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'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.
It was a spacious area—the lower floor contained twenty-two archways leading to various chambers and towers—and always seemed too quiet, even with the nobles tittering and the servants gossiping. The sounds of everyday life could never fill the place, as if the stone hungrily devoured all sounds and replaced them with a cold draught.
Audrey's footsteps were swallowed by the hall as she turned, heading out the heavy mahogany doors into the crisp spring air of the gardens. After a sharp right, she walked past a large rose garden to reach the archery butts. A few archers were using crossbows against the targets, but they had cleared an area for Audrey to practice.
Her trainer and father were already waiting for her, standing side by side. The contrast between them was almost comical: the king was a tall and athletic man in his early forties with shoulder-long blonde hair and the striking blue eyes that most Everwoods seemed to have in common. He was dressed in navy silk with an iron longsword hanging at his waist, the worn-out hilt protruding from the scabbard. Next to him was her trainer, William Darkwood. Will was young, about sixteen, with a charming smile, white-blonde hair short at the front and long at the back, and cerulean blue eyes. But, unlike Lucian's glacial eyes, his were a warm blue; eyes that were easy to become lost in. The rest of his face was pleasant—dark eyebrows, a slightly crooked nose, and light brown skin suggesting Islander genetics—but his eyes remained his most prominent feature.
He had joined the castle a few days before Audrey's previous trainer had been hung for selling information to King Adebiyi of the East. Audrey knew of little concerning Will as she had never had a session with him before; she only knew his name, that he had come to Lucian asking for refuge, and had fled from his last master. Will had initially been appointed as a messenger until Lucian had executed Audrey's last trainer and needed a replacement; Will had been promoted after allegedly shooting a bullseye on a moving horse from forty metres away.
"You are late," Lucian snapped at her.
Audrey tried to ignore Will, who was smirking slightly.
"I'm sorry," Audrey replied.
"You know how I feel about punctuality and your mother agrees. The day after tomorrow, you will attend an execution, and let us pray you won't be late to that," Lucian warned.
Audrey flinched at the thought of it. She thought she could get used to executions, but something about watching someone writhe and kick, choking as they clawed at their neck, their eyes going red as the life drained from them, got to her every time. Beheadings weren't much better; seeing the panic in one's eyes as they said their last words, usually a prayer, plea, or cry for loved ones. The first time Audrey had attended an execution, she had cried her eyes out and told her father that she pitied the people dying.
Do not pity the dead. Everyone must die, after all, he had told her.
"I'll leave it to you." Lucian turned to Will who bowed, any trace of a smirk instantly gone.
"I am yours to command, Your Majesty," Will said sincerely as he straightened.
Lucian nodded and strode away. Will then turned his attention to her, his eyebrows slightly raised as he looked her up and down.
"I assume you know how to nock an arrow, milady?" Will asked, holding a bow and quiver out for her. His voice was full of mirth, as if everything were a joke to him, but also warm and familiar.
"I am not a dullard," Audrey replied, snatching a bow from him. Was he mocking her?
"Go on, then." He nodded to a target. "Show me."
She nocked an arrow, aiming before letting the arrow fly and hitting one of the outer rings. She tried again, that time getting it closer to the centre, and turned to Will expectantly.
"You need to aim more. Don't just shoot," Will said after a pause. "You have to aim slightly to the side of where you want it to go. And relax your stance; you are as rigid as a block of wood."
"Did you just compare me to wood?" She frowned at him.
"First thing that came to mind."
She made herself relax and let go of the arrow, hitting the edge of the board. Will passed her another arrow and Audrey aimed before she let go, and, to her delight, she struck the bullseye.
"You're getting better, Your Highness." Will smiled, and Audrey stopped herself from reciprocating the gesture.
"Only slightly." Audrey managed to keep a straight, emotionless face. Her previous trainer had been a quiet man in his thirties, so jumping from that to a chatty teenage boy was a strange transition for her.
Will laughed. "You flatter yourself. But I'm certain that someone like you would have been able to figure out how to shoot an arrow without help."
"Thank you," Audrey deadpanned.
"I'm just an archer. I don't deserve your thanks," Will replied with a smirk.
They shot arrows for the next half-hour, the silence filled with Will's advice and teasing, until he bowed.
"I don't believe I should keep you much longer. I will see you again soon?" he asked.
"You know, my other trainer didn't talk as much," Audrey remarked disdainfully.
"You know, my past employer called me 'master' and sent me food on golden platters."
She blinked at his serious face. "Really?"
"What? 'Course not!" He laughed. "But a man can dream, can't he?"
Audrey rolled her eyes. "I thought you were leaving."
He began to walk off before seeming to realise something. He turned around. "I forgot to introduce myself properly earlier; I'm Will."
Audrey offered him a smile. "I was told."
She lingered for a moment after he had taken his leave, staring at the target, before turning and heading into the castle. Her steps reverberated through the stone hallways as she walked, the servants and men-at-arms clearing the way for her. If she walked with long, purposeful strides, head raised, she found that they always moved, as if an invisible shield shimmered around her. Sometimes she wanted to run like she once had with her brother, weaving around startled servants, giddy on laughter and honey cakes, but those days were over.
She wanted to yell at her brother for dying. She wanted to blame Thomas for her predicament, for making her heir when she was not ready. The reckless boy had left her to shoulder the responsibility by herself, and sometimes her grief turned into anger. It wasn't his fault, she knew, but if he hadn't died...
"Audrey!" The squeal came from behind her, cutting into her grieving thoughts, and she turned to see Annalee. Her twelve-year-old cousin was from the South and visiting for the next moon along with most of her family and a retinue of men-at-arms and retainers. Annalee's twin, Junia, was nowhere to be seen, although Junia often followed wherever she went.
"Annalee," Audrey replied coolly. "How do you fare?"
Annalee pouted, folding her arms, and rolling her eyes. Despite being daughter to the King of the South, Annalee was not one for common courtesy. "It's just so boring here. I can't climb the castle walls without one of your guards or retainers telling me to get off, and everyone here seems to lack emotion. Ooh, were you just doing archery?" She peered down the corridor as if she could see the archery range from where she stood. "That's so impressive! I have always wanted to try it, but I swear that I am not allowed to do anything."
"Where's Junia?" Audrey asked, ignoring the other comments.
"Oh, probably reading some book somewhere. I've heard that she has been given access to the library. Imagine! Ugh, even Malena isn't that tiresome, and she's a baby," Annalee groaned. "Where are you going now? I have afternoon lessons, but they won't mind if I'm a few minutes late. Scholars are so dreadfully tedious." Annalee tilted her head and laughed, not letting Audrey reply. "Ooh, you Northerners are so stoic! I admire it. I can never read your expressions."
With a cheeky grin, Annalee was already running away. Behind her, Audrey could hear loud voices and, recognising the boisterous laugh of her uncle, sped up.
"I thought I saw Annalee go this way..." Someone was saying.
"That daughter of yours is so fast!"
"She's like a cat, that one." A pause. "Is that... oh, look, it's my dear niece!"
A vulgar word came immediately to Audrey's mind.
"Excuse me, Your Majesty." Audrey turned, inclining her head to her visiting uncle. She hoped her face wasn't as heated as it felt. She was used to being respected, and it made her uneasy to have Lachlan Silverling so laid-back around her.
"Why the hurry, girl?" Lachlan asked. He looked down at her with green eyes, raising his eyebrows. A silver crown lay across his blonde curls, showing his status as a king, and his expressive silks glowed green and silver.
Audrey gritted her teeth. "I have business to do," she said, doing her best not to sneer at him. A princess didn't sneer. A princess was gracious. Adina had drilled those things into her often, but they still weren't second nature
"Come, you look so down!" Lachlan grinned in a way that made Audrey wonder if he had become drunk before midday. "Give us a pretty smile, huh?"
Audrey was considering swearing at him instead when a timid voice piped: "She's with me."
Lachlan sighed at the arrival of his second youngest daughter as Junia moved forward to defend Audrey. Junia was dressed in white satin, her golden hair crimped and tied perfectly so it cascaded over her shoulders. A large stack of books was balanced on a small hand, covering her face, and Audrey felt the urge to rush to straighten it before it tipped.
"Where has my daughter gone? All I see is books," Lachlan quipped, mockingly looking around as if searching for her. His retainers sniggered. "I have lost two of my daughters, it seems."
Junia flushed red before turning to Audrey. "I need your help getting these back to the library."
Grateful for her younger cousin, Audrey nodded and took some books. They walked together to the library, taking the stairs cautiously.
"Thank you," Audrey said as they turned into a small hallway.
"I apologise for my father," Junia said, twisting the brass knob of the library door with her books balanced on her arms and kicking it open. The library was an impressive place, filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves as far as the eye could see and cushions and settees placed around the polished wood floor. They entered and sat on cushions opposite each other. "He is often drunk nowadays."
"And your mother?"
"She is more sensible." Junia sighed, setting the books beside her. Audrey put the ones she had been carrying on top of the pile and glanced at some of the titles: Thomas Everwood the Conqueror, Volume IV; A History of The Red War; The Development of The Free Isles. They were impressive books for a girl of twelve.
"Why is he drunk?" Audrey asked.
"There are whispers from spies that an enemy has it out for him, and he is getting anxious," Junia said. "But we've maintained peace for two years."
Two years since Thomas died. "Maybe the spies are wrong," Audrey murmured.
"I'm not sure. Sometimes I can't help thinking that this peace won't last."
"Then we should enjoy it." Audrey stood. "Thank you, but I must be going."
"I'll see you soon, then."
Audrey left Junia to her books and slipped away to find Clovis. Her cousin's words had sparked an ominous feeling that something was very wrong, however, and a cold shudder of premonition ran through her body.
Thank you so much for taking some time to read this book and please feel free to vote and comment! Each one makes my day and it just takes a second to do <33
Love you all,
Shelly xx