Forced Marriage

The whole kingdom was in a state of pure chaos. 

For the first time in what had to be hundreds of years, the Adom army had crossed the borders of the Lavan Kingdom. The Adom King's general himself was leading the forces, thus showing how serious the situation was. There had been no attack yet, but the threat was real and a messenger had been sent.

The Lavan Kingdom and Adom Kingdom had never been allies, with the sole exception of the time every kingdoms of the land had worked together to seal the Shachor Kingdom hundreds of years ago. Lavan people were pacifists by nature, their healing powers and gift of empathy forcing them to be altruist, while Adom people where known for their violence, the fire burning inside their veins and their superior strength explaining their love for battles.

The Lavan kingdom wouldn't win if a war exploded between them, and so a council had urgently been ordered to prevent any blood from being shed.

"What's the situation?" Astera, the Lavan Queen, asked the Lavan messenger who had met with the Adom messenger. She was the ruler of this kingdom, her white braided hair always held up into an intricate bun. The blue of her eyes was highlighted by her light makeup, the pale whorls covering her face showing off her power and high status.

Lavan people were known for their white hair and blue eyes. They had markings on their skin, beautiful arabesques a pure white colour adorning their faces and bodies. The more whorls someone had, the stronger their healing powers and other gifts were.

Only a dozen people were currently present in the council room, all of them holding an important position in the Lavan kingdom. There was Queen Astera and her daughter Azalia, the Lavan princess. This kingdom was one that had always been ruled by women, the powers gifted to royal blood only seeming to ever choose females.

"The Adom King has sent his general for an important task, your majesty." The Lavan messenger relayed what the Adom messenger had told him. "He wishes to form an alliance with our kingdom, and plans to take the Lavan princess as his queen to do so."

"Nonsense!" The people present in the room immediately showed their discontent at the news. 

"He doesn't want to form an alliance with us or wouldn't have brought half of his army to our kingdom!" The Lavan general, Barak, was the most vehement out of them all.

He was a strong man reaching his mid-fifties, with short white hair and blue eyes, whose age had taken nothing away from his past handsomeness. He was known for his strength and his strictness, his unshakable faith in the crown earning him the status of general of the Lavan army.

"He wants the princess' powers for himself and for his heir to inherit them!" He revealed the Adom King's goal for everyone to see.

"That ruthless monster. He won't take no for an answer." Gershon, one of the queen's closest counsellors, agreed with Barak's declarations. The Adom King wouldn't have sent his army to the Lavan Kingdom if his only goal had been to form an alliance.

Actually, the Adom King was infamous throughout all kingdoms for his greed and his ruthlessness. Melech, his name was, had been extremely young when first reaching the power. He still was, at barely twenty-nine years old, and was known for his abrasive temper and his lust for battle. The Adom Kingdom was the most powerful out of all the kingdoms, placed right in the middle of the land, and continued to get stronger under the firm reign of King Melech.

The Lavan Kingdom would be lost if they were to go to war against such a powerful opponent.

"Silence!" The Lavan Queen had to raise her voice for her subjects to settle down. Panicking right now wouldn't help the situation. They had to stay calm and to find a solution. "Did he mention what would happen if we were to refuse his offer?" She asked her messenger.

"He didn't, your majesty, but the presence of his army speaks for itself." Boaz, a lithe man whose long silver hair was held into a high ponytail, answered his queen's question.

"That's a threat. He's threatening us to do what he wants." Barak scoffed in case someone hadn't understood already. That triggered more worried whispers to take over the room, the whole council seeming overwhelmed by the situation.

"How many men did he send?" Azalia was the one to speak out next.

It was her fate they were talking about and, even though she should be terrified, the Lavan princess stayed calm and dignified under the threat. Her beautiful white hair fell down her shoulders in long waves, her blue-sapphire eyes showing nothing but strength and determination. Her features were bold and delicate at the same time, her skin so pale the white whorls that covered her face barely stood out. It only made her blue almond-shaped eyes and full pink lips look even more striking.

"At least a few thousand, princess." Boaz answered her. "I was also able to see three dragonies."

Dragonis were small dragon-like creatures that only lived in the adom kingdom. They were fierce and hard to tame, their fire-breathing making them dangerous enemies.

"We should fight." Barak suddenly declared. As the Lavan general, it was his role to fight and to keep his kingdom safe. "They think us weak because we're pacifist people, but we have an army and can fight just as fiercely as them!"

"Our army is smaller and our fighters less experienced." The oldest priestess of the Lavan Kingdom pointed out. Lavan people didn't like conflicts, and thus rarely ever fought outside of mandatory practices.

"The Yarok Kingdom would help us." Another counsellor stated.

The Yarok Kingdom was right under the Lavan Kingdom, and one of their oldest allies. Yarok people were pacifists just like Lavan people, notably due to their connection to nature and their love for all forms of life.

"The Kesef Kingdom, too, if they knew the Adom King was trying to break the peace treaty." Gershon said with a convinced nod.

Kesef people were few in number, but by far one of the most powerful beings of the land. They had no allies and no enemies, but would not hesitate to act if one of the seven kingdoms tried to threaten the peace they had all so difficultly managed to acquire hundreds of years ago. 

"But how long would it take them to come to our aid?" The Lavan Queen pointed out the obvious flaw of this plan. "Half of our kingdom would already be destroyed."

"We can fight them." Barak kept insisting. "We should be able to hold our own until help comes for us." He seemed determined to go to war, his rough nature quite unusual for someone who was purely Lavan.

"That is enough." Azalia finally decided to put an end to this conversation. "Would you really sacrifice our people, innocent civilians who trust us to keep them safe, just to satisfy your ego?" She asked Barak, her words sharp and unforgiving just like she was known for.

"My ego has nothing to do with this war, princess." The lavan general scowled in response. Poor man wasn't used to getting insulted by someone younger than him, especially not a woman, but couldn't possibly raise his voice against the princess of his kingdom.

"It has a lot to do with it, when you so want to go to war instead of choosing the peaceful alternative that we've been offered." Azalia didn't hesitate to retort.

"You cannot be serious!" Barak exclaimed at her words. "Would you really agree to be traded to the Adom King!? To become the trophy wife of this barbarian!?"

"I would if it meant it would keep my kingdom and my people safe!" Azalia replied. It was a small sacrifice to make when the lives of hundreds of thousands of people were at stake.

"We cannot let the adom kingdom have your power!" Was Barak's angry come-back.

"My powers, as you call them, belong to me and to no one else." Azalia responded in an icy voice. "Not to the Lavan Kingdom, and certainly not to the Adom Kingdom." She hated it when people talked about her powers as if it was some kind of weapon to be used. It was a part of herself, one she controlled and would never let someone else abuse.

This caused some silence to fall throughout the council room for a few instants. "Do you really want to do this, Azalia?" The Queen was the one to break it, her gaze worried but understanding as she looked at her daughter.

"I have to, mother." Azalia answered. "An alliance with the Adom Kingdom could be a good thing, and protecting its people is what a ruler is supposed to do."

"We do not even have the guaranty that the Adom King will keep his word." The Queen replied. The Adom King could very well burn their realm down right after taking Azalia away. "There is also no guaranty for your safety."

"I know, but we do not have any other choice." Azalia was scared, of course she was. She may look fearless in front of others, but really was just a young woman of twenty-one years old. She would much prefer to stay safe in her palace, but she knew what she had to do in order to save her people. Agreeing to the alliance was a risk that both the Lavan Kingdom and its princess were in the obligation to take. 

The Queen looked at her daughter for a few moments before letting out a resigned sigh "Boaz." She called for her messenger. "Find a parchment. I want you to send a message back to the Adom messenger."

"Yes, your majesty." Boaz immediately got some parchment with a quill to write on.

"Inform him we agree to his King's alliance, but only under certain conditions." The Queen declared for everyone to hear. She knew Azalia had made her decision and knew there was no way to change her mind once it was done...

It meant the Lavan Kingdom would trade its princess against the promise of peace, but it didn't mean the Queen wouldn't make sure her daughter stayed safe.

"The Adom army must leave the Lavan Kingdom as soon as the alliance is established." Astera began to enumerate the conditions of their possible alliance. "The princess will go to the Adom Kingdom, but she is not to be harmed or the alliance will immediately be terminated. The princess should also be allowed to bring with her a guard and a servant of her picking, to protect her and to serve her. We will not agree to this alliance if the Adom King does not agree to these terms."

It wasn't a lot considering how much the Adom Kingdom was asking for. Forming alliances between kingdoms through marriage was quite common, but this case was different. Azalia was the one and only Lavan princess, and her powers were special. It made her the greatest treasure of the Lavan Kingdom.

"Anything to add?" The Queen asked her small assembly.

"I will not use my gift to do harm." Azalia stated right away. She will not let the Adom King use her to conquer other kingdoms.

"Of course." It was a given.

"And I do not want to be trapped in a palace for the rest of my life." She added after some reflexion. "I must be able to leave if I so wish." She wouldn't bear not being able to go outside and to feel free for a long period of time.

"Write it down." Astera agreed. "The princess is not to be a prisoner."

Boaz did write everything down, the other counsellors making sure nothing had been missed. This was an important matter, one that was going to change the fate of the Seven Kingdoms forever.

"One more thing." The Queen said when everyone thought this was over. "If the Adom King and the Lavan princess are to have children, the first girl born from their marriage will be the heir of the Lavan Kingdom." She declared, murmurs of agreement washing over the council at her words. It was true that Azalia was the only heir of the Lavan Kingdom, and so it was extremely important for the crown to be passed on to someone of royal blood when the time came.

"Any comments?" Astera asked only for everyone to stay silent. "No? Then this council is dismissed. We'll reunite again once we have the response of the Adom King."

Boaz was already leaving to bring this message to the Adom King's general. He was Lavan but had some Kesef blood in him, thus giving him some physical characteristics only Kesef people had: he could grow wings, which made him the perfect person to send and bring back messages. 

"Your majesty." Barak tried to talk to the Queen as everyone took their leave.

"Not now, Barak." Astera brushed him off. "We'll talk later." She had more important matters to take care of right now, namely having a conversation with her daughter who would soon be taken away from her.

Barak seemed to want to argue but ultimately bowed before leaving the council room as well. Only the Queen and the princess were now left, Astera turning to face her daughter. "I hope you know what you're doing, Azalia." Was the first thing she told her.

Azalia didn't answer anything, but she did nod to show she wasn't just jumping head first into danger. She had a look inside her eyes, one the Queen knew all too well.

"Did you have visions of this?"

The Lavan princess had been born with a gift other Lavan people didn't have. She had healing powers, like most Lavan women had, and could feel and convey emotions through touch. It was a normal characteristic for Lavan people. What she had and nobody else had, however, was the gift of seeing glimpses of the future through visions. It rarely ever happened, and came under the form of dreams, but everything she saw had never turned out to be incorrect.

"I didn't know about the invasion." Azalia admitted. "But I have been having visions, of crimson eyes and dark hair for a few nights..."

She wasn't telling her mother the entire truth, because crimson eyes and dark hair weren't the only things she had been seeing. No, her dreams were filled with calloused hands, strong arms and low whispers. It often left her hot and breathless whenever she woke up from her dream.

"Do you think it is the Adom Ling?" Astera asked her daughter.

"It must be." Like Lavan people had white hair and blue eyes, Adom people were recognisable by their red eyes and black hair. They had inhuman strength and resistance, the lava burning inside their veins making them immune to fire.

Azalia had never seen the Adom King before, but she knew, somehow, that her dreams were about him. The sudden invasion and demand for an alliance couldn't be a coincidence, not when her visions had always happened for a reason.

It meant this was only the beginning of something bigger. Something that would change her life forever but also the fate of countless people...

"I'm lending you all of my courage, Azalia." The Queen told her daughter before gently pressing their foreheads together. "The gods will protect you."