One

I took a calming breath as I met my father’s eyes, for the last time. There was no fear in them, no sorrow, only acceptance. He had known that this day would come for years. The day when his kingdom fell to the ground.

 We had all known it. It had been a mantra of his, a promise of my tutors, my nightly lullaby for years. For my whole life. And I was the reason he would die. I was the cause of everything. Guilt turned in my stomach, pushing me to stop this, but my fear rooted me.

Tonight, I would lose everything. I glanced away from the peephole, to see the shadows that stood just behind me, gripping my shoulder. Almost everything.

            The magic swirled up in me trying to break free. It wanted to protect this life that had never really been mine. It twisted and rages deep inside the cave I had built for it testing the stone that blocked it from breaking free. Blocked it from stopping this. I could feel the stone shift ever so slightly, but years of practice were all it took for me to slam the stone in place again. To lock the magic back.

Keep up the pretense. That’s all that matters. You can’t lose it, not now.

The magic protested, whispering promises.

 I shifted on my feet trying to block it out. As I settled back into place I peered into the room.  My father walked from his pedestal to stand near to the woman. A sword covered in blood dripped onto the white marble floor. For a few seconds, all I could focus on was the way that each drop splashed against the others. And it jumped up ever so slightly as if it could somehow return to the body it had been stolen from.

“What can I do for you cousin?” My father asked.

The woman smiled. “Araminta Valentia Sara Mirabella Bently-Brentwood, Queen of Nealyra. Now doesn’t that sound prefect, cousin?” She asked, her voice floating through the air like summer wishing flowers.

“Araminta,” he said.

“Yes, I shall be queen tonight.”

My father frowned, “what will you do with my family?”

“The queen might already be dead.”

“My daughters?”

 “Your daughters, I have never seen them. No one seems to know who they are or how old they truly are. You made sure of that didn’t you?”

Time danced between the two of them. Each playing a game the other only knew a few of the rules to. I held my breath waiting for her answer.

 “Any girls who fall in the ten-year gap inside these walls will die tonight, and I have girls who will play the part.”

“Puppets?” He asked.

“Puppets,” she confirmed, “but now I’ve grown bored of you.”

            My sister pulled at my hand again. A reminder, a warning. Even I knew how stupid this was, but I needed to stay. I needed to see. My father drew his sword. His hand trembling slightly. He would fall quickly. He had grown lazy over the last several years, believing the guard would protect him.

“We need to go before they find passageways,” my sister hissed as she pulled me away from the peephole, but she was too late. I saw as cold steel met flesh and my world was replaced with crimson.

            He had been stabbed in the back. Rage replaced everything inside of me.  As I saw the man’s face. Memorized the youthful features the brown stony eyes. I started to reach into the cave, to have it kill the man.

Yes, yes, yes. It promised. Power humming inside of me. It began to warm my limbs. Yes, I can do this for you. 

 But I stopped myself. My father wouldn’t have wanted that. His killer ripped apart by magic. He would have seen me hanged, before using magic to kill his killer. He would have signed my death warrant if he had known I had magic. I pulled myself back, slamming the stone back in place.

The magic screaming out in rage, clawing at the stone. 

            I knew, that we were moving. That we had been moving. That I was running. But with my rage released all I saw was his white shirt soaked with blood. With each step, I could hear my tutors as they told again and again that my birth would cause the destruction of my father’s kingdom. That I would cause his death. Their voices mearing into one followed the sickening sound of steel biting into flesh. And her laugh, her bloody beautiful laugh.

            I willed the scene away. To find my sitter staring at me fear dancing in her green eyes, a summer hurricane raging.

            “Which way?” She asked, from her tone I knew it wasn’t the first time.

            I glanced around the chamber we stood in. Small markings were carved into the walls. The language of the ancients. In part I was surprised that my sister had been able to guild us this far into the belly of the tunnels, I had only brought her this far twice.

            I closed my eyes to bring up my map but was met by crimson. I gasped.

            “That way,” I whispered pointing to one of the dozen tunnels.

            “Are you sure, princess?” A guard asked.

            I turned to look at the man, he was the captain of the King’s guard. Harris, I didn’t know his last name since my father had ever called him Harris. He should have been there he should have stood next to my father. He shouldn’t have been with us. Without father, we were no one.

            “She’s sure,” my sister said, not missing a beat taking off down the tunnel. She was still holding onto me. Dragging me along with her, I ran to keep stride. Ran trying to keep up with her significantly longer legs.

            I took a breath of the damp air, calming myself. These were my tunnels. These are my tunnels. I took the lead of our little group of five. Lead being a step ahead and running at a full sprint. Turning without pause them following behind. Harris always a step behind my sister and I ready to attack. The other two taking up the rear.  Minutes trickled by as we moved throughout the cavern. The stone became rougher and the tunnels began to slop inwards until my sister and the guards nearly scrapped the ceiling. As we turned one last time I stopped, remembering where this tunnel existed too. But it was too last my nose was assaulted with the pungent smell of sewage.

            And my sister ran straight into me, pushing us both into the pungent water. The water was high for the season and was moving fast. We struggled to bring ourselves back above water. Spitting out Gods knows what in our attempts to breathe again.

            My sister’s grip on me loosened and then was loss. I searched the murky water for her. Trying to push myself up enough to see the platform. To find where the men were.

            I gulped mouthfuls of water. As my gown pulled me farther underwater. The layers of fabric were too heavy. A hand grabbed my arm pulling me up onto the platform.

            She felt her pulse under his crushing grip.  As fear released her she felt the full impact of the season against her wet skin. Blessed Zipis it was cold. Her teeth as they smacked against one another and her chattering breaths was the only sound.

            Harris’ voice broke the silence, “Private, your jacket, give it to the princess.”

            The young man sprang up at the order stripping off his golden jacket and laying it on my shoulders.

            “Princess, do you know the way out?” Harris asked.

            I nodded my head, unable to talk yep since my teeth still managed to chatter.

            We can warm you. The magic whispered. Your clothing can be dry dear one.

            I wanted nothing more than to give into the magic to let it take away the winter air and leave me again dry.

            “Addison? Where is Addison?” I asked, searching every inch between Harris and I, and then turning to face the man behind me.

            “She’s down the tunnel with the other guard,” Harris explained, “you were dragged pretty far by the water before we were able to get to you.”

            ****

            I embraced my sister, as she searched me for any injury.

“Are you okay?” She asked again and again.

While tears streamed down my face. The full impact of the last few hours hitting me full force. We slowly made our way up until we were just below the main city. Above us, on the street, I could hear the panic. I could hear the alarm bells tonging from the castle.  Calls of “the King is dead” raced around the city.

            A man’s voice broke the alarm calls, “about buggered time someone killed him. Who be it?”

“The elder princess,” a woman whispered, “they say it be her.”

I could hear my sister’s sharp intake of breath, she moved her hand from my arm to my hand gripping tightly. Painfully even.

            “We need a plan,” I whispered.

            “Yes, it shalt be long for a riot breaks out,” the private said, from his accent I could tell he wasn’t Nobleborn or Highborn.

            “Where are we?” Harris asked.

            “Somewhere under the Gallows a few blocks past Dockside.”

            “How in Fexarae’s name do you know that?” He asked, turning to look at me.

            I looked at the puddle at my feet, knowing that my favorite hobby went against everything a Royalborn should do. “I like exploring when you all think I’m asleep.”

            His face showed his desire to sculled me like a misbehaving child, but he held his tongue, because first and foremost I was a princess of the land, if only through my birth, and he was one of the king’s own guard. Sworn to duty above all else.

            “I guess we all best thank the mother Goddess, you never got yourself killed, or found out,” a young blond-haired guard said, he was the man who had stayed with my sister.

I eyed the man. He was new, maybe nine weeks my guard. Suspicion raced through me.  “Are you her’s?” I raced at him grabbing a knife off of Harris’ uniform.

The guard stared at me not daring to move with the blade pressed firmly against his throat.

“No your highness. I am Caspian Hagon-Gilkes. I am your loyal subject, “after a long pause with no one moving he said “I will blood bond myself to your royal house, now if so you wish it. I will blood bind myself to you.” He whispered green eyes meeting my purple ones.

I gasped in surprise. Blood bonds were unbreakable, it was only done by the personal guard of the monarch. I looked at the other two men, who kneeled. Slowly I lowered my knife. I had never expected anyone would bind themselves to me. Why would anyone? I, I wasn’t likely to be queen. And my eyes. My eyes were reason enough.

“No,” I said, backing up still gripping tightly to the knife, “no.”

“Does anyone have a plan? We can’t go out there looking like this,” Addison asked.

Our little ragtag group all looked to Harris.

He took a slow breath. “with your leave your highnesses, one of us should go up into the city and buy some clothing for the two of you. From there we should move to the Farms. I know a good man there who will take us in for a few nights. From there we need to leave the city for a time.”

“I’ll go up,” Harris offered.

“Captain with all respect, you were the King’s guard and advisor. You are known to be loyal. If she is, well if she has sent bloodhounds out to look for supporters. You’ll be killed. Best if I or the private go,” Caspian explained.