Depending on the circumstances, Queen Stephanie was either amused or irritated with her daughter's moods. Depending on who you talked to, Princess Chelsea was considered either a treasure or an entitled brat. Stephanie would admit that her daughter had been spoiled by her father. King Hunter, however, laid that blame squarely on his wife's shoulders.
At the moment, Stephanie was amused at her daughter's expression as the two women watched from the ornate staircase landing as people entered the King's conference room.
"I should be marrying Prince Seth," Chelsea sourly bitched.
Stephanie refrained from smiling. Privately, she admitted Prince Seth of Ridenour was a handsome young man. But if her daughter felt she could control him with her simpering and whining, then she was ever more stupid than her mother had considered. "He's married," she calmly reminded her daughter.
"To some barbarian wench from the Emerald Islands," Chelsea shrugged. "He married her there. The marriage probably isn't legal in our kingdoms. It can be easily annulled."
"Which would destroy the trade agreement between the Emerald Islands and Ridenour," Stephanie pointed out. "King Roman agreed to both the trade agreement and marriage. Do you think you're worth breaking that trade agreement?"
"He would if his brother married me," Chelsea argued. "I'm Father's heir. I could make Prince Seth a king."
"Which is something your Father doesn't want," Stephanie sighed as though disappointed in her daughter's strategy. "Why would your father give King Roman the chance to put his brother on Dionay's throne?" She gave her daughter a challenging stare.
"I could influence…"
Stephanie held up her hand. "Don't even complete that sentence. Prince Seth is a grown man. A warrior. A diplomat. A strong man. And you?" She raked her eyes up and down her daughter's body. "You're a silly little girl in comparison. Let me explain this as simply as possible." She ignored her daughter's angry pout.
"Your half-sister is the oldest," Stephanie calmly spoke. "Many people remember that her mother was heir to her father's throne. Many people would consider her to be King Hunter's heir. Not you. Zelina has to be neutralized. Marrying her into Ridenour removes her from Dionay. Very few people would accept a husband from Ridenour on the throne. So, your marriage to Prince Seth, even if his marriage was annulled, or to Prince Dean, is not acceptable."
"Then who am I to marry?" Chelsea hissed. "All the other kingdoms are little more than barbarian strongholds!"
"You'll marry whomever your father and I decide you'll marry," Stephanie smiled. "Now, I need to attend this conference." She took a few steps towards the staircase then looked over her shoulder. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To the conference. To support my dear sister." Chelsea forced a smile.
"And you'll sit there and make cow eyes at Prince Seth," Stephanie snorted. "No, you'll return to your quarters." She looked past her daughter at the guard who accompanied Princess Chelsea everywhere. "Piper, accompany the Princess to her quarters. She'll remain there until the feast tonight."
Piper silently nodded and stepped aside for Chelsea to precede her back down the hall.
Chelsea waited until her mother turned to walk down the staircase before giving her a furious look. Then he briskly walked past Piper who turned to follow. Hearing Chelsea muttering under her breath, Piper quietly spoke. "A word of advice, Princess. Openly quarreling with your mother will only anger the King."
"I'm Father's heir," Chelsea grumbled.
"Yes. But angering Their Majesties won't allow you much influence in choosing a suitable husband for you," Piper calmly pointed out. "If Her Majesty is correct, you would need to be married to someone within Dionay…someone trusted by both of them…trusted and feared by others."
Chelsea slowed her walk, allowing Piper to walk next to her. "And that would be?"
Piper's eyes flickered around the hallway. "Naming names at this point would be…an unwise decision. It might be better to observe those at the feast tonight."
Chelsea slowly nodded. "Thank you, Piper. I appreciate your advice."
Piper refrained from smiling in satisfaction.
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King Hunter looked around the conference room as his wife entered, followed by his elder daughter. He briefly smiled when Seth bowed over Stephanie's outstretched hand.
Seth then turned to Princess Zelina with a genuine smile. "Princess Zelina, I hope you'll allow me the honor of calling you 'sister'."
Zelina smiled. "I'm honored, Prince Seth."
Seth kissed her hand. "Call me Seth or brother." Gallantly, he led her to sit on her father's left, then sat next to her.
Hunter nodded for everyone to sit. He covertly studied the faces of his councilors. Once he'd explained the reason for marrying his older daughter into their not-so-distant enemies, they'd backed his decision. Most of them, he silently admitted, had no other choice.
"Here is the marriage contract as we've agreed." Hunter slid several papers to Seth. He waited while Seth quickly read them. Then Seth smiled and nodded. "As agreed."
"Princess Zelina, do you agree to marry Prince Dean of Ridenour knowing you are relinquishing your claim to the throne of Dionay for yourself and any of your children?" Hunter formally spoke.
"I agree." Zelina's voice was soft but firm.
"Prince Seth, on behalf of King Roman of Dionay and your brother, Prince Dean, do you agree to the terms of this marriage contract knowing Princess Zelina relinquishes her claim to the throne of Dionay as well as any claims by the children of the marriage of Princess Zelina and Prince Dean?"
"I agree," Seth calmly replied.
"The members of the Royal Council have signified their agreement so all that's left are the required signatures." Hunter passed the papers to his daughter along with a quill and ink.
Seth closely watched as Zelina signed her name. He had to admit she had clear and distinctive handwriting. Hunter affixed the royal seal then slid the papers to Seth.
"My signature is nothing compared to yours, sister," Seth chuckled as he signed the contract. Then he affixed the royal seal of Ridenour to the contract.
Hunter separated the contracts and handed one set to Seth as Stephanie led everyone in a round of applause.
"On behalf of Prince Dean, King Roman and the realm of Ridenour, I present Princess Zelina with a token of our esteem." Seth pulled a small box from his pocket and opened it.
Stephanie's blue eyes widened in appreciation at the sight of the sapphire pendant in a gold setting on a slender gold chain.
"With your permission, sister," Seth grinned. When Zelina shyly nodded, he gently placed it around her neck. Then he nodded his head at Hunter. "I'll start for Ridenour at first light tomorrow. Has a date for the wedding been chosen?"
"Two weeks from today," Hunter answered. "If you're able to make the journey to Ridenour and back in that time?"
Seth met Hunter's amused smile with a smirk. "It will. And will even give me some time with my wife." He inwardly laughed, knowing the superior bloodlines of the horses of Ridenour had always left a sour taste in Dionay's mouth.
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Seth had to admit the feast was impressive. The monarchs of Dionay didn't skimp on the food. The background music wasn't to his taste; but fortunately, he had a lovely lady seated next to him.
Seth's dark eyes flickered past Zelina's bowed head to see Hunter and Stephanie quietly in conversation. Beyond them, Chelsea sat facing the dining hall, a simpering smile on her face. 'Dean would have her locked in a chamber within a week. Or kicked her back to her parents.'
He returned his attention as meat and vegetables were placed on the platter before them. "With your permission, sister?" When Zelina nodded, he began cutting the meat and laying it and some vegetables on your plate. As he served himself, a serving woman placed two decanters of wine in front of them.
"May I?" Zelina quietly asked.
"Please," Seth nodded. He glanced around the room and spotted one man in particular staring at Chelsea. 'Orton. That's his name.'
"Will we see you before you leave tomorrow?" Zelina asked as she delicately bit into a carrot.
"Not unless you plan on waking up around four," Seth chuckled. "So, I'll say my goodbyes tonight." He sipped the wine, nodding in appreciation. "Now's the time to ask me any questions." He saw Zelina's startled look. "You know, about your husband-to-be. About Ridenour." He lowered his voice. "About my hair," he teased.
"Umm…" Zelina stared down at her plate then met Seth's eyes. "I don't believe the stories about dark magic."
"Good. Because that's all they are. Stories," Seth calmly answered. "I inherited this blonde streak from my mother's mother. It pops up every couple of generations. I was the one who got it." He grinned. "Much to my brothers' relief."
Zelina smiled. "Does Prince Dean resemble you?"
Seth briefly sighed. "A piece of advice, sister. Don't call him Prince. He hates that. He prefers Lord."
"Why?"
Seth shrugged. "Who knows? Just avoid that title." He paused and drank some more wine. "Roman and I resemble each other in coloring. He looks more like our father while I look more like our mother. Dean resembles our mother in coloring and has been told he resembles her father in his looks." He grinned. "Confusing, isn't it?"
"A little," Zelina nodded. "I'm sure I'll see what you mean when I meet them."
"One thing we have in common is we're all incredibly stubborn," Seth admitted with a smirk. "We'd get into fights as boys. Our father would grab us and march us outside to the courtyard and toss is to the ground. He'd yell 'Fight out here'. Then he'd stand there, hands on hips, and give each of us advice how to hit the others."
Despite herself, Zelina laughed.
"When we were too exhausted to do anything more than lay in the dirt, he haul us up by an arm and march us inside," Seth continued. "Our mother would take one look at us and send for the healer. While we were waiting, she would wring our hands and tell us how disappointed she was with us. Brothers should never fight. Brothers should never hurt one another. Then her hand would go over her heart and start crying. By the time the healer would arrive, we would all be begging her forgiveness and promising never to do it again."
"Did you?" Zelina smiled.
"Of course, but never where anyone saw us," Seth admitted. "And we always had good excuses to any bruises, black eyes, or cuts." He ruefully shook his head. "I don't think anyone believed them. Father would sternly admonish us to be more careful, and Mother would sigh and dab her eyes."
Zelina laughed. "I'm sorry. I just pictured three boys trying to convince your parents that you hadn't been fighting." When Seth cackled in response, she added, "I wish I could've met them."
"They would've loved you," Seth assured her. He raised his goblet in a toast to her. As he drank, he saw the scathing look Chelsea shot her half-sister.
"Will King Roman be attending the wedding?" Zelina asked as the musicians began another tune.
Seth nodded. "As will Queen Galina. She said it was only fitting that she accompany you on the journey." He flashed a quick grin. "I believe she thinks we would ride hell-bent-for-leather for home and forget we have ladies with us."
"I love to ride," Zelina admitted. "I don't get much of an opportunity."
"Why not?"
Zelina hesitated. "I had other tasks to learn. Will your wife be here?"
Seth shook his head. "She'll be at home with the baby. But I'm sure the two of them will meet us on our return."
"A baby! I didn't know! Boy or girl?"
Seth genuinely smiled at her excitement. "A girl, thank the Gods. I know how much trouble boys can be."
"King Roman has children, doesn't he?" Zelina casually asked.
Seth's smile widened. "A girl and four boys. The boys are twins." He cackled. "Like I said, I know how much trouble boys can be."
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"So, it's a done deal?" Dean sighed as he glanced at the marriage contract.
"Signed, sealed, and delivered," Seth cackled. He ignored the glare from his older brother.
"Still wonder why they're agreeable to this," Dean grumbled.
King Roman sat back in his chair as his youngest brother cackled again.
"Well, according to rumor, Hunter is clearing the way for his younger daughter to inherit his throne," Seth explained. "Apparently, neither his wife or Princess Chelsea are agreeable to bending the knee to Princess Zelina. Who, by the way, is a very pretty young woman."
Dean shrugged.
Seth leaned forward. "No, really, she is. Princess Chelsea is a spoiled brat. Trust me, if she does inherit, which looks very likely, she won't hold the throne long."
"That'll depend upon who becomes her husband," Roman pointed out. "Any ideas on that?"
Seth shook his head. "But she was openly…and speculatively…eying a lot of men at the feast."
"Better one of them than me," Dean grunted.
Roman carefully placed the marriage contract to one side. He would have a scribe make copies of it before they left for Dionay. "Dean, she's not Hunter or Stephanie. No one had a bad thing to say about her mother."
"Except she married Hunter and accepted Stephanie as her Chief Lady In Waiting," Seth pointed out. He didn't have to say that Hunter's first wife had suddenly and mysteriously died of an unknown fever when Zelina was three. Or that Hunter had married Stephanie only a few months later.
Dean stared briefly at both his brothers. "This girl, Zelina, was raised by them. I'm not going to forget that even if the two of you are."