Chapter two is cocked and loaded. Thanks for the lovely reviews from the last chapter, they meant a lot!
Chapter 2: A Marriage Alliance
Jellal
"This is the third report this week."
I gritted my teeth, looking over the map of Edolas. Our citadel was near the southern border and was marked with a small tower figurine. The small black knight figurines around the borders to the north represented the incidences of Caelum kingdom attacking our border patrols. The soldier who was giving me the report pointed to one of the three black knights.
"Rosemary Village on the northern border was attacked last night. Caelum soldiers swept through the village and killed every civilian and every soldier. They burned the village to the ground. There were in total thirteen survivors. Five were villagers and the others were all soldiers. The very same soldiers we sent out to protect the village." He informed me. I clenched my fists and leaned down against the map.
"This is the first time they have every truly destroyed one of our villages. It's only been petty insubordination and taunting until now. Have you heard anything from Caelum's ambassadors? Have they declared war?" I asked through my teeth. The soldier looked away nervously before turning back and straightening his shoulders.
"There has been no talk of war among the proceedings as far as we are concerned. Caelum wants to invade, but the massacre Rosemary village was not meant to declare invasion. If it had been, sire, I think we would be hearing about more casualties."
I shouted in frustration and knocked over the tower figurine.
"This can't keep happening. They can't keep attacking us like this. They are not just crossing into our borders in insubordination, but they are killing our people. They are spilling innocent blood and we can do nothing about it because we don't have the necessary provisions." I sighed and pushed my fingers through my hair. "Send more troops to the northern border. They need more defenses up there."
"But sire, if we take any more soldiers out of the citadel, we will be leaving the fortress defenseless." He protested. I looked up and gave him a hard look.
"We are defenseless either way. Those civilians need our defense and we will send it to them. The citadel can manage. Caelum soldiers won't dare enter the country that deep. Not yet, anyway. They are seeing how we will react. We must respond with strength. Send out the first guard. Tell them that their first priority is the safety of the outlying villages."
The soldier nodded and saluted before leaving me in the conference room.
I wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. I knew that Caelum was just taunting me at this point. They knew we were at our most vulnerable. With the drought keeping our entire country stretched thin in poverty and the plague that still swept over the rural villages and urban cities alike, we were lucky no one had bothered to invade us yet.
The Caelum kingdom was not the most powerful country in our side of the continent, but they were the most resourceful. In the past decade alone, they'd enlarged their armies tenfold and strengthened their string of allies to the point where they could pretty much invade any country they wanted and they were guaranteed a win.
I supposed this uncanny burst in strength mostly came from the new monarch on the throne. After the death of King Castellan, a personal friend of my father's, his nephew, Lord Zeref of Tartaros, took the throne. King Castellan was not a widower; he had an heir. But as Lord Zeref was made steward to keep the throne for the King's only daughter, there was a tragic fire in the castle that killed the King's wife and daughter. There were rumors that Zeref had all three of them killed, but there was never any proof. Nevertheless, Zeref took reign and Caelum became the power-hungry country it was today.
Because Edolas bordered Caelum, it made us easy targets. Back in the old days, my father could always count on the Caelum kingdom for aid should he ever need it. Now we were lucky if they left us in peace for a week. I knew better than anyone that something didn't change drastically in the next few weeks, Caelum would declare a full-on war. And I knew that Edolas would have a zero to no chance in winning.
"Your Highness?" I was pulled out of my thoughts from a voice at the door. I turned around to see a female servant with a blue sash, telling me she was from my father's quarters. "His Majesty has requested to see you."
I all but jerked up and tried to smooth the wrinkles in my shirt out. "Of course," I said quickly. She curtsied slightly and stepped outside, waiting for me to follow.
I took a breath and strode to the door to follow her out. Most of the servants in the castle wore color-coded sashes as identification. My servants wore gold for the Prince Regent and my father's all wore royal blue sashes for His Imperial Majesty. I tried to picture my father in his quarters, full of life and as healthy as an ox. It had been weeks since I'd seen him that way. Ever since he'd been struck with the plague, his health had been slowly deteriorating. The once strong and wise king had been diminished to a frail old man.
My fears were confirmed when the servant opened the door to his chambers to let me in. I couldn't even see my father's face when I stepped inside and eyed the huge bed, but I could see the lump of his body shaking and rising and falling in rapid breaths. I made my way next to him and struggled to keep a straight face as he turned to look at me. He was paler than the morning. His brown hair had greyed significantly and I almost cringed at the sight of the crusts around his eyes.
"My… son?" He croaked, lifting a shaky green hand. I grasped it tightly and leaned in closer so he could see me better.
"I'm here, father." I assured him, pressing my cheek to his palm. He coughed a bit and turned over in his bed.
"I wanted to… to tell you not to worry so much." He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. You are not alone. I will… I will get better. We will figure this out…" He trailed off into a fit of coughing. "… together…" he managed to finish, before rolling over and pulling his hand out of my grasp. I sighed and pulled the blankets further up his body.
He could only say so many words in a day, so I knew it would be best to leave him be for now. I turned around and began to ask the servant how much he'd eaten, if he asked to stand at all, if he'd been to the bathroom, if she was regularly giving him water. She assured me that she was doing everything she could and that I should take his words to heart. I brushed the last piece of advice away and stalked out of the room, significantly more sour than I had been when I'd walked in.
As I stepped back out into the hallway, I noticed my father's chief adviser, Gildarts, striding down the hall with his back ramrod straight as usual. Over the last few weeks, I had basically taken over as the country's ruler in the absence of my father, and with that came his counsel. He was a calm, brooding man, but he had a light sense of humor that I very much enjoyed. He took his job very seriously and reminded me greatly of my father whenever there was an important decision to be made.
"Your Highness," He said, spreading his arms out in greeting. "How is he?" I ducked my head down and tried to suppress a sarcastic answer when I knew he was being serious.
"He looks like death." I said honestly, stuffing my hands in my pockets. Gildarts gave me a sad smile, but I could see the worry in his eyes. He cared very much for my father.
"Your Highness, I know this is not a good time, but we must discuss your plans for the future."
I groaned, stringing a hand through my hair. Whenever Gildarts brought up 'my future' he was referring to marriage. As the time grew closer to when I would be crowned king, should my father not make it through the plague, I would need a queen. Kings did not always do well alone. As I was taught from birth, my marriage would be entirely political. A bond forged not out of love, but out of careful negotiations between two countries, preferably between two wealthy countries.
"I know you've heard of the recent massacre in Rosemary Village. This is only the beginning of Caelum's tirade and we need to secure an alliance that will aid us in the war that is inevitably approaching." Gildarts fell into step beside me as we made our way toward my chambers.
"What do you suggest?" I asked, too tired to try and dissuade him from forcing me to marry.
"The only kingdoms in the area who have not allied themselves with Caelum are Brogo and Fiore. Brogo would be the most logical alliance due to their extensive armies and mineral resources. However, their queen is a widow who is significantly older than you and has sworn off marrying again. Her only heir is her son who is only a few years older than you."
I nodded, remembering the queen of Brogo well. She was beautiful and graceful in every way and even my father, who'd lost my mother when I was three, was smitten with her beauty and charm. I knew he had proposed a marriage alliance when I was around eleven or twelve, but she'd respectfully declined. She had spent several weeks in our palace prior to that, discussing trade agreements.
"I remember the son. Lyon, right?" I asked, vaguely remembering a head of silvery hair and narrow eyes. Gildarts nodded.
"He won't be king for a while, unless the queen relinquishes her throne to him. I don't think he minds it much. I'm told he's very content relaxing with his royal luxuries without having to make any important decisions."
I chuckled, brushing my fingers through my already messy hair. I missed the feeling of not caring. It was only a year ago when my father started taking me with him to all his important meetings and showing me all the qualifications of a king. I just never thought I would have to us them so soon. I hoped with everything in me that I wouldn't have to use them for long.
"Now the next option is Fiore. Their armies aren't as strong or as numerous as Brogo, but they are still enough to aid us against Caelum. And they have a female heir." I whipped my head around to look at him as we turned into another hallway.
"Are you sure? Last I remember, King Makarov only had one heir."
"That is true. Laxus Dreyar is King Makarov's son and heir to the throne. However, the king has just recently claimed his illegitimate daughter, Wendy Marvel. She is fourteen years old and on her way to become legitimized. According to the rumors, Makarov kept her hidden as a servant in the castle until he found out that Laxus might give up his claim to the throne."
I gave Gildarts a stunned look. "He will?" I asked, the idea completely foreign to me. Gildarts nodded solemnly.
"They are saying that if Laxus gives up his claim, there will be no heir. That's why the king is having her legitimized so he will have an heir. If you marry her, you will be wedding the next queen and you'll be able to use her resources."
I looked away as we reached the door that led to my chambers. I paused, considering the option.
"She's only fourteen." I said, the protest weak, but valid. Gildarts sighed and nodded.
"The age difference will be significant, but this is the best option we can hope for." He said. I sighed and rubbed his fingers over my temples.
"Do you truly believe this is the best course of action? For the kingdom?" I asked, feeling my resolves crumble.
Gildarts sighed and I noticed the hardness of his eyes fade, as he started to look at me not as a prince, but as who I really was: a boy who was scared out of his mind of making the wrong choice. He put his hand on my arm, the most fatherly gesture I'd ever received from him.
"I know you're scared, and you have every right to be. You are too young to have to deal with any of this, but I believe that you will make a great leader and a great king. The decision is yours, and I will support you, no matter what you choose."
I sighed and nodded.
"Very well. Send word to Fiore that I intend to propose a marriage alliance between myself and Princess Wendy Marvel. As soon as you hear back, prepare a travel escort. I'll leave for Fiore as soon as possible to secure the alliance."
Gildarts saluted and strode down the hall as I opened the door to retire to my chambers.
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