The Ashen Queen

by Sidney Gray

  The city was packed with people from all over the country who had been arriving over the last couple of days, and the Inns in the city had already booked up. Those that couldn't find or afford an Inn had pitched tents on the land surrounding the city.

  Sofia wandered aimlessly for a while, watching the people around her and wondering what it would be like to have their life, she imagined they wondered the same about her. It seemed everyone was in a good mood, there was laughter and excited chatter everywhere she went. It was contagious, and she already felt better, being out of the palace, and amongst all these people, after all, it wasn’t as if anyone could force her to have children if she wasn’t ready, could they.

  After a while she decided to visit Bree, her father’s Inn was bound to be packed, and Bree would be too busy to spend time with her, but still, she loved the atmosphere, Bree had such a positive energy that radiated to everyone around her.

  It took her a while to make her way to the Stone Inn which Bree's father owned, having to avoid the many people filling the streets; she stuck to the roofs as much as she could.

  The Stone Inn was tucked away at the end of a long windy street, it was in a nice area of the city and was one of the most popular Inns in the city, so it was almost always busy at night. However in the early hours of the morning Bree could usually slip out unnoticed, and they would explore the city together, sneaking over the rooftops, sometimes they would venture to the very edge of the city and explore some of the countryside, often times they would head over to the docks and listen to the stories the sailors told. They always had the best stories; having traveled far and wide. Sofia envied them, she would love to be able to travel and visit other countries, but she doubted that would ever happen. Royals did not travel often; it was safer to send ambassadors.

  When she arrived, the Inn was completely packed with people, like she had thought it would be. She could see Bree inside through the window rushing around, levitating a handful of glasses while carrying a stack of plates. She was definitely the queen of multitasking.

  Sofia looked at the packed doorway of the Inn and decided to go through the back entrance, so she headed around the side and jumped the fence, careful to avoid the trash cans underneath. She crept silently through the back door, and as she passed Bree in the hallway, she whispered hello. Bree jumped slightly but before she could say anything her father called her name and she hurried back to work. Sofia sat down on one of the stools to the side of a stage Bree’s father had set up for performers. It was quiet and out of the way, and she could sit and listen without having to worry about people running into her.

  After a while, Bree came over to clean a nearby table. She looked in Sofia direction smiling cheekily, then said out the side of her mouth.

  “The men at the table by the fire, aren't they cute? do you think I could get one of them to take me to the tournament?”

  Sofia looked over at the table and grinned.

  “I think you could get them to do almost anything.” She whispered back. Sailors were notorious for bed hopping, they were away so often most didn’t bother to marry.

  “Are they competing in the tournament?” she asked studying them.

  There were probably around half a dozen men, all crowded around a table, she was immediately drawn to one man who seemed to be monopolizing the conversation, he was dark-haired and handsome, save for the larger scar running down the side of his face, although a lot of women would find that more attractive. The rest of the men at the table were all relatively young and seemed to be in awe of him, listening intently to every word he said. Beside him sat an incredibly muscular man covered in tattoos, if anyone was competing it had to be them, she thought.

  “A couple of them are competing, they have been bragging about it all night. Although I don't think they know what they’re up against.” Bree added.

  Sofia doubted they would either, Alex’s Guards training was kept fairly secret.

  She listened to them for a while, they were close enough that she caught most of the conversation. But she soon grew bored of the dark-haired man talking, it was mainly about himself and his many achievements, in the arena and between the sheets. She hoped he would get knocked out quickly in the tournament, that might decrease his ego a bit.

  She looked away from the group to watch Bree as she chatted to a couple of men, she was so at ease, laughing and joking with everyone. Everyone adored her, and she knew her father had had many requests for her hand in marriage. Bree’s father was an imposing man so it would take a lot of courage from them to ask him, Bree loved to tell her all about it afterward, but he had never pushed Bree to accept any of the proposals, he loved his daughters too much to force them into a marriage they didn’t want.

  “Course Tommy here is scared of some bloody trees, so he’s not gonna make it far in the tournament.”

  Sofia looked back at the group by the fire curiously to see the dark-haired man nodding to a small man sitting quietly in the corner.

  “Those bloody woods are cursed, I’m telling you, they’re bad luck!” The man insisted.

  She leaned forward to hear better, she guessed they were talking about the dark woods, she had heard stories from her grandfather about the rumors surrounding the dark woods.

  “At night you can hear screaming coming from them, the locals tell stories of children disappearing, faceless people moving in the trees, nobody goes near them, not even animals,” the man continued.

  The others scoffed at him.

  “It's just myth. Those people are scared of their own shadow.” One man snapped.

  “The locals just tell these stories to scare people,” said another, “they’re just trees.”

  “Nah, I’m telling you, whatever they did it that banishing, it did something to them woods. Changed them and now people are getting sick,” the small man shivered as he said this.

  “You better hope there aren't trees in that arena or Tommy here will be shitting himself.” The dark-haired man said, and everyone laughed.

  They went on to talk about the tournament, Sofia was hoping they would talk more about the woods, but it didn't come up again. They carried on for a while longer before they started to get too rowdy and Bree’s father kicked them out.

  Bree managed to rush over for a minute to whisper to her. “I'm sorry I don't think I'll be able to get away. They don't look like they're going anywhere fast.” She said, gesturing towards all the people packing the Inn.

  “It's fine, I should probably get back anyway.” It had been a long day, and she needed to get some sleep, or she wouldn't make it through the next couple of days.

  Another group of sailors was starting to get a bit handsy with the other waitresses, so it was probably a good time for her to leave anyway. Bree's father was keeping a close eye on them though, and Sofia felt a pang of jealousy. Bree’s father was a good man, he worked his daughter's hard, but he was still kind and really cared about them. His wife, Bree’s mother, had died during childbirth, Sofia wasn’t sure how Bree never talked about it. In fact, Bree rarely talked about her mother at all, she had been only seven when she passed away while giving birth to Bree’s sister Katie. It must have been hard to grow up without a mother even though Bree’s older sister, Liza, tried to take over that role. Although now that she was getting married that would probably change. Bree complained about her future brother in law often, she didn't understand why her sister was marrying him or even why their father had approved it. He was a soldier but hadn't finished his training so he could be stationed anywhere in Arandale, she suspected that’s why Bree disliked him, she hated the idea of her sister leaving, Liza had practically raised her. She also wasn’t sure how Bree’s father would cope if Liza left, she supposed Bree would have to take over from her sister, although her other three sisters were older now and could mostly look after themselves.

  Thinking of Bree’s mother dying had reminded her of Kelsie’s Aunt getting sick, she had forgotten all about her. She had never he
ard of a healer getting sick before, it was impossible, she thought, but she wanted to ask Bree about it. She might have heard something, surely word would have gotten around about a healer getting sick. It was too late now though, she thought as she watched Bree rush into the room with a tray full of drinks, she would have to ask her next time, although with the tournament she didn't know when she would next get a chance.

  CHAPTER 8

  Sofia slipped quietly out the back door and was just about to climb the fence when she heard Bree’s voice behind her.

  “Sofia wait,” Sofia turned around, making herself visible so Bree could see her.

  “I didn't get a chance to tell you. Father is letting us all go to the tournament. He said a lot of the businesses are closing on the last two day of the tournament, everyone will be at the tournament so we won’t get a lot of customers anyway,” Bree was grinning with excitement, “I don't think even he wants to miss out.”

  “That's great!” Sofia said earnestly, “I wish I could be with you in the stands. I’m sure it would be a lot more fun.”

  “Honestly Sofia every girl in the city would kill to be you.” Bree chastised in an almost perfect imitation of her mother, screwing up her nose.

  She burst out laughing then covered her mouth hoping nobody had heard. Bree had never met her mother, yet her impersonations were incredibly accurate. Bree's father called for her again, and she hurried back inside before Sofia thought to ask her about Kelsie's Aunt.

  Sofia walked back through the streets to the palace, distracted, still thinking about Kelsie's Aunt, the streets were mostly quiet at this time of night, but she made sure to avoid the other bars and inns in the city. She reached a large building almost directly in the middle of the city and ducked down the small alleyway next to it, the side of the building had grooves dug into it that were perfect for climbing, she stumbled upon it almost a year ago and had found it had an amazing view of the city. She liked sitting up there, watching people as they made their way home or just to another bar, she was also close enough to hear music from nearby bars and the drunks singing loudly and terribly.

  She made it to the top and looked out past the city to the countryside stretching out below. It was too dark to see, but in the light of day she imagined she would be able to just make out the very edge of the dark woods, the woods the sailor had been talking about, she had to admit it gave her an eerie feeling, even this far away. She shivered; she didn't understand how people could stand to live near it. Nobody talked much about it anymore, but her grandfather had told her the story when she was younger of how it had gotten its name.

  A couple hundred years ago there had been a cult made up of people from all the countries of Latheria. They practiced dark magic, roaming the land, killing and torturing people for power. The royal families from all the countries in Latheria had gathered together to perform an ancient spell to banish the cult to the dark woods, trapping them there for the rest of their lives. Some said they could still hear their screams and cries for help coming from the woods, her grandfather said that was just the wind, the people were long gone.

  She reluctantly climbed back down from the building and started back towards the street.

  “Hey, sweetheart, where you going?” A voice slurred from in front of her.

  She jumped and looked up in surprise, cursing under her breath, a couple of sailors had just come around the corner and seen her. She had let her invisibility drop while on the roof, she had allowed herself to get distracted. Mal would have admonished her for dropping her guard.

  She backed away slowly while studying them carefully. There was four of them now, staggering down the laneway towards her. Four against one were not great odds if she had to fight them, but they had been drinking, and they would underestimate her. Everyone did, she was small and a girl. Still, it was probably better to avoid a fight if possible, she thought. Her best option was to run.

  Before they could get any closer, she made herself invisible. They were surprised by her sudden disappearance, but it didn’t deter them as she had hoped, they continued to make their way down the alley waving their arms about trying to find her. She worried that they were too spread out for her to risk trying to weave her way through them, so that left her with only one option. She moved quickly, trying not to make a sound, back to the wall with the grooves and started climbing but in her haste, small bits of brick came loose under her feet and fell to the ground. One of the sailors noticed and yelled to the others. She climbed faster, but one of them must have had strength magic because he pounded on the wall with his fists and she lost her grip, landing in a heap at their feet, still invisible, but they grabbed for her anywhere they could, to stop her from getting away.

  She cried out in pain as one of the men grabbed hold of her arm and twisted it while another grabbed her by the throat and pushed her up against the wall, he stank of alcohol and fish. At that moment she realized she was in serious trouble. She decided to try a different tactic and abruptly dropped her invisibility. Once he saw her face the man loosened his grip and smiled.

  “Well now isn't that better, a lovely face like yours shouldn't be kept hidden.” He sneered.

  She glared and pulled at his arm, trying to loosen his grip on her throat but he was solid as a rock, he must be the one with strength magic, she thought.

  “Do you have any idea who I am and what will happen to you if you lay a finger on me,” she gasped, trying to speak calmly even though she was anything but.

  They all snickered.

  “Sweetheart we couldn't care less if you're the bloody Queen, we’re only here one more night, and we plan to enjoy everything this city has to offer,” he smirked as he looked her up and down.

  She scowled and brought her knee straight up into his groin. Just like Mal had taught her. He toppled over groaning and cursing as she made herself invisible again and jumped over him. The other men grabbed for her again but they were drunk, and she had caught them by surprise. She dodged around them, breaking one man's finger in the process, and ran towards the street. She had just rounded the corner when she ran straight into someone.

  She looked up to find Jack glaring down at her; Hayden was just behind him looking equally as annoyed.

  She dropped her invisibility and winced, “I guess there's no chance that we can keep this just between us then?”

  They both shared a look before they grabbed her by the arms and pulled her along in the direction of the palace. She went quietly; she knew she was in a lot of trouble. Once they were nearing the palace gates, Hayden went on ahead, presumably to talk to Alex.

  “One day we’re going to find out how you sneak out,” Jack said shaking his head.

  She stiffened, she hadn’t realized they even knew about her nighttime excursions.

  Sofia faked a grin, “I doubt it.”

  Jack just raised an eyebrow, “we’ll see about that.”

  They continued on for a couple more streets, and Sofia berated herself the whole way. If she hadn't let herself get distracted thinking about the dark woods and Kelsie's Aunt.

  “Hey, wait, Jack do you know anything about a healer getting sick? Kelsie Barton’s aunt,” she asked suddenly.

  “Healers don't get sick,” Jack replied frowning.

  “I know that's what I said, but Kelsie was…”

  They were interrupted by the guards at the palace gate, demanding to know who they were. She sighed and stepped closer so they could see her face and Jack did the same, lowering the hood of his cloak.

  “Sir, My Lady, very sorry, I, ah, didn't realize who it was.” The first guard stammered when he saw their faces. He bowed hurriedly to Sofia, and she frowned, she wasn't Queen yet, and she hated when people bowed to her.

  “How did you find me by the way?” She asked Jack when they were out of earshot of the guards.

  “You’re lucky we were there,” he replied shortly, ignoring her question.

  “Ok, don't tell me then,” she huffed under her brea
th.

  Jack sighed. “I'm not trying to annoy you it’s just better if you don't know.”

  “How very kind of you,” she replied sarcastically as they reached the palace doors, “why is it better if I don't know? Why do you all treat me like a child?” she snapped.

  Jack shook his head but didn’t answer her, and she stormed ahead frustrated.

  They entered the palace, and Hayden appeared out of the shadows making Sofia jump. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw her face. Instead, he turned and walked away, she followed silently.

  Alex and Cole were already waiting for them when they finally arrived at Alex’s rooms, Sofia fuming the whole way, Alex had his back to her staring out the window; the only light was from the fire.

  “You can leave now,” he said quietly to the others without turning around.

  Cole gave her a smirk as he brushed past her and she glared at him, furious with everyone but mostly herself, if she had just been paying more attention, this would never have happened. Now Alex would probably make sure she wasn't allowed to leave the palace for the duration of the tournament. He would probably make his Guards babysit her.

  The door closed behind Cole, and Alex turned to her furiously. “How could you be so careless, you could have been seriously hurt. The tournament is starting in two days, do you have any idea how important this is Sofia, do you have any idea how much pressure we're under, this is our chance to smooth the waters, to make peace between the nobles, with all the skirmishes that have been happening along the borders, we need this tournament to go well. We need the lords to start getting along, and I can’t do my job if I’m worried about you out there… gallivanting around.”

  She stared at him, shocked by his outburst, she hadn't known anything about the skirmishes, why would she, she wasn't important enough to know, she thought bitterly, she was suddenly furious, “I wasn't gallivanting, and how was I supposed to know any of that, nobody tells me anything!” she yelled.