Highest Bidder

Gains

With the guests finally off to bed and the hour late, Alyssa remained seated at the large dining room table. This gorgeous set once belonged to them, but Cardinal Arburgh graciously lent it to his king for the time being. She had never seen it, and it was magnificent. The finely carved, gilded wood with its cerulean seats and backrests adorned with their family crest gave her a glimpse of the past.

Most of the castle’s remaining rooms had been empty the week before. Their people would not have their king shamed, and they filled the ancient rooms from their own houses. Their kindness ensured the comfort of their foreign guests. It was a far cry from the fabulous furnishing she only ever saw in drawings, sketches, and paintings, but it was the sad reality they faced.

Most of the food and wine served at their table came from the generosity of their citizens. Their people were very aware of how much the royal family sacrificed for the safety of those who lived in their lands and gave what little they had with a free hand.

Never in her memory did the rich aroma of so many fabulous foods fill the air. Most of the servants arrived during the last few days. They offered their services in gratitude to their king and helped the faithful few who remained even when their meager wages barely fed a rabbit. Their help was given out of love and loyalty.

Tears filled her eyes. She grew up with precious little but with an awareness that some had even less than they had. She had listened to the stories her brothers told of the castle in its glory days before the war. Tales of tutors, books, more food than an army could consume, new clothes for every occasion, and she could not picture it. Neither could Edhar, being younger than her.

The few foreign dignitaries who visited their kingdom over the years gave her small insights into that world. Even as a child, she noticed their disdain for the remains of Faeryn Castle and its ruler under the shallow pretense of concern. She listened to the anecdotes they told of the galas they attended and the hunts and failed to imagine how so few could waste so much food and drink while so many starved. However, she was curious enough to wish to have seen such splendor.

Her father invested as much as he dared into rebuilding their country’s infrastructure. He used most of his army to help till the fields, plant the harvests, and establish irrigation. Seeing the endeavors of their king, others came to help their neighbors rebuild their houses, sheds, and barns.

In his youth, King Faeryn loved carpentry and often built fancy cribs and furniture for his cousins and family. He used that knowledge to assist in building houses, stores, and even wooden barrels for their first wine harvest after the war. He was the only king Alyssa ever met, whose hands had callouses born of hard work and not just of swordsmanship.

With the guests gone, the candles were extinguished to spare them. Only the great hearth cast flickering light along the marble walls. A movement drew her attention, briefly arresting her heart before she recognized the burgundy dress Eagene wore. She almost sighed with regret. She wanted a moment alone since her aunt and cousin shared her room, and she did not want to face their questions or “good-intentioned” advice.

“May I join you?” Eagene asked, seating herself impetuously, without waiting for an answer, and Alyssa realized this woman was a force of nature.

“Please do,” Alyssa drawled, drawing a smirk from her future sister-in-law.

“I heard many tales of the fall of El Faeryn, and when we made our way here, I was pleasantly surprised. Your roads are neat, and your farms will yield a bumper crop. Your livestock is doing well, and your farmsteads are neat, while your towns will soon be the envy of all the elven realms again. Then I caught the first glance of the fabled Faeryn Castle, and even my stone heart broke. It saddened me that something of such beauty should be in such a desperate state,” she briefly hesitated.

“Earlier, I discovered some people near the door with hampers of food, and I assumed they were stealing, but your housekeeper corrected me. They actually brought food for tomorrow evening’s formal dinner. I offered to pay them, and they would not hear of it, and I have never experienced such a thing. I spent most of the night wandering this wonderful, historic building, and it dismayed me to realize that it is nothing more than a mausoleum of the past,” she stopped speaking for a moment as a maid asked if they needed anything.

“Any other king would first rebuild and fortify his castle. Your father rebuilt and fortified his lands, pouring everything he had into his endeavor. Perhaps more than he had. He even sacrificed you and your future to make sure nothing like this happens ever again. Unless he plans to levy inordinate taxes to return his kingdom to its rightful place, I believe he is the man his legend claims,” Eagene said with a frown.

“My father has not levied taxes since the war. He mandated that the money owed in taxes must be worked back into the land after the first successful crop. This year, for the first time, taxes will be paid. This first tax will be half the normal tax for each sector, but next year, everything will work as it did before,” Alyssa said.

“And people did this?” Eagene asked cynically.

“A few tried to hold back, and their neighbors corrected their erroneous behavior. My father tilled fields beside his people. He helped lay irrigation and built houses with his own hands. He gave up thousands of years of our history and legacy to save our people. He sacrificed his pride and family honor to ensure we did not end up a monarchy in name, beholden to another kingdom. The people followed his example,” Alyssa said with pride as sadness invaded her heart.

“Unfortunately, our neighboring kingdoms envied his progress and, knowing our coffers were empty, they started making small incursions into our lands to test our defenses. Then they made offers for my hand that were nothing more than a slap in the face as a first move to own our lands. They stirred unrest among their people, goading them into stealing from us, and my father must have realized we ran out of time,” Alyssa admitted, staring at the fire crackling in the massive hearth.

“Soon, the harvest will come in. Our storerooms will be filled with stock, and if we can sell at good prices, our kingdom will be one step closer to being what it once was. But the threat posed by our neighbors and their unreasonable border taxes levied on the few available trade routes left us with choices to make,” she toyed with the edge of a cloth napkin.

“I know many will not agree, but your father made a good choice, and this marriage is a contract nothing can undo. With my father as your ally, no one would dare attack you. His trade routes are the best globally, and he gets the best prices for our wares. He is more than a king—he is a businessman. He does not rely on steep taxes to line his coffers, and his shipping fleets do more than wage war, just as his merchant’s vessels open the world to us,” Eagene informed her, accepting a goblet of wine from a servant and handing another to Alyssa.

“That is why I do not exactly see what your father gets out of this deal for my hand. The others wanted me for my bloodline, which means nothing to him. His obligations in this matter far outweigh his gains,” Alyssa said honestly, reluctantly taking the wine, and Eagene laughed.

Alyssa was not used to wine, there was rarely any in their house, and nothing like the wines Melbourne brought with him.

“You just listed our gains to me. King El Faeryn is what we gain. This kingdom has potential, and it has a ruler who has no interest in bankrupting his people to line his coffers. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty. He is a warrior that protected his kingdom and kept his seat of power despite the odds against him,” Eagene said, motioning for a passing footman to add more logs to the fire.

“You possess untapped resources, and you are building a growing financial empire. Your people are hardworking. We’ve noticed that none of your neighbors display the same ethics as your father. Their people are going through hard times, and although some of those kingdoms owe more than they can repay, they still live as if they have an endless supply of coin. A man like your father can turn around their countries. He lost his two eldest sons to this war, and he will do anything.”

Eagene’s answer halted Alyssa’s thoughts as she settled herself more comfortably in the chair, wishing she could undo the tight laces of her dress. She was not used to such fancy formal clothing. Nor had she ever possessed such fine slippers. Normally she wore day dresses, work clothes, and boots. Or her brother’s old clothes to go riding.

“My father intends to restore El Faeryn to its former glory, and not the way it was a hundred years ago when your father inherited it. He intends for El Faeryn to be the elven seat of power once again, and this time, the united werewolf kingdoms and El Faeryn will not be enemies but allies. We will be a force that brings stability to the supernatural kingdoms. There will not be another wasteful war like this one.”

Eagene’s expression spoke the truth of her words as she reached out and refilled her glass. She aimed to refill Alyssa’s as well, but she shook her head.

“Not what you expected, is it? Now, is that a high enough price for your virginity, your future, and the sacrifice of your line?” Eagene’s earnest question left Alyssa without words as she considered what she had just learned as she leaned forward and placed her goblet on the table.