We arrive at the city square around noon, the sun beams down through a clear sky.
I dismount my horse and walk up to the stage. My sister stands close to me, her eyes constantly scanning the crowd for threats. Guards escort Amalia to stand behind my council. More guards are standing all around the podium to make sure the crowd doesn't get too close.
"People of Feralis. Today is a day of joy, celebration, and rest. It is a day to take a break from the tribulations of war. In a few hours we will go back to the castle together for the tournament in honor of my name-day. I hope to see all of you there," I say to the crowd, and immediately they quiet so they can hear my words. "In the last battle we won a great victory against the Holy Collective that would take our freedoms and lives away from us. Our soldiers stood proudly against the ambro queen and her armies. Though it is a joyous occasion, we are still at war, and yesterday there were losses on both sides. I'd like to take a moment, to give you the names of the brave soldiers of Feralis who lost their lives to defend this kingdom, and together we will honor them..."
"...Major Zax," I pause after reading the last name, to look out to my people. For a minute we stand there in silence. "Although these brave soldiers have gone to the shadow realm to rest at last, we must not remember them in sorrow. We must honor them by showing that we are just as brave as they were in their final moments. Today is not a celebration for me, but a celebration of those brave soldiers who will fight on in the names of the fallen!"
"For the fallen!" the crowd cheers back to me, but from my vantage I can see some not joining in. From the shadows, one of these rogues calls out.
"You dare to say you honor them! You who have their killer on that podium with you, and not to kill her. No, why would you? The people who died are just pawns to him, don't be blinded by his pretty words. He killed those soldiers, him and the miri witch. He claims to care for our kingdom, but he refuses to cede his power to the rightful queen of Feralis. Ilena Conclamata is the only queen I recognize, the only one who will do what's best for the people and not herself."
I hear my sister sending her trusted lieutenant, Katlyn Marx, to take the man away.
"For the rightful queen! Long live the queen!" Others in the crowd join in with the rebels. Suddenly flames and earth combine into an explosive in the sky above the crowd, I see hands raised to the sky, magic swirling through the air.
I spread my palm and crush my fingers into a fist, focusing on the mass. It shrinks to the size of a pea, and I toss it into the sky with my magic as quickly as I can. The magic explodes into a beautiful and deadly display. The shadows on the plaza ripple as a shield of darkness wraps up the explosion and forces it to disappear. The rebels and would be bombers are quickly taken into custody by the royal guard.
I glance at my sister, she looks like she hasn't moved an inch since the commotion started. Amalia Crestman is staring wide eyed into the crowd. Damn it all to the Shadow Realm, now she has her crack in the mask.
"Citizens of Moor, I must ask you to please stay calm," I shout to the crowd. "These terrorists will be dealt with, but in the mean time we have to show them that we are not afraid of them. They wish to inspire fear and terror in our hearts, but we cannot let them. They say they fight for the people, then they try to harm you, I say we tell them that's not how you win a kingdom. Let's show them what Feralis is made of."
"Long live the king!" The crowd shouts cheerfully. I know that those terrorists have already won though, because there are fewer people cheering than before.
We get back on our horses, and the procession continues back to the castle. The crowds are more subdued this time though, and I can sense the fear. My sister has more royal guards beside us now. As she watches the crowd she listens to Katlyn Marx's reports. She nods every once in a while. I try my best to put on a smile and wave to the crowd.
"So you are a monster even to your own people!" Amalia exclaims to me in an I-told-you-so kind of way once we've arrived back at the castle.
"You think Raverna is loved?" Aunt Avery inquires of the girl. "Ambros and humans alike despise your queen. Only those who are blind and foolish don't see what she's doing to your land!"
"What are you going to do to your new prisoners?" Amalia inquires of me, opting to ignore my aunt.
"Lock them in a cell and question them for information about their terrorist group," I respond quickly. "We need to call an emergency meeting with my whole Royal Council, the High Priestess and the Merchant Council Representative too."
"At once your majesty," Apaeteon bows and scurries off to follow my orders.
Uncle Carber whispers something to a very shaken Lauria. She looks to me with what seems like guilt, but then I realize it must be fear from the events. I don't understand why she's scared though, her magical element is fire. If the explosion had gotten anywhere near her she could have burned the debris to cinders.
I turn away from my advisors and walk towards the nearest council chamber which happens to be the one off of the Peasant's Throne Room. The guards stand straighter as they open the doors to allow me entry. My sister is close on my heels, Katlyn Marx following behind us with Amalia in tow. Amalia has cuffs around her wrist.
"We should be more serious about that group, the Dark Crown," Ilena says her violet eyes showing that cold, hard look that makes me shiver involuntarily whenever I see it. "They've gotten too bold, we should make an example of the ones in the dungeon."
"Kill them?" Amalia's question seems childish. "I thought that they wanted you to be queen, they're on your side?"
"They, want me to be queen," my sister responds to the girl. "Katlyn, you can chain her to the ground ring. We'll keep her here for now. I want you to get five of our best who are currently available and put them on the streets. We need to find those idiots before they decide bombing the entire city is a good play."
"Yes Ma'am," Katlyn salutes to my sister and leaves the room.
I look at the door expecting my cousin and uncle to walk through any moment. They don't however. Five minutes of waiting in silence starts to get on my nerves.
"Why haven't they come yet?" I mutter the question to myself.
"Brother, listen," Ilena tells me.
I don't hear anything at first, but then I hear a scream from far down the hall. Shouts, then the sounds of swords greeting one another. My sister pulls her sword from it's scabbard as the door opens. It's Katlyn.
"Fighting's broken out between guards, soldiers, servants, everyone is fighting against one another," Katlyn explains out of breath.
"Do they have the crown pin?" My sister demands. Katlyn nods and my sister turns to me. "Stay here, brother, I'm going with Katlyn to see what's happening for myself."
I almost tell her to stay with me, but the order dies in my throat. I don't want to seem like a coward and give my sister reason to join the rebels. I nod to her instead, she leaves. I hear her say something to the guards posted outside. They respond with a salute, then the footsteps fade. I turn to Amalia who's standing as still as a statue behind me.
"Sorry about all the commotion," I say to her sarcastically.
"It's just proven to me that you're an awful king if your own sister is against you," Amalia hisses.
"Haven't we already told you, she's not with them!"
"Oh yeah, so why do the rebels fight in her name?"
"They think I brainwashed her into obeying me or something. That I somehow tricked our mother into disowning her. In fact, I think half of all the awful stories you've heard about me are their doing."
"Who were the elderly couple?" Amalia inquires as the loud noises of the fighting suddenly get closer, likely to calm her nerves.
"What do you...," my response is cut short by arrows thudding into the door.
A dark red liquid slips into the room through the crack under the wooden doors. One of the doors opens suddenly and I have my sword out in front of me before I realize it's my sister. She pushes her body against the door then steps away, and that's when I see the dark red blood soaking into her uniform.
"Ilena you're bleeding," I exclaim and make to step towards her.
She shoves me away and slices the air with her hand. The shadows ripple and the chain holding Amalia to the floor shatters into pieces.
"You two have to leave, now!" Ilena insists. She pushes Amalia into me and I catch the girl who stays still out of fear.
The doors open again and soldiers come bursting into the room. Every last one of them has a black pin in in the shape of a crown on their breast. When I see their leader my heart skips a beat.
"Uncle Carber, why are you with them?" I stare at him in shock, I already know the answer to my question though.
"I am their leader," my uncle responds. "Come forward dear, he'll be dead soon enough."
Lauria steps out from behind the wall of soldiers, bow in hand. She nocks an arrow and aims it at me.
"I'm sorry Lues, but I didn't have a choice," Lauria starts to cry and I understand the look she gave me earlier.
"Do it girl!" Apaeteon shouts from behind her, this betrayal is slightly less surprising.
"Put down your weapons," my sister's voice is steady and calm. Her face doesn't betray any signs of shock or fear.
She steps between Lauria and myself. Lauria starts sobbing harder and her hands shake. The bow falls from her hands as she sinks onto the floor.
"Useless brat," my uncle spits on Lauria and I cringe. "Your Majesty please stand down and we won't have to harm you or your brother and his pet."
"All of you who stand besides him are traitors to the crown. If you do not put down your weapons I will have no choice but to execute you for the crime of attempted assassination," my sister's voice rings out in the hall. I hear some nervous shuffling and coughs, they likely weren't expecting to be reprimanded by the one they name queen.
"Shoot her," our uncle says, and my heart stops.
My sister slices through the first volley of arrows, backing towards me. The shadows are in constant motion as they dance through the air to slice every arrow that her sword misses. The arrows stop along with the shadows when a single arrow finds its mark. My sister tries to stay standing, but her legs fail her and she tumbles to the ground. Her auburn hair mixes with the blood oozing from deep wounds on her upper body.
The world stops as the little light in my sister's eyes fades. My uncle starts to give a boring monologue about how this all was a long time coming, How I should have seen it.
He kicks my sister saying to his soldiers that she's too far gone to make a good queen. I want to scream when the boot connects with her stomach, making her body and head roll towards me. Her eyes are open but glazed over, and blood covers her clothes. The puddle of blood that was before only under her, has formed a clean circle around Amalia and myself.
I understand what's happening only a moment before my uncle does, as Ilena's hand stretches out and touches the circle in a tentative motion that seems to cause her an awful lot of pain. My uncle kicks her repeatedly, trying to knock her unconscious her before she can make the magic circle work. But he fails. I see her slump to the floor and her eyes shut as the world becomes blindingly light