Her mother rushed to her side and Lady Steinhouse did the same. She was not sure why it turned out this way, she only knew Lady Wickshire was a little girl feared by her uncle and was her husband’s employer. She knew that this had nothing to do with Walter, but hoped that this mess would not be dragged his way.
“Calm down, Raine, you will hurt yourself. Who is this Lord Torgenn?” Lady Teel asked.
“Mother, he is father to Lady Wickshire,” Queen Raine said.
“The one who helped me escape?” Lady Teel asked.
“Yes. What I did not tell you was that she is the daughter of Lady Torgenn. Her mother made this kingdom a first-rank kingdom just by marrying Lord Torgenn and moving here,” Queen Raine explained.
“A Thraine. This is bad, Raine, and at your wedding too. You must make plans in case the rescue fails,” her mother started to panic. This kingdom was now tied to the Teel family, this is bad, she thought.
“History has never favoured those who harmed Thraines or their relations. The last time anyone dared, was the incident that caused the Ruins of Kallor. The entire Kallor Empire turned into a wasteland in one night. You should ask those you sent to bring the king of Northern Lan; who had escaped in the commotion, to return,” her mother instructed.
“No Mother! He harmed you!” Queen Raine protested in anger.
“Quiet, Raine! You must be calm and think straight. This is not the time for revenge. I have not taken the token of the Jade hand from you, because I wanted to see how you will handle situations like this; we must make sure they return to protect you and get ready to evacuate this kingdom,” Lady Teel instructed.
“And let him escape? There must be another way!” Lady Teel did not want to give up King Khur, not now that she had him in her hands.
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“Wait!” the king did not want to let go of his queen or lose his kingdom.
“We will meet with Lady Wickshire first, she may not destroy the kingdom. We don’t even know if Lord Torgenn will die tonight,” he tried to convince Lady Teel.
“I agreed that you marry my daughter, but I never said she was no more part of the Teel family. She the heir! She will evacuate!” Lady Teel said to the king whose expression had turned ugly.
“Mother, and if the lady does nothing? What will people say of this queen? That she ran? No!” she had made her decision.
The king was happy she chose to stay, but he knew the Teel family would forcibly take her if she protested. He had to find a way. He turned to his niece, Helen, who was very confused at the turn of situations and trying to digest all that she was hearing. Lady Wickshire is that powerful? She wondered; then looked up to see her uncle staring at her. She knew what he wanted before the words left his mouth.
“No,” she instantly rejected.
“Helen…”
“Why must you drag this to my husband’s side? No, you can ask Lord Morge and Lord of Merve,” she said. She was sorry that she suggested them, even when she grew up with them and her uncle was in a bind, but she did not want this to spill to her husband.
Queen Raine saw the king’s point and turned to plead.
“Helen, we just want to talk to him. It has to be him. We know the lady values him. He works for her so, he will not get hurt,” Queen Raine pleaded, but Lady Steinhouse continued to shake her head.
“If you tell us where he might be, I-I-I will tell you a secret about his work. Where he will be going soon. He has not told you he will be going somewhere right?” Queen Raine asked and Lady Steinhouse paused for a second. Walter was going somewhere for work? What about their honeymoon?
“If nothing has changed, he should be home. Tell me where he is going,” she said.
“The Lady Wickshire is sending him to war. I don’t know why, but you should know that we are declaring war on Northern Lan Tomorrow. People don’t know, but we have been prepared for a while now. She only instructed me to send Walter to the western border of Northern Lan to encase the kingdom. I am to give him two hundred soldiers. He will be commanding above a vice commander,” Queen Raine informed her.
The king made plans soon after, to visit the Steinhouse home and see Walter. He worked fast and they all found themselves on the road in no time, while Lady Steinhouse followed on her carriage.
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