Queen Midknight: The Wolf’s Bride - Chapter 176

Chapter hundred and seventy six: Set fire to Rain.

Jamie turned around sharply, her heart pounding violently in her chest, every other thing in slow motion. It was temporarily disoriented and for a minute everything was out of focus.

But she saw the look on everyone’s face and the gasps from men. Some ladies fainted while others fanned themselves like they were on fire.

She saw Rosemund turn so fast that the heavy dress she was wearing for her coronation wrapped around her legs causing her to almost tip over except for the fast hands of lord crane.

Judd was the hardest to read. He was standing so far again and then he wasn’t.

Now, he grabbed the royal announcer and his feet were dangling a few inches above the ground.

“The king is alive!” The royal announcer whispered for more time before he stopped.

Judd took the scroll he was holding from him before he was roughly discarded.

Rosemund descended the five stairs of the court as fast as she could without tripping over and breaking her neck.

I was still frozen and taken in details. I didn’t see the almost empress grabbing my hand or being dragged to the center of the court.

“The coronation is thereby placed on hold. Thank you for coming and we wish to have some privacy in these trying times” Rosemund yelled out loud to everyone before they continued their journey.

Next, she grabbed Judd. Jamie knew that everyone was surprised at why the princess would grab the man, a mere knight but none of them paid attention to anything else.

Rosemund almost fell again but Judd’s strong arm was around her back and holding her steady until they were out the door.

“What does the scroll say?! What does the scroll say?!” Jamie yelled repeatedly.

Her eyes were fixed on Judd and the scroll he was tightly holding.

“I don’t know” he murmured.

“Read it!” Luna Jamie yelled at him.

“I will as soon as we get to a private space” Judd insisted.

“Well, if we keep up this pace and we have to because of Rose’s dress then it will take a century to learn what the scrolls says” Jamie prevented herself from snatching the scroll from Judd.

“Jamie is right. Judd, I need you to pick me up. I don’t weigh much” Rosemund told her brother.

Judd was uncomfortable. One, he wasn’t supposed to put his hand on the princess because he was a married man and if people knew they were siblings it wouldn’t be a scandal but nobody did.

In the eyes of everyone, they weren’t siblings. She was royalty and he was a knight.

“Judd!” Jamie and Rosemund screamed at the same time.

Judd shook his head and handed the scroll over to Jamie.

“Fuck it!” He murmured under his breath as he picked up Rosemund like she was a feather.

He had no time to think about others, not when it came to his only brother.

Soon they were in Alexander’s room and the door was pushed short.

Judd dropped his sister to open the curtains. It finally dawned on the two ladies that they have avoided his chamber ever since he was presumed dead.

Jamie took the scroll and opened it. It had no seal whatsoever and so, they had no way of knowing who it came from.

“What does it say about my brother?” Rosemund asked Jamie.

Her face was filled with anticipation and her eyes, endless possibilities. She waited patiently as Jamie cleared her throat three times but no one came out.

Rosemund watched as Judd took the scroll from her and read it out loud.

“Greetings Aradale. I write to inform you that your king is not dead but is now a prisoner of King Ernesto of the northern hemisphere. Hurry, his condition is dire. Signed a concern bystander”

Judd dropped the scroll on the floor.

“Why would the northern hemisphere hold the king of the west prisoner?” Judd asked a question on everybody’s mind.

Jamie looked away. She wasn’t paying attention anymore. She closed her eyes as she felt both waves of relief and shame sweep through her.

Rosemund picked up the scroll and read it again and again.

“This can’t be right. The west wasn’t at war with the North. They can’t have Alexander as a prisoner” Rosemund told herself.

Derkal was made of three hemispheres (South, East and West) and the Northern hemisphere wasn’t a part of it. They were called the midlanders because the hemisphere was located in the Midlands.

Rosemund was right. It didn’t make sense.

“It doesn’t make any sense! We were not at war with the Midlanders. This must be a mistake”

“It makes absolute sense” Judd murmured.

His revelation made Rosemund look at him.

“What do you mean?”

“During a war, there is sometimes trade between kingdoms. Where a war ridden kingdom gives something valuable in exchange for more soldiers. I think…I think…my brother was exchanged for more soldiers! My brother…was.. exchanged? I am going to kill them all!” Judd was barely controlling his anger.

“We need to send a message to the midlanders!” Judd was out for blood.

Rosemund knew she had to be the voice of reason. Her older brother was too angry to think straight and her sister in law was suddenly deaf and dumb. She watched Jamie as she struggled with whatever she was feeling.

“Jamie….this is the part where you jump in and come up with an outrageous plan that is even worse than my brother’s” Rosemund said half mockingly to her.

Jamie turned around and stared at them.

“I can’t believe I gave up on him. I g-gave up on him. I believed everyone else that he died and he left me. He’s being a prisoner while I sit on my arse, crying like an infant. I failed him” Jamie touched her heart.

“I can’t believe I gave up on the man I love. Rose, Alexander would never accept that I am dead without scouring the earth for me. I…just…folded. I..am pathetic. I don’t deserve…”

Rosemund grabbed her and shook her with all her strength.

“Snap out of this pity – me – attitude, Jamie. Frankly, it doesn’t suit you”

Rosemund stopped shaking when Jamie blinked and nodded.

“Hey…he is alive. We just have to get him back, okay?”

“Okay” Jamie nodded.

“I will mobilize the soldiers and knights. By dawn we will invade the Midland and get our king back” Judd declared and tried to leave but Rosemund stopped him.

“You are not thinking like the lead knight and the leader of his Highness’s army…” Rosemund reminded Judd.

“Like hell I am not! I am getting him back” Judd insisted.

“Do I have to be the voice of reason? We can’t go to war because we just finished one. Our soldiers are tired and our reserve is depleted. We don’t have a strong hold over southern hemisphere and let’s not forget I am not an empress yet and the king and soon to be Emperor is in a bloody prison!” Rosemund finally let loose all her pent up anger and panic as she explained everything to her family.

Jamie and Judd stopped to look at her. They were once again reminded why she was the right leader in Alexander’s absence. Judd and her were always thinking with their fist unlike Rosemund and Alexander.

“What are your orders, your royal highness?” Judd returned to his role as lead know and subject.

Rosemund exhaled. She had a solution. A solution she would hate more than anything in the world, a solution Alexander would revolt against any chance he gets.

“Gather the lords of noble house and kingmakers, Sir Judd”

Judd bowed and walked out.

“What are you planning, Rosemund?” Jamie asked her.

Rosemund smiled softly like everything was alright.

“I am going to save the king. It’s the perfect plan and we don’t even have to wage a war against a hemisphere almost the same size as the West. Everything will be alright”

Rosemund walked away. Jamie waited a few seconds before she left too.

When they arrived at the king’s court, the lords and the kingmaker’s were there waiting.

“Your majesty, what is going on?” Lord Crane asked her.

Rosemund overlooked the fact that she was addressed as a Queen not a princess.

“Am I Empress yet?” Rosemund asked them.

“Not yet but you will be when I place the crown which is the only thing we didn’t do” Crane answered.

“Good because my brother is still alive and he will be Emperor”

She ignored the murmurs and the whispers and continued.

“Ernesto, king of the north is holding our king hostage and usually, it means war…”

Rosemund was interrupted by Crane.

“We can’t go to war. We will lose…your majesty”

Rosemund didn’t need a reminder of what will happen if they went to war. She has been through all the scenarios in her head and each other always ended in death.

She cleared her throat to shut Crane up and she continued.

“I know and it is why I am proposing a marriage alliance with the North. Send a letter to the king of the north. Tell him that in exchange for my brother’s immediate release, I will marry the crown prince”

Jamie gasped at Rosemund declaration.

Hell no! There was no way the north would be rewarded for their behavior.

It was time to set fire to Rain.