The Princess and Her Rogue
By: Sheritta Bitikofer
Copyright © 2015 Sheritta Bitikofer
Kindle Edition
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means – except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews – without written permission from its author.
The characters, locations and events portrayed in this book are fictitious and a product of the author’s imagination. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Cover Design: SelfPubBookCovers.com/Lori
Dedicated to my loving husband who has supported me from the very beginning and without his encouragement, this book would not be available for the eyes of the world.
The Princess and Her Rogue
A novel
By: Sheritta Bitikofer
Prologue
Long ago, in a time when mortal men lived much longer than they do now, there existed a kingdom. It’s ruler, Malcolm, was wise, just and compassionate towards his people. He reigned in his kingdom with a firm, but gentle hand, giving help to those who asked for it and distributing justice when it was called for.
His kingdom existed on a peninsula, three sides surrounded by a great body of water known as the Ahava Sea. The southern side was bordered by a great, desolate land called the Field of Fire. No one dared to travel past this barren wasteland, knowing that none return alive. Between the Ahava Sea and the Field of Fire, stretched a vast mountain range known as the Shin Mountains.
In the heart of the northern province of Malcolm’s kingdom, sat Aleph, the capital and central hub of his kingdom. It was here that the king stayed with his wife in peace and harmony.
Just as any king, Malcolm kept a team of wise counselors to discuss with him the matters and concerns of his peaceful kingdom. Among them, the oldest and wisest was Eshean, who had been Malcolm’s friend for many ages and their companionship was strong and true.
However, one advisor was not as true and honorable, who went by the name of Damian. In fact, he was the most corrupt of all those within the council. He constantly gave bad advice to the king in order to make Malcolm’s subjects hate him. But, no matter how hard Damian schemed and planned evil for his king, no plan ever worked.
Then, Damian decided to gather up those who would be willing to rebel against Malcolm. Their numbers were small, but with Damian’s hatred and ingenious mind, an attack upon the kingdom was not inconceivable.
Everything was going according to plan until an anonymous loyal subject to Malcolm informed the king of Damian’s treachery. Malcolm assembled an army and attacked Damian’s mob with success. Malcolm banished Damian and his rebel army to the southern province of Malcolm’s territory beyond the Shin Mountains. From that day on, Damian was no longer called by his name, but given the title of Deceiver, because he tricked and deceived everyone to get his way.
In his exile, Deceiver smoldered in his undying hatred for Malcolm, waiting until the day he would attack again. Until that day, he conquered the whole southern province and claimed it for his own, splitting Malcolm’s territory in half.
In the years to pass, Malcolm and his half of the kingdom enjoyed a life of prosperity and peace, confident that Deceiver was harmless as long as he was on the other side of the mountains.
This story takes place forty years after Deceiver’s first rebellion and after Malcolm’s wife had passed away, leaving him with thirteen children - seven princes and six princesses. The crown prince, Justin, has now grown to be thirty years of age and next in line for the throne.
And the time of Deceiver’s next rebellion was drawing closer and closer every day, descending upon Malcolm’s kingdom like a dark cloud. But, there remained one ray of light, one ray of hope for the future of the empire.
Chapter 1
Kiara stepped quietly out of her quarters and into the corridor, gently closing the door behind her so as not to wake up any of her sisters that may still have been sleeping. She straightened out her lovely gown made of pure white, shimmering silk. The dress was long and flowing, with a loose ribbon belt that hung around her hips to show off her slender hour-glass waist. The bell-shaped sleeves almost reached to the ground with another ribbon around each of the arms to make the sleeves flair out from the elbow, which was Kiara’s favorite trait of the dress. She loved to twirl around, making the sleeves and train swing like whips or a tail.
Although she would be eighteen by the following day, Kiara retained the heart of a child, longing for adventure and excitement. Even her emerald green eyes, which were her most infamous characteristic, emanated a zeal and passion for life.
As she brought her long, sleek mass of black hair over her shoulder to pet and twirl between her fingers, her two eldest sisters emerged from behind one of the bedroom doors. Both were giggling about something and paid no attention to Kiara as she was walking towards them.
“Good morning, Esther. Good morning, Liza. How did you two sleep last night?” Kiara greeted cheerfully as she drew closer to the two ladies. But, their attitudes changed from being joyful to condescending when they noticed Kiara. They sneered coldly and walked the other way without answering. Kiara stopped and stared dumbly at her two sisters as they hurried down the staircase and out of the corridor. She was taken aback by their rudeness, but simply sighed and began to braid her smooth hair into one long lock as she followed from a distance to the main floor of the castle.
She wasn’t at all surprised when, on the way down, she greeted two of the youngest princes - Isaac and Adam - who had bounded past her on the grand stairwell and towards the courtyard without so much as a glance in return. It was a gorgeous morning as Kiara looked up to the light blue sky and watched little birds twittering in the trees of the courtyard. The air was even beginning to seem a little warmer now that spring was approaching.
It had been a very bleak winter, indeed, causing much of the castle’s inhabitants to stay indoors. To Kiara’s other siblings, this was truly the worst kind of torture one could imagine. They were not allowed to venture into town for nearly two months until the snow melted. Kiara didn’t mind much, seeing as she loved to read more than any of the others and spent the majority of her days in the castle library.
She was a delicate beauty, with soft skin and a fair complexion. However, she was not the most beautiful of all her sisters. That honor belonged to Ruth, who was only two years younger than herself and chose to adorn her body with jewelry as well as insisting upon having the nicest clothes - which wasn’t very different from any of her sisters. However, Kiara had a more pleasing countenance and a melodious voice. Her appearance was the most striking out of all her sisters, making her look exotic with such contrasting features from the rest of the royal family.
Kiara gracefully walked around the courtyard, under the protection of the covered, cobble stone walkway and to the great hall, where she expected to find some more welcoming company.
Inside at the very far end of the room, sat her father, eldest brother and her father’s lead advisor. She smiled brightly as she heard them talking softly over their breakfast. She softly closed the door behind her, not wishing to proclaim her entrance so arrogantly as others would, then laced her fingers together just in front of her and strode across the grand hall modestly. One or two servants passed her by with kind grins and nods as she made her way past all of the other empty, unoccupied banquet tables.
As she came closer, her father stood up and moved around the large half-circle head table that held fifteen place settings. He held out his arms warmly and invitingly to her as the other two smiled brightly, happy to see the
princess.
King Malcolm was growing older by the day, but he never let on to it. He always kept a cheery face and energetic disposition, which contradicted his tough outward stature, and jolly brown eyes.
“Good morning, Kiara!” King Malcolm greeted as father and daughter embraced each other.
“Good morning, father! How did you sleep?” Kiara asked, her face pressed into her father’s broad chest. Luckily, he was wearing casual morning attire so there was nothing to make the hug uncomfortable except for the grey whiskers on his beard that prickled against her cheek for a kiss.
“I slept fairly well, my dear. And you?” Malcolm replied heartily as he released her to let Justin, his eldest son, have a share in the hugs.
“I slept very well, thank you. Good morning, Justin!” Kiara exclaimed as she held her favorite brother. Justin was tall, strong, and extremely handsome with long blonde hair that was pulled back into a loose pony tail and brown eyes that resembled his father’s.
“Good morning, Kiara. We saved some breakfast for you.”
“Eshean here was tempted to eat the last of the bacon, but I told him he had to wait for you first,” the king commented, motioning towards an aristocratic-looking gentleman with a white beard and thin hair upon his head. Eshean gave a respectful nod in Kiara’s direction, seeing as how his body was older than Malcolm’s and unable to stand up quickly enough to bow. All three took their places at the breakfast table.
“Well, Eshean can have all the bacon he wants. I don’t mind,” Kiara said as she sat down next to her brother on the opposite side from her father. A small plate of fruits and an empty platter were placed in front of her by one of their servants, along with a goblet of water.
Eshean quietly thanked her in his old, raspy voice and picked up a small handful of bacon from a platter that had been sitting in front of him for some time before her arrival.
Malcolm, Eshean and Justin carried on their conversation of kingdom affairs as Kiara silently ate and enjoyed her breakfast. However, she was unable to forget that morning’s incident involving her two sisters. She didn’t want to admit that her feelings were hurt, but their behavior was not unusual.
Esther and Liza, as well as all of her other brothers and sisters were very mean towards Kiara. They often ignored her and excluded her from any activity or game they were participating in. She was giving the silent treatment on more than a few occasions when no sibling would even dare to look at her. Kiara had several theories why they acted this way, but she never wanted to dwell on the fact that most of her family didn’t respect her in the least, even though Kiara held them all, even Delilah - the youngest of the girls at the age of six - in the highest esteem.
Kiara must have appeared melancholy when meditating on the subject, because Justin took quick notice of it.
“Kiara, are you feeling alright?” he asked in a concerned tone, which then caught Malcolm and Eshean’s attentions.
Kiara looked up dazedly and looked between the three men and nodded solemnly.
“Yes, I’m just bothered by a few things is all.”
“What sort of things?” Eshean asked.
“Well,” Kiara glanced around to the other eleven missing places at the table that would have held her brothers and sisters, “I’m just a little bothered by my siblings. When I greeted Esther and Liza this morning, they said nothing at all and gave me the cold shoulder. And yesterday, Jeremiah tripped me in the courtyard and laughed with Zachariah about it later. Even Delilah is starting to copy Miriam and stick her nose up at me when I invite her to read with me in the library. She always used to love it when I read stories to her. I’m so puzzled by how they all can be so against me. I suppose I deserve it, but I’m not sure why I’m being punished in this way.”
Malcolm, looking rather upset by this news as well, sighed and shook his head. Justin pursed his lips together and glared across the grand hall to the oak doors wanting to barge out and give his brothers a scolding. Eshean grimly looked down to his plate.
“You don’t deserve that sort of treatment, Kiara. Never doubt that. They are all just resentful of you for no good reason,” Malcolm said comfortingly.
“But, I want to know why they are acting this way. Was it something that I’ve done?” Kiara pleaded for an answer.
“Princess, you do not conform to their way of living. Therefore, you are different from them and that can be a threatening thing,” Eshean added thoughtfully.
Kiara looked away and thought about what he had said, and honestly, he was right. Kiara was much different than her sisters and brothers. Unlike her sisters, Kiara dressed conservatively and didn’t own many fine dresses or jewelry. She preferred to not flaunt her privileges like the rest did. Her siblings pranced about town, buying more than they could afford and having the time of their lives traveling about the kingdom, while Kiara stayed home to spend time in the library or with her father. Out of all of her siblings, Kiara was the only one who must have visited with King Malcolm nearly every day. It would be safe to say that Kiara sometimes saw the king more than Justin did.
“You are not doing anything wrong or improper. You are doing exactly what you should be doing,” Eshean continued as she contemplated, “The others misuse their rights as being children of the king. But, you use it for good and choose to help others instead of just yourself,”
Kiara tried to smile, but it was difficult. She knew she was different than the rest and it made sense why they would be jealous or indignant, but deep down, she wished she could be accepted by her siblings. There was a time when she was younger that they would all get along, but those days were short lived. Kiara hoped that everything would return to how it was before.
“Maybe this will cheer you up,” Justin spoke, “There will be an archery tournament in Daleth next week. Would you like to enter?”
Kiara’s eyes lit up with excitement. She loved archery almost as much as she loved reading. Out of all of the recreational sports that were available to Kiara, she was practically a master of the bow and arrow.
“I would love to. What day does it take place?” she asked, glad to be changing the subject.
“It will be two Thursdays from now. I’ll provide you an escort party to take you. If you’d like, you could stay down there for a few days to spend some extra time away from Aleph,” Malcolm offered.
Kiara accepted with delight and counted that the tournament would be only twelve days away. She would have to meticulously plan and come up with something to do while she was there, possibly taking some books from the library to read on the way. Kiara’s mind raced with the possibilities as she finished her breakfast. However much she felt better, Malcolm and Justin were still grieved over Kiara’s situation with her brothers and sisters. Honestly, they wished the circumstances were better, too.
After breakfast, Kiara let a servant take her empty plate, whispering to the maid to pack a large sack of any extra food that was not going to be eaten and leave it by the outside entrance to the great hall. She then stood just beside her father’s chair, waiting with eagerness.
“Father, may I take a visit into town?” she asked politely with a cheerful smile.
“Of course. Do you want a carriage or are you going to take your horse?” Malcolm asked, turning around a little in his chair to face her.
“I’ll take a horse, if that’s alright.”
“That’s fine by me. Just be back before sunset.”
“Thank you!” Kiara leaned down, kissed her father on the cheek, hugged around his neck and quickly fled out of the banquet hall to get ready for her trip.
As she ran out, all three of the noble men smiled at the child’s exuberance and restless spirit. All three adored her exceedingly, especially Malcolm. He could never ask for a better, more perfect child than Kiara.
“She certainly has grown up,” commented Eshean to break the pleasant silence that had fallen over the three.
“Yes, she has. I remember when she was so small, running around in
her little tunic, pestering and playing with the animals in the courtyard. She’s always been a wild one,” Justin said, sitting back in his chair and staring at the door Kiara had just run out of. Justin was a little over twelve years older than Kiara and she had always been his favorite sister out of the bunch as well as the most agreeable.
“Yes,” Malcolm pondered while stroking his heavily bearded chin, “she has grown up. Tomorrow is her eighteenth birthday…” Malcolm suddenly became listless with a far-away look in his eyes.
“Is something wrong, my lord?” Eshean asked, leaning over the table and allowing his long beard to mix in with a bit of cold oatmeal.
“Just thinking about all the years that have flown by… I’m going to miss it.” Malcolm took a deep, burdensome breath.
“But, father, she’s bound to stay around. She loves you more than anything in this world. Even if a man came and asked for her hand, she would refuse it just to stay in the castle with you,” Justin tried to console the king, but Malcolm just shook his head.
“I fear that despite her affections for me, as well as for you and Eshean, she will one day leave and never come back. Her heart has always been wild just as you said. She longs for excitement. Did you see the way her eyes lit up when we talked of the tournament?” Malcolm had to smile when he remembered Kiara’s countenance in that moment, “She wants to be free… And I do fear that one day, the call for adventure will be too strong and she will want to leave us.” Malcolm shifted in his chair in an attempt to stand up without much pain.
“Besides, a man has already come and asked for her hand,” Malcolm said rather calmly. The other two were confused and asked for more information.
“He is one of my knights from the city of Lameda, Sir Claude.”
“Sir Claude? He is hardly Kiara’s type. I’ve met him on several occasions and the man is an utter bore and rather rude,” Justin spoke plainly as all three took their leave from the great hall.
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