The Dragon King's Prize

Negotiations

As soon as King Luther speaks, the floor nearly drops out from under me. I am frozen in place and I am suddenly feeling cold all over. He grabs my arm in a punishing grip and I can’t help but let out a small whimper of pain. 

“Thought you could get away from me so easily, little dove?” he asks angrily. 

I say nothing because there is no way he will be able to take me out of here with all the guards stationed everywhere. There are two guards stationed just inside the doors and they will come running if I scream. I think of doing just that when I hear the queen’s regal voice behind me. As Luther immediately lets go of my arm, I will never be so grateful to hear it again.

“Luther, I thought it was your voice I heard. Such a deep baritone, it could never be mistaken,” she preens as she holds out her hand as if she wants him to kiss it. 

“Regina, it’s lovely to see you, as always,” he flirts and to my surprise, he bows over her hand and kisses it formally. 

“I imagine we both know why you’re here, so let’s go into the king’s office while I have one of the staff fetch him for us,” she says sweetly. 

I’ve never seen such a blatantly fake display in my life. She clearly despises him; I can tell in every move of her body language. But she continues to placate him and compliment him. I guess this is a skill I will have to learn as queen. I expect there will come a time when it will be most useful at social gatherings. 

Luther gazes at her as if she is the most beautiful woman in the room, but I can see the evil intent behind his eyes. All she is to him is a tool to get what he wants, but my respect for the queen goes up a notch as I realize she knows this and is playing it to her advantage. She isn’t acting threatening to further his belief that she’s not a threat. If only he knew how much influence she seems to have over King Drake.

I suppose getting first hand experience wouldn’t be the worst thing, even if Luther’s presence makes me physically ill. I follow the queen and King Luther into the drawing room where the royal family receives guests. We pause a moment for the queen to whisper into a guard’s ear to get word to  the king that his presence is requested urgently.

We enter the beautiful room and the queen quickly takes the seat right beside me. It’s almost as if she’s being protective, which really confuses me. Luther remains standing at the mantle, puffing his chest and acting as if he is the king here. 

We wait for many long moments filled with idle chatter and conversation about the weather, the flow stiff and polite and not one bit enjoyable. When King Drake enters the room, it’s as if a fire had been lit. The room’s temperature increases and I immediately feel safer for some reason. 

“Luther,” Drake says coldy in greeting. 

“Drake,” he replies in kind. 

The two men face each other and the room crackles with tension. The queen rises from her seat and steps between them, separating them as if they were children fighting over a toy. 

“Why don’t we all have a seat, gentlemen? We are civilized people. There is no reason we can’t talk this through to an amicable resolution,” the queen proposes.

Both men stare at each other for a few more seconds and then sit simultaneously on opposite sides of the room. I really feel the urge to roll my eyes over their behavior but I know how King Drake feels about that and it doesn’t seem like the time to press his buttons. He looks as if he’d like to tear Luther limb from limb and I have every faith that he could do so if he wanted. 

“It seems there has been a misunderstanding about who Renata belongs to-” Luther starts, but Drake interrupts him.

“There is no misunderstanding. She belongs to me. Our engagement was announced and it is official,” Drake says firmly. His tone leaves no room for argument, but Luther doesn’t seem to be deterred by this. 

“All the same, I have been slighted, my bride stolen out from under me. I deserve some sort of recompense,” Luther replies, sneering at me when he mentions me as his bride. 

I look over at Drake and nearly tremble at the sight of him. His eyes are almost glowing they are so bright with rage and he is gripping the arm of the seat so hard it looks like it will snap off. Luther is oblivious to how close he is to losing a limb, but the queen seems to notice right away. She locks eyes with Drake and raises her eyebrow. 

“I don’t think that’s entirely inappropriate. The man will have to find a new bride after all, which takes considerable effort and planning. Perhaps a bit of gold?” she asks. 

“I gave him all the gold he loaned to Raven’s father and he knows it. I owe no debt to him,” Drake says stubbornly, but he seems to have more control over his anger now. 

Luther begins to speak but the queen cuts him off with a raising of her finger. 

“I don’t think a bit more would hurt,” she interjects. 

“What about land?” Luther asks. He isn’t trying to negotiate, he wants something. 

"What land?” Drake asks suspiciously. He’s onto his game as well. At least I’m not marrying a stupid king. 

“Renata’s father’s lands, from one end of the forest to the other and the valley in between,” Luther suggests. 

Drake seems to grow very agitated when he hears his answer. 

“That is marital property for one, and it is right between my land and her fathers. She will have to seek your permission any time she wants a visit from her father? No, I don’t accept those terms,” Drake replies. 

“It’s a small part of what I lost along with my bride. I think it’s a fair trade,” Luther says in a businesslike manner, as if I’m a commodity and not a person. 

“I have to agree with my son, King Luther, it is an untenable offer,” the queen adds. 

Luther goes red in the face, angry that he can’t manipulate them. 

“I will offer you some more gold, but that land will not be part of this deal,” Drake assures him 

“I have plenty of gold! I want that land or you will be sorry you offended me! I will make sure the other kingdoms hear of this treachery. You don’t want to end up like the Lost Kingdom,” Luther threatens. 

Drake stands up to his full height which is well over six feet and towers over Luther, his eyes lighting up with fury. 

“If you have plenty of gold and won’t negotiate further, then this conversation is over! You don’t want to make the mistake of threatening me. I promise you it won’t end well. You will never have that land and you will never have Renata!” Drake shouts. 

I swear there is smoke coming out of his ears, but it must be my imagination. He is absolutely terrifying when he’s angry and I send a prayer to the gods that he never directs it at me. Luther is trying to stand tall but I see his legs shaking a little and it’s very nice to see him cower in fear for once. The queen puts her hand on Drake’s arm and he seems to calm down.

Luther takes the opportunity to flee with his tail between his legs but before he goes through the doors he pauses a moment. 

“You won’t see the last of me!” he announces and then rushes away.

“It would have ended this way no matter what. He knew what he wanted when he came here and when he didn’t get it, he threw a tantrum like a child,” the queen sighs. 

“He will be a problem,” Drake replies succinctly.

“Not one that we can’t handle. I was going to skip an engagement party since the wedding is so soon, but I don’t think it would hurt to invite the royal families for a ball and remind them what gracious hosts we are,” the queen replies. 

“Fine, then. Handle it and plan it for three day’s time. I will be leaving this evening and I won’t be back until the day after tomorrow,” Drake informs her. 

“Of course, I will start planning right away,” the queen replies and as she stands up she turns to me and adds, “Are you coming, Renata?”

I start to get to my feet when the king’s dark voice echoes in the room. 

“Not yet, mother. I want a word with my future wife,” he says in a dangerous tone.