Crown of Blood

11.2.|| Men of War

Harkiss frowned. "What do you mean?"

"The fairies are at war. I believe you're all aware of the legend of Lucille, the first Fae?" When everyone nodded, Cage dropped the final bomb on them. "Well, she's the grandmother of Queen Katherine. And I don't think Lucille will want to negotiate."

"We need to negotiate for peace with a fairy?" Rip asked.

Fae, but it didn't make any difference. "No. With her granddaughter."

"This is why you killed Fherras, isn't it?" Harkiss asked, his voice low. "You told him all this and he wouldn't believe you. Wouldn't think magic existed anymore, wouldn't perceive this woman as a threat..."

"To be frank, I didn't even get that far with the explanation before he tried to kill me. Whether he believed me or not or if you believe me... It ultimately makes no difference. The war is coming and it will be devastating for both kingdoms."

"I will gather the armies immediately," the general said. "We can organize a skirmish across the border--"

"No." Cage raised his hands. "We can't do that. It would kill any potential chance for a peace treaty."

"But you said--"

"I said what I think is most likely to happen, but it doesn't mean I won't try to avoid it at all costs."

There was silence for a few moments, the Rip said, "If she knows you, wouldn't she be inclined to listen?"

Cage hoped so too, but he wasn't naive enough to count on it. "It depends on how she thinks our last encounter ended." Even if he could see the curious glances, he didn't elaborate. He couldn't. The thought of Kat still burned holes into him, made him want to curse his fate and the moment Cecille decided he wanted to play with him.

"So what would you have us do?" Harkiss asked.

Cage took this as a very good sign. If he had Harkiss on his side, things would go much smoother. "I need to be crowned to gain legitimacy with the people. I will ask you to summon the Border Barons, General. I will need to discuss with them as well. Meanwhile, Lucius, get the navy back in shape and send scouting ships along the coast of Endir. If they're building a fleet of their own, I need to know. Rip... You already know what you have to do."

The three men bowed their heads, and Cage dismissed them. Lucius and Rip left the room immediately, but General Harkiss lingered.

"Yes, General?"

"Why are you not upset with me?"

"Because I understand why you did what you did and the little fault you have doesn't outweigh your years of experience in actual combat. I might not like it, but I also agree with your assessment of my mother and our tradition for Annorian queens."

"Then what are you planning to do?"

This caught Cage off guard. "Regarding what?"

"The tradition of marrying Annorian queens. You do know they will send you their princess the moment you are crowned, don't you?"

On some level, he'd known, but he hadn't bothered with it. "I don't plan to marry any time soon, and I'll let Annora know that. They can keep their princess until the war is over."

"They won't care about that. Talia won't either. They'll wait for you to secure your position with an heir."

"There's already an heir to the throne, General, and that's Edmund. He's still in the royal line."

Harkiss scrunched his nose in disgust. "Prince Edmund is frail. He will be seen as a liability."

Cage agreed, but he didn't like it. "I have a war to lead. Not exactly the best time to get married."