"If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me."

—From Macbeth,
By William Shakespeare

IN SPITE OF all that he had promised himself he would not do, Kaiden Thorne, king of Atla, shivered.

One could scarcely do anything but. Really, even those men who were draped in furs or clad in leathers, both of which were imported from Othar, had red cheeks and chattering teeth as they polished their weapons and cleaned their armour. Mordania was a freezing hellhole, one he would not have bothered with attempting to conquer if it were not for the promises made to him by the Lord Regent, Ilyas Durand. What were those promises?

That the young queen, Jovana, would be receptive to his proposal. That once he was married to her, he would be able to use Atlan, nature magic to control and tame the fierce blizzards in this frozen wasteland of a country. The rumours about her being easy on the eyes didn't hurt either. He could scarcely wait. Now, if only the Lord Regent would make his appearance.

"Has the Lord Regent, arrived, yet?" He asked a servant.

Meeting in the armoury gave him a distinct tactical advantage; it wasn't as formal as a throne room, for one. For another, even if Atlans rarely fought with weapons, it served as territory that could not only level their playing field but also make the Regent come to him, instead of the king being summoned to the older man. It seemed that the man was now playing another game of posturing by making Kaiden wait for him.

The boy shook his head. "No, Your Grace, but Her Majesty, the queen is here."

"I see." That was unexpected. Should he pass up the chance to see the woman who was his intended—even if she didn't know it yet—or should he meet her? Curiosity won out, and he said, "Bring her to me."

The servant raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he wandered off with a nod and bow. Moments later, he returned with a woman in tow. Yes, despite what he'd been told of her pliability, her youth--the curves of her body and the steel in her spine told her that this was definitely a woman, a queen. Dark, wavy hair and green eyes that pierced straight through his defences. Standing next to her was a man who looked to be one of the royal guards, the Dusang-red cloak thrown over his armour bearing an embroidered C in a gilt thread that must have stood for Captain. He looked formidable, if impassive, no expression showing in his hazel eyes.

"A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty." He leaned over her proffered hand and made to kiss it, but she had snatched it away. Far from deterring him, it made him more determined. Kaiden was always up for a challenge, especially from women.

She did not curtsy and did not return his politeness. An icy glare raked over his form and seemed to find him sorely lacking. "Who are you, and what is an Atlan doing in my armoury?"

He almost let a frown mar his facade. How could she know? He had taken great pains to wear Mordanian clothing, had even eaten their food in order to disguise any Atlan scent that might cling to him, and had all but rolled around in the snow. As well, his Atlan accent was completely altered to a Mordanian one--one of a Mordanian that lived near the border, but still far from that of his nationality.

"Atlan? You must be mistaken. I am as Mordanian as they come." He lied through his teeth and saw her grimace. It was like a blemish on her otherwise stunning features. "And I think a pretty woman ought to smile more, Your Majesty."

"And an Atlan man ought to lie less." Within an instant, before he realized what was happening, she flicked her fingers and had him on his knees. Kneeling. Before a foreign queen. He tensed, snarled in spite of him--in spite of all he had told himself he would not do. "Atlan to the core, you are. No Mordanian would defy me like this--it simply isn't in their blood."

"Fine." He put up both hands and tried to stand, but some invisible force held him down. With a shudder, he realized it was her. She had done this to him, trapped him. "You have found me out."

"Who are you," she said softly, her voice almost like a lover's caress. "And what business do you have in my country?"

"Ah, Your Majesty." The Lord Regent rounded a corner between a shelf piled high with stacks of gauntlets and a corridor lined with breastplates. Humiliation burned, hot as fire, in his veins, and flamed in his pale cheeks. "I see you have already met the king of Atla, and what a friendly greeting you are giving him."

"The king?" Jovana's head snapped towards him, dark curls flying. "You had not told me to expect him."

He saw her bite down on her lip as if admitting those words was to admit weakness. In a way, it was: showing instability in her realm, that miscommunication between her and the Lord Regent, and secret-keeping. All of it was a game of power and control, and the queen looked to be losing.

"I'm certain I did." Cold, piercing eyes that looked like they conveyed a message: obey me. Kaiden stared between them, and he saw who was really in charge. "Let him up, will you? This is hardly an appropriate situation for a diplomatic meeting."

The queen's lip curled, but she let him stand. Jovana's fingers curled, and Kaiden found himself able to stand, albeit in an embarrassingly shaky manner, as the effects of whatever sorcery, whatever blood magic she had cast on him faded. He saw the guard behind her—taller than he was, with hazel eyes and dark hair—put a hand on his sword, as though threatening to run him through if he made one wrong move. Kaiden snorted--as if the man was any match for him, height difference be damned.

He inclined his head minutely. "Thank you. Now, may we move onto the real reasons for my visit--"

"I would that you dispensed with pleasantries, King. I have no use for such things, and neither should you. I'm certain you are none so kind when your soldiers are killing my people at the border for all sorts of imagined slights and deluded infractions." He glanced at her and saw the steel in her spine gleaming as much as any blade in the room, and then his green gaze darted over to the Lord Regent. Surprise flashed across the man's face before he was impassive again.

"I came to find a solution to such matters, not to be condemned for them." He spread his hands in a gesture of peace and goodwill. There was very little in the room, as well as very little oxygen with which to breathe. Kaiden forced cold air into his lungs, feeling it sting him.

"And what solution is that?" Jovana studied him warily.

"Marry me."