Snippets of a Knight's Woe

Chapter 13: Negotiations

Aegis lets out an agitated grunt at the king's accusation and glares at him as he asks, "How long have you known?" The king grins. "I had a background check done on you the moment I chose you to guard my daughter."

The king stands up and moves to a counter with a bottle of brandy on it. "Do you want a drink, Prince?" Aegis scowls and grunts, "Looks like I'm going to need it." The king pours them each a glass of brandy and returns to his seat, placing Aegis's glass on the table in front of him.

Reclining in his chair, the king says, "So, Aegis, your lineage has never bothered me before. I let you guard my daughter fully knowing that you were the prince of Redivan." The king sips his brandy. "However, the current war has forced my hand in addressing this issue. I know that you have done everything these past couple of years to bury your past, even going so far as to lie to my daughter about it." Aegis grimaces and takes a big gulp from his glass. "I felt it was in the princess's best interest to withhold certain things about myself."

The king nods. "What I really want to know is why your father is causing all this chaos." Aegis sits upright in his chair. "I'm not so eager to divulge my family history at the mere question of it, King Rictus." Aegis swirls his glass. "However, I may be persuaded, provided that I have your daughter's hand in marriage."

King Rictus sips angrily at his glass. "You would really go so far as to condemn us all to war over my daughter?" Aegis nods resolutely. "I reckon I should at least get something from being my father's son, and there's nothing more that I want than your daughter." The prince continues, "You should know that my information ends when I left Redivan at eighteen."

The king takes a mouthful of brandy. "Will this information you offer answer my questions?" Aegis takes his own mouthful of brandy. "I do believe so. The reason I left is part of the reason the war started." King Rictus frowns at Aegis, understanding that the man in front of him will not let anything useful slip past his lips until his demands are met.

The king downs the last of his glass. "Do you love my daughter?" Aegis grins. "I love her as much as someone like me can love. I have never loved another, only her." The king places his empty glass on the table. "Would you ever hurt my daughter?" Aegis shakes his head. "Never. I would never hurt her." Aegis takes a drink from his glass and adds nonchalantly, "Except when I take her virginity. That will be the only time."

At hearing that, the king stands up and pours himself another glass of brandy, talking to himself. "Anora, forgive me for what I'm about to do." Rictus sits back down, and Aegis's curiosity is piqued. "Queen Anora, Amara's mother, she must have been beautiful." The king sighs and nods. "She was the most beautiful woman I ever met." The king chuckles. "She was also the weirdest," he shoots Aegis a look. "She would've loved you. She always believed in the whole 'I would die and/or kill for my love' thing, and you kind of embody that obsession she believed was deeply tied to true love."

Aegis grinned, knowing where this was going. The king sipped from his newly filled glass and cleared his throat. "I, King Rictus of Amaranthine, acknowledge your undying and steadfast devotion to my daughter." The king continues, watching Aegis's grin widen. "Should you ever harm her or let harm befall her, I will have your princely head." Rictus saw Aegis's eyes narrow and smirked as he added, "I know not many are capable of besting you in combat—I am included in this incapability—but trust me when I say that I would go to any lengths to see you dead, from poisoning to a random volley of arrows in a forest."

The king stared at Aegis for a few silent moments before stating, "You may marry my daughter, but know that I will always be watching." Aegis couldn't help but give the king a cocky smile, but a smile nonetheless. "Oh, Rictus, you can watch for an eternity, but when it comes to Amara, I won't fuck up." Aegis finished his brandy and smirked. "But I can't make the same promise for anything else."

King Rictus let out a heavy sigh. "Now that I've pawned my only daughter off for information, how about you keep up your end of the bargain?" Aegis placed his empty glass down and said in a cheerful manner, "Sure, I'll tell you everything I know, Father."