Prince Fernando
The Northern Clans combined to form an odd kingdom. There were four clans with the largest taking half the land and claiming kingship over the rest. Ian Pitcairn currently ruled the North. The three remaining leaders, or lords as they preferred to be called, governed their territory however they saw fit.
Any other monarch in the seven kingdoms would have crushed these lords and taken full responsibility for the region.
I arrived four weeks after leaving home. Stable hands tended to our horses while we were escorted to a castle. While it lacked the opulence of my father’s palace in Astralind, the blue and silver stained glass windows cast beautiful shades of muted light
over the stone floors.
Intricate tapestries decorated the walls, depicting battles, coronations, and various important events. I’d have stopped to admire them if I hadn’t been following the custodian to meet King Pitcairn.
Rocco stayed by me, while the others in my company followed close behind. The sentries allowed me and Rocco into the parlor, where the king already waited. He remained seated on a fur lined couch but gestured for us to enter and sit on the adjacent seats. Candles burned in silver candelabras, casting warm light to mix with the blue tints from the windows. My feet sank into thick, woven rugs as we approached and sat.
Two guards stood in opposing corners. Others waited outside with the rest of my men. A tense silence fell between us until King Pitcairn broke it with a smile.
“Welcome to the North, Prince Sartorius. It is an honor to meet you.”
“The honor is all mine, I can assure you,” I responded with a slight bow of my head.
The northern ruler leaned back into his chair, his blue eyes assessing me even as I sized him up. He was older, but appeared fit and well muscled. His gray bear and hair showed his age, though he didn’t carry extra weight around his middle like my father. Deep lines creased his forehead, and I wished I knew what he was thinking.
“Let’s not pretend I don’t know why you’re here,” the king said.
I smiled, pushing down the apprehension eating at my gut. “I agree. Let’s not. I hoped you’d wish to enter an alliance with the great Kingdom of Astralind through marriage.”
He grimaced. I could have mistaken it for a grin, but no. Disgust roved beneath the expression.
“Did your father send you here like this? Unprotected? Without full knowledge of the northern realms?”
Rocco twitched, the only sign he’d give that he was ready to unleash wind at my command. Not that it would save us if this situation turned sour.
“My men stand just outside in the hall, Your Majesty.”
“They do,” he mused. He rubbed his hands together before intertwining his fingers in a thoughtful gesture. “So. If you are interested in my daughter, why did you not respond to our invitation to visit last fall?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. My goal the previous year was a union with Lisaire through Princess Isabella. She was my sole focus. If I had received a communication from the north, I had no memory of it.
“I do not recall receiving correspondence, or I would have visited,” I answered with a curt nod. “Your friendship is valued by my father and me.”
“Ah. Well, royal letters get lost all the time, I hear.”
I resisted the urge to frown. It was rare, and it troubled me I hadn’t received it. This man unnerved me, but deciphering what bothered me wasn’t possible in just the few moments we’d been present. “How can I remedy the situation? I’m here now, ready to make your princess a queen, if you agree to it.”
A shadow crossed over his face, quickly replaced with a neutral expression. “Yes. Stay for a few days while I draw up the premarital documents and set the boundaries for our new alliance. It’s high time the northern clans blended with southern mites.”
I tilted my head, unfamiliar with the term ‘mites.’ I decided to not admit my ignorance by requesting a vocabulary lesson.
“Perfect. When can I meet her?”
“Tonight.”
“Excellent.”
He dismissed us and guards escorted me and my men to a large bedroom with bunks and a washtub. I assumed they would lead me to a separate bedchamber fit for a prince, but they did not.
“Your Highness,” Rocco whispered in my ear. “Something is off.”
I’d never wished for Dario’s presence more than at this moment. “Be on high alert. It’s too late to leave without meeting the princess.”
“Did you notice he never said her name?”
“I did,” I murmured while the others stripped their shirts to clean their upper bodies.
“Stay close to me, Your Highness, please.”
I clapped him on the back. “I can always count on you, my friend. It will be alright.”
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