Master of Bones | The Royal Legacies Series

| 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖚𝖑𝖌𝖆𝖙𝖊 |

𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖚𝖑𝖌𝖆𝖙𝖊 |𝖛| 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖒𝖔𝖙𝖊 𝖔𝖗 𝖒𝖆𝖐𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖑𝖞 𝖐𝖓𝖔𝖜𝖓 (𝖆𝖓 𝖎𝖉𝖊𝖆 𝖔𝖗 𝖈𝖆𝖚𝖘𝖊)

"So you're telling me you threw knives?"

Marcello giggles and stands up, getting into a position that reminds her of a fighting stance, "Yeah! And I threw it like this."

Making a throwing position with his hands, he turns to her, "Not bad. With some practice, your form will be as good as any warrior."

The boy chuckles and flops back down onto the bed, "Rhish?"

He watches as the woman situates herself to get a bit more comfortable. She could barely sleep at night due to being in a new place and the guilt of taking the leader's bed hasn't disappeared.

"Yes, Marcello?"

His hands fidget for a moment, "Could you tell me a story?"

She raises an eyebrow, "I thought that was to fall asleep?"

Marcello nods, "I'm tired. Besides, I don't think mother would be angry with me taking a nap."

Rhish doesn't want to anger Kabatia, but the face he pulls makes her smile, "You want to grab a book?"

A large smile appears on his face as he runs out of the room only to come back seconds later. Jumping onto the bed again, he offers her the book.

Before she speaks, the smaller boy rolls in next to her and lays his head on her lap, looking at her as she reads.

The woman chuckles, "Eager, aren't we?"

"Read, please."

Her fingers trail the book. It read off: The Tale of Zortiar.

"The Tale of Zortiar?"

Marcello nods, "You'll like it. It's not very long but it's my favorite!"

Rhish smiles and opens it to the first page, "Ready?"

Another nod, "Okay. In the vast and elongated forests of Antial, laid a kingdom made of steel and fire. The ruler of this kingdom was just as the place was: evil and revengeful. No matter the person and no matter the reasoning of their visit, he'd send them away. For the longest time, no one knew of his reasoning until they found out about his wife."

She feels Marcello move a little, "His wife was not what people would expect him to marry. She was not petite, nor was she a damsel in distress as all the other stories followed. The woman was a warrior. Once a knight in his royal guard, it was a surprise that they even had the chance to meet."

"She was a woman of the sword, and he a man of the kingdom," Marcello continues.

The woman smiles, "And he was not so instantly taken by her. A strong and independent individual like herself weaved her way into the cold man's heart. Day by day their relationship blossomed into something he couldn't live without. When he asked her to join him in rule, there was no hesitation."

Marcello looks at her this time, "They were as meant to be as the sky and sea."

Rhish chuckles, "Very good, Marcello."

"Keep going!"

She rolls her eyes, "But a man as vile as he was wanted to destroy his life. A curse was placed upon the woman and there seemed to be no way to reverse it. One day, while he looked at her sleeping figure a guard came to grab him. A man, a friend of his youth, came to visit. Begone by grief, he was barely able to keep a conversation. The man only laughed and went to their room. In a matter of words the king was too forgotten to understand, the paleness of his wife's face began to disappear."