The Queen of Three

Robin tried not to wince as one of her handmaids accidentally pulled on her hair too hard. The three women were weaving her long brown hair into intricate braids. One woman broke away from helping with her hair to begin dabbing perfumes on the princess’ wrists and neck. All the while, the royal princess of Farlee stared into the mirror at herself, examining her blue eyes and olive skin. Her lip quivered a bit as she thought about her unfortunate situation. She was a week away from being married to a dreadful prince.

A knock sounded on the white and gold doors to the princess’ grand bedroom and they opened to let a red-haired man step into the room. He bowed his head at the neck and touched his left hand to his right breast, “Your Royal Highness.”

Princess Robin smiled softly through the mirror at her red-haired knight. He looked marvelous in his formal dress; a crisp white tunic with gold braided trim and tassels. His black slacks and gloves complimented the stark white. His silver hilted sword was strapped to his hip and the sun from the window made the ruby in the pommel sparkle. She admired his appearance for a moment longer before addressing him. “Peter,” She spoke with an affectionate tone, “What brings you?”

The knight broke his bow and met her eyes in her mirror, “Her Royal Highness the Queen requests your presence in the North-Wing Ballroom. I have come to escort you.”

She squinted at him a bit in the mirror and she suddenly felt glum, “More dreary wedding talk, I suppose?”

“I am afraid so,” Peter smiled sadly at her.

Robin heaved a sigh and signaled to her handmaids to hurry. She couldn’t take her eyes off Peter in the mirror as he stood post at her bedroom door. She could hardly feel the handmaids pulling on her hair in their rush as she occasionally met the knight’s eyes. It felt like hours before the women finally backed away. The princess stretched and stood, letting her soft blue dress fall over the tops of her feet. It was a simple and flat dress, ideal for a day that was as warm as today. Turning to the knight near the doorway, she nodded and smiled, “I believe I am ready now, Ser Shawcross.”

“Princess,” The knight offered her his arm and she graciously took it. Her tan fingers gripped the fabric sleeve of his tunic and he smiled inwardly.

Robin glanced back at her handmaids to see concerned and doubtful faces. She nearly scowled in return but fought the feeling. She was not surprised by their looks. Anytime Peter Shawcross showed up, they seemed wary of him. There had been times when the women had offered to escort the princess instead, but Robin had always turned them down. She knew that her handmaids knew about her and the knight and she was thankful that they had said nothing of it to her parents. She supposed she could handle the disapproving looks in place of them informing her royal parents.

“Shall we?” Peter’s voice broke her away from her thoughts and his soft smile made her flush.

“Yes,” Robin hummed and allowed him to lead her from the bedroom. They walked in silence through the corridors. The walkway had walls and doors on one side while the other was open to the fresh air as it looked down on the keep’s courtyard. The two occasionally crossed paths with a servant or a silver-plated guard as they crossed the castle. Neither said a word until they passed through a pair of double doors into a candle-lit hallway. Just after the door shut behind them, the princess’ knight slipped his hand under her waist and ducked them through the first door on the left.

The room on the other side was dark and warm. Neither of them truly knew what the room’s use was but it didn’t matter in the moment. Robin quietly giggled as Peter’s hands found themselves resting on her waist and she ran her own hands up his chest to his shoulders. “Kiss me,” She whispered softly.

Peter obliged the request immediately and caught her lips softly with his. She sighed contentedly against his lips as they pressed closer against each other. It felt like they had only kissed for a moment before they both broke away for a breath. Her blue eyes fluttered and met his eyes sadly, “This isn’t fair,” She whispered.

“Believe me,” The knight blinked his eyes away from her and leaned his forehead on the wall she was pressed against. “I share that feeling princess.”

“Let’s run away together,” She pleaded with him. “Just us on a ship to a new land. Nobody would ever find us.” She lifted a finger to trace his jawline, an effort to make his eyes find her again. When it didn’t work, she lifted her lips to kiss against his jaw and neck.

Peter chuckled without humor and cast his eyes down, “Until my head ends up on a spike on the castle walls.” He felt her soft kisses on his cheek and felt a piece of his heart melt, “Although it would be worth it.”

“I love you,” Robin murmured in-between kisses, “I love you. I love you.”

Peter dipped his head and kissed her again, pulling her against his chest hard. Every time he kissed her lately felt like the last time. She was betrothed to a foreign prince and whenever he was with her, it was all he could think about. It was like a long, drawn-out heartbreak that hadn’t set in yet. As the thoughts crossed his mind again, he pulled away from her and smiled sadly, “I love you too. More than you could ever know, Princess.”

“Robin,” She whispered as she felt his sudden sadness, “Please call me Robin.”

“You know why I can’t,” Peter breathed as he straightened his tunic.

“To hell with honor,” She frowned. “I command you to call me by my name.” She looked at him expectantly.

Peter swallowed thickly and shook his head softly. If the gods had willed her to be his, then he’d shout her name as loudly as he could. He’d say it to anyone who would hear and he’d whisper it to her over and over again until she was sick of hearing it. But the will of the gods was that her name was to be uttered by a stranger. A rueful prince who did not deserve to know her like he did.

“Peter...” She whispered with a hurt tone. “Please don’t shut me out. Not now.”

The knight cleared his throat and offered her his arm again, “Shall we continue to the ballroom highness? It seems we took a wrong turn.”

She examined his face for a minute longer before she accepted his arm again, “It would seem so, Ser Shawcross. Lead the way.”

He cracked the door and glanced down the hallway to find it empty. The couple slid out and quietly shut the door behind them again. Robin dug her fingernails into his tunic sleeve and she occasionally glanced up at her stoic knight. He was tall with short red hair. He had a light scar on his chin that ran a little over his lower lip. He looked brilliant in his formal uniform and his sword thunked against his left hip as they walked. He had been her knight since she was fourteen years old. He was sixteen at the time he was given the honors. It had been the gossip of the castle that the bastard son of a nobleman was now guarding Farlee’s only princess. It was true that Peter was a bastard, but he had given everything he had in service of the royal family. He was a full member of the Mercer’s palace guard and he had earned it.

It wasn’t long before the pair found themselves standing outside the grand double doors of the North-Wing Ballroom. The white doors were ornate with gold swirls and decorations of elegantly carved golden doves. Peter nodded to the two armored guards posted on either side of the door, “Her Royal Highness Princess Mercer to see Her Royal Highness the Queen.”

The two guards pressed their left hands to their chests and bowed at the neck at the princess before they moved to open the double doors. As they opened the ballroom, one of the guards announced her arrival.

Robin’s mother was standing with two of her advisers in the center of the ballroom. She was wearing a gold dress that sparkled with every move. A gold tiara sat atop her slightly graying hair that had been pulled back and draped straight down her back. There was a lot of activity in the ballroom as servants scrubbed the floors, men balanced on ladders to hang thick white and gold banners, and women wove flowers and ribbons into a grand arbor that sat before the ballroom’s tall and flawlessly clean windows.

Once the queen heard the announcement that her daughter had arrived, she turned swiftly and found Robin at the doors. “Robin!” She called and waved to the princess to head her direction with a white smile. “Come quickly!”

Robin grunted with deep annoyance before planting a smile on her face and detaching herself from her knight. She hurried over the white marble floors toward her mother. “You called for me, mother?”

“Yes, my dear.” The queen smiled as her daughter finally arrived at the center of the room. “I didn’t want you to feel like you had no say in this wedding, so I thought you would want to see the progress and change what you don’t like. Also, the tailors need to fit you again. You’ve grown a bit.” The queen motioned to the chest area and the princess blushed excessively.

“Mother,” Robin chided her mother quietly.

“There is no shame in being a woman, Robin.” The queen quirked her eyebrow at her daughter. “There is great pride and great strength in our attributes.”

The princess gulped thickly and decided against saying more to prevent her mother from beginning another one of her long rants about how womanhood was a great fortune and how to entice her new husband. It made her stomach churn at the thought of being married to a man she did not know or like. The very thought of the coming union made her sick.

The queen took her daughter by the arm and motioned for her two advisers to follow after them. She whisked her daughter toward the windows, “I know that roses are a bit cliche, but I simply couldn’t resist the white and red ones for the arbor. Do you like it?” Her mother brought her up to look at it up close. White and red roses were wrapped with whisps of gold silk and woven through the white towers of the arbor. Breezy white curtains hung from the top of the archway with intricate eagles and doves embroidered in gold. She nearly choked at the sight of the eagles dancing with doves. The eagle is the sigil of the Kyndas house, the house she was to marry into. A much more menacing bird that her house’s sigil; the dove.

The princess stayed silent as she stared at the golden eagle circling a golden dove. She forced herself to look away as tears threatened her eyes. “I’d like to go fit my dress now.”

The queen heaved a sigh before turning to her two male advisers, “I would like for everyone to leave us. I must speak with the princess alone.”

The advisers bowed with a left hand on their chest before they hurriedly ushered all the other servants and handymen out of the room. Robin caught Peter’s eye before he ducked through the door and she felt a melancholy ache in her chest. The man she loved more than words could describe had waited patiently for his princess as she planned her wedding to a man that was not him. She couldn’t bear to know how he must feel.

When the doors finally shut behind the last servant, the queen released her daughter and walked to the arbor to tenderly finger one of the roses. “Robin...” She released a frustrated breath, “I know you are not happy about this marriage, but you cannot openly show your distaste. Not in front of the servants. They will talk to the common people and sow doubt about this union. We cannot afford that.”

Robin scoffed and blinked at the tears gathering in her eyes, “Distaste? What a narrow definition for my feelings.” She crossed her arms and turned her eyes to look out the windows. “This wedding is how you and father want to show me your appreciation, is it?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” The queen turned her head sharply to look at her daughter.

Robin felt an angry bubble rise in her throat before she turned to look her mother in the face with hot tears that threatened to break free, “I have been a perfect daughter. A loyal princess to my country and people. I have inspired and provided charity. I perform all my duties despite their pettiness with the air of a royal. I have done everything you and father have ever asked me to do without complaint.” She felt a sob choke her as she tried and failed to fight it off, “So why are you marrying me off to Alexander Kyndas? Why am I being punished?”

The queen’s eyes softened as she heard the princess’ voice break as she forced the words out. “Robin...”

“Don’t!” The princess sharply cut in. “Please don’t give me the same pitiful answer you always do. I want to know the truth. I deserve to know.”

The queen watched her daughter cry for a moment longer and she felt guilty for putting her through this marriage. It was true that Robin is a beloved princess. The people of Farlee adore her so much that they hold a festival on her birthday every year. Not only is Princess Robin heartbroken to be married off, but the people of Farlee will miss their princess dearly. “This marriage is not a punishment, Robin. It is a political marriage, as are almost all royal marriages. You should know this.”

Robin wiped the tears that were beginning to fall and laughed weakly, “A political marriage to a false royal family? They are conquerors, mother. They lack any legitimacy. They are false royals that stole a crown in cold blood.”

“They are the monarchs of Kilwora, Robin.” The queen’s tone took a harsh turn. “You will treat them with as much respect as you would treat any other royal. Alexander is the crown prince and he has agreed to take your hand. Kilwora is a strong ally, Robin. We need them.” She analyzed how her daughter seemed to laugh at her words.

“That is a lie and we both know it, mother.” Robin rubbed her nose in angry mirth. “You are marrying me to that despicable man to prevent Kilwora from conquering us. We all know that we could not defeat them in a war.”

The queen’s eyes widened with anger as she closed the distance between the two women. The moment that Robin lifted her defiant eyes to meet her mother’s, the queen slapped her. “Robin Mercer,” The queen spoke coldly, “You lack faith in your country and your people. Do you doubt them so much that you believe they would be unable to defend their own homes and families?”

Robin stretched her aching jaw and placed her cool fingers against her stinging, wet cheek. Tears openly fell down her face now and she refused to meet her mother’s gaze again. “You don’t understand.”

“Don’t be such a child,” The queen scolded. “You are a woman now. Accept this marriage like any woman would. If I have to drag you to the altar kicking and screaming, so help me gods, I will do it. Do not bring shame on this house.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” Robin spat and turned her cold eyes back to her mother. “You got to marry the good prince of Farlee. He was handsome, kind, generous, and he was inheriting this amazing, beautiful kingdom!” Robin stood up straight and motioned to the grand ballroom, “Look at this luxury, mother. We live on a beautiful coast with warm weather and happy people. Our people are kind and lovely. Do you know anything about Kilwora?”

The queen watched as her daughter’s grief began to show it’s true colors. She knew Robin was hurting about this marriage, but did not anticipate this level of anger. She felt a deep guilt and sympathy for the princess.

“They live in the Killian Mountains, mother. They live in the bitter cold for eight months every year. Their land has no flowers, no kind people, no sunshine. Only snow and anger. I will not fit in to Khaizu. The people in that city will only see me as a ocean-loving foreigner. They have no love for me like Farlee does.” Robin felt a deep anger beginning to peek through as she ranted at her mother. Her cheek stung but the pain was nothing compared to the pain inside her chest. “Why couldn’t I marry a nobleman? Or a knight? I’m not the crown royal so my marriage is less important than Nathaniel’s. He gets to marry whoever he likes! Why am I the only one being treated like this?”

The queen held her stoic gaze, “The answer to that question is obvious, Robin. You are a woman. You will marry who you are told, no matter the consequence. You will go where you are told and you will rule as Queen Robin Kyndas, just as you have been told.” Robin’s mother knew she was twisting the knife, but the act was necessary. She needed to drive the point home. “It is time that you accept this. You will no longer be a Mercer. You will be Alexander’s queen someday and it is important that you are loyal to him and that you support him. Behind every good king-”

“Is a queen that gives him all her strength,” Robin finished the phrase bitterly. “I cannot love that prince, mother. I will not.”

The queen sighed, “Perhaps not. But you will pretend to.”

Robin showed the queen her back and wiped away the tears. “I still don’t understand why it has to be him.”

The queen considered the question for a moment, “It is an important alliance. We need them as much as they need us. Marrying you to the Kilworan prince provides legitimacy to the Kyndas royal claim and we both need each other’s strength to fend off the Northern Force. When those men return, we will need all the combined strength we can find.”

Robin knew very little about the Northern Force other than the fact that they were insurmountably strong warriors. A small number of them could wipe out an army triple their size. They had wiped out the entire country of Abren in six months before they vanished once more on their pointed ships, leaving the entire country to rot.

“That all seems to be convenient for Kilwora,” Robin spat out the country’s name. “What does Farlee get out of this?”

“An incredibly strong ally and many generations of friendship between us. It is vital that this marriage goes well, Robin. You will have to learn to be this man’s queen and the mother to his children.” The queen cast serious eyes on her daughter’s back.

“Enough!” Robin shouted and turned toward the door. “This conversation is over, mother. Plan whatever wedding you want,” She kicked a stack of roses cross the marbled floor, “I want no part of it.”

“Robin Mercer,” Her mother started with a strict tone.

The princess ignored the beginnings of her mother’s command and hurried toward the balcony doors. They were the shortest exit and she couldn’t bear to look at her knight at the moment. Her heart broke at the thought of him seeing her tears. She threw open the doors, startling the guards on the other side before she began down the steps to the courtyard, taking two at a time. The sound of her sandals hitting the stone stairs as she ran wasn’t enough to conceal her sniffles. She ducked her head, trying to hide her despair as she found herself in the courtyard. She ran across the grassy patch toward the stables, hoping a long run on horseback would help her relieve some of the emotions stirring within her.

The servants and guards that were meandering in the courtyard all watched as their princess hurried down the stone paths toward the royal stables. They all knew why she was running and they all felt her tears. There was no shortage of pity among them all for their royal princess. They knew her troubles and her confusion.

They didn’t waste a moment saddling her grey horse on her command, praying that her ride would bring her some acceptance and peace. There was concern about her riding on her own, so one of the servants went in search of her knight but found her royal brother instead.

By the time the prince arrived at the stable doors, Robin was already mounted on her horse. Her wet eyes found her brothers for a brief moment before panic and embarrassment washed over her. She kicked her heels into her horse hard and raced out the doors toward the forest path that led out of the castle keep.

Nathaniel watched warily as his sister fled and turned to the stable master, “Saddle my horse. Quickly. I am worried about my sister.”

The servants hurried to work again, throwing the saddle over his white destrier. Even with the delay, Nathaniel had no doubt that he would overtake his sister’s filly in record time. He slipped on his riding gloves with ease and exchanged his shoes for his riding boots. As he waited on the stable servants to finish, he considered his sister.

He loved his sister but she was a fool. She was blind by fairy tales that Farlee’s people tell about her beauty. Yes, she was an indisputably beautiful princess, but she was not above the commands of their father’s wishes. He was embarrassed that she was causing such an upset over her marriage but he was still somewhat thankful that the Kilworan prince had not arrived yet to see it for himself. That would be a great shame on the Mercer house.

“Your Royal Highness,” A young man offered his hands as a foot-up for the prince. “We have readied your horse.”

Nathaniel nodded his thanks before he waved the servant away and climbed atop the horse on his own. “I’ll be off.” He trotted from the stable, holding off on a gallop until he was safely away. Once he found himself at full speed, the warm Farlee wind pulled at his dark hair and his golden sword thumped painfully against his unarmored thigh. His horse ran frighteningly fast as he stormed through the keep’s gates and rode toward the thin forest that lined their warm coastline. He had ridden with Robin since they were children so he had a good idea of which way she might go.

When he was met with a fork in the road, he turned away from the cobblestones and toward an uphill dirt path. His horse heaved as it hurried up the slope and Nathaniel was pleased with himself when he caught sight of fresh hoof prints. He ducked under low hanging branches from the tropical trees and continued riding hard once the path flattened out again.

“Hyah!” He barked as the white horse pressed on, “Come on, we can catch her!” The white horse’s tail billowed beautifully as they went headlong in pursuit of the princess. The prince was prepared when the path curved to the left sharply, pulling hard on the reigns to slow the huge animal down. He knew that it would take another sharp turn again as man and horse began another ascent. It felt like they were running in a zigzag as they made their way up the small mountain that hugged Farlee’s capital city.

They were nearly at the top when Nathaniel caught sight of a grey and blue blur passing through the trees above them. He felt a second wind and willed it into his destrier as they began their official pursuit. He knew why she was running away from him but he didn’t care at the moment. He just knew that he wanted to catch her.

He and his massive horse rounded the next left but was caught off guard to find his sister and her horse standing in the path, staring the galloping pair down. Both the princess and her mare were out of breath and shiny with sweat. The blue dress that Robin was wearing was torn on the bottom and her brown hair was falling out of her braid. She glared at her brother with a fierce look in her eye, “What do you want?”

He pulled hard to stop his horse in time and found himself holding on tightly as it reared and bellowed. He was not only irritated that she was stopped in the middle of the path with full knowledge that he was racing behind her, but he was also irritated that she stopped before he could catch her. “Robin!” He snapped angrily, “I could have run you down!”

“But here I am,” She patted her horse’s neck. “What do you want? Why are you chasing me?”

Nathaniel reeled his restless horse in a tight circle and gave her a hard look, “I thought you might be running away.”

His sister laughed aloud at this with a mocking note, “By myself? With just my horse?”

He eyed her warily, “Well perhaps that knight of yours is waiting for you in these woods somewhere.” He glanced around in the trees with a frown on his face.

“Peter?” She replied innocently. “You cannot be serious with that accusation, Nate.”

Nathaniel finally managed to settle his horse and he gave her an intense look, “Don’t be naive, Robin. I’m well aware of your relationship with Ser Shawcross. The entire castle staff is privy to it. It doesn’t take much to get them to fess up to it.”

It was now the princess’ turn to frown, “Enlighten me, then. What exactly is my relationship with Ser Shawcross?”

“Don’t make me say it, Robin.” He shook his head and looked away from her face. “It is not fitting for a royal princess.”

Robin gulped quietly and tried to look angry, “Why are you following me, really? You ought to know by now that if I wanted to run away, I would have already done so.”

Nathaniel breathed a heavy sigh. To be honest, he wasn’t particularly sure why he had followed her. The servants had told him she needed an escort, but these woods were exceptionally safe, even for a royal princess riding on her own. “I suppose I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I know this has been a troubling time for you.”

Robin felt a bubble of laughter involuntarily escape her lips, “Troubling time? Do you have any idea what any of this is like for me, Nate?” The tears that had dried during her ride were beginning to return. “Do you know what it is like to have your entire life taken away from you?”

He stared at her with a stoney gaze, “Robin...”

“Don’t pretend to pity me like our mother does. I thought you of all the people in this family would be honest with me.” Robin knotted her hands in the mane of her mare. “None of you could possibly understand what it feels like being sold to a brute. A horrible man that conquers and will inevitably rule with an unmerciful fist. I can only imagine how he will treat me.”

Nathaniel did in fact pity his sister and he felt her pain as she spilled her unfiltered thoughts. “I have met Prince Alexander once before.” He shifted in his saddle and regarded her, “Would you like me to tell you about him?”

The princess looked up sharply to meet her brother’s somber gaze. “When?”

“When I attended Samuel Pratt’s coronation. He was in attendance in place of his father, just like I was.” Nathaniel tried to recall the royal prince that would inherit Kilwora. “He has blonde hair and he is a rather average man in size and weight. He was rather gruff and serious. He snubbed me when I tried to introduce myself.”

Robin hung on every word he said, “Did you speak to him at all? What is he like?” She needed to know the truth. She needed to be sure that he truly was the heartless man she had heard he was.

“I did,” Nathaniel nodded. “He was dismissive and ill-mannered. He lacked elegance and he spoke bluntly. A rude man, I’m afraid. He is... Well, he is not a typical prince.”

“I knew it!” Robin grit her teeth and shook her head. “How am I supposed to love a man of such a character?”

Nathaniel watched her fret for a moment before cutting in, “Well, I did notice that his knights were blindly loyal to him. Unquestioningly so, in fact. They advised him well throughout the time we were in Eshax. He was young at the time, just like I was. Surely he has relaxed in the years since King Samuel’s coronation.”

Robin scoffed, “I believe it is safe to assume not, Nate. Everything I’ve heard about this man says that he is a cold and aggressive man. I’ve heard that his is impatient, mean, and unable to please. How can I love a man who would treat his people like that? And what about me? Will he treat me the same way? Will I ever truly be a queen or just a figurehead?”

“Those questions are too complex now, Robin,” Nathaniel tried to soothe her. “Try not to pass judgement until you have met him for yourself.” He inched his horse closer to her so he could look her in the eye and wipe a tear from her cheek. “Do you hear the horns?”

Robin shook her head away from the back of her brother’s hand and listened to the faint sound of the castle gate horns. “Is he already here?”

“It would seem that is the case,” The prince turned his horse around. “We had better ride for the keep now. It would be uncouth to keep the Kyndas house waiting long.”

Robin felt her heart leap into her throat and suddenly the urge to ride far away on her grey mare was stronger than it has ever been. “He’s here?” Her voice sounded hollow. Her betrothed was here, in her home city, to marry her. The weight of the marriage was finally settling on her shoulders. It was going to happen whether she wanted it to or not and her heart finally broke. The only face on her mind was Peter’s as she realized that she would never be able to be with the man she truly loved.

“Robin,” Nathaniel watched her for a moment, ready to give chase if she took off. “Let’s go meet Alexander, alright?”

Robin felt a stone settle in her stomach and she wiped her face clean of emotion. She lazily kicked at her horse, leading the way back to the castle. She didn’t say a word as she passed her brother, she simply tried to turn her heart off entirely.