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A/N: Thanks to Chewie-Fan and Archermusician for their reviews.

August 7th 1688, Night

As soon as it was done Jake rolled to his side so his back was to her. He would not attempt the same thing that Aria did; he valued his life too much for that. It should not have been Mary in the bed beside him and the fact that it was made him feel sick.

His father had impressed upon him the importance of fathering a son, so that was what he would do. Every night he would visit her bed until Mary had conceived a child. If there was a God then that would happen quickly. Jake heard Mary let out a shaky breath but he did not really care.

Let her feel whatever she wanted without imposing it on him. Did that make him callous? Was he destined to be a terrible husband? With a silent snort he thought that he was. A sinking feeling entered him. Aria was right to say that he could become some false shadow of what he had been.

So he did not like her that did not change the fact that Mary was his wife. She would one day be the mother of his children. Even if it was for only the children he would be kind to her. Their future family deserved that much.

"Good night Mary." Closing his eyes he pushed the events of the day from his mind. In the morning he would become part of the Kings' counsel. His family was already benefiting from the marriage. Jake would do all he could to make sure that he didn't disappoint anyone.

August 8th 1688, Morning

Mary had not been told that being 'inspected' was as humiliating as it turned out to be. How had Aria managed it? Watching the man leave her bedroom she turned on her side and curled into a ball. All she wanted to do was cry, and she could not pinpoint the reason for it.

Yes, she was married to someone she did not love, but he was kind to her. He was from a noble family so why was she so guilt ridden? No one in her family was upset at her. In fact her father was proud of her marriage, telling her that he expected his first grandchild by the end of the year.

In the past month only Lydia, James and Henry had not been betrothed even then, James already had a marriage contract with some Princess. For a reason she was not wholly sure of her father had made sure that all of those that were of age, or close to it, were settled. It had to all be for politics. Maybe, as in her case, it was done to make sure there was a male to inherit the throne should some unspeakable tragedy occur. But mostly it had to be about politics.

So why was it, that only the daughters got the short end of the stick? Sons had to be kept around to protect the family but a girl could be shipped off to any corner of the world just to elevate her family's status. It was insulting, it was unfair. Hell, girls even had to be virgins and boys? They could be with whoever they wanted to be with no fear of consequences.

For a moment Mary thought of Jake. Would he betray her in such a way? Or would his love for Aria keep him from straying with someone else? Was he only married to her because her cousin asked it of him? Would he ever love her? Did she not deserve someone who loved her?

August 8th 1688, Night

Looking at the men around him Norman felt good about his country's chances in the war. It was a shame though, that there was to be fighting in the first place. An age old dispute over land was only to the published reason for it, but he knew better. It had to do with Conila, and with the fate of the Wizor alliance hanging now was the only time for them to strike.

Sadly for them they did not understand the strength of the Nohwelenian army. Each man was trained so that he knew his limits. And when the army knew the weaknesses of its men they were better able to hide them.

As a young man he had had a fantasy of going off to war only to come back a hero. It had not happened then, and now he was much older. Strains of his hair were graying. Though he put on a brave face in front of others, Norman was terrified.

Reaching into his pocket he removed the letter Aria had sent him, the edges of the parchment already fraying and tearing from use. He had read it many times on his trip to the camp, and then a few more times when he was alone at night. By that point he need not look at it to know what it said but the familiar handwriting put him at ease.

"Your Highness, one of the scouts has returned." Putting the letter away he turned to face the man who had spoken.

"Send him in." The scout entered the tent and bowed before meeting Norman's eyes. "What news do you bring?"

"They attack from the eastern sea, there were many ships. Their army is vast. From what I gather they split it in two in order to surround the main castle and capture the King. I believe that they will eventually split into quarters." Nodding he turned to the first man who entered.

"Take a message to the King, tell him of this news. Let him know that I plan to use the same strategy in order to intercept them. Court needs to move inland, the Royal family must be protected, separated. If I fail to stop them we need to make it as hard as we can for Kolinad to capture them." The man inclined his head and left. "Come, we must report this to the others." Leaving his tent Norman spared a quick glance at the moon.