It happened sometimes. Those crippled by the madness were prone to acting out in violence. This was one of the reasons why the Fateless were often… silenced… by the province guards. The Fateless were too dangerous to be allowed to live, and while Hasley found that difficult to stomach, she understood it.
That is, she did until recently. But she pushed that thought aside. This morning she was angry, not sad and confused. She was not going to focus on her own concerns when her best friend was revealed to be the missing princess.
The Dragon Daughter had been missing for sixteen years, stolen from the newly minted Dragon Queen's birthing bed. Despite the many years that have passed, Karwyn Dragon Queen and her consort, Jedoriah Knight, were not blessed with another heir to Ashkadance's throne.
Hasley hadn't thought too much about it, unlike other citizens. She instead focused on her future, rather than that of the crown. Their god Mutrien and goddess Aaleia would not leave the throne without a ruler, she had reasoned, so she didn't need to worry.
And apparently, she was right. Ember was the heir. Her best friend was a princess in hiding and Hasley didn't know.
Hasley wanted to kick herself. She had been worried all night, thinking something terrible must have befallen her friend. Instead, notices were passed out at dawn and pasted on every building to spread the happy news. The princess was found, alive, and had been in Firetop under the name Ember Julimore.
How could she not have told her?
The crumbled notice fell to the floor.
Amlin Jeweler walked into the back room, the door slamming behind him. Wherever he went, he made plenty of noise. His default was a shuffling walk that spoke of disinterest. Today he walked faster, his intent leaving loud and purposeful steps.
“Did you know this?” he asked Hasley in an accusational tone, as if she were tainted by a secret she didn’t know. His yellow eyes squinted and his skin appeared burnt from recent sun exposure.
“I-I…” Hasley struggled to find the words.
Her anger simmered and she instead felt drowned in dread. How did Ember’s true identity impact her purpose apprenticeship here? Amlin controlled whether or not she would receive her purpose name as a Jeweler. She had been working towards this for a year and it could all tumble down.
Nothing was going according to plan. She would get an apprenticeship, get her purpose name, move out, get fated, and open her own shop with Ember. Ember would do all the actual jewelry-making, as Hasley always knew. But with this big mysterious moment before her, Hasley realized without Ember’s talent, was she anything at all?
Why did Ember keep this from her? Her hurt bubbled to the surface. She wasn’t truly angry, Hasley knew. She was heartbroken and mourning a future she thought they had together as friends.
Hasley ran from the confrontation, making her way passed the market and to the inns. Bounding down the street, she felt her feet hit stone as if it were her heart. She hastily pulled up her blue hair as it whipped around her. If Ember was still here, as the other workers on the street had been gossiping this morning, maybe she could fix this, somehow.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand,” Hasley muttered to herself as she ran, answering unvoiced questions.
When she reached the inns, she saw there were dozens of people already gathered at the end of the street. She could only get five people deep, pushing between them to see guards in purple holding everyone back. The street was blocked off and she pleaded with them to let her through. Grumbles came from behind her over her rude interruption of their own gawking.
Were they ever friends? Why was she hiding for so long? Did Ember not trust Hasley?
She wasn’t who she thought. She was the royal heir. And Hasley had no idea. Hasley wasn’t trusted. Hasley was alone. How could she compare to the future Queen?
To the wall… A voice whispered in her mind.
“Not now!” Hasley screamed and the guard she had been pleading with a moment prior looked to her annoyed.
Over the guard’s shoulder, the street was clear save for two anchoris pulled carriages. Figures far away walked towards them. Hasley lost her breath as she recognized one of the figures as Ember, unmistakable with her black hair reflecting the sheen of a rainbow in the sunlight.
“Ember!” Hasley screamed, desperate to break from the crowd.
Her best friend did not turn around. Instead, she entered the carriage without a second glance. As the carriages rolled away, Hasley fell to the floor in a heap. She wanted to cry and admit she was alone, letting her self-pity take over. But on the floor, she saw an opening and crawled around the guard's feet. Hasley pumped her legs as hard as she could down the street, two guards hot on her heels, but she was too late.
The carriages were already further than she could reach. Hasley stopped running and took one long sobbing breath. The future she thought she had with her best friend rolled away in an elegantly drawn carriage.
Two
Rocks in Reality
Eleven Years Ago
“I love going to school, Momma,” Hasley said with a smile. She skipped between her and her dad, holding their hands and swinging them back and forth.
“That’s wonderful, little darling,” Hasley’s mom, Mayree said.
“What’s your favorite part about it?” Her father, Clove, asked.
“I love having a friend. Ember is silly, but I like her,” Hasley replied. Ember didn’t speak much, but Hasley didn’t mind. It was easy for Hasley to talk and for Ember to listen.
They were only a couple of buildings away from the school. They walked together every day before Mayree and Clove would attend to their purposes. Hasley’s only priority, until she was fifteen, was schooling. After that, she would work as an apprentice until she was deemed ready to take on her purpose. Many people were able to get to purpose within two or three years, but sometimes it could take up to five. It wasn’t uncommon to try two different apprenticeships, just to be sure.
When she was ready, Hasley Mayree would become someone new. Her purpose would overtake her mother’s name, and Hasley would take on a new purpose identity.
Hasley didn’t like to think of that future, not yet anyway. She had eleven years to think about it. Thinking about romance was much more exciting. Even though, admittedly, it would likely take just as long to find her fated pair.
“Why do you say that?” Her mom asked curiously. They stood at the gates of her school and Mayree kneeled before her to adjust Hasley’s braided hair.
“She likes rocks and shiny things, it’s silly.”
“Oh, I love shiny things! I must be silly too,” her father teased.
“Dad, no, you can’t be silly. Moms and Dads aren’t silly,” Hasley said and shook her head. Adjusting her bag on her shoulder, she turned and walked into the school. Her parents called a goodbye behind her and went on their way.
Sitting in her assigned seat, she bounced up and down waiting for Ember to walk through the door and sit beside her. In her pocket was a present for her friend, a smooth stone she found near the wall on the way home. It was different from other rocks she'd seen, especially with its thin and almost perfectly circular shape. Hasley couldn’t wait to give it to her.
As time passed and the teacher began to speak, Hasley frowned and surveyed the desks again. Ember hadn’t sat in a different seat, where was she? When the time for their scheduled break came, Hasley walked up to the teacher. Other students walked around her and out to their activities.
“Is Ember sick today?” Hasley asked.
“No Hasley. Ember’s mothers withdrew her from school yesterday. She moved to another province,” Hasley’s teacher said. She pulled out some papers from her desk with a dismissive hand wave. She remained unaware of the impact her statement held on the five-year-old.
Hasley turned away, walking to the playground where the other kids laughed and played together.
”She didn’t say goodbye,” Hasley said to no one as her little hand gripped the stone to her
heart.
Three
A Voice
Hasley didn’t go to her purpose apprenticeship the next day or the day after. She stayed home, feeling like her life slip away as the splinter in her mind grew. A letter arrived from Ember on the fourth day.
Hasley,
It is with shaking hands that I write this to you. First of all, I am so sorry that I never made it back to the shop that day. I can imagine how scary that must have been when I did not return. I am sorry to have done that to you, as I know what it is like to wait for someone that doesn’t come back. If I could have changed it, I would have. I even tried escaping by setting an inn on fire. It wasn’t one of my proudest moments. In fact, it was an embarrassing failure. But not long after, I learned the truth.
Ever since I was born, I had scales on my chest. My moms told me it was dangerous to talk about or reveal and that we needed to keep a low profile. I was the reason we moved so frequently, so they could shelter me. But now I’m told they were my kidnappers, not my blessed parents by birth, and I feel so much conflict in my heart. They say that my blessed parents were actually Karwyn Dragon Queen and Jedoriah Knight. Based on what has happened so far, I believe them. That belief hurts.
I love my moms and despite the fear they instilled in me over being different… I miss them. I wish they were experiencing this with me and helping to guide me. I'm so lost right now, Hasley. My moms are dead and can’t answer my questions. I have so many. I am so confused.
I kept so much from you. You were my only friend, Hasley, in all these years. I felt so guilty not confiding in you. Will you forgive me? I did not know I was a princess, but I did know I was different. It would have been better to have confided in you, but after my moms died I was so scared that my secrets would kill you too.
With love,
Ember
Hasley wasn’t sure if that made it worse or better. Ember had still kept something monumental from her—scales. Even if she didn’t know about being a princess, Hasley could have helped carry that burden.
But the worst thing of all was the fact that Hasley hadn’t thought of Ember’s feelings at all. She assumed this was somehow what she wanted, that she had left to be a princess. As if she had known all along this was her future, and hadn't intended to run a shop with Hasley. Hasley had never felt more inferior and alone. There was only so much blame Hasley could throw on Ember because Hasley too was keeping a secret.
Ember always kept quiet and attempted to be unnoticeable. Hasley had been Ember’s only friend, but Hasley herself had many friends over the years. But friends were often a distraction. She had let them all go, except for Ember.
And now knowing who, and what, she was… It didn’t make the jealousy she felt for her friend any better. Hasley hated her jealousy, wished she could stamp out the ill feelings of unworthiness she felt daily, but she didn’t know how.
One day later, Hasley’s mom knocked and came into her room. “Good morning,” she said.
Hasley pulled the covers away from her face at the sound of her mother’s voice.
Mayree’s smile was comforting as she handed over two notes. “These were left outside our door, dear. Can I help you get up and ready for your purpose?”
Hasley read over the first note, recognizing the handwriting.
If you come back, you will get your purpose name.
At least one thing went according to plan. Or, did it? Would she have received the Jeweler name if Ember hadn't left?
Hasley’s mother brought her clean clothes and a comb. She accepted it as gracefully as she could despite the hazy feelings and disorientation of her mind. Her mom had chosen for her the yellow dress she had worn the year before to the first day of her apprenticeship. She was closing the door on who she used to be, in more ways than one.
Hasley pulled her hair into a messy bun and walked from her room to go to her purpose. She pushed outside the door, realizing that when she walked in she would no longer be Hasley Mayree. She would be Hasley Jeweler. She had always wanted that, why hesitate now?
She walked into the jewelry shop with the second letter still unfurled in her pocket. She knew it was from Ember, her mother had read it and said so. Yet she felt the need to shield herself from more words until she was at another location, for fear she would scare her family further.
The second letter from Ember was as short as Amlin’s, likely scribbled only hours after the first one and sent with speed. She opened the letter beside her counter in Amlin's shop while a customer peered into a case nearby.
My debut ball is in two weeks. Will you come as my guest?
To the wall, the whisper told her, interrupting her thoughts with one she didn’t choose.
“Shut up,” Hasley said aloud, shaking her head.
“I didn’t say anything,” the customer said, eyebrows raised.
“Sorry,” Hasley apologized before going back to rearranging the files behind the counter. “Don’t embarrass me,” she whispered to herself. The bell above the door rang as the customer left.
To the wall, the voice said again.
Amlin walked into the front room with a few boxes of finished jewelry. “Can you unpack these?” he asks her and wipes his mouth. She busied herself with the task, noticing a stain on the corner of the larger one as she put the jewelry into the display cases. She opens it to find a lemon pie, one piece missing.
She looked up at him, expecting Amlin to realize his mistake and take back the pie to the workroom.
“Uh,” he stammered, “happy purpose name day. I got you a pie, but then I wasn’t sure if you’d come back, so I ate a piece… It’s good.”
“Thank you,” Hasley said in astonishment, not used to Amlin being thoughtful.
He coughed and shuffled his feet. “Yeah, anyway, I sent your papers to the local Keyholder’s office. You're officially a Jeweler…“ he trailed off and nodded.
Hasley swallowed hard, feeling the need to isolate herself as Ember must have. She can’t go to see her now. If she went to the castle and was recognized as fateless, then Ember herself may have to give the order to kill her. She shook her head again, pushing away the images flashing before her eyes. She shouldn’t have come back here, purpose name or not.
“Right, okay, well tomorrow you are on delivery duty. We’re closing early today, too many nosy neighbors asking after her and not buying anything,” Amlin said without naming Ember.
Hasley nodded, unsure if she could speak.
In another unexpected moment of sincerity, Amlin put a hand on her shoulder and said, “We’ll be okay without her, we’ll survive.”
She attempted a smile, but she knew it did not meet her eyes.
Four
To the Wall
That night, Hasley’s pupils grew large as the walls of her bedroom seemed to flicker in and out of existence. Her eyes attempted to take in more light and detail to reorient where she was. It was a fruitless effort. Hasley was falling victim to the plague that had harmed many of their citizens and she could no longer hide it.
“I’m in my room, I’m in my room, I’m in my room,” she repeated. She hugged her knees closer and grounded her feet down on top of her sheets. There was fabric between her toes and cushion under her butt. She was in her bed. Hasley thought on what she touched, smelled, and heard. They all matched what she would expect of her bedroom. But what she saw did not meet her reality.
The walls of her bedroom flickered in front of her. In the moments between, she saw the peiradoone wall of the kingdom. It was difficult to see in the dark, but she would know that wall anywhere.
Go, go, go to the wall.
“No. I’m in my room. I’m staying in my room,” she said. Hasley squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to see nothing but the inside of her eyelids. Instead, stars were visible.
“No no no no no no no,” Hasley whimpered. She dropped her knees, threw the blanket over her, and curled into a ball.
“My name is Hasley Jeweler. I am the daughter of Mayree and
Clove. I live in Firetop. I am friends with Ember Juli—Ember Dragon Daughter. I was an apprentice, now I have my purpose. I am saving for a house of my own. Soon I will be fated.”
Hasley’s voice tripped on the last whispered sentence, letting her fear of what was happening to her seep in.
“Soon I will be fated. I am not fateless. I am not fateless. I am Hasley Jeweler.”
Hasley whispered into the night, rocking back and forth until her mom found her. By morning, Hasley’s eyes were glazed and pointed towards the wall of her bedroom. Her face was stained with tears. Her mother walked into the room and out again with a hand over her mouth. She was back a moment later with her pair beside her.
Hasley could no longer deny what was happening. She had to decide what to do now, before her parents had to choose for her.
Hasley’s parents helped her out of bed and into the bathroom. Her mom helped her into the bath as her dad brought in a fresh towel. Hasley blinked away her thoughts and asked them to leave while she finished up. They sighed, as if her words took away all worries momentarily. Her parents closed the door behind them with a click. Hasley got out of the tub a few minutes later and put back on the yellow dress she had slept in. She didn’t have spare clothes in the bathroom. She focused on the mirror above the sink and cringed at the circles under her eyes. With regret, Hasley walked back to her room to gather her things. It was time.
Royalty Fantasy Boxset: Ember Dragon Daughter & Hasley Fateless (Fated Tales Series 1 & 1.5) (The Fated Tales Series: YA Royalty Fantasy) Page 28
