The First King
Chapter 17

The group traveled through the woods until they came to a valley. They were now over the borders of Pedarus, with the capital only a few miles away. Prew looked up at the sky, noticing the dark clouds rolling over the mountain peaks. She glanced at Konrad with worry in her eyes. Since she heard the stories of the darkness that lingered in the skies to the East, every storm cloud filled her heart with fear. She had no way of knowing if it was a naturally forming storm or something more sinister. Konrad noticed the concern on her face as he approached her.

"What is it?" He inquired after he shifted.

"The clouds," she answered as she turned her eyes back to the sky. "The darkness…"

"That is just a storm," he assured her. "Once you see the clouds in the East, you will know darkness. So, don't fear this. Trust me."

"Alright," Prew murmured as she glanced down at him. Konrad gave her a small smile before he said his incantation. He shifted back into Nero as Prew took her horse's mane in her hands.

With a swift kick, she got Meeka to continue on, but rather than trot, he was galloping. She wanted to lessen their travel time, and it seemed as though Konrad agreed. He kept pace with her horse; even after going for several miles, he did not falter in his speed. Only when they neared the capital did she slow down. As usual, they were met by guards, Prew handed them the charter, and then they were escorted to the palace.

Prew looked up nervously when she finally dismounted Meeka. The palace was situated on a high plateau, and to reach it, she needed to climb a good amount of stairs. But she swallowed her fear, doing her best not to show any weakness as she reached the first set of steps. There was a stone wall on one side, but the other side lacked a railing. With trembling hands and legs, she took her first step, but then she suddenly froze. There was a hand unexpectantly touching her back.

"I won't let you fall," Konrad whispered as he leaned in close to her. "Don't look over the edge; just walk, one step at a time."

With Konrad standing behind her, Prew felt a little more at ease as she ascended the stairs. And as they got higher, he whispered to her. Each word of encouragement helped to push her just a little bit further. But then, as they neared the top, something hit the pit of her stomach. They had climbed up nearly 100 feet on the open staircase, but they would also need to descend at some point. Going down would be worse for her.

Once everyone was at the top, they were led inside to the throne room. Prew noticed the man on the royal seat at the end of the hall, and the piece of parchment was in his hands.

"Greetings, King Thomas of Pedarus," she greeted with a haphazard curtsy. "I am Prew, the Queen of Queens, and this is my husband, Konrad, the King of Kings. I see that you were given our charter. Have you gotten the chance to read over it?"

"I did," the king answered as he kept his gaze on the person to her right. "It was Konrad, yes? Tell me, how many others have bent the knee to you besides the original nine?"

"A total of six others, four packs, and two kingdoms," Prew answered as her face grew hot. Konrad remained silent, choosing instead to watch the interaction between the human king and Prew. Though this man did not ask anything inappropriate of her, he could see why Rowan was concerned. Konrad could only imagine what was going through Prew's mind at the king's total disregard for her presence.

"Were there any kingdoms that declined?"

"Yes," Prew answered, even though the man before her had yet to spare her a glance. "Two of them declined."

"Do the other kingdoms not want to side with you since you are a wolf?" The king inquired curiously. He leaned forward, resting one of his arms on his legs. "I've never heard of a human bending the knee to a wolf before."

"Konrad did not even attend the meetings at the human kingdoms," Prew retorted. "It was I who went to them with the charter."

"You should be careful allowing your wife to travel to see other men," the man warned Konrad. "You don't know what she might be doing away from you. Women tend to follow their hearts-"

"Why are you speaking to me and not to the Queen of Queens?" Konrad questioned angrily as he interrupted the man. Prew had kept her composure, but now he was getting agitated on her behalf. The meeting had only just begun; it made him wonder how she had sat through hours of this with the other kings.

"She is not my Queen," the man shrugged.

"Yet, am I your King?" Konrad countered as he stepped up beside Prew. "Before you is someone of a higher status, but you seem to continuously ignore her. Is it because she is a woman?"

"I am choosing to speak to you, man to man. But you are also a higher status compared to her since you are the King of Kings."

"No, you are mistaken. She and I are equals. And this blatant disrespect is inexcusable," Konrad growled as he gripped Prew's hand. "This meeting is over, and we are leaving. We shall let your kingdom fall to the witches… alone."

"No! Wait!" The king called out as Konrad began to storm from the room. The man ran, chasing after them. "Please, don't leave me to defend my kingdom without any aid!"

"You should have thought about that before talking down to the Queen of Queens!" Konrad snapped as he looked at the man. "And again, here you stand, begging me. I did not come here to speak politics with you; she did!"

"Please," the man pleaded as he looked at Prew. "You should understand; you are a human princess, after all. Explain to the King of Kings how things are."

"You're prideful, and prideful men all die the same: alone and afraid." She stated with no emotion on her face.

"No, no! I'm sorry! I will do anything, please!"

Prew looked at Konrad, curious as to his thoughts. But he did not speak. Instead, he motioned with his head for her to make a decision. He was merely here to watch, and though he had already intervened to end the meeting, this was still up to her.

"So you accept the terms of the charter?" She inquired as she looked back at the king.

"Yes, yes. I accepted all of it before you ever entered my home," he answered as he stared at her. "We have lost many of our men on ships in the northern seas. The men who can fight have dwindled with each downed ship, and now our trading has suffered. I have witches that live within my lands, and I cannot trust that they won't suddenly start attacking me."

"We will help you, but you must bend the knee," Konrad said as he crossed his arms. "And you must apologize to your Queen of Queens."

The king nodded as he sank down to his knees. He was desperate for the help. With hesitant hands, the king took Prew's hand and kissed the ring that was on it.

"I apologize, my Queen of Queens, for disrespecting you," he started as he swallowed his pride. "I beg for your mercy and for your help to protect my kingdom and the people within it."

"I will arrange for the Frostpaws pack to help patrol your borders," Prew said as she glanced at Konrad. It was as if the two were conversing with one another with just their eyes. "But, in return, I require half of your blacksmiths to come with me to Guilford."

"Why my blacksmiths?" The king inquired as he stood back to his feet.

"I need a lot of weapons to be made and fixed as we begin our push against the witches and vampires," she explained. "Will that be a problem?"

"Not at all," he murmured as he reluctantly nodded. "Give me a week, and I shall have them travel to Guilford."

"Make it three days," Konrad interjected.

"I can't make any guarantees, but I will do my best to gather whomever I can."

"They better be good blacksmiths," Prew warned. "If they are subpar, I shall have the Frostpaws leave your lands. Don't test me."

"I shall only send my best men," the king agreed with a grumble.

"Good. Now, let us go back and talk over the charter. I shall need you to sign it," Prew stated as she pulled away from Konrad. She left the men as she walked back into the throne room. Konrad stood there, glaring at the king, until he turned around, scurrying after Prew.

After spending another hour talking over the charter, Prew and Konrad finally took their leave. As they neared the stone stairs outside, Prew froze. Her fear of heights increased as she glanced down at the ground far below. Konrad looked from her to the stairs before he walked over to her. Though Prew was nearly as tall as he was, Konrad scooped her up into his arms, holding her bridal style. She gasped and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"Close your eyes," he instructed as he walked to the cliff's edge. Once she buried her face into him, he began to make his way down the stairs. She trembled in his arms, but he kept a firm grip on her. The memories of her warmth from that morning began to come to his mind. It softened his heart, but again, the twinge returned—the twinge of longing, of desire, of guilt and regret. Once at the bottom, Konrad placed her back on her feet. Prew winced, rubbing her sore shoulder that had been pressed against him.

"Thank you," she whispered. Prew was genuinely grateful for what Konrad did for her. The fact that he even remembered that she was afraid of heights surprised her. Not only that, but he was willing to help her, to guide her, to carry her through her fear.

"I forgot to ask this morning, but how is your arm and abdomen?" He inquired as he reached out for the sleeve of her shirt. With gentleness, he pulled it up until a dark purple bruise came into view. Konrad frowned at the sight, knowing that it had to be causing her immense pain.

"I'm fine," Prew insisted as she pulled her sleeve back down. Konrad, though, was not convinced. His hands went to the hem of her shirt, quickly pulling it up. She slapped away his hands and backed up.

"Show me, Prew," he growled as he stepped to her.

"I'm fine," she repeated, her words more firm this time. As Prew wrapped her arms over her stomach, she noticed that snow began to fall around them. She looked up to see the snowstorm was directly overhead. "Do you want to replace an inn in the town?"

"No," Konrad answered with a shake of his head. He was still angry about the bruises that Alder inflicted on her, but there was nothing that could be done now. "I want to leave this kingdom. That man made me furious. And if I see his smug face again, I might hit him!"

"Let it go," Prew sighed as she touched his arm. "It is kind of you to care how others treat me, but this isn't anything new for me. It has happened before, and it will continue to do so."

"Not while I still draw breath," Konrad asserted as he looked at her. The blush that went across her face made him soften. He knew that she was not outwardly angry, but he did not lie to her; he would defend her and make sure that other men treated her with the respect that she had earned. As Konrad stepped closer to her, Nero began to fight from within his soul. His wolf spirit knew what he wanted to do, and he did everything in his power to fight it. With a sigh, Konrad stepped back, putting space between him and Prew.

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