[Stop, Expectation]

  Ronan woke me first then Elisa we wanted to be off before dawn to Ironheart Delve. Ronan came back with the horses and word that all seemed clear. I was a little worried that Duke Mountbatten had surrounded the inn during the night. Thus our early morning flight.

  I relaxed once we hit the trail we’d used to Ironheart Delve before. It was a gorgeous morning once the sun was fully up, just the kind of day you’d enjoy a ride through the woods. Suddenly it dawned on me that days like this were numbered. Worst case is I’m killed trying to overthrow my father. Best case is I overthrow my father then I spend the rest of my days actually ruling the kingdom. I really wasn’t going to enjoy doing that.

  I guess be careful what you wish for. Maybe I should have started thinking about these things before I started acting on them. I wanted revenge on the dragon and Cormac for the way that they treated me. I literally pissed on the dragon’s dreams of strong progeny, and destroyed Cormac’s religion. They are two of my biggest Allies now. What about my father? I wanted revenge for my treatment, I want revenge for my treatment and my sister’s treatment. But what about all the women of the kingdom just getting revenge changing my father for myself doesn’t change their reality.

  I’m working very hard to make an alliance with Duke Mountbatten, is he fundamentally different from my father? He’s about to sell off his daughter to some old Baron. I’m going to need to actually think this through before I act. But Elisa roused me from my reveries.

  “Where are we going Maria?”

  “Were going someplace I can stash you to keep you safe and to get part of an army to confront your father. I told him to come alone, but I don’t trust that he’ll obey. We’re just going to have to see. I have a question for you, would you rather see your father demoted and your upcoming wedding canceled, or would you rather get married to the old Baron and see your father’s wealth triple? Don’t answer right away, think on it. I’m just now regretting some actions that I’ve taken when I was just reacting to things. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes. But you’ll have to answer me in a few hours before I leave the mine, alright?”

  We are close to the mine now, I could hear the clatter of metal striking metal in the smithies in front of the mine without the Hearing spell. Then we turned the tight corner where the woods became an open field filled with smithies and dwarfs.

  Runar was one of the first to notice us and came bounding over.

  “Slutty Princess welcome back. I’ll let the Thane know immediately."

  “Thank you Runar, it's good to see you.”

  Then the other dwarf’s shouted.

  “Huzzah for the Slutty Princess”

  “My thanks my Dwarven Allies!”

  We dismounted and Ronan led the three horses to a stable. A few dwarves stopped their work and came over to talk to me. The bravest spoke up.

  “Slutty Princess is that a great slutty friend of yours or is she your lover?”

  “No my friend, she is neither slut nor lover. She is my friend, the Lady Mountbatten, a very virtuous lady.”

  “Oh I see, well I’m sorry for ye, Slutty Princess, I’m sure you wish she was both a great slutty friend and your lover. But if anyone can win her over it’ll be you.”

  I laughed. “Thank you friend, I’ll work on her and let you know how I make out.”

  He smiled and bowed low to us both. Then Runar and Ronan arrived back at the same time.

  “The Thane would be very happy if you could talk to him now, Slutty Princess.”

  Then Runar led us through the mine entrance and I could hear Elisa’s breath catch as she saw the wonder that is the carven dwarven mine. As the mine minister’s daughter, she has probably never toured many a dark and dirty mine before, but I also be willing to bet that she’s never seen a mine that was a living work of art.

  “Pretty impressive isn’t Elisa.”

  “It’s unbelievable, the amount of man hours to create something so beautiful.”

  “Just wait until we get to the great hall and you see the giant marble statue of me that their workmen created in a few short hours, the first time I visited. You better keep your clothes on in front of them unless you’d like a statue as well.”

  Then we were in the great hall and I stared at the statue that had filled me with shame and embarrassment less than a week ago. Now the shame was gone, I was still a little embarrassed because in reality all I’d done was sit still for a few hours for Bethany, a sculptor. Who along with Ronan and Em had shaped an image that gave me a sort of power. The dragon dubbed me the slutty princess, Bethany, Ronan and Em made me The Slutty Princess. Thane saw us enter and jumped up from his throne and hurried over to meet us, like last time he stopped short, bowed low and said.

  “Welcome back to Ironheart Delve, Slutty Princess. Ronan, and fair guest.”

  “I bowed back, thank you Thane for the welcome, we are most honored, when you have the time, I need to ask a favor of you, friend.”

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  “Aye, for you, I always have time. But call me Grimr, and your favor is granted. For you saved my daughters life, Groda told me how you handled the dragon, how you saved her life. You are the fearless Slutty Princess, who refuses to cower even in front of a dragon.”

  “Grimr, thank you for the kind words and we are now and always shall be friends so please call me Maria. I’d like to introduce my friend, the Lady Mountbatten.”

  Who just continued to stare at the giant nude statue of me.

  “Lady Mountbatten, I bid you welcome. I see you admire yonder work of art. But as you can see, it is a mere shadow to the radiant beauty that is Maria. Let’s all sit and you can explain what you need and we can see it done.”

  We all sat at the great table and food and drink was brought and we talked.

  “Grimr, why didn’t you tell me that Groda was your daughter?”

  “I promoted her too fast to chief engineer and by all rights, it should have been me that offered his life to the dragon. But that would have shamed her even more than her mistake. So I just made her an engineer again, and I won’t be so fast to make her chief again just because she is my daughter. We all make mistakes sometimes, the wise learn from their mistakes, the foolish blame others for the mistakes we made ourselves. But what can I do for you?”

  “I was trying to make another ally and Grimr, you made me realize I was about to make a mistake, a mistake I’ve made before. So before I answer you I need to ask Elisa to answer the question I posed to you before, I know you haven’t had much time to consider. So let me rephrase it. I could save many lives by betraying your father but I won’t do that if he hasn’t already betrayed me. Or should I make a deal with him, offer him immeasurable wealth and let him treat you like chattel, and betray myself. It’s one of those ruler decisions that Ronan warned me were coming. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you more time to consider.”

  “I don’t really need time, you are fighting your father. Well I’m fighting mine. You should save lives. My father is as ruthless as yours. We are allies. If allies fight together is it betrayal if you strike against mine. I was the one who asked you for help, through arms or cunning. I’d much rather see you use cunning, why should other men die for my father’s sins?”

  “Thanks Elisa, Grimr, might I use your army to catch a war criminal?”

  “Princess, I must not have made myself clear the last time you were here. My army is your army Maria. It’ll take an hour to assemble then we are ready to march. The rest of the dwarves will follow in its wake and offer support. Runar, have the horn sounded, we march to war.”

  “Thank you Grimr.”

  “Tis just the first battle in a longer war, and just a little too late advice, you made the right choice, it's always better to save lives.”

  How the dwarves could possibly assemble so fast is beyond me. Forty minutes later Grimr and I gave information and instructions to the squad of scouts who acted on their orders immediately. Ronan had our three mounts saddled and ready as we rode at the head of the marching column with Grimr. Every dwarf wore mythril armor and carried a mythril hammer. Grimr had given the army strict instructions, they were first to attempt to stun the enemy, with those great hammers. If the dwarves were actually being injured, unlikely with the humans having just regular weapons against mythril armor, then they might attempt to harm the humans. Grimr wanted to avoid a blood feud between the dwarves and humans.

  Four hours later the leader of the scouting party walked back onto the trail in front of us. The scouting party had captured one hundred human soldiers. Ninety nine were fine. Their leader was still unconscious, but would be fine. The humans had encircled the town, as I had feared they might. No one in the town knew about a battle in the woods or that any dwarfs were about.

  The scouts redeployed themselves around town, no one attempting to escape would get past them the chief scout promised.

  Ronan, Elisa and I rode into town. Mountbatten was standing in the town square all alone.

  “Duke Mountbatten, you didn’t bring a knight with you for your protection.”

  “I just want my daughter back, and the letter said you had a proposal.”

  “I did have a proposal, but I’ve changed my mind. After I beat my father and I’m the Queen of Carnal Delights, I’ll propose a deal to the new Duchess of Mountbatten. As the head of the provisional government, I’m arresting you for treating your daughter as chattel.”

  “How do you answer the charges?”

  He blew a whistle that he’d hidden in his hand. I waited to see if the dwarfs had missed any of Mountbatten's men. They hadn’t. The dwarves have an amazing capacity for attention to detail.

  “Blowing a whistle is not an answer to your charges.”

  “Listen you filthy slut, you are the one who is arrested. I plan to stand on that plateau and laugh along with your father as your naked body is torn apart by the dragon.”

  He blows the whistle again, a little frantically this time.

  “It sounds like the former duke is as perverted as my father, actually enjoying the thought of a young naked girl being ripped limb from limb. I’ll ask you one last time how do you answer your charges?”

  “Just give my daughter and you can go.”

  “No duke you don’t get it. I’m not going anywhere and neither is your daughter. We have all of your men, the war is over for you and for them. We next march on Pinewatch where Lady Mountbatten will be installed as Duchess Mountbatten. Where she will loan me the troops that you so diligently gathered. They will be ordered to march on Harrowell. It’s a shame that you’ll be in prison and will miss all the excitement. When my father realizes that all of his allies are gone, abandoned by the sons he abandoned so long ago. Defeated by the daughter he despises and the dragon he expected to kill me wants his head.”

  He ran out of town.

  The dwarfs dragged him back cursing and crying.