Page 3 of The King's Weapon

But then, Kallie grew up, and she saw the truth.

Love weakened.

And love destroyed.

So a marriage that promised her kingdom strength and prosperity? A marriage that would grant her the power to rule over her own kingdom and the power to rule herself? All while avoiding love? She could agree to that.Because a throne was all she wanted.

A throne was control, and control meant freedom.

An agitated voice she knew all too well stirred Kallie from her thoughts.

"Myra, fetch Kallie a cup of chamomile tea."

In the mirror, Kallie locked eyes with the king as Myra scurried past him with her gaze fixed on the ground.No emotion blanketed his face, but the muscles in his jaw flexed and his body stood rigid.

They had broken his number one rule: don't talk about his late wife. Kallie only hoped he would not blame Myra for the mistake later.

As she waited for Myra to leave, she observed her father. Like Kallie's own attire, King Domitius' ensemble was chosen with care. Small silver chains darted across the front of his navy suit jacket, paying homage to the royal colors of Ardentol. He wore matching trousers, freshly pressed. His sword was sheathed in the scabbard that hung from his hip, and his shoes reflected the light perfectly. Everything pristine. Everything in order.

His message to today's visitors was clear: if Kallie was the jewel of Ardentol, he was the chain that held her.

Once Myra turned the corner and left them alone, Kallie finally addressed the king, "Father, you could at least be more . . . warm to the servants."

He huffed in response and assessed her appearance as he approached.Her father was a stern man. When he ordered the servants to do anything, they scattered across the floor like rats in the street, fleeing to the dark corners of the palace. She witnessed how the people in the kingdom sought out his approval, howshesought it out. He was a man both feared and revered by his people, and Kallie hoped to have a presence that exuded respect and command when she ruled.

"Still having headaches from the gift, I see," King Domitius mused. The disappointment painted on his face made Kallie want to shrink back into the shadows. All of the remedies she had tried to prevent the onslaught of her headaches had failed her. She had tried teas, baths, even piercing the cartilage in the inside of her ear. But nothing worked.

"Unfortunately," Kallie mumbled.

"Hopefully that will not be a problem much longer. But, I suppose you accomplished your task last night then?"

She mentally shook the concern from her mind and smirked. "It went without a hitch."

Her father approached her and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Well, we will see tonight, won't we?"

The corner of her lip twitched as she nodded.

He straightened the jewelry box sitting on the vanity. Disgust wrinkled his face. "In any case, avoid using it too much tonight. As long as things go as planned, you will need it soon enough. You do remember the plan, correct?"

Kallie scoffed. "I could recite it in my sleep."

"Go ahead then."

She rolled her shoulders back and spoke with the confidence he had instilled in her, "Once the suitors arrive, I will view their gifts. Then the suitors will present themselves and—"

"Yes, yes. But what of the oath?"

Kallie's jaw snapped shut at her father's interruption.She sucked on her teeth before continuing and gave a tight smile. "Prince Valrys will be the first to present himself, and he will propose the oath as discussed," Kallie smirked, "after feeling a sudden onslaught of passion for our cause to unite the seven kingdoms."

He flicked off a piece of lint from his jacket invisible to Kallie's eyes."As long as you have succeeded, that is."

She bit back her frustration. "I have."

His left brow raised. "Do not be overzealous of your ability, Kalisandre." The use of her formal name made Kallie's gaze flick up to meet his. Her father rarely used it when talking to her directly. And when he did, it was always to chide her.

She took a deep breath and nodded, knowing he was right. Time and time again he had proven how her confidence was a vice. When she mastered a new fighting technique during training, he would change tactics, proving she was still not good enough. He dismantled her concentration, shook her confidence, and made her fumble for the rest of the day.

However, he could not take away her confidence in her gift. While her father may have been at her side as she sharpened her ability, she was the only one who knew its limits. The only one who could feel it within the pit of her core. Her father did not know how it felt to bare a gift and he never would. No one in this kingdom was born with a gift.

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