Chapter 16: A Pauper Princess and a Bumbling Prince

Saffron sat stewing in her bed-chamber; anger and embarrassment rocking through her. She had walked right into the home of Elric’s previously intended bride, completely unaware. Elric hadn’t said a word about Mira. He didn’t even bother mentioning anything about her outside of hinting that she was dreadful.
She felt absurd. It explained the familiarity with which Mira had greeted Elric. Her friend had hinted that Elric and Mira had been…intimate before. Saffron groaned and buried her face into the pillow she held on her lap. She knew that Elric had been with other women, but she didn’t think that she would have to associate with them, much less be a guest in her home.
She wasn’t sure who she was more furious with, Elric for not explaining the situation or herself, for not putting everything together sooner. She could kill him. Her face burned, thinking about the grin on Mira’s face as she told Saffron that Elric had been hers first. Saffron could tell by the anger in her eyes that she was not happy that he had chosen another, but she took great pleasure in delivering the barb.
Saffron didn’t want to show her face downstairs for the evening meal. She contemplated not eating again until they left. Although then she would be forced to share a carriage with Elric, who she did not want to see at this moment. She stood and looked out of the window of her room. It overlooked great, sweeping plains of white. Saffron felt suffocated by the snow, trapped in a way she had never felt before.
####
“A marriage would have solved this entire predicament,” the Chancellor said, a greasy smile upon his face.
“You must be joking,” Elric snapped, his hair mussed from the long hours of talking in circles with this man. “You believe that my marriage to Mira will stop the war?” he asked incredulously.
“I do indeed believe that and so does your father. It is right there in the letter,” the Chancellor replied and pointed one long, yellow fingernail towards the discarded parchment in front of Elric. Elric shook his head in disbelief.
“I am already engaged. Our wedding is set,” he replied, trying to keep his voice calm.
“Engaged is not married. You were intended to wed Mira anyways. You’ve known this for years. I mean come on boy, you courted her not that long ago,” the old man said, looking down his nose at the Prince.
Elric scoffed. “Did no one ever think to wonder why I hadn’t proposed marriage to that woman? She is intolerable and I have no desire to freeze my backside off in this icy wasteland! Why not my younger brother, Kingsley? He is unwed. If Mira is so desperate to marry an Arkadios prince, there is one waiting in the castle,” he retorted. His anger began to show on his face, coloring his cheeks. The Chancellor’s eyes narrowed.
“We have agreed with your father’s terms. Mira has no desire for the young prince; he is but a child. It is your hand she seeks. If you are to wed Mira, a new treaty will be put into place. Everything we need has already been discussed. If you choose not to marry her, I cannot say what the consequences will be; either from our side or yours,” he replied darkly.
“You are all insane. I will not be forced into a marriage that has so much blood sewn into it. My fiancée and I will be taking our leave now,” he said and pushed his chair away from the table. He knew his father had been plotting something, but he had no idea it was to ship him off to Udril just for a few more scraps of land. How he ached to get his father alone in a room and show him what he could really do. Elric felt the familiar itching on his back as his skin slid away and the scales rose to the surface. He had to get out of here before he slaughtered the lot of them.
“You’ll see we are right in time, dear boy,” the Chancellor called after him as he stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him.
Elric felt the anger pulse at the edges of his vision; dark shapes moved in the peripherals. He had to keep himself calm lest he shift and bring even more havoc into his life. He would have no part of these political games. He would rather renounce his title than be wed to that snake of a woman. He shuddered thinking about it. Mira was as cold as the landscape she ruled over and just as dull of company.
The light of the fire was flickering from the drawing-room and he stopped to see if Saffron was perhaps in there. It was just Mira and her empty-headed companions.
“Did you see her face? The shock of it all,” Mira crowed, tears streaking down her face. Elric paused. Were they talking about Saffron? He didn’t see her in the room and a sense of trepidation gripped his stomach.
“She hadn’t a clue that it was you he was supposed to be marrying. Do you think she will call the wedding off now? It isn’t like she has a title. She is a Mender for gods’ sake,” the brown-haired one asked, pushing her limp curls from her sweat-slicked face. They were obviously all very drunk. Elric could see the empty bottles of wine laying on the table; goblets discarded on the floor. His mood darkened.
He hadn’t told Saffron about the presumed engagement because he had never wanted or agreed to marry Mira. She was treacherous and slippery; she would fit in well with his brothers’ wives. Yes, she was beautiful but that is where any favorable qualities ended. She was entitled, spoiled, manipulative, and selfish. After he had courted her for a few short months the year prior, he had broken it off. Apparently, she had not gotten the message.
“I do hope so. Perhaps she can go back to her little village and marry a nice farmhand. Elric needs a Princess, not a pauper,” Mira drawled and scowled into her empty goblet. Elric wondered how fast he could get out of the castle after he beheaded all three of them. He didn’t think his chances would be that great.
Instead, he pushed open the door and strode in. They all jumped and looked guilty, like children sneaking treats from the kitchen.
“Would you tell me where Saffron has gone? We need to be on our way,” he said politely, his smile belying his simmering rage. Mira’s smile fell into another scowl.
“She went running out of here a few moments ago,” she said, irritated. “I would presume she is in her chambers.” Elric glared at her and her scowl trembled a bit.
“We shall take our leave as soon as I have collected her,” he said and turned.
“No!” Mira yelled and stood on shaky legs. She drew herself up, struggling to look regal despite her unkempt hair and bedraggled dress. “You shall not leave. An agreement has not been reached. I would have been informed.” She teetered slightly.
He grinned darkly and advanced towards her. “What agreement is that exactly? Marriage?” he towered over her, his eyes sparking. “This is what you want?” he growled and backed her into a corner. She gulped as his hand reached towards her throat.
“You were promised to me!” she hissed, her pale cheeks flushed from the wine and fear that pumped through her veins. He leaned his face down, close to her mouth. She licked her lips expectantly.
“I would never agree to marry the likes of you,” he whispered and pushed her away. She stumbled and stared at him, her eyes full of hatred.
“You’ll regret this. You and your filthy little maiden. I know what you really are, does she?” she seethed, breathing hard as she tried to regain her composure. He paused at the doorframe and looked back at her, a mixture of hate and pity in his green eyes.
“She knows me better than anyone ever has. Goodbye Mira.” He left.
####
Saffron’s door burst open. She jumped back as Elric came barreling through. “Get your things. Get your things!” he yelled and grabbed her case. It looked as if she hadn’t unpacked and he was eternally grateful at that moment.
She glowered at him; her arms crossed over her chest. “I’m not going anywhere with you right now!” she yelled back and watched as he dashed around her room, shoving her few items into her case.
“Oh yes, you are. We need to leave now!” he said, his eyes furious. What was wrong with her? Why wouldn’t she move?
“No,” she replied stubbornly and lifted her chin, her blue eyes challenging him. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her but the look in his eyes made her wonder if he wouldn’t drag her out of the room.
“We don’t have time for this. We must leave now!” he explained, trying to calm his voice. She sat on the bed and glared at him. He stared openmouthed at her stubbornness and contemplated just picking her up and removing her bodily.
“We need to talk before I go anywhere with you. You let me walk in here…the house of your former lover!” she spat. Ah, yes. That, he thought.
“I never intended to marry her. I think she is a vile woman and I just told her these exact thoughts. So, as you can see, we need to make haste and leave,” he replied, her case tucked under his arm. She stared at him from the bed but didn’t move.
“You can be mad at me in the damn carriage. We need to GO!” he roared. She jumped and he thrust her cloak at her.
“I promise I will let you yell at me until you are red in the face or the entire journey back, whichever comes first. Please go as fast as you can,” he pleaded with her as they hurried down the hall. Saffron heard raised voices coming from the dining hall and picked up her pace.
They dove into the carriage. Elric’s men had kept the horses ready in case the negotiations had taken a turn for the worse and he was glad they had as the doors burst open and a few of Udril’s soldiers trickled out. Mira stood glaring at the carriage as it careened down the steep drive.
Elric lay his head back, his eyes squeezed closed. He chuckled a bit before his eyes found Saffron’s. They were narrowed and angry.
“I can explain,” he began, his hands open in front of him.
“I think you better,” she spat.