The Ashen Queen

by Sidney Gray

  He studied her for a minute before he shook his head and left the room. She collapsed back onto the bed deflated.

  Her mother visited again later that day but only to bring a servant, who she stood over while Sofia was scrubbed from head to toe. Her mother frowned with disapproval over the state of her nails, and Sofia realized how much she had enjoyed not having to worry about the dirt under her nails or state of her hair in the woods. Her mother didn’t even ask if she was okay and realized that she never would, her mother had already put that behind her and moved on. As soon as her mother had left she fell asleep again, it seemed like she could sleep forever she was so tired.

  It was late at night when Sofia was woken by voices coming from the next room. She sat up slowly, it still felt like every bone in her body was aching, a side effect from the healing she was told.

  She sat for a minute, thinking back to her conversation with Alex about the Ashen, she shouldn't have been surprised he didn't believe her. Although she was hurt and dismayed at the time, it didn't change anything, she realized, she still had a job to do. She was no longer the girl she was before she left. Maybe she hadn't spent as much time as she needed too with the Ashen but she had still learned a lot, and she was going to do everything she could to stop the darkness, even if she had to do it alone.

  First things first she had to find Kelsie and find out what had happened to her aunt, she didn't believe Kelsie would lie about what she saw so did that mean Alex was lying or was he being lied to? She also had to find out what Alex knew about the ancient language, but that would be a harder task, she thought.

  The voices grew louder, so she decided to investigate. She hovered at the bedroom door studying Alex where he sat hunched in an armchair studying a pile of papers on the table in front of him, he looked tired and weary, and he hadn't shaved. Olivia was beside him while his guards were scattered around the room.

  “Sorry, did we wake you?” Hayden asked concerned as he noticed her in the doorway. The others all turned to her except for Alex who barely looked up, to her dismay.

  “Yes, but I could use a glass of water anyway.”

  “I’ll get it, you should sit,” Hayden said, immediately jumping to his feet.

  “What's wrong? what are you all arguing about?” she asked as Blake reached out with an extra long arm and helped her to a chair.

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” Olivia said with narrowed eyes. “You should get back to bed, you look tired.”

  Sofia forced herself to ignore Olivia and took a seat opposite Alex, focusing instead on him.

  “I’m fine, please just tell me what's going on,” she said softly, Alex met her eyes briefly before looking away and the guards exchanged glances. She suddenly became aware that someone was missing.

  “Wait, where's Jack?” she asked as Hayden handed her a glass of water, avoiding her eyes.

  The Guards shifted uncomfortably, not meeting her eye, Cole had a sour look on his face, and Alex wouldn’t look up from the papers he was holding.

  “He was dismissed,” Olivia said matter of factly, and she noticed Cole glaring at her.

  Sofia rubbed her eyes in confusion, “but I don't understand,” she had thought after she told Alex what had happened he would have fixed things, even though he didn't believe her about the Ashen he had to believe her over Parker. “I told you Parker was lying, Jack didn't kidnap me.”

  “It doesn't matter Sofia, it was his job to protect you, and he failed,” Olivia said briskly in a condescending way that made Sofia clench her hands into fists.

  “His job is to protect Alex, not me.” She spoke through gritted teeth.

  “It was his job because I asked him to protect you, he allowed you to leave the palace and caused all of this, he failed, and so he was dismissed,” Alex replied through gritted teeth.

  “You’re lucky he's not still in the dungeons,” Olivia added calmly.

  “The dungeons!” Sofia exclaimed,

  “Yes, after Parker accused him of kidnapping you, he was taken there for questioning,” Olivia continued, while Sofia continued to gape at her, how could Alex let this happen.

  “Seriously,” she stood up abruptly, turning furiously to Alex, ignoring the pain in her body, “how could you even believe Parker after everything that happened at the tournament, and how could you just dismiss Jack like that! he's your friend, doesn't he at least deserve a second chance,” she finished almost shouting.

  Alex squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, “my father and the council believe…” he muttered trailing off.

  Olivia spoke up, “the council and the King do not believe he is fit to be a guard, especially after his performance at the tournament, and neither do the gods for that matter.

  Alex gave her a pained look but didn't object, neither did any of the others, they were all being unusually quiet, it made her wonder what exactly had happened while she was gone. She couldn’t believe Alex would do that, and she was horrified that she had caused it.

  “I think you're making a huge mistake.” She muttered.

  “Well that's not your decision, is it,” Olivia replied calmly, “besides after everything that has happened to you, I hardly think Alex should be taking your advice, who knows what the banished have done to you.”

  “Olivia,” Alex admonished sharply.

  Sofia stared at him, hurt and angry, although she should have known Alex would tell Olivia. She shook her head in frustration.

  “What about Parker? are you at least going to do something about him at least?”

  “Of course, only… we haven't been able to find him,” Alex replied with a frown.

  “He disappeared right after we found you,” Hayden added quietly.

  “Of course he did,” she muttered uneasily, it worried her, knowing Parker was out there somewhere.

  “Yes, some on the council believe he may have helped the banished kidnap you,” Olivia added.

  “I wasn't kidnapped,” she snapped, frustrated, her head was pounding, and she was already tired of Olivia.

  “Of course not,” Olivia replied sweetly, leaning over to pat Sofia's hand patronizingly.

  She stood abruptly, pulling away from Olivia’s hand and walking back towards the bedroom, she really needed to lie down and get away from the priestess. But before she could go more than a couple of steps, Hayden suddenly jumped to his feet, facing the balcony with a wary expression.

  Lex sprang forward immediately and pushed her behind him while Cole motioned for the others to stay back as he crept slowly out onto the balcony with a ball of flame in his hand, they heard a squeal, and a second later he strode back in holding onto the arm of a girl with flaming red hair.

  “Bree,” Sofia exclaimed shocked. Everyone turned to look at her.

  “You know her?” Cole asked angrily.

  “Yes, let go of her Cole, she's not going to hurt anyone,” she said pushing past Lex to get to Bree.

  Cole looked at Alex who nodded his head before he let go of Bree’s arm and Sofia rushed forward to hug her tightly.

  “I’m sorry, I was so worried! Are you okay? Everyone said you were dead or dying and I didn't know what to think, I had to come and see for myself,” Bree whispered squeezing her hard.

  “How did you get up here?” Cole demanded, crossing his arms, none of the guards had relaxed their stance, she noticed.

  Bree winced suddenly as she realized all eyes were on her, especially Cole; she seemed momentarily speechless before she noticed Alex.

  “I'm so sorry, your highness.” she stammered nervously, “I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted…”

  “It’s fine Bree,” Sofia interrupted, “you don't have to apologize, I’m glad you’re here.” she grabbed her hand and squeezed it.

  “You didn't answer my question.” Cole snapped impatiently.

  “How do you two know each other?” Blake interrupted curiously, looking Bree up and down.

  Sofia glared at him, “we met a couple of years ago,
she is my friend!” she said, stressing the word friend, they were all acting like she was an assassin or something, well except for Blake who was still eyeing Bree like she was a piece of meat.

  “We should let the royal guards know and have them find out how she got in,” Olivia said disapprovingly.

  Sofia glared at Olivia, she didn’t want Bree to get into trouble, she didn’t deserve that, but of course, Olivia didn’t care about that.

  “Escort her out of the palace; we’ll talk about it in the morning,” Alex said tiredly, to her surprise.

  “Alex,” Olivia chastised.

  “We have more important matters to deal with, Olivia,” he muttered.

  Sofia reluctantly said goodbye to Bree before Cole ushered her out, she wished Bree could stay the night but knew it would never be allowed, she also wished she could have Bree by her side as a guard, but that would never happen either.

  She went back to bed, exhausted and when she woke next, the sun was shining, and her head wasn't pounding anymore. Alex wasn't in the sitting room, but he had left Blake and Lex to babysit her.

  She found herself reaching up to touch the necklace that had been around her neck often only to realize again it wasn’t there, when she asked Blake about it, he said she wasn’t wearing one when they found her, she pictured it lying in the woods somewhere, probably lost during the fight, she thought. She had just sat down to eat when there was a knock at the door, and Lex got up to answer it.

  “Well, you look better than I thought,” Mal spoke as he strode through the door,” if you believed the servants’ tales you were at death's door, crippled, covered in scars, one girl even said you had lost an eye.”

  She couldn't help but laugh as Mal reached forward to hug her in an uncharacteristic display of affection before he kicked Blake and Lex unceremoniously out of the room.

  “I thought you might like to talk?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

  She hesitated, she wanted to open up to him, but she was scared he wouldn't believe her, and she realized how much she valued his opinion.

  “What have you heard?” she asked suddenly curious to know what the rumors were.

  “Well, the overwhelming theory is that you were kidnapped, and the number one suspect is now Parker Farley.”

  She nodded but couldn’t bring herself to say anything else.

  “It’s probably very overwhelming, being back here after what you have been through,” Mal said after a minute, “but you should know you’re stronger than you realize and you will get through this. If you do want to talk, you know where to find me.”

  She nodded, she was relieved he wasn’t going to push her, she wasn’t sure how she felt about everyone believing she had been kidnapped by Parker, but she supposed it was better than the alternative, that she was crazy. She suspected that would be the reaction if she told the truth. Alex certainly seemed to think that or at least that she was brainwashed.

  She hadn't seen Lucy since she had been back and was desperate to see her, but before she could even ask, Evelyn and Lucy showed up at her door. Lucy burst into tears the minute she saw her and ran forward to hug her.

  “It’s ok, I’m fine,” she whispered into Lucy’s hair as she hugged her tightly. She realized just how much she had missed her, she wished she could explain to her what had happened but knew it would be a stupid idea.

  “Everyone said you were kidnapped,” Lucy whispered, “they said that the Bordonians had you.”

  Sofia winced, she felt torn, she didn't want to lie to her sister, but she didn't want to let her believe that the Ashen were bad people either but before she could say anything Evelyn spoke up.

  “Lucy, remember Mother said we are not to talk about what happened.” Evelyn admonished her softly, “Why don't you tell Sofia everything she’s missed since she's been gone?”

  She smiled gratefully at her, on impulse she reached over Lucy and pulled Evelyn into a hug. Evelyn hugged her back gingerly. Lucy sniffled a couple of times before settling into Sofia’s side on the couch.

  Apparently, after she had disappeared, the whole palace had been in chaos, half the army had been dispatched, the tournament had been canceled and the city gates closed. No one was allowed in or out for a week. Everyone in the palace and surrounding city had been questioned. When there had been no clues found and no evidence of foul play, the security in the palace had loosened, and everyone that had traveled to the city for the tournament had finally been allowed to return home, but the city was still on edge. Then she had miraculously turned up at the edge of the woods, and now everyone was celebrating, Lucy said that people had even been gathering outside the palace gates.

  She knew Lucy meant to make her feel better, but it only made her feel guilty for being away for so long and made her realize how much effect she had on the people of Arandale. She was starting to realize with a sinking heart that Reeds offer wasn't really an option for her. It had sounded nice in the woods, far away from the pressures of the palace but she couldn't just leave again, she couldn’t do that to her sister. She realized now this is where she was supposed to be, it wasn’t just her sister that needed her, the city needed her, the people needed her. But maybe that would also give her some leverage.

  A healer arrived to check on Sofia's progress, and Evelyn and Lucy left, promising to visit again later. A few minutes later the door burst open, and Alex stormed through, Olivia close behind.

  “Well, what did you expect to happen Alex?” Olivia chastised.

  “I expected them to respect my decision,” Alex snarled back.

  Sofia watched them curiously, she had never seen them argue before. The healer hovered awkwardly, not sure what to do but nobody was paying her any attention.

  Olivia stood her ground calmly.

  “They have a point, Alex, after his performance at the tournament and his little display in the dungeons you could hardly expect them to agree with you.”

  “What are they talking about?” Sofia whispered to Lex, he shook his head, eyes glued to the scene in front of them.

  “Sofia was right, he deserves a second chance,” Alex argued.

  Sofia sat up straight; they must be talking about Jack, she thought, Blake had said Alex was with the council, it sounded like he had spoken to them about Jack.

  “That's if he is willing to come back,” Hayden spoke quietly. She hadn't seen him or Cole enter the room, she had been so focused on Alex and Olivia, but everyone turned to him now. “He was angry that you dismissed him so easily.”

  “It wasn't easy,” Alex said defensively.

  “You barely gave him a chance to explain himself, he deserved better.”

  “I know, Hayden, but I’m trying to make things right, can you please talk to him.” Alex pleaded, running his hand through his hair.

  “You can't be serious Alex,” Olivia hissed.

  “Olivia that's enough, I made a mistake. I was angry and worried about Sofia, but I should never have let you all bully me into it.”

  “But how will this look.”

  “I don’t care how it looks, we’re going to tell the truth about Parker and his father,” Alex said angrily pacing back and forth. “His father stood by him when he lied, and he used his influence over my father to convince him Parker was telling the truth. He should be dismissed, and I fully intend on pushing my father on the matter. I will make Parker pay when we find him as well.”

  “Your father has half the army looking for him.” Cole said, “but he's had a head start, he would have left the minute he found out Sofia had been found so we'll have a hard time catching up. You should talk to your father about hiring help; there are people in the city who have abilities to help with finding people.”

  “That’s a good idea; I’ll talk to my father,” Alex said nodding before he reluctantly turned to her.

  “But first you will have to talk to the council Sofia, that's why we’re here, I've been holding them off for now, but they are insisting they talk to you today,” he sigh
ed “we need to decide what you're going to say.”

  “How about the truth?” She asked frustrated.

  “They will probably want to lock you up to determine what the banished have done to you, and I can't blame them,” he snapped.

  “You can't let them lock me up,” she replied panicking, they wouldn’t really lock her up, would they? That was crazy, she hadn’t done anything wrong. Surely her father wouldn’t let that happen, he may only be a guard, but he had a lot of sway with the King.

  “I'm not going to let them lock you up,” Alex said dismissively, “nobody outside this room is going to know what happened to you, there is enough panic going on without them worrying about the banished. You will tell them Parker attacked you inside the palace and took you to the edge of the woods, you were drugged, and you don't remember what happened to you. You won't mention the banished at all!” he ended firmly watching Sofia intently.

  She nodded quickly, relieved, it was better they not know. She should have realized after her disastrous attempt at telling Alex that it was apparent that no one was going to believe her. Maybe she should have lied to Alex as well, she thought belatedly, but it was too late now. She had just been so sure he would believe her.

  Alex turned back to Olivia, “Olivia, you can't say anything to the High Priestess either, you know she will just tell my father, and he can't find out about this.”

  “Of course Alex, I won't say anything, my duty is to you, not the High Priestess,” Olivia said earnestly, touching his arm.

  Sofia rolled her eyes and left, she couldn't watch any longer, Olivia was so obviously in love with Alex, and she didn’t understand how he could be so oblivious.

  He couldn't see what was right in front of him, Olivia was too good at manipulating him. She had always had her doubts about the priestesses, but after her conversation with Elder Hazel, she was worried about what their intentions really were. She would have to keep a closer eye of Olivia in future.

  The council chambers were on the top floor of the palace, it was a large room with a dome-like ceiling; the council members all sat in a semicircle facing her with the King in the center. Alex sat to his left while Councilman Atherton sat to his right, watching her suspiciously but she ignored them both, focusing on the King, after all, he was the one she had to convince.