Chapter Twenty
Justin knew that he had to say something and say it fast. He just prayed that his voice wouldn't crack when he said it. He had to sound sure of his facts if he was going to convince the king that the mages had done nothing wrong.
"Your Majesty, the book in which the information was found had been hidden in the back of a shelf that was in a rarely used corner of a library. The only way anyone found it was when a random worker at that library decided to dust all of the books and shelves. It would still be hidden today if not for that man."
He knew he should stop right there, but he had to be sure that the king knew that there was no real way for these 4 mages to know the information.
"When the worker found the book, he realized that he had never seen it before, and he was familiar with most of the books. He thought he should show someone, and eventually, the book made its way to the school's head professor. That is how I learned about the information. He brought it before the class I was a part of. He wanted us to evaluate if we thought the information was useful."
Justin saw the king's expression relax as he spoke, and he felt the tension leave Art. When the king spoke, he was sure that the immediate danger had passed. "And did you find that the information in the book was credible, Master White?" While the king was still being formal, his shoulders had relaxed, and his hands were still by his side. It was easy to see that the king was trying to keep control over the conversation and not let anyone forget that he was ultimately in charge. Justin knew he would do well to remember that himself.
"Yes, sire. Based on what we know about unicorns, it is highly likely that they would be drawn to a maiden. She would need to be pure and virtuous and beautiful."
At his last word, Justin's eyes moved to Maggie. She was no longer looking down. She was looking right at him with a question that she clearly wanted to ask him, but knew better not to.
He knew what he needed to do to get Maggie to help him with this plan. From what the mages said, he knew the king would not like it, but he had facts on his side, and the king had a problem that Justin was pretty sure he could fix. He could use that as leverage to get what he wanted.
"Before he could completely lay it all out to the king, he had to make sure he wasn't going to say something he would regret. He had to make sure Maggie was truly a maiden or the plan wouldn't work, and it might get her in trouble with her father. So, he looked directly at Maggie and restated, "Yes, it would only work if the woman were a true maiden." He gave her a questioning look, and she nodded once and smiled.
Relief flooded through him as he turned to face the king, who was busy conversing quietly with Art. "I think Princess Magdalin should help us tame the unicorns, your Majesty."
The king didn't even look up from where he was standing. "No." Justin's stomach dropped, and he immediately saw a look of sorrow cross Art's face and then disappear again. Justin knew he had to tread carefully. "Do you mind if I ask why not, sire?"
This time, the king turned from Art and looked at Justin as though truly sizing him up for the first time. Justin realized that the king must have never been questioned by someone so young before. Justin paused for a moment, wondering whether he should have said anything, but when he looked at Maggie, he knew he had made the right decision. She wanted to help. In fact, the way she looked at her father told Justin she needed to be part of it.
"It is too dangerous. I will not let my daughter be in harm's way like that." Justin felt deflated as he didn't have a ready response to counter that argument. While he was fairly sure that if precautions were put into place, no harm would come to her, he couldn't promise the king that. He was about to give up when Maggie spoke.
Please, Father, I need to do this for Mother and Rose. I can't stand by and do nothing if there is something I can do to help that could really make a difference. I couldn't live with myself if I did nothing and... the worst happened."
The king blanched at her words. He looked close to tears. "No, child. Surely we can find another maiden who could do it. I can't risk losing you." Justin could see that the conversation had turned extremely personal, and he wished he could leave the room and leave them alone, but he couldn't make himself take a step toward the door. When Maggie spoke, he was glad he hadn't.
"No, Father. I am the only one who can do it. I live here, so I will have access to the unicorns all the time. We would have to ask a young woman to leave her home and family to move in here and observe the creatures. That is not fair to anyone. Besides, this is what I am meant to do. It is what Mother would want. She would trust me to do the right thing. This is it. I know you know that."
The king started to sink backwards, and Art quickly pulled out a chair and helped him into it. Maggie bit her lower lip, clearly upset by the grief she had caused her father, but she didn't take back what she had said.
The king sat for a full 5 minutes in silence, thinking through his response to his daughter. That whole time, Justin's thoughts were on Maggie's mother and sister. Other than the king asking Maggie to go check on them, he had not heard a word about them or seen them since coming here. There was definitely something there that he needed to know more about. It might have had something to do with the tear Maggie cried earlier.
Whatever situation her mother and sister found themselves in, the king took their desires seriously. He had to; he had not shut down the thought that Maggie's mother would want her to do this. Her wants must hold a lot of weight with him, and it must be true.