A Den of Snakes: Chapter 1

"“You’re the king now, m’lord. And I’m your queen.”"

- Tanea Rotsar to Daron Daike

Tanea Rotsar finds her husband, Lord Daron Daike in the gardens of Northstone. There, she informs him of the Royal Summit's decision to put him in the throne of Ashdrad, and plans for the future are made.

Synopsis
Tanea finds her husband, Daron Daike, in the gardens of Northstone, bearing the verdict of the Royal Summit's recent meeting, which determined who would be the next king of Ashdrad. After keeping him in the dark for a long time, she finally shares the information that came from Windsel. Strangely, Daron does not appear to be thrilled. Quite the contrary. This agitates Tanea, and he opens up to her about his fears of failure and what could come next. She tries to assure him all will be fine, but cannot be completely convinced herself.

They then start to form a plan for the future. They will leave Northstone within a few days and travel south through the Ramsroad, stopping briefly at Highgate to see Tanea's family, House Rotsar. After that, they will move into the Eastlands, travel through The Tear before cutting across the Royal River twice as the road does, and then encountering the capital. Daron says he will then be crowned, before having to immediately deal with the threats of Ser Tylar Vayne and Lord Russol Riddel, the other contenders for the throne. He shrugs off the threat posed by Harden Naisen, the heir to Gravegate, as it is weak and not likely to lead to anything. Daron is also unaware at this point of the Ashosi threat made by Joden Drifte.

After preparing what they will say, they go and visit their five children in the hall - Keera Daike, who is the eldest and Tanea fears has gone down the wrong path; Margarys Daike; Rickan Daike, who she pities for being bullied by his elder brother, Ronnard Daike, who she dislikes and is irritated by; and lastly her favourite child, Melyssa Daike, who she sees the most of herself in. Tanea then lets Daron break the news that he is going to become king, and that they will become princes and princesses.

The reactions are mixed. Keera appears nervous, and Margarys is slightly excited. Ronn and Rickon are both pleased, while Melyssa is sceptical yet Tanea notices a twinkle in her eye. They share the plan to ride south with the children, then conclude the meeting.