With all the distractions since we entered the city, I was only able to focus on mentally preparing myself for meeting King Chadwick the 126th as we approached the throne room doors. I had no idea what to expect from him, nor what his impression of me would be. The double doors to the throne room were crafted of gold, with elaborate carvings of twin bearded men facing each other on each door. The only color in the motif, other than the gold of the doors, was found in the jewels embedded in them, which were used to decorate the crowns upon each man’s head. They were each holding a sword, extending it towards one another, the tips meeting at their points when the doors were closed.

As we stepped forward, Duncan put a hand up to halt my advance.

“No women in the King’s court, milady.”

I gave him a bewildered look and then glanced over at Chad.

Duncan continued, “It is the will and law of King Chadwick. Only the queen may enter beyond these doors, and only at the king’s behest.”

Chad grabbed my wrist and pulled me along with him into the throne room.

“Father can take his protests of her presence up with me.”

I heard Duncan mutter to himself as we parted ways, “You’ve got stones, lad. If you only knew the trouble you were already in…”

We moved with purpose down the plush, red carpet that lay from the doorway all the way to the steps of the dais the throne was seated upon. It was one of the first colors I had seen in the castle that wasn’t white or gold. Chad led, half dragging me next to him. Dorian and Ash were a step behind us.

The throne room was unnecessarily long, considering how exclusive the VIP list for an audience with the 126th appeared to be. Ahead of us, a large man sat on a white marble throne. Considering the elaborate and excessive details for the rest of the castle, I was surprised that the throne was nothing more than a large chair. The man sitting in it was more impressive than the throne itself, but maybe that was the point. The only other person in attendance was a bald man on the steps of the dais, wearing an unassuming simple robe.

We stopped about a dozen paces short of the steps of the dais before the three boys kneeled. I quickly followed their lead. If my female presence was going to cause problems, I wanted to try and draw as little attention to myself as possible. My purple braids and flowing hair draped around my body and immediately swung into my view as I looked at the carpet, a not-so-subtle reminder of how I stuck out like a sore thumb.

Blend in. Yeah, right.

“Rise,” came a voice. The boys rose, and I moved to join them, but Chad waved a hand at me, indicating I should stay put. I debated ignoring him, but the nagging feeling that decision would be more trouble than it was worth won out, and I stayed looking at the rich red carpet, forced to listen.

“Your arrival is much later than anticipated.” came a low, disappointed rumble.

“I know, Father. I was summoned to another charge while on my way to Blackwall with your royal guard. A task of great importance!”

“More important than a charge from your King?” the King asked incredulously.

“Indeed!” Chad replied, and I saw his hand gesture to me. “I have brought the object which distracted me from your purpose.”

Object?

I scrunched up my nose and grimaced. He had called me worse before, but we had moved on as comrades, maybe even friends. I had been hoping we were past that.

I noticed he was still gesturing to me, indicating I should now stand.

Crap. This still didn’t feel like a good idea…

I slowly stood and waited until the last possible moment to raise my head and gaze upon the King.

He was still sitting, feet spread apart and planted on the floor. Both arms rested on the throne, and he gripped the ends of the rests with large hands, covered in rings. He wore an elegant waist coat on top of his long-sleeved tunic. The waist coat had the family crest on both breasts, rather than just the left as Chad and Max had. The Chaddington wardrobe trend of overbearing white, with trimmings and accents of red and gold, continued.

His face was in a stern scowl. His blonde hair that he shared with his sons was faded with age, but he still had a full head of swept back hair, held in place by his crown. The crown looked identical to the ones portrayed on the doors, complete with the various colored gemstones in the rising rounded tips of it. He had a neatly trimmed beard and mustache that wrapped around his face and joined with his hair. It, too, was the faded blonde, and thankfully helped to mute his expression at our little group. His blue eyes, the same powerful, piercing ones I observed in Chad upon our first meeting, were fixed on me and I felt as if they bore into my very soul.

The voice spoke again, but now that I wasn’t staring at the floor, I realized it was coming from the bald man, now standing on the first step of the dais nearer to the floor, and not King Chadwick himself. Now that we were closer, I saw that his features were as unassuming as his clothes. He was acting as the voice of the king for our meeting. That I had mistaken his voice for the king himself while still kneeling was a testament to his experience. It was difficult to not look at him when he spoke, and instead stay focused on giving King Chadwick your full attention.

“I did not acknowledge her presence for her to stand!” the Voice shouted. He spoke with the anger and authority I felt emanating from the King seated on his throne. How he knew exactly what to say and how to say it in that moment must have taken years of practice and intimate observation of his liege.

Chad didn’t miss a beat and continued to address his father.

“But Father, this is the woman who emerged from the falling star! The same falling star brought to us by the Goddess. The very same star that the soothsayers predicted would be my future!”

The Voice scoffed at this.

“Soothsayers. Those witches are worth naught but entertainment and parlor tricks. I still regret humoring your mother and allowing you that visit on your sixteenth.” The Voice paused as the king closed his eyes, his exhausted expression mirroring the dialogue.

“You have dwelled much too long on this supposed destiny of yours and it has distracted you from greater tasks, namely my own!”

“But Father, even if she is not to be my future, surely her arrival still heralds something of great importance!?”

King Chadwick slapped his large, powerful right hand on the arm rest, causing Chad to flinch, as he leaned forward, and the Voice thundered, “I will decide what is important! Blackwall is important!”

The King leaned back, and the Voice continued, “There are reports of the return of vampires in the Black Hills. Thralls have been seen. There is an evil miasma in the air. People and patrols have started to go missing in the north.”

The King’s face grew pensive. “As you well know, this was a threat to Mankind long thought extinguished. Vampires and their ilk have not been seen in Eitania since Chadwick the 118th sat on the throne. If they have truly returned, we must discover at what length and make all efforts to neutralize their resurgence. We have only recently staved off the elves’ efforts to invade our lands, and we do not have the resources to fight another war!”

The King raised his jeweled right fist, clenching it tightly, “And you were supposed to meet up with the Zannister Commander at Blackwall and retrieve this vital reconnaissance! Instead, you snuck off from Duncan and to what end?” The King stabbed a finger at me before slapping the throne again, “to bed some buxom wench?? And afterwards, since you thought with the head between your legs rather than atop your shoulders, you attempt to excuse this by bringing me a tall tale of this woman being some star of prophecy?” He rubbed a hand across his temple. “At least now you are finally a man, Obarith be praised.”

…..Did I just hear that right?

I looked over at Chad, who was turning crimson and looking at the floor. I bit my lip to keep a laugh from escaping. Who cares that the king openly assumed we had slept together?

Chad’s a virgin?!

The King eyed us both again, a tired expression on his face as the Voice asked, “Do you truly believe this country sow is your ludicrously prophesied destiny?”

Chad straightened with more resolve than he had yet to display since we entered the throne room. “I do.”

The King sighed again and waved absentmindedly, “Very well. You will be wed on the ‘morrow. I wish you many fat, happy babies.”

I gasped in shock and defiantly started to step forward.

The King rose from his throne in response, causing the Voice to cower and prostrate himself on the floor. Chad also stepped back defensively.

For the first time, King Chadwick spoke, and with a booming voice that filled the large empty space.

“A woman dares approach me?”

His eyes held their piercing gaze, his face appalled and furious that I had attempted to step closer to the dais. I didn’t care. He had insulted me for the last time. I finished my initial step and took three more, putting me now half a dozen paces away from the dais. I wanted more, but I figured this was close enough to get my point across.

“I have a name!” I shouted.

“You incorrectly assume that I care.” King Chad scoffed. His volume lowered to a more normal register but was still powerful enough to reverberate through my body as his words pushed through me.

“It’s Amelia! And I am not Prince Chad’s betrothed, nor do I have any intentions to be!”

Again, he stabbed a finger at me, “I also have a name, which you have yet to use! You shall address me and my son properly or learn the lessons administered to those who do not!”

He was so fierce and unyielding. He wouldn’t back down, and I hadn’t influenced him in the slightest. Maybe I had bitten off more than I could chew…

I scowled at him but didn’t press my luck to say anything further.

“Your expression should quickly change to one of reverence, Amelia, else my son shall need to find a new muse.”

Chad had finally gathered himself enough to step past and in front of me, attempting to shield me from his father’s wrath. However, I noticed he still held his gaze to the floor.

“Please, your Majesty, I beg of you. Do not hold her mannerisms against her. As one not of this world, she is still learning our proper ways and customs. Her only experience dealing with someone of a station as comparably great as your own is through me.”

He moved a hand to his chest in apology. “I, admittedly, have been lax in teaching her proper etiquette and protocol for addressing one such as myself.” He glanced over his shoulder at me.

“A mistake that I will work harder to rectify.”

“See that you do, my son.”

The King sat on the throne once more. Chad finally lifted his head to meet his father’s eyes. They had become emotionless, as if he tired of this interaction and wished us gone.

“If you do not wish to wed this woman, then please refrain from continuing to bed her. Your firstborn shall not be a bastard, as you were not.”

He bowed again, “Yes, Father.”

“And no more of this nonsense that she is a fallen star. That prophecy is nothing but lies spread by the children of the Goddess. You will also promptly forget your passion for this star nonsense and stop chasing fairy tales!”

I felt Ash stiffen as the king leaned back in his throne.

The Voice finally stood in response and addressed us as the king’s will once more.

“You have new orders, or shall I say, continuing orders you have yet to fulfill. You will go to Blackwall and ascertain the truth of the Vampire threat. Neutralize it if possible and report back your findings or failures.”

The Voice pointed at Dorian, “It is good you brought the son of Ptarkin with you. He is to accompany you on this mission, as will the sons of Zannister and Alustan.

Kit and Julius.

“This is a mission of crucial importance to the kingdom, and all the Houses wish to have firsthand accounts of the status of the Black Hills.”

The King raised his hand and waved us away, “Now, be gone!”

“What of Amelia?” Chad asked.

“I care not so long as you control yourself,” the Voice commanded, “otherwise do with her as you will. If you desire her as your wife, we will wed you in the morning so she is no longer a distraction.”

Chad grabbed my arm and squeezed tightly to keep me from any rash decisions.

“Thank you, your Majesty.”

The boys spun and marched away, Chad half dragging me alongside him again. We cleared the throne room, and the guards stationed at the doors shut them behind us.

Dorian exhaled sharply, “Well, I don’t think that could have gone any worse!”