I joined my mother at the royal court, welcoming the delegation from the Kingdom of Kingfisher, which was our southerly neighbor and long-time ally. The one heading the delegation was a young woman around my sister's age, probably around the age of sixteen or seventeen, and the way she carried herself indicated that she was a member of the royal family.
"We apologize for our sudden arrival..." The young woman spoke. She certainly carried the air of grace and poise, and she was wearing a rather neutral expression. Her auburn hair was tied up into braids, and the silver tiara that she was wearing indicated that she was indeed a princess. "But the death of my father is a matter of grave importance, and I was chosen to head the delegation here to make it clear that this is really an urgent matter."
"I see..." My mother said as she eyed the princess and her entourage. "I assume that you are already aware of King Klaus' death, then?"
The princess nodded. "Yes. We were about to send a message of goodwill upon receiving the news, but with my father's sudden death, we had no other choice but to change our plan. We would like to discuss about the nature of our alliance and how we will go from here now that King Klaus and King Ulfric had died."
I listened to what they were saying. Both the Kingdom of Everfrost and the Kingdom of Kingfisher had forged an alliance after my father supported King Ulfric during the War of Three Princes, but with both kings dead, it was hard to determine how would things go from here as the alliance might potentially break. It seemed that whoever it was sitting on the throne of Kingfisher, he wished to make sure that both Everfrost and Kingfisher remained allies.
"Yes, it is an important matter..." My mother nodded. "Still, we are in the period of mourning and I believe this matter needs more than just one discussion to be resolved. Even so, you are welcome to stay here, and we will make sure that both you and your entourage are adequately accommodated."
"Thank you, Queen Katarina. We shall be in your care." The princess bowed. With that, the session was adjourned. Now, it was time for the princess to directly speak to me, the King of Everfrost.
Both the princess and I met in the meeting room, accompanied by our guards and retainers. She was sitting across the table, and she was quietly studying my face. I made sure to keep my expression neutral as I looked at her beautiful face.
It was already expected that the princess was quite a beauty, though I made sure to not say that out loud.
"You have my condolences, my lady..." I started as I addressed the princess.
"It is fine. While King Ulfric might be my father, he was rather distant to me since he favored my older brother, Sigurd. Still, thank you for the condolences, King Karol." The princess then smiled at me. "I believe this is our first time meeting each other, yes? I am Priscille Molthune Viviana, the Princess of Kingfisher, though you probably already know that."
I nodded. Princess Priscille had a rather elegant and mature aura, and she was graceful in her every movement. And while she wasn't much older than me, her aura of maturity seemed to make her like an adult.
"Though while I might be distant to my father, he was still my father. With his death, the kingdom had entered a period of upheaval where several factions may want to have someone else taking the throne." Princess Priscille said. "After winning the War of Three Princes, my father made sure to exile his brothers and render their claims invalid. But they aren't the only claimants and pretenders for the throne. We still have a few relatives who can use their own lineage to generate support from the nobility, and before long, another civil war may occur again."
"And since the alliance between Kingfisher and Everfrost has become shaky due to the deaths of our fathers, you are worried that these pretenders will try to wage war for the throne?" I asked.
Princess Priscille nodded. "Indeed. If nothing is done, then another war will occur, and considering that there are more than just three pretenders, unlike the last time, this war may become much bigger than the War of Three Princes."
"I can do what my father did, if that's the case." I suggested. Back then during the War of Three Princes, my father threw his support to Princess Priscille's father, supporting his claim for the throne.
"That is doable, but our concern here is to ensure that the war does not start. Also, if the nobility in Kingfisher becomes fractured due to the civil war, we may not stand a chance against the other pretenders, even with the help of the Frost King..." Princess Priscille stated.
"What about other kingdoms? The Kingdom of Bluewater and the Kingdom of Ironhill may throw their support." I said. Both these kingdoms share the borders with Kingfisher.
"Monarchs of Seas and Mountain aren't as charitable as your father, King Karol. If they see nothing to be gained in assisting us, they will not interfere." Princess Priscille stated.
"So, what do you suggest we do, then?" I asked her.
For some reason, Princess Priscille fidgeted. "About that... well..." She looked away. "We can strengthen our alliance through marriage."
"Marriage?" I blinked.
"Yes. It is normal for kingdoms to forge alliances with arranged marriages. In this case, both you and I can marry, and other pretenders will think twice before trying to fight for the throne if the sister of the king happens to be the Queen of Everfrost and the wife of the dreaded Frost King, the Monarch of Winter." Princess Priscilla said.
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The meeting between Princess Priscille and I was over, and I was left pondering about what the princess had suggested. I was in my study, accompanied by my steward and childhood friend, Linde. She was also present during the meeting, and she also heard the suggestion from the princess, and she somehow seemed flustered by the prospect of me being married to the princess.
"What do you think, Linde?" I asked the half-elf. "Do you think it's a proper choice for both Princess Priscille and I to marry?"
"W-well... arranged marriage is a staple among nobility at this point. Logically, that is the correct course of action if you wish to maintain the alliance between Kingfisher and Everfrost." Linde stated.
"Yeah..." I sighed. "Still, I hardly know her. And while I know that marrying for love is already too much, I'd rather know about whom I am going to be married with."
"..." Linde stayed quiet before she spoke, "The choice is yours, Karol. You are the king of Everfrost. Whatever choice you will take, I will remain by your side until I die..."
"Linde..." I said. I looked at my childhood's friend and saw a sad smile. Even I wasn't stupid enough to not notice what she felt about me, but I knew that by becoming a king, pursuing my personal happiness wasn't the best course of action.
"I will take my leave, then. Farewell." And with that, Linde left the room. I sighed now that I was alone.
Shaking my head, I ruffled my white hair before I let out another sigh.
[That girl clearly loves you, Karol.]
Dawn materialized behind me and spoke to me. I turned around and faced her. "I know. I'm not blind." I shook my head. "But I can't simply follow my heart and ignore what I am supposed to do, can I?"
[Heh, look at that. The mighty Frost King, the one who commands unspeakable power, is defeated by intricacies of marriage politics. Not that this is the first time it's happening, of course.]
Somehow, Dawn sounded much cheekier than before. I let out a huff before I asked her, "So, was there any of my ancestors who had to deal with this matter?"
[There were many instances of that over the years. I can list them for you, but it will take more than one night to tell you about it.] Dawn stated. [As a matter of fact, your father was an oddity among the previous Frost Kings, considering that he married your mother out of love instead of out of political convenience.]
"I see..." As much as I'd like to hear more from Dawn about her time with my father, I somehow felt it was rather inappropriate. "Still... even if I have to marry Princess Priscille, I don't want to be hasty. I wish to learn more about her first before I can decide on what to do next."
[If that's the case, why don't you go visit Kingfisher? Not only that you get to know the princess, but you will also learn about what's happening there. From there, you can also think of an alternative method on how to solve the problem regarding the alliance between both kingdoms.] Dawn suggested.
"Hmm... perhaps that can work?" I said. I smiled at Dawn. "Thanks for the suggestion, Dawn. You sure are very helpful."
Dawn huffed as she jutted her chin out while crossing her arms over her chest. [D-don't misunderstand! J-just because I am willing to help you doesn't mean I care about your predicament in particular! Since I am Everdawn, it is my duty to assist you in any way I can!]
I laughed. "Right, right... sure you are..." She somehow looked cute even though she was being so dishonest about her real feelings.
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"You wish to follow me back to Kingfisher?" Princess Priscille expressed her surprise when I told her about my wish to visit her kingdom. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. Even if we are to be married, I wish to learn more about you." I said. Of course, if there was another choice that could be made, then I would take that. "And for the time being, I have nothing better to do since the one who's ruling the kingdom is my mother, who is the regent. And since I am still young, perhaps I can learn more about our neighbor and longtime ally."
"I see..." Princess Priscille mused. "Well, if you insist, then I will not stop you. Though you don't have to do this for my sake." She looked away, trying to hide her reddening cheeks from me. "I was the one suggested the arranged marriage, after all. Truth be told, I am unsure if I am ready for that, though for the sake of my kingdom, I am willing anything."
"There is no need to be hasty. I will stay at Kingfisher for about a month so that I can learn about the kingdom. We can come up with a decision at that time, if you are fine with it." I tried to reassure her, and upon hearing that, the princess smiled. I could see what a beautiful woman Princess Priscilla was, and I couldn't help but stare at her.
"Thank you, King Karol. You are quite considerate and reasonable even though I was the one who made such an unreasonable suggestion in the first place." Princess Priscille said.
When I first saw Princess Priscille, I didn't know whether I could get along with her or not, but despite her sophisticated demeanor, it was rather easy for me to talk to her. Perhaps marrying her wasn't really that bad of an idea, though I figured that it wasn't a decision that I should take hastily. And I didn't even know whether I liked her romantically or not.
"Is there anything else you'd like to tell me?" Princess Priscille asked.
"Ah, I meant to ask this earlier..." I said. "Do you know about Sir Ayden of Riverheart?"
Princess Priscille raised an eyebrow. "Sir Ayden? Yes, I do. He is the finest knight and swordsman in Kingfisher. Why do you ask?"
"Well... I've been wondering what he is up to these days, honestly." I said. "Back in the days, he used to train me on how to fight and to wield sword. After he taught me everything he knew, he requested a release from my father's service and returned to Kingfisher."
"Ah... yes, I remember about him being away for a few years now." Princess Priscille said. "Sir Ayden is a rather elusive man, and he didn't really involve himself with his peers. He even declined being made a count, preferring to stay a knight and managing a small territory." The territory in question was Riverheart, hence why he was known as Sir Ayden of Riverheart. "He didn't even show up at the court after my father's death and my brother's coronation as the new king, sending an envoy instead. We're not even sure if he will support my brother as the new king in case if another civil war breaks out."
Sir Ayden was very hard to read as a man. During the War of Three Princes, he served the previous king, King Ulfric, as one of his knights, and he displayed his skill and valor, earning him glory. But now, no one was sure what he would do if another civil war broke out.
"I wish to talk to him as well. He is, after all, my teacher. Perhaps having him solidly on King Sigurd's side will deter the members of nobility from siding with other pretenders." I suggested. I wasn't sure if it could work or not, but at the very least, it was a start. As the King of Everfrost, even I knew the value in the alliance between both Kingfisher and Everfrost. I just wished to strengthen the alliance, which would of course benefit both kingdoms.
"I see..." Princess Priscille mused. "Thank you for your consideration, King Karol. I am sure that having Sir Ayden clearly on my brother's side will prevent another civil war from happening."
Now that I had told Princess Priscille about my decision, I then went to tell my mother. Naturally, she didn't like the idea of sending me away from my home, but after I explained to her in details about why it was a good idea to send me away to Kingfisher, she reluctantly agreed.
"I understand your intention, Karol..." My mother said. "Now that both your father and King Ulfric are dead, the alliance between Kingfisher and Everfrost is shaky, and many people will see an opportunity to seize the throne." She shook her head. "But please remember that this is still an internal affair of a foreign kingdom. Ultimately, we have little to no power to actually fix their problem. While it is in our best interest to keep King Sigurd in power, if it is their wish to replace him, then we will have no other choice but to accept it."
"I know, mother..." I nodded. Though I was sure that with me being there should be enough to tell those pretenders that it was a bad idea to try challenging for the throne. Now that I thought about it, the royal family of Kingfisher seemed to always have this problem in their succession, and the War of Three Princes was one instance of that. On the other hand, the royal family of Everfrost had no problem with succession due to the nature of Frost King. The Will of Everfrost was the one that would determine who would rule the kingdom, and if there was any pretender, it was already a foregone conclusion that they would always fail.
"Also, since you will be heading there, you should bring Linde and Duryath with you. They are great warriors, and they will keep you safe in case if something unthinkable happens. And do not forget to bring Everdawn with you." My mother told me. "In the hands of the Frost King, you will become unbeatable, no matter what happens. And besides that, I will make sure to prepare a contingent of elite soldiers as your guards."
Now that my mother was willing to let me go, I then told both Linde and Duryath about the trip. Duryath was excited by the prospect of heading over to somewhere warmer, though Linde seemed to have a complicated look on her face. No doubt that she was still thinking about the arranged marriage.
So, for the next few days, I prepared myself for the journey, and at the same time, I spent some time with Princess Priscille, learning more about her. While it was rather easy for me to talk to her, she was still pretty cautious in choosing her words. Perhaps she was just keeping her distance and maintaining her poise and grace as the Princess of Kingfisher.
And then, it was the day of departure, and it was time for me to leave Everfrost.
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My guards joined Princess Priscille's entourage as we headed south, passing through the Winterlands, a barren wasteland that was also the indicator for the border between Everfrost and Kingfisher. The further south we went, the warmer it got, and I decided to remove the enchanted ring that I always wore now that I didn't need it anymore.
"We will be passing through the Marshland which is a natural barrier between both our kingdoms. This is the place where lizardmen and kobolds live." Princess Priscille explained. The Marshland is a swampy area where the lands are flooded with water.
"Lizardmen and kobolds?" I inquired.
"They are similar to the orcs in your kingdom who live in Vilhammar. They are recognized as the subjects of the king. Though unlike the orcs, they never try to integrate themselves with other people in Kingfisher and prefer to stay in the Marshland." Princess Priscille told me. "There's also the fact that both lizardmen and kobolds are bitter rivals, and they often fight each other for territories."
"And you leave them be?" I asked. I couldn't imagine allowing the orcs in Vilhammar to freely fight each other for territories.
"As long as they don't disturb other subjects and stay put in the Marshland, we tolerate their existence. They sometimes offer their services as mercenaries though they never get mixed with the more civilized people in Kingfisher." From the sound of it, it seemed that the princess didn't really like both these lizardmen and kobolds.
Now that we were entering the Marshland, we made sure to travel down the dry part of the marsh. The smell of quagmire filled our nostrils, making the whole experience rather uncomfortable.
As we moved through the Marshland, we were suddenly stopped by the sounds of battle. It seemed that something was happening ahead of us.
"Your highness, it seems that both lizardmen and kobolds are fighting again." One of the soldiers informed Princess Priscille, and she just let out a sigh. It sounded like it was a common occurrence here.
"Well, can't say I didn't expect this to happen..." Princess Priscille grumbled.
"Would you like us to stop them? They are in our way, after all." The soldier asked.
Princess Priscille shook her head. "Leave them be. We all know who's going to win here. We will wait until they are finished."
Hearing the instruction, the soldiered saluted before he went to tell others to stay put while both lizardmen and kobolds were fighting each other to death.
"Unlike us, both lizardmen and kobolds are tribal in nature. They don't care about us, as long as they are left alone. Here in the Marshland, they are free to live their lives however they want, and that includes waging wars between each other." Princess Priscille explained. "There were several attempts to civilize these overgrown lizards, but their tribal nature prevented them from fitting in."
"You said earlier that you already know who's going to win. Do you mean the lizardmen?" I asked. "If the lizardmen are more likely to win against the kobolds, why haven't the kobolds driven to extinction yet?" From what I understood, lizardmen are reptilian creatures that can stand on two feet, and they are known for their ferocious nature. An adult lizardman towers even a healthy adult man. By contrast, kobolds are small and weak, and while they are known for their ingenuity, they stand no chance against lizardmen in terms of physical strength.
"That is true that kobolds are far weaker than lizardmen, but kobolds are also explosive breeders. They can reproduce at an alarmingly fast rate. So, while kobolds are weak physically, their huge numbers make up for it." Princess Priscille explained.
So, we waited for the battle to be over. Soon, the soldier from earlier returned back to the princess and informed her that the battle was over, with the kobolds running away from the lizardmen.
"Your highness, the battle is now over. And it seems that the lizardmen are going to clean up the path for us..." The soldier sounded unsure when he said that.
"Clean up the path? What do you mean?" I asked.
"That means the lizardmen are going to eat those who died during the battle. Another reason why they can't integrate themselves with us." Princess Priscille told me. "Do you wish to see them do the clean up, King Karol? I doubt they are going to care, though in case if you are curious..."
Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't curious. So, I decided to sate my curiosity. "I want to see." And so, without waiting, I headed over to the front so that I could watch the cleaning up process. Both Linde and Duryath made sure to accompany me for safety purpose.
Once I reached the front, I could see the lizardmen feasting on the corpses, kobolds and fellow lizardmen alike. The Will of Everfrost dulled my revulsion as I watched them picking up the dead kobolds off the marshy ground and eating the dead bodies without hesitation.
"Eugh..." Unlike me, Linde couldn't mask her revulsion as she watched the act of cannibalism before her eyes. Meanwhile, Duryath was watching the whole thing with interest.
As we watched the whole thing unfolding, one of the lizardmen noticed us and approached us. He was holding a kobold's leg, which he threw into his maw before he started chewing on it.
"Hrmhh... you smell different compared to others..." the lizardman said, his voice hoarse and gravelly. He flashed his sharp teeth as he chewed on the kobold's leg that he threw into his mouth earlier. "I see, I see... so you are the Ghost King of the North, correct?"
"Ghost King?" I frowned. The Frost King was always known by many names, but it was the first time I was called the Ghost King.
"I can sense countless souls inside you, little king..." The lizardman said. "Though now I am seeing you for the first time, it is strange to see that your own soul isn't lost in the myriad of ancient souls inside you."
"Ah... you mean the Will of Everfrost?" I understood what he meant. "Wait, you can sense it?"
"I am a shaman, I am capable of sensing this sort of thing..." The lizardman said, flashing a toothy grin. "By the way, my name is Sawtooth. I am certain this is your first time seeing this, so I have to apologize if we somehow disturb you." He chuckled to himself before he spat out a piece of bone to the ground. "We can't exactly waste good meat, can we?"
"Well, it's understandable, though it's not something that we get to see everyday..." I said. Now I understood why they would never be able to integrate themselves among other people. They would always remain here in the Marshland, and they would continue fighting the kobolds.
"We will be seeing each other again, little king. Now, be on your way. The fighting is over for today, so we will be returning home now." And so, Sawtooth and other lizardmen left the area, and the contingent could finally move forward. The soldiers began chatting with each other, talking about how scary and creepy these lizardmen were.
"Urp... I think I'm gonna skip dinner tonight..."
"Well, I guess that's one way to deal with dead bodies. Call them whatever you like, but never call the lizardmen wasteful."
"Do you think we can eat kobolds too?"
"You crazy? I doubt they taste good anyway."
"I'm glad they're staying here in this marsh and not with us."
As the soldiers continued chatting with each other, I returned to Princess Priscille's side. We safely made our way through the Marshland without incident. Our journey continued for two more days before we finally arrived at the capital of Kingfisher, Bournway.