Princess Of The Skulls - Chapter 86: Chapter 86

Six months into the political marriage, I had learned that ruling two kingdoms was significantly more complicated than fighting interdimensional entities.
The morning council meeting had been particularly brutal, with representatives from both realms arguing over everything from trade routes to tax policy. I sat at the head of the conference table, my fingers unconsciously tracing the skull relics as I listened to Minister Hartwell from the Thornfield delegation argue with Chancellor Blackwood from my father's court about grain tariffs.
"The eastern provinces can't absorb another increase in agricultural taxes," Hartwell was saying, his face red with frustration. "Our farmers are already struggling to rebuild after the dimensional damage to their fields."
"And our merchants can't continue subsidizing Thornfield trade routes without fair compensation,"
Blackwood countered. "The Blackthorne treasury has been drained by reconstruction costs."
"Enough," I said quietly, my voice carrying the authority that had been forged in battle rather than inherited through bloodline. Both men fell silent immediately, their attention focusing on me with the wariness of those who had learned to respect power earned through sacrifice.
"Minister Hartwell," I continued, "what would it cost to provide direct crown support to the eastern farmers for one growing season?"
"Approximately fifty thousand gold marks, Your Majesty," he replied after a moment's calculation.
"And Chancellor Blackwood, what revenue would we lose if we reduced trade tariffs on essential goods by half for the same period?"
"Roughly thirty thousand gold marks, Your Majesty."
"Then we'll do both," I decided. "The crown will absorb the eighty thousand gold cost and find the funds elsewhere. Minister Hartwell, I want a detailed report on which farms need the most support. Chancellor
Blackwood, I want a list of luxury goods that can bear increased tariffs to offset the revenue loss."
"Your Majesty," Blackwood began, "the crown simply doesn't have eighty thousand gold marks to spare —"
"Then we'll create them," I interrupted, my hand moving to the largest skull relic at my throat. "There are abandoned mines in the northern territories, sealed since the border wars began. Some of them were closed due to dangerous conditions, but those conditions no longer apply to someone who can commune with the dead miners who worked them."
The room fell silent as the implications of what I was suggesting became clear. Using necromantic abilities to learn the secrets of abandoned mines, to speak with the spirits of those who had died extracting wealth from the earth was not something any previous ruler had ever attempted.
"The political risks—" Hartwell started.
"Are manageable," I finished firmly. "Our people have seen what happens when otherworldly forces threaten our realm. They've seen the price of the power that protects them. A few mining expeditions guided by the spirits of expert miners will hardly shock them at this point."
After the council meeting ended, I made my way to the private solar that had become my refuge from the constant demands of joint rulership. Aldric was already there, reviewing correspondence from the border regions, his expression troubled.
"Problems?" I asked, settling into the chair across from his desk.
"Reports from the northern watchtowers," he replied, holding up a stack of papers. "Nothing definitive, but there have been unusual sightings. Lights in the sky, strange sounds from the forests, animals behaving oddly."
I felt a chill that had nothing to do with the weather. "Dimensional aftershocks?"
"Possibly. Or something else entirely. The magical working we performed to seal the rifts was unprecedented—we have no way of knowing what long-term effects it might have on the fabric of reality in this region."
The implications were troubling. We had saved our world from invasion, but in doing so, we might have created new problems that we didn't yet understand. The thought that our victory might have come with hidden costs was deeply unsettling.
"I'll investigate personally," I decided. "The skull magic should be able to detect any lingering dimensional instabilities."
"You'll need an escort," Aldric said immediately. "If there are unknown magical effects at work, traveling alone would be—"
"Dangerous," I agreed. "But necessary. Besides, I won't be entirely alone."
As if summoned by my words, Kael appeared in the doorway, his expression serious as he carried a leather satchel filled with reports from his intelligence network.
"The situation is worse than the official reports suggest," he said without preamble, his eyes meeting mine with familiar intensity. "My contacts in the northern villages describe phenomena that sound like reality itself is becoming unstable. Objects appearing and disappearing, time moving at different speeds in different locations, people reporting dreams that turn out to be shared experiences."
"How long has this been going on?" I asked, my concern growing.
"At least three months, possibly longer. The villagers have been reluctant to report it because they're afraid of being accused of madness or treason."
Aldric stood up, his royal bearing automatically asserting itself. "Then we need to act quickly. I'll organize a proper expedition—"
"No," I said firmly. "This isn't a job for conventional forces. If reality is becoming unstable, we need someone who can work with powers that exist outside normal physical laws. Kael and I will go north, assess the situation, and determine what needs to be done."
"Just the two of you?" Aldric asked, his tone carefully neutral despite the obvious implications.
"Just the two of us," I confirmed, meeting his eyes steadily. "This isn't about personal preference, Aldric.
It's about using the right tools for the job. Kael's network gives us information conventional scouts can't provide, and my abilities let me interact with phenomena that would be deadly to ordinary people."
Aldric was quiet for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then he nodded slowly. "How long will you be gone?"
"Two weeks, maybe three. Depends on what we find."
"And if you find something that requires more than the two of you can handle?"
"Then we'll send word immediately," I promised. "But Aldric, if there are dimensional aftershocks, if the magical working we performed has destabilized reality in unpredictable ways, then we might be facing something that requires the same kind of desperate measures we used against the invasion."
The unspoken implication hung in the air between us. Six months into our marriage of convenience, we might be facing another crisis that would test everything we had built together.
But this time, I would face it not as a princess discovering her power, but as a queen who had learned to use that power responsibly. Whatever was happening in the north, whatever consequences our victory had created, I would deal with them.
Even if it meant risking everything I had gained, including the year of freedom I had earned through sacrifice and patience.