The Dream Oath

Chapter 2.3

Ralse ran both hands through his hair, squeezing fistfuls of it in frustration. What was wrong with this kingdom? They had no money. No infrastructure. The castle was a crumbling mess needing years of repairs from decades of misuse. The people were sickly and weak. He would have been better off sticking a flag in some far off forest and starting from scratch.

No wonder his father had laughed when he said he would conquer the West Kingdom to bring peace. And more importantly, prove loyalty. He could make peace with his father now, and both of them would have a secure border. And at least in Ralse's case, it would be one less expense to squeeze from a bankrupt kingdom.

"Sir, the medic tents are requesting more linen."

Ralse straightened in his chair and looked over all the reports on the table once again before pulling his mind to what the page said. He took a slow breath to suppress to push air into his tired brain.

"Bring me the castle steward."

"He's dead, Sir."

"Bring me whoever is in charge of the laundry."

"Also dead, Sir."

"Did we kill everyone?" Ralse yelled at the room. Everyone stopped what they were doing and starred. Edgar chose that moment to reenter the room and looked tiredly at this brother.

"Ralse," Edgar gently chided "the army was away with no defenders. All the people dressed as guards were mostly the servants. We will need to start rebuilding literally from the ground up."

Ralse took several deep breaths and closed his eyes while the room sat silently in anticipation.

"Send some men to the storerooms and take napkins, tablecloths, anything to get the physicians what they need." Ralse paused and rechecked the documents before looking up at this brother who was still completely covered in his armor. "Edgar, what's next?"

"Sir, we will need to deal with the princess before much longer. I don't think she'll prove a problem. She seems to have a strong survival instinct."

"I don't want to kill her."

"You should marry her."

Ralse pinched the bridge of his nose. It was a reality of their class that they were virtually guaranteed to marry someone they had no interest in and did not particularly like. King Cecil had been weak and a bully. Ralse hadn't cherished the idea of deposing him, but he was offended that the coward chose to poison himself at the first sign he'd lose the castle. It was not an honorable death.

"I know. I feel horrible about it, but it will solidify power. What did you think of her?"

"Does it matter?"

"She will be your sister-in-law. I hope you would get along at least."

Edgar thought a moment. Ralse couldn't see his expression through his helmet.

"I am not sure how she is. She showed courage when we broke down her door. The Lady placed herself in front of her maids who looked about to faint. She seems," Edgar hesitated. "delicate."

"How so?"

"She is thin to the point that you think she might float off into the sky. She doesn't look like she has ever had to face the troubles of life and may not even know them. It's an innocence that I have never seen in our court. I think she may have been extremely sheltered."

Ralse considered this. He was not enthusiastic about the idea of forcing his woman into marriage. It was likely her marriage would have been political anyway, but it didn't feel right. On the other hand, if he didn't marry her, she could lead an uprising. Not that it was likely within this kingdom. The people were hardly more than slaves plodding their way through the short lifespans they had. The whole situation was depressing.

"I want her to agree to this. I don't think I have it in me to force her."

Edgar pulled off his helmet and set it on the table his brother leaned on. His hair, a shorter version of Ralse's collarbone length waves, was soaked with sweat and stank of body odor and death. He looked his brother square in the eye.

"We killed hundreds of people to get here. I am taking 60% of our forces to meet the army in two days. You need to get this done if you want to live longer than the previous king of the West Kingdom. If she doesn't marry you, you will have to kill her. Don't get stupid on me now. The hard part is coming up."

"You are right. Let's both get cleaned up and sort this out."

"Of course I'm right. It's easy to be right when you aren't the one who has to make the decisions. That's why you're the king, and I'm your general."

"What's her name?"

"What?"

"The princess. What is her name?"

"Maria. Don't worry, Brother. I think you may be surprised by this one."