The Aftermath (King Casimir)

King Casimir awakened after three days of being unconscious, the poison in his body completely drained out of his system, as they fed him a mixture of herbs.

His skin was covered in red sores that had burst open and dried up.

His mind vaguely recalled the events that had taken place during the engagement ball.

His aunt sat by his bed side with her eyes closed, resting in a chair.

"You are finally awake." She commented as she heard him stir.

"I do not remember much of what happened, all I remember was being pulled from the princess then everything went black." He said.

"Yes, you hit your head against a pillar, and your body was wrapped in a poison vine. The healers worked hard to get the poison out." His aunt replied.

"What happened after that?" He asked as he sat up in bed.

"It got worse, our fire mages betrayed us, they conjured a fire that would burn the princess, her father King Allan died saving his daughter in an enclosed barricade of ice." She explained.

"I suspect Lady Daphne and another woman to be the masterminds of this mess. They are in the dungeons as we speak. I will interrogate them and have them executed if found guilty." She added.

"They must have been jealous." King Casimir remarked dryly.

"Very," his aunt commented.

"The fire mages?" King Casimir asked.

"All executed. Your Majesty, I could not let them live. We have the blood of A Winter King on her hands as it is."

"Good, I would have done the same." King Casimir remarked.

"What of the princess, aunt?"

"She has left for the Winterlands, to become its Queen and settle court matters there. She asks if you still want to consider marriage, or if you have changed your mind since her father is dead and you signed the contract with him. She awaits your reply."

"I need time to think, I want to settle this mess of who masterminded the incident."

"You cannot do so from bed, Casimir, I will handle all investigations and executions." His aunt declared.

"You best rest and regain your strength."

"Here drink this." She placed a vial in his hand.

He drank it, whispering "what is this?"

"Something that will give you good sleep. I hope to have everything arranged for you by tomorrow."

"I do not understand, what arranged?" He asked his eyes drooping.

"Your courtship in the Winterlands. You cannot remain here much longer it is not safe." His aunt muttered.

"And how do you know, someone won't try to kill me there?" He asked her sarcastically.

"Well then we can call all the attempts on royal life even on each other's soil" said his aunt dryly.

A look of amusement flashing in her eyes before they turned serious.

"You will be safe there." She emphasized.

"But what if I lose control there....?" He asked her worriedly.

"Should you lose control, the damage will be less severe there than here, I trust the princess will know what to do."

"Send me with the healers then." He pleaded with her.

"Of course, all of them will be at your disposal. You need not worry. Now go to sleep before I knock you out myself." She said threateningly.

"You are a horrid aunt."

"You are a troublesome nephew," she said fondly stroking the hair on his head before she left his chambers to interrogate the prisoners in the dungeons.

 Her nephew may have had a number of a lovers, but none that he was truly safe with, in her gut she knew his safest option was the winter princess.

Casimir may not have had the heart to pass the death sentence to his former lover, Lady Daphne.

But she was not him and she would do it for him if it meant securing him and the future of his kingdom.

She would personally interrogate all his former lovers starting with the ones that were at the ball that night, Lady Daphne and Lady Violet. 

She gave instructions to all his personal guards to keep vigilant watch at the king's chambers, she instructed the servants to prepare the king's possessions for a journey to the Winterlands.

She gave the order to his scribe to send the princess a letter congratulating her on becoming the Queen and ask if he would be welcome to spend sometime with her at the Winter Palace to resume their courtship, the scribe wrote everything down as fast as he could.

After she had read the letter and it was drafted to her satisfaction, she placed the king's seal and had the fastest messenger on horse send it to the Winter Court.

Now, all she had to do was convince the king that she would rule here and take care of matters here such as rebuilding the castle walls that had been burnt by the fire and restoring the castle back to its former glory while he was there in the Winterlands. 

A task that she would have to execute with an entire team of builders, craftsman and artists. She had so much to do.

She remembered fondly holding him as a baby as she descended the stairs. She had promised her sister she would look after him like her own son. 

As she passed the portrait of her sister, she stared at it and spoke:

"You need not worry, he will be in good hands in the Winterlands. As odd as it may seem they are the closest we have to allies now that both sides have suffered loss.

Together I am confident they will usher in a new era, Aurora."