Princess Careena DuGuerra rushed through the grounds of Kennai Palace looking for her best friend, Prince Kalas Galin. She had just arrived moments before to attend the wedding celebration of her sister, Princess Seline, to his brother, Prince Duran. She had expected Kalas to be among the party greeting her, but he wasn't which meant he was most likely meditating in his favorite spot.
She slowed as she reached the gardens of Kennai Palace. She found him, as she knew she would, under the old willow tree, with his eyes closed, breathing deeply. She admired him from a distance, and was a little shocked to see how much he had changed since she had last seen him.
It had only been a few months, but his muscles had grown even bigger since then, and his face had hardened. He had recently returned from his first Wandering as a member of the Paladin Order, and she had been waiting with great anticipation to speak with him.
She approached him quietly and sat down in front of him without making a sound, but she was not surprised when he spoke.
"I'm sorry I missed your arrival," he said quietly, "but you know how much I hate ceremony."
"That's all right, it gave me an excuse to leave early," she said.
Kalas slowly opened his eyes and smiled at his friend. His heart beat a little faster as he looked at her. Long blond hair framed her angelic face, and her breasts swelled under her dress. She was almost unanimously considered the most beautiful young woman in all of the Trikingdom.
The Trikingdom was made up of the kingdoms of Galin, DuGuerra, and Coderra. Generations ago, the kings of their nations had enacted a treaty combining the three kingdoms into one, large powerful kingdom ruled by the three kings.
To ensure the stability of the new combined kingdom, they set up a method for arranging marriages between the three kingdoms. The eldest sons and eldest daughters of two of the kingdoms would marry during one generation, while the third would seek a marriage from outside. The following generation, they would switch, and this continued generation after generation.
This generation, the kingdoms of Galin and DuGuerra were marrying, and Princess Careena's brother, King Lastel had married Prince Kalas' sister, Queen Elise, the previous year. Now Kalas' brother was marrying Careena's sister to finalize the arrangement.
"I have something to ask you," Careena said to Kalas, "and I know this is a little unorthodox, but I know how I feel about you, and I'm pretty sure you feel the same way about me. Kalas, will you marry me?"
Prince Kalas stared at her in shock. He had been in love with her for years, but since he was the second son, and she the second daughter, he knew they could never marry. There would be no political advantage to a marriage between the two of them. In fact, his father had arranged marriages for both of them to two separate nearby kingdoms.
"That is my heart's greatest desire," he told her honestly, "but you know it can never happen."
She smiled one of her mischievous smiles. "I figured out a way, and have already convinced my brother. Now all we have to do is convince your father."
"Tell me," he sighed, used to her crazy ideas.
"The duchy in Genoise is vacant, and the entire area is falling into chaos. We'd get married, become the duke and duchess of Genoise, and stabilize the area," she explained.
"Genoise is a cesspool of prostitutes, thieves, and assassins," Kalas complained. "In fact, I believe the last duke was murdered."
"I know, it's perfect," she said. "It's been an embarrassment to the Trikingdom for a long time, and who better to clean it up than a paladin." Kalas couldn't argue that point. Paladins were holy warriors. They did good deeds in exchange for certain magical powers from the gods.
"But what about the marriages that have already been arranged for us?" he asked.
"Your sister, Larise, can marry Prince Dumont in my place, and Loqui can marry Princess Trian," she said.
Prince Loqui Coderra was the eldest son of King Airon Coderra. Loqui was Kalas' cousin. The previous generation, marriages had taken place between Galin and Coderra.
"Loqui will never agree to that," Kalas complained. "He has rejected every proposal that his father has tried to arrange."
"He won't have a choice," Careena said. "He has already reached the age where he should have been married. My brother has already spoken with his father, and if we can get your father to agree, since he made the original arrangements, Loqui will marry Trian."
"What about the other kingdoms those arrangements were made with? They may not accept the changes," he argued.
"Do you want to marry me, or not?" she said, teasingly. "Loqui is a better arrangement for Trian, he's going to be king of Coderra, and Larise is equal to me."
"No she's not," Kalas said, becoming convinced of her plan, "you're more beautiful."
Careena blushed profusely. He was the only person that could make her feel self conscious. "You better not let her hear you say that," she warned him. "She is your sister, after all."
"I won't," he said, "I'm not stupid. So we just have to convince my father. He's not going to like it," he told her.
"I know, but I figured he'd be in a good mood today, with the wedding tomorrow, and we'd never have a better opportunity," she said. "We should go approach him right now."
"No, I think you should do it alone. If I'm with you he'll disagree just to spite me," Kalas said. His father had been furious when Kalas joined the ranks of the Paladins. Each of the three kingdoms specialized in an art which benefited the whole Trikingdom. DuGuerra was the center of magic, Coderra trained rogues and spies, and Galin specialized in warriors. The Paladins were warriors, but because they were sworn to only do good deeds, they were often viewed as weak, and were mistrusted by other warrior castes for their ability to use magic.
"You're probably right," she sighed. "I guess I hadn't thought about that. Do you think he'll agree?"
"I have faith in you," he said. "No one can resist your charm."
A few hours later, Careena found herself in front of King Bromen in his audience chamber. She had made her plea and the burly man sat staring at her stone-faced. Secretly he was pleased, and hoped to turn her request to his advantage.
"Why should I agree to this scheme of yours?" he asked, feigning anger. "It took me months to arrange those marriages."
"Please, my lord, the Trikingdom will lose nothing, and will gain some stability in a region that has long been lawless," she pleaded.
Bromen sat as if considering her argument for several seconds. "Minister Haldan, clear the chamber. I wish to speak with Princess Careena alone."
The minister quickly ushered everyone out of the chamber. It was not uncommon for the king to negotiate behind closed doors, especially if it appeared he might capitulate on some matter. He never liked to appear weak in front of his subjects.
"Breaking arrangements that I negotiated would damage my reputation," he told her. "If I am to allow this to occur I am going to require some favors from you, after the two of you are married."
"Anything, my lord," the princess said, eagerly.
"First, you're going to have to personally renegotiate the marriage arrangement with Prince Dumont. His father, King Darkin is a friend of mine so that shouldn't be too difficult. Second, you'll renegotiate the arrangement with Princess Trian. Her mother, Queen Islan, is very obstinate, and it was hard to arrange that marriage. She only agreed because Kalas is a Paladin," he almost spat the word, "so she believes her daughter could lead him around by the nose. She may balk at the union between her daughter and Loqui."
"Of course, my lord," Careena said quickly. She knew that someone would have to renegotiate with the other monarchs, and that King Bromen wouldn't be eager to do it himself. It would be very embarrassing for him to have to go back to the other two begging for forgiveness for breaking the previous arrangements.
"Lastly, to compensate me for the loss to my reputation, you must spend a night with me in my bedchamber, doing whatever I desire," he said, his voice filled with lust. He had been admiring her beauty for several years, and had been trying to figure out a way to get her into his bed.
Princess Careena was shocked and alarmed at the third request. "How could...what...I could never..." she stammered, before composing herself. Her cheeks burned with rage and embarrassment. "I could never sleep with a man other than my husband," she protested. She had seen the way King Bromen stared at her in the past, but she never imagined he would stoop to such a level.
"Then, I'm afraid you'll have to marry Prince Dumont," the king sneered. "I'm sure he'll appreciate your devotion to monogamy. What did you think the Blessing of Conception is for?"
Careena stared down at the ground, arguing with herself. She didn't think she could live married to anyone other than Kalas, he was her life, but the thought of sleeping with his father revolted her. The Blessing of Conception was a spell that had been created shortly after the Trikingdom had been formed. It was cast on royal couples once they were married, and allowed them to choose when they would conceive, and the sex of their child. The nature of the spell was such that neither of the pair could have a child with anyone else. King Bromen was suggesting that this side effect was the true reason for the spell.
She could see no way out of her predicament, and she hated the man for the decision he was forcing her to make. "I'll do it," she whispered, sullenly.
"What was that princess?" he asked, teasing her.
"I'll do it, my lord," she spat at him. "But Kalas must never know," she warned.
