Henri stepped into the council meeting, and his blood began to boil when he saw the woman sitting on Zachary's left. The queen's place. It should have been his daughter sitting there, but instead, it was a no-name Rider who did not have a drop of noble blood in her. He tamped down his anger, knowing he could not react, no matter how much he wished he could. Instead, he gave a stiff bow to his king, not even looking toward the Rider. She would be gone soon enough. He would make sure of it.
As the last of the council filed in, Zachary called the session to order. Henri noted that he was not the only one who was sneaking glances at the girl sitting to Zachary's left, but she did not appear to notice. Instead, she sat tall in her chair, her attention focused solely on the king as he spoke. He began by walking them through the budget for the upcoming year, carefully explaining the proposed allocation of the kingdom's finances. Surprisingly, when he called for objections, there were none, and Zachary exchanged a look with Karigan that Henri could not understand. Lord L'Petrie chuckled. "We should have put a merchant's daughter on the throne long ago." That broke the ice, and a few of the other governors gave their congratulations to the couple.
"Karigan has been a great help with the figures," Zachary agreed, glancing at his fiancée again. She blushed scarlet under his scrutiny.
"I suppose you can thank my father for forcing me to do the books as soon as I learned basic arithmetic." A few people chuckled again before Zachary steered the conversation back on topic.
"I know I have spoken with some of you before about the magical happenings throughout the kingdom." Henri heard the murmurings of the other Lord Governors. He, too, was surprised that the king would speak of magic so freely, especially given some of the rumors he had heard. "I have begun hearing more and more accounts from the citizens of Sacoridia about magic, and I feel it is time we try to fight back against it. Unfortunately, I do not know how to do so, and I was hoping for your input." The room was silent for a few seconds before Lord Adolind asked about the wall. Lord D'Yer gave a brief synopsis of how things were going which led to further questions from the Lord Governors. Henri noted, however, that the king and his Green Rider remained quiet until the questions from the other Lord Governors tapered off. When they did, the two exchanged a look that spoke volumes of their connection. Henri bristled, wondering just how close they were. However, the Green Rider spoke before he could make a comment.
"If we cannot keep the magic out, perhaps we should work to control it."
"Control it?" Lord Arey's voice dripped with the skepticism Henri felt as well.
"Magic is not inherently evil," Zachary said. "Like most things, it is the wielder who determines its true nature."
"And who is wielding this magic?"
"I doubt anyone is," Karigan explained. "The magical happenings have been fairly random. There seems no true purpose to much of it. If we could somehow harness its power and redirect it into something harmless or, better yet, something beneficial, it is likely the citizens of Sacoridia would care less about it."
"Magic is still magic," Lord Bairdley declared firmly.
"There is some sense to what Lady Karigan is saying," Lord D'Yer remarked, fingering his chin. Henri turned his attention to the other lord, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Karigan react to the name. He himself had bristled at the title he felt she did not earn. "Part of the reason we've struggled with the influx of magic is that we have lost our knowledge of magic. Perhaps if we had not been so quick to condemn it, we would better understand it and thus be more prepared to fight it today."
"You truly think we should return magic to Sacoridia on the whims of some Rider Girl?" Lord Mirwell inquired, disgust coloring his tone. Henri sensed a couple of the other governors shifting nervously in their seats. He, too, felt that Lord Mirwell was overstepping his bounds, both with his current statement and with the previous crass statement when the king first announced the courtship. Henri may have agreed that the match was not suitable, but that was not a reason to lose all sense of civility.
Zachary's eyes flashed dangerously, but Karigan placed a hand on his arm before he could say anything. He looked to her, and she gave a subtle nod. Surprisingly, he relaxed, the tension leaving his shoulders, as she turned to Lord Mirwell. "I believe magic has already returned to Sacoridia. I am merely suggesting that perhaps we should work to understand it so that we can reduce its harm." Karigan's voice was calm, and Henri noticed some of the other governors watching her approvingly.
"How would you suggest we go about this?" Lord Hillander asked, smiling at her.
Karigan gestured to Colin who reached under the table and brought up what looked like a simple message satchel. Reaching inside, he pulled out a round object wrapped in some sort of linen. Twelve sets of eyes watched closely as he unrolled the linen, revealing a sphere around the size of a human head. Henri squinted at it, trying to figure out what it was made of. It did not look like any material he had seen before. At first glance, it appeared to be something crystalline, but dark shapes swirled within it, almost as if they were alive. "What is it?" Lord Bairdley asked.
"We're not completely sure," Karigan admitted. "But it is obviously an object of great power." With that, she launched into an explanation of how she had found the dark moonstone, helped from time to time by the king himself. The tale was so fantastical that Henri had a hard time believing it. However, he did notice that both the king and Karigan played a large part in it which made him wonder just how close they had grown during their shared time in the dark forest. It was something definitely worth investigating—perhaps the answer to his problems. If the other governors learned of a pre-marital affair, even the ones who supported the match initially would have to withdraw the support. Tradition would demand it.
When Karigan finished her story, there were a number of questions which she and the king handled easily. It was not until the bells chimed for the fifth hour that the king finally called a halt to the discussion. "I know many of you are looking forward to the Midwinter feast tonight, so I suggest we pick up this discussion tomorrow. I will see all of you and your families at half past the sixth hour in the main dining hall." He stood, turning to help Karigan stand as well. The rest of the lord governors followed his lead, slowly filing out of the room. Henri hung back when he noted that the king and his fiancée were not following the group. Maybe he would be able to hear something of use.
"Colin, if you would not mind handing the dark moonstone off to one of the Weapons, they will see to it that it makes its way back to the tombs," the king remarked. Colin started to take it from Karigan's hands, but she did not release it. "Karigan?" the king questioned.
"I just. . . feel like I should hang onto it a bit longer. I know it sounds crazy. It is crazy, but Garcia said that I should trust my instincts, and this just feels. . . right."
"If it feels right, then I agree we should do it. Aeryc knows your instincts have saved me more times than I can count." Henri frowned, wondering what the king meant by that statement.
"I just wish they were more explicit sometimes."
To Henri's surprise, the king threw back his head and laughed. Henri had never seen the young man look so happy before. Even as a child, he had been a quiet, studious boy and had earned a reputation among the nobility for his even temper and careful deliberation of all matters. "Alas, my love, that is not the way the world works. Now, we should probably go and prepare for the feast tonight. It is unfortunately another social event we must attend. Tis the season, I suppose." They started to turn toward the door, and Henri hurried out before they could see him lingering, still puzzling over their words.
As tradition demanded, all of the Lord Governors and their immediate kin were invited to dine with the king for the Midwinter's Feast. Henri had offered to make excuses for his eldest daughter given recent events, but she had been resolute in her determination to attend. Henri was proud of her—her courage showed true Coutre spirit, spirit he often wished other members of his family could emulate.
They arrived at the castle's master dining hall at thirty-five minutes past the hour, late enough that the room would already be relatively full but not so late that they would be considered rude. Immediately, Henri's wife left to talk with some of her acquaintances, bringing their youngest two daughters with her. Henri turned to his eldest daughter, but before he could speak, she squared her shoulders and walked quickly toward the other side of the room where Zachary stood, Karigan by his side. Henri noted that though there was nothing improper about their position, there seemed to be a closeness between them that spoke of a deeper connection. Once more, he bristled, but there was nothing he could honestly object to about their actions. Instead, he followed Estora to greet them as well, catching the tail end of her greeting. "It is wonderful to see you again," she said, leaning forward to kiss Karigan's cheeks. Henri's eyebrows rose, wondering what occasion his daughter had to see the Green Rider. He made a mental note to ask her later.
"And you as well, Lady Estora." Karigan appeared slightly uncomfortable but still executed the greeting ritual flawlessly. Once she had finished, Henri greeted both the king and Karigan as well. They made polite small talk for a couple minutes, but another governor fortunately pulled the king away before Henri had to think of a way to make polite conversation for too long.
At precisely the seventh hour, a couple servants opened the door into the dining hall, and everyone began to file in and take their seats. There was some minor confusion, for the king had abandoned the custom of assigning seating soon after taking the throne, much to the chagrin of many of the more traditional governors, including Henri himself. However, it did not take long for everyone to sort themselves out, for many were accustomed to the king's oddities. As they sat, Henri noted that Karigan once more sat to the king's left, and they had surrounded themselves with the L'Petrie and Hillander clans, two vocal supporters of the match. Henri was not too surprised—though she hid it well, he had noticed Karigan's discomfort with many of the proceedings since the engagement was announced. Despite his eccentricities, Zachary was a skilled politician, so it would have been easy enough for him to sense the discomfort and find ways to alleviate it. His plan seemed to be working, too. Karigan relaxed visibly as the meal began, talking animatedly with the man to her left who Zachary had introduced as a cousin and the father of the small boy that had caused a minor scandal a few weeks before.
Most of the meal passed uneventfully. Henri kept up a conversation with Lord Arey to his left and Lord Adolind across from him, but it was on relatively inane topics, allowing him to surreptitiously observe the king and Karigan. Therefore, he was likely one of the first to notice when Karigan stiffened suddenly, her eyes going wide as she stared around the room. It did not take Zachary long to notice the odd behavior as well, however, and Henri strained his ears to pick up their conversation. "What's wrong, Karigan?" Zachary questioned.
Karigan wet her lips, her eyes scanning the room before responding. "I don't know exactly. But it feels like something is about to happen."
Henri expected Zachary to scoff at the ridiculous statement, but he surprisingly seemed to take it at face value. His own brow furrowed, and he held up a hand. Two Weapons stepped out of the shadows, approaching their monarch. Karigan reached down, grabbing her handbag. Henri had seen her carrying it before and noted that it appeared rather large for the occasion, but as a rule, he did not bother himself with women's fashion, so he had dismissed it. Now, however, he looked closer, sensing that it was more than just a handbag. "Karigan?" the king questioned again, worry coloring his tone. Before either could say anything else, however, a wind swept throughout the room, causing all of the torches to flicker. The steady murmur of conversation died down as others began to take notice of the strange events, and even Henri, who prided himself on his sense and practicality, could not avoid the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of his stomach.
Karigan gripped the handbag more tightly, reaching to retrieve something from inside. Zachary started to stand, but before he could do anything, a series of crashes sounded as several large objects collided with the table, sending food everywhere. Several people screamed, and Henri could not honestly blame them. Whatever had collided with the table seemed to be some sort of creature, but it was unlike any creature Henri had ever seen before. Black scales covered most of its body which was vaguely humanoid in shape though the head was flat and a tail curved around its back, ending in a point above its head. The one nearest Henri opened its mouth, revealing multiple rows of gray teeth. It hissed loudly, advancing toward Henri who scrambled backwards, knocking over his chair in the process. He glanced around as he did so, trying to figure out what happened to the rest of his family. He saw his wife ducking under the table with their two youngest daughters to his right, but he could not find Estora in the chaos.
Weapons streamed into the room, moving towards their monarch, but even they seemed to be struggling to handle the demon-like creatures. The creatures fought with all four limbs, their tails, and their teeth, and it seemed like if any part of them broke through the skin, the victim was immediately paralyzed. That meant that a lot of the Weapons were acting as barriers for the others, blocking the paths to the king.
Henri glanced toward the head of the table and noted that the king had grabbed a sword from somewhere, likely from the wall, for it appeared too large and ornate for normal use. However, he did not seem overly affected by the weight, expertly maneuvering the large weapon to cut down any demon that made it past the Weapons surrounding him. His footwork was sure and precise, and his movements flowed gracefully from one to the other. Henri watched him for a moment, surprised at his skill. He had heard that the king practiced with a sword, but he had assumed that he mostly did so for sport. However, Zachary seemed to have the skills of a swordmaster.
"Karigan!" the king shouted suddenly, drawing Henri's attention to the woman a few feet to his left. He noticed immediately that unlike the other ladies in the room, Karigan had not tried to hide. Instead, she stood tall, a short dagger in her hands. Though not as obviously skilled as the king, she moved with confidence, and Henri noted a couple demons lying dismembered at her feet. However, one of the demons had approached unnoticed from behind while she battled one in front of her. The demon in the back raised a clawed hand, and Henri caught himself holding his breath in suspense.
Before the demon could bring the claw down, a figure suddenly stepped in front of it. Henri saw a flash of metal, and the demon crumpled to the floor. With a start, he realized that Karigan's rescuer was not a Weapon as he had initially suspected but the king himself, still panting slightly from exertion. He wondered for a moment why the king would willingly sacrifice himself for a commoner, but before he could wonder long, he saw something else that made his blood run cold. A few feet in front of Karigan and Zachary stood his daughter, her eyes wide with fright as she watched a demon approaching menacingly. The king obviously saw her as well, for he started to move in her direction, but his steps faltered. Having dispatched the demon in front of her, Karigan turned in enough time to see his legs give way beneath him. She reached out, trying to catch him as he fell. His weight brought both of them to the floor. "Zachary! You're bleeding!" she exclaimed, reaching up to his shoulder.
He coughed. "Fine. Estora." He managed a nod in Estora's direction though it looked painful. Karigan exchanged a last glance with him before picking up the sword he had dropped and quickly making her way toward Estora. She dispatched the demon with two quick thrusts, but the action had the unfortunate consequence of attracting the other demons nearby to her. She moved in front of Estora, almost instinctively, the heavy sword raised high.
"Go, Lady Estora!" she commanded. "Get out of here!"
"But the demons-"
"Just go! Sound the alarm, get to the barracks and send soldiers in if you can. I'll hold them off as long as I can." With one final glance at Karigan, Estora slipped out the side door. Karigan spared only a brief glance to ensure she had left before squaring her shoulders and turning towards the nearest demon. Though she managed to dispatch it quickly, it was clear that she would not be able to hold her position for too long. The demons seemed to be multiplying, and the number of Sacoridians fighting them dwindling. Glancing back at the king, Henri noted that he had gone still, likely affected by the demon poison as the Weapons had been. For the first time in a long time, he sent up a silent prayer to Aeryc.
Almost immediately, a brilliant light spread throughout the room, blinding in its intensity. Henri startled, nearly falling over backwards in surprise. At first, he wondered if Aeryc had answered his prayer, but that seemed a bit preposterous. The light seemed to be emanating from the king or at least something near the king. Subconsciously, Henri stepped closer. He noted the globe that Karigan and the king had shown during the council meeting earlier that day, the one they claimed had great power was lying near the king's shoulder. The dark shadows from earlier had disappeared, and the light flowed from its surface, blanching out everything in the room.
Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light disappeared, leaving the globe pulsing with a dim glow. A quick glance at the room told Henri that the demons had disappeared as well, leaving small piles of a dark substance that looked like ash all around the floor and table. A second glance assured him that his wife and two youngest daughters were still huddled together unharmed. Everyone was quiet for a few moments until pandemonium erupted. The Weapons were still frozen, and a few of the nobles approached them tentatively trying to figure out what was going on. The king, too, was unnaturally still, and Henri spent a moment trying to decide if he should take command. As one of the older Lord Governors, others would likely listen to him, but he could not seem to find his voice.
A voice suddenly cut through the chaos, one that Henri did not recognize. However, it had a note of command to it that he could not help but want to obey. "Fastion, please go find any mender you can and send them here. Phillipe, try and find a Green Rider or Green Foot. Donal, take anyone who's still standing and have them move the injured to the south side of the room. Place the more severely injured nearest to the doors." Two black-clothed figures broke off from the crowd, moving toward the door, and a number of other heads turned to see the speaker, Henri's among them. He heard the murmur of surprise travel among the nobles, surprise he was sure showed on his face as well, when they realized that the speaker was none other than Karigan G'ladheon, the young woman who had been relatively quiet and demure up to that point. Henri could not help but think that perhaps he had judged too soon—she had definitely sounded like a queen.
Only once she was assured that others were following her directions did she turn to where Zachary lay. Henri watched as her face fell with worry when she looked to the Weapon standing next to the king. "How is he?"
"His breathing is strong and steady," the Weapon announced. Karigan visibly relaxed, dropping the sword she still held to move closer to him. "The wound isn't deep, and the bleeding has actually almost stopped. But he isn't moving yet. I don't know what sort of poison those creatures had, but it still seems to be in effect." Karigan nodded, dropping to her knees. Her hands ran gently down Zachary's face before her fingers found the shoulder wound.
"Send Ben over as soon as he arrives," Karigan told the waiting Weapon. He nodded and left with a bow. Henri moved closer, fascinated by the scene in front of him. He had seen some inkling of the connection between Karigan and the king before, but he had not realized how deep it ran until that point. Even Henri, who would not consider himself a romantic by any stretch of the imagination, could not help but be moved by the pure love shining in the young woman's eyes. "You really need to stop jumping into fights for me," Karigan muttered.
"Maybe you should stop getting into fights then," a low voice remarked. A startled laugh burst from Karigan's lips as Zachary's eyes opened, meeting hers. He smiled, reaching up with his good hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. Their gazes locked and held for a moment, and Henri half expected them to begin kissing despite the crowd of nobles still milling about the room. However, propriety won out in the end, and the king cleared his throat and pushed himself into a seated position. "What did I miss?" Karigan gave a brief synopsis of the events, but before their conversation could continue, the doors to the room burst open, admitting what looked like every mender in the castle. With some help from Karigan, the king rose, taking charge of the situation. A flock of menders approached immediately, but he refused treatment, forcing them to look in on those more severely injured. Fortunately, the effects of the poison seemed to be wearing off for everyone, and many of the previously frozen fighters were stirring. Some of the menders had brought stretchers, and they took the more severely injured out of the room, presumably to the mending wing. Henri stepped back, just trying to stay out of the way.
Just as the menders took the first wave of injured from the room, the doors opened again, and a number of soldiers strode in. Henri did a double take upon seeing that they were led by none other than his eldest daughter. She did not even glance his way, however; instead, she walked straight to Karigan. Once she stood in front of the young woman, she went down to her knee, bowing low. "I found as many soldiers as I could, but it appears you already had the situation well in hand."
Karigan seemed just as startled as Henri felt, and Henri saw her briefly glance at Zachary before speaking. "Thank you very much for your assistance," she said genuinely. "We will need to have them check the rest of the castle."
"Of course." Estora stood, her eyes sweeping the room. She briefly glanced at her mother and sisters before finding Henri in the chaos. Once she had moved closer, he gave her a puzzled look.
"What was that for?" he questioned.
"I was merely showing my support for my future queen."
"So you support the match now?"
"Karigan and King Zachary both risked their lives today to save others. They faced literal demons without a second thought to their own safety. That is what we need in our monarchs. I could not do that." With that, she turned and strode from the room, leaving Henri with much to think about.