The Shattering

Chapter 5

-Stormveil Castle-

She was unreadable. He could never truly figure out what her next words would be. Getting under her skin was the easy part. Knowing what came next, or how she'd bite back... that was the challenge.

She delicately drummed her fingers on the table as she looked over the papers he gave her. Her face gave nothing away. After the last few meetings of trying to figure out what made her tick, her features had become familiar. It was always the same. He'd make a jab at her, her dark pointed eyebrows would furrow or raise, her thin lips tightened into a line, her green eyes would flash with disgust or annoyance, etc. Occasionally he could make her pale skin blush with frustration.

She glanced up at him and then back at her papers. "Is there a reason you're watching me so closely?"

Radagon snapped out of his thoughts and shrugged coyly. "Waiting for you to make a mistake, is all."

Rennala scoffed and turned a page. "I don't make mistakes."

He chuckled, sitting back in his chair. Of course she didn't.

"So serious. Surely you can't be this... frigid... all of the time. You must have hobbies, interests, friends.... lovers?"

She sighed, setting the papers down finally. Clearly they were not going to get any work done.

"Only when I'm not dealing with lords and their petty armies." She raised her eyebrow at him, unamused, "If you count the arcane arts, then yes. I would ask if you had any hobbies, but I assume you spend most of your time staring at paint peel from the wall."

"That's quite harsh, your highness. I prefer watching it dry, you see."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a smile peeking from the corners of her mouth. Good one. Foolish prince.

"Tell me this." He said. "You're quite adept at magic, I've heard. To have charmed the school like you did, and still so young. Who taught you?"

"Trying to dissect my past, king slayer?" She smirked. The title had lost all weight to Rennala, especially after the several headache inducing conversations they'd had.

"It's simply a question."

Rennala paused a moment, still drumming her fingers on the table. "The Carian Royal family is a dynasty of mages. Magic was already in my blood, but the astrologers my father sought out to teach me... refined my skill, so to speak. Is that the answer you were looking for?"

He shrugged, "I was hoping for names."

She picked the papers back up, "Those names are protected with my life. Now, shall we continue?" She thumbed through the papers, skimming the contents. Suddenly, she stopped and furrowed her brow. "This... Have you lost your mind?"

Radagon sat up. "Do the terms not interest you?"

"All of the farmland on the east coast? You're a fool to think I'd agree to this."

"A fool? I disagree. I could have demanded every bit of farmland in your kingdom."

She scoffed, setting the papers back down. "That is not how these things work, your highness. You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

His expression faded slightly, "I'd say I have more of an inkling than you, your highness."

"Is that so?" She sat back, incredulously. "A real diplomatic offer would have had give and take. A proper agreement... Now I understand. You finally make sense to me." She leaned forward. "You have never been in a real battle have you? Traded diplomatically? Your father's kingdom barbarically takes land and spits it back out. Now that you're forcing the hands of real empires, you have no earthly idea what you're-"