The Proposal

I remember that day like it was yesterday. The calling of our sighters atop the wall, the horses galloping in with an urgent message, my father welcoming them into his palace like old friends. He had been waiting for this day my entire life, but it was the one I’d been dreading.

  “King Asban.”

  The rider knelt to his knees, bowing his head at the feet of my father. I straightened up in my throne, eyeing the muscle of a man. His armor barely contained the bulk beneath; it was clear he was a worthy soldier. The other three behind him did the same, keeping their head bowed until they were told to rise. My father raised his chin ever so slightly, as he always did in the presence of neighboring kingdom’s subjects. My mother used to say it was his greatest pleasure to pretend to be an unappeasable ruler. My father took his place at his throne as the men rose to their feet. The lead rider clutched something in his hands like his life depended on it.

  Rashid, my father’s army commander, took the scroll from him and unraveled it. I already knew what it said, even before Rashid read it aloud for all to hear.

  King Asban,

  It is our greatest pleasure to join you this evening. We have sent riders ahead of us to announce the meaning of our meeting, in hopes you will prepare for our arrival appropriately. As you know, my son has come of age and is in search of a worthy bride. The importance of his betrothal is of the same as the betrothal of your own daughter. I’m aware you have denied her hand to the other three kingdom’s princes. It is my greatest honor to present my own son, in hopes you will find him a worthy fit for the Princess. Prince Sadeon is jubilant for this meeting; I do hope you consider our offer.

                                                                                                                                  Best Regards,

                                                                                                                                           King Thaddeus

  I felt all eyes burning into me and it took everything in me not to squirm. The marble I sat on suddenly felt very cold and unreliable. Rashid resealed the scroll and handed it off to one of his other soldiers. Among the eyes on me was the lead riders; his expression was a mixture of curiosity and expectation. I wondered what he might be thinking, as he watched me intently. Whatever he assessed of my reaction would be relayed to his King and Prince, so I gave away nothing, remaining neutrally uninterested. Inside though, I was burning. My father ordered Rashid to escort the riders to the lounge room. When they were gone, he turned to me somberly.

  “Kiara, you do understand the direness of this situation, don’t you?”

  Summoning all the control I could muster; I met his gaze. “Father, you cannot seriously consider King Thaddeus’ son to be a worthy ruler of our kingdom.”

  My father sighed. “Upon your request, I have denied the other three kingdoms. You cannot be without a husband, and Oceane cannot be without a ruler.”

  “Oceane has a ruler: you.” I resisted the urge to sneer.

  “I will not be around forever; the time for a new ruler is coming. All the other Princesses have accepted betrothals. Even your sister has taken it up with the Prince of Chamber, but it is not her birthright to form alliances with the other kingdoms. It is yours, Kiara.”

  “Arsenal is hardly the kingdom I’d like to ally with.” I turned away from him.

  He braceleted my wrist and pulled me closer to him, his kingly grace evaporating. “Arenal is the kingdom of weaponry and war; they are the allies all the kingdoms want. Arsenal is the only reason the other kingdoms have been able to keep the exiles at bay all this time. We cannot afford to deny their request.”

  I yanked from his grasp but held his gaze with equal menace. “They are brutes, father. The other kingdoms were denied and they have not cut ties with Oceane; what makes you think Arsenal will be any different?”

  “Because Thaddeus has had his eye on you for his son for as long as anyone can remember. I was surprised he wasn’t the first to make an offer for your hand, but I know why now. He knew you’d reject the other princes. He was waiting until we were out of options to introduce his son. You did this to yourself, Kiara.”

  “I can rule Oceane myself.” I suppressed a sigh.

  His features softened. “I know you can, but I don’t want you to have to. Our kingdom is vital for the survival of all the others. That is why there must be a king, and it must be someone who can protect Oceane.”

  I let his words sink in, but no matter how hard I tried to understand, I rejected the idea of being an Arsenal’s bride. For as long as I could remember, Arsenal was the kingdom all the other kingdoms feared. They were the fighters, the protectors of civilization, and our greatest assets according to my father.

  There were many kingdoms, but only five that stood out in the masses. Each kingdom had an important specialty that made them vital. Arsenal was the kingdom of weaponry and war, aka, the warriors. Chamber was the kingdom of labor and construction, aka, the crafters. Remedy was the kingdom of medicine and healing, aka, the healers. Prune was the kingdom of consumption and the art of farming, aka, the farmers. My kingdom, Oceane, was the kingdom of travel and trade. It was us who brought the other four kingdoms together, forming The Royal Five. We were the kingdom that spent most of our time at sea, delivering and trading between the other kingdoms. We were the reason the alliance had begun in the first place.

  A time long before ours, there was a thriving civilization full of technology and invention. It was believed to be the farthest humanity had ever advanced, nearly conquering the world. It was their own intelligence that had been their downfall. That world had burned after the destruction of the very technology that they relied on. For years, humanity struggled to survive without their former luxuries and it broke out into war. Entire countries were destroyed; completely wiped from existence. From the ruins, only a select few had survived. From those survivors, bands of communities were formed. It took decades for those communities to grow and rebuild. They turned to the history books, creating a society similar to the past. It was ironic, how history repeated itself so blatantly. We did take certain things from the ruins, such as electricity and plumbing, but technology was limited.

  Of course, we didn’t escape scot-free. There were certain people that couldn’t accept this kind of lifestyle, believing we had the chance to start where the world left off. They refused to form kingdoms or follow the rules of the new society. They were called exiles, pirates, outlaws. The only thing anyone knew about them was their defiance and unrelenting harassment of the kingdoms. Once, decades before I was born, they’d nearly succeeded in tearing down our network. They’d overpowered three kingdoms: Chamber, Prune and Remedy. Many thought it was the end of civilization as we knew it, until Arsenal stepped in. Arsenal, with the help of Oceane, managed to free the kingdoms of the resistance and the exiles had turned tail and ran. There hadn’t been an issue as severe since. The exiles still performed acts of piracy, stealing supplies from trading ships out at sea, but it didn’t slow the progress of our alliances.

  My father’s long, exasperated sigh tore me from my thoughts. “We will dine with King Thaddeus and the Prince before I make my final decision, but you know what will most likely be my answer.”

  I nodded defeatedly. “Of course, father.”

  With that, he stood and exited the hall to prepare for their arrival. I couldn’t have been more lost in that moment.  I couldn’t bare the thought that the only thing I had in store for my life was being the loyal wife to another. I had successfully evaded marriage until now, but my father was right. There had to be a worthy ruler of Oceane; I just wasn’t sure it was Prince Sadeon.

“The gown looks lovely on you, dear.” Lyla smiled warmly.

  I turned to my maiden. “It’s impossibly tight.”

  She scowled. “Of course it is, milady. How else will the Prince fall smitten?”

  I suppressed a shiver. “I told you not to call me that, Lyla. My father isn’t here.”

  She chuckled. “You may dress like a Princess, but you sure don’t act like one sometimes, milady. It is proper to address someone of your status respectively.”

  I checked myself out in the mirror one last time before allowing Lyla to lead me into the hall. The shoes she’d squeezed my feet into were already rubbing my skin raw. It was apparently important to look like a dainty flower in the presence of company. I didn’t see the point, given they’d already made an offer for my hand.

  Two soldiers I recognized as Ameel and Jericho nodded respectively as they opened the large oak doors to the dining room. My heart jumped at the sight of King Thaddeus and Prince Sadeon already sitting. As I approached the table, they rose to their feet and extended their welcomes. My father looked pleased with my attire as my seat was pulled out for me and I returned the greetings. In the few seconds the King and Prince rearranged themselves, I studied them.

  When we were young, Sadeon and I had friends, as much as a Prince and Princess from neighboring kingdoms could be friends. I would play in the palace garden and during Arsenal’s visits, Sadeon would join me. I liked the flowers and he liked the hiding places. I’d even had a crush on him back then, but it had been innocent. Now, I didn’t even recognize the man sitting across from me. His dirty blonde hair was slicked back with a single strand dangling in his face. His broad shoulders straightened with a practiced posture. His piercing green eyes darted between my father and Thaddeus as they continued their conversation. The suit he wore couldn’t hide the muscle beneath. He was an Arsenal now, full-fledged and ready for war. Every move he made was steady. It wasn’t until he met my eyes that I fully understood the power and strength behind this façade. I held his gaze firmly, a ripple of excitement running up my spine.

  I’d been introduced to many Princes, but none of those meetings compared to this moment. I didn’t want to be just be a wife, or a submissive subject, I wanted to be a traveler, an adventurer, even a warrior for my kingdom. It was as if he saw this; the same feeling reflecting in himself. Unlike the other Princes, he saw me as his equal. I was instantly struck with a newfound respect for the man he’d become. The moment passed before the Kings took notice and Sadeon looked away to say something to his father.

  “Princess Kiara, it’s a pleasure to see how much you have grown since we last saw you.” Thaddeus tore me away from my thoughts.

  I smiled. “As have you, King Thaddeus.”

  Sadeon stifled a laugh mid-drink and choked. My father scowled at me but I was pleased with the hardening in Thaddeus’ eyes. He licked his teeth and motioned for one of the servants to pour him more wine.

  “Apologize.” My father hissed a whisper.

  Thaddeus waved his hand dismissively and smiled. “Not necessary, Asban. Kiara is probably the only lady I’ll ever allow to joke with me in such a manner. It’s nice to be in the presence of such a lively audience.”

  “He’s right.” Sadeon turned to my father. “The other kingdoms aren’t half as sprightly as Oceane. People here are wonderful.”

  “You’ve visited them recently?” My father raised an eyebrow.

  Thaddeus cleared his throat. “Well, of course. My son has been the infatuation of many up and coming Princesses. He’s quite the charmer.”

  At this, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. My father nodded, but I could see the resentment in his eyes. Sadeon lowered his gaze to the plate in front of him as if embarrassed.

  “But it was he who asked me to extend the request for Kiara’s hand.” Thaddeus’ smile widened.

  “Father.” Sadeon glared. “You know that’s not how it happened.”

  Thaddeus laughed. “There’s no need to be embarrassed son. Asban and I have known since you were kids that it was a promising fit. The two of you have always been drawn to each other.”

  I sipped at my wine, hoping the awkwardness would be numbed at the bottom of the glass. Sadeon sighed and ran a hand through his stiff hair, before realizing it was already slicked back. He chewed on his lip uncomfortably.

  “It’s alright.” I offered him a small smile. “Really.”

  He met my eyes again and returned a shy smile. Although I was still opposed to handing over my throne, I couldn’t bare to see him suffer any longer. I was just as familiar with being the subject of my father’s embarrassment.

  “It really wasn’t like that. I just thought Oceane Royalty was the most fitting of kingdoms to help rule over Arsenal.”

  “Arsenal?” I turned to my father. “I thought we would be ruling Oceane.”

  My father cleared his throat. “The decision of where the new couple resides is solely the new King’s. If you are to be married, Sadeon would choose which kingdom to take over.”

  “Are you saying I would have to move to The Arsenal Kingdom?” I couldn’t hide the pitch in my tone.

  Sadeon put up a hand. “Kiara, it’s not decided.”

  “it sounds like you’ve already chosen.” I glared at him. “What would happen to Oceane if I left?”

  “The next in line would take over. I’m aware you have two siblings, a brother and a sister?” Thaddeus leaned forward.

  I thought about Amelia, who was already promised to one of the princes of Chamber. Since the beginning, not one of Chamber’s Royals had left their kingdom. It was unlikely her prince would break this tradition. Then I thought of Armelle. My brother was even less likely to take a bride, but he would be a fit king. In fact, it was his birthright before it was mine, but he’d refused it, leaving it to me, the second born. Armelle preferred travelling the seas as a soldier, and my father permitted him his wish given he was one of the best fighters in Oceane. I wished he was with me then; there was no way he’d let me be taken to Arsenal.

  “My brother is hardly here and my sister is more likely to move to move to Chamber. What if neither of them take leadership In Oceane? What then?” I met the King’s gaze.

  Thaddeus gave me a disinterested look. “Then a new Royal Family will be assigned to Oceane, but I don’t think it will come to that. Your brother is first born; I’m sure he will assume his rightful place as King if it comes to that.”

  I exchanged a look with my father. “And you’re okay with leaving our kingdom to chance?”

  “Kiara.” He spoke through gritted teeth.

  “No.” I rose to my feet. “I have the right to reject, even if you accept. As long as the fate of Oceane is left to the unknown, so is this arrangement.”

  As I exited, I heard Thaddeus let out a small chuckle.

  “Fiery, just like her mother.”