Present day

Heavy footfalls echoed throughout the hallway as Prince Joppa haughtily strode towards his father's personal office. He was the second most powerful man in the kingdom, and with his father's age, he knew it was a matter of time before he took over the kingdom himself. As long as his father didn't do anything that upset his plans, he would soon have everything that his heart desired.

The palace in Glirion was cold in the winter, though not nearly as cold as those back in Winterhaven, but his breath still steamed as he walked through the passages. Not that he'd been back in their ancestral home more than half a dozen times, but his father always made sure he appreciated his roots. Once he reached the heavy oaken door, he knocked with the side of his fist for entry, having learned long ago that knuckles rapped on wood in the cold would sting for quite a while.

"Enter!" came the booming voice from within.

Pushing down on the door lever, Joppa pushed open the door, and walked into the office, closing the door behind him. He was immediately grateful for the fire that was to the side of his father's desk, as it provided heat to warm his bones. His father certainly enjoyed it, as he was dressed in a thin tunic even as storms raged in the mountains.

"You wished to see me father?" he asked while taking a knee.

"Rise my son, you don't need to take a knee on your birthday!" the old man's voice was jovial, and Joppa was shocked. Normally his manner was much gruffer and more intimidating.

"Thank you, father," he said gratefully.

"Eleven daughters, and almost that many wives. Did you know that is what it took to get you to where you are today. Did you know that?" his father asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"No father, I didn't," Joppa was on his guard now. He knew that there had been wives galore for the King over the years, but they never produced sons. Said wives and their daughters were soon disposed of in diplomatic marriages, divorces, or in at least one case death. He'd never heard an exact number, but eleven was higher than he imagined.

"But now, you're 18, and I can finally reveal your birthright. Your wife!" Hudd exclaimed, his eyes brimming with mirth.

Joppa's heart sank. He didn't want to be tied down to a wife, some sappy princess from a kingdom he cared nothing for and never would. He wanted to sample every woman he wanted without restraint before settling down with a woman to produce him an heir. "You're arranging a marriage for me?"

"No, my son. You're going to get the prize of Appalya, Princess Inez herself as a wife!" his father announced.

"Princess Inez? Your first wife? I thought she died long ago!"

"I'll tell you a story, and then explain how you're going to get the fairest bride you could imagine producing the strongest heirs you could ask for," the old man cackled, motioning to the leather chair in front of his desk.

Intrigued in spite of himself, Joppa sat down in the chair, and gave his full attention to his father.

"I never married Inez all those years ago. Of course, I never told anyone that, and the populace believed the story. I had her parents killed in the fake bandit raid that gave legitimacy to my invasion, and in a day the kingdom was mine with no blood spilled. Well, none of ours anyway. The citizens of the kingdom accepted it. They didn't have much of a choice. But even now they don't like our rule. What nobody knows though, is that Inez is alive. Well, somewhat. With the help of a sorcerer, I turned her to stone in the shrine we were to be married in. She is, even now, a statue up in the Great Hall of the Stone Teeth and has been for 40 years. I even banned all magic from the kingdom to ensure nobody would be there to free her, not that anyone knew her state." Hudd seemed to relish telling this tale after all this time, and Joppa was sucked right into it. Hudd pulled out a small pouch and tipped it over, causing a silver looking orb to roll out onto his desk in front of Joppa. "All you need to do, is place this sphere on the altar in front of her and heat it with a torch. That will activate the magic, and it will break her curse."

Joppa's face screwed up in confusion. "I don't understand how that will help. She would hate me as soon as she found out who I was."

"Obviously, if she found out before you told her, or you tried to hide it. But you would tell her who you were on your own. Tell her you discovered her fate in my journals, and aghast at my actions you have spent years finding a cure for the curse that you just now found out about. You would assure her that you would help her regain the throne, putting her back in control of her country. Of course, the entire time you will be a gentleman, you will be polite and give her good advice, supporting her however is necessary to win her trust. I can even make sure you're wounded in the takeover of the palace to ensure she realizes how much of a staunch ally you are. All of this will win you her heart, and you can court her after she takes back the throne. Everyone she knew when she was still flesh and bone is dead, she has no allies or lovers, she will have nobody but you," his father explained.

"And then I'm married to her and become the king? What of you?" the prince asked.

"Out of the goodness of your heart, you would recommend I go into exile. I would even go happily, there is a villa that is awaiting my retirement already over in Dallinia. You take over with your new bride, who owes her life to you of course, and start making heirs. Once you have the heirs you want, she suffers a tragic accident, and you mourn her along with the citizens as the man who saved her only to lose her. They will sympathize with you and afford you every generosity in your time of need." Hudd rubbed his hands together as his plan was explained.

Joppa couldn't find any holes in it. Certainly, there was a risk in handing over the kingdom to Inez, but as his father explained she had no other support, no other friends, and he would have just saved her life. She would owe him everything. A marriage would make perfect sense, as he would look like a hero in her eyes, with no better prospects out there.

"What must I do?" Joppa asked eagerly. This was a much better turn of events than he had expected from this meeting.

"Get three horses. One for provisions, you'll need a lot of food for her, and you'll need wood for a fire. The sorcerer told me that she would be cold once she was free of the curse and would need energy to replenish herself. A second horse for her to ride back, and of course one for you. You ride out as soon as you like, perhaps after the storm has passed, though if you're confident go as soon as you like. I'll give you gold and you can rely on Captain Kaspar to act as your rebel mercenary soldier to get back into the castle and defeat me. You can make it look real. I'll ensure that the best guards are elsewhere once Kaspar tells me when your attack will be."

Excitement was coursing through Joppa's body, and a smile that matched his father's spread across his bearded face. This would work. Anyone in Inez's position would be adrift without his support. "I'll start preparing now father. Thank you for this gift!"

"Thank your mother for birthing you, I was sick of daughters. This gift was awaiting whatever son of mine got to his 18th birthday, so now the kingdom will be in your hands." Hudd's gruffness was back, but Joppa didn't care.

Joppa pocketed the silver sphere, and then bowed briefly before marching out of the office. It took him several hours to get all his equipment ready, but before dinner he had three horses and all the needed gear set aside in the royal stables. All he needed now was the storm to end.

His life was looking up.

Back in the office, King Hudd chuckled to himself in glee. His plan had taken over 40 years to start, but finally he would have Inez. He knew of the rumors before their wedding, that she preferred the company of woman, and he had been tempted to try this with one of his daughters, but he just couldn't bear the thought of it.

Because what Joppa didn't know, was that the silver sphere had two purposes. One, it would remove the curse for Inez, but it would also exchange the soul of whoever's skin imprinted on it with the person in possession of its twin. At that thought, Hudd lifted the heavy chain from under his tunic, displaying another silver orb in a filigreed cage. Now that his son had touched the sphere with his bare hand, it just needed the heat for the switch to occur. Then he could take over the scenario he had outlined to his clueless son. Part of him knew that he would have had a better chance of success with one of his daughters, given Inez's desire for the ladies, but he just couldn't bear his soul in the body of a weak woman. No, Joppa would do nicely.

He couldn't live forever, but he could certainly try. And now he'd have Inez, and willingly so. He leaned back in his chair, taking a long drink of a mulled cider, and then burst into gales of laughter imagining the reaction of his son when he found himself in this feeble body of his. He laughed even harder when he thought of revealing his true self to Inez after she gave him his heirs and her heart was being spit on his blade while he availed himself of her body one last time.

She would be his in every way imaginable before he was done with her, and then she'd be gone. The kingdom would be his, and they'd love him. No more of this grudging service to the king, they would bend over backwards for him, and offer up their daughters to soothe the loss of his beloved queen. He only stopped laughing when he started choking due to a lack of air, but it didn't stop the glee that he felt after finally putting his plan in motion.