Free Web NovelChapter 35: Chapter 35
The shift was quick. His smile melted off his face as soon as he stepped out of Circe’s room, donning on an armor of stern stoicism that was all too familiar. It was one he had forged for himself as a child after one too many encounters with the queen. freēwebnovel.com
He moved with the awkwardness of a newborn fawn, each step uncertain and sluggish as he struggled to find his balance. His legs trembled beneath him, as though the very act of standing was a battle he had yet to win. Casilo followed a short distance behind, silent and observant. He made no move to assist him. It wasn’t out of cruelty, but because he understood Ragnar far too well. Stubbornness ran too deep in the prince’s blood. Even if he were collapsing, he’d sooner grit his teeth and stumble forward than accept a helping hand.
Ragnar pushed open the door to his chambers, entering the room he hadn’t seen in days. Familiar yet foreign. It might as well have belonged to someone else with how little he made use of it. Like everything that happened in the palace, the room was given to him out of formality and he hated every inch of it.
He much preferred the rooms in his manor, where he could sleep peacefully without needing to place a knife under his pillow each night.
Lord Tomar stood in front of the open balcony door. He glanced behind him when he heard Ragnar’s approaching footsteps, watching him come to a stop at the center of the room.
Falein Tomar was a tall man, almost as tall as Ragnar. He had a warrior’s build, with a crooked nose and a scarred lip from being in one too many fights in the past. Faint frown lines framed his mouth and strands of grey threaded through his dark hair, most noticeable at the temples. He wore a long embroidered coat dyed the deep green of moss after a spring rain.
He turned around to face Ragnar fully and bowed.
" I’m glad you’re recovering well, your highness. Many of us that witnessed the fight didn’t think you would make it." Lord Tomar said. He spoke with the poise precision of a seasoned courtier. His gaze fell on Ragnar’s injured leg and lingered. When he met Ragnar’s eyes once more, he forced a smile.
" Thank you for your concern, Lord Tomar." Ragnar intoned. His gaze flicked momentarily to Casilo, who stood motionless by the locked bedroom door, his arms crossed and his expression unreadable. He hadn’t said a word, but he was clearly taking in every detail of the exchange. " What brings you here, Lord Tomar."
" I’ve come to speak with you about your next course of action. It’s time we determine where you go from here. The queen has crossed the line. You saw what she did out there."
" I did more than just see it, Lord Tomar." Ragnar said, gesturing to his injured leg. It wasn’t the first time the queen had intentionally tried to harm Ragnar but her methods of torture were usually more covert, more underhanded. Subtle enough to go unnoticed. She had never been one for overly gruesome displays, those were usually done by the king.
His mind flashed back to Laheir Tavish in the throne room.
" She’s growing restless. Her actions made it known that there is a rift within the royal family and there’s no taking it back." Lord Tomar said. " Not after she practically sent you to your death."
" The queen isn’t fond of me. It isn’t a secret. I doubt people were surprised."
" A lot of them were apparently appalled. They were told they would be coming to watch one of the princes fight against an equally matched opponent, not witness him fighting for his life against a creature from the faelands. It was supposed to be your execution." Lord Tomar’s eyes hardened. " No queen has executed a prince before in Lamora, bastard or not."
No bastard prince had ever been deemed dangerous enough to warrant execution because none of them ever dared to overstep their place. They were usually kept away until a need for them arose.
They were expected to serve quietly, obediently and without ambition. Bastards, after all, were born to be useful tools of the crown, not challengers to it. Their purpose was to protect and support the royal line, not disrupt it. As long as they remained loyal and lowly, they were tolerated.
But the moment one of them strayed from that invisible leash, well, that was when the kingdom started to pay attention. And there was nothing worse than being under the attention and scrutiny of the nobles.
" Queen Nheera might be the first." Ragnar said, trying to hide his pained grimace.
" And Prince Hairan—" Lord Tomar started but Ragnar cut him off.
" Hairan isn’t a big enough threat to deter the plans we have in motion."
Lord Tomar’s lips thinned in disapproval. " You’re going to need to get rid of any emotional sentiments and attachments you have with this family. Soon you will learn that they are a threat, every single one of them and they should be treated as such. If the king were to die tomorrow, who do you believe most of the court would support as his successor? And what do you think Hairan is going to do first when he ascends Marzen’s throne?"
Ragnar didn’t even want to imagine the types of horrors his younger brother would be capable of doing as king. The pain in Ragnar’s leg worsened with every second remained standing. He placed a hand on the wall for support. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Lord Tomar’s brows furrowed. " Are you alright, your highness?"
" I’m quite well." Ragnar gritted his teeth through the bouts of discomfort. " And I agree with you. We need to move fast."
" Not just fast, your highness. We need to match them at their own game with force, shatter their strengths and crippled them." Lord Tomar held Ragnar’s gaze, his eyes brimming with years of pent up resentment. " I will rather plunge a sword through my own chest than sit and watch any one of Nheera’s unworthy offspring ascend Marzen’s throne."
