Blood King

Chapter Thirty Eight

Chapter Thirty Eight

War was indeed at their doorstep.

Xavier had known what that bastard man of a King Vladimir Boscone was intending to wage war on them for any reason and now he had it, just thinking about him made Xavier's blood boil. He kept getting the distinct urge to kill something, anything that would calm his overwhelming anger. On the day that he and his knights were to ride off into battle was the very day of when Celina was born.

It had been confirmed with a messenger from Labadire just three days ago.

His blood was practically boiling at just the thought, damn Vladimir, damn him and his whole bloody country!

"My Lord I understand your frustration," Minister Belcove spoke with a slight stutter. "B-but if you keep such an expression on your face your people will think that you'll tare someone's throat out."

That's because I do... he thought as he stared at the man who now laughed nervously. "What of Minister Herald? Where is he?"

"Herald is speaking with your knights my Lord." Cole said swiftly unabashed by Xavier's current expression. "While Doldray is making preparations for provisions like you've ordered when war was announced to the people."

That made his stomach turn in disgust, he hated that his people were now worried over something as contrived as a man's greed for one sole girl. His sister no less.

"Well if he had given the Princess to him as Vladimir's son's potential bride then none of this would have ever happen in the first place." Xavier stopped dead in his tracks and stared at Minister Kurland, of recent date he had become much more vocal since Kayle had backed off with the recent events of his only son, Cain, leaving for the Northlands with his new bride, and the man seemed to confine himself for days on end when he knew that his only chance to the throne was now gone for good.

And now Kurland seemed adamant in taking that spot, oh how Xavier wanted to rip the man's throat out for even the mere suggestion of it, if only he could...

"We've been over this Kurland," Xavier said, his voice far too calm and soft from how he truly felt. "The things that they would do to her in those lands; leave it at that."

But Kurland didn't.

"And how would you know?" Kurland demanded. "Have you been there?"

"Have you?" Xavier retorted. "Most of you ignored her, pretended like she didn't even bloody exist until she began to reach closer of age, my step-mother's brother tried to do dreadful things to her, and so did that woman I was forced to call mother. And you expect me to send Celina to that place, where they came from and do gods knows what to her? I think not." He turned to keep walking, trying to force his anger down.

"You think you can protect her forever?" Kurland questioned stopping Xavier once more. "She'll be thirteen soon, and she has already bled, she should have a suitor in her midst and yet you keep pushing it back. What's your reason for it?"

"I could ask you the same question Minister Kurland," Xavier spat with distain. "Even before I became King you would push and push at trying for me to take your daughter as a bride and each time I had politely declined, but you didn't stop there, I know you've been looking into getting one of your nephews as a potential husband for Celina, and now here you are saying we should throw her to the wolves. Do you know what I think when I hear such things?"

The man frowned not sure what Xavier was going with it. "No, my Lord."

He closed the distance and stared down at the horrid man. "You only see my sister as a slab of meat, given to the highest bidder. You actions prove this when you failed trying to get one of yours into my bed, and again with Celina. I thought you once said she needed a husband? And yet here you are willing to throw her into a burning cart just to save your own skin."