Page 203 of Settle Down, Princess

Arik’s voice was quiet, still and when his arms wrapped around me taking my knife, I shuddered. My nervous system was in riot, shaking, trembling, not sure if I should be struggling to get free or collapsing altogether.

“I know you want to kill him. I want that too, lass, you know that. But you…” His hands moved slowly, gingerly towards my bruised wrists, and then I felt him tense. “You deserve to be the one to end him, but I’m going to have to ask that you let me be your champion in this.”

“You’ll kill him?”

I spun around in his arms, my eyes not knowing what to take in first. His look of fury and concern, Silas pale and shaking, but Creed? He was in his half wolf, half human form and both took in my state before a deafening snarl filled the massive space of the church.

“No, brother,” Arik said, keeping me close as he stood between Creed and Magnus. The fallen king gasped and thrashed on the ground now. “A duel has to be held. It needs to happen in the throne room. I must best my brother to take the throne.”

“I care nothing for crowns or thrones!” Creed roared. “Any that dare to lay a single finger on my mate must die!”

“That he will.” Roan came walking in through the doors looking too pale, too worn down, but he tried to smile for me. “It will be finally done, but once the commander has beaten this fucking prick down, you can give the people what they want.” He sneered as he looked down at the scrabbling Magnus. “His head. Let Arik do this and then you’ll have what you need.”

“This is a duel for succession?” the priest said, working hard to stand tall in the face of their collective gaze.

“Ring the bells, Father,” Arik said, pushing me into Creed’s arms as he strode over to Magnus. The king let out another shriek as his ‘brother’ picked him up by his hair and then started to drag him forward. Magnus’ hands slapped down on the floor, Arik’s hands, his legs, but then my prince twisted his grip tighter, forcing Magnus into submission. “A king will be declared before the sun sets again and only the gods know which one of us it will be.”

Chapter 113

Arik

I had dreamed of this moment since I was a young boy, but the reality was nothing compared to that. I couldn’t have anticipated throwing my ‘brother’ into the midst of the courtiers left huddled in the throne room, nor the new Duke of Fallspire and the lords loyal to him filing in to observe. The general of the army and some of his top ranked officers were also serving as witnesses, as were a number of wolf shifters along with Selene and Desiree.

“Gods, I never thought to see you two again!” Jessalyn said as she rushed over to their sides. She touched Selene’s then Desiree’s face, as if needing to check for herself. Selene gave her hand a squeeze before releasing it.

“The only drugs Giselle was ever going to get her hands on came straight from my father.” She nodded to the Raven, who lurked now in the corner of the room. “My brother carries the antidotes with him everywhere.”

“And some wonderful stuff that drives the headache away.” Desiree grinned loosely at Jessalyn. “Makes me feel all light headed.”

A feeling that perhaps the king shared. Once Magnus clambered to his feet, the waver made clear that he was in no state to fight. Too bad. I drew my sword free with a theatrical flair, then let it swipe through the air. It thirsted for his blood, and so did I.

“Get him a sword!” I barked, but the over-bred idiots Magnus kept at court just shrank back, as if they would be the ones to face my blade.

Not yet.

An investigation would be held and each one examined to determine whether or not they should retain their lands, but first this.

“So you must kill Magnus.”

Father came to stand before me, staring out at the proceedings, the only sign of what he was thinking was a slight tightening of the muscles around his eyes.

“It was either him or me, you know that.” I turned to stare at his ghost. “You always knew that.” I frowned slightly, remembering all the times he intervened, redirected, tried to avoid just this. “And if I had—?”

“None of this would’ve happened,” he said with a slow nod. “We each must answer for our sins, but now you answer for mine.”

A sword hit the floor with a clatter, tossed there by Roan.

“You’ve got a sword now,” he said to Magnus. “Let’s see if you can pick the thing up.”

Roan favoured a claymore, a big, heavy unwieldy sword that many men would struggle to deploy skilfully. It took a degree of power I doubted the king had, but he moved forward and raised the weapon. We all saw his muscles quiver with the effort—that was hampered by the knife wounds Silas had given him—but I didn’t care. The courtly code that had been instilled in me as a boy died the same day the golden stag did.

It was a lie. This all was. The crown, the Emerald Throne, everything was little more than glittering props on the stage of Khean, the king, the lead actor. He had to move, dress, eat, fuck like someone who deserved to rule over everyone else and as long as he maintained that facade, the people did not rebel. It was only when the truth was finally shared of what went on behind the curtain that everything went to shit.

I didn’t care. I wasn’t doing this to take the throne. The fact I was my father’s only son didn’t matter either. I stared at his ghost for just a moment then nodded and strode forward.

“Magnus, false king, you stand accused of taking the crown of Khean under false pretences, because you share no blood with the royal family.” Little gasps went around the group of courtiers. “You called me bastard, and yet you were the one who was born from an unholy union between your mother and one of her knights, but even if you were my father’s true born son, I would challenge you, because you are no king. You are cruel and venal. You care not for the people of Khean, only in indulging your own base…” I let out a shuddering sigh. “…murderous impulses. The country has thrived despite your rule and now it faces war on two fronts.” More twittering at that. “Our enemies mass at our unprotected borders. The treaty with the wolf shifters is in tatters. Our country is completely vulnerable to attack now.”

“I was going to kill the golden stag.” I’d never heard Magnus sound so uncertain right then, his voice so shaky it sounded like someone else’s. “I was!” He spun around in a circle, the sword point dragging across the ground. People chuckled at that, even some of the courtiers. “It’s his fault!” He lifted one hand off the hilt to point in my direction, but the sword dropped closer to the ground in response. “He killed my stag. He tried to steal my crown then, and now he’s doing it again!”

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