strained. He thought about delaying the conversation until he understood what had happened over the past seven days, but this subject was too important. Everything else needed to take a back seat to the issue of his marriage. “I’m marrying Princess Ciara from Altair,” he told his father.
Sheik Patir’s mouth fell open in stunned silence for a long moment. But as his son’s words sank into his exhausted brain, he rallied quickly, shaking his head in denial. “The contracts for your marriage have already been signed,” his father said with a sigh, shaking his head and leaning back in the large, leather chair that had held the sheiks of Larcatia for centuries.
Zoran shook his head. “No, an alliance with Altair would be beneficial to both of our countries. With all of the increasing tensions on the borders, we will need their support in order to gain the upper hand. In fact, after this marriage, there might not be any more tensions. There are several issues that potentially could go away with an alliance between Larcatia and Altair.”
His father rubbed his forehead, revealing more of his fatigue. “Except that your marriage contracts have been agreed to between Princess Jalayla bin Faisal of Tularia. The negotiations were finalized last Wednesday and all the contracts signed, sealed and delivered to the appropriate authorities, myself included, as of Thursday. That was the main reason I kept trying to call you back.” He looked at his son with both pride at the man he’d become and a tinge of sadness that Zoran had finally found a woman he could love and it could not be.
Zoran shook his head, refusing to give up a life with Ciara. “Call King Busar and tell him that plans have changed.”
Zoran’s father stood up, shocked that his son would even suggest such a thing.
He leaned against his desk, his fists holding him up as he glared furiously at Zoran. “You know that we can’t do that,” his father uttered with finality. “The repercussions of such a move might shift the tensions into total war. We cannot insult the people of Tularia with a rejection of their princess. It simply isn’t done. You know this, I shouldn’t have to tell you such a thing.”
Zoran ran a hand over his face in frustration. “There has to be something that can be done.”
His father’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Zoran, realizing there was much more to this discussion than what he’d heard so far. “What have you done?”
Zoran’s hands flexed as he put them onto his hips. He wasn’t afraid of his father. They had a good relationship with each other but this was something that he wasn’t backing down on. “I met Princess Ciara while I was away.”
The shock vibrating from his father rose into the air between the two men. “Tell me you didn’t do anything stupid,” his father demanded.
Zoran laughed, his head shifting back and forth as he remembered everything he had shared over the past week with the beautiful woman. “I did nothing stupid.” He looked at his father “I will tell you that I fell in love with her. And she’s agreed to marry me.”
There was another very pregnant moment. “Impossible!” his father roared.
Zoran squared off with his father. “Not only is it possible, but it is going to happen. I’m marrying Princess Ciara.” He moved closer to his father’s desk. “This isn’t hard to fix,” he said to his father. “This is actually a very good thing.”
His father’s face looked almost apoplectic. “You cannot break an agreement of this magnitude. You will marry Princess Jalayla.” He moved around his desk, coming closer to his son. “You’ve never shirked your duties before like this. How can you come in here and tell me that you didn’t do anything stupid, and yet you’re telling me that you’re going to ignore a contract that commits yourself to another ruler’s daughter?”
Zoran crossed his arms over his massive chest as he looked at his
Sheik Patir’s mouth fell open in stunned silence for a long moment. But as his son’s words sank into his exhausted brain, he rallied quickly, shaking his head in denial. “The contracts for your marriage have already been signed,” his father said with a sigh, shaking his head and leaning back in the large, leather chair that had held the sheiks of Larcatia for centuries.
Zoran shook his head. “No, an alliance with Altair would be beneficial to both of our countries. With all of the increasing tensions on the borders, we will need their support in order to gain the upper hand. In fact, after this marriage, there might not be any more tensions. There are several issues that potentially could go away with an alliance between Larcatia and Altair.”
His father rubbed his forehead, revealing more of his fatigue. “Except that your marriage contracts have been agreed to between Princess Jalayla bin Faisal of Tularia. The negotiations were finalized last Wednesday and all the contracts signed, sealed and delivered to the appropriate authorities, myself included, as of Thursday. That was the main reason I kept trying to call you back.” He looked at his son with both pride at the man he’d become and a tinge of sadness that Zoran had finally found a woman he could love and it could not be.
Zoran shook his head, refusing to give up a life with Ciara. “Call King Busar and tell him that plans have changed.”
Zoran’s father stood up, shocked that his son would even suggest such a thing.
He leaned against his desk, his fists holding him up as he glared furiously at Zoran. “You know that we can’t do that,” his father uttered with finality. “The repercussions of such a move might shift the tensions into total war. We cannot insult the people of Tularia with a rejection of their princess. It simply isn’t done. You know this, I shouldn’t have to tell you such a thing.”
Zoran ran a hand over his face in frustration. “There has to be something that can be done.”
His father’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Zoran, realizing there was much more to this discussion than what he’d heard so far. “What have you done?”
Zoran’s hands flexed as he put them onto his hips. He wasn’t afraid of his father. They had a good relationship with each other but this was something that he wasn’t backing down on. “I met Princess Ciara while I was away.”
The shock vibrating from his father rose into the air between the two men. “Tell me you didn’t do anything stupid,” his father demanded.
Zoran laughed, his head shifting back and forth as he remembered everything he had shared over the past week with the beautiful woman. “I did nothing stupid.” He looked at his father “I will tell you that I fell in love with her. And she’s agreed to marry me.”
There was another very pregnant moment. “Impossible!” his father roared.
Zoran squared off with his father. “Not only is it possible, but it is going to happen. I’m marrying Princess Ciara.” He moved closer to his father’s desk. “This isn’t hard to fix,” he said to his father. “This is actually a very good thing.”
His father’s face looked almost apoplectic. “You cannot break an agreement of this magnitude. You will marry Princess Jalayla.” He moved around his desk, coming closer to his son. “You’ve never shirked your duties before like this. How can you come in here and tell me that you didn’t do anything stupid, and yet you’re telling me that you’re going to ignore a contract that commits yourself to another ruler’s daughter?”
Zoran crossed his arms over his massive chest as he looked at his
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