only half-true. Women rarely had the same privileges as men in Camridia when it came to ruling. There had never been a Camridian queen before either. But Katryna figured that if she spoke confidently enough that she may be able to convince the Emberians.
“As I have already mentioned, the king is dying, and the queen has been murdered. These are uncertain times, but Camridian law dictates that if the crownbearer is incapable of ruling, either from sickness, injury, or old age, that the crownbearer’s responsibilities fall into the hands of their oldest child, to act as regent.”
J’rillo N’va and Siah R’no looked to each other once again through their masks. Katryna’s boldness was not expected.
“I am Katryna Bower, oldest living child of King Giliam Bower. In his stead, I am the representative crownbearer. Not my brother, me. While you stand in my city, under my rule, you will answer my questions and do as I command, is that understood?”
Both diplomats nodded silently; the message had clearly been received.
“Good,” Katryna said with a smirk. She took a deep breath before continuing. “What was Queen Virala’s reason for sending you to Ravenrock?”
“Queen Virala had several important affairs regarding our two kingdoms that she needed to discuss with King Giliam and Queen Mira,” J’rillo N’va replied, a little more nervously than before. “Matters such as establishing further trade routes for gold and minerals, sharing strategies together to overcome pestilence which has ravaged our farmlands the past several years, and…” J’rillo N’va paused.
“And?” Katryna said.
“And… discussions of joining the royal families of Camridia and Ember through marriage, to strengthen our ongoing alliance.”
“Marriage?”
“Yes, my lady. Queen Virala’s son, Prince Tesh, twenty years of age. A strapping young man. A very talented archer and avid historian. A prince blessed by the Blue Flame himself!”
“And who was this prince supposed to marry, exactly?”
“King Giliam offered you as the bride, my lady.”
Katryna shook her head. “No, that must be a mistake, my father would never-”
“It is true, my lady,” J’rillo N’va said. “Our main purpose here in Camridia was to establish a betrothal. The king was adamant that upon your return to the capital, he would offer your hand to the Prince of Ember to combine our Houses, being that you are his only daughter.”
Katryna could not believe it. She stood there, mouth agape, unable to find the words to respond with.
Siah R’no stepped in. “Your mother was not so fond of this deal. She claimed that you were a ‘bad seed’, I believe were her words, not fit for a royal wedding. She did not want any tarnish on such an affair.”
That sounds like mother. Could this really be true? Would father give me away like that? Like an animal?
Katryna was in disbelief. Her father would not offer her as a bride without first discussing it with her… would he? She tried her best to keep a straight face. She did not want to let the ambassadors see any more weakness from her, despite the dagger to the heart she felt.
“You were to be wed to Prince Tesh,” J’rillo N’va repeated. The words replayed in Katryna’s head over and over again.
Chapter 18 - The Duel
Wesley Seynard took a final sip of his sweet, red wine and, with a shaky hand, gave it back to the knight who had been fighting in the arena before he had stumbled in to interrupt it.
He kept his eyes locked on Prince Petir as he made his way over to the arena from the spectator’s stands. His servants crowded around him like flies to a corpse as he strode over, fastening pieces of his suit of armour to his body.
The crowd was manic at the coming duel. Such fights between members of two royal families never happened. It was very exciting for them, but not so exciting for their families who watched nervously.
Wesley belched as he placed his helmet on, the ground swaying with each step he took. Knights began filling the ground level of the tourney grounds to observe the duel.
Petir laughed before he jumped the fence into the arena. “So, you accepted my proposal from last night!” Another servant handed him his sword. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t want to lose a duel during your Uniting Tourney, in front of your wife and family, do you?”
Petir’s tone resonated with smugness. It only served to make Wesley more infuriated.
They were about ten paces away from each other. Wesley held on to the fence behind him for balance as Petir put his steel helmet on.
Then they started circling the field, eyes locked on each other in a battle of wills.
“You son of a whore,” Wesley slurred.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You’ve taken everything I love from me!” Wesley barked, feeling sweat and tears drip down his face beneath his helmet. He could feel his long hair sticking to the back of his neck.
Petir could only just hear what Wesley was saying over the roar
