Page 15 of Courting the Dragon Prince

“An excellent question, Warden Onyx.” The grand monk smiled at Warden Onyx. “But that won’t be necessary. You and Prince Luther just need to be present on the day. We will take care of the binding magic.”

Luther held in a sigh. The binding magic meant he could never break from the marriage contract. And there were certain vows they would bind themselves to when they married. For example, Luther and Warden Onyx would need to live within close proximity of each other for the rest of their lives. If they were apart for extended periods, madness and illness, and eventually death, would occur.

And only his death would free Luther from this union. But if one of them killed the other, the murderer would die almost instantly. Their heart would just stop beating. You really didn’t want to fuck around with the vows and contracts that had been created by the monks with their binding magic.

The monks would then use the same magic to bind the six kingdoms to the peace treaty.

Luther pondered that. “Why do you need eight marriages to seal the treaty if the treaty is going to be sealed with your binding magic?”

All gazes fixed on him. A flash of the previous night, of the musicians turning and staring at Luther, flashed in his mind. His heartbeat sped up. The hairs on the back of his neck stood.

That never happened. It was just a hallucination created by shimex mushroom dust.

Luther licked his lips and pressed on, “Can’t the treaty just be signed by all the rulers, and you use your binding magic to … bind everyone to the treaty? Why do we need to get married too?”

The grand monk smiled, a patient and rather condescending smile. “Unfortunately, the magic does not work like that, Prince Luther. You see, considering the longevity and the intensity of the war, it is not enough for the rulers of Draconia, Botanial, the Grey Mountains, the combined Kingdoms of Voltaria and Zephyrias, and Necros to merely sign.”

Luther regretted everything as the grand monk continued to speak. He shouldn’t have asked. Now he was stuck listening to the grand monk babbling on about some obscure magic whilst his head throbbed.

“The commitment to the peace treaty must be shown through actions, in this case through marriages between the nobility of the different kingdoms,” the grand monk said. “By binding and weaving your family lines together through these sacred marriages, you prove that you are all dedicated. That allows the peace treaty to be truly binding. One must prove they are committed through actions, not just through words and signatures. That is the only way that the magic will work.

“I hope that answers your question, Prince Luther,” the grand monk said. “If that doesn’t make sense, another way to look at it is?—”

“That won’t be necessary,” Luther interrupted. He forced a smile. “I understand. You’ve more than answered my question. Thank you, Grand Monk.”

“Excellent.” The grand monk clapped his hands together. “I am glad. But if you have any more questions, please ask.”

“Yes. Thank you, Grand Monk.” Warden Onyx flicked his gaze to Luther. “Especially because you talked about it at length earlier in the meeting. Today.”

Anger flared within Luther. It wasn’t Luther’s fault he hadn’t been listening.

Well, it was. But why did Warden Onyx have to be such a raging arsehole about it?

“I am always keen to assist anyone in understanding our magic, Warden Onyx. It gives me such great pleasure. Such a great pleasure indeed to discuss it with others. And I am aware that our magic is not the most straightforward form.” Grand Monk Ferdinand chuckled. “In my experience, repetition and further explanation can often assist in greater comprehension on such a complicated topic.”

“That makes sense,” Warden Onyx said.

Luther glowered at him. Why did Warden Onyx have to be such an arrogant dick about everything all the fucking time?

“It is such an interesting topic too,” the grand monk said. “I could talk about it for hours and hours.” He chuckled. “Are there any other questions about our magic?”

The grand monk looked around the table with obvious eagerness. “Or perhaps our healing magic. As you know, the healing monks perform a magic different from the binding magic.” He looked towards the other end of the table, where the grand healer sat.

“No?” When no one spoke, the grand monk deflated slightly. “Well, then I should go ensure all the preparations for the ball are going smoothly.”

“What ball?” Luther blurted out before he could stop himself. He blamed the exhaustion. Because Luther really didn’t care, and he just wanted this boring meeting to be over so he could collapse somewhere.

Warden Onyx took a deep breath.

“The ball is in honour of your betrothal to Warden Onyx,” Luther’s father said tersely. “It is part of your courting rituals.”

“Of course.” Luther laughed. “I knew that. I am very much looking forward to it.”

The grand monk rose, gaze on Luther. “And I must say that I am looking forward to seeing you dance together.”

The smile stayed frozen on Luther’s face.

Fuck me. When will this torture fucking end?