Puppets and Puppeteers

Chapter III - Planning Ahead

Soon, the groom arrived. When I first heard about the engagement - the first one -, I thought those two could be a match made in heaven. All I knew about the prince were from rumors, but my general idea was correct. And upon meeting him, I couldn't be surer: they were the same. Two hot-headed, impulsive, militarily absorbed freaks, with a leadership aura that could attract anyone to follow them. In resume, two happy and strong idiots. I had to make them mine.

The wedding happened without any incidents. With me and Itzal as the witness, they made their vows in simple standard words. They decided not to face the king directly, but instead send them a marriage certificate and a letter reminding them to fulfill the agreement. The contract said its terms should be satisfied in three days after the marriage. No one would dare violate a magical contract; the punishment was death. Hence, they just had to wait.

"Before you go", I intervened when the ceremony ended, "I would like to receive my payment".

"I got some great games I didn't give you yet. Should that suffice?", Astrea promptly answered.

"I was thinking of something different".

"What would that be?", the prince asked suspiciously.

"Make me your lady-in-waiting".

***

Since it would be hard for them to go back to the royal mansion, I offered shelter in the third house of the Kovač. It was late, and this day should have been tiring for all parts, but we still had much to talk about. The house had been mostly abandoned by the family, so I used as a location to train my servants, who in exchange took care of the mansion. I sent Helena in advance to prepare them for our arrival; hence three maids wait for us at the door.

"Good night, milady", Irie, Aza and Naava saluted us.

"Good night. You can bring us some tea. We'll drink in the main office".

Naava directed Irie and Aza to prepare the tea while she guided us to the main office. We've just sat when the tea arrived. My servants were all wonderfully trained. Made me proud.

"It's late, so allow me to be direct. Do you have a copy of the contract, I would like to take a look at it".

Prince Ewan and Astrea exchanged a look before handing me a paper. The contract was clear and they did their best to avoid multiple interpretations. Nevertheless, there were many dangers hidden in those lines.

"I was right in guessing you're really impulsive and didn't think this through". By saying this, I thought I'd extract some reaction from the prince, but the look I got was from a broken soul. He still had a strong aura, but it was so filled with heaviness and sorrow, like someone who had given up on life. At that moment, Astrea extended her hand and grabbed his. It was an automatic movement, and I could see how she felt silly doing it, but that was enough to light his eyes again. All this happened in a few seconds, but it told me much about the situation.

I've met the prince once, before the event that cost his legs. It was in a court reunion, four years ago. When he talked to the generals, he was fierce and direct. Everyone would stop to listen, as soon as he opened his mouth. Everyone except the royal family. The other royals avoided him and looked down on him every time he got even a little close. His parents were similar. I even heard the King badmouthing him, although the prince just won an important battle in his name. After he became paraplegic, the situation definitely worsened. Enough to break him and make him think of himself as useless. However, there's nothing they can break that I can't fix.

"But your impulsiveness worked. And to be able to write this contract in such a short time, that's really commendable. You thought things quickly and got the best outcome of a bad situation. However, we still need to tie some loose ends". Some good words can change the whole direction of the conversation. The prince relaxed, and spoke without fear. That was the leader I was looking for.