7/14/15
Prince Dimmi listened in disbelief as King Mathan explained his plans for Dimmi’s matrimonial future. Prince Dimmi had long held the opinion he should choose his wife by himself. The concept of an arranged marriage had never even been entertained, but his father was now appealing to his sense of duty and his responsibility as Tarthens’ next king to do what was best for the country.
“You don’t have the same rights and freedoms a common citizen has,” he had said. “You are bound by your position to put the interests of the kingdom ahead of your personal desires.”
The pressured prince consented to at least meet the prospective bride.
The realm of Tarthens had a long and often contentious relationship with the adjacent province of Mellia. Longstanding disagreements would at times be aggravated by circumstances or egos. The two kingdoms would then battle each other until their respective monarchs found the campaign too costly. Afterwards they’d enter an extended truce while they each rebuilt and re-armed. The current peace had held nearly thirty years, and hope was growing that the ancient hostilities might finally be dying out.
A recent flurry of diplomatic exchanges had raised the possibility of a union between the two royal heirs. Prince Dimmi would of course inherit rulership of Tarthens and Princess Trett would become the ruling monarch of Mellia for their respective lifetimes. However, their first child, whether male or female, would subsequently become ruler over the combined realms.
Both King Mathan and King Severat had found this proposal acceptable, yet each was having difficulty convincing the potential couple of the importance of their cooperation.
“But Daddy,” protested Princess Trett, “he wants a wife just for social events and personal intimacy. He thinks women are incapable of understanding affairs of state.”
“No, darling,” protested King Severat. “Those are just rumors from enemies who don’t want our kingdoms united. I’ve been told Prince Dimmi is very progressive in his views of female authority.”
“Well, I’ll meet with him, for your sake,” she relented. “But I don’t make any promise to go through with this scheme.”
Two weeks later Prince Dimmi was standing in Princess Trett’s drawing room trying to work through the awkwardness of their compelled tryst. The princess was as beautiful as the reports had stated. But there was a hardness about her eyes which he found unpleasant, and an edge of sarcasm and contempt in her voice which belied the compliments she was paying him.
“You’ve received my gift, I expect?” said Prince Dimmi.
“A gift?” asked Princess Trett.
“Yes. I sent a gift last week. Didn’t you get it?”
“Well, a lot of things have been arriving as our fathers try to buy each others’ trust. So what was it, exactly, you sent me?”
Prince Dimmi couldn’t answer because he hadn’t actually seen what had been sent. He’d merely instructed his father’s prime minister to send something personal in his name. Looking into her steely eyes he realized what she was doing and resented it.
“Are you trying to test me? That’s not a very gracious way to receive a present. You should be more appreciative and demonstrative.”
“Oh? So I should be like those bits of fluff I’ve heard you love to play with?”
“I would think someone with your reputation should consider herself lucky for someone of my position to call at all.”
Princess Trett’s face reddened. This was precisely the type of self-centeredness which she found so detestable, and unfortunately so common in men. She picked up a large, ornately carved jewelry box from the table beside her and hurled it at the feet of Prince Dimmi. It shattered into pieces.
“That’s your gift! Just so you know,” she screamed.
Prince Dimmi turned and exited the room as fast as he could without giving the appearance of being chased out. He then made his way to the reception area near the front door and was about to exit when he ran into his personal attendant.
“Are we leaving, m’ lord?” His attendant was a mature gentleman of noble rank and well versed in matters of courtliness. He had been instrumental in teaching Prince Dimmi about diplomacy.
“Yes, Goodman, we are,” said the prince. “The princess, um, doesn’t meet my expectations.”
“Of course, m’ lord. However, this accord is most important to your father. Perhaps your highness could be so noble as to overlook a few offenses. After all, they may only be a result of nervousness on the young lady’s part.”
“Alright, Goodman. I’ll try again. Even so, have my escort ready to leave on short notice, in case this doesn’t work.”
Princess Trett gazed at the broken pieces of jewelry box and consoled herself by saying it was his fault she got so mad. She waited until his footsteps faded then went to the doorway and looked out.
All her attendants had been sent away so the couple might have some privacy to get acquainted. Down at the end of the hallway she spotted a young guard and called for him to come. Once he entered the room she directed him to clear away the fragments of wood. Then a few moments later she addressed him again.
“Guard. What is that strangled noise you’re making?”
“Oh, I beg your pardon, missus,” the young man said. “I was just singing softly.”
“Singing?!”
“Yes, m’ lady. It’s a love song I composed in honor of your engagement.”
Princess Trett’s anger changed to amusement at she considered the absurdity of a soldier aspiring to be a minstrel. The thought of watching someone make a fool of himself made her smile.
“Sing it again, please,” she said. “This time a bit louder so I can hear it properly.”
The guard smiled broadly at the invitation. He set aside the stack of broken pieces but remained on his knees as he sang.
Thy face has such great radiance, that even sunlight pales.
Thy voice holds such great melody, the ocean’s roaring fails.
With wisdom past mere mortal man, and insight sure and keen,
The world will be a perfect place, once you become its queen.
Prince Dimmi puzzled over the sounds he heard coming from the princess’ drawing room as he approached. Reaching the doorway and looking in, revulsion flooded through him.
“Now I understand!” he called to the princess. “And this is a more appropriate pairing!”
Prince Dimmi hurried back the way he had come. There was no need to remain in Mellia any longer. Behind him Princess Trett shrieked with rage, and a moment later came a loud crash. He judged it to be a large piece of furniture overturning.
A couple of hours later Sir Goodman called after him. “M’ lord, may we slow down yet? Your escort is trailing far behind, and I lost sight of the baggage wagon more than an hour ago.”
“Just a bit further,” said the prince. “I’m not going to stop until I’ve crossed the border. We can rest there while the rest of the train catches up.”
Once Prince Dimmi reached home King Mathan was displeased to learn his son had failed. It was only after hearing that Princess Trett was allowing herself to be courted by a common soldier that he relented in his anger and accepted that this princess was wrong for Tarthens after all.
Nevertheless, it would be necessary to send an envoy to assuage the offense that King Severat would certainly be feeling at this disgracing of his daughter. The messenger dispatched for this purpose had not been gone long before he came rushing back to report that the army of Mellia was approaching, led by King Severat himself.
King Mathan assembled his forces for battle. He was sure his city’s defensive battlements could easily withstand all of Mellia’s forces. A messenger sent out to King Severat under a flag of truce was cut down without being received. King Mathan then knew there was no option but to engage in battle.
As expected, King Mathan’s defenses successfully resisted every wave of King Severat’s assaults. At last, livid with frustration, King Severat personally led a final gambit. King Mathan recognized this as a foolish act of desperation, but could do nothing more than watch in horror as every member of the foray was killed.
Having lost their king and more than half their forces, the army of Mellia withdrew back to their border. King Mathan struggled to piece together how the situation had deteriorated so rapidly and been pushed to such an extreme. Gripped with remorse in the face of such great loss, even though it was Mellia’s, King Mathan granted a flag of truce so that the dead could be gathered from the field. He anticipated this would mean the end of hostilities for a long while.
The next morning King Mathan nearly choked with disbelief when the report came that the army of Mellia was again amassing in attack formation at the site of the previous day’s battle. As Tarthens’ troops assembled, King Mathan and Prince Dimmi took their positions overlooking the battlefield.
They both staggered at the sight of Princess Trett standing like a statue before her army and holding high her father’s sword. King Mathan sent out a messenger under a flag of truce to ask the princess if she would receive an envoy to speak with her. She replied in the affirmative.
Having thus secured an assurance of safety, King Mathan asked Prince Dimmi to go out and find a way to resolve the issue. It was apparent that, for the princess anyway, the matter was not yet over.
Prince Dimmi was soon facing Princess Trett and looking once again into her cold eyes. They were red-rimmed due to the loss of her father, and this gave them a softer, more vulnerable appearance. After regarding each other for several moments, Prince Dimmi spoke.
“I’m very sorry about your father. And I’m sorry for my harsh words to you. I had no idea things would escalate so far so quickly.”
Princess Trett stood silent a long moment then answered. “What’s been done can’t be undone. So, like it or not, our courses are now set. The plan our fathers made is no longer possible. There is only one option left.”
“What’s that?” asked Prince Dimmi.
“Vengeance! Eye for eye, life for life.” With that, Princess Trett gave a signal and a half-dozen warriors leapt forward and cut down Prince Dimmi.
Princess Trett heard King Mathan’s rage of fury come echoing down
from his vantage point. She rushed back to the rear lines as her
soldiers braced for the crushing onslaught which would soon break
upon them. In her final moments Princess Trett smirked at the
thought, not all romances end happily ever after.
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