Chapter 1:
Three weeks before the wedding…
Five fire opals, thirteen diamonds, and a white opal as big as a fist to finish it all off. A golden tiara that was a bit too heavy to be practical, and silver-threaded shoes that were too tight to make walking a pleasure. Princess Kathryn had worn similar outfits a hundred times before, but something was different today as she stood outside the heavy double doors that led to the throne room, waiting to be announced. Today, her hands shook, and her face was deathly pale.
Her lady-in-waiting, Dena, noticed and whispered, “Are you all right, my lady?”
“I am well, Dena.” Kathryn took a deep breath to steady herself, forced a slight smile, and nodded at the guard by the door. He knocked twice on the gilded door, his gauntlet letting out a sharp, ringing sound that hurt her ears.
She heard the call of the announcer within the room: “Princess Kathryn seeks an audience with his majesty the King!” The double doors flew open, and light flooded into the dark hall, blinding her. Taking a last deep breath, she stepped into the throne room.
Kathryn’s shoes emitted a light tap that reverberated through the throne room as she walked down the polished stone aisle toward the king. On either side, her father’s advisors watched her with impassive faces that seemed to be judging her every move. The light from the massive colored-glass windows on either side of the throne room cast a warm glow, but she still shivered a little as she paused before his majesty, the king.
Not that the man sitting there appeared to be anything she should fear. In fact, he looked old and tired. His watery blue eyes had dark circles under them, and his hair was almost entirely gray. But the lines on his face were lines of anger and stress rather than smiles.
As Kathryn lowered her head, her copper-colored locks falling to partially obscure her face, the king said, “Princess Kathryn. You requested an audience with me. What is it you wish to say?”
She raised her head. “My lord. I wish to appeal to you regarding your decision about Princess Lenore-”
The king cut her off with an angry wave of his withered hand. “I believe I already made my position clear,” he snapped. “Princess Lenore is the best choice to solidify the treaty with Navinor. It is your place to continue your diplomatic errands with Tephraya, and perhaps one day marry the Tephrayan king.”
“Your majesty, Lenore is not suitable,” Kathryn said softly. She kept the smile pasted on her face and tried to calm her racing heartbeat.
One, two, three. She counted internally as she often did when she needed to focus, before continuing, “I know that you would never wish to see her in distress. Only imagine her terror of being in such a place all alone. Furthermore, it would be too easy for them to exploit her abilities as a Warden. Will she offer a tactical advantage should Navinor choose another war instead of peace, or will she instead be a liability that our enemies could use against us?”
The king glared at her, his face reddening with rage as he said, “It is not your decision!”
Kathryn felt herself shrinking away from his angry eyes, but her own anger rose at the harshness of his words, and her voice grew stronger as she said, “Let there be a Vote of the Generals to decide.”
She heard a collective gasp. Not that she could blame the advisors. The Vote of the Generals was the only way to overrule the king, and it could be held only at the request of another member of the royal family. As a result, there had been no Vote for more than 20 years.
The young man sitting next to the king exclaimed coldly, “Princess Kathryn, you cannot be in earnest! Why would you call the Vote for such a trivial situation?”
Kathryn pressed her lips together tightly and turned her calm green eyes to her brother’s hard face. “Trivial, Prince Illian? Do you think so little of Princess Lenore?”
The king said, “Enough!” He slammed his fist down on the arm of his throne with a “clang” that rang out ominously through the room. “I will not agree to the Vote! It is my decision as your father, and it is not an affair for the Generals!”
His voice rose a little too much, and several of the nobles shifted uneasily. Illian put a hand on the king’s arm. “My lord,” he said quietly, “Once a Vote has been called, it cannot be rescinded except by the person who called it.”
The old man shook him off. “Do you think I need you to remind me?” he hissed. Illian flinched and averted his gaze.
All eyes turned to Kathryn once again, and she fought back a rising sense of fear. She continued as resolutely as she dared, “Princess Lenore is not the right choice for a union with Navinor. Your majesty, you know that I would never suggest anything that might cause harm to our kingdom-”
The king said between clenched teeth, “Do you think Lenore will thank you for this? Is that why you are behaving so unreasonably?”
“Princess Lenore is a child; her opinion is of no consequence. But believe me when I say that I am only thinking of the continuation of your majesty’s legacy and power.” Kathryn maintained her steady gaze, despite the fact her hands still trembled. “Allow me this, your majesty, and should the generals vote against me, I will concede gladly.”
The king glanced around and saw that the nobles awaited his reply. The anger seemed to drain out of him, and he slumped wearily. “Very well; I will allow a Vote of the Generals. But should the majority vote against you, you will do as I say.”
The thought of abandoning her role as negotiator and being traded like spoils of war to an enemy prince had once been Kathryn’s worst nightmare. But that had been the nightmare of a child who understood little about the realities of her position as the oldest daughter of the king of Iridalys.
This was her reality. She said, “Agreed, your majesty.”
“You are dismissed.” The king turned away from her, calling, “Next!”
Heat surged up Kathryn’s neck at his cold tone, but she simply curtseyed and turned to go. As she walked out, their eyes bored into her back, and she clasped her hands tightly as she tried to shut them out.
Outside, she took a deep breath and leaned against the wall for a moment. She still trembled, and it took all of her strength to remain standing.
After a few moments, the shaking stilled. Dena had stood by waiting for her the whole time, twisting her drab brown locks nervously around her finger. “Your highness, are you all right?” she asked again.
Kathryn managed a smile, a little warmer this time. “Of course, Dena. And I know what will help me to feel even better. Would you like to watch General Ren spar?”
Dena’s eyes lit up. “Of course, your highness!”
She is so transparent.
Kathryn took her hand and the two young women headed for the training grounds at the back of the castle. Dena asked, “Were you able to get the answer you wanted, my lady?”
“Yes, Dena. The Vote will be held tomorrow.” Kathryn paused at the edge of the arena where Iridalys’ finest officers trained their skills.
As Dena had hoped, General Ren was indeed sparring today. His blue eyes flashed and his wild braid streamed out behind him as he struck out left and right with the wooden staff in his hands, disarming three opponents with ease and knocking them off their feet.
Then he pointed his staff at the oldest among them, saying cheerfully, “That was a little too easy, Captain. Let’s go over your defensive stance again.” He held out his hand to help the older man rise.
“It’s not that we’re too easy to defeat, General. It’s that you’re impossible,” the Captain grumbled, struggling to his feet and dusting off his uniform.
Then he saw Kathryn and straightened hastily, saluting. “Your highness! My apologies; I didn’t see you.”
Ren turned and instantly flashed a wide grin. “Princess!” he said.
Dena stared up at him with something akin to adoration as he towered over her. His massive form dwarfed even Kathryn, who was fairly tall in her own right. He said, “Did you come to watch the sparring?”
“We did,” Dena interjected hastily. “I must say, General Ren, I did not expect to see you fighting against three opponents simultaneously! Isn’t it dangerous?”
Ren cocked his head with a slightly puzzled expression on his face, as though such an idea had never occurred to him. “Not for me,” he replied coolly.
“I see. Um…General Ren…do you suppose…are you by any chance attending the ball tonight?” Dena stumbled over her words.
Ren sighed. “Unfortunately. If I didn’t have to guard our dear Princess Kathryn, I’d rather be training the men. Speaking of which, do you mind if I continue, Princess? We’ve got a lot of work to do to whip these fellows into proper shape.”
“Of course.” Kathryn glanced at Dena’s red face sympathetically as Ren returned to knocking down the soldiers like ninepins. “If you like, I can ask him for you,” the princess said softly. She didn’t know if he would accept even if she did, though. At times, he could be surprisingly stubborn.
Dena shook her head. “No, your highness. I think I already had my answer.” She smiled at her friend sadly. “I suppose it’s no surprise that General Ren only has eyes for you.”
Kathryn laughed off her words. “He is only my bodyguard, Dena.” The slight catch in her throat belied the statement, but she continued as earnestly as she could, “I really do hope that one day you will catch his interest.”
“I envy your closeness though, your highness. You do not even speak to me as freely as you do to him,” Dena murmured.
“That is only because we have had no choice but to be by each other’s side. You really should ask him; it may be frowned upon, but I certainly would not object.”
Dena didn’t reply, but her eyes were fixed on the young General as he continued to “train” his opponents.
Kathryn couldn’t help but pity her. The only thing worse than being hated was probably to be ignored.
Before long, it was time for Kathryn to attend the ball.
Her brother approached her first and held out his arm to escort her. “Sister,” he said with a smile, “You are as gorgeous as ever.” Several of the other ladies in the room withdrew in disappointment, as they had all been hoping for the first dance.
Illian was well known to be among the more handsome men in the kingdom. And he looked even more handsome than usual tonight in his neat white uniform adorned with an opal crest and with his brown hair tied back with a ribbon. Not to mention, he was a war hero that any woman would have been overjoyed to simply stand beside.
But to Kathryn, he was simply an annoyance. Or perhaps, more accurately, a threat.
Inwardly, Kathryn balked at taking his arm, but she maintained her polite smile as she said, “Thank you, brother. I believe you and I are to open the dance?”
“Yes, we must show our solidarity, after all.” He led her to the center of the floor and held out his hands.
“Of course we must,” Kathryn said impassively. She tried not to lower her head despite the dozens of eyes fixed on her as the watchers waited for the music to begin.
Then the orchestra started to play, and Kathryn swirled across the dance floor, ignoring the pain in her ankles. Her brother glanced over at her stiff face and smirked. “You look even more tense than usual. But are you truly going to take Lenore’s place? And do you actually believe Father will agree?”
“Father hasn’t decided yet, Illian” Kathryn replied evenly.
“Kathy, I don’t believe you actually want to marry our enemy.” Illian’s grip on her hand tightened, pulling her off-balance. “You have no right to throw your life away. Let Lenore do her duty, and you do yours.” She chose not to respond. What point was there in saying anything? He couldn’t possibly understand. He was the King’s favorite and heir, after all. And he was to be king, while Kathryn and Lenore could only hope to attain the position of consorts to foreign kings.
He doesn’t know anything at all.
Finally, the dance was over. Kathryn curtsied, a little too quickly to be polite, and deserted Illian. Another guest soon distracted him, and she was grateful for a moment of peace. Unfortunately Kathryn’s second partner was worse than her first. The minor lord was a poor dancer, and the pressure on her ankles continued to grow, which made the whole thing quite miserable.
After the dance, the young lord asked, “May I get you a drink, your highness? Some wine, perhaps?”
“No, thank you.” Kathryn glanced over at the door that led to the balcony with a hint of desperation. She was poppy-red from the heat of being in proximity to so many people, plus the exertion of dancing, and fresh air was the only thing she wanted at the moment. But as she tried to escape her admirer, he held her hand to stop her.
“Are you sure? There are a lot of good wines here.”
Kathryn considered removing her heavy tiara, since it was giving her a headache, and see how well it would function as a weapon to ward off unwanted attention. But it was well settled on her beautifully swept-up auburn hair, and she was afraid all Dena’s hard work would go to waste if she moved it. She only said with a polite laugh, “Oh no, I never could handle wine. It makes me quite sleepy. But if you would be so kind as to get me a fan, I would be in your debt.”
He eagerly hurried off, and she, just as eagerly, rushed off to the balcony, out of sight of the pomp and prying eyes of the ballroom.
Outside, Kathryn adjusted her tiara, sat down on the ivory railing, and pulled off her shoes, breathing a sigh of relief. A second later, she jumped so high she nearly fell backwards off the railing when a dark figure leapt down from the roof over the balcony.
“Whoa!” A strong hand reached out and caught her around the waist, and she found herself glaring up at Ren. His uniform was disheveled, evidence of his escapade across the rooftop, and his hair was even more wild than usual.
“Really, Ren?” she said, in a voice that she hoped was deceptively calm despite the way her heart pounded at the surprise. “Do you have to pop out of windows and off rooftops all the time?”
He grinned and released her, stepping back so that he could offer a low, exaggerated bow. “Forgive me, your highness. I wasn’t aware you were so easy to scare.” He raised his head, and his blue eyes twinkled. “What’s the trouble, Princess? Did the bores chase you out of the party?”
“Hardly. Aren’t you supposed to be watching the ballroom for anything suspicious?” she asked.
“Nope, I’m supposed to be watching you, Princess. Like always, I get saddled with the biggest responsibilities.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “And by the way, you shouldn’t come out here by yourself. You’re making my job more difficult. Just ask me to come with you.”
“I will think about it,” she replied with a smile as she pulled her shoes back on.
He held out his hand. “If you’re about to return, will you dance with me, your highness?”
She didn’t accept his hand. “I can’t,” she said softly.
“I don’t see why not. You have before.” He cocked his head. “I thought it was suspicious when you came to the sparring. Did something happen today?”
Kathryn avoided his eyes. “I will tell you another time. Now, go back to the ballroom. Use the roof; I would rather no one saw us enter together.”
Ren rolled his eyes. “What, are you ashamed of me all of a sudden? It’s not as if people will be surprised to see me doing my usual duties.”
“No, but people might talk anyway. Go on!” She hurried inside, and he watched her go.
“Never bothered you before,” he muttered, just loud enough for her to hear.
For some reason, the mere sight of him had almost been enough to make her wish she hadn’t been so quick to call for the Vote. But when she glanced over at her little sister dancing away with a carefree heart, Kathryn’s resolve hardened. This was her reality. She would have to be content with that. And so would he.
As Kathryn bowed, curtsied, and danced the night away, Ren watched from the back with a grim face. Something was wrong; of that he was sure. And it bothered him that she wouldn’t tell him what it was.
When their eyes met by chance, Kathryn turned hers away quickly.
Ren was disappointed and puzzled by her strange behavior. So he approached Dena and said, “Can we talk?”
Dena blushed hard, but he pretended not to notice and held out his hand. She took it, and they started to dance.
Dena began, “I had hoped we would have a chance to talk tonight-”
“What’s going on with the Princess?” Ren interrupted abruptly.
Dena winced. “Wh-what do you mean?”
“I can tell something is off. Just tell me what it is. You won’t get in trouble.”
“I should have known you’d only dance with me to talk about her.” Dena’s voice lowered and she turned her face away from him.
Her words threw him off, and he missed the beat, nearly tripping over her. “Lady Dena,” he began, filled with guilt.
“Princess Kathryn will want to tell you herself.” Dena pulled her hands away from him and turned to go.
He grabbed her arm. “Dena, please. I just want to know that she’s all right-”
Suddenly, Illian appeared at his side, gripping his wrist with a grim smile. “Ren. Have you forgotten your manners? Lady Dena looks uncomfortable,” he said quietly.
Blast it.
Ren released her, glaring at the prince. “Your highness,” he muttered, bowing and turning to go.
Illian remarked, “I really do feel for you, Ren. It can’t be easy to hear about Kathryn’s marriage plans.”
What?
The young bodyguard stopped short, the blood draining from his face and his eyes widening in disbelief as the words hit him like a physical blow.
Her marriage plans. So that was why she’d been acting so strangely.
Illian raised an eyebrow at his reaction. “I see. She didn’t tell you yet. How typical. I believe you should have a conversation with her, but try not to get too emotionally involved. You know she doesn’t see you that way.”
With that final barb, he walked away.
Dena was clearly concerned when she saw how utterly crushed Ren was, but he couldn’t even meet her eyes. She started to reach for his hand, saying, “Ren…”
He hardly heard her. She wouldn’t do that. It doesn’t make any sense.
All at once, he couldn’t breathe. He shook Dena off and left the ballroom without another word, his head still reeling.
Kathryn was going to leave him. And in all probability, there wasn’t a thing he could do about it.
Loyalty Fallen Hub 