The Redwood Rebel (The Redwood War Book 1) (2 page)

'No,' she replied honestly. 'How long?'

'Two years ago.'

Two years. It was hard to believe that only four years ago she had been part of it. The two largest continents in Ilios, Tsumetai and Koren, had come to blows over a small set of islands, inhabited by lawless corsairs who raided the seaside villages and merchant ships of all three continents.  The islands were technically part of the larger Koren, but in a bid to save his own people, the new Dragon King had signed them over to the pirates in exchange for safe passage to his ships and the instant halt to all attacks on his lands. Ffion had stayed well out of the turbulence that followed, seeing the wisdom behind the Dragon King's actions, but Tsumetai, who had thirteen of their seventeen largest cities situated along the coast, and a very lucrative shipping trade, felt that they had been betrayed by the Korenians. The pirate raids to Tsumetai were soon doubled, and the Emperor, furious at his losses, declared war against Koren.

With the war between the two larger continents taking place, little Ffion took the full force of the pirate raids. They had treaties with both Koren and Tsumetai, and with their resources all but used up in defending their ports and coastlines, it was decided they would remain neutral in the war. For Naomi however, this was not the case. Her mother was originally from Tsumetai, and as such, they had close relatives facing off against the powerful Korenians. At her mother’s behest, and without the knowledge of her father, she had snuck away and taken the first boat to the port of Fusashi, her mother’s home province.

She had only been sixteen at the time, but she had been well-trained in swordsmanship, archery, battle tactics, and basic healing from the age of six by Master Gerrard. Her father’s reputation as a formidable enemy on the field of combat had been hard won, and one that he was determined to see passed on to his only legitimate child. Naomi, in turn, and with a great deal of hard work, had earned her own reputation.  Headstrong and foolish though, she had left her land in its darkest time to prove herself in war.

She had only come back to Ffion when a letter from her mother had found its way to her.  Her mother begged her to return, intimating that Ffion was under an attack from within. Rushing back with as much haste as possible, Naomi had found her home burning, her mother dead, her father dying, and Adrienne insinuating herself as ruler, a title to which she had no claim.

'Koren was victorious in the end,' Cygnus informed her, jolting her from her dark reverie. 'The Dragon King was most kind in the treaty that followed, but I understand that the Tsumetese took quite a beating before it was all over.'

This news was yet another blow, and Naomi tried not to dwell on the possible fates of those last relatives she believed she had left in the whole of Ilios. She had sent her small cousin to Asuya, the capital, in the hopes that there would be refuge there. Now she wondered if any of them had survived.

'The corsairs rarely raid the coasts any more,' he continued lightly. 'It seems that with the security of land and their new leader, they're happy enough to steal from merchant ships, and almost always leave the crews alive. Of course, for us, this came too little too late. Trade has dwindled and the livestock is poor and underfed.  This, of course, leads to poor and underfed peasants.'

'You don't think the men you led from fief to fief, burning and killing anyone who dared oppose her, had anything to do with that?' She shot a look of pure venom at Adrienne, but the woman seemed too intent in admiring the jewels littering her wrists and fingers to notice. 'Even though you sit there telling me how poor Ffion is now, how the people starve and the land dies, you both still dress in all your ill-gotten finery. And you wonder why someone wants to kill you?'

'No one wants to kill me.' Adrienne said smugly.

'Are you quite sure?' Naomi shot back, lifting her bloody hand where the glass had cut in.

'Now, ladies.' Cygnus moved between them, breaking Naomi's eye contact with the hateful woman. 'That isn't at all to do with why I told you this. My point is that the country is in decline, and the peasants are becoming...difficult. I’m sure you can understand that things would be far smoother if our dear Princess Adrienne became our dear
Queen
Adrienne?'

Naomi had been about to spit something scathing about Adrienne being neither, but found that she truly didn't have the energy. Her body ached, her face was swollen and painful, and talking only hurt. She was truly wasting her breath anyway, as Cygnus fully intended to say his piece without anyone ruining his plan. She knew that right now her best course of action was to remain perfectly still, hold her tongue, conserve her energy, and hope to the highest heaven that Adrienne would forget she was no longer bound. Just one good chance, that was all Naomi needed. She just had to be patient.

'For that to happen, she needs to marry into royalty,' Cygnus continued. 'We could have just changed the law, of course, but it was my opinion that this might rile the peasants even further. No one wants that, you'll agree. It would only lead to more devastation, and we have our interests to protect. A Kingdom isn't a Kingdom without subjects to rule.'

It was a stupid law, in Naomi's opinion. A female heir to the Redwood throne of Ffion couldn't inherit the title of Queen unless she married another royal. It was all bloodlines and sexism and general stupidity. She had never agreed with it, but now she found herself grateful to know it was causing her enemies a problem.

'Tsumetai wants nothing to do with us,’ Cygnus admitted. 'So that only left us with the Dragon King of Koren, who has graciously accepted.'

Both Adrienne and Cygnus were watching her intently now, and Naomi felt strange. She didn't see what any of this had to do with her. They were clearly driving at something, coming, at last, to the point, but she just couldn't even begin to fathom what it might be.

'The same Dragon King?' Naomi asked, in genuine interest. 'Arun the Fourteenth?'

Cygnus nodded slowly.

'What an idiot,' she said. 'And to think Mother praised him for having so much wisdom at such a young age. Tell me, has the lucky man met his future bride?'

'Not yet. He arrives tomorrow evening, and the wedding will take place the day after.'

'Ah, that explains it.' Naomi closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. 'Don't give him enough time to realise what he's getting himself into, and then it's too late.'

She heard Adrienne shift very quickly and opened her eyes again. She was disappointed to see she had only sat forward, looking livid once again, rather than coming close enough for an attack to be possible. Naomi just had to bait her a little more.

'Your idea, I think,' Naomi said, eyeing Cygnus. 'Much too clever for her to have come up with.'

Adrienne was again on her feet, but just as she was about to rush towards them, Cygnus held up his hand in warning. Adrienne stopped completely, and for a moment Naomi wondered if he had used his magic to hold her back. She then gave Naomi a very cold look, before turning and sitting back down again. So close.

'How much do you know about the Korenian marriage ritual?' asked Cygnus, lowering his hand.

'Not much,' she admitted. 'I know they aren't a particularly religious culture, that they think the gods help those who help themselves, but I couldn't really go into any detail about actual rites of passage.'

'You're quite right, poppet. They tend to not go much into prayer and ritual the way we do. Their traditions for such events are generally very private-'

'What does this have to do with me?' Naomi interrupted, growing impatient. They didn't seem to be going anywhere, and it was as if they somehow expected her to understand whatever it was they were hinting at. She was exhausted and bleeding and half-starved. She only had a limited amount of time before willpower alone wouldn’t be enough to keep her upright.

Cygnus seemed to debate how to respond to this, then laced his fingers and leaned forward in his chair. 'Do you understand that you have been kept alive solely because you could be used? I must admit, it took some convincing—Her Highness so wanted you dead--but I knew you would eventually be useful to us. '

'I know you need a body double,' said Naomi impatiently. 'You've made that much painfully obvious, despite that we look very little alike. But I don't understand why if there isn't an assassination threat, and trust me when I tell you I won't be helping prevent that.'

Cygnus pursed his lips, then spoke very slowly. 'The Korenians only marry once. It's a tradition of their people. When they do marry, they marry as virgins. You are a virgin, are you not?'

And there it was. Everything clicked into place. Very neat, very well planned. They wanted Naomi to be a substitute for Adrienne on her wedding night. She looked between Cygnus and Adrienne, and realised that they needed her to do this because there was more to their relationship. She had seen that he had some kind of hold on her, but it had never even infringed on her deepest thoughts that it might be... that. Of course, for Adrienne to be Queen, she and Cygnus couldn't marry, even if they wanted to. Naomi supposed the next best thing was to dupe another man into taking her, while possibly continuing their illicit affair behind his back. Horrific, but not at all shocking. At least, not by the standards that these two were usually capable of.

'No.'

'You will, of course, be heavily compensated for your maidenhead,' Cygnus assured her genially, ignoring her flat refusal. 'We are willing to give you something very valuable in exchange for your services.'

'No.'

'It has been an unfortunate complication that King Arun has stipulated his bride be a virgin, especially since she is, in fact, not, but I have personally assured her Highness that making a substitution will be easy enough.'

'No. It's ridiculous that you've even asked me.'

'Why? You haven't even heard what we're offering you.'

'It doesn't matter what you're offering me. Even if I did agree to do this monstrous thing, and I’m not going to, you have two days. It might be easy enough for you to forget, but I’ve been starved of light, food and exercise for the past four years. Even a complete fool would notice the difference.'

'Oh, that's nothing a little magic couldn't fix,' Cygnus shrugged. 'A basic glamour spell, a good strong wine with a pinch of something herbal over dinner, and a nice, dark room. He won't be able to tell.'

'Then why me? If you're going to cover me with a spell to alter my appearance, what difference does it make who you get to do it?'

'Because we have a hold over you that we don't have over anyone else.' Adrienne spoke at last, scathingly.

Cygnus shot a warning look at her, then spoke carefully. ‘Come now, poppet, you must realise you are the obvious choice.'

'And yet, I’m still not going to do it.'

Adrienne smirked then and Naomi knew that the hammer stroke was coming. 'Not even in exchange for your freedom?'

There was silence, no one even dared to breathe as this offer echoed around the large room. Naomi sat perfectly still for a long while, her eyes blank and unseeing. Her freedom? She had never even considered that she might be free again. The darkness of her cell pressing down against her, the cold seeping into her bones had extinguished all hope of such a thing. She had known that only death could await her after all that had passed, that it was the best she could hope for now. Taking Adrienne down with her as she went had been fleetingly attainable, but to be free... To go where she wished, to run again, to laugh from the pit of her stomach and do as she chose was a dream long since extinguished.

'You won't,' she whispered. 'You could never let me go, you know that. This is a trick.'

'Indeed it is not, my dear. You would be watched very carefully as you made your way to the coast, and needless to say, any trouble would result in your swift and immediate death, but so long as you left the country and never returned, your life would be your own.' Cygnus cocked his head. 'You have relatives in Tsumetai, do you not?'

She did have relatives in Tsumetai. She would find them, take care of them if they still lived, and honour their memory if they didn't. She could grow strong there, get back on her feet and hone her skills. If she could raise a rebellion against Adrienne, she would do it. If she couldn't, then a swift assassination by her own hands might be enough. She could avenge her family, in exchange for one night.

'How can I trust you?' Naomi asked, looking suspicious.

Cygnus only smiled as he spoke the words that would seal the deal. 'What choice do you have?'

Chapter Two

Hadrian Arun, Fourteenth Dragon King of Koren, looked pensively into the goblet of wine cradled between his hands. It had been a long, trying day and he was sorry to think it wasn't over yet. He wanted nothing more than to allow the bitter wine to lull him into the peaceful slumber it promised and forget all the cares of the day. Unfortunately for him, he still had one more duty to perform before he could rest, and the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to forget about it entirely.

Reluctantly raising his gaze from the wine, he watched his bride from across the room. She was beautiful, certainly. He had no qualms in that quarter. Sadly, her beauty seemed to be the only thing she had in her favour. She was foolish, vain, and even from just their brief acquaintance, he believed that she was also cruel. They had been deliberately kept apart for as much of the day as the crafty Lord Cygnus could manage, given the circumstances, and that Arun could already see all these negative traits concerned him deeply. He looked away from the Princess and scanned the expressions on his own people's faces. Considering this was supposed to be a wedding, no one seemed at all pleased.

'It's an insult that you should be seated anywhere except at the head table,' seethed his cousin, Rayan, from beside him. 'Especially while she hangs and simpers over her Chancellor in such a way.'

Arun's mouth twitched in slight amusement at his cousin's outrage, before he shrugged and looked back down into his wine. 'Perhaps we'll be lucky and find she doesn't fulfil the requirements after all.'

The full weight of his words seemed to darken the mood even further. It was disgraceful to even think she might not be a virgin after his very strict stipulations. Still, it would at least mean that the marriage could be nullified, and that was something he already found himself hoping for. It was a sad state of affairs.

'Don’t even joke about it,' the older man cautioned. ‘There’s too much at stake for you personally, as well as for the Kingdom.’

‘I know, I know.’ he sighed, taking another mouthful of wine and wincing slightly at the nasty after-taste. The stipulation of virginity was a tradition of his people, dating back to the very beginning of their civilisation. The Korenians believed they, particularly his own family, the royal line of Hadrian, were anciently descended from the dragons.  For a marriage to be successful, both participants must be pure on their wedding night. The dragons mated for life, and so did his people. He could testify to many frustrating years of adolescence on his own part, but watching the way Princess Adrienne’s hands kept slipping beneath the table to Lord Cygnus’ lap made him wonder how much of a risk he really was taking here.

Apparently seeing the same things he did, Rayan spoke slowly and quietly. 'We could just end the agreement now. Their ways are not ours, and by our own laws, you are not truly married until you have shared her bed. Their ceremony means nothing to our people.'

What Rayan was saying was indeed true, but the act would be incredibly dishonourable. The Ffionite ceremony might be nothing more than a great deal of talking, but it meant something to them. Ignoring it, despite all he was likely to face with this woman by his side for the rest of his life, would come with consequences.

He had known that Ffionite women were different from what he was used to. They were raised differently, without the same obedience to their fathers and husbands that was normal in Koren. He hadn’t really minded that, but this woman was so profane, he couldn’t imagine living with her for any amount of time.

In truth, he had only agreed to marry Adrienne in an attempt to re-stabilise Ilios after the Pirate Wars. It was true that things between Koren and Tsumetai were still tense, but with time that would mend. It helped that he had never wished to go to war with them in the first place, and in being so lenient with the new Empress after her surrender upon the death of her father, he had gone a long way to healing the breach. It wouldn't happen overnight, but the wheels were already turning.

The problem now was Ffion. It was the smallest of the three continents, but it was just as important as its two larger neighbours. Where Koren traded the salt, glass, gold, precious stones and other rich minerals, Tsumetai traded in steel, silk, tea and ship building, but it was little Ffion that kept everyone going with its vast farmlands and deep forests. Most of the livestock of Ilios, which would not survive in Koren's harsh deserts or Tsumetai's frozen mountains, was raised and slaughtered here for the world's consumption. Not only that, but a great deal of the lumber needed for mining and shipping came from here, as well as grain and fruit from the fields and orchards. If Ffion starved then so did the whole of Ilios, and Ffion was starving.

Part of Arun knew that if the old King had survived to rule after the Pirate Wars, then despite the ravaging of the coasts, this problem would have already been taken care of without his intervention. It was harder to forget that Adrienne was responsible for the murder of the royal family, her own family, now that he was faced with her, but it changed little of the situation before them. King Maximilian had died, and now Ffion was ruled by his niece, this usurper, Princess Adrienne, a woman who clearly had no idea what was expected of her. He felt somehow responsible, knowing that it had been his decision to bargain with the pirates all those years ago that had triggered the opportunity for Ffion's civil war. He had resolved to fix the problem, and then the proposal of marriage had winged its way to him.

It had seemed so perfect at the time. Where Ffion's economy was failing, Koren's was on a high. He would use the wealth of his own country to take care of hers, unite the two so that all could be fixed and put right, and in the process gain a wife.

A wife wasn't his main concern, of course. His main concern was an heir. He had just reached his twenty-sixth summer and had already reigned for five. In the time that had passed marriage had never come up, but now his people were becoming expectant. His own mother had died in childbirth, and his father soon after of a broken heart. Arun had been raised by his uncle Darius, alongside his cousin Rayan, whose father had also perished years before. Now the last of the three brothers, Darius had ruled as regent until Arun was old enough to take the throne, teaching his nephew even as he taught himself what it meant to govern a country.

Darius had made it plain more than once that he had no intention of marriage, and Rayan and his wife, Esta, were unable to conceive a child of their own. This meant that if Arun himself did not produce an heir, a stressful enough expectation of any King under normal circumstances, then Koren would fall into civil war after his death. It would mean the end of the Hadrian line, and that was a burden he was unwilling to carry.

'Too much rests on this union.' He spoke quietly, more to himself than to Rayan in an attempt to steel his resolve.

'We can find you another bride. One we can be certain will only carry your children.'

'It could bring war,' Arun said. 'I’ll not be responsible for another one.'

'The people love you, my King. They would not wish for you to be bound to such a creature, no matter the cost.'

Arun looked back at his cousin. His face was set, light brown eyes twitching furiously as he tried to convince the younger man of his point. Rayan had been like a brother to him his whole life, and now acted as the Commander of the Royal Army and his chief bodyguard. He knew with utmost certainty that Rayan would take care of this problem with just a word, and gladly. It was true that along with the generally dismissive attitude of the Princess herself, being all but ignored and even relegated to a separate table in the furthest corner of the Great Hall at his own wedding reception had piqued his annoyance. It showed such a want of decorum and respect; he knew he was well within his rights to demand better treatment. Usually he would have, but the many problems buzzing around his mind, mixing with the wine that seemed to have gone straight to his head, made him apathetic and weary. He simply couldn't be bothered, and that didn't bode well at all.

'You really don't have to go through with this, Arun.' The gentle voice of Rayan's wife, Esta, pulled him back from his dark, exhausted thoughts. She had leaned forward, peeking around her husband, her face filled with concern for him. He noticed now that almost all of the Korenian entourage were also watching, though attempting to look as though they weren't.

'No one wants war any less than I do, but that woman...' she hesitated briefly, trying to find a diplomatic way of putting it, then deciding almost instantly that there wasn't one. 'That woman can't be Queen. Not of any country. If you return with her as your wife, it will only cause more trouble.'

'She's had no one to show her how.' Arun tried to be fair, despite his heart not being in it.

'No, she hasn't,' Rayan agreed. 'But the reason she hasn't is because she had her whole family murdered. Her uncles, her aunts, her cousins… her own father! And hundreds of other innocent people, just for being loyal to their murdered King and his family.'

'It was a military coup,' Arun sighed wearily, taking a sip of his wine. 'These things happen.'

'You don't mean that.'

There was no question in Esta's far too motherly voice, and he smiled tiredly. 'No. I just fail to see the point of this being brought up. Again.'

'The point is that she was never a popular choice amongst our own people,' she persisted patiently. 'But the Tsumetese Empress wasn't at all impressed by your decision either, and for whatever reason, it has caused yet more friction. Uncle Darius could only placate her with assurances that you would bring her tyranny to heel.'

Esta looked pointedly at the head table, and he instinctively followed her gaze. Adrienne was drinking more wine and laughing loudly as she all but crawled into Lord Cygnus' lap.

'Take it from me, Arun,' Esta murmured. 'There will be no compromise with a woman like that. She is too used to having her own way, and she will crush anyone who tries to stop her.'

Rayan and Esta made a compelling point. He found that within the space of only one day, he already felt disgusted with his new wife. His potential wife, if he chose to ignore the Ffionite ceremony. He could do it. No one could blame him after all he had endured today. No new husband should be treated in such a way, let alone a King by his new Queen. She was making a mockery of him. Of him, his country, his people, and their customs. He didn't have to marry her. There were other ways to stabilise Ffion. He could organise his own military coup and have her de-throned. He could give the Redwood throne to someone else, someone who would take care of it, take care of the people. Someone who would fulfil the obligations that Adrienne seemed so disdainful of. He could do it. He could.

'Husband, come!' she suddenly called from across the room, clicking her fingers at him as though summoning a dog. 'I am leaving to make ready for bed!'

He heard a loud gasp of shock from Esta, even as her husband jumped to his feet in outrage. Arun simply held up a hand for silence, not even looking up from his goblet as he did so. Apparently oblivious to the raging insult her attitude had afforded, Arun heard the scrape of many chairs and the fanfare as Adrienne exited without so much as waiting for his answer.

'Arun,' began his cousin in a low, angry whisper, hand clenched tightly around the hilt of his sword.

'No, Rayan,' Arun shook his head, speaking lightly and feeling somewhat lethargic despite the tension in the Hall. 'She is clearly drunk. Let it go.'

'You are our King!' Rayan spat, still furious. 'More than that, you are my cousin. I will not stand idly by and hear you so thoroughly abused in this blatant way. Arun, please! You must not marry this woman!'

'I will not be responsible for another war if I can help it, and I would not put my people through that because of one drunken woman,' he interrupted, taking a deep breath and standing slightly unsteadily. 'Besides, it seems she is not alone in her state.'

He laughed quietly, finding it amusing that he had taken too much wine on the one night he should have been stone cold sober. He finally looked up to his cousin, who blurred slightly, and patted his shoulder reassuringly. 'I’ll talk with her. If I find she's as unworthy as she appears to be, then I'll call it off. Agreed?'

'You are my King,' Rayan stated stoically, finally letting go of his blade and bowing respectfully. 'I trust your judgement.'

'Thank you.' Arun placed his empty goblet onto the table before him.

As he strode out of the hall, he heard his entourage jump to their feet and stand to attention. He walked towards the wedding chamber, nothing but sheer determination not to look a drunken fool driving his steps, even as his vision blurred around the edges. For his cousin to speak so openly of war, and so ill of his intended bride, did not sit well for the future. He did not like that they appeared to hate their potential Queen already, and he did not like that he himself already resented the woman. It would not make for a happy marriage, and an unhappy marriage would cause unhappy children, a thought that concerned him almost as much as the prospect of war.

He did not want his children to grow up knowing that their parents had no respect nor love for one another. Darius had often told him as he grew up that the greatest thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother, and he believed it. It was all that had kept him from resenting his own father for leaving him so early in life.