- This is ridiculous!

King Jaromir hissed, smirking so confident about the absurdity of the request. "Castaver!" he reached for me. "This won't happen; our age gap is bigger than hers." King Adonis blended in the old scholar books inside the room. "Thirteen years," he out-called. Jaromir pointed at him and nodded," Exactly!" I needed to be pedant of the deeds I was about to offer. He was not stable, so far from being plausible. He had been like that since Astrid left the country: vigorous, impulsive, angry, just like how the master that he grew up with was known among people. It was unbearable for me to stand the absence of her. I was in denial, in absolute despair about the things that she said to do. I knew from the heart that she loved our king. I thought, once, that she loved him even more than herself.

Nevertheless, I never complained about the absurdity of the situation, how ridiculous it was that she disparaged herself, how painful it was to serve the king who exiled my sister. At the same time, I would do the same if I were him. Jaromir had become more than a king - as if that was possible- but a friend. I assured myself that I owed that much to him, standing beside him. 

- Your Grace, then you must decide which land to sell off. 

He hit the tea table hard. I could tell he was disgusted by the dried blood on his hair. Despite being marvelously good at it, he hated taking lives. His hands constantly went through his hair, and his face creased uneasily. He directed his index to me rigidly. "I will never swerve from my country!" His hair was wrapped up to be the thin strings of gold when the noon light passed it. Adonis was rasping his nails at the corner of the room. Jaromir walked past him and grabbed his sword from the table. "My King. My King. Calm Down, what are you up to?" He gave me a reckless smile that I encountered back in Danishmenthan a few times, but it was the first time I saw it on his face. "I challenge Lord Isle to a duel with the warrior of his choice." I hurried to become an obstacle in his way. "This is the actual absurdity. What will happen if you lose the challenge?" For some reason, this sounded hilarious to him. Adonis raised his head above. "He won't. We all witnessed how he fights. He will win over any man he encounters. Yet, after that, Siren Stone would become an imposition upon his shoulders as it would always be unstable, ready to riot. We will need to deal with trust issues while planning a strategy for the war of the century. This is what will follow, an absolute delude." The calmness of his attitude smeared to Jaromir. He let the sword get into its sheath. Adonis approached us, gliding. "Thirteen years is nothing. All the Kings that I know took their queens from infants. I remember lords who engaged with their ladies before they were even born. This nerve of yours is not about it; be true to yourself." Jaromir abruptly took Silver Dragon out and came for Adonis. Adonis winced back. I crossed his way. Adonis regained his careless pale face and whispered very profoundly, "You harbor a piece of ..." I urged him to leave the room before concluding his words. We were left alone, and he looked exhausted. With his soft, poetic voice, "I never dreamed this to happen like that, Castaver. I knew my mother and father were married of duty; I saw my sister being with a man a thousand miles away from his mind to fulfill a compact. All my life, I have seen people have a life-lacing love which they try to suspense with respect. Therefore, I was sure I wouldn't marry for such a reason. I could control everything, change, reinforce, and make it happen. For a frail moment, shorter than a butterfly's life, I thought I could break the chain. I believe that we could be happy with the ones that we choose. However, this is a curse. A curse that I had seen first-hand when the love of her life died in front of my sister like he was nothing. But Castaver, you believe that you are something when you are loved. Seeing that the feelings we experience in our tiny lives are replaced with anonymous legends is grueling. Love is no subject of an epic. It can only take place in silly poems, the sweet lies." His words awakened an understanding; I felt him. "My King, you are a legend. Every single act of yours is a subject of an epic." Adonis disappeared for a second, then ghosted into the room again and had his place at the corner. "I promised that you will win this war, Jaromir. So go do what you are supposed to do," he demanded ruthlessly.

- Who did you promise?

"It's getting dark, My King. It would be best if you made a decision," I interrupted the question. He sighed. "Trust me, it can always get darker," he repined. We walked to the garden where plants scarcely flourished between the stone cracks. Lady Helena was among the mangroves on the shore. "I need to talk with her, get her sentiment. I don't want her to be afraid of being alone with me, but letting the maids accompany her is irritating. They would certainly spread everything that they hear. Therefore, I plead with you to stay at an appropriate distance." With his bloody, spiky hair, flawed green copper armor with cross signs, and steel scent, Jaromir seemed to be a barbarian more than a dream knight. He needed my company because he didn't want to scare the girl, but he was scared to discuss marriage with a ten-year-old. 

He walked towards Helena, who seemed more confident about the matter than himself. 

- Lady Helena.

He reverenced elegantly; I thought the man was brought on this world to serve honorable purposes, seek adventure, and continuously ride his horse to the dawn, reverence before kings who had already accepted his supremacy. It was hard to imagine him settling down. I understand now that he ultimately shared the same spirit with the Danishmenthan King. Except Jaromir had a stronger will. 

The girl reverenced back. Her pinkish cheeks fluttered, and brown curls raised beneath her ears. She was dearly mesmerized by Jaromir: the tall, handsome, savvy, bright knight who was charged to protect her. She hurried to disguise the novel in the basket of flowers a maid held. It was "King Author and The Knights of Round Table." As I said before, she was a romantic. 

+ My King.

She reverenced back. She had one of those round faces that looked naturally innocent. Jaromir faced the path near the daisy pot.

- Shall we?

He asked as gently as he could, which miraculously wasn't ironic to the dirty words -we didn't have time to clean them - hanging down from his belt. They started to walk beside each other. The girl was just half as tall as him. He looked into the girl's eyes, susceptible. I couldn't figure out how to start a speech.

- My Lady, as you know, your father conditioned a marriage between us for our countries' partnership. I concede this condition as I will provide for you and protect you. You will have anything you wish for while there will be ultimate peace between our people. However, despite all these incomes, if you sincerely oppose such an engagement, none will happen. I do not intend to force you to do anything you don't want. If you say no, I will bear the whole responsibility and tell your father that I was the one who declined the togetherness.

That incited her nervous face and disagreeing handshakes. 

+ No, I want to marry you! I do, I do.

Jaromir was dazzled by her response. In her perspective, all of this was a scene from a fairy tale. She approved every detail about him that was associated with the image of the knight riding a white horse. I thought it was more manageable when you are a child and the person you were forced to be together with suits your dreams. It would be so much worse if her suitor were a short, fat, dim man with a rough tongue or if she was older and already was in love with someone else. 

- Then, Lady Helena Gattisio, I'll take you as my wife and the queen of Tigrisia. 

She was exhilarated to hear the word queen. Ten-year-old queen of Tigrisia, the crown was a brush that could paint the ugliest as the goddess of beauty, the cruelest as the most generous, and the child as the most dignified. They continued to walk.

+ How many battles did you win?

Jaromir was bewildered to hear such a direct question, but he never minded and kept up with her enthusiasm.

- Every battle that I attended.

+ Which makes?

- I suppose more than twenty.

+ Really?

- Yes, my lady. 

+ King Arthur only fought twelve battles. Are you fighting as good as King Arthur?

- The Legendary British King Arthur Pendragon?

+ That's him. Are you fighting as good as him?

- No, not exactly.

She was disappointed and dropped her face to the ground. Jaromir smiled to see her taking this seriously enough to be upset. " I am better than him!" he smirked. She raised her head above and giggled with astonishment in her eyes, looking directly into Jaromir's.

+ You both have "dragon" in your family names. 

- You will have it too.

+ How many countries have you visited?

- So many; I spent most of my life being a vassal of the Danishmenthan King. I fought in his battles, countries mainly in the West. Yet, I saw some of the Eastern countries like Mısra during travels of trademarks. 

+ Will you take me to those lands?

- Why not? If that is what you wish.

+ I haven't seen any elephants in my life. I saw some illustrations in books, but they look gigantic. 

- Trust me, elephants must be the last animal we want to see. 

+ Do you have a white horse?

- No, my horse is black.

+ But looters ride black horses.

- Am I a looter? 

+ No, you beat King Arthur. 

- I would. Who got the most beautiful white horse I have ever seen?

+ Who?

- King Bayezid, the horse's name is Shimshek, which means Thunder.

+ Someday, I will get you a white horse just like Shimshek but faster and better looking.

- I hope you never have to. 

That evening, Jaromir declared that he would marry Helena just by the time we returned to Tigrisia. In the following days, Jaromir Dragarevic did his best: devote himself to making Helena Gattisio happy. 

Returning to Tigrisia, Queen Miriam was overjoyed to see his son marrying someone, not Astrid. She was married to Dragar Dragarevic, just around Helena's age. She immediately upheld the young girl. 

Since the first time I had become a royal consort general, I sensed that Queen Miriam had a holy purpose to keep his sons together. She made tremendous endeavors to keep their hearts side by side. She had this exquisite concern that one day, his sons would stand against each other. She continuously and desperately cursed Bayezid, who she knew separated Jaromir from his family. Her anger towards Astrid was rooted when Astrid believed Vukasin Dragarevic loved her dearly. I grew up with Vukasin, and he had always been a unique soul who was raised to stand beside his brother. Astrid didn't see that he lacked space to love anybody other than his brother.

Nevertheless, when Jaromir returned to Tigrisia, Queen Miriam assumed Astrid was a threat to sustain the bond between the brothers. I contemplated a lot, but it was still unmitigated unbeknown to concede Astrid's betrayal to Jaromir. Sometimes, I thought she did it to avenge her past heartbreak somehow. I knew her better than that. She looked delighted. She looked so in love with Jaromir. I wrote to her a few times after she left. She only responded once, saying she would miss me the most.