Excerpt: Iasan and Riona

Worms were eating King Ormand and nobody cared. For many years now he had ignored the fact that his health, his hold on the nobles, his country’s economy and even his own family were all taking a turn for the worst. He only had one member in his family left- a daughter. This did not make him happy in the slightest.
Princess Briar knocked on the door and when she poked her head in, she was met with all the fury that her father could muster from his current state.
“GET OUT!” he said shooting up from his bed and throwing a vase against the door; it crashed and pieces fell everywhere. “I-I will not let a female have the satisfaction of seeing me die.” He laid back in his bed and tried to stay awake, but it was more than his formerly strong body could manage. His breathing slowly became regular again and he turned and asked, “Eli, did you write the edict that I ordered you to?”
A thin gray-haired man who was standing next to the king’s bed reached within his blue robes and pulled out a scroll, “I have your majesty.” He said as he opened the scroll and looked at his writing. He bent down to hand it to the dying king and Ormand touched it glancing at the ornate handwriting that was there upon the paper.
“It’s no use,” he said “I can’t see it, read it for me.”
The scholar cleared his throat and read softly what he had written. “I, King Ormand, do hereby decree that whosoever my daughter marries shall be the next king to the throne of Faro.” Eli paused and let the news sink in and then continued with all eyes and ears on him. “The man that marries my daughter must be a Lord of Anika and a descendant of King Ayden the Great thereby connecting both countries as was prophesied the oracles." Eli looked up over the paper at the king lying in his bed. Ormand liked to have his edicts short and to the point. In order to secure that the nobles continue with his vision, his daughter’s marriage was everything, but Eli had the upper hand and no one was aware of it.
“I need a pen…” said the king, “give me a pen!”
A young lord looked around nervously on the other side of the king’s bed and found a quill on his desk. He dipped the quill into the black ink and shook off the excess ink on a piece of spare paper. He walked carefully over to the king’s side and placed the pen gently into his open palm. The king took it without thanks and turned to sign the parchment that lay open on his left. After he was satisfied with his meager signature, he put the pen down and closed his eyes for the last time with a smile on his face, completely unaware of what he had actually done.