Cursed Crowns
A Beyond The Curse Prequel
Laura Greenwood
Contents
1. Cienna
2. Svetlana
3. Cienna
4. Svetlana
5. Cienna
6. Cienna
7. Svetlana
8. Cienna
9. Svetlana
10. Cienna
11. Svetlana
12. Svetlana
13. Cienna
14. Svetlana
15. Madeline
16. Cienna
17. Svetlana
18. Epilogue: Madeline
Also by Laura Greenwood
About the Author
© 2017 Laura Greenwood
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All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise – without prior written permission of the published, except as provided by United States of America copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email address; [email protected].
Cover Design by Vampari Designs
Visit Laura Greenwood’s website at:
www.authorlauragreenwood.co.uk
www.facebook.com/authorlauragreenwood/
Cursed Crowns is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Blurb
Cienna’s father is desperate for her to marry Royalty, but when the only option is Xavier, she has other ideas. If only Prince Henry of Alventia hadn’t disappeared a few years ago…
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Svetlana’s stepmother has been after her for years, wanting her for her youthful beauty. But when the rejection of a Prince sends her into the arms of a King, things take a dark turn.
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Cursed Crowns is a dark fantasy retelling of the Frog Prince crossed with Snow White, and is a prequel to the dark fantasy fairy tale retelling series, Beyond The Curse.
1 Cienna
Lady Cienna of the Northern Marches curtsied low to the dark haired unsmiling King in front of her, already cursing her father’s ambition. Not content with being the richest Duke in Alventia, he was determined that his daughters should marry into royalty. For what purpose, Cienna wasn’t sure, but when her father said something, he expected to be obeyed. Which brought her here. The last place she wanted to be.
She’d heard rumours about Xavier, everyone had. But with Prince Henry missing, there was no other choice that would please Cienna’s father. Unless she went and married one of the Princesses down south, which would probably give her mother a heart attack. As far as Cienna knew, her mother hated that the Beltirian Princesses married other women and just kept the men around for when they wanted children. Looking up at Xavier from under her eyelashes, Cienna was beginning to see the appeal.
It wasn’t that he was unattractive. She guessed he could even be considered handsome with his strong shoulders and chiselled features, but there was something about him that seemed off. She wanted to say that it was a coldness in his eyes, but she wasn’t close enough to see them.
At least she wasn’t alone. She had her lady-in-waiting, Kayla, with her. While she technically wasn’t of a high enough station to have one, her father had insisted. Something to do with appearances, and just having Madeline as a maid wasn’t good enough to woo a King.
“Lady Cienna.” He acknowledged her with a tiny dip of his chin. She barely held back a scowl. She might be a mere noble and beneath him, but that didn’t mean he had to treat her so coldly. It was almost as if he thought there’d be no resistance on her part. If he did, then he clearly didn’t know Cienna. That was not going to sit well with her at all.
“Your Majesty,” she replied, not rising from her curtsey. She wasn’t that stupid. He wouldn’t take kindly to any insubordination. And if her father pushed hard enough, then she would end up married to him after all. Cienna suppressed a shudder. Why did Prince Henry have to disappear? They’d spent some time together as children, and he’d always been kind to her.
“Stand,” he instructed, and she rose to her feet, noticing that Kayla did the same behind her. For the other woman’s sake, she hoped she stayed silent. Kayla seemed to lean towards the side of saying what she wanted to, then thinking afterwards. Personally, Cienna loved that side of her, it meant that they’d hit it off almost immediately. But she didn’t think others in the room would approve.
He stalked forward, a disinterested smirk planted on his face. Oh how she’d like to slap him and rid him of his arrogance. She couldn’t stand men thinking they were superior just because she was a woman. Cienna knew her worth, and she knew how much people wanted her, particularly for her talent at spinning. That’s why it was her, and not her younger sister Merelda, who was here.
With a cold hand under her chin, Xavier tilted Cienna’s head back, piercing her with his almost black eyes. There was something incredibly unnerving about them, but she didn’t flinch away. She refused to let him think that he had the upper hand in any way. A smirk played at the sides of Xavier’s lips, one that almost made it seem like he was pleased she’d not meekly submitted. One that made it seem like he’d enjoy breaking her. She tried not to think about it. Down that path led a future that she certainly didn’t want.
“Walk with me.” He didn’t ask, he commanded. Which she supposed was his right as a King but only served to annoy her more.
“Yes, Your Majesty.” Somehow she managed to make her voice sound pleasant, and a small part of her was proud. The other part was disgusted, but really, she’d take what she could get.
Xavier strode past her, a wave of his hand indicating that she should follow. She exchanged a swift glance with Kayla, revealing that she wasn’t the only one to be put off by the King’s manner, but followed him nonetheless. There really wasn’t another choice. It was this, or being locked in a tower by her father and being forced to spin gold for the rest of her life. Though that was probably a slight exaggeration. Her father wasn’t so cruel. Other than his insistence on her marrying royalty, he was actually pretty caring towards his two daughters, for which she was constantly grateful.
She followed, with Kayla a few paces behind acting as a chaperone. Convention was a funny thing. It was fine for Cienna to travel most of the way across a country with just one companion, but she then couldn’t meet a King without someone else present. Though she guessed it wasn’t just Kings, it was other men too. But no one seemed as bothered by them. Cienna’s expression slipped, before she reasserted her happy smile. She’d always wanted to marry for love. It wasn’t like money would ever be an issue for her when all she needed was a bit of straw to make gold.
They followed Xavier out into a garden, which was filled with what appeared to be dead or dying plants. The baroness was saddening, and Cienna instantly hated it, even more resolved that this would never be her home. It couldn’t be. A small flash of red caught her eye, and without really thinking about it, Cienna rushed forward, crouching down next to it and batting the dead plants away. She cupped the single flowering rose in her hands, being careful not to damage it and the one sign of life in this forsaken place.
“Even when surrounded by bad things, beauty and good can shine through,” she muttered to herself, recalling the words Madeline had said to her just before she’d gone down to the throne room. It may have seemed out of place at the time, but Madeline was a seer, and Cienna had long ago just accepted that her friend’s words wo
uld make sense in time. Even now they were already starting to.
“What was that?” Xavier asked, almost sounding amused, but not quite. She wasn’t completely sure that he could show emotions.
“Just something my friend said to me,” Cienna replied hesitantly.
“Say it again?”
“Even when surrounded by bad things, beauty and good can shine through.”
“That’s what you think.” He spoke so quietly that she didn’t think she was supposed to hear. She repressed a shiver, and the urge to look back at Kayla, who was carefully stood a good distance away trying to disappear back into the bushes. Smart woman.
“I’m ready to go back inside now.” Cienna rose to her feet, brushing off her skirts in a way she’d been practicing for years.
“If you wish it.” He held out his arm, and she reluctantly slipped her own through it. This was going to be a long visit. Particularly with the ball that would be happening in four days.
2 Svetlana
They used to call her Snow. But all that stopped when her stepmother killed her father and took over the Dukedom. Now she was known as Svetlana, if she was known at all. Most people didn’t talk about her, even if she was the rightful duchess. Which was how she’d ended up living in an old house with seven miners. Well, used to live in a house with seven miners. Svetlana smiled to herself, satisfied with the way things had turned out. It had taken seven tries, but she’d finally perfected a way to use someone else’s life force. Poor unsuspecting fools. They’d taken her in out of the kindness of their hearts, and that kindness had only grown as my stepmother’s attempts on my life had increased. A corset, some combs, an apple, she tried it all.
Svetlana smiled to herself again. It really had been worth it. Now she knew how to stay young, and how to gain power. Thought the miners’ life force did seem to wear off pretty quickly. Maybe there'd be another kind of person that prolonged her for longer. Princesses maybe? Or virgins? There was a limited supply of Princesses, but virgins would be plentiful, and there were already rumours about how Morgana used them.
But where to find them? It wasn't like she could just go into town. Not with her stepmother still hunting her. It just wasn't worth it. There had been an invitation to a ball the other day. At Xavier's palace of all places. Now if there was anyone that could understand her lust for power it was Xavier. He was dark, and mysterious and seemed to emanate all that she wanted. Maybe draining him would let her keep all that power for herself.
That was it, Svetlana was going to the ball. All she needed was a dress. And to find where she'd put the invitation. At least it had been delivered by magic, or else she'd never have received it. Who knew how that even worked.
She imagined herself turning into smoke, and vanished into thin air, a trick she'd learned early on from a book she'd discovered in the miners’ attic. That had certainly been a useful find, and a good use for the youngest of the miners. Though it had depleted the store of life she had inside her quickly, and the next miner had been gone within a day. Which reminded her, she'd need to find a top up when she arrived at her destination.
She appeared in the middle of a bustling town square, thankful that no one knew who she was, or noticed her arrival. People could be surprisingly obtuse when they wanted to be. Which was good, she could use it to her advantage. Now all she needed to do was find a dressmaker, then a top up and back home to prepare. If she was going to drain Xavier, she'd need to make sure she was strong enough to do it. So maybe more than a mere top up was required.
She pushed through the crowds, frustrated that people still weren't noticing her. She was Svetlana. Everyone should notice her. After all, she was stunning, with dark slightly curling hair, and bright eyes that sparkled with promise. Or at least that was how she thought they looked.
A shop at the end of the street caught her eye, with the bright sumptuous fabric in the window making it seem like just the place she was looking for, even if the garish colours weren't what she wanted in the slightest. Bright was not her. She needed something dark, that emphasised how she looked and attracted men to her like flies to a spider's web. They were easier to catch that way.
"Good morning, how can I help you?" The woman in the shop was dressed in a drab grey dress that was in complete contrast to the emerald greens and blood reds of the fabrics in her shop. Not a great selling point, but Svetlana didn't have time to be that picky, not if she still wanted to top up her inner stores.
"I want a dress," she said, potentially a bit redundantly, but the woman nodded all the same.
"What colour would you like, my Lady?" the woman asked, a little shaken by something, though by what Svetlana wasn't so sure. She wasn't dressed in a way that made her look like she was nobility, though she wasn't dressed like a peasant either. Maybe it was something in her manner that had the woman like that. She could only hope.
"Dark red. Velvet. Fitted," she barked off the words, not wanting to waste more on the woman. It had been a while since she'd spoken to anyone, and a while until she would again. She didn't really like people. Unless she counted what they could give her. Then she liked them plenty.
"I have the perfect dress." The woman turned towards the racks to the left and started riffling through.
"Not one you made for someone else," Svetlana said coldly.
"Very well." The woman sounded nervous, but turned away from the rack and back to Svetlana. "I can have one ready in two or three days."
"You'll have it ready in three hours."
"I can't, I have other..."
"You will." Svetlana stepped forward, allowing her eyes to turn cold and hard. She succeeded too from the look of horror on the other woman's face.
"V-v-very well," she stuttered.
"Good." Svetlana turned on her heels and left the shop with a flourish. The dress would be ready, and it would be perfect. She was sure that the woman knew that now. There'd be consequences if that wasn't the case. Now all she had to do was find a top up, and she'd be ready for the next day.
3 Cienna
Madeline pulled the brush through her hair. Personally, Cienna hated that Madeline felt she needed to properly act like a maid. To Cienna, she was so much more than that, and not because of her Seer powers, though they did tend to make life more interesting.
"How is he?"
"Xavier?" Cienna qualified, a shiver running down her spine.
"That bad?" Madeline's smile came through in her words, and Cienna responded in kind. It was kind of funny. So long as she didn't end up marrying him that was. She didn't imagine she'd be laughing much if she did.
"He was cold. And there's something odd about him. But I can't tell what it is. Which just makes it feel even more off."
"The whole castle feels like that." Madeline put the brush down and moved around to crouch beside Cienna, her eyes looking up in earnest. "This will all make sense."
"Are you sure Maddy? Cause it seems a little risky to me."
"Yes I'm sure. I don't know how, but I know that it will."
"I know. Our daughters are the answer to it all." Cienna sighed. Madeline had been telling her that since they were both fifteen, but she still found it hard to believe. Maybe because it was hard to picture either of them with children.
"They will be. They'll be everything we can't be."
"Reassuring," Cienna muttered. She rose to her feet and removed her robe, moving towards the wardrobe where her clothes had been stored. Night may be drawing in, but Cienna was determined that she wasn't going to spend the whole time trapped in this castle.
"You're not going out are you?" Madeline asked as Cienna removed a simple dress from the wardrobe, along with her plainest cloak. Not that Madeline sounded like she was really going to stop her. Madeline probably knew something about what would happen when Cienna left, hence the slight smile that was curving at her friend's lips. Cienna turned back to getting dressed, buttoning up the front of the plain brown material. It wouldn't let her pass as a commoner, but it wo
uldn't make it obvious that she was noble.
"Of course."
"Head west."
Cienna made sure to hide her smile from her friend. It would just encourage her to tell Cienna more, and sometimes Cienna just didn't want to know what was about to happen. "I will."
Cienna slipped down from her horse, landing lightly on her feet and looked around. She’d only stopped because something within her said she should. Too much time around Madeline most likely. Even so, she didn’t think it was wise to ignore her gut feelings, it never ended well.
“But why here?” she asked, taking in the clearing she seemed to have stopped in. There was what looked like a lake in the centre, the still water only interrupted by the reflection of the swiftly rising moon. She walked towards the water, each step slow and steady, before crouching down at the water’s edge. She leaned forward, touching her fingers to the water, and was surprised by the fact that it wasn’t as cold as she expected. There was a large part of her that wanted to remove her dress and sink under the water, to wash away the stresses of meeting Xavier for the first time, and maybe gain some clarity. She rose to her feet, realising that there was no one else about, and no reason why she couldn’t.
She swiftly unbuttoned her dress, letting it fall to the clearing's floor, before stepping forward and dipping her toes into the water. It was still surprisingly warm, and she quickly took another step into the lake, moving inwards until she was waist high in the water, her white shift swirling around with each movement. It wasn't the water itself that was moving it, she was sure. In fact, the water was almost unnaturally still. Not that it phased her, and she kept moving into the centre of the lake, where lilies and lily pads littered the water, their soft pastel colours almost glowing in the moonlight. It was probably the most peaceful place Cienna had ever been, and there was a sense of rightness about it unlike any that she'd ever experienced before.
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