Winterfall

The cinnamon and floral scent was something I was not used to. When I visited the castle the smells hit my nose like a brick.

Their décor was rather appalling as well, light and uplifting. Something I wasn’t used to at all. I was used to the darkened red rock walls of my home in the hells. However, it seemed to be a tradition in these parts to uphold a sense of happiness. A sense of life.

For example, the castle in Summer Crest, produced the same uplifting and full of life feeling. A feeling that made my skin crawl. As I took over the castle, the mood shifted from its once vibrant nature to a darker frequency of life. Despite my best efforts at redecorating Summer Crest’s castle, I was unable to fully make over the castle to my taste.

Winterfall’s castle was just the same. Vibrant, welcoming and inviting and those things disgusted me.

Hell had once been my home, however, I choose to live in The Isles as they call it will be my home for the time being, so I can collect what I am owed.

I pushed open the rather large doors to the castle, walking along a marbled floor. All the way up to the second story of the castle, taking a right and following the dimly lit corridor, down to the middle of the hallway where I was meeting Queen Astrid, in hopes of finalizing our agreement. Since we already had the meeting scheduled and she was expecting my presence, no one stopped me.

I knocked three times on the closed wooden door. “Queen Astrid, it’s me Marcel!” I shouted through the door.

I pressed my ear up against the door and heard faint steps walk across the floor. Stepping back, I stood firm. I stood tall. I stood proud.

She greeted me with a pearl white smile and beautiful green eyes. “Right on time. Come in, come in.” She said with an elegant voice.

She stepped aside and allowed me to enter, closing the door behind us. In the room already was the head of the council, Sybil Nomaty. I gave her a wink as I knew our plan was unfolding smoothly.

“Please sit.” Astrid said as she pulled out the chair in front of her dark oak desk.

I glanced around the room and was surprised by the lack of decoration compared to the rest of the castle. The walls were made of oak wood. One wall was lined with bookshelves, going from the ceiling to the floor. Another wall depicted a stained glass portrait of the family. The third, was rather bare. The furniture in here was basic, two wooden chairs, a massive dark oak desk, a large area rug, a couple of oil lamps, and a large fur lined chair that Queen Astrid gracefully sat in and scooted up to her desk.

“Have you thought more about the offer?” I asked her to get straight to the point.

“You want to marry my daughter, in hopes of strengthening the bond between Summer Crest and Winterfall. Is that correct?”

“Yes. I spotted your beautiful daughter at last year's Winterfall Ball and was captivated by her beauty.” That wasn’t a lie; her daughter, the heir to the throne, was stunning.

“Given our rules, one parent and one council member must to be present and sign the decree. I have filled Sybil in on our previous discussions and came up with the contract for us to sign.”

“So you approve?” I questioned her with a wave of eagerness washing over my body. As this meant my plan was going to go into full motion.

“Yes, your ruling over Summer Crest so far seems promising. And I believe that you and my daughter will make great rulers.” She said as she pulled out the already drawn-out decree and slid it over to me. “You just need to sign at the bottom. Sybil and I have already signed our names.”

I smiled at her as I took the quill she soon offered me. As I felt the anticipation build up in my chest, I didn’t hesitate, I just signed and initialized the document. I had no reason to doubt her as we both had outlined the document prior to this meeting. This was just the final stage of our agreement.

Once the ink dried she took it from me and gave it to Sybil. “Now that is settled, I hope you will take good care of my daughter. She is the only heir to the throne and my only daughter.”

“I will, I promise.” I said as I tried to hide a smirk. I shook her hand and left the room as I followed Sybil out the door.

Once the door closed, I leaned into her and whispered, “Crimson, our plan is finally in motion. That girl will be ours before we know it.” Crimson is my leading lady, despite not appearing as herself in the moment.

“And if she continues to fuck around with that guard?” She hissed as she had spotted them a few weeks ago being all romantic.

“Consequences will follow.”

“How?” She asked me with a devilish grin.

“Perhaps a few strikes with my blade will teach her a lesson.” I returned her devilish grin with one of my own. Pride beamed across my face as for once, my plans was falling into place, just as long as that princess didn’t fuck it up.

“What about the guards?”

“Distract them long enough for me to handle our little problem.”

Crimson gave me a smile and vanished. I knew utilizing her to distract the guards he had in place would work like a charm. They may be trained professionals but that doesn’t mean that they can not be tricked.