King Raff growled like a pit bull, it never took much to set him off.
The Windrider’s clenched their fists, Sigrid could see the unwillingness in their eyes but she had no plan to stop. With her words, whether they surrendered the map or not, the king would be suspicious of them, after all why would a powerful family like theirs want to possess such a sword if not to rebel?
"The crown prince has returned victorious from battle, magic has found a way to exist in women, we even have a divine messenger." She smiled cunningly. "To remove all doubt, I think that it would be a good idea to offer the map to the king in honor of the crown prince. Don’t you think so?"
She sat down, her job could be considered done, and another crack formed in Emmah’s halo, a big one this time round.
She had not acquired the first shard on her trip, and now, she would never acquire it.
As for the Windrider’s they could not defend themselves or deny having the map. The king would torture everyone on their estate to get answers, to avoid a disaster, the prime minister sent for the map.
****************
The whole of Eldoria was celebrating one victory, the king was celebrating two. He was sitting at the head of the table, sharing a hearty laugh with the nobles seated around him. Consort Rina was feeding him bits of meat with a fork, smiling coquettishly as always.
The esteemed lords and ladies all knew why the king was in a jovial mood, he had obtained a map from the Windrider’s which showed a location of the shard of a sword whose might was unmatched.
It was because of this that he was engaging in happy conversation with the nobles, duke Thorin in particular. As he had benefited from Sigrid’s clever mind, he liked the Thorin’s a little more than he did before.
A gentle breeze of wind whispered through the branches of trees on the open hunting field, sending a cascade of leaves dancing through the air like bubbles escaping the earth.
On the lush meadow that was surrounded by towering tress, long, ornate tables draped in rich crimson and gold tapestries stretched across the clearing. The tables were rich with an abundance of sumptuous dishes: roasted beef, chicken, pork, fish, cheese, salads, fruits and pastries. Golden goblets brimming with fox fire brew, mead and ale and other fine wines were overflowing. Crystal pitchers of exotic drinks from the mage estate were already half empty.
Royal musicians were positioned under an old elder tree, one of the few magic trees on the hunting grounds. Under it’s majestic canopy, they were playing enchanting melodies on their various instruments. It was not the only entertainment available, the king’s jesters were performing acrobatic feats that were both old and new to the eyes depending on how often one saw them perform.
The nobles had formed groups of four or more, gathered around tables, trees or sitting on the ground as they shared stories on various things. Their faces were smiling, most of them anyway, those that saw faces they didn’t like were quick to lose their smiles.
Emmah was in attendance, she was the center of attention where she was, surrounded by some young noble women. She was teaching them how to make flower crowns like the one Sigrid had worn on her wedding. They had become popular in Eldoria and a common sight on the heads of women at parties.
Those that had questions on what it was like to be a woman with magic approached her because of her sunny nature, it was different from Sigrid’s intimidating one. All the ladies that had associated with her so far were frightened of her, being around her was like being caught in the shadow of darkness.
"The second prince looks like he is ready to propose to Emmah." Cosmos commented in Sigrid’s mind.
"Is it surprising? He is the male lead, she is the...." she stopped, Emmah was not the female lead.
Her eyes roamed over the ladies present, the ones between ages eighteen to twenty five, which of them was the real female lead, she wondered.
Sigrid was uninterested in the entertainment, she was sitting far from all the festivities, near the musicians as she watched the king from her position. Her hands were not idle, she was enjoying some cheese and fox fire wine.
Cosmos and Brolin were sitting behind her, he was drinking some ale and Brolin was eating roasted venison.
"Look at the king, he is so happy, he is like a puppy with a new chew toy." she commented.
Cosmos laughed, "He did get a new toy."
Sigrid laughed as well, "I suppose so, the search for those shards is going to keep him occupied for a while." She turned around and looked at Cosmos. "What if I tattoo the second map on the back of new Risa and have someone whisper it into the ears of the king.
When we do her grand unveiling, he will even have more reason to take her in. Not only does she look like the love of his life but she comes bearing gifts that will lead him to greatness."
Her mind turned and she put the idea together, after all, it would not be so easy for the king to abandon Rina. A thought appeared in her mind and she gasped.
"Shit! I should have said that I saw in my dream that the Windrider’s have a map, not I heard from servants. The king would have approved women with magic immediately." she slapped her head and winced.
She noticed a group of young ladies making their way to her and she winced, she was avoiding them for a reason, she wanted no drama today__no more drama anyway. Sigrid stood up and turned around, rushing away from the hunting field and finding her way back to the castle.
Out of the blue, her hand was grabbed by someone, her instinct to survive immediately took a hold of her and the knife in her sleeve made an appearance.
When she raised her eyes and met the eyes of the person that dared to lay hands on her in the territory of the royal family, she was surprised to see that it was none other than her husband.
The knife stayed where it was, in fact she increased the pressure slightly and smirked, it looked like she was seriously considering killing him.
Roland’s spine shivered, the bells in his mind went off, his wife was dangerous, more than most people realized. With a few words, she had dealt the Windrider family a blow and seen to it that his savior Emmah was not rewarded at all for saving his life.
He walked forward slowly, which resulted in her taking a few steps back until her back hit the pillar. They had some privacy, no prying eyes could see them unless one came searching for them deliberately.
Roland tilted his head and the knife followed, a small bead of blood started to follow from where it cut him, it didn’t cause him pain but made him laugh in disbelief.
"A knife to the throat of your husband that has just returned from war, what do you hope to accomplish crown princess?"
Sigrid’s eyes trailed down, to the silver blade pressed against her abdomen, she raised her head and laughed snidely.
"A knife to the belly of your wife as soon as you return from war, other men start by saying, honey I am home. They also don’t bring home unwanted canaries as presents for their wives."
Roland leaned down with a part smug and part angry smoldering look in his eyes. It was if he wished to set her on fire, and not in the passionate way.
"Honey, I am home." he slowly said, dragging the words out angrily.