Careena and Kalas had spent most of their honeymoon in bed. That first night they made love three more times, and Kalas had even managed to get Careena to take his cock into her mouth before they finally slept. The rest of their time was much of the same, only leaving their room for meals and short walks.
They made their way back to Kennai Palace a very satisfied couple, but Careena was also extremely apprehensive, although she hid it well. She couldn't get her mind off the promise she had made her father-in-law and how she could get out of keeping it, but she couldn't think of a way short of murdering him. He could annul her marriage to Kalas at any time he chose if she didn't do what he wanted.
Kalas could actually sense some of his new wife's apprehension, but he attributed it to the realization of actually being married now that the honeymoon was over. It would not be easy at first; they both had a lot of work ahead of them as the Duke and Duchess of Genoise. At one time Genoise had been a vacation destination for the wealthy aristocracy, but no longer. The duchy had been vacant for so long that the area had grown lawless and streets were filled with beggars. It would be up to the two of them to bring Genoise to order.
He also felt bad about leaving for his next Wandering when they arrived back in Kennai. It was tradition for a newly married paladin, but it meant that Careena would have to arrange for their move by herself. Really, all her things were already packed in Kennai; she had arranged her possessions before she left DuGuerra and they were just waiting to add his. Paladins were supposed to have few possessions, but being the son of a king and now a duke himself, that wasn't practical.
They arrived at the palace with little fanfare. Now that they were married, few would pay them any attention unless they somehow scandalized the rest of the royal family. Careena watched her new husband pack for his Wandering in his old rooms where she would be staying until he returned. Then they would both head out for their new life in Genoise.
"I wish I didn't have to go," he told her.
"I wish you didn't too," she lamented, for many reasons.
"It won't be that bad," he said. "I'll be back before you realize I'm gone, and our sisters are here to keep you company."
"I know," she said. She was clutching a rolled parchment that had been waiting for her, sealed, in the rooms. It was from Kalas' father, King Bromen, and she was reluctant to open it.
"What's that?" Kalas asked, noticing it for the first time.
"Oh, nothing," she said. "Your father just sent me a letter welcoming me to the family and it has a brief outline for negotiating with King Darkin and Queen Islan," she lied.
"That was kind of him," he said, hardly paying attention as he rechecked his pack.
She wanted to grab him around the shoulders and beg him not to go, to leave with her right now for Genoise, but she knew what the result of that would be. He slung his pack over his shoulder and turned to her and gave her a deep kiss.
"Don't worry, I'll be back in two weeks," he said, mistaking her distress for worry for his safety, "then we'll have the rest of our lives to spend together."
She nodded solemnly and they kissed again, then he turned and walked away. She watched him leave, feeling a deep hole in the pit of her stomach. She felt as if she wanted to vomit as she regarded the rolled up paper in her hand.
'Might as well get this over with,' she thought, as she broke the seal and took a seat on the bed. The letter was written in the king's hand, but it was no 'welcome to the family' note. It instructed her to meet him in his rooms that very night, and then gave step-by-step directions on how to navigate the secret escape passages in the castle to get from Kalas' rooms to his rooms. It did not mention a purpose for the meeting or anything crass, just the directions in a businesslike manner.
She cried as she rolled it back up. She would need it to find her way through the secret passages or she would have destroyed it right then. She hid it beneath some of her clothes in one of the drawers and then lay back on the bed and sobbed quietly for nearly an hour.
She finally got up, resigned to her fate. 'Seline and Larise are probably wondering where I am,' she thought as she inspected her face in the mirror. The signs of her cry were fading and she felt it safe to meet the two princesses for lunch.
****
Careena actually forgot about the king while she spent the remainder of the day with Seline and Larise, but as she retired to Kalas' rooms after supper the knot in her stomach returned. She sat on the bed for several minutes, staring into space, trying to get the courage to stand up and retrieve the letter.
Eventually she forced herself up, and her legs started moving. She got the letter, a candle, and started searching for the entrance to the secret passage. With the instructions from King Bromen, it was easy to find, and she soon found herself walking along the passage as if in a trance.
She couldn't remember how she got there, or how much time she had spent following the king's directions, but she stood in front of another entryway into the secret passage that was slightly open. She slowly pushed it open and saw the king's dimly lit bedchamber beyond.
"Welcome, my dear," she heard the king's deep voice say before she stepped through the entry. He was sitting in a chair off to the side, facing the secret passage door. He was obviously waiting for her as he smoked his pipe. He wore only his robe, and with his legs crossed Careena could see his thick naked calves and shins.