The Redwood Rebel (The Redwood War Book 1) Read Online Free Page B

ravaging of the coasts, this problem would have already been taken care of without his intervention. It was harder to forget that Adrienne was responsible for the murder of the royal family, her own family, now that he was faced with her, but it changed little of the situation before them. King Maximilian had died, and now Ffion was ruled by his niece, this usurper, Princess Adrienne, a woman who clearly had no idea what was expected of her. He felt somehow responsible, knowing that it had been his decision to bargain with the pirates all those years ago that had triggered the opportunity for Ffion's civil war. He had resolved to fix the problem, and then the proposal of marriage had winged its way to him.
    It had seemed so perfect at the time. Where Ffion's economy was failing, Koren's was on a high. He would use the wealth of his own country to take care of hers, unite the two so that all could be fixed and put right, and in the process gain a wife.
    A wife wasn't his main concern, of course. His main concern was an heir. He had just reached his twenty-sixth summer and had already reigned for five. In the time that had passed marriage had never come up, but now his people were becoming expectant. His own mother had died in childbirth, and his father soon after of a broken heart. Arun had been raised by his uncle Darius, alongside his cousin Rayan, whose father had also perished years before. Now the last of the three brothers, Darius had ruled as regent until Arun was old enough to take the throne, teaching his nephew even as he taught himself what it meant to govern a country.
    Darius had made it plain more than once that he had no intention of marriage, and Rayan and his wife, Esta, were unable to conceive a child of their own. This meant that if Arun himself did not produce an heir, a stressful enough expectation of any King under normal circumstances, then Koren would fall into civil war after his death. It would mean the end of the Hadrian line, and that was a burden he was unwilling to carry.
    'Too much rests on this union.' He spoke quietly, more to himself than to Rayan in an attempt to steel his resolve.
    'We can find you another bride. One we can be certain will only carry your children.'
    'It could bring war,' Arun said. 'I’ll not be responsible for another one.'
    'The people love you, my King. They would not wish for you to be bound to such a creature, no matter the cost.'
    Arun looked back at his cousin. His face was set, light brown eyes twitching furiously as he tried to convince the younger man of his point. Rayan had been like a brother to him his whole life, and now acted as the Commander of the Royal Army and his chief bodyguard. He knew with utmost certainty that Rayan would take care of this problem with just a word, and gladly. It was true that along with the generally dismissive attitude of the Princess herself, being all but ignored and even relegated to a separate table in the furthest corner of the Great Hall at his own wedding reception had piqued his annoyance. It showed such a want of decorum and respect; he knew he was well within his rights to demand better treatment. Usually he would have, but the many problems buzzing around his mind, mixing with the wine that seemed to have gone straight to his head, made him apathetic and weary. He simply couldn't be bothered, and that didn't bode well at all.
    'You really don't have to go through with this, Arun.' The gentle voice of Rayan's wife, Esta, pulled him back from his dark, exhausted thoughts. She had leaned forward, peeking around her husband, her face filled with concern for him. He noticed now that almost all of the Korenian entourage were also watching, though attempting to look as though they weren't.
    'No one wants war any less than I do, but that woman...' she hesitated briefly, trying to find a diplomatic way of putting it, then deciding almost instantly that there wasn't one. 'That woman can't be Queen. Not of any country. If you