Chapter 6

She thought he would call a servant, but he just grabbed a poker and ran it through the hot embers. Then he reached down for one of the logs piled up next to the fireplace, expertly chopping it into smaller pieces with an ax. Arms wrapped around herself in a vain attempt to prevent her body heat from escaping through the thin fabric of her dress, Karina curiously stepped closer to watch him. This was definitely not the first time he was doing it and she kind of had to admire him. She wouldn't be able to start a fire even if her life depended on it. He tossed the small pieces of wood into the fireplace, piled up a few bigger ones on the top, and then leaned in closer to blow onto the still hot embers underneath. The reflection of the tiny flames that burst out made his dark eyes look almost demonic.

A smirk appeared on his otherwise concentrated face upon realizing she was watching him, but he didn't say anything. As the flames got bigger, Karina moved closer, trying to absorb some of the heat, captivated by the glowing embers. She didn't even notice the king walked away and came back until he held a cup in front of her. "Thank you." Wow, such courtesy. She didn't say that out loud but her expression must have given her away.

"Yes, I know, for a king I have terrible manners." A smile played on his lips. "Allow me to remedy some of that." A piece of smooth warm cloth landed on her shoulders, a black cloak with the red Orrelian lion.

Karina had to smile. How fitting. A Levantian princess dressed in Orellian colors. Soon to be that way forever. She sipped from the cup, expecting it to be water or maybe wine, and coughed in surprise when a strong liquor burned its way through her throat into her stomach.

The king laughed, leaning against the fireplace mantel, watching her curiously. "What are you thinking about?"

A lot of things. She was thinking about a lot of things, and losing her identity was definitely on the top of the list. Along with how much this man and the whole prospect of spending the rest of her life with him terrified her. And why despite everything he has done to her she still felt weirdly attracted to him. But those were not things she could debate with him. "I don't know how to start a fire." That was the first 'safe' thought that came to her mind.

"I would be quite surprised if you did." He was smiling, there was even something resembling kindness in his eyes. But for how long? "To be honest, this hardly counts as starting a fire." He paused, knowing that the topic probably wasn't the gravest thing bugging her mind right now. "So, what are your plans now?"

Karina gave him a surprised look. "My plans?"

"Well, you came here with your offer, I assume you had an idea on how to execute it in the very unlikely case I accepted."

Yes, she did have some plans for that, very vague ones. Despite her proclamations about not taking no for an answer, she never actually believed they would get to this point. "Well, I'll go back home and announce our engagement and our plans. I will need some time to get the court in order and to spread the news among the citizens, to convince them that it's a good thing they can benefit from, to make sure they won't make any trouble. What are your plans?"

"Hmm," Hayden scratched his chin, "I want one of my people as a governor for Levanta when it becomes an Orellian province. I would have done that anyway if I invaded it and held it by force, I guess he is going to have a slightly easier job now. Provided your people cooperate and abide by the Orellian laws, they will have the same rights as any other citizens. And the same duties. Taxes and such."

Karina nodded, that sounded reasonable. "As long as it's fair. There will be no retaliation for the past feuds and disputes you mentioned."

The king's eyes narrowed. "I want the heads of…"

"I don't care whose head you want," Karina interrupted him harshly. "You are not getting it. If we do this, we all start with a clean slate. You cannot have a peaceful takeover if you start it by executing people."

The king growled quietly, his fists and jaw clenched, nothing but anger in his expression now. Karina shivered, but she was not going to back off in this matter. They stared at each other for a while and, for once, Hayden was the one to look away first. "Fine," he spat out, gritting his teeth and Karina knew she was going to pay for this sooner or later. "But should those people step an inch outside Orellian law,..."

"They will be dealt with according to the law. Not in revenge." She really needed to stop interrupting him. He clearly wasn't used to that and seemed ready to explode. And Karina would be the first one to feel his fury should that happen. They stood there in silence for a few moments, Karina was waiting till he cooled down a bit before carefully starting to talk again. "I would like to meet that governor if that would be possible. Please," she added for good measure, keeping her head down, trying not to give him any more reasons to lash out.

He took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly, running his hand through his hair. "Of course it would." His voice still sounded cold, but the bubbling rage seemed to have disappeared for now. A quick exchange of words with someone at the door and he was walking back towards her. Karina's first instinct was to step back, but there was a fire burning behind her, which still seemed like the worse option. At least for now.

"You do realize opposing me is a dangerous thing?" His finger under her chin forced her to look up. He seemed amused, which was probably a good thing. "They don't call me the Burning Fury without a reason."

No, definitely not without a reason. "Yes, I can imagine your advisors' careers are rather short." And their lives probably as well.

"Some of them," he chuckled. How was she supposed to keep up with these sudden mood changes? "I do have a few who have been around for years, so I suppose it's not so bad."

"What did they advise you about me?" Karina was curious but the king just tapped on his nose.

"I can't tell you that."

Damn, was it that bad? Karina frowned. She never really thought this plan through. When she becomes Hayden's wife, she will also become the queen of Orellia, which will put her in a very dangerous position. Finding her place at his court without knowing who to trust and without stepping on anyone's toes was no doubt going to be a nightmare. Before she could open her mouth to ask more about it, there was a sharp knock on the back door. Karina quickly shook Hayden's cloak off her shoulders. She was still representing Levanta, it seemed inappropriate to be wearing Orellian colors.

The king smirked at her little gesture and answered the door. A tall, burly man entered. He was not wearing a uniform but rather an expensive set of clothes (with black and red colors predominant of course), a big lion embroidered over the left side of his jacket.

"You summoned me, my lord?" he respectfully bowed his head towards the king and then blinked upon noticing Karina, not sure how to address her.

Fortunately, the king rushed in with an explanation. "Princess Karina, this is Baron Gamby, one of my most trusted lords. Baron, this is Princess Karina of Levanta, my betrothed."

Karina made a perfect curtsy, bowing her head to hide a smirk. Those words sounded so strange when he said them. The Baron seemed taken aback for a second, but quickly managed to get over it. "Your… wow… Congratulations, my lord. My lady." He bowed his head to both of them. "I assume that means there will be no invasion?" He hesitated, turning to his king.

"You are quite correct. We will be doing a peaceful takeover." The irony with which he said the two last words was unmissable. "Levanta will become a province of Orellia and Levantians will join our kingdom as citizens. Your position as a future governor of Levanta remains unchanged."

Gamby's eyes jumped from the king to Karina and back a couple of times, he seemed astonished. "That is certainly good to hear. Many lives will be spared and our kingdom will grow. I think that is a great result of this whole… unfortunate matter." His eyes darted to Karina again, he was choosing his words carefully trying not to offend her. A skilled politician, no doubt, but she liked him so far.

"So tell me, Baron, what do you plan to do with my people?" A straightforward approach seemed to work best with Hayden, so she decided to apply it to the people close to him as well.

Gamby glanced at the king first, a brow raised in a silent question, and answered only after his reassuring nod. "If they become loyal citizens of our kingdom, I shall govern them as such and make no differences."

"Is that so?"

"I do not lie, my lady." He turned to her, straightening up, his head held high and proud. "I know years of bad blood between our countries will not magically disappear overnight. But, just like the king, I care about our people and want them to live in peace. I understand your worries, but I don't plan any revenge or repercussions against Levanta. I will do my best to be fair and unbiased when it comes to solving conflicts that shall inevitably arise."

Karina was surprised, he actually sounded like a reasonable man. "Do you have a family, Baron?"

"Uhh, yes, my lady." He was confused by the sudden change of subject. "I have a wife and two beautiful daughters."

Hayden tilted his head to the side a bit as well, his eyebrow coming up in an inquiring expression, but he didn't say anything. "Do you plan to bring them to Levanta eventually?" Karina couldn't really say why she was asking about it, but, for some reason, it felt important to her.

"Once I'm sure they will be safe there, then yes." He gave her an uncertain smile, clearly having no idea where she was headed with that.

But Karina knew now. He planned to make Levanta his home. It didn't necessarily mean he wasn't going to become a tyrannical dictator tormenting her people, but it was a good start. "Good. I'm sure they will love the winter gardens." She glanced at the king, nodding slightly, and he dismissed the Baron with the promise of talking more about the matter tomorrow.