Page 85 of When the Moon Met the Sun

I let his words roll off of me like the water I had just wielded, not taking anything he said to heart.

“I fear you can’t get rid of me that easily, Father,” I responded with a smirk that I knew Byn would be proud of.

I settled myself into the chair I had placed my cloak on, making myself at home and appearing as comfortable as I could, even crossing an ankle over my knee.

Father opened his mouth to speak, but I held up a hand to cut him off. The same way he had done to me and Dimi so many times before.

“This is how this is going to go. You’re going to call back your soldiers, surrender to the South, and then we can come to an agreement between our two nations that will put an end to this war. Surely, we can be of more help to each other if we were to cease slaughtering one another,” I said, making a show of examining my nails.

Father barked out a harsh laugh. “Never. Besides, why would I take your word for what the South willor won’t do?”

“Because I am their queen, after all.” I flicked my eyes up to meet his and smiled sweetly, shifting my arm to show off the tattoo inked there—the Thorntier family crest.

He looked stunned, as though he couldn’t quite believe the marriage he arranged actually went through. And that I’d won them all over.

Then, his expression shifted into a sly smile.

“I’ve got to hand it to you, you’ve actually surprised me. I didn’t imagine you’d actually win their respect. And in such a short amount of time, too,” Father said. “But that changes nothing. I will never surrender to the likes ofyou, or your new people.Ifmy army is to fall today, we would rather fight to the death.”

Got him, I thought to myself.

“It’s funny that you suggest fighting to the death,” I said, lowering my hands onto the arms of my chair. “Because I’m still Northern born. And as such, I have certain rights. So, I’m evoking the right to challenge you, Father, to a veltik khan.”

A veltik khan was an ancient Northern ritual where the two parties were forced to fight to the death. Rejecting the challenge of a veltik khan was a huge disgrace, and was seen as admitting weakness and known defeat. While breaking the rules of a veltik khan was looked down upon and branded as untrustworthy, that was nothing compared to simply rejecting the challenge. Additionally, only one weapon per party was allowed. Only the two party's bodies, one weapon each, and any zirilium they could wield.

Rejecting the veltik khan was something I knew for a fact the king before me would never do.

Both Father and Dimitri were stunned into a lapse of silence, but I didn’t break it. I allowed them to mull over what I’d just proposed—let my father ponder over his limited options.

For the first time since I sat down, I cast a glance at Dimitri. I didn’t want to show any indifference towards him in front of our father, in case he tried to use him against me somehow. But lookingupon my brother now, I could read him like an open book. Like always.

Just by his eyes alone, I could tell he was begging me not to do this. He wholeheartedly believed I’d lose, that he was about to watch me die, and he wouldn’t be able to do anything to stop it.

My heart ached for him, and I wished so badly that I could let him know it’d be alright.

That I wouldn’t be losing today.

“Fine,” Father said at last, rising to his feet to tower a good foot over me, making me feel like a child again, even with the table between us. “But you won’t be fightingme,” he said with an evil grin.

Father unclasped his widely known, black onyx crested sword, Tarrious, from around his waist and shoved it towards Dimitri.

“You’ll be fighting him, instead, right here and now. I choose Prince Dimitri to represent me,” our father said.

At those two sentences alone, my stomach plummeted.

I knew this was somewhat of a possibility, but I truly thought my father’s pride would overtake him and he’d want to put me down himself.

I miscalculated.

And now I had to pay the price.

My eyes flickered to meet Dimitri’s, and I saw the pure panic written in them. I saw the exact moment he came to the conclusion that only one of us would make it out of this tent alive. His eyes were full of sorrow, and I felt as though he was already grieving me. If I were in his shoes, I’d be doing the same thing. As far as Dimi knew, he’d taught me every maneuver and trick I knew.

Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know I had a few new tricks up my sleeve.

I tried to silently reassure Dimi, casting him a weighted yet emotional glance. I let him see every emotion written on my facefor just a split second, before letting my neutral mask fall back into place.

Getting to my feet, I felt Rayven stirring, as though in warning. It took all my effort not to call upon him for an ounce of comfort or courage.

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