A

  courier arrived as soon as the sun began to glint over the horizon.

  It was a strange sight, given that no one not of Yser or demonic

  blood should have been able to traverse the barrier. Mari had me

  awoken as soon as she felt the breach, having tied her magic to the

  stone long ago to be able to feel anyone using it for entrance. It

  was a fail-safe I would eventually take onto myself or someone else I

  trusted.

  We

  were both waiting when the courier reached the gate and was led

  inside for an audience with me. Unlike most days, I had chosen to

  dress a bit more traditionally for a monarch, though it would still

  be considered daring, I wanted the visitor to have no doubts as to

  whom held the power in this kingdom.

  The

  far door opposite the throne opened, revealing a human courier, at

  the very least I could not detect any sort of magic at work upon him.

  A quick glance to Mari confirmed that she agreed with my findings. He

  looked to be young, perhaps my age or even a little younger, it was

  common to make the very youngest in the military work from time to

  time as long distance couriers as a way to earn their keep and

  respect. The way the man snapped to attention and bowed low when I

  came into view confirmed my assumption that he was in the military.

  "You

  may approach," I said, voice strong and in control.

  The

  courier marched forward, then knelt on one knee before my throne,

  keeping his head down in a sign of respect. I took great pleasure in

  feeling powerful in the moment, it was all too rare to feel that my

  majesty extended beyond just the castle walls.

  "You

  may speak."

  "Thank

  you my queen," he said in a rich, though winded voice, "I

  bring a message from King Leon."

  My

  eyebrows shot up in surprise, a message from my father would have

  been the last on the list of things I thought the messenger would

  bring. It was strange that now, after over ten years, he would take a

  sudden interest in me at all. There was a very distant tug on my

  heart strings, a yearning for acceptance that disgusted me

  immediately upon feeling it. He had betrayed me from the moment I had

  been born. Though I had fairly fond memories of him as a young child,

  he had been disappointed at my birth.

  "King

  Leon Vivaldi demands that you return his betrothed, the Princess

  Tiffany, to his kingdom with her in good physical state and in good

  spirits."

  I

  should have known. I despised the tiny ache in my heart from the

  demand.

  "His

  majesty also further declares that an entourage will be dispatched to

  the castle Yser to collect his bride in a week. King Leon does not

  require, nor desire a response."

  "I

  do not care that he does not desire a response, he will have one,"

  I stated.

  The

  messenger drew a piece of parchment from his pocket and a thick stub

  of charcoal to write with.

  "Those

  that reside behind my walls are under my command and he has no power

  to command them or myself. If his entourage should still insist on

  arriving, they are welcome to stay in my accommodations for one

  night, but they will begin their return trip empty handed the very

  next day."

  There

  was nothing but the sound of the charcoal on the parchment, the

  messenger not bothering to look up or clarify what was said. After a

  moment he folded the parchment carefully so not to smear the words

  and returned it to his pocket. He then obediently returned his focus

  to me and awaited my command.

  "You

  may be escorted to the kitchen and receive a simple breakfast, then

  you must return at once to your king and deliver my message.

  Without

  needing to summon a servant, one poised just outside the door entered

  quietly and motioned for the messenger to follow her. The messenger

  bowed deeply one last time, then followed the servant from the room,

  the door closing behind them.

  "I

  knew it was only a matter of time before he deduced who was behind

  it," Mari said with a sigh. "I was sure to be careful, but

  it was a rather impromptu plan."

  "I

  do not think it was you," I replied, "the princess has been

  sending letters to a select few people in her kingdom."

  Mari's

  eyebrows raised in surprise and she looked to me in disbelief.

  "You've known about this communication and allowed it to happen?

  You had to know that this would be the result."

  "I

  did," I answered, waving my hand in a swishing motion, "but

  she is of royal blood, a rightful heir to her kingdom. It would not

  be correct of me to limit her communication as she sees fit."

  "Rightful

  heir?" Mari questioned with a laugh. "I should have known."

  "She

  is the eldest, after all." I stood and stretched, not quite used

  to being awoken quite so early. As much as I wanted to share some

  tidbits about my plan with Mari, the idea of returning to my

  slumbering consort took precedence. "I will explain more at a

  later time, just be assured I have considered this eventuality and I

  am already several steps ahead."

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  Mari

  looked disappointed that I would divulge no further, but seemed

  content with the idea of going back to rest. She rose slowly from her

  chair, trying to draw as little attention to the fact that she used

  the table top to balance as she stood. Not but a month ago, she would

  have had no trouble with the same movement, either her progression

  down was accelerating or the time on the rode had wrecked a havoc

  worse than usual. Either way, I knew it would make no difference if I

  tried to pry from her which it was.

  ---

  "I

  will not go there." Princess Tiffany tapped her foot on the

  floor to emphasize her words.

  "That

  is what I told them," I assured, "even if the people arrive

  to collect you, they will be quickly turned away."

  The

  teen pushed around lunch on her plate, mulling over whether she

  should throw a fit or not. She had been rather quick tempered as of

  late and I could not blame her. She was still coming to terms with

  the fact that her family was willing to sell her future and feed her

  lies to make her compliant. I very clearly remembered the coal of

  anger that fiercely burned in my stomach when I first recognized

  everyone I had ever known was a traitor and it would only ease once

  she had processed the situation and had a plan forward.

  "I

  don't have to see them, do I?” she asked with a huff.

  "I

  don't see why you would need to. Surely you could stay in your room

  and no one would be the wiser that you were here at all. I could tell

  them you are away on a trip if that will satisfy you," I

  offered.

  The

  princess was quick to nod her head in agreement. I wondered if she

  thought, if seen, she might be accosted or I might turn her over. It

  was apparent she had been deeply indoctrinated into the traditions of

  patriarchal monarchy, perhaps she was still struggling to comprehend

  that I was not like the idiotic women that used to be in her life,

  that I would not turn against her and prevent her from attaining her

  destiny. I may have had much to say against my mother, but she had

  managed to raise me what little time she did to be strong willed. Up

  until her betrayal, she had done an acceptable job of teaching me to

  stand equal to men, though I could now think back and identify

  several times she deferred to the king instead of pursuing her own

  desires.

  "Then

  it's settled, I will tell them you're away and they won't even know

  you're here."

  The

  princess nodded, then returned her gaze back to her plate, though she

  continued to push around food and look up to me in secretive glances,

  obviously wanting to say something more. I continued my meal and made

  light conversation with Mistra and Mari while she worked up the

  courage.

  "So,"

  Tiffany said suddenly in a lull in of the conversation. Nothing more

  passed her lips for a long moment, the look on her face expressing

  that she was surprised she had begun to speak. "Um, I'm just

  curious about something."

  "Yes?"

  I offered.

  "So..."

  She trailed off and made a soft humming sound, like she was trying to

  formulate what to say next. "You're a queen with a female

  consort."

  "I

  am," I said with a light chuckle. Ever since she had been

  removed from the training schedule and allowed to take her meals with

  the other royals, she seemed intrigued and confused by the idea that

  there was not a male between us.

  "I

  just- I guess- I didn't think that could be possible," she said,

  "I thought queens were to marry kings and bear the royal

  children."

  "Why?"

  I asked simply. I looked to her, showing it was not rhetorical and

  expected an answer.

  "Well,

  um..." Panic arose in her eyes, darting them back and forth

  between everyone at the table, hoping that one of us would provide

  the answer.

  "You

  are a clever girl," I encouraged, "you can figure it out."

  "It's

  just what's expected," she answered. "Both my mother and

  father told me that it was just what's done, I never thought to

  question it before coming here."

  "That's

  a silly reason to do something, just because it's been done before.

  What if the thing being done is a mistake? Should we still make the

  mistake over and over?"

  Her

  face scrunched up and her eyes narrowed slightly. "But if it's

  been a mistake, I wouldn't be here."

  "Perhaps

  you would," Mari chimed in, "it does not require people to

  be married for heirs to be born. Though I'm sure you've had the

  opposite drilled into your head."

  The

  princess' face flushed over in indication that the belief had indeed

  been instilled in her.

  "Does

  an heir even necessarily have to be of the same blood?" I

  proposed.

  Mari

  glanced at me with an unreadable expression on her face, not outright

  disapproval, but more of a cautious warning that I may want to

  rethink what I'm saying.

  "Of

  course they do," Tiffany sputtered, "otherwise just anyone

  could rule, even a commoner." She lowered her voice for the last

  word, hoping no servants might overhear and start thinking such

  nonsense.

  "Perhaps

  power should go to the most capable and worthy to wield it, often

  times that will be someone of royal blood, but maybe not always."

  Mari

  stiffened and let out a loud huff. "That's not what we should be

  teaching the girl," she said in a low voice. "Royal blood

  should be kept intact through a royal lineage.

  "Mari,"

  I laughed, "you of all people I would not think you'd be so

  stuck in that antiquated idea. You have admittedly refused to have

  children and have never worried about whether you'd have an heir."

  "I

  was never going to be queen." Her tone had taken on a snappy

  quality and her fingers griped the edge of the table hard enough to

  make them turn pale. "But it's very important that lineage stays

  in the family. Evonia did what she had to do for heirs, I was merely

  afforded a better life." Without further words, she jolted from

  her seat at the table and marched out of the room, leaving her meal

  uneaten.

  The

  princess looked to me in shock and I met worried eyes with Mistra.

  The topic had not be broached before and the reaction was much

  different than either of us had anticipated. Mari had dropped small

  clues here and there that the idea of an heir needed to be

  considered, but I felt like I had been left out in the dark about why

  a blood heir was so necessary. I had mentioned the possibility as

  mostly a shock to the princess' traditional training, I didn't have

  any sort of plans for an heir at my young age. There was something

  deeper than I didn't know, Mari was keeping something secret,

  something painful.