By the fourth morning after Lexander’s proposal, the wedding had become a matter of international diplomacy.
Lexander had known it would become complicated.
He had not anticipated that it would become complicated before he had finished his breakfast.
He was halfway through a cup of coffee when Atreyu entered the dining hall carrying three sealed letters.
“We have a problem.”
Lexander looked up.
“Good morning to you too.”
Atreyu placed the letters on the table.
“Three kingdoms have sent diplomatic inquiries.”
“About?”
Atreyu stared at him.
“The wedding.”
Lexander sighed.
“Of course.”
Io, sitting beside him, picked up the first letter.
“Who?”
“The northern kingdoms want confirmation that the marriage won’t create a military alliance against them.”
Io opened the second.
“The eastern coalition wants to know whether the proposed merger would affect trade agreements.”
She opened the third.
“And this one?”
Atreyu hesitated.
“They want to know whether the wedding will be held before or after the formal union of the kingdoms.”
Lexander slowly put down his cup.
“We haven’t even decided whether the kingdoms are actually merging.”
“I know.”
“Then why are they asking?”
“Because someone leaked the plans for Concordia.”
Lysandra, who had been quietly eating at the other end of the table, looked up.
“Those weren’t supposed to leave the palace.”
Atreyu looked at her.
“They didn’t.”
Everyone looked toward Lisbeth.
She slowly raised her hands.
“Don’t look at me.”
Lexander frowned.
“Who had access?”
Lisbeth thought.
“Me.”
“Io.”
“Lysandra.”
“Atreyu.”
“Mara.”
“Thor.”
Everyone looked at Thor.
Thor was standing in the doorway with a plate of food.
She looked around.
“What?”
“You had access to the city plans?”
Thor nodded.
“Yes.”
“Did you show them to anyone?”
Thor thought about it.
“No.”
Everyone relaxed.
Then she added:
“I described them.”
Atreyu closed his eyes.
“To whom?”
“A merchant.”
Lexander stared.
“Why?”
“He asked.”
“And you told him?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly did you tell him?”
Thor shrugged.
“That we’re building a really big city.”
Lysandra stared at her.
“What else?”
“That it might have a giant palace.”
Lexander slowly lowered his head.
“Thor.”
“And possibly a giant statue.”
Lysandra’s expression became horrified.
“We haven’t even decided about the statue.”
Thor smiled.
“I thought it would look nice.”
Atreyu rubbed his temples.
“This is why I drink.”
Mara entered the room.
“Speaking of which.”
She looked at Atreyu.
“You still have that appointment this afternoon.”
Atreyu nodded.
“I remember.”
Lexander looked between them.
“Appointment?”
“With Mara.”
“For?”
“A drink.”
Lexander blinked.
“You’re scheduling drinks now?”
Mara smiled.
“It’s important to maintain morale.”
Atreyu nodded.
“Very important.”
Lexander looked at the letters again.
“Apparently I’m the only person in this palace who isn’t having fun.”
Io leaned toward him.
“You proposed.”
“I did.”
“You’re getting married.”
“I know.”
“We’re building a new capital.”
“I know.”
“And now we have international interest.”
Lexander sighed.
“That’s the problem.”
Io smiled.
“Then let’s solve it.”
The first official meeting about the proposed union was held that afternoon.
Representatives from Lexander’s kingdom sat on one side of the long council table.
Representatives from Io’s kingdom occupied the other.
At the center sat Lexander and Io.
Behind them stood Atreyu and Mara.
Lisbeth had brought enough documents to bury a small village.
Lysandra had brought architectural plans.
Thor had been specifically instructed not to speak unless asked.
She looked offended by this arrangement.
Loki had been instructed not to attend.
He attended anyway.
The first hour was relatively peaceful.
The second was not.
“The two kingdoms cannot simply become one,” said Lord Verrick, one of Lexander’s senior advisers.
“Why not?” asked Io.
“Because the laws are different.”
“Then we change them.”
“That isn’t simple.”
“No,” Io agreed. “It isn’t.”
A representative from Io’s kingdom leaned forward.
“What happens to the nobility?”
Lexander frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“If the kingdoms unite, whose titles remain?”
Another representative added, “And who inherits the throne?”
Silence settled over the room.
Lexander looked at Io.
Io looked back.
That question hadn’t been discussed.
Lysandra leaned toward Lisbeth.
“Here we go.”
Lisbeth nodded.
“First major problem.”
Lord Verrick continued.
“And what happens to the armies?”
Atreyu answered.
“They become one military.”
A general from Io’s side shook his head.
“That will not be accepted.”
“Why?”
“Because neither side will agree to serve under the other’s command.”
Atreyu smiled.
“Then they’ll serve under mine.”
The general stared.
Atreyu smiled wider.
“Problem solved.”
“No.”
Atreyu’s smile disappeared.
“Worth trying.”
The debate continued.
Taxes.
Trade.
Citizenship.
Military command.
Inheritance.
Nobility.
Courts.
Currency.
Border patrols.
Everything that had seemed simple from a distance suddenly became extraordinarily complicated.
Eventually Lexander raised his hand.
The room fell silent.
“We are getting ahead of ourselves.”
Everyone looked at him.
“We haven’t decided to merge the kingdoms.”
Io nodded.
“That’s true.”
Lexander continued.
“What we have decided is that we’re going to explore the possibility.”
Lord Verrick frowned.
“And Concordia?”
“A proposal.”
“A very expensive proposal.”
“Yes.”
“And the wedding?”
Lexander looked at Io.
“That is happening.”
A few people smiled.
“Whether the kingdoms unite or not, Io and I are getting married.”
Io reached across the table and took his hand.
“That part isn’t negotiable.”
Loki whispered from the back of the room.
“Good answer.”
Lexander looked toward him.
“Why are you here?”
“I enjoy politics.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I enjoy watching other people suffer through politics.”
“That sounds more accurate.”
Loki smiled.
The city plans became the next battlefield.
They moved into the architects’ chamber after the council meeting.
Large maps covered the walls.
The proposed city of Concordia had grown considerably since the first sketches.
What had begun as a collection of buildings had become a full city.
At the center stood the proposed palace.
Around it were government districts.
Beyond those were residential neighborhoods.
The eastern quarter was designed around Io’s kingdom’s architectural traditions.
The western quarter reflected Lexander’s.
Between them was a massive central district where the cultures would overlap.
Lysandra pointed toward the map.
“This avenue connects the western gate to the palace.”
“And this one connects the eastern gate.”
Io nodded.
“Good.”
Lisbeth pointed toward another section.
“The river should become part of the city’s water system.”
“Can we do that without flooding the lower districts?” Lexander asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.”
“The engineers want three reservoirs.”
“Fine.”
“Four bridges.”
“Fine.”
“Six major roads.”
“Fine.”
“An underground drainage network.”
Lexander stopped.
“How expensive?”
Lisbeth gave him a number.
Lexander stared at her.
“That’s absurd.”
“Yes.”
“Can we afford it?”
“Eventually.”
“That isn’t reassuring.”
“It wasn’t intended to be.”
Thor leaned over the plans.
“Where’s the training ground?”
Atreyu pointed.
“Here.”
Thor frowned.
“Too small.”
Atreyu looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because if we’re going to have an army, we need room.”
Mara nodded.
“She has a point.”
Atreyu sighed.
“Fine.”
Lysandra marked a new section.
“Military training grounds here.”
Lexander looked at the map.
“And civilian districts?”
“Here.”
“Markets?”
“Here.”
“Schools?”
“Three initially.”
“Three?”
Lisbeth nodded.
“One for each major district.”
Io added, “And eventually a university.”
Lexander smiled.
“I like that.”
“Libraries,” Lisbeth said.
“Of course.”
“Public gardens.”
“Yes.”
“Medical facilities.”
“Yes.”
“Temples.”
Lexander nodded.
“Multiple.”
Lysandra pointed toward the southern edge.
“What about a large public square?”
“For what?”
“Festivals.”
Lexander smiled.
“Definitely.”
Thor raised her hand.
“What about a statue?”
“No,” Lexander said immediately.
Thor lowered her hand.
“You didn’t even hear the proposal.”
“I know you.”
Lysandra laughed.
The wedding planning was somehow even more chaotic.
By the end of the week, Io had selected three possible dresses.
Lysandra had rejected all three.
Lisbeth had commissioned two more.
Io had selected a fourth.
Lysandra had decided it needed different embroidery.
Thor had suggested armor.
Everyone had rejected that.
Thor remained convinced they were making a mistake.
“Armor is practical,” she argued.
“It is a wedding,” Io said.
“Exactly.”
“You don’t wear armor to weddings.”
“Why not?”
Lysandra looked at Thor.
“Because you’re supposed to look beautiful.”
Thor considered this.
“I can look beautiful in armor.”
Lysandra paused.
“That is unfortunately true.”
Thor smiled.
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment.”
“I’ll still take it.”
Meanwhile, the guest list had grown to several hundred names.
Lexander stared at it.
“Who are these people?”
“Foreign dignitaries,” Io explained.
“Why is there a king from three kingdoms away?”
“Because he’s important.”
“Why is there a duke I’ve never heard of?”
“Because he’s important.”
“Why is there a representative from the northern tribes?”
“Because they’re important.”
“Why is Loki on the list twice?”
Lisbeth looked at the parchment.
“He wrote his name twice.”
Lexander looked toward Loki.
“Why?”
Loki smiled.
“I’m very important.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Absolutely.”
Lexander crossed out one of the names.
Loki gasped.
“That’s disrespectful.”
“Good.”
As the days passed, something unexpected began happening.
The political debate about merging the kingdoms stopped feeling like an impossible dream.
People began considering it seriously.
Merchants supported the idea.
They saw fewer borders.
Fewer tariffs.
More trade.
Farmers saw new markets.
Soldiers saw stronger defenses.
Scholars saw opportunities for shared institutions.
Some nobles remained opposed.
Others saw the potential for influence.
The common people were divided.
Some feared losing their identity.
Others saw the possibility of peace.
Lexander understood both sides.
One evening, he and Io stood alone in the unfinished gardens behind the palace.
“Do you think we can actually do this?” he asked.
Io knew exactly what he meant.
“The union?”
“Yes.”
She thought for a moment.
“Maybe.”
“That’s not very confident.”
“Because it isn’t simple.”
“I know.”
“If we force it, people will resent us.”
Lexander nodded.
“But if we build something people want to belong to…”
He looked toward the distant valley.
“Then maybe it can work.”
Io smiled.
“That’s why I want Concordia.”
Lexander looked at her.
“Not as a replacement for our kingdoms.”
“No.”
“As a place where they can become something more.”
“Yes.”
He took her hand.
“Then that’s what we’ll build.”
Atreyu and Mara’s evening drink had become something of a routine.
Once or twice a week, they met at the same tavern.
They talked about military matters.
Politics.
The wedding.
Concordia.
And occasionally, nothing at all.
One evening, Mara sat across from Atreyu with her drink in hand.
“You’ve changed.”
Atreyu raised an eyebrow.
“How?”
“You smile more.”
“That sounds terrible.”
“It is.”
He laughed.
“You’ve changed too.”
Mara looked at him.
“How?”
“You’re less guarded.”
She considered that.
“Maybe.”
They sat quietly.
Then Mara smiled.
“Do you think Lexander knows what he’s doing?”
“No.”
She laughed.
“At least you’re honest.”
“He rarely does.”
“Yet somehow it works.”
Atreyu nodded.
“That’s his greatest talent.”
“Making things work?”
“No.”
He took a drink.
“Surviving his own decisions.”
Mara laughed.
By the end of the month, the council had reached a temporary agreement.
The kingdoms would not officially merge yet.
Instead, they would establish a joint governing council.
Trade barriers would be reduced.
Military cooperation would increase.
Citizens would have easier access to both territories.
And construction of Concordia would begin.
If the experiment succeeded, the formal union would be considered after the wedding.
Lexander read the agreement twice.
Then he signed it.
Io signed beside him.
The room erupted in applause.
Lysandra smiled.
Lisbeth looked relieved.
Atreyu nodded approvingly.
Mara smiled.
Thor cheered loudly enough to shake the windows.
Loki clapped politely.
Lexander looked at Io.
“Well.”
“Well.”
“We’re building a city.”
“Yes.”
“Possibly merging two kingdoms.”
“Yes.”
“Getting married.”
“Yes.”
“And somehow, the wedding is still the least complicated part.”
Io laughed.
“Give them time.”
Lexander groaned.
The next morning, the first workers arrived in the valley that would become Concordia.
Engineers measured the river.
Surveyors marked the roads.
Stonecutters began preparing foundations.
Carpenters established temporary camps.
Architects argued over dimensions.
Soldiers secured the area.
Merchants began discussing future markets.
The empty valley slowly began to change.
Lexander stood on a hill overlooking it all.
Io joined him.
Below them, hundreds of people worked.
“It’s actually happening,” she said.
Lexander nodded.
“Yes.”
She leaned against him.
“Do you regret it?”
He looked at her.
“The city?”
“The wedding.”
He smiled.
“Never.”
“And the city?”
He looked down at the valley.
“No.”
“Even though it will probably bankrupt us?”
“Probably.”
“Even though the council will argue about it for years?”
“Definitely.”
“Even though Lysandra is going to redesign half of it?”
“Without question.”
They laughed.
Io rested her head against his shoulder.
Lexander looked over the valley once more.
The city didn’t exist yet.
The palace was only lines on parchment.
The roads were only marks in the dirt.
The future government had not yet been written.
The kingdoms were still separate.
The wedding had not yet happened.
Everything was unfinished.
But for once, unfinished didn’t mean uncertain.
It meant there was still time to shape it.
Lexander took Io’s hand.
“Ready?”
“For what?”
“All of it.”
Io smiled.
“Yes.”
Behind them, Lysandra’s voice echoed up the hill.
“LEXANDER!”
He closed his eyes.
“What now?”
“WE NEED TO DISCUSS THE WEDDING CAKE!”
Lexander sighed.
Io started laughing.
“Go,” she said.
“I refuse.”
“It’s your wedding.”
“Exactly.”
Lysandra shouted again.
“AND WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE GUEST LIST!”
Lexander looked at Io.
“Maybe we should run away.”
She smiled.
“Where?”
He glanced toward the distant mountains.
“Somewhere without paperwork.”
Io laughed.
“You’d miss it.”
“No.”
“You would.”
“No.”
She kissed his cheek.
“Come on.”
They walked back toward the palace together.
Behind them, Concordia continued to rise.
Ahead of them waited a wedding.
Between the two stood a mountain of political problems, architectural arguments, diplomatic complications, and enough paperwork to bury an army.
And somehow, Lexander couldn’t remember the last time he’d been happier.
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