Prologue
Corridors are long, endless, and almost never-ending; the sound of heels hitting the marble floors is loud but the screaming of tutors is even louder, they call out to a princess who runs with an unstoppable purpose. “Princess!” The cries of the tutors only make her run faster, towards the entrance of the castle where the horns that announce the return of her parents are sounding.
Hair that is frizzy and untameable blurs her vision at times but she pushes it out of the way. Huffing and puffing as she bursts through large doors that show her the endless stairs heading down to a bridge that is only opened for new arrivals.
“Princess Redallis.” The hand of Payton, her uncle, rests on top of Redallis’ shoulder, keeping her from running down the stairs. “You will shame your mother and father if you run down there dressed as a boy, dirty, and without your crown.” His eyes are the color of blueberries and hair the color of corn.
“Princess!” Redallis turns to her fat-bellied teacher, and to her teacher with the largest breasts in the kingdom. The fat-bellied one is, Ferris, and the one with humongous breasts is Jillian. She is red-faced and reaches out to grab Redallis’ by her hand, pulling tightly and glaring. “I’ve had it with you, you little brat.” Her words come out harsh and Redallis does the thing she’s seen her uncle do to disrespectful people.
Her spit hits Jillian in her right eye, causing her to gasp, no scream leaves her because the loud sound of hooves keeps everyone quiet. The silence is deafening and Redallis only continues to glare at Jillian, panting heavily and trying to pull herself out of her uncle's grasp.
“We get no greetings from our long journey?” Her father is questioning why his daughter has not turned to greet them. The tight grasp Jillian has on Redallis keeps her from turning.
“My King, the princess is supposed to be finishing her lessons with Ferris.” Payton is talking, Jillian is reaching out to take the princess. “The tutors were running after her since she left when she heard the horn.” Payton slaps away Jillian’s hand and then turns Redallis to face her parents. “She’s been a bit naughty since the two of you left.” Redallis can feel the yelling she’ll get later tonight from her uncle for spitting at Jillian.
“Naughty?” Her mother speaks, Redallis looks away from her even though she knows her eyes aren’t on her yet. “Why is she naughty?”
“Sister,” Payton speaks to the Queen now, not as his queen but as his older sister. “My niece is the embodiment of the both of you, a rebel who does not listen to her elders.” Payton turns to Jillian. “Just now she spit on her tutor’s face, and she bullies poor Ferris during her training.” He sighs, patting Redallis on her head. “And as you can see she refuses to have her hair combed, dress like a lady, and wear her crown.”
“Redallis,” Redallis looks up at her father who has a frown on his face, “Why did you spit on Jillian?”
“Because she’s a dumb ninny who is always leaving me to read books while she lets Jacko put his face against her freakishly large melons!” She turns from her parents and points to Ferris, as if it is normal for her to let them know what is wrong. “And he thinks I can’t fight-”
“Enough!” The queen stops the talking of her eight-year-old, she looks down at her daughter who is much bigger than before. Nearly eight years since they left for the war, and she can’t help but be the least bit glad that her daughter does not see her as a stranger but as who she is, her mother. “I thought we had made it clear her tutors would be Damon and Chrysalis, where are they?”
“Chrysalis has just birthed a set of twins, she is in no condition to be teaching.” Payton can’t help but sigh in frustration. “Damon had to deal with something that I can not discuss out in the open.” A maid arrives, taking Redallis by her hand and whispering in her ear. A giggle leaves her and she turns to Payton.
“Portia has invited me to her home, may I go?” A shock runs through the queen, she has yet to get off her horse, her daughter seemed eager to rush here but she is ready to leave so quickly.
Payton looks to the queen, seeing how her hands are tight around the horse’s reins. Her lips are in a frown and eyebrows furrowed together. His elder sister is clearly upset. “Not today, we’ve waited for many days and nights for your mother and father to return. Now is not the time for you and her to sneak off and get into trouble.” His niece pouts, her shoulder slump instantly and she nods slowly. “Go get cleaned up and meet us in your parent’s room.”
Payton watches as his niece runs off, the heels of her boots click on the floor loudly, black curls are flowing behind her as she runs off. He has come to see her as his own child, having been left with the responsibility of the kingdom and his sister’s child when the war began all those years ago.
“Sister,” Payton turns to his sister who he looks just like. Although she is far more feminine than himself, he was given good looks but they are not as defined and girlish as hers. He turns to her husband, his king, and his brother. He is manly but the curls on his head make him seem younger than what he is, those dark brown eyes of his have always looked fearsome. “the both of you should get cleaned up as well, I’ll have the maids set up a private feast in your room so you can speak to Red on your own. We can talk about Damon’s departure afterward.”
“I don’t want to wear a dress.”
“You must,” Emmy, the head maid assigned to care for Redallis replies. “You want your ma and pa to see you as beautiful as possible, don’t you?”
“I am beautiful in pants and shirts!” Redallis twirls, her loose top flows slightly before Emmy groans.
“If I allow this then we must fix your hair.” Redallis nods, tucking her shirt in and fixing the cuffs of her shirt. Her boots are keeping her pants tucked in nicely and she smiles at the sight. No dresses meant it was easier for her to sneak off with Portia, the daughter of the stable master who lived by the castle walls, heading away from the great big sea.
“Will you make them into buns?” She loved when Emmy shaped her hair into perfect buns but she especially detests the pain of her pulling her hair up so tight so that her hair won’t fall out easily. She smiles when she hears Emmy sigh heavily.
“When you eat with your ma and pa you have to be on best behavior,” Emmy sounds worried. “no cursing like you do with the men after your lessons and no rushing to eat so you can run off with Portia and go into town to play with those boys.”
“We don’t go to town!” Redallis can’t help but shout in her defense. “The boys come to us.” Redallis can’t help but screech as Emmy smacks her bum lightly. “Emmy!”
“Don’t be so proud that those boys come to you, Red.” Redallis laughs as she stands up and rushes to the door. “Come back here, you need your crown!” Redallis grins up at Emmy who is holding the darned crown in her hand. Redallis snatches it from Emmy’s hand before running off again, heading straight for the stables hoping Portia hasn’t headed home yet.
Corridors are long and endless, but as the sun starts shining she knows she is close to the stables. Ready to head to Portia’s home. The sun is gone, replaced by the shadow of her uncle’s figure that is stopped in the middle of her path. “Where do you think you are going, Red?” She stops, breathing heavily and trying to focus on getting her breathing back to normal.
Lie. “I was going to let Portia know I cannot go to her home.” Her uncle approaches her, resting his hand on her shoulders and turning her around.
“I already let Portia know you cannot go,” Redallis can’t help the way her shoulder slouch and the disappearance of her joyous mood. “I know you’ve missed her terribly since you’ve been confined to this castle for boring lessons. I promise you that you will be glad you’ve gone to this dinner, your mother and father are far more fun.”
“They didn’t even get off their horses to hug me,” Redallis can’t help but remember their brief encounter. “and neither of them defended me when you said I’m naughty.”
“I’m sure they were in shock to see how much you’ve changed.” Payton looks down at the girl who is a copy of her father with those curls and his stubborn attitude. “That is why they’ve requested a private dinner, one for just the three of you. They have missed you just as much as you’ve missed them.”
Redallis sighs loudly, before handing her crown to her uncle and waiting for him to place it on her. “I guess you’re right.” She stops at the door of her parent’s room, it is just down the hall from her own room. The doors match with their burgundy color and gold door handles.
Payton smiles at his niece, getting on his knees as he fixes the gold crown onto her head, combing back her baby hair that sticks out. He stares into her hazel eyes and pinches her rosy cheeks. “I am always right.” He smiles at the big grin on her face before she embraces him in a tight hug. “Enjoy yourself with your parents, sweet Red.”
“I will if they have all my favorites.”
The table is filled with all her favorites, the maids give secret smiles to Redallis who is always playing in their station or rushing to their separate quarters in the castle grounds. Her favorite maid, Helga, hands her a plate with extra sauce. Redallis squirms in her seat, feeling it odd to see her mother and father before her.
“Redallis,” She remembers her mother’s voice much softer than what it is now. “your uncle tells me that you do not like wearing dresses.” Redallis picks up her fork the second she sees her mother pick up her own fork, letting Redallis know it is fine to eat now.
“Makes me slow,” Redallis speaks between bites, raising her other hand to push up her crown that always slips. “Damon says I need to be fast.” She finishes her plate of pasta, picking up the plate and licking off the sauce, a sauce so good she groans.
“Princess!” Helga rushes around the table, taking the plate from Redallis who frowns. A loud groan leaves her as Helga cleans her face with a towel. “You aren’t with Portia or the men. Did Emmy forget to tell you to act like a lady? Chrysalis will be disappointed to know you forgot all her lessons.”
“Why do you think you can speak to her that way?” The queen talks with a rage inside of her that she never thought could exist. Her jealousy creates a wave of anger in her that burns so violently, violently because she cannot tell her daughter what to do and not do. She knows nothing about the girl in front of her. Redallis is up before Helga can say anything, her hands slam on the table and she has pushed her chair back with a force that knocks it over.
“She is my friend.” Redallis glares at her mother, so many other nobles treat the maids and the rest of the help so horribly. “Every single servant in this castle is my friend and they can talk to me however they want and no one is allowed to be mean to them or they will-.”
“Redallis!” Payton’s voice echoes in the room, he can’t help but feel a great stress coming over him. He knows Redallis’ nature and the nature of her parents will cause problems, especially since they have been gone for far too long. “Who do you think you are to threaten the king and queen?”
“I know who I am, I am Redallis the abandoned daughter of Eden and Marcus Night. King and Queen of Polaris a kingdom they abandoned to fight in a war that had nothing to do with us. ” Redallis sneers the words out, resting her hand over the silverware waiting for her uncle to say another word.
“You are just a girl-” Hands move without thought, flinging the fork right at her uncle who ducks just in time.
“I am not just a girl.” She picks up the knife, waiting for his next words.
“We didn’t abandon you, Redallis.” Her father, his voice sounds the same, caring and loving like always. “You were so young when the war started-”
“A war that didn’t involve us.”
“A war that would have come to this kingdom if we didn’t get involved.” Her mother’s voice comes out in a shout, a shout that causes the cries of a baby to sound.
Silence is embodied everywhere, the only thing heard are the cries of a child. Redallis watches as her mother stands up, heading to a small bed beside their own bed. Lifting up a child that looks almost four or five years old. She cradles the child, whispering to it in that soft voice that Redallis remembers. The loud sound of silver falling to the floor has heads turning to Redallis who takes a step back.
All this time she longed for her parents to return, to be the same but they are different their love has shifted. “We were going to tell you.” Her mother speaks softly but Redallis ignores her, grabbing the crown from her head and throwing it to the ground.
“I’m going to visit Chrysalis.” Her words are quick, she turns to Helga. “can you please ready the gift I have for Chrysalis and pack some of this food as well.” Redallis wants her mother to hurt. “I want to share the rest of my meal with the woman who has cared for me as her daughter when my parents abandoned me, and I wish to be there for her since dear Damon was sent away to work for a king and queen who could care less about the fact that his wife has just birthed twins.” Redallis walks away with her chin up high, remembering everything Chrysalis taught her about making an exit.
Never appear weak, always make a statement, and always have the last word.
Payton looks to Eden, watching the way her eyes linger on the door, tears stream down her face and she holds her newborn son tightly. She has always been an emotional girl, even though she is a seasoned warrior.
“She’ll come around, Eden.” Marcus stands up, heading over to Eden and taking hold of their son who was born on their journey back to Polaris. A boy who was born sickly and who does not seem as strong as his daughter, a girl who cried, kicked, and screamed. While she was born fat, he was born skinny. While she was deemed healthy, he was deemed ill.
“Redallis is much like the both of you,” Payton walks towards them, looking to his nephew who he heard barely made the journey here. “She wants to fight like her mother, and she curses just as much as her father. She is smart, strong, and has a big heart,” Payton pauses, taking his sister’s hand and holding it tight. “She never understood why you both left without her and with Damon and Chrysalis both away it is making everything hard for her.”
Eden sniffs loudly, trying to compose herself as she wipes her tears and smiles at her brother gently. “You will tell us everything there is to know about her, will you not?” Payton nods, before setting down maps of various kingdoms. “before that I must tell you why Damon is not here.”
No more loving tones and tears, the room has been emptied since the departure of the princess and the three of them are left alone. “Several kingdoms have had their royal children attacked, someone has been making several attempts to kidnap them but none have succeeded. At first, it was believed that it was the beginning of another war but when all the advisors began communicating they realized that similar attacks were being made.”
“Was there an attempt here?” Marcus is looking at the map, counting the tallies of how many attacks per kingdom. Three are over Polaris.
“Yes,” Payton feels the heat of shame rise in his cheeks. “but Redallis was not aware of any of them. She is watched, constantly and only two maids know where her real room is. I took measures to have different maids clean and prep many different rooms every morning and night. The three times they attacked the intruders found nothing.”
“What of the intruders then?” Eden feels a worry rise in her chest, her eyes on the map and her heart breaks for the kingdom of Jahad. Nearly twenty attacks.
“They killed themselves as soon as the guards got hold of them, they drink a poison.” Payton lays down another map and the tallies are far greater now. “Shortly after the kingdoms realized that none of these attacks were to start a war the advisors began realizing that the children of nobles and poor families were being taken. The most have been from Jahad, Damon was headed there to see if he could successfully find the base of whoever is doing this.”
“Jahad has the most attacks, meaning whoever is responsible is close to there.”
“They are in between Jahad and Polaris.” Eden frowns as her husband speaks, her eyes move to the new map and she gasps. “Polaris has had just as many attacks as Jahad.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Eden pushes the second map away, staring at the first. “Why have they made fewer attempts to attack Redallis but more against the royal children of Jahad?”
“I am sure whoever is behind this watches the children.” Damon brought this to Payton’s attention. “Jahad’s advisor, Luther, compared the attacks against the royal children of Jahad with ours. Their intruders carried fewer weapons, and fewer restraints. The three that came here carried double the amount of weapons and restraints.”
Payton sets down the count of the weapons and restraints from the Jahad intruders and the Polaris intruders. “They’ve had eighteen attacks, but each attack was two people, and each person carried two knives, ropes, and cloth. We’ve had three attacks but it was a group of six, and each of them carried knives, arrows, chains, ropes, and cloth.”
Payton places the last paper he has to show his sister and his king. “The three royal children of Jahad have a schedule, they train only to learn the etiquettes required of royals.” He points to Redallis’ schedule. “Red has been training in etiquette, hand to hand combat, swordsmanship, battle tactics, and before Damon left he was beginning to teach her his art of thievery.”
“She was only supposed to learn archery!” Eden can’t help the shocked cry that leaves her.
“Marcus told me to make her lethal.” Eden looks to Marcus, her eyes wide and lips part in shock.
“I told him to do it because we left not knowing when this war was going to end,” Marcus remembers the day they left, how much his heart ached to leave their daughter. “I wanted her to be able to be strong without us in case we never came back.”
“What are we going to do about this, Payton?” Marcus looks to Payton, realizing how he has become a man and is no longer a boy.
“We can start by ensuring that no more nobles or citizens have their children taken from them.” Payton rubs the bridge of his nose. “We can only continue to do everything we can to try and figure out who is doing this. We can only solve this problem until we know who it is we have to kill.”
