To the rescue

"My Lord, should we hand out the pastries we brought from the North?"

Lord Torque nodded and accepted one of the sweet apple tarts from his squire.

"Is there enough to go around?" he inquired.

"Yes my lord and it will pair well with the fruity wine that Tiamat is sharing with us tonight," his squire replied.

He dismissed his squire for the night and told him to go and have a good night. For he just wanted to be alone as he could get to contemplate his private thoughts.

Lord Torque sat very still on a log watching Fiona dance with the other women.

For once in his life he found himself envious of his best friend even though he wanted to be happy for him he still felt that twinge of jealousy.

One of the reasons he had stopped by Tiamat's castle was not just for a house warming and to deliver a message from the King but he also had news of his own.

The king had finally ordered that his cousin dragon lord Torque tie the knot and not to any woman that he grew up with but to the daughter of an ambassador of a rival nation to cement the newly forged alliance between territories.

Lord Torque was all about peace and unity but not at the price of his freedom.

Now that his days were numbered he could slowly feel the marriage noose tightening around his neck.

He definitely did not like to think about the bride that awaited him after his time at Tiamat's came to an end.

There was another reason why Torque wanted to linger around Tiamat's castle.

Fiona lifted up her head and laughed, then she picked up a little boy and spun him around in the air.

Their peals of laughter echoed through the cold night air.

He was already a week late for his own wedding but he told no one as far as he was concerned the bride could wait.

Torque ran his hand through his thick blonde hair, he loved a challenge and so far the illusive Fiona barely paid him any mind he would hate to feel like he was losing his touch with the ladies and he wasn't even shackled yet.

The Dragon King was still very jubilant about Tiamat's performance in the last crusade. He saved the king's life more than once on the battlefield and the king knew that if he sent Tiamat on a mission he could be trusted to see it through to completion.

The king abhorred the fact that Tiamat avoided the King's Palace at all costs. Yet he wanted to see Tiamat again.

If the dragon king hosted Torque's wedding then Tiamat would come to the palace as he would not miss his best friend's wedding for the world.

However the invitation was not just for Torque alone but for the mysterious Fiona who seemed to appear out of thin air and captured the attention and heart of one of his best warriors.

The Dragon King wanted to meet and judge this stranger for himself.

There was no way Tiamat could disobey a summons lest the king send his armies to crush this pile of rocks called Thornwyck into dust.

The same way the king gave, he can also take away.

Perhaps, Lord Torque thought he could kill two birds with one stone. He could deliver the message in such a way that Tiamat would believe that it is he who the king wants to get married to the barbarian princess.

He could also let his intended bride think that Lord Tiamat is the one she's supposed to marry.

If he played his cards right he would be attending a wedding soon just not his own.

Tiamat's home was overcrowded with two sets of armies and even though their leaders were friends the same could not be said for their subordinates.

Tiamat was not only a halfbreed but a bastard since Lord Azmat cheated on his wife with Tiamat's mom Selah.

She's a barbarian after all so things like bloodline and pedigree shouldn't matter.

The longer he thought about it the faster the wheels of his brain started turning.

Even though Lord Azmat claimed Tiamat as his own from birth this world was rather unforgiving and there would always be that stigma following Tiamat wherever he goes.

The soldiers love to argue amongst themselves who had the better leader and then they would end up brawling when the argument rapidly disintegrated then afterwards they would make peace by imbibing on free ale and wine.

There was not enough room to host all of Lord Torque's soldiers so a makeshift camp had been set up outside.

Tonight they were celebrating Lord Torque's upcoming nuptials, everyone was making merry and dancing around a giant bonfire.

Lord Tiamat's people were slowly getting used to the changes that Tiamat had been slowly making and now that wine was flowing freely a lot of tongues loosened.

"Stupid pricks," muttered Fiona.

She had been laughing and having a good time dancing with Seth until she noticed some of the men that were now deep in their cups staring lewdly at her.

Tiamat was running around playing host and lost in the sea of new faces so she had no idea where he was at the moment.

Another man grabbed his crotch suggestively when she passed him.

It wasn't one of Tiamat's men for sure, as his soldiers would never be so crude or lacking in discipline.

A buffet table had been set up so everyone could help themselves to food and liquor. She picked up a cup filled with what tastes like fruit punch laced with alcohol. It was refreshing and she found herself starting her second cup.

A man came up to her sloshing his liquid from his cup and slurring his words.

She couldn't make out what he was saying, "I can't hear you properly, speak slowly please."

The sound of her voice sounding so prim and proper next to their drunk friend had the man laughing in uproar, their hoots of laughter filling the air.

Their rowdiness made her feel uncomfortable but she couldn't escape them because they were blocking her and not allowing her to pass.

Their height intimidated her and made her cringe inwardly.

It was Lord Torque who came to her rescue while she contemplated kicking them in the nuts to get them to move, "that's enough for one night boys, I'll be taking over from here on out."