“You what?”
“As you so rightly pointed out, my petal, whoever I send to the Kariens needs to have their wits about them. They are mightily offended at the moment. The only way to appease them was to offer them the jewel in my crown. My eldest legitimate daughter.”
“You wouldn’t dare!”
“Would dare and have dared,” Hablet announced with an evil grin. “I offered the Kariens a bride, and a bride they shall have. Fortunately, Craytn has only met you once and he doesn’t speak Fardohnyan, so I can still hope your reputation hasn’t preceded you. I can blame Tristan for the fiasco at the wharf easily enough.” He chuckled softly. “Seems they thought I should have offered them my eldest daughter in the first place. It may even work out better than my original plan.”
“You can’t do this to me!”
“Care to wager on that?”
“I won’t do it!”
“Oh yes you will! You’ll marry the Karien Crown Prince and make him as happy as a pig in a wallow.”
“I refuse!”
“Suit yourself,” her father said, his voice dangerously calm. “In that case, I’ll be forced to deduct the cost of your little escapade from your allowance. And while I’m at it, I’ll see that your half-brother is demoted to a common foot soldier and I’ll transfer him to watching the eastern passes, where he’ll more than likely be killed fighting bandits in the Sunrise Mountains. Of course, should you agree to marry Craytn, then I could probably force myself to assign him to the regiment I’m sending north to King Jasnoff. That would get him out of my sight while I recover from this disaster...”
“That’s blackmail!”
Hablet sighed happily. “It is, isn’t it?”
“Daddy...” she pleaded, hoping to appeal to his softer side. Hablet was a scoundrel, but he loved his children, all thirty-seven of them. He made no distinction normally, between his legitimate daughters and the sons he had fathered on countless court’esa. “You don’t want to send me away...”
“I can’t afford to keep you,” Hablet snapped. “If I didn’t love you more than life itself, I’d have you whipped.”
“I’d rather be whipped than marry that pious idiot!” Realising anger would get her nowhere she smiled sweetly. “I’m sorry, daddy. I promise never to...”
“Promise! Hah!” Hablet scoffed. “You promised me you’d marry well and you’ve rejected every suitor I’ve ever proposed.”
“Well, what did you expect? All you’ve ever offered me were simpering boys or scabby old men!”
“That’s beside the point!” he retorted. Then he sighed heavily, as if he could not understand where he went wrong. “Haven’t I given you everything you ever wanted, Adrina? Haven’t I indulged your every whim?”
“Yes, but...”
“There are no buts, this time,” Hablet announced decisively. “This time you have gone too far and you can only redeem yourself by doing as I wish. And I wish you to marry the Karien Prince.”
“But he’s a child...”
“He’s twenty-three,” Hablet pointed out, unconcerned. “And at twenty-seven, you’re an old maid. Just be grateful you still have your looks, otherwise I’d have no hope of pulling this off.”
“Daddy...” she tried, one more time.
“Don’t bother, Adrina. Your charms won’t work on me. You are going to marry the Karien Prince and that is final. They’re leaving in a few days so you’d better get packing.”
If appealing to his better nature wasn’t going to work, then she might as well try appealing to the politician.
“I can’t marry him. It’s far too dangerous.”
“What nonsense! How could it be dangerous?”
“I might have a son. The Kariens might expect you to name him your heir.”
“Bah! I’ve got plenty of sons. I don’t need any whelp of yours.”
“They’re bastards, father.”
“Then I’ll legitimise one of them!”
“Which one?”
“Whichever one I choose!” he snapped. “Stop trying to defy me! You’re going to marry Cratyn and that’s final!”
Adrina scowled at her father. “I’ll find a way out of this, I swear. I’m not going to spend my life bowing and scraping to that obnoxious little Karien worm.”
“You do that. In the meantime, you have a trousseau to pack.”
Adrina turned on her heel and left the room in a rage. As she stepped into the outer chamber, she passed Lecter Turon, and suddenly knew who had planted the absurd idea that she should marry the Karien Prince in her father’s head. The little toad would pay for that one day, she decided.
As for the boy prince of Karien, he’d live to regret the day he ever set foot in Fardohnya.
Chapter 3
“Her Most Serene Highness took the news well?” Lecter inquired cautiously of the King as he slipped through the door.
Hablet glared at the eunuch. “Of course she didn’t take it well. She’s livid.”
“In time she will adjust to the idea.”
“She’d better,” the King grumbled. He pushed himself to his feet and walked to the window. The gardens below were a riot of colour and the faint sounds of children’s laughter drifted up from the fountain in the centre court. The sound soothed him. He wondered what it was about his children that meant he only seemed to like them before they reached puberty. Once they grew up, they were no fun at all. They learnt to manipulate and grew greedy and caused him no end of trouble. But the little ones – ah, now they were his true joy in life. He had adored Adrina when she was ten. Now he was almost frightened of her.
“Might I suggest you place a guard on the princess? She could decide to defy you.”
“She won’t defy me,” Hablet assured him. “It will occur to her soon enough that she’ll be the Karien Queen one day. Adrina isn’t stupid, Lecter. She’ll do what I want, but not because it pleases me. She’ll do it because it pleases her.”
“I hope your trust in her is not misplaced, your Majesty.”
“Trust has nothing to do with it. She’s been dying to escape the palace, and I’ve just given her a crown.”
“A crown she could turn on you one day?” Lecter suggested tentatively.
“Hah! Adrina? And that simpering, Karien Prince? I don’t think so! Adrina might have it in her to commit such treachery, but Cratyn is as spineless as a jellyfish. Did you see what they’ve agreed to? How much timber they’re willing to part with, just to get access to Solanndy Bay and the Gulf? They’re idiots!”
“You control the only access to their holiest shrine, your Majesty, not to mention any chance they have of sea-going trade. You didn’t really leave them much choice.”
“They want the secret of my cannon,” Hablet added. “They want that even more than they want trade or access to that miserable Isle of Slarn. What sort of god chooses a lump of rock like Slarn to make his home, anyway?”
“The same sort of god who will demand your daughter convert to his worship. Your grandchildren will be followers of Xaphista.”
“Adrina pointed out the same thing,” the King mused, walking back to his desk. “Odd to hear you two in agreement on any point. Still, Laryssa is due to whelp any day now. She’ll give me a son and it won’t matter how many Karien bastards Adrina has.”
“Of course, your Majesty.” It was clear Lecter was as doubtful of the possibility as everyone else was. But surely Jelanna would not deny him again. Laryssa, the eighth woman he had taken to wife, had proved her fertility. She’d already given him two healthy bastard sons. Hablet had decided he would not marry any woman who could not produce sons and it was perfectly reasonable to assume that she would not let him down this time. The thought warmed him, almost making him forget his anger at Adrina. A legitimate son. Nothing would make him happier.