Chapter 46

Annalise wrung her hands as she waited in the antechamber of Nelan’s office. It had been almost thirty minutes since she’d requested an audience, and his secretary had not yet returned to his desk.

She didn’t know how long it had taken the messenger pigeon to travel to Rea, or if the Rhinnean ambassador had even sent it as soon as he’d heard the news, but she felt the pressing need to leave for Dovea immediately. From just outside the open door, she heard a low scrape as one of her two Dovean guards scuffed his foot against the floor. The near-constant presence of the guards had worn on her at first, but she’d never been so grateful to know that if she needed it, help was only a raised voice away.

After a considerable wait, the door to Nelan’s office opened, and his secretary stepped out. 

“His Majesty is ready to receive you,” the man said with a deep bow. 

Annalise swept through the doorway, her haste marring her usual composure. 

She took in Nelan’s office at a glance, the place where he spent much of his days ruling the kingdom. It was the first time she’d ever been inside this sanctum, and the dark rough-cut stone, floor to ceiling tapestries, and polished wood spoke of power and opulence. A large fire roaring in the hearth kept the room warm, as did several furs on the floor. Nelan lounged in a black leather chair as though he didn’t have a care in the world. Behind him, large glass windows afford a view of the mountains of Rhinnea. A winter storm gathered around the mountaintops, making them look very much like their ruler–tall, stark, and foreboding.

“Princess Annalise, my beautiful betrothed, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?” Nelan asked as he leaned forward in his chair. His brown tunic was decorated with designs made of light blue thread, and his dark curls afforded him an almost boyish look. 

He didn’t offer her a chair, although even if he had, she wouldn’t have taken it. After two weeks at Nelan’s court, during which she’d seen his fickle nature and turbulent temper, Annalise trusted a charging boar more than she trusted him. “I just received news of King Everet’s passing. You may address me as Queen Annalise,” she said with as much steel in her voice as she could muster. 

“Oh, I may?” Nelan threw his head back and laughed before pretending to wipe a tear from his eye. “Thank you, darling. I never took you as someone who had a sense of humor, but I don’t think I’ve laughed so hard in a very long time.” 

“This isn’t a jest. My father, the King of Dovea, is dead, and as the Crown Princess of Dovea, the throne falls to me. My court is loyal, but a country without a ruler is like a boat without a rudder—directionless and at risk of capsizing at the first strong wind.” 

“I know it is not a laughing matter, Princess. You must think me a fool—despite your posturing as if you’re already crowned, there has been no coronation. While you remain in Rhinnea, you are still Annalise, Princess of Dovea, and my betrothed.” 

“Which brings me to my next point—my men and I will leave as soon as possible to return to Dovea to secure my throne. Once I have done so, we can further discuss a new treaty. The pass into Dovea is almost certainly blocked by bad weather, but we will charter a ship out of your northern port. Goddess willing, I hope to be in Dovea within a month.” 

Nelan tutted his tongue and rolled a small stone ball back and forth on his desk. “No, you won’t. At least, not until we are wed. I understand you wish the best for your people, but I can’t have you gallivanting off and ruining all of my carefully laid plans. Once you and I are bound in the eyes of our peoples and the Goddess, then perhaps we can take a joint trip to Dovea where we will both be crowned.” 

Annalise’s heart felt as though it dropped through the floor, and the room listed around her. She grabbed the edge of his desk to ground herself. “What are you talking about?” 

“Do you know why I sent my ambassadors to your father’s court to remind him of this betrothal?” 

“It was part of the treaty; you didn’t want another war to break out between Rhinnea and Dovea when you were so newly ascended to the throne.” Even as the words passed through Annalise’s lips, they rang hollow. It was something that she’d long wondered and had never quite figured out—why Dovea’s mortal enemy would invoke a long-forgotten clause of a treaty decades in the past.

“You really think that I wanted to marry you, the whelp of that Dovean cur, just because of a clause or two on a treaty nearly older than the both of us? That I’d choose you, and thus peace, over marriage to a woman of my own court who could strengthen my position among the nobility, or a princess of a foreign court that would increase Rhinnea’s allies without allowing an enemy within? Do you really think so highly of your kingdom that you believe we’re scared of a war with you?” Nelan chuckled darkly. He continued to roll the ball on his desk back and forth without pause, as if what they were discussing was a childish game instead of state diplomacy that held thousands of lives in the balance. 

“Dovea is strong. Our military–” 

“Your military is of as much concern to me at the moment as a kitchen maid’s love troubles,” Nelan snarled. The ball came to a stop, and he glared at her. “Sit down. I hear that you’ve spent the past few weeks studying Rhinnea’s history and trade, reading aloud to the men who guard your room as some kind of group history class. I hope you remember your lessons because you’re about to learn something new.” 

Annalise considered disobeying his request to sit, but her head felt as though the edges of her thoughts were made of felted wool, and she elected to save her strength. 

The ball on Nelan’s desk resumed its path, the rumble of its roll only making her head pound more. Nelan didn’t notice her discomfort or, if he did, didn’t care as he launched into his tale. 

“There is a kingdom to the west of Rhinnea, called Praxis, that has long had its eye on our mountains, furs, and forests. There is a desert that separates us that takes several days to cross, but my father’s spies report that the Praxian King has his eye set towards expansion, and we have come across his notice. All things considered, a week’s journey across a desert is not so onerous a task when there lies a resource-rich jewel on the other end.”

“I am familiar with the Praxian kingdom, but haven’t heard news of any such endeavor,” Annalise said. 

“Of course you haven’t. Dovea, Yblis, Lorvan, Vintreal, none of the soft kingdoms to the east of the mountains ever care about what we Rhinneans face. My country and its mountains are the shield that protects you from the rest of the world, and yet all we gain is your derision and scorn at our ruthlessness. Well, I say, no more. My father, Goddess rest his soul, was too weakened by illness to do anything, but I will not sit back and turn a blind eye to Praxis’s plans to overtake my kingdom. That is the reason why, as soon as I was able, I sent an envoy to Dovea to remind your father of the treaty he signed. You see, darling—” the scorn in Nelan’s voice felt like a lash against Annalise’s exposed skin ”—I don’t need your hand in marriage to keep the peace between Dovea and Rhinnea, I need it to protect my kingdom from the looming invasion.”

“As Queen of Dovea, I can send aid in the form of soldiers and supplies, and I’m sure that the other kingdoms will help as well if the threat is as great as you say. Let me go home, and I swear that you and your kingdom will not have to fight alone.” 

“We won’t fight alone. With the queen of Dovea as my wife, I have the upper hand in more ways than one. You see, Annalise, battle is the perfect proving ground for your curse. We already know that your blood is toxic, and with a little trial and error I’m sure we can pin down how much it can be diluted before it loses its effectiveness. A rain of arrows that guarantees certain death with a single scratch is a very effective weapon indeed. Plus, I have no doubt that Dovea’s military will come to our aid if you remain on the battlefield… especially if the Dovean High General knows that it’s not just your life at stake, but also that of his son. Once we’ve used the Dovean military to soften the Praxian forces, my own men can deal the final blow.” Nelan’s tone remained measured and even, as if he were discussing the weather with an acquaintance.

Annalise drew back at the casual way Nelan talked about what was sure to be a bloodbath. “General Kierson is smarter than you give him credit for. He won’t let you use his son as a game piece, and Soren won’t allow it either.”

“Captain Kierson will do whatever it takes to keep you safe, and as hardened as your High General is, I doubt he would let his only child, the son of his beloved wife, come to harm. So, you see, I simply cannot allow you to break our betrothal and leave.” He reached for her, and his face softened. “Don’t you see, Annalise? With our marriage, we will unite Rhinnea and Dovea and weather the storm that barrels our way. You’ve lived so long with this curse…wouldn’t you like to know if perhaps the Goddess gave it to you as a blessing in disguise?” 

For a fleeting moment, Annalise allowed herself to wish she could believe him, that she could take the path of least resistance and do what the king wanted, as she had her entire life.

But no, curse or not, she was a queen, and she couldn’t run from her destiny any longer. She leaned away from Nelan’s grasp and shook her head. “Our marriage may unite the two countries, but for how long? Unless my curse is broken, I cannot bear your child, Nelan. When I pass, you will no longer have any claim to my kingdom, and after so many years of hostilities, our people are like oil and water. As for my curse, if the Goddess wishes for it to be useful, she will have to show me in a way that doesn’t involve so much death.” 

“That’s not how this works, my darling future wife.” The words dripped from his lips like poison, sending a chill down Annalise’s spine. Nelan’s smile was cold, his eyes like shards of ice in a frozen winter pool. “You see once you and I are married, I’ll have some legitimacy as ruler of Dovea, and as long as I keep you alive just long enough for everyone to accept my rule it doesn’t matter if you don’t bear me a child. Rebellion is so much easier to quash once people are used to a monarch, especially with a military weakened by a prolonged campaign from a universally hated force like the Praxians. After a few years your death will be regrettable, yes, but a tragedy that everyone saw coming the moment your mother cursed you.

“In fact, depending on how everything shakes out, perhaps I’ll allow the war against Praxis to drag on. While you are away ‘commanding’ the front lines with your Dovean forces as any good queen who cares about her men would, I’ll remain behind to keep the home fires burning as a supportive husband and king to both Rhinnea and Dovea. When you’re tragically killed in battle just before we sign a peace treaty with Praxis, both of our countries will mourn. After a suitable time I’ll be free to remarry, and my future whelps will inherit the throne of both kingdoms. Sure, the succession may be contentious, but with a united Rhinnean front and a little political maneuvering, it shouldn’t be too hard to squash your Dovean nobility.” 

She’d heard enough. Annalise stood, her hands balled into fists. “I won’t let you. I refuse to marry you.” 

“You don’t have a choice, my dear. By order of the peace treaty, we are married in all but ceremony, and your fool father didn’t think to leave an exit clause for you in case of his death.” Nelan took a sip from the ornate goblet on his desk. “Or maybe he didn’t want to. Now the question becomes, what will you do, Princess? You can certainly try to defy me and arrange an escape, but the odds aren’t in your favor. The entire city is on alert. You might fight your way out, if the rumors about the fearsome nature of your Dovean guards are to be believed, but at what cost? Will your soldiers protect your maids as they protect you? Will your devoted Captain Kierson sacrifice his life for your freedom?” 

Annalise ground her teeth as she desperately tried to think of a way out of the situation. 

“I’m waiting, Annalise.” 

“I need more time. There have been many monumental changes today, and I need to reflect on them before the wedding,” she said, grasping at anything that might give her a chance to get out of the room and regroup without agreeing to anything. 

“You see, that’s where you’re wrong. While there may have been some interesting developments, there is nothing you can do to change anything. You have no option except one: marry me. Although I must say that you’re adorable when you try to plot and plan.”

Annalisse tried desperately to think of something, anything, that would free her from the trap Nelan had set. She wasn’t willing to sacrifice her men, not without asking them first, but she knew that if she agreed to marry Nelan, the consequences would be far worse than the death of a few guards. 

If he’d only planned to use her in the fight against Praxis, she would have understood. If Nelan had requested Dovea’s aid, it would have been difficult to convince her people to help, but she was confident that she could have done it. If he’d even let her travel home to put her kingdom’s affairs in order before wanting her hand in marriage as a guarantee of peace for their two kingdoms, she may have eventually acquiesced. 

But no, Nelan wanted everything. He wanted to use her curse. He wanted to drain Dovea of its resources and bring it under Rhinnean rule. He wanted the Dovean crown for himself. 

“I agreed to this marriage to prevent a war between our kingdoms. I thought that sacrificing my life and happiness was well worth the safety of my people.” Annalise stood tall and tilted up her head. She may not have physically worn the traditional crown of Dovean monarchs, but she could feel its spiritual weight pressing on her head. “I see now that I was wrong. I implore you, Nelan, consider what you are saying. If you let me go, I promise you that Dovea will stand with Rhinnea against threats. I will sign a new treaty, one for mutual defense with you, and we will usher in a new era for our peoples, one of peace and cooperation.

“Please, I beg you, let’s set the past behind us and move forward for the good of both of our kingdoms. I’ll return to Dovea, and you’ll be free to marry whomever you wish.” She swallowed and took a quick breath to calm her racing heart before continuing on. “Since you value my curse so much, I would even be willing to personally oversee the troops I send to Rhinnea’s aid. The last thing I want is more death and destruction for either of our peoples, and if we can use my curse to make weapons to reduce the bloodshed, I will bleed myself dry.” 

Nelan stood from his chair. He stalked towards Annalise and stared at her, his dark brown eyes burning a hole into her very soul. For a moment they were frozen in time, then his mouth pressed into a thin line and he walked past her, to the door. “If you think I trust the words of a Dovean for even a second, then you are much more naive than I believed. No, Princess Annalise, I reject your proposal and your empty words. I know that the second you crossed the border into Dovea you’d recant all your promises. In three days’ time we’ll be married, and then I will have everything I need.” 

“You can’t do this.” As much as she hated it, Annalise couldn’t keep the pleading out of her voice.

“I can and I will, and if you defy me, then I will kill everyone you care about.” The cruel and depraved smile on Nelan’s face made her blood run cold. “Yes, even those still back in Dovea. All it would take is a single message from me for my spies to do their bloody work, so I suggest you remain utmost compliant. If I receive even a whiff of disobedience from you, Dovean blood will flow.” 

King Nelan threw open the door to the antechamber, revealing a group of guards on the other side. They wore long sleeves, gloves, and each had a cloth covering their face, leaving only their eyes visible. Her own guards were nowhere to be found, although there was a suspiciously wet splatter across the chest of one of the Rhinneans standing in the back. “Now, it’s time for you to go. My loyal guards will escort you to your new chambers, as I believe your current ones are a little too…open for my liking,” Nelan said.  

“You’re making a terrible mistake, King Nelan. Please, reconsider before it’s too late,” Annalise said.  

“The only mistake I could make is in trusting you. Guards, take her away.”