Kings & Queens: Silverthorn's run || Book 1

Once the queen is born

Queen Freya Rose. A tall and powerful woman. Her eyes as bright as the moon at night, her hair like a river made of gold ran down her lean figure. She had the brain of the Gods and the looks of the stars. Her heart was golden for those who deserved it even a little. Her reign was a blessing from the sky to the Rose Kingdom. Her people cherished her and believed nothing could bring her down. Nobody expected her to die from birth.

Queen Freya Rose. Her rest may be in peace. Her husband King Richard held his newborn daughter over her mother's grave as tears ran down his cheeks. The light wind blew his long hair as he laid his eyes on the child in his hands.

"My beautiful child. Aliya. Your mother would be proud to have such a sweet daughter like you." And he kissed her forehead. The child looked at him with her brown eyes as bright as her mother's. One last tear fell from King Richard's eye.

---

"Thirty-two. Thirty-three. Thirty-four." Aliya counted the books on the shelf. Her finger ran through the covers of all of them as she walked along the path in the library. The candlestick in her hand made it possible for her to see just enough so that the princess could find the tome she was looking for. The forty-first book was the right one, and she took it out. Tales of Xavier the Mage. Aliya's eyes lightened as read the title and ran around the corner. She left the library and headed to her room.

The halls of the castle were dark. It was impossible to see anything without a candle, and the princess was glad she brought the candlestick with her. Her steps were light as she tried to stay unnoticed. It was past midnight and the head woman in the castle had forbidden her to stay up late, and she knew she would be in so much trouble if someone finds her here. Just as she was about to turn left, she ran into someone. Her butt hit the floor, but she held the candlestick tightly. A light laugh followed her fall.

"Look who is up making troubles?" Her father said between small giggles. Aliya lifted her head to look at her cheerful parent. King Richard was smiling at her from above as his hand patted her light blonde hair. This action brought a smile over the girl's face, and she giggled too.

"Hey, dad." She greeted her father. He helped her stand up and took her book from the floor.

"Tales of Xavier the Mage. Nice, I loved this one when I was your age." The man said and caressed the cover with his big thumb. A smaller smile appeared on his face as he scanned the old book. It was dusty and hard to the touch, not soft like it had been a long time ago.

Aliya's eyes were on him and followed his every move. She enjoyed her father's true happiness and wanted to keep this moment in her mind. Her eyes lit up once again as King Richard handed her the book.

"I won't spoil, but the end of this one's good." He smiled at his daughter. Aliya stared at him with the brightest eyes.

"I can't wait to read it. Now, dad, what are you doing up so late?" Her hands went behind her back, and she looked at him playfully. Her father smirked as he bent his waist to look her in the eyes.

"Oh, young lady, I should be asking you this question." They stared at each other and didn't even blink. Soon Aliya couldn't hold her laughter and just exploded. The silent hall filled with girl's giggles and her old man's happy chuckles. When the princess managed to calm down, she found her father smiling at her.

"I couldn't sleep, so I just went to the library to find something to read. Please, don't tell Alberta." Her plea made King Richard laugh. She reminded him of himself when he was still a child like her.

"Don't worry, kiddo. The evil nanny won't learn about this. Now, would you like to come and talk with your old man for a while? I have to speak to you about something." He said it more seriously, but the happy note in his voice kept Aliya's heart warm. Everybody who had the luck of meeting her knew she loved her family more than anything.

"Sure." She said and they headed to the man's office.

It wasn't far from where they were previously talking, and the walk was silent. Soon the big wooden door was before them and the duo entered the room. Aliya sat down on the couch, while her father poured himself a glass of water.

"So, Aliya, as your eighteenth birthday is coming soon, it made me think..." He turned around and started walking towards the couch. "... about your future. As you know, every heir has to marry when they turn eighteen. Once a queen is born, her parents make a list of possible candidates for their daughter's hand." Aliya was kind of shaken when she heard about it. She knew she had to marry after she turned eighteen, but it was too soon. And that list thingy was unexpected.

"The list I made was short, and I don't think the first in it is the best choice, so I decided to hold a tournament. Knights from the whole kingdom and beyond can come and try to win. The reward is clear - whoever defeats all of the others will be your husband and the future king. Of course, James Lionheart - the top candidate in my list, will also participate, and if he wins, you'll have to marry him." King Richard sat down next to his daughter. Aliya was taken aback by her father's idea. It wasn't unusual for knights to fight for the hand of a princess, but she had never imagined being the princess. The man noticed her reaction and sighed. "I am sorry, Aliya, but you have to understand. I must make sure that your future lover is worthy. I can't let you marry someone who's gonna use you. My daughter's husband has to be brave, smart, strong, and nice. There is no other option but to make these men compete. Please, understand my actions." His last words repeated in the princess' head too many times. She knew her father had a point, but it wasn't fair.

"It is ok." The words slipped out of her mouth. Her father exhaled and stood up. Aliya held her gaze at the carpet and silently traced the colorful lines with her eyes. All the information her father gave her slowly started to get clear, and Aliya bit her lip. The first thought was why was James Lionheart her father's first choice. She knew that he didn't like that shitty boy, but it was probably the best choice back then. And the worst was that he had an actual chance of winning. This was bad. Really bad.

---

"Princess Aliya, your father wants to see you in the gardens immediately." The girl's eyes lifted from her book to the direction of the voice. She expected something like that to happen. Aliya was 99% sure he was calling her to meet some young and handsome knight, who has traveled for days to come and fight for her hand. Bullshit.

Her father announced the tournament a week ago and the princess knew the brave princes would be knocking on her door soon. Her primal shock had turned into irritation, and she just wanted all of it to end. The thought of her marring some stupid boy in shiny armor wasn't satisfying at all, but she had to behave for her father.

Aliya cursed her behavior the moment she stepped inside the garden. The sight in front of her made her want to throw up immediately. She knew her day would be screwed from the moment she saw James Lionheart's blonde slimy hair shining on the daylight. He was standing there with his father and her dad. Aliya had to admit that he was tall and fit, but she would rather marry a troll than this jackass. She grimaced when she saw his smug smirk as he turned around.

"Eww." She whispered as she stepped closer. Her father noticed her first and turned to her. The other two followed, and the princess smiled at her.

"Aliya, you're finally here. I believe you remember our guests." King Richard was happy and that made the girl relax, but the irritating feeling was still there.

"Hello, father. It is nice seeing you, duke Lionheart, James." She nodded to both of them.

"It is such a pleasure to see your beauty, princess Aliya. I can't wait to see you and my son on your wedding day." Tyrion Lionheart said. His face was wrinkled like a raisin. His white hair was long and shiny just like his son's. He was so sure that James would win that he dared say such a thing. The old duke's intentions were clear to Aliya - he wanted his son to take the throne at any cost. The princess had to hide her disgust as he kissed her hand with his dry and rough lips. She just smiled at him as he returned to his previous position.

"Greetings, princess. I've dreamed of seeing you again. You've become even more gorgeous throughout the years." Another kiss on her hand. Aliya tried really hard not to imagine these lips on hers. It was gross.

"So, Aliya, this brave man here came to ask for your best wishes to help him win the tournament. Will you do him this honor?" His father said. James kneeled before her and looked at her with his grey bold eyes. His smug face made her sick, but the princess felt her dad's eyes on her. She knew it had to be done.

"Good luck, sir James Lionheart."