The Forged King

“No!” Neri demanded.

“Why would you let her go, mother?” Marina asked, “You never give up valuable assets most of the time.”

“I already told you, Marina—” Tessa began.

“Just because you are leaving our waters doesn’t mean you may drop formality,” Queen Clarisse said. Maybe she was as disappointed as her children.

“I met someone at the Wyrd Sister’s Academy,” Tessa explained, “He proposed to me, and I accepted. I informed your mother after the visit to Phoenix.”

Of course Queen Clarisse hadn’t given her up without a fight. Tessa had plotted this since her return.

“All this for some guard?” Marina asked, “Leaving your home because some oaf asked you to waste your life with him?”

“My word is law,” Queen Clarisse warned, disallowing further interrogation, “I will leave you three to sort your feelings out on this matter. Consider it a going away present.”

Marina watched her mother leave the room, along with any chance of keeping her best friend close.

“I thought you would be happy for me,” Tessa said.

“I want to see you!” Marina said, “You at least would be there on diplomatic visits, but now… Now I have no one.”

To her credit, Tessa’s eyes seemed regretful. It was a shame Marina didn’t trust them anymore, not after this betrayal.

“A guard?” Neri asked, “Not even someone with your same interests? You could have had—”

“I know very well what I could have had, Neri, and I never wanted it.”

“You don’t know—”

“I know!” Tessa said, “You’re not subtle. Do you know how grateful I was to go to the Wyrd Sisters Academy, because I knew you wouldn’t be there?”

“I’m still your prince.” Neri’s tone turned to ice. Marina moved in front of him.

“You never had to be with Neri,” she said.

“You naive child,” Tessa said, “Your brother will be king, and if he remains ever sure that I would be his perfect match, how long do you think I could refuse him?”

Marina couldn’t pretend she’d thought it an avoidable possibility until now, now when she needed Tessa to stay.

“Am I so horrible that you need move a whole kingdom away?” Neri asked.

Tessa shook her head.

“I suppose it’s my fault for finally making my feelings clear, but this has nothing to do with you, except perhaps in the speed of my acceptance. I love Singe, and I would do whatever it took to stay by his side.”

Neri scoffed.

“Lord Avery’s guard?” Neri asked, “The large one he claims is his best friend? The one always aloof to his surroundings? That is the man worth rejecting me for?”

Marina turned her glare to her brother.

“She told me he’s smarter than he’s given credit for. Maybe he looked aloof to you because you aren’t enough of a threat to him.”

“Marina,” Tessa growled, “You don’t need to fight my battles for me.”

“Of course, of course you knew,” Neri spat, “How will it feel when there’s no one left to pity you for a life of luxury without responsibility?”

Marina was quiet. Neri had been the greatest objector to her marriage with Ingvi.

“Well I would gladly trade places with you,” she spat back, “Perhaps without Tessa around, you’ll learn anything to do with governance instead of merely relying on your ability to move the waves.”

Neri flung his arm, and a whip of water from outside the room tossed Marina against the wall.

“I didn’t mind being a laughingstock between you,” Neri said, “But both of you should know your place.”

Marina looked through the servants schedules, determining who would be best suited to take care of who during the next council, still a season away. She needed some kind of distraction, and her mother’s dislike of event organizing gave her a table to hide the bruise Neri gave her.

A friendly hand washed away the ink as she was trying to erase an erroneous line.

“Once you’re finished with that, you can start the preparations on your upcoming wedding.”

Mirsham, the palace wizard, offered a wicked grin as Marina looked up at him. He was a blue-eyed cecaelia, leucism making him pale from his white hair to the tips of his tentacles, though as Marina had gone about her work where there was air, he had only the two legs at the moment. He’d taught Marina and Neri in the principals of magek and spellcasting, ironically supporting her most in studies outside of it. His presence reminded her of Neri’s comment again. She needed to know her place.

“What, no scowl for me?” Mirsham asked, “No conversation about how I should retire and force Tessa’s hand away from her betrothed?”

Marina didn’t even offer a polite frown.

“Would you like a quick lesson so you can dismiss me as your eraser?”

That helped her smile. Mirsham never stopped trying to produce some skill in her. Tessa teased her less, but Mirsham had his place in Marina’s heart.

“You may attempt.”

Mirsham took a blank piece of paper, then poured Marina’s inkwell down on it.

“I was going to use that.”

“You agreed to the lesson, your highness. Now I need you to will the ink off the page.”

“What a clear explanation.”

Mirsham merely tapped the paper.

Marina willed the page blank, to no response.

“Focus on the ink, not the surface.”

“How are you so sure that’s what I was focusing on?”

“Because I’ve known you since you were an infant. Now, ink.”

Marina focused on the black ink, willing it to float off the paper. Thick black tendrils moved into her hand, staining her arm black.

“Far from perfect,” she muttered.

Mirsham took her arm, wafting the stain back into the inkwell.

“Am I dismissed, your highness?” he asked.

Marina shook her head.

“No, I’d rather not find my arm stained for my meeting with Prince Ingvi.”

Mirsham’s face scrunched up.

“Your mother shouldn’t have given you up without a fight.”

“She was preventing a war,” Marina said. She’d heard the same gossip from the servants almost daily since the engagement.

“All she did was make it clear which child she considered expendable.”

That one stung.

“I’ll have Crown Prince Ingvi’s ear,” she claimed, “We’ve kept relations cool. He’ll have even less of a reason to start something.”

“He’ll use you as a reason,” Mirsham said, “He’ll see you smile at another, ideally from Mineria, but maybe he’ll use your friendship with Princess Ivy to start a conflict with Ilva, or the Forged Prince as an excuse to attack Phoenix. After all, his people came from Fire Mages once.”

“Even Ingvi isn’t foolish enough for that.”

“I don’t sit among politicians, your highness,” Mirsham said, “I sit among servants, and we know who goes first when a war comes on.”

Marina shook her head.

“Is that why you helped Tessa leave, so your fellow servant would be safe?”

There was only one way Tessa could have been sure she would be the transport to Phoenix, and that was if Mirsham insisted on it.

“I let Tessa go because then I could at least save one of you from a loveless marriage,” he made a point of not looking Marina in the eyes, “Besides, my retirement was all your mother’s idea. I like my role.”

Marina looked down.

“What makes you think my marriage to Ingvi will be loveless?” she asked.

“Because I’m not blind, and I heard that your interest may lie elsewhere.”

This wasn’t the first comment about Prince Reuben to reach Marina’s ear. She wouldn’t pretend there was no interest in him, but most of her thoughts about him were political. Solam having an heir changed the diplomatic landscape.

She’d be lying if she denied any fantasies of a life with him instead of the one she currently suffered, but that was mostly because it wouldn’t have Ingvi.

“My marriage to Ingvi may lack any love between us, but it is a choice made out of love for my kingdom, and a desire to see it safe.”

“A noble sacrifice, just as your mother intended.”

“And you wonder why she wanted you to retire,” Marina said. Mirsham seemed one of the few unintimidated by her mother. Her mother seemed to care just as little for him in return.

“Oh, she still wants me gone. If you would do me the favor of turning a blind-eye to the next prodigy you find, I would be much obliged.”

“I’ll be in another kingdom before you know it.”

“Narrat is expecting during the visit,” a sudden voice said over Marina’s shoulder, “They’re taking the whole month off, so I would advise against assigning them, though for all I know they may appreciate working with the elven queens. They have more experience with childbirth than any midwife.”

Marina made the note, smiling at the messenger, an older selkie man whose face bore whiskers that gave away his transformation.

“Are you available, Rusan?”

“Ever and always, your highness. I’d like to meet this Forged Prince if you may offer preferential treatment.”

She wrote him in for the Phoenix delegation, assuming Reuben would join.

“No one can accuse you of ensuring you won’t be missed,” Mirsham said.

“Learning how to run a household,” Marina justified.

“As if the Renuean court would let a Marin be in charge of anything.”

Marina rolled her eyes.

“Your highness,” one of the heralds said, “You really ought to prepare for your scheduled visit to Renue.”

“What’s that mortal phrase?” Mirsham said, “Speak of the Devil and he shall appear?”

“You’re the one who brought him up first, so I suppose the blame falls on you.”

“My sincerest apologies then, good luck on your visit.”

Marina took her notes and abandoned him as he kept waving.

Marina was uncomfortable in the warmer clothes Renue’s weather forced her to wear. They were better than being freezing, but it felt unnatural. At least they covered her bruise better than the often translucent clothes of home. This time she was outside, so only the bench she sat on and the ground beneath her feet were formed of ice.

She was startled from her complaints by a hand on her shoulder.

“I recommend identifying yourself,” she threatened.

“Brave face,” Ingvi said, “I almost believed you could defend yourself.” he walked around the bench and sat right next to her, arm around her shoulders. Again, she was grateful for his warmth, if nothing else.

“I was merely warning them of the inevitable reprisal you would have for someone harming your betrothed.”

“That depends on the harm,” Ingvi said.

Marina scoffed.

“Which list is shorter, the permissible harm, or the punishable?”

“I want your face unharmed at least,” he held her by the chin to prove his point, “As a Marin, I imagine your legs aren’t all that valuable to you, and of course to see you cry would be a great privilege.”

She pushed his hand away, already tired of the comments.

“So you like the look of my face?” she redirected.

“It’s your most redeeming quality,” he said, “Otherwise I would have insisted we not take the deal.”

Marina scowled. Ingvi would be sure to have her remembered as the woman so beautiful she prevented a war, just privilege of position and genetics.

“So if I weren’t pretty enough, our people would be fighting now.”

He tutted.

“Why are you so offended that I treat you as the sacrifice that you are? It’s not like you’ve hidden your dislike of me all that well.”

“Because you don’t seem to understand that my family avoids this conflict because we don’t want to risk our people, not because there’s any possibility we would lose.”

And she just ticked off another entry on the list of things she should never say.

“Which is exactly why Avalon would never side with you,” Ingvi said.

Avalon? Renue was going to bring in Avalon? Avalon had the greatest concentration of wizards. Save Ilva, they were the strongest kingdom. Arthur had nearly conquered every other kingdom before he stepped down. Even then Oberon was able to leverage their might to make the Sovereign council, and they had vowed that a weaker country attacked by its neighbor could call on them for aid.

“So you intend to win by cowardice and strategy?” she asked.

Ingvi pulled away, leaving her colder, but confirming her accusation.

“And how do you plan to prove us the aggressor?” she asked.

“It’s a smarter question to ask how you intend to prove otherwise,” Anarri said, suddenly leaning in between her and Ingvi, “Especially when you tell your mother. If she doesn’t trust you or your brother with military strategy, why would she expect King Gandr to trust Ingvi?”

“Not that it matters,” Ingvi said, “Whatever your opinion of our family, Marina, we consider this marriage far more valuable.” he took her hand, still a source of warmth in this freezing kingdom, “Perhaps our union may soften the rivalry between our two families.”

“You still name yourselves for the ancestor that killed mine.”

“And you still name yourselves for the ancestor who cursed my bloodline.”

They remained at a glaring impasse for the next few moment, Anarri leaving them.

“You don’t understand how lucky you are to be such a valuable bargaining chip. You will suffer no responsibility beyond bearing an heir. This much I can promise you.”

Marina understood that she was trapped, sold by her own mother, and she would endure as she had to.

“I’m well suited for responsibility, your highness. Can you say the same?”