Herald of Shalia 2, page 17
“I don’t want Lysandra,” King Asmund’s face contorted. “Even if I were to consider an elven bride, marrying a priestess of Shalia would make me more of a target than I already am. The daughter of a mass murderer especially. I wish for you to marry my sister.”
“Excuse me?” Brynn said defensively. “He just got married less than a week ago.”
“I’m aware,” King Asmund nodded. “And congratulations on your nuptials Princess Brynn Hilde. I wish you all the happiness in the world. But as a princess I am sure you are aware of the important role marriage plays in solidifying peace. Your territory resides on my border and given the history of the followers of Shalia, you can appreciate how my people may urge me to action unless a bond is formed.”
“So you want me to marry your sister,” Frost smirked. “No, there’s something you’re not telling me. You wanted to make sure I wasn’t some psychopath like the rumors suggested. I suppose that’s was fair since it’s your sister. But my relationship with demihumans is what got your attention. What’s going on?”
“Ahem,” Queen Alicia held the door as a pale horned woman with glowing red eyes and ruby hair walked through. Her horns were surprisingly large and she was wearing a veil over her mouth. Her long red dress exaggerated the curves of her body and the gold embroidery outlined her large chest. The ruffled skirt of her dress ended at her knees where her golden sandals began. The lace of the sandals wrapped tightly around her legs like bindings, ending in high heels. “Princess Desdemona Asmund, half-sister of King Asmund.”
“A fucking demon,” Slade muttered under his breath before turning to Tabitha. “Does the herald know about this?”
“Huh?” Frost responded while glancing at the baron.
“Not you dog-fucker,” Slade growled. “The Herald of Ziralia. Demons are fucking problems. They devour villages like locust devour crops. They are fucking dangerous and all the heralds agree.”
“Most demons,” King Asmund said angrily. “Desdemona is harmless.”
“Unless she’s hungry,” Rebecca said pragmatically.
“Or angry, upset, frightened,” Roselle chimed in. The short-haired blonde revealed various bite and claw marks on her arm. Desdemona made a sad squeak sound at the sight of the injuries and looked at the ground.
“I can’t help that,” Desdemona practically whispered as she made her way up the stairs and stood beside the king. All of the queens took several steps back like they were dealing with a wild animal except for Silvana who cleaned her nails with a small dagger she’d pulled from her bracer. “I said I was sorry.”
“Ah,” Frost nodded as he suddenly understood the king’s interest in him. “I see.”
“King Asmund,” Brynn stepped forward while clenching her firsts. “Are you proposing my husband marry a demon?”
“I’m proposing that the herald marry the Princess of Rilia,” King Asmund said while gesturing at his sister. “I believe it’d be the most peaceful way to address the growing unrest of my people. They are naturally uncomfortable with the Herald of Shalia residing on our border.”
“No!” Renna objected as Fayeth quickly moved to shut her mouth.
“Ow!” Fayeth yelled as Renna bit her. “You little brat!”
“Herald Frost is marrying me next!” Renna pointed at the horned woman. “Wait your turn!”
The soldiers in the room muttered anxiously not at the presence of the demoness but at the sudden refusal of marriage. Frost was positive the marriage had nothing to do with the Herald of Shalia living on their border and everything to do with something going on in Rilia.
“You’ve had a long journey,” King Asmund said in a frustrated tone while gesturing toward a large open archway. “We can discuss this more over dinner.”
“Frost,” Lysandra gripped him nervously. “Are we really staying for dinner? What if she…you know she eats humans and demihumans.”
“I’m sure that’s not true,” Frost groaned as they headed toward the dining area.
CHAPTER 13
“At least it’s not a human,” Frost said as he watched Desdemona eat a raw piglet. Beneath her veil was a set of small piranha-like teeth. The teeth weren’t even noticeable if she closed her mouth but they were impossible to ignore as she ate. They tore through meat as easily as a razor sliced through paper.
“Oh,” Queen Rebecca shook her head while cutting into her overcooked steak. “If left to her own devices Princess Desdemona would certainly eat a human.”
“It’s rather disturbing to watch really,” Queen Henrietta said while trying not to look. The young beautiful brunette was King Asmund’s fifth wife and a follower of the god Movodos. “And the king insists we all eat together so she doesn’t feel left out.”
“I’m sorry,” Desdemona whispered as she wiped blood from her mouth with one of the several towels sitting beside her. “I told him that I’m fine eating in my room…”
“I won’t hear of it,” King Asmund glared angrily at his wives. It was obvious they were only making comments to fluster the girl since none of the women had issues finishing their own food. They were clearly desensitized to the demoness and simply looking to embarrass her. “She is my sister and the Princess of Rilia.”
“Right,” Queen Alicia rolled her eyes. The dark-haired woman glared at King Asmund with disdain. “And I’m a Queen of Rilia. I should be able to eat without watching her tear apart a pig.”
“I’m sorry,” Desdemona said while lowering her head as if trying to hide under the table. “I can…”
“We’ve been over this,” King Asmund growled. “If you don’t like being my Queen, you’re free to leave.”
“If only it were that easy,” Queen Alicia snarled while going back to her plate of vegetables.
“So, about your queens,” Frost said while gesturing at King Asmund’s wives. Their dispositions were interesting but more importantly, they each worshipped a different god or goddess. “Why marry priestesses instead of nobles?”
“Who says we’re not nobles?” Roselle sneered.
“The nobility tends to be apprehensive about new bloodlines,” Queen Rebecca said politely. “New kings are frequently assassinated so they won’t consider sending potential wives for at least four or five years. But the Herald of Solara felt confident that King Asmund was a wise and honorable ruler and wished to establish a relationship with him.”
“Fucking temples,” Slade growled while staring at Tabitha. “Always aiming to get their claws in before anybody else. Just wait until the king hears those zealous cunts have been operating behind his back again.”
“I’ll have you know that this marriage was approved by the Herald of Ziralia himself,” Queen Tabitha said haughtily while glaring back at Slade. “I’m not afraid of your threats, but you should certainly be afraid of mine, Baron Slade. You’re already walking a fine line after killing that priest in Laven.”
“The deranged fuck had it coming,” Slade glared at the priestess. “And if those cowardly cunts were going to excommunicate me, they would have done so when I skinned their boy.”
“Right, the infamous Baron Slade,” King Asmund grinned. “I’m still surprised to see you here. I’d heard you had a relationship of sorts with Herald Frost but I was under the impression it was more antagonistic.”
“I’d be happy to know who you heard that from,” Slade smirked. “You’re awfully well informed.”
“All of Slade’s relationships are antagonistic,” Brynn chimed in while glancing at Desdemona’s bloodstained face.
“Are you going to eat the entire pig?” Frost said unable to look away as the horned woman chewed on the bones themselves.
“Um,” Desdemona blushed and ducked down further like she wanted to disappear. “I don’t have to…”
“Oh,” Frost chuckled while shaking his head. The sight wasn’t anymore disturbing than watching Lishri eat but the sheer volume for a woman her size was shocking. “I didn’t mean it like that. It just seems like a lot of food.”
“She needs to eat about twenty pounds of meat a day,” Queen Roselle volunteered. The short-haired blonde gestured at the bite marks on her arm. “If she doesn’t eat, she starts to become irrationally angry and dangerous.”
“It’s actually rather impressive that King Asmund was able to raise her,” Queen Alicia said smugly. “Especially given the tragedy of her birth.”
“It is what it is,” King Asmund said as red tears started dripping down Desdemona’s cheeks. “She didn’t have control over it and I’m not upset.”
“She killed her mom,” Queen Silvana said unsympathetically while tearing into a large piece of meat with her teeth. She was King Asmund’s second wife and rather nonchalant about everything. It didn’t seem like she was intentionally trying to be cruel like some of the others, she was just naturally rough around the edges. “Demon’s eat their way out of human mothers.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Desdemona whispered.
“There she goes crying again,” Queen Silvana groaned callously while guzzling down a glass of wine. “I really don’t understand people in this damn country. They cry about everything. My mother died during childbirth too. It’s a sign of strength.”
“Des,” King Asmund patted his sister’s head reassuringly. “Silvana doesn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know,” Desdemona said quietly.
“So, the marriage proposal,” Brynn said, glaring at Frost as if blaming him for derailing everything. “I assume you heard Herald lays with Durra and decided that a cursed herald was the best option she had.”
“I suppose that played a role,” King Asmund took a sip of water. “But I also did my research and decided to see him for myself before I decided he’d marry Desdemona.”
“Dari,” Desdemona practically whispered. “He hasn’t said yes.”
“He’ll say yes,” King Asmund smiled politely at his sister. “Unless he’s saying a princess of Rilia is worth less than a Durra?”
“He didn’t marry Zinnia,” Renna snapped unable to contain herself. “And if he’s marrying anybody next it’s me you bastard! There’s a line to become his wife and there are at least a dozen elves in front!”
“Renna!” Lysandra growled. “Be quiet!”
“No!” Renna gestured angrily at Brynn. “I already had to give up my spot in line for her!” She followed up by pointing at Lysandra. “And I have to share him with that ancient bitch! It’s not fair!”
“Does she speak for you Herald Frost?” King Asmund stared exhaustedly at him. “Is there a line? Are you rejecting the proposal?”
“I haven’t decided,” Frost sighed while leaning back in his seat. He looked up at the ceiling. There was definitely a deal to be made but it needed to be a deal, not a demand. The princess was beautiful and she seemed pretty sweet despite the glowing red eyes and sharp teeth. As for the twenty pounds of raw meat thing, the elves were vegetarians and there was a surplus of meat from hunting anyway. But then there were those marks on Roselle. “If she’s a danger to the elves, I can’t have her in my village.”
“That sounds like a no,” Queen Rebecca said.
“For a follower of Solara you’re not very bright,” Ena quipped while scarfing down some peppers. “It certainly wasn’t a no.”
“Definitely wasn’t a no,” Fayeth agreed while sipping her drink.
“You’re actually considering this, aren’t you handsome?” Brynn sighed. “I understand that you see some polite woman there but she’s a demon. Demons wander from village to village devouring people. Technically, they’re not even demihumans, they’re monsters.”
“What does Desdemona say?” Frost asked while ignoring his wife’s objection. He stared at the demoness who looked like she just wanted to run away and hide. “Do you really want to be sold off to a man you’ve never met.”
“I’ll marry whoever my brother wants,” Desdemona mumbled while pulling out a bowl of water. She doused her towels in it as she cleaned herself up. She was surprisingly dainty for somebody who just devoured ten pounds of meat. “He’s always done what’s best for me.”
“He’s not doing what’s best for you,” Frost said while staring at the pale timid woman. “Let me paint you a picture of the type of husband I am. One morning, you will wake up wondering where I am and after about an hour of looking, you’ll finally find me in bed with several other women. You’ll want me to come back and cuddle with you but I’ll be called away to kill some monsters in Zira and when I come back, I’ll run right past you into Lysandra’s arms. I am not the type of man that should be married to anybody. I’ll neglect our marriage and I won’t even try to hide the fact I’m sleeping with other women.”
“He’s not lying,” Brynn said while staring jealousy at Lysandra and pouring herself a fresh glass of wine. Frost wasn’t counting but he was pretty sure the tiny woman finished at least two. Clearly the idea of him marrying somebody else was upsetting her.
“I don’t know why it’s always her,” Renna pouted.
“Herald Frost,” King Asmund scoffed while gesturing at his queens. “I have six wives. Do you really think I’m going to judge how many women you stick your prick in?”
“You?” Frost shook his head. “No. But I’m not considering marrying you.”
“I don’t mind,” Desdemona said timidly while covering the pig carcass in front of her with napkins to hide her work. She looked at him with crimson hope-filled eyes. “If you marry me, I promise not to be any trouble. If you’d like me to eat alone as to not disturb you, I’ll eat alone. I also don’t mind staying inside if you’re worried that I might hurt your elves. If you want me to wait in a room I’ll wait in a room. If you want to build me a house far away from the others, I’ll stay there. I promise to be a good girl and listen. And while the consummation is necessary for the marriage to be official, I am perfectly fine never consummating again.”
“Don’t say things you’ll regret,” Brynn laughed while guzzling down her fresh glass of wine. “Bastard.”
“Brynn,” Frost ran his fingers through the jealous bard’s short black hair. “We’ve talked about this…”
“I know!” Brynn snapped while leaning into his hand like an attention starved cat. “I knew you’d have other wives but you just married me this week!”
“She has a point,” Frost said while gently massaging the back of Brynn’s neck as if he were calming a wild dog.
It hadn’t really occurred to him how rushed everything was since his marriage to Brynn also happened fast. But with Desdemona things were even faster and it was slightly different. This wasn’t a princess accused of murdering her siblings attempting to form an alliance with a herald. This was a king attempting to marry off his sister.
King Asmund said he researched him but he still should have been asking more questions. Instead he quickly made a decision to send his sister away with a complete stranger. There were no questions about what an alliance could offer each of them because Frost had nothing to offer. Rilia was one of the largest countries on the continent and Pluma was minescule.
There was fundamentally no reason for Rilia to want an alliance. Even if he were to believe that the people of Rilia were nervous about followers of Shalia on the border, the people thought Shalia’s followers were cursed. Forming an alliance with a territory of cursed elves would probably make things worse.
The only sensible conclusion was that he was more interested in getting rid of his sister than the alliance itself.
“I’ll marry your sister,” Frost smiled playfully while sipping his wine. “We’ll set the date for next year...”
“I’m afraid I must insist it happens imminently,” King Asmund replied stoically as his wives looked nervous. There was clearly something else at play that he wasn’t telling Frost about. “The people cannot wait a year to have their fears addressed. If a marriage doesn’t happen immediately, I’ll be forced to act against the followers of Shalia.”
“It would be an insult to my wife and Zira to take on a second wife so soon after marriage,” Frost said undeterred by the threat. “Rumors will spread and her position as the future ruler of Zira will be jeopardized. I’ll agree to the marriage today but we can meet in the middle on when it’ll occur. Six months from now is a reasonable compromise.”
“That’s unacceptable,” King Asmund tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. “The marriage will take place as soon as possible. Every day that your territory sits on my border my people grow more uneasy. It’s my responsibility as their king to alleviate such worries.”
“Dari,” Desdemona tugged on the king’s arm. “If he’s willing to marry me is it really…”
“Desdemona,” King Asmund growled at his sister causing her shrivel up in her seat. He became instantly apologetic. “I’m sorry Des. I’m doing this for you.”
“For her?” Frost smirked as the king all but confirmed it wasn’t about the alliance. He definitely needed Desdemona gone for some reason. The queens were keeping quiet about the matter which was even more telling. Although Frost didn’t know what exactly was going on, he knew enough to know he was in a strong position to bargain. “I don’t suppose you happen to have a map of your kingdom handy?”
“Why?” King Asmund asked suspiciously.
“Well,” Frost smiled at Desdemona. “If I’m going to marry Desdemona, we need to discuss the dowry.”
“Dowry?” King Asmund shook his head no. “Herald Frost. This marriage benefits you. Rilia gains nothing from an alliance with a Herald of Shalia while you gain a powerful ally. It’s a generous arrangement.”
“Sure,” Frost grinned impishly. “But I was also thinking my domain is a little small for a Princess of Rilia. It’d probably be better if it were a little larger. Nothing unreasonable. Probably just stretch it to encompass the village of Serino. I’m also not a big fan of being landlocked and if I recall there’s a port city about fifty miles south of Serino, isn’t there?”
