With wide eyes, Oriana screamed in fright, having been startled from her sleep. It took her a second to calm down as she looked at Celsy, who was shaking in anger.
"CELSY! You scared me half to death! What is the -?" She started to ask, but she stopped. She knew what was wrong and threw the blanket over Donovan as she scurried to the edge of the bed to grab one to wrap around herself. Her face was scarlet. They'd been caught in a very compromising position.
"You!" Celsy's eyes were narrowed at Donovan in a deep, seething anger.
She would head to the hearth and grab the fire poker. Coming over, she intended on striking the man dead. Donovan didn't look very happy about being rudely awakened either; he was certain her screams had attracted others. To prevent other unwanted guests, he put up a barrier on the door and in the hall. That way, no one else would come in and see what had happened. His large hand gripped the fire iron easily, able to keep the small, angry woman from attempting to kill him.
"You've taken her purity and spit in our faces with this heinous display. Is this what really happened! Did you two use the chaos of the attack in Asra to sneak off and..."
Oriana interrupted Celsy quickly "He didn't sully anything. I gave it to him!" That was what had happened. "It was pure and beautiful," she gushed. "Donovan found me after I had been kidnapped and swooped in to save me!" she continued as she looked at Donovan with a sweet, warm smile. The iron dropped from Celsy's grip, which prompted Donovan to let go as well. The poker dropped noisily on the stone ground, deformed from Donovan's powerful grip.
"He enchanted you! He used his magic and made you feel phenomenal. "
"He doesn't need to use magic, but it does enhance..." She stopped her sentence short, feeling her cheeks burning. Celsy blushed too and would take Oriana by the shoulders and pull her away from Donovan.
"You poor, sweet child!" she cried out. "Bewitched by this monster! I'm happy you're safe. But to find your mind in such a state!"
"He's not a monster; he's my savior." Oriana grumbled, her face buried in Celsy's chest by the older woman really holding onto her.
"Are you sure? I saw what was between his legs. How are you even able to stand?" she asked quietly.
"Balance," Oriana teased. "I'm fine, Celsy. But we need to keep this quiet. You're going to get us all into trouble," she reminded her.
"No, it will just get Donovan." Celsy tried to argue before Oriana interrupted her.
"It won't. My kingdom would suffer greatly. We need to keep this quiet. We should be more concerned about the details regarding my kidnapping." Putting her hand on Celsy's shoulder, Oriana gave her a soft smile. "Will you please keep my secret, especially from Killian?" she asked her.
"Of course! I wouldn't let anything happen to you. What in the name of Asorath happened in Asra? You two have been missing for days! Who kidnapped you!?"
"I will tell you everything. But let's wait for Killian. It's a long story, and I would prefer to only tell it once."
"Fine, we can wait," Celsy replied.
"Will you support us?" Oriana asked. That had Celsy shaking her head.
"Oriana, one night is fine, I guess. However, you cannot have a relationship with that man." Celsy replied.
Oriana frowned before saying, "Celsy, I want to be with him. I care about him."
Shaking her head, Celsy replied, "If word ever got out that you were having a relationship with a mage, Medeis would not sit idly by. They would send their grand mages in to end it. You can't hide that look of love on your face!"
"Why should they tell me who I can be with?" Oriana grumbled.
"It's not just about you and him. You are the ruler of Barough. If it looks like you are trying to make a stand against Medeis, they will crush you. They have done it in the past. Remember the story of Draxel?" Celsy reminded her.
"Yes, I remember. They tried to rebel against Medeis's laws. They said they were going to do things their way. So Medeis designated them a lawless mage zone. That is, any mage activity in the kingdom was legal, regardless of the circumstances. That night, the capital city was hit with an Ultima level magic spell. One that turned the entire city and its people to dust, including the royal family. That was three hundred years ago."
Celsy nodded "We cannot let the same fate fall on Barough. Especially with the Alvisio family and the Blood Prince running Medeis. No doubt they would unleash Maximus Alvisio upon us if they found out."
"I am not afraid of him. If they send him, I will be civil and polite. No doubt, after a great meal and polite conversation, he'd leave us be." Oriana exclaimed.
"What about Prince Tyir?" Celsy asked.
Oriana nodded before saying, "Tyir and Winter Haven were behind everything. Including the murder of my father."
Celsy gasped after hearing that. "Are you sure of this?" She asked.
Donovan then interrupted, "I think once you hear the story, you won't want to hear about him again! Oriana and I are in love. She is my woman, and that is the end of it. If you're going to support us, then just do it." Donovan told Celsy.
"Well said, Donovan. Please, Celsy, do me a favor and get Killian. Let's meet up in half an hour in our family dining room. I will explain everything that has happened in the past few days over breakfast. Then we can decide what to do." Oriana told Celsy.
With a nod, Celsy hurried out of the room. She would make sure word got out that Oriana was safe. Once breakfast was ready, Celsy, Donovan, and Oriana would meet up.
Oriana explained to Killian and Celsy everything that had transpired during her stay in Winter Haven while they had breakfast while Donovan inhaled his breakfast. While they ate, they explained that Winter Haven was responsible for killing her father.
"While they are reeling from Agnodice's assault, we should strike them with everything we have for doing such a thing!" Killian shouted as he slammed his hand down on the table.
However, Donovan stopped eating for a second to speak. "That won't be necessary,"
Looking at the mage, Killian raised an eyebrow "Oh really? So, you think they should go unpunished?"
Shaking his head, Donovan replied, "No, they will be punished by Medeis. I have already sent a letter, and the Agnodice is most likely already talking to the Council of Saints. Winter Haven has been supporting not just the cult of Beelzebub, but they have also been backing the pirates of the Torexe islands. Recently, the pirates have been causing a problem for Medeis's shipments. Medeis suspected the pirates had a new backer. Now that Medeis knows it's Winter Haven, they will be seen as directly backing a source that has attacked Medeis's vessels."
Killian followed up with "Meaning?"
Donovan smiled and replied, "This is no longer considered just a matter between kingdoms. Winter Haven is fair game for Medeis, including the Imperium. They will most likely surrender their royal family to Medeis if they haven't already gone into hiding."
Killian crossed his arms and nodded, "A fitting end to those scum, if you ask me. I hope they send the Blood Prince himself to finish them off."
Smirking, Donovan nodded, "Me too." Killian stood up and straightened out his clothing.
Oriana looked at him and asked, "Where are you going?"
Killian looked at Oriana and said, "I need to round up the guards and maids that Winter Haven has been giving us. I am willing to bet they are spies. Figure out what they know. If word gets to them about the assault on the castle, it is possible they might try to rebel."
Donovan promptly finished the turkey leg he was eating and said, "I will come with you. We don't need them causing any more problems."
"I am going to hang them from the gallows for treason!" Killian growled.
Oriana sighed at Killian's reply. "No, just send them back to Winter Haven to let Medeis deal with them." she said.
Killian looked at Oriana quizzically, as if she had grown three heads. "Princess, their actions may have helped you get kidnapped. It also caused the deaths of many loyal guards in Asra. Women without husbands and children without fathers. Not to mention all the innocent civilians that got killed in the fires."
Oriana looked down at the table at his words and nodded. "I understand, and they will be remembered. You are right about doing something, but there is no need for public execution."
Killian sighed. "So be it. Let's go, Donovan."
Donovan turned to Killian and said, "I will have them in cells before you even walk out of the dining room. Let me do it for you as a thanks for holding down the castle while I was gone."
Killian nodded and said, "Agreed." Donovan disappeared for about ten minutes before zipping back into the room.
"Done! Most of them are in the cells!" Donovan puffed up his chest proudly.
Oriana sighed and asked, "What happened to the rest?"
Donovan looked away and said, "I handled them a bit too roughly."
Killian quickly tried to turn the conversation away from Donovan's actions. He was more than happy that he had killed a few. "What happened to Tyir?"
Oriana knew the answer to that question "He escaped before Donovan came. I doubt he is a threat to us anymore. Wherever he ran off to, may Asorath see fit to punish him."
Killian crossed his arms and replied, "I think we should call for his execution! Put a bounty on his head so large that he won't be able to live near any civilized part of Lanoria!"
Oriana just shook her head before saying, "Enough about Winter Haven and their royal family. Honestly, I could spend the rest of my life never hearing about them again. Not to mention, I have dealt with enough violence in the last few days. So, we are going to let Medeis handle Winter Haven. Barough has suffered enough in this scuffle. They are likely going to send Maximus Alvisio to deal with the treachery, as you said. The Prince of Mages will hunt them down like the pigs they are, and Father will get the rest he deserves." With Oriana's words, Donovan went right back to stuffing his face full of food.
Killian just nodded, and Celsy smiled happily as she gazed proudly upon Oriana and said, "You're growing into a fine leader, Oriana. I know you're going to become a great queen one day."
Killian followed up by saying, "I think she is already a great queen. She is wise and always thinks about her people. She does what is best for everyone in her kingdom. Your parents would be proud of you, Oriana." Hearing Killian's words, Oriana beamed at the two of them.
"Thank you so much, you three. I might have lost my parents, but I am lucky to still have such a great family."
"Speaking of your parents, I wanted to give this to you." From her pocket, she pulled out a small silver box. "I managed to find this," Celsy said. Oriana smiled and held it in her hand. They held her parents' wedding rings. Her father had stopped wearing his when her mother died.
"Thank you, Celsy; you know how important these rings are to me," she told her as she showed them to Donovan.
Lunch was quickly finished, and Oriana took to walking through the halls with Donovan. "From how rough we got, we will need a new bed. I just hope it can handle us," Donovan teased.
Oriana replied playfully "We could just find another room. There were plenty to choose from. It's just a matter of picking an unoccupied space and settling in."
"Then let's find a place!" Using his speed, Donovan zipped up to the royal family bedrooms. He quickly found a room that was only a few doors down from her old bedroom.
Finally in the room, Oriana stretched out her arms, feeling her joints pop "I need to get out of my dress. It's far too snug." That was when Donovan went to work. He used his speed to quickly disrobe her. The mage zipped the princess right into bed with him. "Donovan, you really know how to sweep a lady off her feet, don't you?" Oriana teased.
Pressing their bodies together, Donovan replied, "I know how to sweep the only woman that matters to me off her feet." With that, the two of them spent the next couple hours making love. Donovan made sure to place a barrier around the whole room so they would not be interrupted.
After a while, dinner was finally ready. A huge feast was prepared to celebrate Oriana's return. Once Donovan began to go to work on the food, Oriana excused herself to talk to Celsy and Killian in private. She knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was her first knight. So, in a private room, the three of them gathered.
"Thank you both for meeting with me," she started off. "I know you're both busy. I wanted both of you to know that I have decided Donovan is the right fit to be the first knight of Barough under my rule," she said. "After rescuing me and showing his loyalty time and time again, surely both of you realize his potential."
Killian nodded in agreement. "The young man has proven his loyalty and worth to the throne." Celsy just nodded in agreement as well.
Oriana smiled happily at his reply. "Killian, please get the new crest I had the blacksmith prepare. We will have it on the main balcony. The area below should be plenty large. I want everyone to see his knighting, no matter who they are." Oriana replied.