Once Zachary and her father had left, Karigan was immediately accosted by all of her aunts. "Okay, Dear, you have delayed long enough," Stace said, her tone serious. "It's obvious your young man is a soldier of some importance, but you still have not told us who he is."
Karigan wet her lips. "You really don't know?" Karigan knew Zachary looked much different without any symbol of his rank nor his beard, but she had not realized he looked different enough for her aunts not to recognize him. But then, she was not sure if they had ever met him. Her father had though. She wondered why Stevic had not said anything.
"How are we expected to know when you won't tell us?" Brini questioned.
"I just. . . well, I thought it would be obvious."
"We're not mind readers, Kari," Tory said. "How would it be obvious?"
"It's just. . . he's fairly well-known." Say it, her inner voice chided, but she could not find the words.
"Well-known? What does that mean?"
Gretta suddenly took a sharp breath, and Karigan turned, knowing her aunt had figured it out. "Oh my gods, it can't be." She looked to Karigan who, after a moment's hesitation, gave a nod. "He intends to court you?" Karigan gave another nod. "And has it been approved by the proper parties?"
Karigan sighed. "Not yet. He wants to get Da's approval first. He also has some. . . political machinations he's been working on that he says will make it easier."
"What is going on?" Brini demanded. Gretta turned to the other three women, a smile on her lips.
"Karigan's suitor is none other than Zachary Hillander."
Brini, Tory, and Stace gaped at Karigan for a few moments until Brini finally asked, "Zachary Hillander? As in King Zachary? The High King of Sacordia?" Gretta nodded, positively beaming. Karigan squirmed uncomfortably, only stopping when her stomach protested the motion.
"How in Aeryc's name did this happen? You have to tell us everything," Tory insisted. Karigan looked into their eager eyes and sighed, resigning herself to the fact that she would not rest until they knew all the details.
"I really don't even know myself," she admitted. "He says he first realized he felt something for me after I lost soundly to him in a game of Intrigue and then criticized his running of the kingdom."
"You criticized the king?"
"I wasn't. . . thinking clearly at the time. He was not acting like I expected, seeming to dismiss everything I had been through. I was angry, and the words just kind of. . . came out. He laughed afterwards though so I knew he wasn't too mad."
Stace sighed. "You've always been too headstrong for your own good, Lass. Imagine lecturing the King of Sacordia." Her other aunts murmured their agreement before Gretta asked another question. For the next hour or so, Karigan told the story of her and Zachary's rather unusual courtship to her curious aunts. She kept certain details, such as what she had learned in the brothel, to herself, but for the most part, by the time she finished, they had a complete picture of how the king had come to be courting their niece. When she was finally finished, she felt drained, but it was not as bad as she had expected. They were the first people she had told other than Estral, and their support left her feeling that it might just be possible to actually court and marry the king. Up until that point, it had seemed more theoretical. Though Zachary had been very clear in his intentions and had even formally proposed, Karigan still found it difficult to believe. Things like that simply did not happen to her.
A knock at the door caused her to look up, and she smiled when she saw her father and Zachary standing there. Surprisingly, all four aunts stood immediately, bowing to Zachary, but he waved them off with a smile. "I think we can dispense with formalities, at least in your home. Don't you?"
"How did things work out?" Karigan questioned.
"Very well, thanks to your father." Zachary turned and gave Stevic a grateful smile. "There are nearly one hundred men who should make it to Taros tomorrow. Another hundred will be coming from G'rahly the following day. I've sent riders on to other coastal towns in case there are other ships."
"Who are they? The men on the ship?" Stevic asked.
Zachary ran a hand through his hair. He glanced to Karigan, obviously torn about how much to tell her family. She nodded, indicating that it was safe to tell them everything. It might even help, for she was sure they would offer to be the eyes and ears for their king at Corsa. With its large port, it was a strategic entry point for ships from the surrounding islands where they suspected a number of Second Empire supporters lived. "Second Empire, it seems," Zachary finally answered. At Stevic's puzzled look, he clarified. "Descendants of the followers of Mornhavon the Black. They are apparently much more widespread than any of us had realized. We drove many of them to the outskirts of Sacordia and beyond after the Long War, but we did not destroy them all. Their numbers have grown over time as has their hatred of Sacordia. They've just been biding their time waiting for a leader."
"They have one now?" Stace questioned.
"Had," Zachary clarified with a second glance at Karigan.
"It seems news of his demise has not reached all the islands," Karigan remarked.
"It does appear that way." Though Zachary's face betrayed little emotion, Karigan knew him well enough to see a slight glint of worry in his eye. He glanced at Karigan's family and then met her eyes. She knew before he even spoke what he was going to say. "I need to ride to Toros. I have a feeling they are going to need all the support they can get."
Karigan nodded. She had expected that. "I assume you will continue north to Sacor City after that?"
"I will. As much as I trust my advisors, it is not good for a king to be too long away." He glanced at Stevic. "Before I go, Chief G'ladheon, there is a question I would like to ask."
"And I will give you my answer. But first, I would like to talk to my daughter. Alone." Zachary nodded, sweeping from the room. Karigans aunts glared at their brother briefly before following their king out. Once they had all gone, Stevic took a seat beside his daughter's bed. Leaning forward, he clasped her hand in his. He opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.
"I know what you're going to say, Da. I'll always be your little girl, but this is something I want."
He gave a gentle smile. "You don't know as well as you think you do," he remarked. "I want you to be happy, Kari. That's all I've ever wanted. So you have to understand my worry with this match. This kind of match—a king to a merchant's daughter—has never happened before. There is going to be backlash, and I'm afraid of you getting caught in the middle of it."
Karigan gave a small snort. "Zachary said the same thing," she told her father.
"So you two have discussed the issues?"
Karigan sighed. "At length. I will admit, I don't pretend to understand all of it. So much of that is still so new to me. Zachary's been doing his best to pave the way, hinting to some of the nobles he thinks will be on our side that perhaps a political alliance is not the best fit for him. He's supported a couple lesser nobles who have married commoners, forcing their families to acknowledge their spouses if they were not already. It's. . . slow, but he says it's working."
"He is a brilliant man," Stevic mused. "I doubt I could have picked a better ruler for Sacordia."
"What about for me?" Karigan questioned, her heart beating wildly as she brought the topic back to what worried her the most.
Stevic gave a wry laugh. "Most fathers would say that only a king would be good enough for their daughters, but I suppose that excuse does not apply here, does it?" Karigan shook her head, waiting for him to continue. "He loves you, that much is obvious. And you love him, and normally, that would be enough. But I want to make sure you have considered this fully, Karigan. If you marry him, you will not just be his wife. You will the Queen of Sacordia. Could you truly be happy in that role?"
Karigan's answer was quick, for it was a question she had turned over in her mind many times. "I don't think I can be truly happy without him. And if that means being the queen, so be it."
Stevic gave a hearty laugh then, tossing back his head. "Only you, my Kari, would find the idea of being queen so distasteful."
"I'll still do my best at it," Karigan said, reassuring herself as much as him. "I do love my kingdom, and I do not want to cause strife. Zachary says I will make an excellent queen."
"You will."
"You're both biased." Stevic gave a small shrug in response.
"I will support you in your decision, Kari. No matter what it is. You are my daughter, and I love you. If this is the path you choose, then I will be behind you. I made a mistake last time, when you told me of joining the Green Riders, by allowing my own wishes to supersede yours. I will not make that mistake again. I have only ever wanted you to be happy."
"I love you," Karigan said, beaming at her father. He leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you, too, my darling girl. Now, I will go call your young man in here. I have a feeling he is anxiously awaiting this news." Stevic smiled, pressing a kiss to Karigan's forehead before standing. He left the room, returning a few seconds later with Zachary and all four of Karigan's aunts trailing behind him. Zachary glanced at Karigan, relief flooding his features when he saw her face.
"Karigan assures me that this is what she wants, and I am not the type of man to deny her that," Stevic said, smiling slightly at Zachary. He held out a hand. "I would be proud to call you my son-in-law."
Zachary shook his hand firmly. "I will have a contract drawn up as soon as I am back in Sacor City."
"No," Stevic said, causing Zachary's brow to furrow. He gentled his words with a smile. "I will draw up the contract. I have a feeling my terms will be far more generous than yours."
"You know I don't expect anything, sir. Your blessing is more than enough."
"I know. And that is why I am giving it to you." Stevic looked between Zachary and Karigan. "I can tell you love my little girl. I only ask that you take care of her."
"Always," Zachary promised.
Karigan rolled her eyes. "Your 'little girl' would like to point out that she is perfectly capable of taking care of herself." The two men shared a look before both began to laugh. Zachary stepped around Stevic, taking Karigan's hand and bringing it to his lips.
"I will see you in a few weeks?" he asked. She nodded, and he kissed her hand again. His eyes darted to the side of the room where her saddlebag sat. She understood the question immediately
"I will bring it with me."
"I can-"
She stilled his lips with a finger. "I know you can, but it is far easier for me than you." Surprisingly, he did not object. Instead, he pursed his lips, pressing a kiss to her finger before pulling away. Her aunts sighed happily beside her as he blew her one final kiss and left the room, walking quickly, as if afraid that if he looked back, he would not leave.