twin crown

T E A S E R II

C H A P T E R   T W O

Alexandra

Any reader, no matter how romantically infused, would agree that her life had gone to shit. There was nothing to romanticise about it. Not one bit. Nothing like those sweet fairy tales she had been told growing up.

Yes, it was true, that she had been born into the perfect life. Princess of a Kingdom full of love, parents who adored her unconditionally and land, where she could roam around as she wished to. But just as she bore scars from the events following her parents' murder, so did her kingdom.

Maybe it was like in a fairy tale. No true fairy tale had a happy ending. Not really. And her story certainly wouldn't have one.

So instead of dwelling on that sad history of hers, Princess Alexandra Of The Dark Court secured her knives strapped to her thigh, putting colours into her dark hair making it seem purple, and pulled her cloak up before she stepped into the sunlight.

Once, in a kingdom full of Darkness, she had been the sunshine. The hope. The heiress. But now, without her kingdom, all darkness had consumed her fully.

The curtain of her tent was pushed back and Arawn slipped in. He surveyed her quickly before approving her costume for the day and holding out a cloak.

"Take this. It's cold outside." He looked back at the curtain and then added in a lower voice, "Marya finished counting, a dozen bets are on you."

Alexandra let him help her put the coat on, careful not to touch him.

"And how many on the other?", she asked.

Now he grinned at her. "Five times the number." She mustered a crooked smile. This at least was good news. Many people would go home tonight a lot poorer.

He pushed back the curtain completely and they stepped through it, making their way to the arena.

It was cold. But still, she did not shudder, did not show any sign of weakness.

"They will give you a wooden sword,", Arawn murmured, the light shining bright on his blonde hair, "They say it is to protect you. You have to wait for him to make an unfair move before you can use your knives. Be ready."

"I know, Arawn.", she just said. She had fought many of these battles, she didn't need him to explain the rules to her. She had fought so many times, and still, every time, they made the same foolish mistake. They underestimated her. Of course, they did. They didn't know it was all her. She never fought in an arena twice, and no one who'd seen her fight in one arena would think her to be the same girl in her next fight. She made sure of it. Her hands, stained from the purple colour of crushed berries, now covered with gloves were proof of that.

It was colder than usual. The kingdom of the Dark was dammed to eternal winter and coldness anyways, but the mountains surrounding them didn't make it any better.

They haltered in front of the tent, waiting to be announced. Arawn looked around tensely, but Alexandra just focused on her breathing, calling up her concentration. It was a routine still left from her time at the palace. They had made her go through countless exercises which grounded her before training. They still helped.

A man behind a counter inside the tent mustered Alexandra derogatorily.

"Sure you wanna fight, kiddo?", he mumbled, his voice deep. Alexandra didn't blame him. Her hair was a dark shade of purple and she wore a dress covering all her body shapes, making her look a lot younger, maybe even childish. It was her goal for them to underestimate her. Her part of the play.