Liandras thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a messenger servant.
"Pardon me, your highness," the young man said with a courtly bow. "Lord Dagor has requested to see you in his quarters. His lordship says it's most urgent.
"Well, I'd better not keep his lordship waiting then," said Liandra and started walking towards Dagors quarters at the other end of the royal castle. "I wander what Uncle Dagor wants," she said to herself.
Lord Dagor served as the king's advisor and "first minister". He had done so for five years now, ever since his predecessor had been beheaded for treason, some said wrongly accused.
Even if he was unknown to most ordinary folk in the kingdom, Dagor wielded immense power. He knew all the dealings of the castle inside and out and he was head of the feared secret police. He was ambitious, power-hungry and without scruples. During his years in office, he had thwarted many attempts to overthrow or undermine the king, both foreign and domestic, but many still thought the king a fool to trust him.
But Liandra had been kept away from all the shady political dealings and courtly intrigues. She knew him only as Uncle Dagor, her father's kind advisor. Though she had noticed that he had looked at her a lot lately, and in a rather strange way.
Dagor was much older than Liandra, but still younger than her father. He was in good shape for his age and he had a sharp, furrowed face and grey speckled hair. There was just something manly about him, so unlike the boys of her age. Yes, Liandra secretly found him rather attractive, but she had never really thought of him as anything else than a dear friend of the family.
The princess reached Dagors quarters and he received her in his study.
"Dagor!" Lianda exlclaimed and hugged him, like she always did.
"Your highness, I'm glad you could come," Dagor said and signaled to his servant to leave and close the door behind him. "I have an urgent matter to discuss." |