One More Chance

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Christian didn't think he had heard correctly. It had to be a joke. "Me?"

"Yes, Christian, you" the Queen agreed with a grave tone.

Christian's mind was numb. This couldn't be happening. The King and the Queen knew of his hatred towards marriage, relationships and any sort of familial responsibility. They knew of his pain and his past. There was no way they could be forcing this upon him. Darkness seemed to be shrouding his vision and the scream of a women was threatening to penetrate through the veil of his subconsciousness. 

"Why me?" Christian asked, fighting with all his might to keep his mind from throwing pictures of his past.

"There was no other choice. Trust me my boy. I know how hard this would be for you. If there was another way, believe me, I wouldn't put you through this. The only consolation I can give you is that the the Duke has two daughters and you can have your pick," the King responded. His voice sounded tired and exhaustion seemed to be crinkling at the corner of his eyes. The burden of his decision seems to weigh upon his shoulders.

"I don't understand, why me?"

"Because, I need my best and most loyal knight there. I cannot make a mistake. Absolutely not. Newbridge's lands border our neighboring country, Shika whom we are not on friendly terms with. The other lands near Newbridge's are Macmillan's and Cragfords's. Both of them have sworn their fealty to me, but, they are not trustworthy. If Newbridge falls, it will not take them a moment to change their loyalties. We are in a precarious position. If Newbridge is infiltrated, it would not take a long time for the rebels to march into our country from the East and a whole army could be built up. It would make the kingdom very vulnerable."

"Ok, but why me? Why not Frederick who is just as loyal or any other noble?"

"No Christian. It has to be someone who has to be highly connected to me. Someone whose authority would never be questioned and would be obeyed instantly by Macmillan and Cragford. Most importantly it has to be someone who is the most capable in leading battles. It is not just the rebels who are the threat. It is the person who is rumored to be with them who is the greatest threat and there can be no better person to deal with him than you."

"Who?" Christian asked, although he knew who it was deep in his heart.

"Henry"

If anything could have convinced him with this crazy plan of marriage, it was that word. The man who destroyed his life along with a thousand others. Henry was Stephen's elder brother and rightful heir to the throne. He had been the King two decades ago following the death of his father. However, Henry was opposite to Stephen in every aspect. He was a tyrant. Fear, unhappiness, blood and death were widespread under his rule. The despair and hopelessness that Stephen saw in the faces of his people convinced him to lead an army and overthrow his brother to takeover the kingdom. That was the day light came into the lives of people in Shaila. They hailed Stephen as their hero and supported him whole heartedly. Since that battle two decades ago, Henry was rumored to be in hiding and developing an army of rebels to overthrow Stephen and take back what he claimed as his rightful position. There had been occasional outbreak of rebel attacks, but nothing serious enough to destroy the peace of the land. However, in recent times, it was heard that Henry and his army were getting stronger and stronger and it wouldn't be too long before he attacked.

Stephen worried about it. He did not want to leave the fate of his people in the mercy of his brother again. Lord knows he would be revengeful towards the people for supporting Stephen during his exile. Stephen was never power hungry. The happiness of his people was the most important to him. He would gladly relinquish the throne to Henry if he knew Henry would be a fair leader. It was this noble cause of Stephen that made Christian support hi with his life. If the kingdom was at stake, Christian would do anything in his power to save it. 

"When do I leave? How many do I bring with me?" Christian asked with a renewed determination.

"Tomorrow, we can't waste any more time. Take 50 men with you. But listen, there are some key parts of this plan that I must explain. Get to Newbridge and marry one of the girls. Then you have to travel back with your wife to swear your fealty to me. Only then can I name you as the new Duke of Newbridge. You know that by law of this kingdom, the title can only pass from father to son and if there is no son it would revert back to the kingdom. So, it is essential that you come back with haste to assume the title and then return to Newbridge to sort out the matters there. Without the title, your power at Newbridge and among other neighboring lords will be undermined," the King explained.

"Aren't there flaws with the plan? When I am coming back here, Newbridge is vulnerable to any attack. If I leave the army there..."

"Then you and your wife would be attacked. Remember this, she would be the best target for the rebels. If they manage to kill her, then you as a widower would have no links to Newbridge and cannot be sworn in as the new Duke. The other option would obviously be targeting you. But I am guessing that is less likely if they have heard about your reputation in the battle. So....."

"The best plan would be to leave majority of the army there, but to have enough men with me to watch my back and guard the girl," Christian finished. He still couldn't bring himself to call the unknown girl his wife. It would take time getting used to the idea he supposed. After all, until a moment ago, he had no idea of getting married at all.

"Exactly. I don't suppose you would face too much trouble when getting there as no one knows of my plans to get you married to one of the Newbridge girls. Hence, if my guess is right, you and your army would be thought off as the King's wish to check on his nobles"

"Ok then, I'll start preparing for the journey tomorrow," Christian bowed, ready to take leave from the royals.

"Christian," the King called. "Thank you for everything and safe journey," his voice lost the business touch from a moment ago. Andromeda's eyes glistened with unshed tears next to him. Christian knew that this wasn't the King and Queen addressing him but his foster parents. Christian smiled back, but the warmth did not reach his eyes. Then he executed a formal bow and left the throne room. He missed Andromeda's words to Stephen. "I hope the girl is worthy of him."

Christian had one important thing to do before the journey tomorrow.