"But in that case, you will spare all of them?"
She looked out the window once more, the bright lights blurring into a single sea of flames in the rims of her eyes.
"If I indeed agree to all of the terms you just listed, you will spare the Kingdom of Eversun?"
Her voice quivered.
He nodded, something unreadable flashing across his eyes for a split second.
"How do I know that you will keep your word?" She subtly gripped the dagger hidden within her sleeves, slowly pacing toward him. "How can I know that I can actually trust you and that you will not go back on your word?"
"Do you think you have terms to negotiate right now?"
The dangerous thought of killing the Northern King right now crossed her mind. If she could only get close enough, then no matter what his terms may be, he would never live to see them followed out. Then, she would simply die alongside her citizens in one last stand. And with their leader gone, the Northern forces will be forced to retreat.
"My Princess, do you agree or not?" His eyes glittered dangerously in the dark. "My patience is running thin, and the lifelines of the people of Eversun are growing even shorter."
He twirled around a curved blade that she had not previously noticed. The dark hilt had been pinned behind his robes, and it melted into the darkness. Daphne couldn't possibly imagine what other weapons and blades he might have hidden within his clothes. She only knew with certainty that she couldn't even bring the dagger near him right now without being struck to the ground.
She thought again. For a barbarian, he surely would not keep clothes on during a wedding night. That would be her chance to strike.
She took another long look at the people outside, her people outside, and she let go of the dagger.
"A coffin, is it?"
She turned her head up high to look him squarely in the eye.
"Fine."
Daphne wanted to add that she didn't want to be bound to him as his official wife anyway, but she held her tongue.
"I just hope that you will keep your word." She would kill him anyway.
In the background, her nanny sobbed as Daphne threw the rest of her pride to the ground.
"Unlike you, I always keep my word." He chuckled, raising the silver blade dangerously close to her neck until the tip rested at the tip of her chin. "For every day Your Highness stays with me, I promise that the people of Eversun will stay safe."
Daphne could feel the cold touch on her skin, and every hair on her body tingled. She forced herself to stay still.
"How about this, Your Highness, I'll even throw in an added benefit."
With a sudden whish, the Northern Barbarian King pointed the glistening silver blade towards Akira's remains, and Daphne could feel the way it sharply cut the air.
"Do you want her back?"
Daphne choked back her surprise. "Back?"
"How about I bring her back to life as a price to pay for my soon-to-be fair bride?" He smiled, showing two rows of pearly teeth.
Daphne didn't know how to respond, and all of her words became stuck in her throat. Was this man in front of her not only a barbarian but also a necromancer of some sort? She thought back to the rumors of how the Northern Barbarian King had signed a contract with Hell itself.
"Why do you so sound so surprised?" He paced towards Akira's corpse, and Daphne's Nanny hugged Akira harder, drawing her away from the menacing shadows. "I thought Your Highness knew."
Her heart pounded, and there was something that she must have once heard as a tall tale. There was definitely something that she had once heard about the Northern Barbarian King. But what was it? And why did it seem so familiar that it lingered at the border of her memories?
"Your maid was never dead in the first place."
Daphne scrambled to Akira's side, pushing the Northern Barbarian King aside.
Akira's face was pale, almost colorless. Her skin was paper white so that Daphne could see each and every snaking blue vein. The red brands of blood stamped onto her flesh were the only other source of color.
"It's merely a poison."
He held up a crystal blue vial, dangling it from his fingertips. It was small in size, perhaps only half a pinky in both length and width. "And for every poison, there's always a matching antidote."
Without much other thought, Daphne lunged for the glass. Even if this potion was merely water, she couldn't let the hope of saving Akira fly by like this.
He side-stepped, chuckling as if he enjoyed toying around with her.
She reached for it again, "I already told you that I would wed you."
He nodded, biting the skinny vial between his teeth.
He looked at her suggestively, his motive entirely clear. He wagged a finger at her, and to Daphne, it was like he was beckoning over a dog.
Daphne wanted to plunge her dagger straight into his heart right this instance.
Instead, seeing Akira's body on the floor, all she could do was to tip-toe and bring her lips up to his. Trying to avoid contact with his lips, she clenched her teeth around the curved glass. But even so, she was so close to him that she could feel every tension within his body.
Finally securing the bottle, she immediately recoiled. Luckily, he didn't keep her there either.
She ran back to Akira's side, uncapping the bottle. As her nanny held Akira's mouth open and titled Akira's body, Daphne forced the eggshell blue liquid down Akira's throat.
"Akira?" Her voice was soft, almost begging.
There was no response.
"Akira?" She called again, a tear rolling off her cheeks. "Please, respond to me."
With each subsequent call, her voice trembled even more.
She looked up to the Northern Barbarian King, unable to hide her contempt.
"You liar."
"Perhaps if Your Highness kisses me properly this time, your maid will come back to life." He joked, not at all caring about either Akira's life nor Daphne's misery.
"You liar," she spat again. "With this as a sign, how can I ever believe that you will not harm Eversun even if I follow your conditions?"
He gestured for her to look down.
Almost right on cue, the tips of Akira's eyelashes trembled.