Renton gave the troublesome bird a horrified expression. He could tell the creature was trying to toss the blame back at him. Interesting thing. His ears pricked at the mention that the bird had a master. Renton made a mental note of this. Perhaps he would have to seek out said master and have a little chat about a rude bird. Until then, he would try not to burn anymore tables.
Renton flushed crimson in embarrassment. “Yes of course Lady Maeve. Thank you for the advice. I will take my work to the courtyard. Perhaps I’ll find a more private place there.”
That last comment was for the benefit of the bird who had harassed him.
It was no coincidence at all that the Emperor took his entourage of guards and his battle maidens into the market place for a tour on this particular day. It wasn’t the perfect tropical weather. The normal oppressive heat was interrupted by a sea breeze that had graced them for the past day or so. It wasn’t the small artisan festival either. It wasn’t the food. It wasn’t any of that.
The Emperor and his soldiers and counselors were there to intercept the arrival of the Price of Delenveaux, Jean-Etienne, who was making a visit to his betrothed, the Queen of Veridian.
“Why do we bother with this… lowly third-son Prince, eh?” Rowena complained at her Emperor taking quite the familiar tone with him. She spoke in Eskran without fear of being overheard by the locals. Their tongue was foreign enough that it wasn’t likely anyone in the market within earshot would be able to understand them. Only the battle maidens could speak so casually with the Emperor. He wouldn’t tolerate it from anyone else. They were the pride of his military and often his company in bed.
“You know nothing of the war of love, Rowena.” The Emperor scolded her with a sly smile. She looked at him questioningly so he explained further. “This meeting is very important. It’s the first battle in my war for the Queen. If I defeat him here today, I’ll have all of the momentum. He’ll be scrambling to catch up.”
Rowena looked increasingly bored. “Why don’t you just take her if you’ve decided on the Queen?”
Owen tsked at her and affectionately fingered the ends of the braids that decorated one side of her hair. “Because Master Rivers says I have to stop just taking things that aren’t mine for a while. It’s drawing too much attention to me. Besides, I haven’t decided on the queen." He lied smoothly. "I’m deciding and I can’t have a little weasel get in my way while I make my choice.”
“What if you destroy her engagement but don’t want her for a wife after all?”
“Then I would say, perhaps, a queen should have been more careful with her heart. A wild foreign Emperor is risky to bet on.” He smirked.
Rowena looked intrigued by his answer. She didn’t know the queen at all but the idea of betrayal among powerful sovereigns and war as a fall out sounded fun to the warrior. “And what do you know about the war of love? Have you been in love, Emperor?”
Owen’s eyebrow arched up and his smile turned sly. “Perhaps. Ah - look - they’re parting the crowd to clear a path for the Prince and his men. Let’s welcome him, shall we?” He gave a curt nod to one of his guards who gave a signal to the other and the Emperor and his entire entourage gathered. They made a formation akin to a welcoming party with the Emperor and Master Rivers at the helm. Their company was large enough that the gathering effectively blocked the road leading back to the palace. The blockade meant that the Prince had to meet them.
Renton flushed crimson in embarrassment. “Yes of course Lady Maeve. Thank you for the advice. I will take my work to the courtyard. Perhaps I’ll find a more private place there.”
That last comment was for the benefit of the bird who had harassed him.
____
It was no coincidence at all that the Emperor took his entourage of guards and his battle maidens into the market place for a tour on this particular day. It wasn’t the perfect tropical weather. The normal oppressive heat was interrupted by a sea breeze that had graced them for the past day or so. It wasn’t the small artisan festival either. It wasn’t the food. It wasn’t any of that.
The Emperor and his soldiers and counselors were there to intercept the arrival of the Price of Delenveaux, Jean-Etienne, who was making a visit to his betrothed, the Queen of Veridian.
“Why do we bother with this… lowly third-son Prince, eh?” Rowena complained at her Emperor taking quite the familiar tone with him. She spoke in Eskran without fear of being overheard by the locals. Their tongue was foreign enough that it wasn’t likely anyone in the market within earshot would be able to understand them. Only the battle maidens could speak so casually with the Emperor. He wouldn’t tolerate it from anyone else. They were the pride of his military and often his company in bed.
“You know nothing of the war of love, Rowena.” The Emperor scolded her with a sly smile. She looked at him questioningly so he explained further. “This meeting is very important. It’s the first battle in my war for the Queen. If I defeat him here today, I’ll have all of the momentum. He’ll be scrambling to catch up.”
Rowena looked increasingly bored. “Why don’t you just take her if you’ve decided on the Queen?”
Owen tsked at her and affectionately fingered the ends of the braids that decorated one side of her hair. “Because Master Rivers says I have to stop just taking things that aren’t mine for a while. It’s drawing too much attention to me. Besides, I haven’t decided on the queen." He lied smoothly. "I’m deciding and I can’t have a little weasel get in my way while I make my choice.”
“What if you destroy her engagement but don’t want her for a wife after all?”
“Then I would say, perhaps, a queen should have been more careful with her heart. A wild foreign Emperor is risky to bet on.” He smirked.
Rowena looked intrigued by his answer. She didn’t know the queen at all but the idea of betrayal among powerful sovereigns and war as a fall out sounded fun to the warrior. “And what do you know about the war of love? Have you been in love, Emperor?”
Owen’s eyebrow arched up and his smile turned sly. “Perhaps. Ah - look - they’re parting the crowd to clear a path for the Prince and his men. Let’s welcome him, shall we?” He gave a curt nod to one of his guards who gave a signal to the other and the Emperor and his entire entourage gathered. They made a formation akin to a welcoming party with the Emperor and Master Rivers at the helm. Their company was large enough that the gathering effectively blocked the road leading back to the palace. The blockade meant that the Prince had to meet them.
Bitch, I'm limited edition.
The following 1 user Likes saronym's post: megs
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Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 12-16-2016, 02:18 PM
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RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 01-11-2017, 03:46 PM
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RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 01-17-2017, 11:16 AM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 01-17-2017, 10:39 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 01-18-2017, 10:06 AM
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RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 05-07-2017, 09:28 PM
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RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 12-17-2019, 01:33 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 12-17-2019, 05:29 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 12-28-2019, 08:44 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 01-12-2020, 07:10 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 01-14-2020, 07:14 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 12-29-2019, 02:17 AM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 01-14-2020, 06:11 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 01-17-2020, 02:35 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 01-17-2020, 05:02 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 01-31-2020, 06:36 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 02-06-2020, 06:24 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 02-21-2020, 05:59 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 01-20-2020, 04:42 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 02-01-2020, 02:51 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 02-07-2020, 02:26 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 02-21-2020, 09:46 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 03-01-2020, 05:47 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 03-10-2020, 07:28 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 07-04-2020, 12:48 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 07-25-2020, 12:57 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 03-02-2020, 11:19 AM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 03-14-2020, 12:34 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 07-23-2020, 09:57 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 08-25-2020, 11:02 AM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by saronym - 09-12-2020, 01:02 PM
RE: Love & War [Closed] - by megs - 09-25-2020, 01:11 PM