Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘈𝘶𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘺

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅ ◈ ⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

'And, together, they knew they had found a happy ending; one they could cherish for the remainder of their days.'

Audrey Everwood, heir to the Northern throne, sat on her windowsill, her eyes dancing over the last page of the novel she was reading. The writer had a compelling style and wrote in beautiful prose. The continuous flaw in his books, however, were that they were unrealistic, and the endings easily predicted. History rarely followed the same 'good vanquishes bad' concept, and she wasn't gullible enough to believe in such a fantasy.

Two years ago, the Southern War had ended in victory for the Everwoods. But Kael Shadowhart was still somewhere out there, and she would feel no peace until he was gone.

Audrey leaned back and closed the book, letting some stray curls from her braid fall into her eyes. To her right, she had a clear view of the spot where the guards liked to train. Despite this, she rarely watched as, whenever she did, she could not help but reminisce about how she had appreciated it more when her brother had been among them, disarming guards with his golden hair gleaming in the sun.

Once, she had a brother.

The gods had not pitied him.

She turned at the sound of the door opening and raised her eyebrows as the intruder sat opposite her. Clovis was a lean and scrawny adolescent, just over a year her senior, with messy brown curls and freckles dotting his pretty, round face.

"Ya know your father doesn't approve of ya reading." He grinned impishly.

She made a face at him. He was Audrey's oldest friend although he worked as a cartographer for her father. At first, she had been ashamed of their secret friendship, but her brother's reassurances had helped her overcome the social stigma.

"It appears I have already completed the book," Audrey countered. "Shall I unread it now, just for you?"

"Sure. D'ya think your father would approve if I told him thatcha were readin', of all things that a princess could be doin'? Shouldn't ya be learning etiquette, conversing with your mother's friends, and surrounding yourself with noblewomen?"

"Are you threatening to tell him?" Audrey asked.

Clovis rolled his eyes. "Nah. I'm 'ere to give a message, not to discuss reading." He wrinkled his nose; he couldn't read, and Audrey knew he wasn't proud of it. "Your pa wants ya downstairs for archery."

Her father, King Lucian, wanted her to learn how to fight and become the son he had lost, while her mother wanted her to become a cultivated lady. This sometimes led to arguments between her parents, but they always managed to compromise despite Lucian's inflexibility.

"I don't have to go again until the next half-moon," Audrey pointed out. "I'm not that bad. I can hit the target."

"So?" Clovis asked, dragging Audrey away from the windowsill and towards the doorway.

"So, I don't need to go again! It's so dreadfully tedious," Audrey protested. "Nock an arrow, aim, and shoot. Then repeat for a half-hour."

"Unfortunately, you'll 'ave to deal with it. King's orders. I don't wanna die, and ya know your father would 'ave my head," Clovis said, snatching the book from her and flinging it onto the bed. "Ya know where to go. 'ave fun, and try not to shoot anyone by accident."

After a playful shove in his direction, she left through the spiral staircase of the tower, walking until she was welcomed by the sight of the Main Hall. It was beautifully made, designed centuries ago by an Everwood king named Dagen. Ancient pillars held up the second floor, and a colossal staircase rose to greet anyone entering, the first noticeable thing to the naked eye. It steadily ascended before twisting back on itself and splitting into two smaller ones that led further up. Above the first landing of the staircase, before it split, a large window of stained glass depicting mythological beings and heroes presided over the place. It sent coloured light spilling over the ground, bouncing off the interlocking crystals and polished marble of the floor. Sunlight streamed in from the many windows, and candles glowed from hooks in the wall to create an incense of smoke and roses.