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Chapter 7
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They Should Have Killed Me Chapter 11
Fifteen days later, Corveth's envoys finally arrived.They did not bring a ransom for Cedric. They brought a state decree stripping him of the crown.Corveth's royal house placed responsibility for the war on Cedric and House Fairfax in order to secure peace with Thalenor.A new king, Alistair, had already been enthroned, and his first decree condemned the remaining Fairfax household to death for treason against the realm and confiscated its estates.As for Cedric, Corveth's message was blunt: the former king was abandoned. Thalenor could keep him as a permanent hostage and dispose of his status as its court saw fit.I carried the decree into the cold lower prison beneath the palace.Cedric and Rosamund had already been left permanently crippled by the punishment imposed under Thalenor's old wartime code, and neither of them could do more than lie on the prison straw."Corveth sent people?" Cedric's eyes filled suddenly with hope. He dragged himself toward the bars. "They're her
They Should Have Killed Me Chapter 10
Cedric shook violently. Whatever remained of royal dignity vanished as he bent forward and begged."Don't kill me. Lord Marshal, please. Spare my life and I'll cede half of Corveth. No - two thirds. Name your price. Gold, silver, cities, herds, anything."I looked at the broken king with nothing but disgust."Half your kingdom?" I lowered my sword. "Cedric, do you really think everyone treats ordinary people as bargaining pieces just because you do?"I turned toward the snow blowing beyond the tent."Corveth was once my homeland. I came for these three cities because Thalenor had a right to recover what was taken and because I owed the Dowager Empress my life. I have no desire to swallow Corveth whole and turn its people into fuel for my revenge.""Write to your court." I kept my back to him. "Tell them their king has been defeated and captured. What happens next will show us how much your throne thinks you are worth."Cedric, desperate for any hope of survival, wrote the appeal
They Should Have Killed Me Chapter 9
My father smiled in triumph and opened his mouth to demand more."Ellie!"My mother shouted from beneath his boot. "Don't bargain for me. I will not let you bow your head because of me.""Shut up!" Alaric raised his hand toward her."Ellie, listen to me." She clung to his leg and stared at my silver armor as though she could not bear to look away. She was crying and smiling at once. "For five years they kept me below the house and treated me worse than an animal. I stayed alive because I wanted to see you one more time."Now I've seen my daughter become Thalenor's greatest commander. My last wish is answered. Every day of it was worth enduring.""Mother, no!" I rushed forward.But I was too late.She gathered the last of her strength and threw herself against the blade already at her throat.There was a short, wet sound.In the silence of the tent it seemed unbearably loud.Blood struck Alaric across the face. My mother fell, still looking toward me, pride and relief in her
They Should Have Killed Me Chapter 8
The command tent was warm with braziers.Cedric had been forced to his knees with his wrists bound. His royal coat was streaked with mud and blood, his hair loose around his face.Even then, he held his back rigid and glared at me as though stubborn posture could preserve a crown.Rosamund knelt beside him, trembling, though some stubborn hope still flickered in her eyes."Don't celebrate yet, Elowen," Cedric said with a bitter laugh. "You think this is finished? If I die here, Corveth will fight you until not one soldier remains."Rosamund forced herself to add, "Elowen, release us now. Otherwise you'll regret what happens next."I sat at the command table cleaning my sword and did not bother looking at either of them.Then a guard entered. "Lord Marshal, a man outside claims to be your father. He is wearing the insignia of a minor Thalenor court office, and he has brought an older woman under restraint."Rosamund's eyes brightened instantly, and Cedric's mouth curved in trium
They Should Have Killed Me Chapter 7
The campaign was set to begin ten days later.For those ten days, I barely slept.Troop assignments, supply trains, marching schedules, reserve forces, and coordination with General Garrick Thorne all passed across my desk. I refused to leave any major decision unattended.Lucan remained beside me through most of it, taking the smaller burdens before they could reach me.With him there, the work became lighter.Then the morning came, and the army moved.Thirty thousand cavalry formed beneath the rising sun, armor flashing silver above a thicket of raised spears.I sat at the head of the column in pale battle armor, the sword the Dowager Empress had given me at my hip.High on the city wall, Emperor Finnian waved both arms at me.His tiny imperial mantle made him easy to find among the ministers surrounding him.I raised my spear in salute.Then I turned toward the army. "Move out."Hooves thundered across the road until the earth itself seemed to shake.Corveth had never b
They Should Have Killed Me Chapter 6
At dawn the next morning, I put on my court uniform and entered the palace alone.I did not go to the Dowager Empress. I went directly to the Royal Study.Emperor Finnian was only eight. Most mornings his tutor taught him letters, history, and the duties of the Crown. As I approached the door, I heard him reciting from the Book of Concord: "A wise ruler may stand beside another without becoming his echo."I did not ask the chamberlain to announce me immediately. I waited outside until the lesson ended, then nodded for him to go in."Lord Marshal Elowen Fairfax seeks audience."When I entered, the young emperor sat upright behind an oversized desk, holding a pen above a sheet of paper covered in crooked handwriting. He looked up with solemn concentration. "Lord Marshal, why have you come?"I knelt. "Your Majesty, I ask you to decide one matter.""What matter?" Finnian tilted his head, curiosity plain on his face."I ask for a royal warrant permitting me to lead the army and reco
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