Part Two: In The Dragon's Lair

Chapter Five: Courtship

The late afternoon sun shone through the stained glass windows of King Edgar's council chamber, casting long splashes of color onto the richly carpeted floor. Cyan stood next to the King's chair, bent toward his ear, speaking in a low voice. The King listened intently, looking down at the floor. Suddenly, he brought both hands up to his face, covering it. He sat that way for nearly half a minute, his face covered, unmoving, then with a heavy sigh, he whispered,

"Thank God! Thank God!" Cyan nodded.

"Yes, Sire, thank the Lord indeed." Edgar rose from his chair and moved to a window depicting St. George standing over a slain dragon.

"This is amazing! To have Locke back with us, alive and well, and because of magic! Of all things! Imagine it! And Terra knew all along that she still had it, you say?"

"We believe so, Sire. We think she kept it a secret because she planned never to use it again." "That's certainly understandable," Edgar replied, "and perhaps wise as well. It has never meant anything but trouble for her, that's for certain."

"Yes, Sire, and Locke Cole is fortunate that she changed her mind on the matter."

"Yes," said the King, remembering that it was he who had sent Locke to Jidoor. "And so are we all. So are we all." He turned from the window and moved to the center of the room, beginning to pace, his hands behind his back as he walked. "We have our operative in place in Tzen?" he asked.

"Yes, Majesty. We expect news from him soon."

"And are we sure about Jidoor?" he asked Cyan.

"Yes, Sire, that trail is cold." Cyan replied. The King shook his head.

"Even when Locke was placed there, the Imperial sympathizers already knew of our interest in them, is that right?" Cyan nodded.

"It does appear that way, Your Majesty."

"So Locke was set up." the King said quietly.

"Majesty?" The King looked over at Cyan.

"I said that we were set up in Jidoor." he said angrily. "They somehow knew we had found out about them and they were waiting for us to make a move. We sent Locke right into a trap. But how did they know it was him? How did they ever find out about him?" Cyan nodded, looking down as he answered.

"Well, Setzer said that all the innkeepers were told to take names and descriptions of all visitors. They were afraid of the sympathizers and feared not to inform as directed. Locke registered without disguise and under his own name, in a place where they knew him to be a Returner." Edgar gritted his teeth.

"That was unwise of him. Nevertheless, I want the name of that innkeeper! He shall be dealt with!" Cyan shook his head.

"It would be of no use, Majesty. The man is dead."

"Dead!" replied the King, surprised. "When? How?" Cyan looked at the floor.

"It seems that he was accosted in an alley, Sire, by, uh, robbers."

"In an alley, you say! By robbers?" Cyan did not look up at Edgar. A glint shone in the eye of the young King as a look of understanding crossed his face. "Was this death investigated?" asked Edgar. "By the local authorities?" Cyan nodded, still looking at the floor. "And was Setzer questioned?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Cyan, "as Setzer was known to have spoken to all the innkeepers after Locke's misfortune. That put him in the way of suspicion, you see. But Setzer had an alibi that the authorities readily accepted. It seems he was with a young woman named Marceline de Leone... " Cyan stopped to clear his throat. "...all through the night in question. She is a member of one of Jidoor's oldest and most influential families, and she vouched for him. The authorities let him go immediately. The official police record states that the innkeeper was waylaid and killed in an alley by robbers." Cyan moved his eyes up and looked at the King. Edgar was smiling.

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All had been quiet in the five months that had passed since King Edgar had begun his espionage efforts in Jidoor and Tzen. The Kingdom of Figaro was just settling down from its celebration of a royal wedding, the uniting of its Prince Sabin to Lady Rowena of Maranda. So far, there had been no backlash in the old Imperial territory, in fact, the people of the southern continent seemed to embrace the pairing of their princess with the handsome prince of the Figaro line. The wedding had been an occasion for high spirits in the Kingdom of Figaro as well. The people seemed happy and optimistic. Even King Edgar found himself diverted from politics and absorbed in more pleasant matters of late.

This January morning, he sat in the castle conservatory with the one wedding guest who still remained at Figaro Castle, Lady Selena Suthernarshe, a young and lovely noblewoman of the Kingdom of Figaro.

"Are you comfortable, Selena, can I get you more tea?" asked the King.

"No, I'm quite comfortable, Majesty," answered Selena nervously, who really wished only to go home. She was just seventeen, and to her, the thirty-two-year-old Edgar was a much older man. She was here because her father, Lord Bertrand, the Fourteenth Earl of Suthernarshe, had made her stay. He had explained to her that she had caught the eye of His Majesty. Did she not know what an honor this was, to be asked to stay on by the King? Was she not aware that the King was under great pressure to marry, now that Prince Sabin had married? Selena did not care. She wanted to go home to her mother, to her friends, and to her carefree and privileged life at her father's great estate north of Figaro Castle. She had been here for two whole weeks, and she missed the lush and temperate valley nestled between the mountains that ran up either side of it. She did not like the hot and dry climate surrounding Figaro Castle. So she sat in the great chair in the King's conservatory, pouting and a little bit afraid. Although, she had to admit to herself, there had so far been little to fear. The King had been nothing but kind to her, attentive and rather sweet. And, she thought, he wasn't at all bad-looking. She would try to be nice.

"Yes, Sire, if you don't mind terribly, I would like another cup of this delicious tea."

"Call me Edgar, dear." Edgar smiled and poured.

He watched her face as she watched the cup. He had been watching her since her arrival with her father two weeks ago for the royal wedding. A real beauty, this one was, so grown up and filled out since he had last seen her. She was a bit tall, but not excessively so, and Edgar himself was tall. Her hair was abundant and shining, the dark blonde color of honey. Her large green eyes shone with intelligence and were set into an oval-shaped, delicate face. She was of noble blood on both sides -- her mother, the Countess Suthernarshe, had been a Baron's daughter -- and her choices of clothing and jewels showed her to be a lady of breeding and refined taste. She lacked the stylish sophistication he seemed to prefer in women, but she was very young, and he was after all not shopping for a girlfriend this time, but a queen.

She pursed her full lips to cool her tea. Edgar's eyes narrowed, watching her. He wasn't sure what she was thinking. He could see that she was nervous around him. Of course she was; she was a child, he was the King, she barely knew him, and her father had all but abandoned her here. But did she like him? Of course she likes you, Edgar, he told himself. All women like you. But he couldn't really tell with this one. She first struck him when they had danced. She seemed warm and yielding, yet when he drew her closer to him, she had pulled away and without a by-your-leave, had turned and walked out into the garden. He had followed her out. Standing behind her, he had asked what had frightened her. She told him that she was not afraid of him, but had thought him forward and so she had ended the dance. Her frankness, and the way she had felt in his arms, and the look of her bathed in moonlight, had decided for Edgar that his search for a queen was over. He had spoken to her father, and when all the guests had left the castle to go home, Lady Selena remained, and Edgar set out to win her affection. But he couldn't tell how he was doing, and curiously, that only deepened his resolve to have her embrace her already decided fate, that of becoming Queen Selena of the Kingdom of Figaro.

Edgar spent the next week almost entirely in Selena's company, and he found himself increasingly charmed by her. She was a bewildering combination of seductive woman and exasperating little girl, and he never once had a firm idea of where he stood with her. By turns deeply thoughtful and in command of herself, then giggling and silly, she was like quicksilver, and the more that Edgar contrived to catch her up in his net, the more he seemed caught himself. It was positively dizzying! The sun had just risen, and Edgar had not yet left the royal bedchamber. He intended to see to some minor business and then meet his lovely womanchild for breakfast before they went out riding. He would have to return her to her father soon. Time was running out for him to sweep her off her feet. His valet was just affixing the King's cloak to his shoulders when Cyan came in. He was out of breath and flushed.

"What is it, Cyan?" asked the King, smiling. "What could not wait for me to leave my bedroom?"

"News, Your Majesty. Grave news." Edgar listened, his heart in his throat. Calling a guard from the doorway, Edgar directed him to fetch Lady Selena at once, and have her brought to his private parlor.

The King entered his parlor, and saw that Selena was already there, sitting in an oversized chair, her brocaded shoes dangling off the floor. Edgar smiled at her.

"Come here, Selena." he said, and held out his hand. Hesitantly, she slid off the chair and moved up to him, taking his hand. "Something has come up, Selena, a matter of urgency, and so I must end our time together for now." He produced a large and sparkling emerald ring. "This was my father's gift to my mother on the occasion of their betrothal. It represented his love and esteem for her. She wore it all her life. Now, I hope that you will accept it from me, offered to you in the same spirit of love and affection with which my father gave it to my mother. I wish you to be my wife, Selena, and my Queen. If you say yes, I promise that I will love you always, and will do whatever I can to make you happy."

Selena looked up at him through her eyelashes, considering. She was nearly eighteen and, like all young ladies of her class, she would soon be married off no matter what. Her carefree child's life would be over regardless. Many of her friends had already been promised, mostly to old men, much older than Edgar, and some of them fat, and with bad teeth. It could be far worse, she knew. Edgar after all was handsome and he smelled nice. And he was the King! Each of her friends, all noblewomen, would marry and they would become Baronesses and Countesses and one of them was even going to be a Duchess. But she, Selena, would be Queen!

Selena said nothing, but instead smiled happily and held out her left hand, waggling her fingers, and bouncing up and down on her toes. Edgar reminded himself that she was only seventeen. Firmly grasping her wrist, he slipped the large emerald onto her third finger, then he pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms about her waist. She hung back, alarmed. He looked down into her eyes. She began to feel a panic rise up in her, then his mouth was on hers, tender and soft, his arms embracing, his hands gently exploring the curves of her back. His lips became more insistent, yet not harsh or clumsy. Another kind of sensation filled her then, unfamiliar and hotly exhilirating, squeezing out the panic, and she began to feel breathless and disoriented. She had been kissed before, certainly, but this kiss was not like the ones her young boyfriends had given her, not at all. The boys back home were unsure, hesitant, fearful of their emotions. She had always felt detached and in control, but not now. This man was not hesitant, not unsure. And she had lost her detachment. Without realizing it, she had moved her arms around his neck and was pressing up against him, kissing him back, no longer thinking of them as separate beings. She was not afraid anymore. She could go on like this forever. Suddenly, he broke the embrace. To her great disappointment, he began to walk her toward the door.

"Cyan will assign six of his best men to see you safely home to your father. You will stay there until I call for you again." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it, then released her and nodded to Cyan. As she exited the door and was flanked by the King's guards, Edgar called to her. "Tell your father to treat you well, Selena. Tell him that you are going to be Queen!"

Wide-eyed and lightly touching the back of her hand where he had kissed it, she watched his smiling face as the parlor door slowly closed.

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