Colette stuck out her tongue. “Says the princess who can’t break a simple binding curse with her Kiss.”
Robin went red and pursed her lips. Robin was also my half sister, and Colette’s elder full sister. She looked more like our mother with her dark hair and eyes. Unlike Clover and me—we took after our father. After he died in battle, shortly after I was born, the Council assigned our Mother a new breeding partner, and Colette and Robin were born. They were not direct descendants, though, because of their father’s bloodline.
“It’s late.” I gestured at the stars and crescent moon out my window. “Why are you two not in bed?”
Robin rolled her eyes. “Colette wanted to see you. I told her you were fine.”
Colette glared at her sister. “What about you-know-who?”
I sighed. “His name is Kellian, sister. And while I’ll miss him, losing a partner is nothing new.” Again, pain needled its way into my chest. It certainly wasn’t new.
Five partners lost. The shame and guilt were almost too much.
All had been killed in battle. They’d been overwhelmed by beasts, as if they’d had targets on their backs. It had been as if the monsters knew they were the strongest and needed to be taken down first.
My Kiss was to blame for that.
After my third partner had died from two griffins’ talons ripping him to bloody ribbons, I had collapsed before Master Gelloren, sobbing into his lap.
“Why, Master?” I’d said. “Why does this keep happening?”
He had stroked my hair gently, letting me cry, something the Kings and Queens would never have let me do. No weakness. Not ever. “Your Kiss has great power, my dear. It contains the Mark of Myriana. Monsters and curses will always be naturally drawn to its power and seek to destroy it first.”
I’d felt nothing but despair. Was that it, then? Were all my partners doomed to carry that mark and its strength and suffer for it?
Maybe Kellian had been strong enough, but now I would never know. He was gone, too. As much as the guilt of losing him weighed me down, I knew it was the Forces who had destroyed my princes—the Forces who deserved to be slaughtered like the monsters they were. And it was the Wicked Queen, the Mother of all those awful creatures, who deserved to crumble to dust—like she would have a long time ago, if not for her unnatural dark power.
“We…we just wanted to see if you were okay,” Colette said, pulling me out of the memories threatening to drown me.
“I am.” I swallowed, forcing a smile “I will be.”
Robin grinned. “Especially now that new meat is on its way to Myria.”
“Of course you heard.” I rolled my eyes.
“We also heard a certain prince is already picked out just for you,” Robin said in a singsong voice.
“Yes, well, I do need another partner and—”
Robin waved away my words. “I mean, haven’t you heard all the rumors about him?”
“What are you going on about?” I fiddled with a loose thread on the pillow.
She abandoned her chair, hopping on my bed next to Colette. “The Swordsman Prince!”
I just stared at her.
Robin sighed in exasperation. “By the wind wisps, sister! You really need to listen to the dinner talk more. There’s a new Royal among the Saevallans who’s supposed to be the best fighter the four kingdoms have seen in over half a century! He’s young but extremely powerful. People say he’s already taken down a troll’s lair—by himself!”
I shrugged. “That’s not too impressive.”
“No, Ivy, he was by himself. There was no princess—no Kiss. Rumor is he’s never had a partner before.”
I laughed. “That’s the most preposterous thing I’ve ever heard. There’s no way a Royal without a Kiss can defeat five trolls by himself.”
Robin blushed, no doubt realizing how ridiculous she sounded.
Not wanting to hurt her feelings, I grabbed Robin’s hands and squeezed them. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if it were true, though? Imagine a man that strong without magic. Imagine what he could do with a Kiss…” I lunged for Colette and tickled her sides. “Take down the Evil Mother herself!”
Colette squealed and laughed, pushing Robin between us.
Robin grinned. “There’d be no one like him in all the kingdoms. He’d be a perfect partner for you.”
Colette peeked out from behind Robin. “Plus, I bet he’s got muscles for days.”
At that, I lost it, dissolving into a fit of giggles.
“It’s all muscles with you, Lettie.” Robin swatted Colette with a pillow. “He’s probably tall, to have taken down trolls.”
“Why? You can be short and take down trolls!”
“Everyone knows trolls’ necks are the weakest, and that’s the best way to kill them. How can someone short reach their necks?” Robin argued back.
“They could hop!” Colette protested.
“Oh, would all their leg muscles help them hop?”
“Girls!” I broke free from my laughter and wrapped them both in my arms. It was moments like these when I was thankful I had them in my life. They’d been able to coax a laugh out of me on a day such as this one. “You’re talking about my future partner. Now get to bed—both of you. And don’t forget your prayers.”
They hugged me good night, and when they got to the door, Robin paused. “Whether it’s true or not what people say about him, the Mages are considering him for your new partner.” With that, she shut the door behind her, and I was left chuckling to myself at the idea of my new partner being able to take down a troll’s lair “by himself” and having “muscles for days.” Even though they were surely exaggerated, the rumors gave me hope for victorious battles to come…but the rest was only childish imagination.
…
The next morning, I opened the door on Bromley’s third knock, and his brown eyes lit with recognition at my attire.
I had exchanged my tunic and boots for my Royal Legion dress and charcoal gray cloak. The gown was made of fine cream fabric with gold thread entwining in intricate designs along the hem and sleeves, with a golden Royal crest over my left breast. In meeting the Saevallan Royals, I had to look the part of Myria’s finest.
“Good morning, Brom,” I said, stepping into the hallway. The sunrise coming in from the eastern bay windows made the gold piping glitter.
“Good morning, princess.” He eyed my fine cloak then glanced at my red-brown curls that were, as usual, wound into a tight bun. “You look very nice, but you do realize they’re not here yet, right?”
I ruffled his honey-colored hair. “When they arrive I don’t want to rush to change. Now, why are you grumpy this morning?”
Brom dodged my hand, his cheeks tinged pink. “I’m not grumpy. I just don’t see why you’re so eager for another partner.”
I pulled him close, his cheek pressed against my shoulder. “You know why,” I told him softly. When I held him like this, it was like we were kids again, both aching for comfort and safety, and finding it in each other’s arms.
Brom said nothing as he pulled away. He was probably the only person within these castle walls, with the exception of Master Gelloren, who knew how badly I craved battle. How badly I wanted to find the Wicked Queen and end this war with my magic.
I didn’t know if it was possible for the magic of one Royal pair to take down the legendary Mother of the Forces, who’d somehow managed to elude our people for nearly five hundred years, but it was an ambition I’d had since I was young. Find her. Defeat her. Stop her from producing these monsters. Stop us from sending children off to war and forcing them to grow up too fast. But she had dark powers that were beyond imagination—powers that had kept her alive far longer than was natural.
I’d once told Brom, when we were both very young, the reason behind my ambition. I’d never regretted telling him, but it was a personal secret that made me feel vulnerable.
“I do know why.” His voice was so low I barely heard him. “You won’t get her approval, though. Even if you win. I had hoped you’d already realized that yourself, that maybe your reason had changed—”
I looked back at him sharply. “Too far, my friend.”