Mynera walked inside. Sitting at the very head of the long shining table, was the man she despised, the back of the chair rising so far above his head, he became like a midget. She walked forward, gracing her lips with a small smile, her skirts gathered in her hands. The table was adorned with platters of roasted ducks and pheasants, bread, fruits, and different broths. Too much food for just the two of them of course, but King Gavin was a man who liked to impress. And his queen needed to be thoroughly impressed for tonight.

He rose to his feet to meet her halfway. Of course, he dismissed Barron and the man went to stand outside the doors where he could hear nothing. King Gavin slid his hand over Mynera's. "That dress looks absolutely gorgeous on you, my queen," he whispered at her ear.

"You have wonderful taste, Your Majesty."

"Yes," he agreed, steering her to the seat next to his. "Sit. I had the kitchen prepare the best meal. I assure you, it will appeal to your tastes."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. It does indeed look wonderful." After a moment, she added, "And so do you, Your Majesty."

He looked quite the opposite. His robes were too big, his crown looked as if it would slide off his head at any moment. His wide grin hid too many secrets and his hand upon hers was sending a chill down her spine. Mynera smiled nonetheless before gently sliding her hand from beneath his and picking up her spoon.

"May I ask why you decided we have this meal together, Your Majesty?"

"Please, Mynera, when it is just us you may call me by my give name. We are not strangers to each other. Call me Gavin."

"Gavin." She smiled. "Well, Gavin, why did you decide we have this meal?"

"I wanted some time alone with you, my dear. A meal by ourselves is just the first step in courting, is it not?"

"I am being courted, Your Majesty?"

"Gavin," he corrected. "And yes, Mynera. I thought that much was obvious. If I had my way I would have made you my queen from the moment you walked through those doors but I suppose taking the proper route has it advantages."

Mynera refused to look at him when he said so, so she sipped her wine. "And what's that?"

"I will get to know you more, my dear. Now, let's see. I know your middle name, I know about your childhood, I know your favourite flower, I know you love to read. What else is there you haven't told me?"

"I would rather know more about you, Gavin." The name made her want to retch. She set her chalice down and turned to him, giving him her full attention. "I feel as if I've spoken about myself this entire time and I know next to nothing about you. Tell me, what are your interests."

"I have no other interests but you, my dear."

"Then answer me this. Have you always been so ambitious?"

"Whatever do you mean, my dear?" King Gavin quirked a questioning brow at her as he chewed on his meat.

"I mean, taking over the capital - and the Nations - is no small feat. You must have been planning this for quite some time now."

Mynera's eyes darted to him when his fork clanged loudly on his plate. Wiping his mouth, the king was no longer smiling. He threw the napkin aside and took a deep gulp of his wine. "I'd rather not speak of such matters with you."

She refused to let the topic be thrown aside. Mynera feigned casualness, acting indifferent, even as she grew eager to hear his answer. "Two years on the run, Your Majesty, has hardened me to harsher topics. I find myself quite curious to hear you reply."

"'Tis none of your concern, Mynera."

It would seem she would need to do more to convince to spill the beans. Mynera sipped her wine daintily, preparing herself for what she was about to do next. Setting the chalice down, she reached her hand out to him, her finger running gently along his arm. She watched as his eyes grow heated, leaden with lust and longing, staring at her finger blaze a path down his arm, back up and then rested there. She felt a strange mixture of disgust and satisfaction when he swallowed and his heated eyes latched onto her.

"Your Majesty, to know what went through the mind of the man who managed to ambush the king's castle and take the throne for himself is more than I could ever ask for. What you have accomplished is more than any other man could ever dream of doing. If I am to be your queen, Your Majesty, I would not only like to share your bed, your heart, but also your mind."

It was the right thing to say because the king folded immediately. His hand landed on top of hers, holding it there as he stared into her eyes. They were black. She didn't know how she never noticed that before. They were black like his soul, like his heart. "As you wish, my queen," he said, like a man under a spell. She supposed he was one, under a spell of his lust. "You are right. I have been planning this for while. Before I attacked the castle, I had little money, nothing that could help me gather the troops that I needed for me to be the most powerful man in the Nations."

"Then how did you?"

"I convinced them. I spoke to the Guildmaster of an underground mercenary troop in hopes that my words that spoke against the king and his injustices would sway them to my cause."

"Did it?"

"Oddly, no." Thinking back, King Gavin chuckled. "This man knew the truth in my words, he did. But that wasn't enough to sway him. It wasn't until I put the promise of so much wealth they could swim in it before him."

"You promised them the King's Treasury?" Mynera gasped.

"Almost emptied it out giving them what they were due. But it was worth it because now look where I am. It didn't take very long before it was filled to half its previous size."

"So that was how it was done." She nodded, understanding. "That is very smart of you, my king."

"I thought so too. I would have you know though, it was no easy feat getting them to the capital, nor was it easy controlling them. They are all brutes after all. Now eat up, I would like to know more about you."

Mynera withdrew her hand instantly. She resigned to eating her food and answering whatever question he posed to her. For the remainder of the meal, Mynera ate very little. Her stomach couldn't manage anymore, not in this man's presence, and so she simple nibbled on a piece of roast and sipped on her wine. She struggled to resist the urge to down the alcohol in one fell swoop but she had to keep her wits about her. Getting tipsy was not the way to do so.

At long last, King Gavin pushed his plate away. He rose to his feet and held his hand out to her. "Shall we take this party elsewhere?"

Mynera dabbed at her mouth and took his hand. She allowed him to help her to her feet. "Forgive me, Your Majesty but I tire too easily. I would love to rest in my chambers."

"Nonsense, the night is just getting started." He tugged on her hand, stomping all over her protest.

"Really, Your Majesty, I don't feel very well."

"You will feel in your right mind very soon." His smile made her skin crawl. They were out of the dining hall because she could utter another word of protest. "Leave us be," he told Barron.

"Your Majesty!" Mynera blinked in shock at him. What did he intend to do with her alone?

"We don't need him with us, my queen. Come, soon you will see what I mean." He tugged her again and she was hurrying behind his frantic steps, sending a fearful glance at Barron. He was staring in their wake, but they both knew there was little they could do. Their troops had not arrive yet.

"Where are we going, Your Majesty?"

"Soon you shall see."

Fear seized her. His cryptic replies made her terrified, anxious, pondering hard on what awaited her when they arrived. Oh, how she wished the troops would show up this minute. She wasn't very keen on finding out what the secret was.

They walked in silence. The king's hand continued to grip hers as he pulled her along behind him. His steps were quick, as if he couldn't get there fast enough. Finally, Mynera's heart settled a bit when they stopped.

King Gavin turned to face a door and her heartbeat tripled.

What laid behind those doors?

King Gavin pushed the door open. It was a bedchamber. A man's bedchamber. Realization dawned on her.

"Why are we here, Your Majesty?" she asked, keeping her post by the door as he walked forward. He was already shedding his clothes. Mynera's fists clenched.

He didn't answer straight away. He placed his crown on a pillow, threw his robes over the back of a nearby chair then turned to face her. He walked back to her, slowly, like a leopard after his prey. He clasped her hand and pulled her into the centre of the room. Finally, he said, "Let me cut to the chase, my queen. I want you, you want me. We are destined for each other. I don't think I can hold back anymore. I wanted to court you, to show you I can be a true gentleman but I think the time has come where we can both express our feelings for each other. By the morrow, I want to officially have you as my wife. But tonight, I want you to share my bed."

He pulled her closer. Mynera felt bile rise in her throat. "Your Majesty, we shouldn't. What will others think if they were to know I was no longer pure?"

"No one would know, my queen. No one but you and I."

"I think we should wait until after the wedding, Your Majesty." A wedding that would never happen. "I'd like to preserve myself until we are really husband and wife."

"I need you now, Mynera."

"Your Majesty, I am a lady." His hands were already sliding up the sides of her waist. "This is improper!"

"You don't have to care about being proper around me, Mynera." His nose buried into the crook of her neck. "We are fated." He kissed her there. She shuddered. He took that shudder for one of ecstasy and not disgust. "We should be one, tonight."

"Your Majesty..." Mynera was already attempting to push his hands away, feeble efforts that meant not to offend, as much as she wanted to.

His head shot up and his eyes narrowed at her. "Have you already given yourself to another?"

"Gods, no, Your Majesty."

"Then I don't see why we do not have to do this now." His head was again buried in her neck, breathing deeply. Mynera took a deep breath herself. Too close had she come to pulling away from him. Too close. Not close enough.

"Your Majesty, I don't want to be shamed."

Her soft protests did nothing but fuel him. "Mmm, you smell wonderful. I must have you. I can barely resist a moment longer."

Before she could say another word, King Gavin grabbed her head and kissed her. Her lips thinned against his instantly. "No!" she shrieked, ripping herself away from him. She stumbled backwards, wiping the back of her hand against her lips.

King Gavin stood there, bemused, before anger reddened his face. He lunged for her. Mynera's skirts gave her little movement to get away and he was already upon her. He tugged on her dress and, just like that, the top of her dress tore away. As soon as the night's air cooled her bare breasts, Mynera screamed in alarm. She tried covering her chest but the grip on her hands kept her arms to her side. She was exposed for him to see.

"Beautiful," he murmured.

Mynera didn't know how she could have let it get this far. She cursed herself for it, but decided, then and there, it wouldn't last any longer. Screw the king. He was worst than the dirt under her shoes. He picked out this dress not because of its plunging neckline, but for the fact that it would rip at just one tug of his hands. She hated him; no time before this did she hate him as much as she hated him this present moment.

She was going to kill him.

Mynera sent her foot straight into his nether regions. He crumpled with a whimper, releasing her instantly. She got away from him as quickly as she could, tearing a piece of the torn fabric away and tying it around her chest. It left her stomach and shoulders bare but at least most of her covered.

He recovered too quickly. He was on her before she knew it, but Mynera was done playing the helpless maiden. She knocked her head backwards, slamming it straight into his nose, then elbowed him in the stomach. Rage fueled her movements, the sight of his blood and his shout for his guards even more so.

Mynera was on him in a second. She saw nothing but red. Fists flew into his face, over and over. She counted. She wanted to know just how many punches it took to kill such a man. She made it to five before she was roughly hauled off him.

"Take her to the dungeons!" King Gavin raged. Mynera wasn't done with him. She fought against the faceless guards, but their grip was strong.

"I will never, ever want you!" she screamed as she was dragged out. "You make me sick!"

"Get her out of here!"

"You won't get away with this. I'll make sure of it! I'll -" Mynera never got a chance to finish that sentence. The sound of the castle's alarms blaring in the distance brought silence upon the lot of them. Slowly, a smile crept over her face.

Her army had arrived.