Livkings: the Uprising

Prologue

"So what do yours mean?"

"Huh?"

"Your Livkings." He motions toward my face with an incredulous look.

"Oh. They mean my intelligence," I try my usual line with a seemingly genuine smile and shy blush while hiding behind my hair so that he may not get a clear view. I cannot let him know. Not yet.

He pauses before putting on a mask of arrogance and chuckling with amusement. "You must have some destiny with those Livkings, my lady." Sarcasm is dripping from his lips at the formality.

My face drops. How does he know? My Livking shouldn't be visible enough for him to know that...

"I don't know what you're talking about, Your Highness," I retort, copying his tone with my well-rehearsed lie. I know exactly what he's talking about.

His eyes narrow suspiciously, a smirk gradually taking over his face. "Yes you do. There is something special about you. How recent did they appear?"

"As a matter of fact, I was born with these Livkings." True, but they don't mean intelligence as I had said before. I am avoiding his gaze, my eye color may be common here, but they, too, are too radiant to be of common birth.

"What do they mean, really?" He asks, drawing closer to me, losing the smirk and making me rather uncomfortable. He reaches out to move my hair out of my face to reveal what lies beneath. I step back just out of his reach by pure instinct. For the Crown Prince, his manners sure are lacking.

"They mean what I said." Now I'm getting perturbed. I face him about to continue when my head is turned roughly to the side, my cheek stinging from the strike. I am suddenly aware that the entire court is watching us. I must have screamed when he struck me.

"What do they mean?!" The Livkings on his wrist glow a blistering red as he grabs my arm, preventing me from escaping. Crap! I forgot about his Intimidation Livking! I am paralyzed with fear; my heart races as the thought of being discovered comes forth into my mind.

"Show me!" He grabs my chin making me face him, pushes my yellow-orange hair out of my face fiercely and gets a closer look at the markings. Suddenly, his face loses all color, horror taking over his features, and shortly thereafter, hatred. "I should have known."

With that one phrase, I am filled with authority and courage. I lean in by his ear, his Intimidation neutralized by the semi-dormant power of my own Livkings. I can sense this disturbs him because fear has slipped through his threatening facade.

"Your Highness, my destiny," I hiss in a hushed tone so that only he may hear. "...is to replace you."