The God's Game

Chapter 9- Marriage proposal gone terribly wrong!!

River settled into a seat at the banquet-the furthest one he could find from the platform. He was welcomed by a waiting cup of warm tea. He sipped on it, letting the earthy flavor cleanse his palate of the bittersweet aftertaste of the wine.

Naturally, he spoke to no one, and no one tried to start up a conversation with him. He decided that he would enjoy the rest of the night in peace, entertaining himself with music and performers and indulging in fine cuisine.

River scanned the hall. He had a ghost of a memory about being here before he was dragged and locked up in the East Wing when he was six.

Gears started turning in his head, scheming for a way to sneak out. Gaurds,armed to teeth, stood at the only entrance to the banquet hall. There were probably more of them outside-in the hallways, in the gardens, and all over the capital.

Even if he managed to pull off a miraculous, applause-worthy escape, he had nowhere to go. He had no one who would take him in, and he did not know his way around the capital.

He could disguise himself and hide, but his eyes would give him away instantly. Light colored eyes were rare in the North; blue was even rarer. In a sense, he would be as hard to miss as a dragon riding immortal.

Well,he could technically gouge his eyes out. Not that he had never considered that option, but it would strip down his chances of surviving in an unknown world to near zero.

On the other hand, the outside world seemed very intimidating. As much as he craved to go out there and explore it, to actually see those places he had only heard and read about, he also scared him a great deal.

But he had to get out of the East Wing. The sooner, the better. One would eventually get sick of staring at the same four walls every single day. On the other hand,there was something he needed to find out about.

His mother.

River's galloping steed of thoughts came to a screeching halt as a boisterous voice with a drunken zeal fell on his ears.

"Did you know? King of South is rumored to be betrothed to Princess Solina."

River resisted the urge to turn his head to see who spoke. The man must have grabbed the attention of his company because his grating voice heightened another octave.

"What a waste! What a waste!" He slurred, "Princess Solina is like a delicate flower! So pure and demure-a top beauty to boot!"

River inhaled his tea into his windpipe.

He choked violently, splattering drops of tea on the fine table cloth. A few eyes turned to look at him in dismay.

Pure? Demure? Who?

As shameful as it was, he continued eavesdropping. This engagement was news to him, and it piqued his interest.

"I can't believe this! How can a fragile woman like her even stand being married to a beast like Raven Alistair?"

River let his eyes wander over to where the said man was seated, chugging down his precious wine straight from the pitcher. Solina Wendigo sat at his side, draping herself over him like a human shawl, sultrily whispering something in his ear.

Whatever she said made them both laugh, and River felt a chill down his spine. It was like seeing two very slithery, equally venomous snakes tangled together.

His mind ran back to three years ago, when he first heard about the eldest Wendigo daughter. And it had left a lasting first impression on him.

Raven and Solina are truly a match made in heaven! What could be better than two wretched people taking each other out of the market!?

Three years ago, Raek Wendigo proposed that his eldest daughter would marry Valour Verlice. Anyone else would have jumped at the opportunity to make Solina Wedigo their wife, but thank heavens, Valour politely rejected it.

"I will not marry someone I don't love" He recalled Valour saying, during one of his visits to East Wing.

Needless to say this rejection was far too much for the Wedigoes to stomach. The spirit between two kingdoms soured a great deal, but no amount of persuation from his parents could move Valour from his steadfast decision.

The storm that had been brewing since then struck merely few months later.

The second Wendigo daughter was found dead and ravished in a small village in Queensend.

Based on the fact that the corpse was found in the Northern Kingdom alone, Raek Wendigo accused that the culprit must be from the North.

Inflicting harm upon a child of God was a capital offense. By the law of God, the King of the East could ask for anything in compensation. Anything was on the table, including the throne of Callidora.

Raek Wendigo demanded the head of Valour Verlice.

It seemed justified-eye for an eye, leg for a leg. Except that the accusations were unfounded. So naturally, Lucian Verlice rejected paying compensation.

Raek Wendigo promptly led his troops to attack East Boarders,raiding villages in the vicinity. His soldiers set fire to houses and crops, looted treasures, and killed men before ravishing their wives and daughters.

Queensend suffered the most damage. Raids continued for eight months, threatening not to cease until Raek had Valour's head.

It was in one of these riots that Ayla Yearwood lost her parents and four sisters.

Valour was at the end of his patience. He led a small group of soldiers and went undercover to defend Queensend and investigate the murder. That was where he met Ayla and fell in love. 13 months into the raid, Valour made his engagement with Ayla Yearwood public. That was when the true nature of the riot was revealed.

When Solina Wendigo found the prince had rejected her affections only to turn around and marry a plain, poor country girl, she insisted her father that they wage full-on war.
It appeared it was also her who had suggested having Valour dead as compensation.

In this unfortunate hour, the Eastern God interfered. He spoke to Raek, promising him the culprit for his daughter's murder would be delivered to his doorstep in seven days.

Seven days later, on a cloudless afternoon,a merchant from Mosvill came to Werth Citadel, boasting that he had the finest silk and exquisite jewelry for the princesses. He had brought goods from all over the East every month for two years now. Raek ordered him to open the doors and let the man into the palace.

However, before the merchant could set foot in, he was struck down by lightning.

The gods made no flaws. The judgment was passed. The war was called off, and riots stopped. 1000 chests of gold were sent to Arcton Palace on the same day. Peace resumed.

Another seven days later, the Northern God spoke to Lucian Verlice.
He said that the second Wendigo daughter had willingly gone with the merchant out of blind love. And the one who sent her off was the eldest Wendigo child.

Even thinking back on it chilled the river to his marrows. Solina knew what had become of her sister and had kept silent. Even when blood flowed like rivers in Queensend streets, she stubbornly kept asking for Valour's head, even going as far as declaring war.

To this day, Solina had not breathed a word about sending her sister off with that merchant to her death.

The Northern God had asked his children not to act on revenge.

But River knew that was God's way of saying it wasn't theirs to handle. Solina's fate would not be written in Lucian Verlice's hands.

River shuddered some more and kept drinking his tea, wondering how many overdue debts Solina Wendigo had under her account.

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