“Are you sure about this?” The queen whispered to her husband as the baby girl in her arms started to squirm.

“Absolutely.” Her husband whispered back. “It is the only way to be sure our kingdom will inherited by someone we can trust.”

“But if we do this, then Raelynn will have no choice. Furthermore, how can we truly know that Andre will become a trustworthy man?”

Edward sighed, realizing his wife had made a valid point. “Jason and Isabella are good people. I am sure they will raise young Andre to be a noble king. And this way, Raelynn will be bound to someone close to her in age.”

The queen gave a short, quiet laugh. “ ‘Close’ is understating the matter. They are a mere two weeks apart.”

The king smiled slightly. “Precisely. What’s more, if Andre grows up to resemble either of his parents, he will be quite handsome.”

Queen Charlotte sighed. “As wonderful as all these things are, is an /arranged marriage/ really the best choice? I mean, I-“

The queen broke off into a paroxysm of coughs. Her husband jumped up out of his chair and grabbed a glass of water off of the bedside table. He handed it to Charlotte, who shifted the baby in her arms and took a long drink of water.

As she handed the glass back to her husband, the queen said in a quiet but strong voice, “You cannot force love, Edward. You and I both know this.”

King Edward gave a soft sigh as he sat back down at his wife’s bedside. “Charlotte, this is the only way that we can be even somewhat certain that our beloved daughter will marry someone who will care for her as he should. And if something should happen to both of us, well, this is a way to ensure Dominic will not harm Raelynn, or force her to marry a puppet of a nobleman.”

Queen Charlotte gasped. “Surely your brother would not do such a thing.”

The king’s eyes darkened and gave a quick glance toward the door on his right. “My brother would do a great number of things for power, and if he ever becomes king - or places one of his noblemen puppets on the throne as a proxy - then some of those terrible things may very well happen. I cannot, /will/ not, let that happen. Please, my dear. It is the only way.”

Charlotte was silent for a few long moments as she thought about the situation.

“Alright.” The queen finally whispered, looking down at the sleeping baby girl in her arms. “For Raelynn.”