❝ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ɪꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴋɪɴɢᴅᴏᴍꜱ ᴡᴇɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴡᴀʀ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ? ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ꜱɪᴅᴇ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʏᴏᴜ ᴄʜᴏᴏꜱᴇ? ❞
Ever since she was sold to the Kingdom of Racaea as a young child, Sabre has grown up on the castle grounds as a blacksmith's apprentice for the roya...
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The subtle yet burning irritation in Sabre's golden eyes had haunted me all the way back to the castle. I had no intention of making her upset or annoyed, but I still couldn't figure out why the notion of pretending to be my bride-to-be irked her so much. Was I that repulsive?
It truly wasn't a bad idea. If my mother saw that I had chosen a suitor to marry, it would keep her off my back and give me more time to choose a real one. A few months at best. The facade would just have to be with someone other than Sabre.
When she had finished her work for the day, I would go and apologise properly, visit her to get to the bottom of what caused her foul mood. I loathed there being a rift between our friendship.
Whenever arguments between Auron, Sabre, and I broke out, I would always seek to solve the issue, to keep the peace. It always worked in the end. I was certain it was why our friendships had lasted so long.
Sunlight streamed through the windows that spanned from floor to ceiling as I walked through the hallways, making my way to my chambers. Whenever I stepped into a patch of it, it warmed my body like a pleasant embrace.
As my hand reached for the doorknob of my rooms, a calling voice reverberated against the walls. "Kay! Hold up, wait for your dear mother!"
The High Fae Queen rushed over to where I was standing with a surprising amount of grace. Her cream gown consisted of several heavy layers and trailed behind her on a phantom gust of wind. It failed to catch her neatly curled, blonde hair which stayed firmly in place as she approached. A golden crown where jewels dangled down on chains was nested in it, a crown that would soon be for whoever I chose to be my queen.
My father's crown — soon to be mine — was locked up somewhere safe. Nobody knew where exactly that was, but the rusted key to its location always hung around my mother's neck.
"Mother, how lovely to see you again, but I thought I mentioned only this morning not to call me Kay." I had no idea where she had conjured the nickname from a few days ago. All that I knew was that I wanted it to be kept out of everyone's mouths.
"Nonsense." She reached out to ruffle my hair and missed as I narrowly dodged her. "It suits you very well. Have you thought any more about the suitors I've presented to you? You don't have long to make a decision."
"As you keep reminding me." I bristled, holding the folded black cloak in my arms behind my back with the hope that she hadn't noticed it. As Sabre had stormed out of The Lost and Found, I hadn't had the opportunity to return it to her. "And no, I haven't."
"How about Lady Lorella? Her father is pretty reputable and trustworthy amongst the high council. I feel like she would be a great fit for High Queen."
Lorella. The first suitor that had arrived for the small gathering we'd had earlier this morning and the only one who had appeared to not want to be there — other than me, of course. Her father was indeed one of the dependable members of the council, however, since I was a child, he had always come across to me as power-hungry. An insatiable thirst for money and strength.
