The Exiled King

Chapter 4 - A Tentative Alliance

"He can't do that!"

Lirya paced around in her bedroom as her seamstresses ran after her and tried to take measurements for her wedding dress. She stopped by a fine wooden table to crush a piece of paper and rip it to shreds. It had been a note from her father, informing her of her wedding date and that seamstresses would be arriving to take her measurements.

Her wedding.

Lirya let the pieces fall to the ground and stomped over to her bed.

It was a magnificent four-poster bed built out of beautifully polished mahogany wood and silk hangings. There were plain white sheets and thin covers to accommodate the warmer climates of summer in Sanobar. The human kingdom had the most level temperatures that never ranged too far into the cold nor the warm spectrums. Summers were warm and winters were cold, but neither were extreme - just average.

She grabbed one of the pillows and threw it at one of the seamstresses, who toppled over at the unexpected barrage. Lirya was undoubtedly one of their toughest clients to deal with, but also the one who paid the most. Lord Rowan had paid a small fortune to get all of the wedding arrangements completed so soon.

I'm getting married, She thought, To that prick... that Leus of Ravenstorm. He acted all nice in front of father, but that was just a ruse and I saw right through it! Oh sure... he's handsome. I'll give him that, but he's still a rotten noble. I don't want to marry him! Father had me wrapped around his finger from the first moment I stepped into his study! Lirya thought and scowled.

"I will not marry him!" The words were out before she had realized that she had spoken them aloud.

"That would be a shame." Leus stood by the door to her chamber. The open door to her chamber.

"I would love to get to know you," he said before turning and leaving.

Is he just an arrogant prick or is he being like that to me?

Well... Father's leverage is Jason, so if I can safely remove him from the dungeon and get him out of the castle, Father won't be able to hold anything against me!

"That's it," she muttered and stormed out of her bedroom, locking the door behind her. She ignored the seamstresses pounding on the door and tried to think.

<--<< >>-->

In the meantime, Leus Ravenstorm was also pacing around his room, his thoughts racing.

Why did I do that? Now I've gone and made a fool of myself again!

He sat down on his bed and groaned, marveling at his own ability to royally screw up.

The room he was currently situated in was a suite in the guest wing of the castle, consisting of a sitting room, bedroom and a small bathroom. It was every bit as finely decorated as Lirya's—Lord Rowan wasted no effort in guest accommodations, as most officials and other nobles who visited Throeyns castle were either highly ranked in society or lesser nobles to be impressed by the sheer wealth that the Throeyns empire boasted. There were also expensive trinkets dotted around the room, such as vases, ornate tables, magical lamps—a most sought after and expensive item due to the loss of the mages of old, who had first crafted these—and a couple of paintings. One of those was a large portrait of the current royal family: King Aeraias Blackrose, his wife Queen Elysadora and their four children.

It was this portrait that Leus stared at, noting how the years had altered their appearances. The royal children had been good friends with Leus when they had been young children, but it had been about ten years since Leus had seen any of them. The oldest, Adrian, had grown into a regal heir fitting of his status as the crown prince. His dull blond, nearly brown hair was a perfect mix of his father's dark hair and his mother's light blond hair.