The Arranged Marriage (33 page)

The tradition of a coronation in
Centurias was for the one who was to be coronated to stand in front
of the crowd first, to address them with their intentions before
the remaining royal joined them to perform the ceremony. Ison had
to do this before Rohesia could join him. He cleared his throat
before speaking, the thought of his wife’s courage beating through
his very blood.

“Good eve to you all,” His voice
echoed through the great hall, demanding everyone’s attention, and
getting it. “I thank each and every one of you who have travelled
here this eve for the coronation, and a celebration. It goes
without saying how we all believe in the future of these lands, but
what, for a long time, has been left unsaid, is how we all need to
believe in it as a whole – not segregated pieces of land.” He stood
before them all, his confidence growing. “We should all be allowed
to believe in what we believe in, but we should do it with respect
of one another; one neighbour to another.” He noticed a few nods
and a couple of others look at each other as if they believed he
had lost his mind, but he drove on. “There are changes we face,
some that we choose to make, others we don’t, but there are changes
that need to occur in order for us to move forward. I stand before
you as a prince, an advisor to our deceased king, ready to become
another voice. A voice for the people, a listener for the people, a
strength for the people. I come to you not only as a friend, as a
support, but I come to you as a new ruler. A king ready to unite us
all through both good and bad times,” He waited for the applause to
cease. He had made his point. “I would now like to introduce a
person who is no doubt waiting in the wings, eavesdropping as we
speak,” He said with a smile. “This person has ruled you from a
babe, even if you didn’t know it. She has fed her courage, her
strength, and her terrorism, into your midst for years, and she is
the reason I stand here today. She is the one who gives balance,
and she is a wonder to us all. Ladies and Gentlemen, I announce to
you my wife, your queen, your friend. Queen Rohesia of
Ecripian.”

Ison watched with pride as his wife
entered the room, her smile as she acknowledged him saying it all.
She looked absolutely radiant with her long hair left down and the
traditional crown of red and gold placed on her head. Her new gown
of amber, black and gold had been designed to fall delicately
against her small bump and the royal jewels sparkled as the light
hit them around her neck.

The orchestra started to play the
Ecripian anthem as she entered the room towards him, a lump still
in her throat from hearing Ison’s speech to their people. He had
truly made her proud this eve, knowing how much they had come
through during the short time of their marriage. He was a king who
would rule with fairness and honour, and he would protect his lands
with all that he was. She couldn’t wait for him to be an official
king to the people of Ecripian, for he was already a king in her
heart.

Once she reached him she gave him her
hand and he bowed to her curtsy.

“Thank you,” She mouthed as they made
their way towards the Honorary who was to perform the coronation.
She waited until they were in position before addressing the
crowd.

“Our people,” She boomed, letting the
words hang in the air. “That is who you are, and that also applies
to those who have not joined us today. But I knew, deep down, that
we would never right the wrongs of our ancestors in one day. Nor do
I truly blame our ancestors for what they chose to do. Mistakes
were made, but it is today that is important, it is tomorrow that
will make a difference.” She smiled to everyone, noticing the
absence of the Mookai and Gilden with his people from the Quart.
“We have all been led by what we have known, creating a divide
between cultures who all have the same objective. To know peace,
justice and equality in the keep of their lands. It is those who
seek to destroy that peace, and it is those who try to divide us in
such a way, we will fight against.” A roar of agreement came from
her audience. “I am your queen, I have always been yours even if at
times I have fought against it. But I am yours, and that of this
kingdom. This is my home, and I will protect it, and fight for it
with all that I am, and all that I will one day be.” She coughed to
clear her throat. “I miss my father, dearly, he was a good man and
a good king, but now it is time for change and time for us to take
action against the prejudice that has been formed between us.
Prince Ison of Ecripian and Sir of Dondayas, please come
forward.”

Ison was stunned for a moment only
just about hearing his name. The way that she had stood before
them, her posture full and her voice full of promise, appeared to
have him as mesmerised as the others. He couldn’t believe this turn
of fate. He was about to become the king of a kingdom he was
responsible for, and along with it he had been lucky enough to gain
a wife, a child, and a wonderful queen to stand by his side. He
felt the emotion of it all start to overwhelm him and quickly moved
to where Rohesia stood to shake it off.

Rohesia gave him a smile of support as
he walked towards her and they readied for the coronation. But as
soon as she stepped up to the Honorary, one of the guards came
crashing into the hall making haste to Ison.

“What’s wrong?” Ison urged quietly as
Rohesia came closer to his side. They waited patiently whilst the
guard quickly caught his breath.

“Baron Minley is outside, with whom we
think to be the rebels. They have attacked the defence on the walls
and are asking for you my lord.”

“Are they on castle grounds?” Ison
demanded whilst urging Josa and his father forward.

“They are in the courtyard my lord.”
The Ecripian guard looked at Rohesia apologetically before
continuing. “I am so sorry my lady, a small group of them got
through the gates on your invitation to the people of the Quart.”
He looked back at Ison. “As soon as they got through the castle
gates they stood in a formation that confused us they fired arrows
on our men from the inside,” He took another quick breath. “More
came then, from the outside. They gathered with those in the
courtyard; most of our archers are down.”

Ison was fuming. Not at the guards of
the keep, they hadn’t been trained for this and he hadn’t been out
to Dondayas again to hire others. But he was angry with himself for
not acting sooner on Rohesia’s thoughts. He had underestimated the
baron, thinking his affair with Yena and making him look the fool
was the only intention of him being here. Now everything was
starting to fall into place. He should have known
better.

“Go and get two more guards to stand
with you here and protect this hall,” He ordered, before turning to
Josa. “Get every able bodied man in this room armed with a sword
and gather them all together in the outer hall.”

“I have my sword Ison, I shall go with
him.” Roscaar advised, his mind all ready for battle.

“No father, “ Ison said quickly. “You
shall stay here with Rohesia and the others.”

The onslaught of two sudden voices
retorted back at him at the same time. His father complaining that
he wasn’t some old battle horse retired to the stable, and
Rohesia’s high tones stating that she would not stand around doing
nothing like a sheltered maiden. Ison felt the control on his
temper slipping. He looked to his father first, knowing he would be
an advantage if there was to be a battle; he just didn’t like to be
the one ordering him to do so.

“Very well father,” He snapped to
quiet them both. “You shall come out with us, go with
Josa.”

His father proudly nodded and walked
away. Ison turned to look at Rohesia who was waiting impatiently,
her arms crossed.

“Rohesia,” He said, as calmly as he
could. “You are with child, and the most precious person to me in
this world. Do not even think that any words you will say to me
will change my mind.” He kissed her quickly on the lips before
moving away to join Josa and his men, not giving her a moment to
berate him for it.

Ison cautiously moved out of the outer
hall to view the courtyard where the baron sat smugly on his horse,
a large number of men stood around him as a shield. They had
cleverly taken out the archers to avoid an overhead attack, and a
number of his men still armed with arrows ready to fire. Ison’s men
stayed in the hall behind him, ready to follow his order if a fight
was to occur. He only allowed four men to come out to face the
baron with him, bow and arrows at the ready, poised at
Minley.

“What is this dear fellow?” Minley was
dressed in armour with a content smile upon his face. “Didn’t you
know it’s rude to point?”

“Get your men to lower their weapons
Minley and I will get mine to lower theirs.” Ison kept his cool,
even though the anger was reverberating through him.

“Now, now Ison. There is no need for
theatrics. We shall settle this like two grown men no
doubt.”

“There is nothing to settle with you.
You are trespassing on castle grounds, and you have attacked my
men.” He straightened the gloves he had donned earlier, as if
bored. “I shall give you a few moments to swallow your pride and
realise your cowardice. If you leave now, you will leave
alive.”

Minley laughed out loud, looking at
the men around him before moving his eyes back to Ison.

“You don’t get it do you? I am not
here to bargain dear fellow, I am here to take you down and take my
rightful place as king. I figure your little bitch wouldn’t mind
sharing the throne with the one she chose to wed in the first
place.”

Ison laughed in return, a guise to the
true feelings he felt, and something he found harder to master now
Rohesia had been mentioned. He stretched his hand into a fist and
out again before replying.

“You? A king?” Ison retorted. “My wife
chose someone because she had no choice, and the web of lies you
weaved fooled her for a time, but she is the one who figured it all
out. She is the one who discovered everything about you, and she is
the one who foiled every one of your petty little plans. That
little bitch you refer to is my wife, and you my dear fellow will
never get anywhere near her again. She is your death warrant.”
Ison’s voice had lowered just enough for those closest to the Baron
to hear, making him ten times more dangerous as if he had shouted.
A few of the men started to look at each other as if to confirm
their faith in the baron’s plan.

“Enough.” The baron said quickly,
trying to disguise the fact that Ison’s words had got under his
skin. “Get ready to attack.” He shouted to his men. “You know the
plan, you know the formation.”

“Josa.” Ison spoke lightly but the
order was underlined. All of the men who had gathered and quickly
armed for battle, walked out on to the courtyard and formed in two
lines against the men guarding the baron. Roscaar came out and
stood next to Ison as Josa took the other side. This seemed to
please Minley.

“Ah, my planning comes into fruition
again.” He said with a smile as he dismounted from his horse. “Good
job I chose the coronation for eve of the attack, don’t you think
Ison? Otherwise I would never have got two kings for the price of
one.”

As soon as he drew his sword, the
sound of it initiated a crescendo of others being drawn from both
sides. Ison waited until it was silent again, and then slowly drew
out his own blade whilst boring his eyes into the baron.

“You have one last chance to retreat.”
He shouted to the rebels as he placed his sword across his body,
his stance ready to fight. It was not an appeal to the baron, for
Ison had already decided that his fate would end this eve, one way
or another. “You do not have to fight. We can unite under one
banner.”

“He lies.” The baron shouted as he
seemed to back away into the crowd of men. “Attack.”

The fervour of the men, and the lies
embossed deeply in their minds had finally been overbalanced at the
shout of the baron’s order. They all launched forward with their
swords in the air, yelling as they ran their attack into the line
of Ison’s men.

The rebels were no match for the
men-at-arms who had travelled with Ison, but there were many of
them, and their lack of skill was made up by their relentless
manner. It didn’t help that the men of Ecripian fought hard, but
they were being downed quickly as Ison’s men tried to weave in
between them, disarming where possible without killing as per
Ison’s earlier orders. He didn’t want this kingdom desecrated by
blood of the ignorant, for Rohesia’s sake. He would find a suitable
way to deal with the ones they captured.

He tried to search for the baron as a
yell made him turn to the main gates to see more men enter the
battle, following the war cry of the rebels. He tried to back off
for a moment to see where this latest onslaught was coming from,
but the baron’s men were obviously targeting him one after the
other as they came forward to fight. Josa was battling by his
side.

“There are more?”

“The others were just a smokescreen.”
Ison shouted as he fought. “The son of a bitch has been planning
this from the beginning.”

“These can’t all be the rebels.” Josa
shouted as he punched someone in the face and clanked his sword
against another.