The Traitor Queen

Chapter Eight

The gentle breeze that played with the trees cast moving shadows across the dining hall, occasionally making it appear as though the night was still present outside. Despite there only being two members of the royal family left intact, a table covered in an elegant white, lace cloth spanned the room's entire length with at least a hundred chairs surrounding it. Placed around where I sat was my favourite: a plate of toast topped with melted butter, a plate of fried eggs, and strips of bacon cooked to perfection. The servants had brought them in and then left me to eat in peace.

When I had returned to my chambers last night, the sun had already begun to break through the horizon, so I hadn't had much time to sleep at all. My mind could only think about Sabre. Would she have changed her mind by now? She ought to. I didn't know if I wanted her ensnared in this war anymore.

I needed to make a plan in case she didn't want to be my fiancé after all, or for when our facade ran dry. My best choice out of the suitors I had met was probably Lady Lorella. She had the most power within the court and the most money out of all of them, but none of them were truly great for Racaea to gain an advantage off of.

Perhaps Sabre's plan would work, even though she was suspected to be the reason why we were possibly about to be under attack. Why did the Icrodeian's want her? They had sold her to us when she was only five, was she so important that they needed her back? Or maybe the spy was playing us. Something to distract us from the real plan and motive.

The door to the dining room opened to reveal my mother. Today she was dressed in a pale blue gown, sequins glittering off of it like icicles on a cold winter's morning. Her hair was tied up into a bun so that her pointed ears and the jewels decorating them could be shown. Servants followed her in to place plates and bowls in front of her for her meal.

"Good morning, Kay." Before I could remind her not to use that awful nickname, she continued, "what happened in the tower after I left?" Her eyes landed on my hand that held up a fork with bacon stuck on the end. "And what in the forests' name happened to your knuckles?"

Auron had done an excellent job cleaning up the bloodied mess I'd made, but a few scabs still remained. "I didn't get any more information out of the prisoner and my hands are perfectly fine. They'll be back to normal in a day's time." Thanks to the fae blood that ran through my veins, my healing was much faster compared to any other person's.

My mother showed a look of disappointment, but she dropped the subject. "Are you any closer to finding a suitor?"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. There wasn't a chance to let the fact that I needed to find a partner rest for a while when she was around. "I'm narrowing it down. I will have a decision by the time the ball arrives, so there's no need to worry."

A flash of movement outside of the window caught my eye, turning my attention to it. A person peered out from around a pillar in the courtyard, observing her surroundings to see if anyone else was out there with her. Sabre. When she noticed me watching her, she grinned and waved, stepping closer to the window.

"Kayne? Are you listening?" My mother put her cutlery down, the clattering sound bringing me back to the conversation.

"I-"

"No, you weren't. You were daydreaming about who knows what. I asked who you were stuck deciding between."

I cleared my throat, hoping to also clear my mind of Sabre. "Ah, yes. I'm sorry. Lady Lorella and someone else."

A satisfied smile appeared on the queen as she resumed eating. "Good, you're going for a woman. At least the fae bloodline will continue. We are the only two left after all. Who is this other person you're caught choosing between?"

Sabre's raven-black hair swayed in the wind as she stuck out her tongue, getting some of the strands trapped in her mouth. I had to stifle a chuckle as she frantically tried to remove them, a look of disgust appearing in her expression. What was she even doing here?

"Kayne? What are you looking at?" My mother twisted around in her chair to see Sabre too, her fingers clenching her knife tightly. "Guards!" Her cry made a squadron of soldiers rush into the dining room, unsheathing their swords to prepare to defend their queen.

"No, wait!" I stood too, rushing over to my mother to assure her everything was fine. I could understand her worry, though. Seeing someone you thought was your enemy staring at you through a window would be enough to make anyone panic. "It's fine! She's not a threat."

Sabre took a step back, rubbing a hand behind her head sheepishly. Why had she been by the window in the first place?

I rushed over to the door that led out into the courtyard and motioned her over. When she reached my side, she opened her arms wide and stood on the tips of her toes to pull me into an embrace.

"I've made up my mind," she whispered into my ear, sending shivers down my spine, as the strong scent of smoke overwhelmed me. A calming bonfire. Sabre let go and linked her arm in mine.

"Who is this?" My mother's face was a pure crimson from her irritation and anger. If steam could escape from her ears, it would.

I took a deep breath. Then another. I hadn't mentally prepared for this when I woke up this morning. "This is Sabre, my fiancé."

The queen looked even more horrified, if that was even possible. "But she's Icrodeian and not noble in the slightest!" She hissed. "And is that mud on her face?"

Sabre brushed a hand over her cheek for it to come back smudged with black. "It's charcoal." She eyed the guards standing behind her before quickly adding, "your highness."

"Aren't you the girl who made the shackles for the prisoner?" As her fingers fiddled with the layers of her dress, she seemed to calm slightly. Though I knew the storm beneath her skin was still brewing.

"That is correct," I answered for her, hoping if I took control of the situation it would go a lot smoother.

"Look, I would be alright with you marrying for love if it wasn't a time of impending war, Kayne, but you need to think of your kingdom." She dismissed the guards she had called with the wave of her hand.

"We have thought of Racaea. As Sabre is Icrodeian, they might be less willing to go to war if she's our queen. If not, we've already decided that I will marry someone else," I explained, trying to use my friend's words from the previous night.

"Lady Lorella?" My mother asked cautiously.

"Lady Lorella," I confirmed.

The queen sighed, her shoulders sinking in defeat. A good sign. At least she wasn't ordering to have Sabre removed from the castle grounds at once or thrown into the tower. It was already going better than I had imagined. She returned to her seat at the dining table and helped herself to a mouthful of scrambled eggs.

"I still haven't decided whether or not I will allow this marriage to go ahead, don't look so pleased." Her glare punctured me before she turned to Sabre. "Why don't you join us for breakfast? I think I would like to get to know you a little better."