Page 1 of The King's Queen

Chapter1

Prologue

The boy and the girl entered the woods about an hour ago as the church bells rang. The girl came first, sprinting in with her skirts in hand right while the third toll chimed. Her cheeks were painted red, and she panted from the exertion, her clear blue eyes scanning her surroundings. She couldn’t have been older than ten years. The trees were dense, and the sweet scent of bread wafted through the air from a nearby bakery. Her stomach gave an audible rumble.

“Vera!” The boy followed momentarily, a breathy whine escaping his thin lips. He was much tanner than her, with a mop of dark curly hair crowning his head. He stood regally compared to her slouch, though he was a few inches shorter than her.

The girl, Vera, popped out her hip and crossed her arms, an organic and amusing dynamic threading between the two.

“You’ve gotten slow,” she said, still breathing heavily. The smug smirk imprinted upon her lips never faltered, even as the boy began to blush.

“Or maybe you’ve gotten faster,” he countered quickly, like a skilled swordsman parrying a blow.

“Maybe.” She puffed out her chest proudly. “How will you ever become captain of the guard when you can’t even beat me at a small race, Blaine?”

He mumbled something unintelligible, and Vera giggled. The two ran through the trees again, straying further and further from the palace. A third child set forward, tiny hands outstretched to join them, when his mother caught his shoulder to pull him back. He sighed as the dying sunlight ceased to warm his face, and he was forced back into the cool shade.

“Why can’t I go play with them, just this once?” His large green eyes pleaded, breaking his mother’s heart. Kneeling in the soft summer grass, she took both his hands in one of hers and brushed blonde hair from his face.

“Because we are shadows. Shadows mustn’t enter the light or else bad things happen. Come along now, my littleNoiterón. We’ve lingered too long.” He nodded and allowed his mother to lead him away. The echo of Vera and Blaine’s laughter was cut short by the clattering of armor and the steady pounding of hoofbeats.

“By Laei, not today.” The woman prayed, swooping her son into her arms and beginning to run. He was quite old to be carried now, nearing twelve in the fall. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but one look at his mother’s panic-stricken face told him it was best not to ask.

He’d seen that look only once before, on a day not unlike today nearly a year ago. He barely remembered what happened, but he knew that must have been the worst day of his life. Sunlight picnics and playing with other children were normal before then, and he thought he had a father. No face came to mind whenever he tried to remember, but he could recall a husky and warm voice soothing him to sleep almost every night.

His mother wouldn’t speak of the time before, nor that day. She simply said, “That was then, we must focus on now.” She wouldn’t say what happened, but he knew. That was the day that they became shadows.

Chapter2

Verosa

Through ragged breaths, I can hear the palace guard closing in behind me, but I won’t let them take me back. Not today.

My bare feet slap against the cold stone floor as I sprint down one of the castle’s many hallways, billowy skirt in hand. My lungs burn as I gulp down the dank morning air with greedy breaths, but I don’t dare stop for a second. I will my legs to move faster when I hear the clattering of armor grow closer.

“She went this way!” a man shouts. He sounds too close for comfort. Quickly, I turn around another corner, scanning for an exit. In such a large and grand palace, one would think there’d be more windows or stairwells rather than hallways with dead ends. And I was so sure I had seen something earlier…

“Found you.”

The open window at the end of the hallway promises freedom, and the pale light of the day seeps into the darkened hallway. Five paces away, only five small paces, and freedom is mine. I check to find no one else in the hallways. They’ve made this too easy today. Laughing, I hoist myself onto the windowsill, letting the wind dance through my hair. The inner city lays in the distance, just beyond the palace walls.

I let myself dream of what might happen if I finally escape past those walls into the inner city. Leaning a bit further out, I can smell the fresh bread wafting from the bakery and hear the clacking of hooves below. Looking down, I can see a small procession making its way towards the palace entrance. The carriage bears the crest of the Tesslari empire. Strange, considering they aren’t due for another few months.

“Oh, Laei!”

My grip slips as a servant cries out, her hands immediately clasping over her quivering lips. My heart rises to my throat as I grab hold of the sill at the last moment, but not before the maid’s shrieking alerts the guards of my whereabouts.

So much for that escape plan.

With a heavy sigh, I turn to face the young men who stand at the end of the hall. They begin to advance slowly, that is, until I threateningly swing further out, my torso exposed to the wind.

“Mei Reinhavich!” The one in the front shouts warningly but doesn’t rush forward like the others.

“One more step, gentlemen,” I coo with sickening sweetness, “and I go out this window.”

“Mei Reinhavich, please reconsider.” a younger one in the back says, his flaming red hair poking out slightly from under his helmet. He squeaks slightly as I squint at him.

“You have a new one, Raiko?”

---