Chosen Bride of the Seven Dark Princes

She took a deep breath and began recounting her tale.

"I went with Duke Erden's men to rescue Süren because he had been kidnapped and held at Duke Abberbie's palace, specifically, inside Sharina's bedroom."

A gasp rose up from the various Advisors who were in the room. Apparently, most of them had not been briefed on exactly what had transpired.

"And what happened when you came into the room?" Süren prompted.

Lyra pursed her lips in disgust.

"I had gone with the Duke's Number Two and Number Three men who took me straight to Sharina's bedroom. By the time we reached the doorway, I could hear Süren howling and yelling out curses."

"What exactly did he say?" One of the Advisors wanted to know.

Lyra sighed. "I heard him say things like, 'get away from me bitch or I swear I will kill you!'." Lyra bared her fangs. "He was awake and aware that he was being attacked."

"And then what happened, Darling?" Süren asked.

"The two men who were with me kicked the door in and then I ran in." Her eyes were wide and troubled.

"Süren was lying on the bed with his hands tied above his head, like this." She demonstrated, raising her arms above her head, wrists together. "His legs were spread wide open, each ankle tied to a bed post. He didn't have much clothing on."

The Advisors cringed with distaste as they looked at each other. This was obviously far worse than they had been led to believe.

Lyra's blue eyes began to tear up. The memory was obviously distressing her.

"Süren had tried to morph into his dragon self to escape his bonds but his arms had been tied so tight that it obstructed his wings from emerging. It must have been so very painful…" Tears began streaming down her face.

She was a winged being too. She understood the pain of a partially extruded pair of wings.

"It was obvious to me that he was drugged with something that was torturing him." She covered her mouth for a moment, reliving the moment. "His eyes were wild with pain and he was screaming and cursing at her."

"Her?" One of the Advisors asked.

"The brown hair girl named Sharina." Lyra snarled. "She was pulling off her clothes and getting ready to climb onto Süren's body."

"What???" The Advisors turned to her with horror-stricken eyes.

"Are you all hard-of-hearing?" Lyra snarled. "That girl's intent was very clear. She was going to force him to have sex with her!"

Lyra's blue eyes flared red.

"As soon as I saw that, I ran into the room, morphed into a bat and whacked Sharina's head with my claw to get her off Süren."

A collective gasp was heard around the room. They could see this young girl doing such a deed.

Süren's eyes misted. The more she talked, the deeper in love he fell. This was a woman who would have his back in all situations. Indeed, she had proven this over and over again.

"I grabbed her hair and yanked her backwards, telling her to get off my man. Then I dragged her off his body and onto the floor and started beating the shit out of her." Lyra snarled.

"And then?" One of the Advisors prompted.

He could hardly believe this, but if there were two other men in the room with the young Princess Lyra, then it would all check out.

"Meanwhile, Duke Erden's men had untied Süren and were half-carrying him out. I didn't manage to do much more than that because I had to leave with Süren and the men."

Her eyes shot deadly sparks.

"Otherwise, she would have been dead."

Süren waved his hand and her visuals flipped back to face him.

"Thank you Darling. That was what I needed from you. I'm going to let you go now so I can finish this meeting."

"Okay." She smiled at him sweetly and threw out her hand to disconnect.

Süren turned back to the Advisors.

"I understand what you are telling me, Advisors." He sighed and stood up. "A commander who is so arrogant as to throw away his own men's lives over trivialities would not be in command for long."

"In this situation, however, it is abundantly clear and has been witnessed by at least three people that an attempt had been made on my life."

"Aside from the fact that the drugs had nearly killed me, which the physicians can vouch for, I had also been nearly sexually assaulted by Sharina."

The Advisors frowned and looked down at their hands.

"R*pe laws have been on the books for a very long time, but it always applies to women, never to men." He pounded his fists onto the conference table.

BAAM!!!

"I am here to tell you that it absolutely does happen to men! I demand the same justice that women who have been sexually assaulted receive."

The Advisors mumbled amongst themselves.

"Your Majesty," one of them finally turned back to him. "This is something that we are unable to determine amongst ourselves, as it is not within the purview of the courts."

Süren stared at the man, saying nothing.

"The death order was not an execution by trial." The man continued in his monotone.

"This was an executive order by the sitting monarch, therefore the gathering of the Advisors' signatures would not apply in this case. We will be taking our leave at this time."

They all stood up, bowed once at Süren, and one-by-one, winked out of the 3D meeting.

"Isn't that what I said at the start of the meeting?" Süren said through gritted teeth at Arden.

The Duke chuckled. "It takes a girl to fight against a girl. Nobody could resist the crying blue eyes of the beautiful young woman you've promised yourself to."

"We've managed to convince the Advisors. We still have to deal with the military forces that Duke Abberbie wields."

Duke Erden shook his head.

"I'm not saying this because I want to take advantage of the situation, but have you thought of the fact that your betrothed is the younger sister of Erenveil's Prime Warrior?"

Süren looked over at his uncle.

"I'm not a man who hides behind his woman."

"That's not what I'm saying." Erden shook his head. "You may not be hiding behind her skirts, but her brother Slate already knows the situation."

"Whether or not he thinks of you as a suitable marriage partner for his sister is besides the point. The point is, her mother is going to be my wife, and she will be here."

"Lyra—"

"Lyra will remain here with her mother. She has already spoken of her decision to stay with her mother."

"Be that as it may, I'm not going to ask the Erenveil Prime Warrior to help me fight a civil war just to keep my throne intact." Süren heaved a sigh.

Erden shook his head. "Slate's mother and sister are in Avalia. Do you honestly think he will sit back and watch while all around them, a sea of battle ensues?"

Süren shook his head.

Duke Erden smiled. "There is also another woman you have to consider."

Süren turned a questioning glance at his great uncle.

"The Crown Princess Candace Farrah is also here. Do you know how important she is?"

Süren nodded. Of course he knew. The woman was famous.

"While she is still in dragon space, Abberbie will not be stupid enough to start anything. However, I can guarantee you that before dawn tomorrow, something will happen."

Süren nodded.

Sharina was, at the moment, the most heavily guarded prisoner in the Avalian dungeon. Dawn was the appointed time that Sharina would be executed.

Whatever happened would occur in the hours right before dawn.

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