Chapter Twenty Two: The Third Ring

         For a while the tour was strictly a tour. He showed me the different rooms, still with a completely blank expression on his face and I found it most interesting that he didn’t seem to find any interest in me. I didn’t care, in fact I was slightly relieved, it just seemed odd to me.

        When we arrived outside of the kings doors, he stopped. “My father requested your presence when we got here. The queen as well. Will you come in?” he asked. I nodded, and a guard opened the chamber doors, allowing both of us to enter. The king and queen were laughing when we entered, with some of the courtiers form out front with them. The king dismissed them all, save the queen and the prince, and of course, myself.

        “Princess Callea, we are most graced at your presence at our castle. Please, come take a seat,” I do as they say, and the prince does this as well, on a seat opposite from mine.

        “As I’m sure Lord Louis has informed you, our daughter Emma has been promised to the hand of Prince Darcy, the heir to their throne. However, we once swore we would not become involved with the war but yet here we are. We’ve always maintained a good relationship with both kingdoms, so therefore we wish to speak to you about this. And as we understand, you do not support the war… and you are heir to the throne of Aynah.”

        I nod my head, allowing for him to continue. “We propose a plan to help you stop the war.”

        I leaned forward, interested in whatever they planned to come up with.

        “The reason why we chose Emma to wed Prince Darcy was because Emma, if you couldn’t tell, is the most ravishing of our daughters.” This I had noticed; she had beautiful, flawless brown hair and her skin glowed. She was practically flawless and she was undoubtedly beautiful. “And we think that the prince will find her most comely. Emma has always had a way with words, you see,” the king admits. “A way of seduction. With this we think that sooner or later the prince will have to succumb to her and help stop the war.”

        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        Prince Keefe toured through more of the castle, all the while showing me more.

        “You don’t actually think that the plan will work, do you your highness?” I question him.

        He turns to me, knitting his eyebrows together. “What do you mean? Of course I think it will work.”

        “But what if,” I sigh, “what if Prince Darcy is an utter fool and doesn’t care for your sister in the least? What if she can’t manage to manipulate him into getting her way because he simply refuses to listen? It’s very possible, your highness, I have seen some of the most well composed men become things of terror when the subject of war has been brought up.”

        The prince turns back to stare at me, stopping in front of large doors I supposed lead to the ball room. “And I’m sure it is also true that you have seen these most well composed men fall to their knees over certain beauty as well.”

        “That is true, too,” I admit. I did very often get my way when I used that as my weapon. But it didn’t work on everyone; some men had become bloodthirsty beyond any sort of repair.

        “This is the ballroom,” the prince continues, opening the large wooden doors.

        At this I had to gasp. It was large and miraculous, clearly the most beautiful thing I had seen in Gathinbelle and it was a ballroom, much, much more extravagant than even the one of Aynah. Designs of exotic flowers lined the walls, and were embedded onto the stones of the railing on the large descending stairs.

        Emotions started coursing through my veins, and I’m not even sure what sparked them. I looked down at the white tiles and I came to understand things.

        First of all, I remembered why I had agreed to marrying Hadrian in the first place. Because he would have helped me stop the war. But in that moment, an epiphany broke loose. If I married Prince Keefe then Kaithron and Aynah would be forced to make peace, otherwise they would be forcing brother to fight against sister in a most literal way. Gathinbelle was on my side, wanting to bring peace to our war. 

        Ever since I was nine years old it had been my dream to stop the war. And I’d learned my lesson about love. That was that someone like me shouldn’t go looking for both love and peace. 

        “Prince Keefe,” I breathed, and I turned to him. He was actually smiling, which I didn’t understand. “I’ll marry you.”

        “You are a very wise young girl.”

        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

        “Callea,” Emma stuck a pin in my hair to hold up another curl. “You’re truly beautiful.”

        I turn to look at her in the mirror. “You are, too,” I tell her. I couldn’t even imagine why she would think such a thing about me when she is one of the only girls I have met who has been any sort of threat to my beauty. Usually, however, these women were vain and snooty. Emma seemed to feel nearly the same way as myself though; only she was grateful for hers at the same time that she loathed it.

        “Do you think the prince will like me?” she asked.        

        “I wouldn’t doubt it for a moment,” I replied honestly. “He’d be a fool not to fall instantly in love.”

        She sighed, still seeming unsure. “Alright. I’m finished with your hair.”

        She had managed to put my hair up in a French Twist and it looked rather nice. I wasn’t even in the least bit talented at hair so her lady in waiting did her own hair. 

        “Callea, I have a question for you.”

        I nod my head, allowing her to go on. “Why did you agree to marry my brother? Did you not only just meet him two days ago? And you had the choice, it wasn’t like you absolutely had to marry him. So as much as I love my brother, I must know.”

        I smile at her. “Well, you’ll understand why by the end of the night.”