Timothy yawned. It was already late in the evening.
He stood up and went to the fireplace. He then added wood to the fire. Normally this was James' job, but James was already asleep. The crackling of the flame was music to Timothy's ears and its warmth enveloped his shivering body with the much-needed heat.
"If you're sleepy, then we can just do this tomorrow" Lucia joined him. She lifted her hands and enjoyed the warmth.
Timothy shook his head. "No, I need to arrange this as soon as possible. Reinforcements from our allies should arrive next week. Our cavalry situation should have been fixed by then. What happened between Henry and Freya had already delayed our plans."
He then looked at Lucia. She was wearing a white nightgown and her hair was tied into a braid. It was clear that she was tired but she acted like she wasn't.
"I know you're already drowsy"
"So what?" she looked at him. "I'll wait for you to finish your negotiations with Henry. Besides, you might need me later."
Timothy did not insist. Besides, he also enjoyed her company.
"Well if you change your mind, you can always go to my room" he teased.
Lucia laughed and playfully punched him on his arm. "You wish! I'm not sleeping in the den of a predator lest I get devoured."
He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled. "So I'm a predator huh?" he sniffed her neck "then I'll devour you now"
He lifted and laid her on the floor. He then nibbled on her neck.
Lucia giggled and hit his back. "Stop it Tim. You're tickling me!"
But Timothy did not immediately stop and Lucia's giggles filled the room for a while. He then lifted his head and put his face close to hers. "So, am I still a predator?" he grinned.
Lucia playfully smiled and nodded.
"Oh really?" Timothy said with a laugh.
He was about to nibble on her neck again when Lucia held his face. She then lifted her head and kissed him.
It was a forceful kiss, but Timothy also put force into his. He felt his body heat up and his mind was drowned by the ecstatic feeling. His thoughts were lost and his senses were dulled. He forgot about everything and there was only a single thing on his mind- her.
After their lips parted, both of them were panting. Lucia smiled and put her warm palm on his cheek.
"When are we getting married?" she asked.
Her question gripped Timothy's heart. He had been avoiding that question for a while now. It was not because he didn't want to take her as his wife. He does. The heavens know that he truly does.
But he can't. Even though he wanted to, he can't. Their situation right now is dangerous. They were surrounded by enemies and their allies were unreliable. The road to taking Castonia from his father and the Wismarines will be paved with skulls. Nobody knows what will happen in the future.
He looked away. "We can't Lucia. Not yet. Not until I get the throne. You don't know how much I want to show the world that you are my Queen. You don't know how much I want to make you mine. But I still can't do that."
He sat and held her hand. He then looked at her with sadness in his eyes. "This war will be bloody. Even though we're doing our best to win, victory is still not assured. If I lose, then I will either be executed or branded as a traitor. I don't want you to become a widow or the wife of a traitor. We must wait until the war is over so that if I lose you can always cut your ties with me."
Timothy expected that Lucia will get angry but she didn't. Instead, she sat and hugged him.
"We are going to win Tim. We will win. And even if we don't, I will never cut my ties with you."
"But.." Timothy wanted to object, but Lucia stopped him.
"No buts. This is my choice and I say we escape this continent if we fail. And I'm sorry for asking. I know it's hard for you too." She then smiled and blushed "Let's.. let's just continue what we were doing"
Timothy was about to kiss her again when there was a knock on the door. So they finally arrived, he thought.
Lucia grinned. "Too bad Your Majesty. Your guests just arrived"
Timothy chuckled as he stood up. He then pulled Lucia up. "We can always resume later" he winked. But then he thought of something. "And you're sleeping in my room tonight."
Lucia opened her mouth to protest, but in the end she just gave a sigh and smiled. "As you wish"
Timothy opened the door and just as he expected, Henry and Freya were waiting outside.
"Took you a while" he commented as he lead them to the table.
Henry and Freya seated themselves in front of Timothy and Lucia.
"First of all, we want to give our thanks for your help." Freya looked at Henry and held his hands.
Henry smiled and bowed. "You have my gratitude. I was a fool and you opened my eyes."
"By the way Tim, Henry said that you have an offer for him. Having waited here, it must be important" Freya said.
"Yes" Timothy looked at Henry. "I will go straight to the point. I want you to train my cavalry. I just lost the Leons and I need heavy cavalry for the future battles."
Henry crossed his eyebrows. His face showed signs of confusion. "Your Majesty I don't understand."
"Your expertise Henry. I need it. We have an abundance of horses from the battle of Knightsend. We also have enough armor and weapons, with Solon being the main source of Castonian iron. As for the men, my soldiers are brave and disciplined. What we lack is the expertise."
"But I am a prisoner, am I not? I can't train your cavalry. Also, I can't train them on such short notice. I'm sorry Your Majesty, but I refuse."
Timothy smiled. Henry's response was similar to how he expected it to be. "I know the real reason of your reluctance. You are afraid that I will use the cavalry you trained against Tulosa."
Henry slowly nodded. "Yes. I am grateful for your kindness and I know you are doing this for your Kingdom. But I can't betray Tulosa."
"Well you're right. There may come a day when I use the cavalry against your nation. If your Knights fight against me, then I will annihilate them with my new cavalry detachment." Timothy stood up and sat on the table. "I have heard that Grand Master Nelson has been bedridden for a long time. Isn't that right Henry?"
"Yes. He is a good man but his body is already weak. But I don't see the connection Your Majesty"
"What will happen when he finally dies Henry? I am not ignorant about the current situation in Tulosa." He looked at Lucia. He got most of the information he currently have from her. Apparently, her network of merchants in Nirvana and Solon had provided her fresh news not just in Castonia but also in Tulosa, Vanadis and the neighboring Kingdoms.
He again looked at Henry. "There are three Master of Knights vying for the position of Grand Master. One of them is General Rickard, the cold-hearted leader of your invasion. One of them I've heard is a puppet of the nobles. And the last one is a puppet of the foreign Kingdoms. Such bad luck because none of them deserves to lead the Knights. All of them are also hostile against each other and blood will be spilled over the tittle of Grand Master. The nobles, the King and the other Kingdoms are now scheming for the eventual death of Grand Master Nelson. Now I will ask you again, what will happen after his death?"
Henry's face contorted. Timothy saw that his words had affected him. "I already know about that. Tulosa will again fall into civil war."
"Yes Henry. On the outside, the Order of the Knights is a perfect and clean organization. But it is not and you know that. It's hard to remain pure in this world. Grand Master Nelson did his best to keep the Order clean and he somehow succeeded. But now he's dying. The situation in Tulosa is like a volcano that is about to erupt. If I hadn't declared war to my father, I would have proposed that we wait for the death of the Grand Master before retaliating. That way, we will face a divided Tulosa."
"What you said is true King Timothy. But I still don't get the connection"
"Help me and I'll help you." Timothy finally said. "Train my cavalry and help me get the throne of Castonia. After my Kingdom is pacified, I will take my army to Tulosa and intervene. I will prevent a civil war and even if I couldn't, I will make sure that the people are safe. The Knights kept the people safe during your last civil war. But things will be different if the Knights are the source of the civil war. Your people will need a strong refuge to turn to in times of chaos. Castonia will be that refuge."
Henry shook his head. "How will that benefit you? And if I decide to support you, how is that different form conspiring with a foreign nation?"
"When Castonia saves the day, the relations between our two people will become warmer. For peace to last, we need to stop hating each other. Many of my own people will hate me for helping you. Nevertheless I must. I want a lasting peace Henry. Now for your second question, it is true that you are conspiring with a foreign nation. But is that really wrong? Is it wrong to seek help? You know me Henry. You know that I just want peace and prosperity for both our nations. So I will help you. But before that could happen, I need to win this war."
Henry was silent for several minutes. He just stared at the table, lost in thought. After a while, he nodded. "I will become your new cavalry trainer. And I hope that you will keep your word."
Timothy was delighted. With Henry's help, he can have a cavalry rivaling the strength of the Knights. He was actually worried that Henry would refuse, but in the end he was able to convince him.
"Good. It's settled then." Timothy stretched his arms and yawned. "Let's meet tomorrow Henry. Good night to the two of you."
Timothy grabbed Lucia's hand and was about to leave when Henry stopped him.
"Your Majesty" he called.
Timothy looked back and saw that Henry was still staring at the table. He was still thinking about something. He then looked at Timothy. "If we're going to work together, then I also need to stop your Kingdom from being destroyed. I actually have something to tell you. I kept this a secret despite your kindness because revealing it to you felt like a betrayal to my nation. I apologize for that. But now I must reveal this to you."
Timothy felt anxious. Henry was about to reveal something important. "What is it Henry?"
"It's the reason why General Rickard chose to assault Greenwater instead of Solon."
Timothy's heart skipped a beat. Ever since the first day of the invasion, he had always wondered why General Rickard chose Greenwater over Solon. It was a mystery that made him uneasy for the past months.
"Why?" he asked Henry.
Henry looked at him and said five words. "Calgari and Tulosa are allies"
In an instant, everything was revealed to Timothy. Calgari also wanted to invade Castonia but invading by land will put strain on their supply lines. The easiest and safest way to invade was taking Greenwater and supplying their army by the sea. General Rickard went for Greenwater to open the door for their allies.
Greenwater is currently undefended. Marquis Connel took most of his soldiers to Knightsend. He said in his letter that he only left a cohort in the city. The Calgarians should already know about this and were currently on their way to Greenwater. It wouldn't take them long to take the city. Timothy felt shivers down his spine.
"Lucia!" he called to his most trusted ally.
The look on Lucia's face revealed that she had also already realized the situation. "I will… I will immediately ask my father for help."
And just like that, the once peaceful night turned into a race to save Greenwater.