The King's 100

by Karin Biggs

  My hands flew to my mouth as I held my breath, not wanting to miss a single word from Ari’s mouth.

  “Piper, if you can hear me, I just wanted to…well, I wanted to say I’m sorry. I said you were the same as my dad and Tasha but you’re not. You actually told me the truth before I had to find it out on my own.” He sighed. “And I don’t care who you are. I was doomed the first time I saw you and you called me an ignoramus,” he said with a laugh.

  Salty tears fell onto my tongue as my smile stretched to its capacity.

  “The truth is, I’ve never felt more myself when I’m with you, too. Piper, I—”

  “Cut channel to the princess,” said my sister.

  “No!”

  “Patrol, please escort the subject back to his kingdom.” Evelyn’s eyes narrowed on mine and her chest rose with heavy breaths. “You…developed romantic feelings for a Mondarian?”

  Gregory cleared his throat. “I would like to dismiss myself from what sounds like a confidential conversation.”

  Neither my sister nor I said a word as Gregory left the tiny dining room.

  I dismissed myself too, taking the skybridge back to our Compound.

  Evelyn followed at my heels. “How could you, Piper? They’re our enemies. And to imagine romantic love on top of it, I—”

  “I didn’t imagine anything,” I snapped as I picked up my pace. “I love him. And he loves me.”

  Ari loves me.

  Not Paris Marigold, but me. I could have sprouted wings and flown myself out of Capalon with the level of joy coursing through me.

  Evelyn scoffed. “Those people are not even close to the same caliber of human beings that we are.”

  “Why? Just because we’re more scientific? I can’t even imagine being happy in a match with that…that stiff!” I said throwing my hands in the air.

  “We’re smarter than them, Piper. They’re dull-minded and idiotic!”

  I shook my head. “No. They’re highly intelligent but just in a different way.”

  “They’ve brainwashed you.”

  I ignored her comment and kept walking. “When I was at the Mansion, I—”

  “You said you never set foot in the king’s Mansion.”

  “I lied. I lived there for three months.”

  “But how—”

  “I auditioned to be a singer of the King’s 100.” I paused at the door of my bedroom and turned to face my sister. “I lived with the other court members in dormitories and I made friends, Evie. Yes, they’re different, but they’re…human. They feel things and talk about it—express it through art, laughter, crying…kissing. Do you know what they call us? Stiffs. Because we’re more robotic than human. Mother might be dead, but I’m alive, and I want to live my life by my terms. This kingdom won’t care if I’m gone. Tell them I ended my life. Tell them I died in Whitefalls. Or tell them I died the same way Mother and Father did.”

  “You’re speaking malicious words, Piper. You must stop this.”

  But I couldn’t stop. “And I know you don’t believe in love but you have to know about Xavier. He can’t give you an heir when he’s not even attracted to you!”

  I heard the sound of Evelyn’s palm against my cheek before the pain set in, stinging the entire right side of my face.

  I refused to give her the satisfaction of settling the pain with my hand, holding it at my side. “I’m leaving, Evelyn. Tell the kingdom whatever you want, but I don’t belong here.” I stepped inside my room after commanding Chip to open my door.

  Evelyn spoke to me from my doorway. “If you go back to Mondaria, you’ll be my enemy. And if they find out who you are, they’ll kill you and I won’t stop them.”

  My pulse spiked. “I would rather die happy as your enemy, then live one more day in this prison!” I opened my arms to show off my windowless room to her, then took a deep breath. “For being the smartest, most powerful ruler in The Lands, you could change things, Evie. Change the match law. Change relations with Mondaria. You could be happy, too, and allow yourself to fall in love.”

  I reached for the picture tucked inside the pocket of my New Year’s Eve dress, which hung inside my closet. “Look.” I handed the picture to my sister. “This photo is what finally convinced me that Mother wasn’t alive—not your audios. She stopped going to the Annual Assembly because she didn’t want to leave you. And if she really were still alive, I know in my heart she would be back by now. Because you always go back to the people you love and she loved us, Evie.” A breath hitched in my throat. “I think that’s why I left. It’s been three years since I’ve felt loved by anyone. The closest thing I had to it was a piece of tech in my arm. But I found it again from my friends at the Mansion and…from Ari.”

  Evelyn examined the photo, and another photograph sparked my memory. “Evie, something made you happy at the last Assembly.”

  Her head snapped up from the photo in her hand.

  I took a step toward my sister. “I saw the photograph. I just need you to imagine whatever joy you felt at that dinner and multiply it by infinity and that’s how it feels to be in love.”

  Her face paled more than I thought was possible as she handed the photo back to me.

  I stepped toward my closet when I heard a click at the door. “No…” I jumped to the other side of the room to ask Chip to open the door but it was too late. “Evelyn?”

  She spoke to me from the other side. “I think you just need some time in Focus, Piper. For however long it takes.”

  “Evie, don’t do this. Please, please don’t do this.”

  I pressed my ear against the door to hear her footsteps walk away. “Evelyn! Come back here! Let me out!” I pounded on the door first with my hands and then with my feet but nobody came to my reprieve. “Chip, call Evelyn.”

  “Direct communication to the queen has been cut from your system.”

  “No! Evie!” I screamed for my sister repeatedly but the door remained shut.

  Bruises formed on my knuckles, my voice went hoarse and exhaustion grew heavy on my shoulders. I slid down the metal door to the cold cement floor. “Please,” I whispered in a desperate loop. “Open the door. Please. Open the door.” Hours passed, but I didn’t allow the relief of sleep to take me away from the reality of my despair. “I want to go back,” I said with what was left of my voice. “I want to tell him I love him.”

  Time continued to pass as sleep encouraged me to forfeit my fight to stay awake. Speaking was the only thing keeping me awake but eventually even my own words gave up on me. “No,” I rasped. “I…Ari…” I could no longer fight the weight of my eyelids. I gave in. Sleep and my sister won their battle over me.

  Then the door opened.

  Fluorescent light poured in from the hallway, backlighting the figure in the doorway. My fatigued eyes took a minute to communicate the identity of my visitor to my brain. I addressed him from my spot on the floor. “Xavier?” I coughed out.

  He stepped into my room and closed the door before taking a seat on the floor next to me. “I might have overheard your discussion with Evelyn,” he said. “Did you really fall in love with a Mondarian?”

  I nodded.

  “That’s forbidden in more ways than one and is deserving of punishment.”

  I shivered, unsure of Xavier’s intentions for his visit.

  He sighed. “But if you deserve punishment, so does your king. And I would say being matched with your sister is the harshest form of punishment I could imagine. Don’t get me wrong, Evelyn is my queen and I would die for her. But it’s her sorrow for what I’m unable to give her that feels like a punishment.” Xavier placed his feet on the floor and wrapped his arms around his legs, mirroring my position. The image reflected the confidence of a young boy, rather than a powerful king. “When my family found out I had the highest score on our Placement Exams, they were elated. Couldn’t believe that their son was going to be matched to the queen. There is no higher honor for a Capalon citizen. But that night, I couldn’t sleep. A
nd over the following months leading up to our match ceremony, I couldn’t sleep. My parents knew my…preference, but like the rest of our kingdom, it didn’t matter to them. Sexual attraction is arbitrary. I even told Evelyn the first day I met her and encouraged her to choose the next match on the list but she shut me down. She said my genes were needed for the future of Capalon. Then on our match night, nothing happened. And nothing has continued to happen. She has me on medication but it’s only giving me headaches.” Xavier let out an exhale and touched his head. “I guess what I’m trying to say, Piper, is if you’re really in love—even if he’s our enemy—I think somebody in this Compound should be happy…for however long it lasts.” He stood up and offered his hand.

  I took it and forced my weak legs to support my weight.

  “I know what I’m doing is wrong. And perhaps I’ll finally anger Evelyn enough to send me back to my Ward. You just have to promise me you won’t die. I think that would be bad for both of us.”

  I smiled and flung my arms around his neck. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  His arms hovered in the air for a beat before hugging me back. He reached for my wrist when we stepped apart. “Chip, switch to manual-drive for the princess and take her off-line,” he said.

  “King Xavier, doing so requires—”

  “Permission granted by King Xavier Emmanuel Demetrios of Capalon,” said the King of Capalon with a proud smile.

  “Voice override approved. Princess Piper is now on manual-drive and off-line,” Chip said.

  Joy flooded my veins, followed by the heavy weight of dread on my shoulders. “I don’t have a way to get out of Capalon. The gate’s been fixed.”

  A mischievous grin appeared on Xavier’s face. “Well, I just happen to be in need of somebody to test my new hover pod prototype. It’s undetectable to our own radar. And being the king, I don’t have to get permission from anyone to use it. But I suggest we go before I turn into a good Capalon king.”

  I grabbed my dress, thankful to see Paris Marigold’s ID still resting in a pocket, then stood beside Xavier as he opened the door. He paused before crossing the threshold.

  “And Piper?” he said with a sad smile. “I know it may be hard to see, but your sister does care for you. And if love is real, then she’s just loving you the way a Capalon should love you.”

  Xavier operated the hover pod remotely, landing me behind the auto-taxi station on the LVR. I had spent the entirety of the court’s off-day in Capalon and estimated I would arrive at the Mansion just as the Winter Showcase was beginning for their late morning show time. I changed into the silver crystal New Year’s Eve dress and did the best I could with my hair as the auto-taxi took me to the king’s Mansion. I would stand out like a sore thumb on the stage against the standard black performance dress of the other court members, but I had no other option with the time remaining. I had to not only make it to the Mansion on time, but perform well enough for the king to ask me to return for the next Season. And when it was all over, I had to see Ari.

  After showing Paris Marigold’s ID to the guard at the service entrance, I entered the black backstage of the Polaris Auditorium. My ears were instantly hit with the sound of the drums, sending my heart into a series of wild beats.

  A cold hand gripped my arm. “Paris, your hair is blonde again!” Genevieve said with wide eyes. “Is that where you’ve been? In the Village getting your hair done?” Her hand flew to her heart. “I’ve been so worried about you. I thought maybe…well, I was so scared…” Her chest heaved, and she took a couple deep breaths. Her eyes were stern. “You should have asked me to come with you! Why are you wearing your New Year’s Eve dress? Did Maestro tell you to wear that? Oh, and you don’t have any make-up.” A tube of lipstick appeared in her hand and before I could protest, she glided it over my lips.

  Why did Genevieve look so traumatized by my short absence? “Thank you, Genevieve. You’re a good friend,” I said with an appreciative smile.

  The orchestra picked up after the drummers’ final cadence, signaling the singers’ cue to take the stage. I sang my solo like my life depended on it and ignored Maestro’s angry comments about my dress. But my heart rate quickened when I remembered I needed to tell the maestro my change of plans. Assuming the king would invite me back for the following Season, Maestro would need to know that I wasn’t planning on leaving the court after all.

  While the magicians performed, I hoped Ari would find me backstage and wrap his arms around me but he waited in the hall with the other drummers to make his entrance for the finale.

  A pair of short arms did encircle me and we cried in silence together, holding onto each other and whispering “I’m sorry.” Layla wiped my mascara away from under my eyes and I did the same for her before we took the stage for the final number.

  When the show ended, Maestro instructed us to hold our places on stage and relax. I could do anything but relax. My fingers twitched, aching to see Ari and touch his face. The house lights came on, illuminating the auditorium and a pair of brown eyes smiling at me from the back of the auditorium. A cloak of calm rested on my shoulders. I was back in the Mansion. I would be reunited with Ari and that’s all that mattered.

  The floor of the orchestra pit rose to ground level so the musicians could leave while the king gave Maestro his feedback. I moved my head anytime a musician blocked my view of Ari.

  A voice boomed from the box above stage-right. “The girl in the silver dress. What’s your name, dear?”

  It pained me to remove my eyes from Ari but I tilted my chin up to the king’s box. “Paris Marigold, Your Majesty.”

  Was the king going to kick me out for wearing a different dress? The thought of being escorted off the stage before I even had a chance to talk to Ari twisted my stomach.

  “Paris Marigold,” said the king. “Lovely name and lovely voice. Bernie, showcase this girl more. Her voice—it’s vulnerable and untrained—a different feel from some of these other powerhouse voices. I like them all the same but it’s nice to have variety. Also, the magician who—”

  A commotion at the back of the auditorium stole the king’s attention. Captain Murphy and three of his guards marched down the center aisle, pushing past the exiting musicians.

  “Captain Murphy, can’t you see we’re in the middle of something here?” asked the king.

  “I apologize, Your Majesty, but I’ve come with a warrant to arrest one of your court members.”

  An icy chill ran down my spine, freezing every organ in my body.

  Maestro lied.

  He turned me in, despite our deal.

  But before the maestro turned to address the captain, his eyes met mine with a reassuring softness that helped thaw my lungs. “Captain Murphy, are you really interrupting our Winter Showcase to ease your boredom?”

  The captain ignored the maestro’s words and addressed the king up in his box. “Your Majesty, we received a tip from one of your court members about a girl holding Capalon currency in her room.”

  Heather’s body stiffened beside me.

  “And with the recent Capalon we took into custody, we had to take the claim with serious attention.” Nervous whispering spilled across the stage as the captain retrieved something from his pocket. “When we checked the girl’s room, we found the Capalon currency and the missing key to our Records Room. After running a profile check on Paris Marigold, we were sent a picture of the real Paris Marigold with a signed letter from her parents.” He held up a picture of the girl with brown hair, brown skin and brown eyes.

  Court members gasped and backed away from me, making me more exposed on stage. A few of the remaining musicians in the auditorium sprinted to the exits, while others stayed to watch the drama unfold.

  The captain addressed me from the other side of the orchestra pit. “Paris Marigold, whoever you really are, you’re under arrest for espionage from the enemy kingdom of Capalon.” My eyes jumped to Maestro for a silent plea for help. The guards climbed the stairs to the st
age.

  “This is ridiculous, Captain Murphy. Paris is from Green Heights and has the ID to prove it.” Maestro turned to look up at the king. “Your Majesty, are you really allowing this to happen?”

  As Maestro continued to try to fight for me, my brain searched for options. Down stage to my left, stood Darden. He found my eyes, then disappeared backstage. I hoped he was leaving to get a handful of smoke bombs. Genevieve looked at me as if I had just transformed into a ferocious bear. Behind me, I found Layla trying to mouth something but I couldn’t make it out. I looked to my right to see the king peering over the box at the commotion between his maestro and his captain and just below him, stood Ari. He had removed his snare and left his position at the back of the auditorium.

  Our eyes locked, and I took a step in his direction.

  Then the entire auditorium went black.

  Somebody pulled me by the elbow as the captain shouted to lock all the exits. I lost a shoe as court members darted and cried in the confusion.

  “Go through the service exit,” whispered Darden. He pushed me backstage and left before I could thank him. Nobody blocked my exit.

  I was free to go.

  But go where? Back to Capalon? Apologize to my sister again and commit to a loveless match? Perhaps after the confusion died down, Maestro would convince the captain and King Orson that it was an embarrassing misunderstanding and I would stay on the court as Paris Marigold.

  But Paris Marigold was an illusion.

  Darden felt love was most alive hidden under layers of illusion. Layla felt love was too painful and best avoided. But knowing that I loved Ari, and that he loved me, I wanted nothing but him. And I wanted him to have all of me—not an illusion or an avoided risk. And above all, I wanted the freedom to love. I wanted to be the real me and I wanted Ari to love the real me, even if all we would ever have was a missed opportunity.

  I stepped away from the service exit and entered the chaos of the auditorium. Nobody noticed as I stepped up the hot microphone. “Everybody stop,” I said into the mic. But chaos ensued.