Marshal Stefan Girard waited anxiously in his chambers as rain poured heavily outside.

Surely, this thunderstorm that had suddenly come over the palace had to be a bad omen, a warning to the proud Marshal to abandon his plans. And yet, the stubbornness of the veteran warrior was nearly as famous as he; having fought fiercely in the civil war and winning his position as Grand Marshal to the crown when the war was won last year, it was plain for all to see that Girard was a man who prized stability in the realm beyond all else.

And if he thought that this plan was the only way to save the kingdom from further bloodshed, nothing could convince him to abandon it.

And just as Girard took a deep breath to steel his resolve, there came the knock on the door that he’d been expecting.

“Marshal,” the man at the doorway greeted with a timid croak when Girard answered the door. “My apologies for keeping you waiting. It was far more difficult to get here in the rain than I had expected.”

There were two cloaked figures there. Even through their disguise, he recognized the man, Oscar Delgado, and deduced it must’ve been his daughter beside him, Silvia Delgado.

Ignoring the man, Baron Delgado’s apologies, Girard quickly ushered them inside.

“You, girl.” Girard commanded, as soon as they were safe inside and away from spying eyes. They were short on time, and he didn’t want to waste any more. “Let me see you. Take off your cloak.”

Since he sent for the Delgados weeks ago, Girard had been anxious to learn whether or not the Delgado girl’s beauty was just as he’d heard. The realm was ripe with beautiful young girls, but only one of them had proven suitable for the Marshal’s desperate plan. To his relief, however, Girard found that the countless sleepless nights he had spent going through hundreds of potential candidates had not gone to waste, for when the girl took off her cloak she revealed a dashingly gorgeous young lady beneath, with flowing brown hair and attractive green eyes.

“Your honor, it has been a while since we last talked.” Oscar Delgado began speaking tentatively, interrupting Girard’s thoughts. “How fares the court in the absence of the King?”

“Less than a dozen people know of the issue.” Girard spoke plainly, hoping his underhanded warning would not go unnoticed. His dispute with the King was sensitive news, and word of it could not get out. “Those that know wisely choose to remain tight-lipped, for the sake of the realm, but more than few courtiers have begun to get curious. We are running out of time.”

He paused for a second to consider his own words, and for a second, it almost looked like Baron Delgado was actually going to say something intelligent for once as his brows furrowed into a frown.

“If I may be so bold as to wonder, your honor, then why not just let the boy do as he pleases? After all, he is our King.”

The powerfully built Marshal nearly exploded at that suggestion. “King or no king, he is still a boy, and ruled by boyish desires.” Girard spat venomously. “While I’m still alive, I will never allow any member of the royal family to disgrace themself by eloping with a lowly peasant! Never!”

Indeed, just talking about it made his blood boil. Crowned at the tender age of fourteen in the aftermath of civil war, the young king was wise beyond his years, but yet still childish and immature. Somehow, he had not managed to grasp the ramifications of declining marriage offers from the realm’s most powerful houses, and tried instead to marry a peasant girl.

That was something Girard could not allow, for such a move would have been sure to anger the lords and ladies of the realm, and throw the kingdom back into chaos. Unfortunately, any attempts at explaining this to the king was futile, for alas the foolish boy was a teenager, and in love. Nothing would stop him from having his way.

“How long has he been gone?” Oscar continued to ask, oblivious of the Marshal’s growing anger.

“About three months.” Girard shook his head, recalling how angry he had been the day he found out. “He took a retinue of Royal Guards loyal to him and boarded a ship with his peasant sweetheart, then fled to Obelisk Isle.”

“The small island off the shore of the mainland? Why would anyone want to go there?”

“Because there he knows he is safe. None of his regents and councilors can force him into marriage without letting the entire realm learn of this debacle while he is there.”

And if word ever got out that the young king had been strong-armed or manhandled out of his own marriage by his Marshal, the outrage from the lords and ladies of the realm would be just as bad. Girard knew this, and so did the boy king.

“That’s why he intends to stay there until he comes of age next year.” Girard muttered bitterly. “And by then, it will be far too late for us.”

“Hm,” Oscar seemed thoughtful. “This is indeed a dire situation. You have a plan, though, right?”

Girard sighed. Though he had made mention to the Baron of his dispute with the king, the Marshal was careful not to divulge very much else. Besides not trusting the incompetent man, additional details were not needed to convince Oscar to help him, for Baron Delgado was only a mere “minor” lord, and very far below the Marshal’s own station. If that was not guarantee enough that the man would consent to Girard’s plan, then his daughter’s interesting predicament was.

“About a month ago, I received terrible news from one of my sources…” Girard hesitated for a moment, but then decided that if they were going to be his co-conspirators, he might as well tell them everything. “The king has officially gotten married to the peasant girl.”

Oscar’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I know, I had not expected it either. Somehow, the boy had managed to convince the local village priest to perform the rites. Now, the two are officially wed as husband and wife in the eyes of the church.”

“But if it is done, then we are too late. That peasant girl is our queen now.”

“Not necessarily.”

Girard smirked triumphantly. He had always considered himself a formidable opponent in both the battlefield and in matters of courtly intrigue, and by hatching this scheme, the Marshal knew that no one could ever possibly question the sharpness of his wits.

“While the king has managed to outsmart us thus far, he still remains as much the lovestruck fool I have said he was.” Girard explained.

“The girl is barely on the cusp of adolescence and her teenage years, younger than his majesty.” The Marshal turned and began to pace around his room. “Under normal circumstances, most would say she was old enough for sexual activity, thus sealing their marriage. But the foolish boy loves her, and thinks she is still too young. He’s afraid of hurting her, and wants to wait.”

Girard felt his lips curl into a cunning smile and paused to turn to the two listening figures in his room.

“They haven’t consummated their marriage yet. And that means it could still be annulled by the church, given one of them chooses to seek annulment because of a… strong enough reason.”

Finally, it was time to turn his attention toward Silvia. The beautiful girl, unlike her father, seemed sharp, and had chosen to remain silent instead of running her mouth with questions thus far. The entire time they had been speaking Girard noticed her quietly listening and digesting everything they’d said carefully.

“That is where she comes in.” He motioned to the girl. “She will be the wedge that drives them apart.”

If Girard had learnt one thing in all his years, it was that the right woman, if used correctly, could bring down any man. That was why he had placed so much importance on selecting the right girl for this plot, and had spent so much precious time carefully considering each and every potential candidate.

The girl for this job had to be older than the king, but just a little older, in order to possess the womanly wiles and charms needed to arouse his interest, and yet still maintain the youthful innocence that a young teenager like the king would irresistibly be drawn to. In short, Girard needed a girl who was not only one of the fairest maidens in the realm, but also precociously gifted with skills in carnal pleasure. And none matched that description better than Silvia, exactly because of her unique predicament.

According to rumor, Sylvia had long lost her maidenhood by this point. A silver-tongued and quick witted bard had been boarding in her father’s estate for several days, and had charmed the girl enough to take her to bed. When discovered, Sylvia was firmly reprimanded and the bard banished from the household, but it was already too late. Sylvia, having been given the taste of a man, continued to constantly crave the sensation of a cock plunged deep inside of her, and became quite insatiable in her hunger for men. In the span of two years, she must’ve fucked half of her court, including her cousins and younger brother, before her father found out and confined her to her bedroom to hide his shame in forced abstinence.

That was, at least until Girard heard of the tale just a week ago and sent for them.

“I hope that she pleases you, your honor.” Oscar said, bowing deeply. Surely, he was eager to get rid of this stain against his family’s name quickly. Fortunately for the both of them, Girard was just as eager to take her off his hands.

“You can leave us now, Baron.” Girard said, eyes fixed on the young girl. “A ship will be waiting for you at the docks to take you back.”

Oscar, relieved at that, gave one more bow, and hurried away without even glancing at his daughter, closing the door behind him.

Now finally alone together, Girard took a step toward Sylvia, closing the distance between them.

“Now that it’s just us, darling,” Girard began to say. “I will admit that, while you are indeed stunning, I’ll have to make certain you truly are perfect for the part.”

Indeed, she was a fair young maiden. At seventeen, Sylvia was at the absolute prime of her youth. Physically her body was that of a woman’s, and yet she was still young enough to yet retain the sweet innocence of a teenager, which allowed her to still be a sight to behold in the simple and inconspicuous plain white skirt she wore.

“What are you saying?” Like all young maidens, Sylvia became nervous and giggly when alone with the six foot four Girard, who towered over most with a physique formidable enough that none could resist when he made advances toward them, old or young, married or not.