THE MARRIAGE

People gather around the castle. They always love watching others get executed. You don't know what goes on in their minds. Do they think eliminating one enemy will lead you to victory?

Astryn doesn't fight. She puts her head on the wood block willingly. The guards stand behind her, clasping their arms behind their backs.

"Do you have any last words?" you ask her. She smiles. Looking up at you, she shakes her head.

"Do you have any last words for me?" she asks instead. "Erwan will join you soon," you tell her.

"Or maybe you will," she whispers and looks away. You grip your sword and raise it above your head.

"I, the King of Rhivenia and Owner of the Sword, sentence you to die." "Perhaps we should send her head to Erwan," Revna spits. "It's what he deserves after disrespecting our scouts like that." You turn to Sir Arnold. "Send her head to Erwan."

The knight bows his head. Revna smiles.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory…

"Has our king started preparing for the war yet?" one of the soldiers says to another.

"I don't know." He shrugs. "He still hasn't done anything useful yet."

"Prince Richard or Princess Atheris would be a better leader." The other one joins the conversation. "Imagine how powerful we would be. King Amah doesn't know how to rule."

"King Amah knows what he's doing," a loud, deep voice startles them. Turning around, they find Sir Arnold at the entrance. "Stop doubting your King."

"So you believe in him," one of the soldiers scoffs. The knight's gaze hardens.

"I do," Sir Arnold replies. "The Sword never makes a wrong decision."

Everyone falls quiet after this. The Sword indeed chose him for a reason. Maybe they should try trusting him.

"Sir Arnold!" Another soldier walks into the dormitory. "Is it true that our King executed the Southern princess?"

"Yes," the knight confirms. The soldiers share a look.

"Well, maybe there's still hope," one of them says. "Maybe I misjudged him."

"Yes, you did." Sir Arnold glares at him. "Your Grace." Gerard strolls towards you. "It's time to visit the forest. People are complaining that their king hasn't hunted anything yet. You may want to hunt deer before visiting Asinea."

You nod. Today will be a very tiring day, you realize. You don't have time to rest properly. No one told you leadership would be this hard.

"Sir Arnold and Matteo will accompany you as usual," Gerard informs you. "Be careful, little one." Alvena puts her hands on your cheeks. "I know Sir Arnold and Matteo will not let anything happen to you, but I'm still worried."

"Nothing will happen to him under my watch." Matteo approaches you, smiling. "I promise."

You note how uncomfortable your mother looks. She trusts Matteo, but something about him bothers her. Maybe it's because he's Lady Isabelle's brother.

"Now go." Your mother steps back. "Hunt deer so people can stop questioning you." You, Sir Arnold, and Matteo ride together into the forest. They both seem to be focused, ready to defend you if anything goes wrong. You've visited outside the walls with them by your side since you were seven. You slow your horse down when you spot a deer behind the tree. That's it. You can hunt it and return to the castle.

You gesture for Sir Arnold and Matteo to wait, eyes never leaving the distracted animal. You dismount your horse and draw out your bow. Sir Arnold joins you as well, hand gripping his sword. "Take a deep breath. You can do it."

You notch an arrow and draw your bow back. To your advantage, the deer is still distracted. You take a deep breath and let loose the arrow.

The arrow whistles through the air and hits the deer right in its side. The animal collapses to the ground with a soft thud.

"That's it!" Matteo exclaims from the top of his horse. "Sir Arnold really taught—"

"Shh!" Your mentor presses his finger to his lips, frowning as if he's heard something. "Get down!" Sir Arnold grabs your arm and throws you to the ground, covering your body with his own. You watch in shock as dozens of arrows fly over you and him.

Turning your head to the side, you find Matteo lying on his stomach as well. "They are out of arrows," Sir Arnold comments, rolling over. "They are planning something else."

You look up at the sky and see no sign of any arrow. Either they are waiting for you to show yourself or they plan to attack you with swords.

The approaching footsteps confirm your latter theory. Sir Arnold draws out his sword and quickly jerks to his feet. You spot two soldiers coming out behind the trees, charging at him with a cry. He slashes the enemy soldier's throat and leaves him to choke on his own blood. He kicks the other man's stomach, making him double over, before bringing down his sword. With the strength of Sir Arnold's attack, his head is cut from his neck and drops to the ground.

"Did you really have to cut his head off?" Matteo cringes.

"They are Rhivenians." Sir Arnold points at the fallen soldiers' armour, ignoring Matteo's comment.

Did your own people attack you? But for what?

"We want King Richard!" another soldier screams. This answers your question. They want your half-brother to lead them. They never wanted you to be the king.

They don't believe in you.

As you lift your sword to attack, you feel a sharp pain in your shoulder. You lose your balance and fall to the ground. You press your hand on your shoulder while gripping the sword with the other one.

"Amah!" Matteo crouches down beside you. "One of the fuckers threw a dagger at you. Luckily, it only grazed your shoulder. Stand still."

You hear groans and the clash of metal. You assume Sir Arnold is fighting off the attackers.

"Amah." Sir Arnold rushes to your side. He presses his hand against the wound on your shoulder. "You will be alright."

"I hope we killed all of them." Matteo glances toward the forest.

"I killed all of them." Sir Arnold gives him a glare before helping you stand up.

"They want Richard to be the king." You remember the soldier's words. "They attempted to assassinate me because they don't accept me as the king."

"They believe he can lead them to victory," Sir Arnold explains. "They always have believed in him." "I will prove them wrong," you promise to yourself. "We will win this war."

"And I will be by your side when you do." He smiles. "Your wound is not deep, but the dagger might be poisonous," Sir Arnold observes. "Can you mount your horse?" "It's just a graze." You wave your hand. He nods and watches you mount your horse. Once he's sure that you're comfortable and safe, he gets on top of his horse as well.

"I will get the deer," Matteo says. The gates open, and you ride inside the walls with Sir Arnold and Matteo by your side. Alvena greets you with a smile on her face. However, her face falls as soon as she notices the blood on your shoulder.

"What happened?!" Alvena rushes to your side. Behind her, you spot your siblings.

"He was attacked in the forest, but it's not a deep wound. It's not poisoned either. He would already show symptoms," Sir Arnold answers instead. "The attackers have claimed that they are…Prince Richard's supporters."

All eyes turn to Richard. He covers his mouth in surprise. He's clearly as confused as everyone else.

"You should visit a healer," your mother says. "We can discuss this matter later, in the castle."

You nod as you head towards the healer's room while the others are making their way to the castle.

"Did you hunt deer?" you hear a soldier ask. You stop in your tracks and turn to him. They don't even care about your wound. Maybe they are looking for an opportunity to defy you, as if hunting deer defines what kind of leader you are.

"He did." Matteo shows them the deer you hunted. Their eyes shine for a moment. It seems you're slowly earning their admiration. You sit in a chair while one of the healers is bandaging your shoulder. According to him, your life is not in danger. The arrow wasn't poisonous, and the wound is not deep. Sir Arnold handled them all by himself. Did they really think their assassination attempt would be successful? Their love for Richard has blinded them.

When you lift your head, you find Clara standing in front of you. She stares at the bandage around your shoulder with sadness in her eyes.

She reaches out to rest her hand on your healthy shoulder. "I'm so sorry." "I will be alright." You put your hand over hers. "It doesn't even hurt."

"You could've d-died," she says as her eyes fill with tears. "It wouldn't be fair."

"I'm alive." You smile. "I'm here with you."

She nods her head, smiling. "I'm glad

"Brother?" Richard peeks in. He walks into the room, smiling. You can see the guilt in his eyes.

The healer leaves the room so you and your half-brother can talk in private. He's probably here to apologise for something he didn't directly cause.

"I'm so sorry this happened to you, brother." Richard crouches down beside you. "I never wanted this to happen. Yes, I did want to be loved and admired by many, but I never imagined something like this would happen. I don't even want the throne. You believe me, right?" "Don't lie; you have been planning this all along," you confront him. His eyes widen in surprise.

"What are you saying, Amah?" He frowns, rising to his feet. "As I said, I never wanted this to happen! I love you, brother. If something happened to you, I'd be devastated."

He places a kiss on your head. "And thank you for not marrying me off. It meant a lot to me."

It means a lot to him because he wants Clara. He has no idea that you want her too. You have plenty of time before leaving for Asinea. Xavier is sitting on a bench, painting something on paper. You note the happiness in his eyes. Does he love painting so much that he forgets about everything?

"Did Freya provide you with paper?" you ask, and he nods.

"She's a good woman," he says. "She even taught me some new things."

"We're leaving for Asinea soon," you inform him. "We will discuss the future of the alliance."

"You must act cleverly to win her trust," he says, eyes never leaving the paper. "Since you've refused to let me go, she will not trust you. I can't help you either."

"You do understand why I didn't let you go, right?"

"Yes, you put your people first." He looks up at you. "But what if the only way you could save the alliance was letting me go?"

"It doesn't make sense." You frown. "If I set you free, I could never be sure that your sister will not side with Erwan."

"Let us see how the meeting will end for both of us," he says and brings his attention to the paper. "Did you have fun visiting the city with King Amah?" you hear a maiden asking Clara.

"I didn't ask him to take me to the city, Amice!" Clara defends herself. "Do you expect me to defy the king?"

"Stop it." Amice laughs bitterly. "We both know what you want."

"I don't want anything!" she shouts. "You've been bullying me for years. I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I know what your intent—" Amice stops when she spots you. She immediately bows her head and locks her hands in front of her.

"What is the matter?" You look at Clara.

"Nothing." She smiles. "We were just talking."

You know they weren't just talking "If you continue bullying her, you will leave this castle, Amice," you warn her. Her eyes widen with fear.

"Forgive me, Your Grace," she pleads. "Please, don't remove me from your service. I need to feed my children."

"Stop mistreating her, and you will stay," you offer her a deal.

"I'm sorry, Lady Clara," Amice apologises to her. She lets out a shaky sigh and walks past you, striding away.

"She really apologised." Clara watches her leave. She feels sorry for her.

"She will not bully you anymore," you promise her.

"Thank you, Amah," she says. "I'm grateful."

You're welcome," you say, the hint of a smile reaching one corner of your lips. She returns the smile before heading outside. Matteo and your siblings are sitting on top of their horses, waiting for you to join them. Your wound doesn't hurt much anymore. You're ready for the trip.

"How is your shoulder?" Sir Arnold approaches you. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes." You nod. The weather gets warmer as you ride to Asinea. Gerard always used to say that in order to remember which kingdom is situated to the west or east, you must think about Asinea and House Everan. You know how cold Whistlerock is. So, it is west.

The territory of Asinea is in the east.

"Do you remember the time we visited House Everan?" Freya smiles at the memory. "We were freezing."

"Our father was unfazed by the cold," Richard says. "I…I've always wondered how he managed to be strong all the time."

"He was freezing as well," Atheris comments. "But he was good at hiding it."

Your half-brother sighs. "I wish he were here. Without him, I feel like we don't know what we're doing. "Are you saying I'm a bad king?" You turn to him.

"I'd never say such a thing." He smiles. "If the Sword chose you, then you're the one who can lead us to victory." "There's a lake over here." Sir Arnold points at the large area of water. "Perhaps we should stop and let our horses drink water and rest. We still have to ride for a few hours."

"Yes, I also need to wash my face." Atheris lets out a sigh of relief. "I'm sweating in this armour."

"The weather will only get warmer," Freya says. "I hate wearing armour."

"Well, in case Queen Lena decides to kill us all, this armour will help us." Atheris dismounts her horse. Richard lies on the fresh grass, staring at the sky. Freya and Atheris are sitting under the tree. Its shadow protects them from the sun.

Sir Arnold and Matteo stand to close the horses. The knight's hand is gripping his sword while the younger man is talking about something, smiling. Sir Arnold never looks relaxed. Richard doesn't move when you approach him. Though he feels your presence, he doesn't bother to meet your eyes.

"When you decided against my marriage, I was surprised," he says, eyes never leaving the sky. "I thought you would agree." "You're my brother, and I would never do that to you," you say.

"I'd never do such a thing to you either." He smiles. "If I'd been chosen, I'd always put your feelings first, as you did." You sit beside your sisters, feeling relaxed under the shadow of the tree. Wearing armour might be the worst feeling in the world, especially when the weather is hot. You know it will get even warmer because you will have to ride east.

"Is it true that you defended the thief children in the city?" Atheris sits straighter. "I've heard some whispering."

"Yes, I did defend them," you confirm. "What kind of whispering have you heard?"

"Well, not nice things." She gives a half shrug. "You know our people loathe thieves. Why did you even defend them?" "They were children," you answer. "I wouldn't just let that man beat them up."

"You did the right thing." Freya smiles, but Atheris looks unsure.

"I will not question you," Atheris closes the subject. "…and then I confronted him and found out that he was the one who stole my knife." Matteo finishes his story to Sir Arnold, who doesn't look interested at all. It doesn't go unnoticed by the younger man. "Did you even listen to me?"

"No," Sir Arnold mumbles. "Don't talk to me."

Matteo lets out a frustrated sigh, giving him an annoyed look. "You're the only friend I have."

"I'm not a friend of—" Sir Arnold stops his sentence when he spots you. "I didn't see you there, Your Grace." "I'm your friend too, Matteo." You smile at him.

"Don't tell him that," Sir Arnold responds. "He will never shut up during the trip."

"Be grateful." Matteo frowns. "I have a lot of fun stories."

"You were talking about a man who stole your knife and blamed another man." Sir Arnold scrunches his face. "How is it fun?"

"Wait, so you did listen?" Matteo's face lights up. Sir Arnold groans and rubs his forehead, silently cursing himself.

"I think we should leave now," the knight says

Meanwhile, in Rhivenia…

Alvena is standing in the middle of the throne room, observing the iron chairs. She never got to sit on the right chair. No matter what she did, Charles never loved her again after what she accidentally caused.

But it doesn't matter anymore. Her son is sitting on the throne. She might have lost the battle, but she won the war.

"Such a shame." Isabelle's voice is heard from behind her. "You've never experienced the honour of being the king's favourite."

"Well, I'm experiencing the honour of being the mother of the king," Alvena counters. Isabelle walks closer until she stands beside the other woman.

"If you think his reign will be long, you're not thinking right," she says.

"What do you mean by that, Isabelle?" Alvena turns to her. Her tone is threatening.

"He defended thieves," Isabelle reminds her. "If he welcomes pirates to our land, I wouldn't be surprised."

"We weren't there," Alvena defends Amah. "We didn't know what made him protect them."

"Are you forgetting that stealing is one of the worst crimes in Rhivenia?" Isabelle frowns. "Do you even acknowledge our history?"

"My son knows what he's doing," Alvena hisses. She doesn't have a reasonable argument. What Amah did was wrong. Thieves and pirates are hated in Rhivenia, and if someone, especially the king, tries to defend them, they are hated too.

"We'll see, Alvena." Isabelle decides to end the conversation.

Back in Asinea…

When you finally reach the castle, you and the others dismount your horses and stand by the gates, waiting for Queen Lena to greet you. Now everything you say and do will affect her opinion of you. You must be careful if you wish to earn her trust and alliance.

"I don't think she will greet us," Sir Arnold says. You notice the absence of the queen. Her soldiers are there, but she's nowhere to be seen.

The gates open, and an old man appears. "Welcome to the kingdom of Asinea, Your Grace."

This is when you realize Queen Lena has no intention of greeting you. This is disrespectful because every king and queen must welcome their guests into the castle. However, she sent a man instead.

"Is Queen Lena absent?" you ask the man.

"She's in the meeting room," the man replies. "Worry not, you're safe here."

"What kind of queen doesn't greet her guests?" Atheris glowers. Freya nudges her arm.

"As I said, you're safe." He smiles. "Please, enter."

You share a look with Sir Arnold. He's observing the castle silently. He turns to you and says, "I don't think we're in danger. She probably wants to intimidate us in her own way. However, I advise you to send the soldiers first."

You give a nod to your soldiers. They walk inside the walls, and you follow them closely behind. Despite your being the King of Three Kingdoms, Queen Lena refused to greet you at the gates. Where does she get this courage from? Does she not realize that her brother is still your prisoner?

"Stay close to me," Sir Arnold instructs.

"Why do I feel like we came to our deaths?" Atheris sighs. "They have a beautiful garden," Freya comments as you walk together to the castle.

"Yes, what a great place to die." Atheris grips her sword tightly.

Freya rolls her eyes. "We are not dying here."

"You always used to say that political meetings never end well," Atheris says. "Why are you so hopeful now?"

"Maybe if I think positive, everything will be alright." Freya lifts her shoulder in a half shrug. After pausing for a moment, she gazes at you and adds, "because I don't know what I will do if anything goes wrong." You walk through the corridor, observing every portrait on the wall as usual. In one of them, Xavier and Lena are together with their mother and father. Seeing King Oliver's face again reminds you of the meeting where he was killed. It was a shock to all of you except the knights. In fact, Sir Arnold was the one who put a knife to his heart.

"When your father told me that King Oliver was a traitor, I doubted it at first," Sir Arnold says, walking by your side. "Then he showed me the letters he wrote to Lord Daemir. King Oliver really did try to make an alliance with Everans. He thought Daemir was naive because of his young age."

"So he wanted to capture Rhivenia," you conclude.

"He did," the knight nods. "I didn't feel bad when I killed him under the king's command. However, I wish I hadn't done it in front of Xavier. Poor boy probably still sees nightmares about that day. It was such a traumatic experience for him." "I think it was necessary," you speak your opinion. "He will never dare to betray us."

"I think he would have stopped his father if he'd known what his intentions were," he responds. "My heart is aching for him. He lost his childhood." "There's still no sign of Lena yet," Atheris huffs. "I didn't spend all my childhood at the training grounds just to be killed by that woman."

"If you don't stay silent anytime soon, you will be killed by me." Richard glares at her playfully.

"You could never beat me, rabbit boy." Atheris smirks.

"Rabbit boy?" He cringes. "You still remember that?"

"How could I forget." She chuckles. "You were trembling with fear when our father saw the rabbit you hunted."

"Well, at least he trained with—"

"Shut up!" you and your sisters shout at the same time. You notice two guards standing in front of a door, which you assume leads you to the meeting room. They bow their heads respectfully and step aside. You watch them open the door for you.

"Be careful," Atheris whispers.

Taking a deep breath, you step inside. Lena's back is turned to you when you walk in. Her long, straight black hair falls past her shoulders and stops at the waist just slightly above her backside. She appears to be much smaller than you.

There are three guards in the room, and they stand close to the queen. Nothing suspicious is happening yet.

"The fourth-born heir became the king," Lena says, slowly turning to face you. "Who would've thought?"

Taking a moment to observe her face, you realize she's a beautiful woman, with tan skin and rosebud lips. She has almond-shaped brown eyes that hold much confidence.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Lena sits at the head of the table and gazes at you, waiting for you to do the same.

Once you take your seats, the meeting begins. "King Charles killed my father, and you've been keeping my brother as a prisoner for six years," she points out. "Do you expect me to be your ally after all this?" "He will die if you break the alliance," you threaten her.

"Everyone speaks about how hopeless and weak my brother looks. I know your men bullied him for years." Lena clenches her jaw as she speaks. "And you let them. Maybe death would be an escape for him." "Amah is the only one who cares for him, Queen Lena," Sir Arnold quickly defends you. "He always cared about his well-being when no one did." "Besides, Amah didn't order Xavier's torture, Queen Lena," Freya says. "Our mother—"

Before she can continue, Lena lifts a hand to stop her. The hateful look in her eyes is concerning.

"My brother was tortured?" The queen grits her teeth. Freya's eyes widen and she whips her head towards you, giving you an apologetic look. "Yes, but I saved him from the torture," you appraise them. It's not exactly the truth, however.

"King Amah is correct," Sir Arnold argues. "Prince Xavier was saved before they could torture him."

Sir Arnold is lying for you. You know how violent Sir Locke is. You saw the scars on Xavier's body. He was tortured badly. Lena leans back in her chair, staring at you, amused. "I love how pathetic you look. The King of Three Kingdoms is practically begging me to be his ally. I didn't even bother to greet you at the gates, and you came to my feet. I wonder what your father would think if he could see you like this."

Atheris growls. "Mind your tongue."

"I'm not talking to you, Princess Atheris." Lena grins at her. "You're no queen, remember?"

"Well," Lena sighs. "King Charles is remembered as the ruthless king. However, we will call you the pathetic king."

You don't understand her intentions. Does she want to get a reaction from you? Or is she just spitting hatred she's been holding in for years?

Shut your mouth before I make you," you growl.

"Color me scared," she mocks you.

"Can we come to an agreement?" Sir Arnold interrupts. You and Lena might be the leaders, but he's the oldest and most experienced one here.

"I have an offer for you," Lena says.

"Do tell."

"Political marriage." She smiles. "You and I will get married. My brother will return home and become the King of Asinea. We will fight together against Erwan."

It's much more advantageous for her than for you. She will be the Queen of Three Kingdoms while her brother will rule Asinea. She will hold so much power.

However, it's no secret that you do need her help to win. "I accept." You make a decision—a big one. You acknowledge the need for her army. King Erwan is stronger than you think. It's why your father tried to make as many allies as he could before his death. Now it's your turn to gain allies so you can win this war.

"Good." She smiles, flashing her teeth. "May our alliance last forever, King Amah." "I hope your people will not kill you before Erwan does," Lena says as you walk out.

So she's heard about the incident. Of course she has. Everyone is probably talking about it.

You head outside with your soldiers.