"Anyone would be lucky to be your mate Diana, you are strong, resourceful, full of fire that shines as bright as the Arora, and your strength is a part of who you are, it allows you to be you. If we do this, I expect you to be in the tournament as the leader of the Lady Knights of the Northern clan." My jaw fell open as I looked at him, my dark green eyes wide with shock.
"But that is the title of the queen." I whispered.
"It has been three hundred years since my mate died Diana the Lady's will listen to me but I have seen it even the oldest of lady knights come to you to ask for advice they respect you and they follow your orders better than they listen to General Mancan as the original lady night made a deal that a female would lead a lady it was agreed they would be the queens knights but with no queen thankfully they have worked with me." He said with a sigh.
"You are a good king and even Old Renee says if Lady Bellano would have followed you." I said softly. A smile graced his usually frowning face.
"It is an honor to know that, but it was her tale and triumph that led me to be as humble to the Lady Knights as I am. She suffered much to prove her worth and I would never want to insult." I give him a small smile and slowly pull my hand away
"Lady Freda what can we do for you?" I asked as his smile vanished and the confusion left his eyes as the hardness returned as his eyes turned to glare at the widowed Lady who was looking to mate with our king since she lost his brother.
"I thought I told you! You were not allowed back in this castle." King Logan spoke as he stood up.
"My King that is a little har…" She started.
"No not after what happened not only to my brother but to my nephew as well you will not…" I placed my hand on his arm.
"My king if I might?" I said softly.
"Silence your tongue child this is no place for you!" Lady Freda hissed at me.
He glared at her making her flinch back as I stood up blocking his view of her and spoke low. "She is still of the age to take a mate," I whispered softly too low for her to hear. "She could be a lady for the Conver prince."
He looked at me and gave a wicked grin as I sat down. "You wish to be back in a castle Freda then win the hand of Prince Harth of Conver. Because you will never be my mate or the mate of my son." He snarled the last part as she gasped.
"My king, surely you're joking. Why would you say such a thing what would Queen Amaila say to you putting one of her knights to this?"
"Amaila is gone Freda and Diana now has taken the spot of Leader of the Lady Knights till either I take a mate, or my son takes the throne and a mate." He snarled "And she is the one who suggested it!" I stood up and turned to her.
"As for you being a Lady knight to my understanding, you hung up your shield when you mated Duke Dracul. You have not yet retaken the knight's test thus you do not fall under the Lady knight status anymore." I said as I tilted my head as I spoke again. "If I'm wrong to get the Eldest to tell me otherwise but that will not change my mind. Not after what you did to the Duke." Her hazel eyes burned with anger as she screamed and lunged at me.
"That's enough!" Came from old Renee as she and elder Susan came in.
"Renee the king...:" She was cut off by a glare.
"You know the ways, Freda." Renee spoke gravely. "You gave up your shield, you must take the trials again before you can claim the right of a Lady Knight." Her eyes darkened to black as she hissed at her. "Try it, child, you were a low knight to begin with after 200 hundred years you are no match for even a page!" Frega pale face went red under her layers of makeup.
"How dare you!" She screeched, making my eye twitch as I resisted the urge to cover my ears.
"Silence that tongue or I will cut it out." Susan the elder of the Lady Knights spoke. "I would leave Freda if I were you. Lady Serenity rests Queen Amalia's soul but she is no longer here to defend your stupidity."
She opened her mouth to speak when a blade pressed itself to the hall of her throat. "Shut your mouth." The voice of my father said as he leaned forward "Or I will slit your throat." His ruby red eyes glinted with bloodlust. Her mouth clicked shut with an audible click. "Now you will leave Freda, or I will kill you here and now for the murder of the Duke Dragul." She started shaking as his blade removed from her throat and she bolted as fast as she could to get out of the great hall.
"What was that about?" Katherine asked as she walked in with Duke duckface and young Lord asshole.
"Nothing you need to worry about Katherine." Susan smiled at her and winked.
"Ok well, that seems like fun ok so let's see. I am surprised to see you here Lady Susan normally you are not until the pages have eaten." She smiled as she led the diplomats to the table. The young lord sneered at her.
"Young man watches your face before you get hurt." I said calmly. "You need not sneer at us just because we are not your definition of normal."
Katherine stopped and her blue eyes hard as she stepped back and as she stepped back, she brought her arm forward then back ramming her elbow square into his sternum. As he doubled over her knee found his face. "Now you little piss ant!" She snarls. "I have had enough of the sneer's and glares next time I won't be so nice!"
"Boy, what is your name?" King Login asked.
"Albaforth." He said it sounded a little distorted as he held his nose as black blood dripped from it.
"Then Albaforth keep your self-neutral while here you as well Garth if I find out you are harassing my Lady Knights; I will let them do as they please to you." He looked at them. "Also, Gareth try and go after Diana again and her father will hang you by your toes and beat you like a pinata." He snorted as he went back to his work. "And Susan, what do I owe the pleasure?"
A light chuckle came from her. "I wanted to be the first to see and hear how Lady Diana acts as she now holds the title of First Lady."
"How did you?" I asked looking at her then looked at him then back to her.
"I may have let it slip you would be the best one for the job, Little one." She said with a smile. I groaned and hissed at her as Father sat beside me.
"I think this will be good for you." He smiles at me and continued. "Besides that, the title will make fewer people try and win your hand."
"I do not believe so you know how much any of our males want her hand in Mating, but I would think she already picked someone." She gushed winking at me.
"No, I don't." I snarled at her, glaring at her.
"Tha…" I clapped a hand over her mouth.
"So, help me if you finish that sentence, I will have you cleaning the entire castle for the next three years!" I snarled as she went a little pale.
"Diana, are you hiding something from me?" My father asked.
"Nothing!" I snarled at them. "It's not like even if I did have more than respect for the person, they would not want me!" I storm out of the great hall.
"Diana!" Came the loud squeal from Loran.
"Hey, did you hear that we get to go kick some ass from the Conver clan and not start a war?!?" She exclaimed just about jumping up and down.
"I was the one who suggested going to see the strength of the others and remake alliances." I spoke softly.
"OHHH fun… hey, what's wrong?"
"Katherine and her mouth."
"Oh, about you know what about you know who?" She inquired.
"Yes." I answered softly.
"Oh, fun." She chuckled.
"So, who, all knows? I only told you and Kat." I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Me Kat and elder Susan who told Kat she would make her clean the dragon pens if she told anyone when she told me." I sighed softly. "Oh, come on Diana you and the king are only blind to each other." She tells me.
"Excuse me?" I ask her.
"Oh, come on you are too busy looking away to see the way he looks at you." She tells me. "You look away the minute he looks at you. Your strong, smart, and powerful woman."
"No." I sigh. "I am not good." I tell her.
"But you are the best I know." She smiles at me. "How about this." She leaned forward. "If you make it to the top ten in the tournament you have to tell your father who you're in love with." She grins. "If you are in the top three you have to conference to the King." She purrs at me.
"Really?" I sighed.
"Do we have a deal, My Lady?" She asked me. I sighed as my green eyes filled with both hope and fear as I held out my hand.
"Deal." I whisper as she takes my hand. "But if you reach the same, the same applies to you. You tell your family you tell the woman you love."
"You got yourself a deal!" She grins.