Page 98 of If The Crown Fits
“Magnus’s younger brother, Arthur, had kidnapped his niece in a desperate attempt to get at his brother.”
I couldn’t say anything. Could not and would not believe a word that left his mouth.
“The King searched for his eldest daughter and his brother for years, but they could not be found. Until my father placed me in charge of hunting the masked bandit who had been pestering our kingdom. I sent my most trusted guard, Rhen, to go and find her, only to have him report she looked exactly like Princess Eloisa.”
He dropped into a reading chair and took the knife from the table. “I wanted to tell Father immediately, but it was too late. He was a sleeping corpse. And then I caught word of a rebellion. It took me some time to put all the pieces together but I finally figured it out. I assumed Uncle wouldn’t tell you the truth about your heritage, because you not knowing would aid him in his rebellion. Arthur was only Magnus’s half-brother and thus it was impossible for him to be king. But he’d always believed Magnus was never fit to rule the kingdom. And now he had an heir to the throne. Once he killed me and Father, he could rule through you and use you like his obedient little puppet.”
“You’re wrong,” I continued protesting. “He knew that this kingdom needed a leader who understood the will of the people.”
“You know why our army didn’t come to our defence?”
I didn’t answer.
“They’re across the northern seas, fighting alongside our allies in their own wars. I’d told Father not to send so many of our men. They’ve been there for months now.”
Uncle Arthur knew as much. It was one of the many reasons he chose to attack now.
“But everything you did?” I asked. “With Cai and the necklace?”
“It was a convenient way to meet you. We might be bound by blood but I had no knowledge of the kind of person you are or the relationship you have with Uncle. I figured in the worst-case scenario I could use the necklace against Arthur in some way.” He sighed. “But I guess there is no point now.”
“You’re telling me you had it all planned from the start?”
He stopped twiddling the knife between his fingers.
“Cai was the unfortunate soul that got caught in the middle. The bad blood has always been between our fathers. I knew you would eventually find your way back to Arthur, counted on it, in fact. I wanted him to think he’d won. Arthur had done a good job of staying in the shadows for the past two decades. I wanted to lure him out here so I could finally get rid of him. This was never going to end without blood.”
“He has won!” I shouted. “Look at you, your palace is overthrown, your crown is gone, you’re as good as dead.”
“I never wanted the crown,” he admitted. “But I cannot have that man take over everything my family has fought so long to protect.”
This was too much to take in. I didn’t know what to do with all this information.
“You used me,” I finally said. “You used me, and you hurt me and you killed people.”
“If you’re talking about the young guard who was punished for letting you get away, that was actually a scare tactic. I only had him on kitchen duty for a few days.”
And what about Rhen? I couldn’t get the words out.
“I never claimed to be a good man,” he continued. “And we both know you would smile happily upon my grave.” I couldn’t argue with him there. “But as I’ve told you many times, this life requires sacrifice in order to survive, and sometimes, the sacrifice is your soul.”
“Well, I want nothing to do with it or any of you. I never wanted this.”
He tilted his head slightly, inspecting me. “You might no longer have a choice.”
I wasn’t sure what he meant but I didn’t want to consider it. I wanted to be far away from this place and these people.
“For a while I thought Cai might have told you,” Lance continued and it felt as though my heart had stopped beating.
“What?” I said softly.
He sucked his teeth. “Oh yes, Cai has known for a while now, actually. Didn’t think he’d be smart enough to figure it out and I’m still not sure what gave it away.”
I opened my mouth, but the library doors burst open and a few of Uncle’s men stormed in. They grabbed Lance but he didn’t fight back.
“What should we do with him?”
I was surprised they looked to me for an answer. I almost responded that we should ask Uncle Arthur but decided against it.
