Chapter 29: The Exchange
The Hall of Balance rippled with unrest, a hundred whispers colliding like waves against stone.
Noblemen leaned toward one another, their words sharp as knives, their gazes flicking from Lord Azarion Flameborne to the northern Lord across the marble floor.
At the center of it all, Head Councilor Serathis lifted his staff and struck it once upon the polished stone floor. The sharp echo silenced little, so he drew upon his authority, his voice booming across the chamber.
"Silence."
The command cracked through the chamber like thunder. Serathis Durn, High Councilor of Caelmont, rose from his dais, his voice carrying with the weight of centuries.
The murmurs shriveled, and one by one the restless lords fell quiet, though the air remained taut with simmering hostilities.
"Lord Flameborne," Serathis continued, "even without this marriage, your alliance with Frostmere should not be severed. Ashmere and the North can still maintain peace."
Azarion Flameborne rose, his red cloak blazing like a banner of fire. His eyes burned as he spoke, the fury in them untempered.
"Due to how Lord Winterbourne defied the oath sworn by his father, I have no trust in him, nor in the North he governs. To maintain an alliance with oath-breakers is to build a fortress upon sand."
His words struck the hall like sparks.
"Before," Azarion went on, his hand curling into a fist, "the war between fire and ice raged for centuries.
It was during my reign, and his father's..." his finger jabbed toward Neris, "....that peace was sought.
His father came to me with hands open, pleading for an end to bloodshed. And I..." his voice swelled with righteous pride, "....I honored that plea.
I cast aside my betrothal to a daughter of Ashmere, binding myself instead to a northern bride.
I did what was necessary, and for decades the fire and the frost have held their uneasy truce."
The words rang, practiced and heavy with history. Yet not all were convinced.
Lord Sylas Skyborne lounged in his marble seat, his face the very image of languid disdain.
He rolled his eyes with such theatrical effort that the lords near him stiffened. A convenient retelling, Sylas thought, smothering a smirk.
As if Azarion ever sacrificed without weighing the profit first, Sylas thought dryly. He knew the man too well.
No oath, no marriage, not even peace itself would have been agreed to had Flameborne found no advantage in it.
Across the dais, Valerian Stormborne said nothing, though his sharp gaze never left Azarion. He knew precisely what the fire-lord aimed at: the prophecy that had lingered over them for years, that union of fire and frost might shape the fate of the realms.
Azarion's voice thundered on, shaking the hall.
"To continue that peace, both I and the former Lord of Frostmere betrothed our children....his son, my daughter...so that our houses would remain bound.
Now his son seeks to cast that aside! Such defiance makes him an unfilial son, dishonoring the bones of his father!"
"Watch your tongue, Lord Flameborne." Lady Mowenna's voice cut sharp, ringing from the Frostmere delegation. The silver-haired matriarch rose, her face like ice carved to perfection.
Watch your tongue, Lord Azarion," she spat. "My son is not unfilial. He merely refuses to wed damaged goods."
The words cracked through the chamber like a thunderclap. A shocked silence followed, then a swell of murmurs surged through the gathered nobles.
Aurelia, seated quietly at the side, lowered her gaze, her hands twisting in her lap, her cheeks burning with shame.
Azarion's voice rose above the whispers, harsh and scathing. "Dishonest! That is what your son is.
Dishonest, and cowardly. How can I trust such a man....or the North he rules...when he has cast aside his honor so easily?"
Neris rose before fire could become inferno. His broad shoulders carried the weight of the North's pride.
He turned to meet Azarion's burning glare.
"I never sought to tarnish the Lady Aurelia's name, nor to dishonor my father's oath," he declared, his voice carrying over the chamber.
"But as monarch, I cannot turn a blind eye to the seer's visions. I will not endanger my people for the sake of an oath that may bring ruin!"
He squared his shoulders, meeting Azarion's burning gaze without faltering.
"But make no mistake, Lord Flameborne...the North is not weak. If you think us so, you are sorely mistaken. If you would rather shatter the peace than bend to reason, then so be it." He raised his hand toward his delegates. "The North accepts."
The Frostmere delegates erupted in cheers, fists thundering against the stone rails. "The North! Frost and steel!"
The Hall of Balance dissolved into pandemonium. Ashmere's lords shouted back, their voices aflame, some drawing half their power into their palms as if eager for a duel.
Valerian's hand twitched, storms coiling beneath his skin. If not for the sanctity of the Hall, lightning might already have answered fire.
It was Lord Malric Stoneborne who shattered the chaos.
The earth groaned.
A low rumble shook through the marble, rattling goblets, cracking through the noise. It built into a roar as stone itself seemed to shiver under Malric's command.
He rose at last, a mountain given voice, his deep timbre drowning the last vestiges of clamor.
"Enough."
Silence fell as swiftly as the quake had begun. Dust drifted from the ceiling like snow. All eyes turned to the unyielding figure of the Earth Lord.
"The matter of the betrothal has already been resolved," he continued, his tone brooking no argument.
"The Lady Aurelia has agreed to dissolve it peacefully. That wound is closed. As for peace between Ashmere and Frostmere...." He turned his heavy gaze upon Azarion.
"....you desire a marriage to seal it, do you not? And if memory serves, Flameborne, you have two daughters."
All eyes shifted.
A hush deeper than any thunder descended. Every head turned as one toward Calista Flameborne, seated a few rows from her father.
Her eyes widened. Calista, seated just behind her father, felt her heart leap into her throat.
A flush of excitement colored her cheeks, her hands clasping together tightly in her lap. For the first time since the council had begun, hope glittered in her eyes
Before she could speak, Sylas Skyborne leaned forward in his throne, his lips curving into a serpent's smile. "Ah, Lord Malric, you have struck the heart of it. Yes… yes, of course. A neat solution, is it not?"
He gestured lazily, as if the matter were already decided.
"Since Lord Neris finds Lady Aurelia… unsuitable, why not exchange the bride?
Let Lady Calista of Ashmere wed the Lord of Frostmere. The oath will remain intact, the alliance preserved, and the Houses united still."
His smile gleamed like a blade. "A simple exchange. Fire for frost. One daughter for another."
The hall erupted again....but this time, with gasps.
He leaned back, folding his hands behind his head as though amused by his own suggestion. "A neat solution, wouldn't you agree?"
The chamber buzzed once more, but this time with whispers of speculation, the prospect of the "exchange" hanging heavy in the air.