Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance

by Laura Greenwood et al.

  "I don't think that's the truth," he responded, louder than was wise when we were in a room full of witnesses.

  I stopped in my tracks. On a technicality, he was right about that. I knew exactly where Lucia was. But that didn't mean I was going to tell just anyone, especially not a random prince who showed up and asked for the information.

  "What information I do and don't possess is for me to know and you not to," I insisted. On the outside, I was certain I was projecting the right kind of confidence people had come to expect. But on the inside, things were different. Worry churned in my gut. What if this prince could see through my ruse?

  "You're a beautiful woman, you're bound to have more secrets than anyone can ever tell."

  "Then you shouldn't expect any of them to cross my lips." I didn't turn around to face him. If I did, he'd no doubt see the unease on my face.

  Riki growled from her seat by my throne.

  "She's a beautiful animal," the prince observed.

  "She was a gift," I responded.

  "Ah, so I did get one of your secrets."

  I twirled around, my dress fanning out behind me in a dramatic twist. At least I'd perfected that move. "Riki's origins are no secret. She was given to me by the most notorious huntsmen in the world."

  "That's an impressive gift."

  "Hmm."

  "I'd like to stay," he announced.

  "Very well, if that's your wish." I indicated to one of the guards.

  He stepped forward and bowed. "Your Majesty, how may I assist you?" There was no fear in his voice.

  "Please set up rooms for Prince..." I trailed off having realised I was missing a vital piece of information. "I'm unaware of your name," I said flatly.

  "Jonathan," he supplied.

  "Please set up some rooms for Prince Jonathan, he'll be staying for an undetermined amount of time."

  "As you please, Your Majesty." He backed away before exiting the room, no doubt to do as I'd commanded.

  "Someone will take you to your rooms once they're ready, Prince Jonathan," I said formally. "Until then, make yourself at home. There are no secrets here. You may enter any room but those belonging to private persons." That seemed fair enough, and a good way to stop prying eyes.

  "Are you not going to entertain me, Your Majesty?" He smirked.

  "I have work to do. I'm certain you can find enough to entertain yourself without my help." I swept out of the room as dramatically as I could, tapping my thigh to indicate that Riki should follow me. She yipped once, but then began to walk calmly by my side.

  I held my expression steady as I walked out into the rest of the palace. No one could see my weakness.

  No one.

  Chapter 3

  I stroked Riki's head but did nothing more than stare up at the canopy of my bed. My corset dug into my ribs, but I'd already dismissed all my maids. I needed some time alone, and this was the only place I could achieve that.

  "Is there a reason you're moping so much, Katya?"

  I sat bolt upright, though Riki only raised her head slightly, before setting it back down.

  "You shouldn't be here," I said.

  "Since when has that stopped me." Gideon raised an eyebrow and plonked himself down on my bed with no thoughts about how this would look if anyone walked in.

  "Things aren't like they used to be."

  "Yes, your husband is long dead," he pointed out.

  "It's not my husband that's the problem." I pushed away the guilt that always assaulted me when I thought of Killian. We hadn't loved one another. We'd only gotten married because Lucia needed us to.

  "Then what is?" He leaned in and ruffled Riki's fur.

  I sighed. "You know what is."

  "Yes, this great promise you made. You never have explained to me how that worked."

  "I made a promise." I glanced away.

  "One day, you're going to have to tell me the rest of what happened."

  "I don't think that's wise." I didn't want to burden my childhood friend with the same issues as I had to face, it wasn't fair to him.

  "Katya, I'm the most accomplished huntsmen the realm has ever seen, you can trust me with whatever you need to."

  I laughed bitterly. "That's not how it works. Just because you're the best, doesn't mean you should know the biggest secret I have."

  "I've kept all your secrets," he pointed out.

  "Like I have any that would harm anything else," I muttered. "I doubt the world would change if anyone found out the truth about Killian and me."

  "You're right, they wouldn't," Gideon assured me. "And they won't if this secret gets out either."

  "That's what you think." I pushed to my feet and started pacing back and forth.

  "How can this secret make things worse?" he asked. "The kingdom is rising against you. The nobles have fled to their home, and foreign princes still want Lucia's hand in marriage. Things are bad."

  "Things are as they need to be," I shouted, ignoring the tears that were threatening to fall. I didn't care if Gideon saw them, he'd seen me cry many times, but I did care that this was all starting to get to me. I had to hold things together.

  "But why? I don't understand what happened. You and Lucia were fast friends."

  "We were." I stopped pacing and dropped back down onto the bed.

  Gideon's arm wrapped around me. Instead of fighting it like I should, I leaned into him, resting my head against his shoulder.

  "Tell me what really happened?" he asked.

  I sighed. "I made a promise to Lucia's father, when he was dying. He told me of a prophecy about Lucia that I had to be the one to see through. Once Killian died, I had to put all of this into motion. If I didn't, then the world would fall into horrible chaos. At the time, I wasn't sure how much of it was true. But no man would put his daughter through that if he didn't have a good reason. So, I've seen it through. Exiled Lucia, started a civil war, made myself into this person."

  "Oh, Katya." He rocked us back and forth on the bed.

  Riki shuffled so she was pressed against my leg. I welcomed her touch and reached down to ruffle her head. Her constant companionship was one of the only reasons I'd managed to survive as long as I had without her protection.

  "It's a terrible secret," I whispered. "One you shouldn't know."

  "There's nothing I can say to persuade you against this, is there?" he asked.

  "Of course not. I love Lucia. She's my sister in all but blood. And the King treated me like I was his daughter, even when he didn't have to. I have to do this."

  "Then let me help."

  I wanted to tell him no, but I was too weak for that. I was exhausted from keeping up the charade, and I needed someone I could call my friend in every sense of the word.

  "Yes," I whispered. "I shouldn't. I don't want to put this one you, but..."

  "Katya," he interrupted me. "You're not putting this on me. It's a burden I'll willingly help you carry. You just have to tell me what to do."

  I sighed, but this time from relief more than anything else. The weight in my heart lifted. If I'd known this was going to help, then I would have told him all of this long ago.

  "Thank you," I whispered.

  "What are friends for," he quipped.

  "I'm sorry I didn't trust you with this earlier." And there was more guilt for my conscience.

  "I understand why you didn't." He turned around so he could see my face and took one of my hands in his, giving it a squeeze. "Now tell me about this prince I've heard is gallivanting around the palace."

  I chuckled. "I'd hardly call it gallivanting. He came in, we had words, and now he's gone to his rooms, I presume."

  "Are you sure he's not out snooping?" Gideon teased.

  "He won't find anything if he does."

  "So, you're saying he's an idiot?"

  "No, I'm saying that anything worth finding is well hidden." I shrugged, though not enough to knock his arm away from me. I was enjoying the weight of his arm. I didn't pause to think
about that for very long, it wasn't worth the confusion it would cause.

  "That's a good start. You said he was here to ask for Lucia's hand?"

  "That's not what I said at all." I chuckled despite myself. "But I see the word has gotten around."

  "It's a small palace filled with not that many people. Everyone here knows almost everything."

  "I don't know what to tell him." I rubbed a hand over my face. Normally I just let the princes do what they wanted for a couple of days and then they left out of nothing more than boredom. Somehow, I knew this one wasn't going to be the same. He'd need more than that to convince him to go.

  "What about sending him to Lucia?" he asked. "I assume you know where she is?"

  "Not the exact spot, but close enough that I can send him to the right vicinity." The plan wasn't the worst one I could imagine.

  "Then perhaps that's what you should do."

  I shook my head. "I can't. What will people say if I send a prince into the middle of the woods? They'd either think I was trying to start another war we can't win, or that this whole thing is a sham. If anyone finds out the truth, I don't know what will happen, but I'm more than certain that it'll be a problem."

  "Then send me."

  "Gideon, no. I can't. You know too much, if you accidentally reveal anything..." I shuddered at the thought.

  "Oh no, you misunderstand. You don't send me, you send him pretending to be me."

  "And you think he'd do that? How can we even try and explain that kind of thing to him without giving away too much?"

  "That's simple, you don't." A smirk crossed his face.

  "What are you planning?" Mischief lingered in his eyes. He had a plan, probably a good one. He wasn't the kind of man to suggest something like this if he wasn't already plotting.

  "Why don't you sneak down to the stables tomorrow afternoon and listen to my plan."

  "Why won't you tell me before then?"

  "Because the less you know, the more convincing this will be," he promised.

  I rolled my eyes, but let him keep his secrets. After all, I'd spent a long time keeping my own from him.

  "Fine. But I'll be listening." I hoped his plan would work, if it didn't, then we'd have to try something different.

  "I'll do my best. But you might want to tell me where Lucia is hiding before I talk to him."

  "I can do one better than that. Stop by my office tomorrow and I'll give you a map you can give to the prince."

  "What if someone else finds it first?"

  "I have something that will deal with that," I promised.

  "Another secret?"

  "Yes. But this time you're going to have to trust me." I hated the idea of keeping him in the dark about this other part of the promise to the king, but I had to. I'd be burned at the stake if anyone found it.

  "I trust you," he promised. "And I'm sorry you've had to carry this alone."

  "Me too." I stared into the fire in the grate, losing myself in my thoughts and the comfort of Riki on one side and Gideon on the other.

  Chapter 4

  I wrapped myself tighter in my cloak, hoping to battle the chill in the air. I wasn't sure when winter had started, but my breath puffed up in front of me, and there was no denying that it was here.

  Footsteps crunched on the ground and I sank back further into my corner. I'd risked casting a concealment spell, though I didn't like using the amulet the king had given me, but this was too important to mess with and it was worth going down that path.

  "Is this actually real?" the prince asked, stepping right past me and not even noticing I was there.

  Good. The spell was working. I used these things so rarely that I worried about whether they did or not.

  "Yes, of course it's real," Gideon said, a smug air in his voice.

  I smiled and rolled my eyes at that. It was so like him.

  Jonathan laughed. "Where I come from, when someone asks you to meet them in an empty stable, it's fifty-fifty about whether or not you'll leave alive."

  "I suppose that's true. But what I have to suggest is something far more in line with what you want than what you fear."

  "Well, now you have me intrigued." Jonathan eyed up my friend with suspicion.

  "That's what I hoped," Gideon answered with a smirk. "I heard that you came here with the intention of marrying Lucia."

  "I did. But I've been told she's not here."

  My heart thudded in my chest. This had to work. If we didn't send him to Lucia, then he'd just go home empty-handed. I supposed there wasn't anything wrong with that, but I wanted her to be happy, and a prince would help her with defeating me.

  In theory.

  "She isn't here. But I know where you can find her." He pulled out the map I'd given him half an hour ago and showed it to the prince.

  "Where did you get this?" Awe filled his voice.

  "Where do you think? The Queen doesn't realise how easy it is to sneak into her office."

  I chuckled softly, before stopping myself. I wasn't sure whether the cloaking spell would cover any noise I made, I should be more careful.

  "Why would you help me? Isn't everyone here loyal to the Queen?"

  "Why would I be loyal to her? Katya is nothing but a tyrant who should be stopped," Gideon sneered.

  Pain lanced through my heart at the words. I knew he was just playing a part, but the words still hurt. I didn't want to be the person I'd been made into.

  "And you're going to help me make that happen? She didn't seem too bad when we met."

  "Of course not, that's how she lures people in. It's how she grabbed power in the first place," Gideon lied. Or at least, I hoped he was.

  I closed my eyes. I shouldn't have come here. I should have just made him tell me and not been privy to any of this. It would have been easier on my heart that way.

  "We need to switch clothes. You'll take my horse and one of the hunting birds I often use. You're going to pretend to be me, and I'm going to pretend to be you here."

  "Won't the Queen notice the difference? You'll be punished."

  "I doubt that'll happen. She isn't known for spending a lot of time looking at the faces of her people. She doesn't care about any of that," Gideon said.

  I was powerless to stop the tear that rolled down my cheek. I didn't like the way I was seen by the people anymore. The worst part being that there was nothing I could do to stop that from being the case.

  "Fine." The prince started stripping off his clothes and throwing them on a pile at Gideon's feet.

  Gideon did the same, and the two men quickly transformed into one another. It wouldn't fool anyone who knew their faces already, but it should help Jonathan get out of the palace and to Lucia, and that meant it was the right thing to do.

  "Are you sure you're willing to let me use your horse and bird?" Jonathan asked once the two of them were dressed again.

  "It's the only way to pull off the ruse. I imagine your own horse is rather noticeable."

  Jonathan nodded. "The white stallion over there."

  "My point exactly. Take Dash, he's fast and sure." Gideon knocked on the stable door and his bay horse walked out, pack over his back.

  "He's a beautiful creature," the prince observed.

  "He is. Please keep him safe for me," he requested.

  "Of course. Thank you for doing this. I'll make sure Princess Lucia knows of your help," Jonathan promised.

  "There is no need. Tell people you stole the animal instead, please. I don't want it getting back to the queen that I betrayed her. She doesn't suffer traitors."

  "You have my word. I'm grateful for your help and will protect your life the best I'm able."

  "Thank you." Gideon dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Your steed awaits."

  Jonathan mounted the horse.

  "There's just one thing," Gideon said, stopping the prince before he could gallop off into the distance.

  "Yes?"

  "You need to send the queen a heart. I suggest a deer's,
but that's up to you. She must believe it belongs to Lucia."

  Jonathan grimaced in distaste. I didn't blame him, I imagined my expression matched his. "That was your mission?"

  "Indeed. If you send it to her, then it'll buy some more time before our ruse is discovered."

  "You have my word. She'll receive a heart as soon as I have found the princess," Jonathan promised.

  "It is gratefully received," Gideon replied. "Now, you should be on your way."

  "Thank you once more for all you've done." The prince dipped his head and then pressed his heels into Gideon's stallion. He rode off, not looking back even once.

  I sighed with relief. That was one thing solved. I pressed the amulet hung around my neck and waited for a second for the concealment to drop.

  "He fell right for it," I said.

  Gideon jumped and turned around. "You are here, I wasn't sure."

  "I'm good at hiding." I touched the amulet, before dropping my hand to the side. "Was the heart thing really necessary?"

  He shrugged. "I was trying to sell the story. This way you can receive a grim present in front of other people."

  I shuddered at the thought. I couldn't work out if that was a brilliant idea, or as disgusting as it sounded. "At least you didn't suggest a human heart," I muttered under my breath.

  "There's one thing I don't understand about royalty," he mused. "They never look around them for signs."

  "You mean the empty apart from us stable and the already packed bags?" I responded.

  "Exactly. Nothing reeks more of a trap."

  "Except that we weren't ever going to harm him." I watched the prince as he rode through the fields, otherwise dressed up as Gideon. If anyone else was watching, they'd assume it was him too.

  "Now all I have to do is convincingly play a part of a prince and hope no one recognises my face."

  "You're right about that," I said. "No one pays enough attention to the faces of the help. It should be easy for you to blend in."

  He chuckled. "And what do I do once I have?" he asked.

  "I'm not sure. What do you want to do?"

  "Perhaps I should spend my days courting you? A little romance might be just what you need," he joked.