Chapter 1
The day of the Foxe Ball crept up on me, like a predator, rearing its teeth right before it pounces. It was inevitable, a tradition that went back many generations, only taking place every time a king or queen was being formally accepted to the throne. The night was just an introduction, for the official coronation wouldn’t be for several months, but that didn’t stop my heart from racing, or the ridiculous doubts from flooding my mind.
There was only one person I wanted to see, my mother, so there I was, sitting in front of her portrait, hoping that somehow she was looking back at me too. In the painting, she sat on a red, velvet chair, her blonde hair, flowing over small golden buttons. Her dress the shade of rubies, and her smile the hue of happiness. She was beautiful.
I thought back to the times she would chase me and my best friend, Ashton, around the garden, purposely never catching us, just so she could tell us we were the fastest in all of Lechar. I smiled when I remembered her singing to me while she brushed my hair. She was a terrible singer, and we would always belt out horrendous tunes that never failed to wake everyone in the castle. The angry people would always tell her that she needs to “control her daughter,” but she never listened. Instead we would laugh at everyone who tried to calm us down.
Out of everything, I treasured the moments we spent under the stars, pointing out the brightest ones we could find, while trying to trace shapes with our fingers. This is how I wanted to remember her, healthy, but sometimes good people have bad endings.
I could almost still see her already pale face turning a ghostly shade of white, as she coughed, black tears falling from her eyes, her porcelain skin cracking like a doll that had been dropped. Through hazy eyes, I could see the flashes of stained glass sternum plates and silver armor as the knights scurried quickly out of the castle, trying to get a cure they were never destined to find.
I was only six when I had laid with her that last night, my final memory of the woman I loved more than anyone, the one I would do anything for, but there was nothing I could do.
“My sweet Gwendolyn, I’m going to have to go soon,” she had whispered in my ear as my head rested on her chest.
“Where will you go?” I asked with watered eyes.
“There is this place in the sky that we go when it is time for us to. It’s a very special place with a beautiful castle that is made out of stars. There is no war or anger and nothing bad can ever happen there.”
“Can I come?”
“I’m afraid not, darling. You have too many things to do down here first. Also, you don’t want to leave your father all alone down here, do you?”
“But I don’t want you to leave.”
“This isn’t permanent. I promise you will see me again one day, but right now, I need you to be strong. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes.”
“That’s my girl,” she whispered as she slowly reached around her neck and unclasped the necklace she never took off. “Take this. It’ll keep you safe.” I took it, marveling at its beauty. It had a simple silver chain, just long enough to dangle around my neck perfectly, landing below my collarbone. Both sides of the chain met in the middle where there was a dragon pendant, made out of purple stained glass.
“I love you, Gwendolyn.”
“I love you too, mommy.” I fell asleep to the sound of her heartbeat, unaware of when it stopped.
I walked back to my room, my mind whirling with worries. What if the people don’t like me? The second I reached my room, my handmaiden, Molly, was waiting for me.
“There you are, your Majesty. I’ve been asked to come in and help you get ready,” she whispered.
“I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you.” She curtsied and walked toward a long satin blue dress that hung delicately. White lace covered the top of it, placed perfectly and the waistline was thin and fitted. From the waistline down the dress was round and full with symmetrical pleats that traced their way along the entirety of the material. Everything about this gown was impeccable. Molly gently took it off of the hanger as if it were some fantastic masterpiece that would disintegrate at the smallest touch.
Once my dress was on, I sat down in front of the mirrored vanity as she gathered the comb, as well as various other clips and an array of fresh white daisies that were my only personal request. She picked up the comb and began to brush through my snow-colored hair, grabbing small pieces of my hair and began to braid.
My eyes focused on Molly’s reflection. She seemed deep in concentration and her eyes were narrowed, which made me think that she was a little uneasy. I didn’t blame her. She was new to the kingdom staff, and I could imagine that walking into a royal family would be overwhelming, but I didn’t want her to be uncomfortable. If anything, I wanted her to feel as if she were at home.
“How are you liking it here so far?” I asked.
“I’ll be done soon. I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” Her voice shook.
“No, don’t worry about that! I’m not in any hurry. So, where are you from?”
Molly stayed quiet as she quickly secured the finished braid by tying a piece of silver ribbon to the end of the braid. Walking to the opposite side of the room, she retrieved the slightly heeled silver flats that were picked out specifically for this occasion. She brought them over to me and I slipped them on with ease. I grabbed my mother’s necklace off of my nightstand, and placed it around my neck, just as I had every day.
“I think you’re all done, your Majesty.”
“Thank you, Molly. Would you mind telling the guards that I am ready to be escorted to the ball?” I asked, giving up on any sort of conversion. I smiled in her direction, but she saw me for only a second before exiting the room and just moments later a guard entered like clockwork.
I went down the marvelous stone hallways of the palace. I glanced at my feet, nervously fingering my dress. My silver flats knocked on the geometric tiles. The corridors were usually bright and lively at this hour but I assumed that everyone in the kingdom was in the ballroom waiting my arrival. There would be a loud chattering amongst the crowd as they gossiped and shared news about their families. My father would be sitting on his throne watching down on his people and relishing their enjoyment. This thought reminded me that my father would be leaving for the Deraveil Kingdom on “royal business,” leaving me by myself with a new gained responsibility.
At the end of the corridor, I was confronted by several guards, all tall with stiff posture. Amongst the crowd of purple armor, I spotted the one person I wanted to see more than anyone, my friend Ashton. I felt some of nerves wash away the second my eyes locked with his green ones.
His face lit up with that oh so devious smile that I knew so well.
“You ready, Gwendy?” He asked, nudging me with his elbow.
“First of all, you know I hate that. Second of all, absolutely not,” I replied, shaking my head.
“Well, you have nothing to be nervous about. I mean sure, it would be tragic if you messed up. The whole kingdoms here, but I don’t think it would be life-altering. Although it is you and you have a tendency to overreact. No pressure,” he said plainly.
“I hate you.”
He couldn’t keep a straight face for much longer before he burst out into a laughing fit.
“No, you don’t. Gosh, Gwen, you’re always so serious.”
We continued to walk down the hallway until we reached the entrance of the garden that reached from those hallways to the ballroom where large wooden doors stood elegantly. Beautiful curved designs traced along the edges of the door frame and the windows. The windows were made out of special stained glass found only in extremely dangerous terrain deep in the Macketh mountains. In certain times during the day, the sun would hit the glass just right, causing a dazzling glow of colors that reflected deeply in the hallway leading to the garden.
When I was younger, I would lie right in front of these doors and watch as colors took form. It was my serenity, my safe place, my comfort zone.
I took a deep breath and Ashton took notice.
“I was just teasing you before. In all seriousness, though, it’ll be fine, okay? I’ll be by your side all night long.”
“Let’s go in,” I said. My nerves continued no matter how many times I told them to back off.
Two guards opened both doors and we walked through, my hand gripping tightly to Ashton’s arm. As I stepped outside, I was greeted with a chilly breeze. We started to walk toward the indoor portion of the ballroom where everyone was gathered. I took a moment as we walked to glance up at the nighttime sky, admiring the hundreds of stars, cascading all over a black sea above me. We edged closer to the door and the roaring trumpets filled my ears.
Upon entering, I was overcome with the deafening silence of the room, so to cover up my nerves, I smiled and stood straight up just as I was taught many years ago. The ballroom was enormous with high ceilings and tall arched windows, that were lined with lavish purple drapery. The crowd was filled with hundreds of shopkeepers, knights, families, and peasants. Everyone form the kingdom was there and they were all looking at me. I felt their eyes bore into me as if I were some infamous fugitive on the way to an execution. My heart pounded almost painfully against my chest, small sweat droplets forming on my forehead, as my face became hot to the touch. Despite my immediate discomfort, my smile didn’t waver. I spotted my father as he rose from his throne on the opposite side of the room and he motioned for me to come toward him.
I began to saunter in his direction and with each step, the crowd cleared somewhat. I looked confidently in the people’s eyes, or at least I wanted them to think that I was confident. This sparked something in the crowd, for the air was filled with whispers and nervous chatter. I reached the base of the thrones and I grabbed my father’s hand as he helped me step up a few stairs. I stood next to my father as everyone fell silent once more.
“Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen.” My father started. His voice boomed through the entire ballroom. “I would like to first thank everyone for coming. Tonight is a very special night.” He looked in my direction and grinned. I smiled and looked around at the faces of the curious people.
“My daughter stands before you ready and willing to gain your trust. She will become your queen, the next mother of this kingdom and she will not disappoint. May I introduce Gwendolyn Marie Bancroft. Gwendolyn, come forward and speak to your people.”
I stared around even more. My palms began to sweat and I could sense the intense expectation that filled the room.
“Go ahead, Gwen. Talk to them,” my father whispered in my ear. I just nodded and cleared my throat.
“Hello, everyone. I’ll be honest with you. I’m not exactly sure what to say to hundreds of people who know me only by word of mouth. I’m sure every one of you has heard countless things about me and if I were to tell you everything, we’d be here all night,” I smiled as I heard the sound of chuckling coming from the crowd.
“I could start with my name, but you already know it. Check. I could inform you as to why I am here in front of you all, but my father spoiled that one already. Check. I could even tell you about my childhood, but there’s really not much to tell. It was quite boring actually. Check. There is only one very important thing you need to know, for it is the only fact about me that matters.” My voice became serious, all of the jesting fading away like the sun before a dark cloud at dusk.
“This kingdom is the single most valuable thing to me and I will die for it if that is what it takes to protect each and every Lecharian life in here. That is a promise. Now that we are acquainted, I would like to get to know you, so tomorrow I am holding a throne room session so that I can meet one-on-one with you and we can figure this out as a community. That just about does it. Have fun tonight,” I beamed as I looked around the room at the excited faces, and the only thing I could hear for the first few moments was clapping.
The crowd broke up into the conversation once more and I let out a relieved sigh. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a guard whispering in my father’s ear. My father’s face was pensive and maybe even a little bit fearful. Within a matter of seconds, my father made eye contact with me. A nervous smile crept across his lips as he stepped closer to me.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, immediate defeat in his words.
“For wha-”
“May I please have your attention?” My father asked, and the crowd became hushed.
“Thank you. I have another announcement on this fine evening. I am grateful to report that you are about to get a king as well,” he exclaimed. My confusion only became more pronounced than ever.
“As of recently, we have received an honorable marriage proposal from Prince Alistair Maddox from the Urmace Kingdom. I have accepted on behalf of my daughter, for this will unite our kingdoms and we will be safer than we could ever dream to be.”
Everyone gasped, including me. What? An arranged marriage? This can’t be real. I needed to wake up from this night terror but I never did because as much as I hated to admit it, I was already awake and it was happening.
