Alliances Offered, Part Six

Alone in her small, comfortable cell, Jacqueline Bouvier -- who was pretending to be her own lady Tabitha Andiras -- touched the stone she had carried to Caristhium, and attempted to contact lady Tabitha Andiras, who was pretending to be her. Any news?

There was a brief pause, and then: Your father knows his assassins failed. Furious. Demands someone rid him of upstart. Thesean swears to kill Fontaine, will leave tonight. Father promised your hand.

Jacqueline nodded and sat back on the edge of the bed. She knew another attempt would be coming, especially once she'd learned that Tavros had sent the Solari Sorceress Reina's head back to her father in a box. Her father would demand blood in return, and if he couldn't have that then he would take it out on everyone around him. 

So it was no wonder at all that Thesean had offered to undertake the task, especially if her father was willing to offer her hand in marriage if he succeeded. The Solari was as ambitious as her father, just not so well positioned. Marrying her would put him in place to challenge her younger brother Charles for the role of Heir-Apparent... and departing the court at Wellfort to slay the Fontaine Heir would carry him out of reach of her father's current spite. Charles would have no such cover. And Thesean had wanted her for his own for years; her disdain for him only seemed to encourage him. Coming here himself would be a risk, yes, but one he couldn't resist.

So she needed to inform Tavros -- to tell His Majesty that an assassination attempt was coming -- but almost equally importantly, she need to position herself to spoil the attempt. It wasn't even a matter of continuing their plan or assisting the rightful king to gain his trust. No, this was Thesean, and Jacqueline Bouvier fully intended to kill him herself -- and for herself.