Lanai was so desperate to deliver the news that she stepped on Sigrid’s dress and they both fell onto the bed.
Quickly, the maid righted herself and nervously apologized, "I am sorry, pardon your highness I did not an to fall on top of you."
"Relax Lanai," Sigrid sat up slowly. She looked at the tail of the dress and realized that a long rip had been ford. "Tell what you want to say but slower and clearer."
Roland sat down beside Sigrid and both of them keenly looked at the maid.
After taking a breath Lanai said, "Your highness, the queen sent her maids to stop Lady Emmah when she was on her way out and they relayed a ssage that she was invited to the dinner tonight. The queen even suggested that she co as Benjamin’s date. Miss Emmah accepted the invitation and she will be returning to the castle in two hours ti. What should we do?"
The door burst open and another maid rushed inside with Brolin on her heels.
"Your highness, not good...."
Sigrid raised her hand and stopped Bella. "Are you here to tell that Lady Emmah is coming for lunch?"
Bella nodded.
"What do we do?" Brolin asked. "Alistair is on stand by to use magic in any way to stop her."
Sigrid shook her head. "Emmah is a mage too, I think you have forgotten this fact. Short of killing her, nothing he does will stop her from coming for lunch. Any injury to her body, she can heal. She still has fairy dew water and the cream Roland sent so even if her face is injured again, it will heal."
"So death it is." Brolin said with a finale in his voice as if the decision had been made and it could not be withdrawn.
"No." Roland objected. "Her luck may have wilted but it is there. Everyday, I send soone to attempt to kill her and everyday they fail."
A mont of silence filled the room, everyone wondered what they could do to keep Emmah from appearing before the prince.
"We can make the princes sick, if they cannot..." Brolin started and again Roland objected.
"Their visit is a political and economical matter, we cannot ruin it all because of one woman. There must be another way."
Once again, silence reigned supre and they all retreated into their minds. On occasion, soone would make a suggestion and it would be turned down. Lanai even suggested fire but everyone disagreed. There had been a little too many fires lately.
If there was another fire at the Windrider’s ho, they would beco suspicious and aware that an enemy was stalking them. Sigrid wanted them to be caught unawares.
Eventually, she got tired of the eting of conspirators that was going nowhere and she decided to end it. "Thank you all, we will discuss this privately. You are all dismissed for now."
They curtsied or bowed and left the room. Alone with Roland Sigrid turned to her husband with an accusing glare that sohow seed to place all the bla at his feet.
Feeling a little concerned, Roland shifted away from her putting a tiny distance between them. "I know what you are going to say and I will defend myself by reminding you that my mother’s decisions are not my decisions. Whatever stupidity she is cooking up, I am not involved."
"That is not what I was going to say." Sigrid replied.
Roland moved closer again and this ti, his hands went around her waist. "I could have sworn that you were going to accuse of sothing by the way you were looking at ."
"Oh__I was just going to remind you of what a fool your mother is. Is she blind or have her ntal faculties deteriorated over the years? Rina is dead and gone so she has shifted her grudge to Thalassa." Sigrid punched the mattress lightly. "She does not want Thalassa’s daughter to marry well, not even if it is for the good of the kingdom."
There was one knock on the door and again it burst open. This ti, it was Lama and Lanai again, followed by Brolin and Elarin.
"Not good, not good," Lanai frantically hissed. "The queen has also invited so of her nieces, including the three beauties. She has also invited the Viscount Durin and his family, including his daughter Charlene. He is a cousin of hers apparently and so he is considered to be family."
Again, Roland found himself on the receiving end of Sigrid’s piercing glare. He looked to the heavens with a dismayed look on his face, shrugged and shook his head. "This is not sothing she is deciding on her own, I think the De-Kensington’s are involved. Think about it Sigrid, these are two princes of a powerful empire, which noble will not attempt to find an opportunity for their daughter, granddaughter, niece or maid to cross their path?"
Through the window, Alistair made an appearance, from the look on his face as he floated down gently, it seed he was carrying even more unpleasant news. "Your highness," he bowed respectfully to Sigrid first and then to Roland. "I am afraid that I do not co carrying good news. Princess Romilda is bringing her own daughter and three daughters of other nobles that will be passed off as nieces during the family lunch.
I think that this is sothing she discussed with the the king before hand. If the princes won’t choose won from the royal family, they want to make sure that they choose won from families that are loyal to the royal family."
Sigrid pulled a pillow with magic and she hurled it at the wall. She had a plan, a perfect plan and it was falling apart like a house of cards in the wind.
"They want a family dinner, then I will give them a fucking family dinner." Sigrid muttered. Turning to Brolin she said, "Hurry to my parents and invite them to the lunch. Tell them to bring all of my female cousins that are in the city. Also invite the Givenchy’s, they are relatives by marriage so that makes them family."
Looking at Alistair, she added, "Find all the beautiful mages that we have and bring them to the castle. They will be among my maids during the family lunch. Oh...bring Mauve too."
"Mauve!" Roland exclaid.
Sigrid nodded, "She is my back up plan that I never shared with your father. Whether she marries any of the princes or not, I need her to distract one or both of them until Emmah is nothing but yesterday’s dream."
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