King of Battle and Blood

Isolde returns to the castle. Killian attempts to follow her, chastising her for leaving without an escort. Isolde angrily returns to her room and finds herself overcome with lust for the vampire. Her maid, Nadia, interrupts to tell Isolde that she must prepare for the Blood King’s arrival. Isolde is not a typical princess who values her appearance, nor does she feel pressured to find a suitable husband. She does not wish to marry because her freedom is important to her, and her fiery personality pushes away the more controlling suitors, like Killian. Nadia draws Isolde a bath.

Nadia fashions Isolde’s hair with a beautiful headpiece that once belonged to Isolde’s mother, a beautiful woman who came from the Atoll of Nalani, a nation of seafaring people. Nadia helps Isolde get dressed in a gown that shows off her ample cleavage. Nadia attempts to cover Isolde, but Isolde is proud of her fit and battle-capable body. When they reach Killian and King Henri just outside the great hall, Killian chastises Isolde for wearing such a revealing gown, accusing her of wanting to incite the Blood King’s desire. Isolde trades verbal barbs with him before they enter the hall and take their places. King Adrian enters, and Isolde realizes that he is the vampire she met in the woods. Henri and Adrian discuss the possibility of conditional surrender, though Adrian seems antagonistic. Once he sees Isolde, however, he offers Henri to keep the kingdom of Lara safe in exchange for Isolde’s hand in marriage.

Both Henri and Killian immediately object, but Isolde silences them and asks Adrian why he wants a wife and why he waited until now to ask for her hand. Adrian tells her that he did not know he wanted a wife until he saw her. Henri refuses again, but Isolde convinces him that her life is no more valuable than the lives of the people of Lara. Killian attempts to physically attack Adrian, but Isolde stops him. Adrian requests to speak to Isolde alone, and Henri reluctantly agrees.

Once the two are alone, Adrian flirts with Isolde, hinting that their marriage will be passionate. She wonders why he wants a wife, given that vampires cannot sire children. He tells her that he wants a queen, which puzzles Isolde. In her tense state, Isolde pierces her palms with her nails, and Adrian takes her hand and licks her blood again. He finds it delicious and tells Isolde that someday she will beg him to drink from her and will find it pleasurable. When she tells him that nothing he can do will bring her pleasure, he views it as a challenge.

Killian shouts at King Henri for allowing Isolde’s betrothal to Adrian. Henri commands him to leave, and Isolde seconds the order. He leaves, and Henri tells Isolde that this was never his plan for her and that she is the hope of the kingdom. When alone, Isolde feels complex emotions; she yearns for the freedom of being a queen, but her heart aches at the thought of leaving her father and Lara. As she returns to her rooms, courtiers whisper about her, and one even suggests that she attempt to murder the Blood King after the wedding.

When she reaches her rooms, she dismisses Nadia and then has lustful thoughts of the Blood King again. Killian arrives and attempts to seduce her, but she rebuffs him. He reveals that Henri offered him her hand in marriage if he were to kill the Blood King; this upsets Isolde, as her father never told her about this plan, and she also knows that Killian would be an unkind and controlling husband. She declares that she would never want to marry Killian. He accuses her of wanting to marry the Blood King and grabs her roughly, and she orders him to leave.

Later, Isolde attempts to sneak out of the palace. After evading two guards who wish to escort her, she wanders toward the vampire encampment until a vampire questions her presence, implying that she plans to seduce and kill the Blood King. When another vampire approaches and touches her shoulder, Isolde stabs him. Adrian hears the disturbance and asks the vampires (Miha, Sorin, and Isaac) to explain.

Adrian leads Isolde to his tent, kicking out the naked woman who was lounging in his bed. Isolde feels a pang of jealousy and asks Adrian if he plans to have other lovers during their marriage. Adrian remarks that it’s a bit early to make marital demands. Isolde asks Adrian to spare her people and tells him that Henri offered Killian her hand in marriage in exchange for killing Adrian. Adrian promises not to hurt the citizens of Lara, and Isolde also asks that he spare Killian, as a wedding gift to her. Adrian thinks that Isolde is planning to try to kill him and warns her that he will respond with wrath if she tries. Adrian sees the bruise that Killian inflicted when he grabbed her, and despite his hatred of Killian and his knowledge of the man’s sexual history with Isolde, he agrees to spare Killian’s life. He asks Isolde why she is avoiding the fire in his tent, and she admits that she is afraid of fire but does not know why. Adrian escorts Isolde to the edge of the woods, where Killian is waiting for her angrily. He declares that Killian will never touch Isolde again, and Isolde says that Adrian will escort her the rest of the way to the palace. Adrian walks her to the palace. As he leaves, he says, “All the stars in the sky,” and Isolde’s mind answers, “are not as bright as my love for you” (69). Isolde does not recognize the words.