Disclaimer: I do not own the Hollow Kingdom trilogy, or the Star Trek episode this title is taken from.

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Chapter Ten
Patterns of Force

Sheddura was in his apartment studying the latest reports from London. There was little information of note, nothing except a report that the storm had finally abated, which he already knew. He slouched in his chair, back aching from leaning over his desk for so many hours. At that moment, he heard a sharp rap on his door.

"Come," he called.

The door opened and Nabusar walked in. He looked around the mess in Sheddura's study, then looked back at Sheddura. Not for the first time, Sheddura wished he had a wife. Besides staving off the loneliness that had become a constant ache in his chest, perhaps she could help him keep his study clean for visitors.

"Nabusar, did you want something?" His voice was a deep growl, indicating his irritation at the unexpected visit.

Nabusar raised an eyebrow at the growl. "Who stepped on your tail?" he asked the King's furry adviser.

Milsheddura, more commonly known as Sheddura, looked a lot like a cat. He was covered from head to paw in brick-red fur, apart from his mouth, his head was a tiger's head. His feet were a cat's hind paws, complete with four inch claws. He also had a long tail, about four feet long and a brighter red than the rest of him. Unlike most tigers, however, he had sharp horns all along his spine, with small horns on his tail. A more common trait that he shared with a lot of goblins was a mouth filled with pointy teeth. Marak had this also. His most unique trait was his eyes. They were a glowing, orange-gold and gave the impression that he could see into one's soul. They had played a big part in earning his name.

"Nothing," Sheddura waved him off. "Why are you here? Do you have a request of the most exalted chief adviser? If you do, you'll have to get in line, because everyone else does too." He laughed.

"I just thought I'd warn you what Marak will undoubtedly ask of you," Nabusar replied lightly. "And yes, I do have a request – for some advice, and perhaps a little help."

"A warning, eh? Please, continue," Sheddura urged him. "Then we'll see about your advice."

"You know how you just told me a few hours ago about Marak finding a bride?" he began. Sheddura nodded. "Well, I just saw him dump his bride into his bedroom." Sheddura's cat eyes sharpened, his interest piqued. He told me she refused to marry him, and you know all about his stupid vow, so he brought her here so he wouldn't have completely wasted his time. He intends to find her another husband, and he considers you prime material."

Sheddura was silent for moment. His expression was contemplative. "Well," he said at last. "That's... interesting."

Nabusar scowled. "Interesting? Marak's stupidity just cost him the first bride ever to catch his discriminating eye, and all you can say is 'interesting'?"

"Don't shout at me. It is interesting." He saw that Nabusar was about to explode again and quickly continued. "Okay, so Marak is being an idiot. What do you want me to say?"

Nabusar sighed. "Not a total idiot, fortunately. He agreed to marry her if she changed her mind before he found her another husband."

"Ah. But that is useless unless..." He paused and looked Nabusar in the eye. Comprehension dawned. "Unless you plan to change her mind for her," he finished slowly. "Is that what you wanted my help and advice about?" he guessed discerningly.

Once again, Sheddura had managed to discomfort Nabusar with his near mind-reading skill at reading people. "Yes," he admitted. "I was merely planning to inform her of how much better off she would be as Marak's wife."

"Well, you'll certainly have to do more than that. If this girl had the gall to refuse Marak himself, odds are it will take more than a 'realization of her situation' to convince her that marriage to Marak is a good idea."

Nabusar was surprised at Sheddura's sincere agreement, eagerness even, to follow his plan. He raised an eyebrow. "You sound awfully enthusiastic about intimidating your future queen. Aren't you worried she'll hold a grudge?"

Sheddura laughed. "She'll have to marry Marak to be able to do anything about it. And anyway, I'm not the one she'll hold a grudge against. You're the one who'll be threatening her."

Nabusar scowled. "It's her fault," he defended himself. "If she'd just agreed to marry Marak, we wouldn't even be having this conversation."

"Whatever you say."

Nabusar rolled his eyes and muttered, "Childish imbecile," as he left the cluttered study.

Jamie, in her extreme boredom, had finally remembered the armband in her pocket, that she had picked up on the floor of her room at the Hall. She took it out and examined it, figuring it must belong to Marak. He must have dropped it when he was in her room stealing her money and ID. Bastard.

The armband was covered in gold-embossed characters. They were like nothing she had ever seen. She thought they might be writing, but for all she knew, they could be completely meaningless and for aesthetic purposes only. The door opened just then, without warning. The man that entered wasn't like anything she had ever seen either. He padded in on hairless cat's feet, his bright, blue eyes glittering when he noticed the armband she was holding. She tried to put it out of sight before he noticed, but he stopped her and took it, holding it up.

"Where did you get this?" His voice was soft and not at all angry. To Jamie, it was terrifying.

"N-nowhere," she stammered.

He looked down at her on the bed and said, "This belongs to one of the King's Guard. Marak used it in a spell last night. Where did you get it?"

"It was under my bed at the Hallow Hill Hall," she blurted out, shrinking under his burning regard.

He seemed to accept her explanation and was silent for a moment. "I apologize, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Nabusar, Marak's lieutenant and military commander."

"Jamie Brookes," she almost whispered. He inclined his head briefly in a respectful gesture.

He was silent again and seemed to be considering his next words carefully. Finally, he said, "I hear you refused to marry Marak." When she didn't respond, except to frown at him, he continued. "I don't think you fully comprehend your situation. Do you have any idea how rare it is for a goblin King to wait for consent from his chosen bride before marrying her? It hasn't happened in over a thousand years. Such behavior is considered suicidal, especially from a King. The King supports the magic of our entire race and thus his most important duty is to create an heir. What do you think would happen if a King decided he needed consent from his wife and as a result never married? Our race would go extinct without a King. So, Jamie Brookes, what makes you think you can refuse to marry our King and get away with nary a scratch? If you think the worst that will happen is your marriage to another, you are sadly mistaken." He paused. "He plans to marry you to one of the guard. I command the guard, did you know that? " He leaned close and his expression became menacing. She shivered. "I promise you, if you don't tell Marak you've changed your mind and want to marry him, I will make your life a living hell. You can be sure of that." He leaned back, adding, "And don't think Marak will rescue you. After all, since you rejected him, why should he care what happens to you after your marriage? Just think about it," he finished, turning to leave.

Jamie thought like mad. Was she really doing the smart thing? It appeared her refusal, which seemed rather childish now, had gotten her no more than marriage to a lowly guard and an enemy for life. Unfortunately, her new enemy seemed to be distinctly more powerful than her future husband. Besides which, it appeared the entire race, including her husband, would hate her for refusing to marry Marak. Marak himself admitted he was angry enough over her refusal to be petty, did that mean he too would try to make her miserable? Her decision was getting decidedly easier.

"Wait!" At her call, Nabusar stopped, his hand on the doorknob. He turned to face her, his expression blank. "I'll do it. I'll marry him." Nabusar grinned, showing a mouth full of pointy, black teeth. Jamie didn't know it then, but that was the first time he had grinned at anyone in years.

"I'll tell Marak the good news. But it's him you'll have to convince, not me." And with those ominous words, he turned and left, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Not 20 minutes later, Marak burst into the room without knocking, making her jump. He loomed over her on the bed.

"Nabusar just told me he came to talk to you and you told him you'd changed your mind and want to marry me," he informed her. "Is that true?" She nodded. "Well, that was fast. What changed your mind?" His tone was suspicious.

"A lot of things," she said quietly. "Nabusar told me you wanted me to marry a guard. I thought about it, and it seems stupid now to refuse to marry a King only to have to marry a guard instead. I thought you should know, I didn't refuse you because I didn't want to marry you, although your stealing from me certainly made the decision easier. I refused you because I don't want to marry at all. But, seeing as how that's not an option anymore, I don't see anything wrong with marrying you. But that's all," she added, and he raised an eyebrow. "You still kidnapped me, so don't think I'll be falling in love with you or anything."

"That doesn't bother you? Marrying someone you don't love?" He sounded only mildly curious. It was obvious he had already accepted her consent and beyond that, it didn't matter whether or not she loved him.

"Most people would crucify me for saying this, but I believe in marriages of convenience." He looked surprised and she added defensively, "Look, when people marry for love, most of the time they end up getting a messy divorce. You need more than love to build a marriage on. Being compatible is a good start. Finances are also a big issue."

"I'm not sure I agree, although certainly, some goblins would. But, the important thing is that I have your consent. I think it would be best to have the wedding now, rather than taking the chance that I might lose it," he finished dryly.

Jamie looked at him in surprise and her face fell. "Now? But don't you have to make some kind of preparations? A wedding dress and stuff?"

"No, it will be tonight. I'm sure my subjects will be happy to work hard and have their queen all the sooner. Besides," he added, smirking at her. "There have been shorter notices. Come, I'll start preparing you for the ceremony."

Yay! Ceremony next chapter! I hope Nabusar's threats were up to snuff. If they weren't, well, I did the best I could. And I hope Jamie's reasoning was logical. Let me know in your reviews!

Okay, guys. Unfortunately, school for me starts on Wednesday, the 21st, and I haven't finished this story yet. I'll keep on with the regular updates until I run out of chapters, which will probably be in about a month. Until then, I'll keep on writing if I can, in my spare time, and hopefully I'll have lots of time on Christmas break. I'll admit though, this story isn't my top priority. Grades are obviously first, my personal life second, and this story is maybe third. I'll do my best though. Once regular updates go out the window, you should alert the story so you'll know whenever I post more. Sorry guys, I did my best.