The Dragon's Kingdom

What to do...

 "Edwina?" I gripped the door to my room tighter, "What do you want?"

"Your father sent me to make sure you and your sister are..." Her lips curled up in a sneer, "Presentable when the princes arrive today."

"Oh," I opened the door wider, "I'm so sorry Edwina I should have realized that the best person to tell me how to dress was a whore."

She let out an indignant huff, crossing her arms and pushing up her breasts even farther, "You've been through more males than I have, princess."

"Out." I growled leaning forward into her space, "My brother has killed for me before. I doubt he would mind doing it again."

Edwina laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "You always have to send a man in to fight your battles."

"Says the female hiding behind my fathers crown."

Her face hardened, "You have no idea what I had to do to get here girl. Shut your mouth and play your role like the rest of us."

Heavy fabric swished behind her. Leaving me standing in my room, watching her walk away. Edwina had come into my life a few years ago, and my siblings and I had kept our distance. Whenever we were around her she would have some barbed comments to make. Taking a step back into my room I quickly shut the door.

"She is in fine spirits today," Fia muttered, flipping the page of the book she was reading.

"Isn't she always?" I forced out a laugh, dropping onto the bed with a sigh.

Her angry words repeated in my mind. What did she have to do to be with the king? What made her so desperate?

"Don't think too much about it, Maeve." Fia glanced up from her page, "That female has been after you since she first showed up here."

"She went after all of us." I rolled over facing my sister.

"No," Fia frowned, "She has been trying to get rid of you the most. One of my maids told me she overheard her telling one of the ladies of the court how you should be sent up north."

"I wouldn't mind that," I said, sitting up, "It would be nice to spend more time with Az and Aslin."

"I mean way up north." Fia clarified, "To the tribes."

"Why didn't you say anything?" I glared at the door, envisioning that smug face of hers.

"I didn't think anything would come of it and..." She gritted her teeth, eyes narrowing, "It was while you were still recovering."

"That-" I stopped, taking a moment to calm myself before continuing, "That does not surprise me. It does surprise me that Rasten didn't attempt to arrange something with them as soon as I recovered enough to travel."

"Even he is not so horrid as to have you married off to the tribesmen." Fia gave an exaggerated shudder that had laughter bubbling out of my lips, "Remember the bedtime stories our nursemaid would tell us about them? How they would eat their young during harsh winters and that was why we should be grateful to live how we do?"

I grimaced, "I had quite a few nightmares from that story."

"Definitely not my favorite one that she told..." My sister agreed, placing down her book.

"Though it was better than the seamstress that cut off your thumbs if you sucked them." I grinned, "I remember you sitting on your hands all the time to protect them from seamstresses. When you got a dress fitting after that story you cried."

"You'd cry too, if you kept being poked by those pins." Fia rolled her eyes, the room growing colder when her smile fell, "I heard you last night. Are you sure you want to go through with this? I could-"