The Dark Kingdom Anthology

by Krissy V

  Gracie

  “How much longer do I have to stay?” I whisper to my mom without moving my lips. I’ve got really good at ventriloquism so I can talk while everyone is looking at me and I want to say something without them knowing.

  “Another twenty minutes and then we can leave,” Mom says, without moving her lips either.

  We’re at a state dinner and it’s boring. I find everything to do with our country boring. I’m always looking for ways to spice up my life a bit. Like last month, when we went to visit King Siegfrid, and the gardener was watering the flowers and spraying the children instead. I snuck away from my parents and my bodyguard and went to play with them. By the time my parents found me, I was soaking wet and in the arms of the gardener.

  I think I bring shame on my family, but I never asked to be a princess. I never asked to have parents who are the King and Queen of Yugotan. I just want to be a normal woman who can find someone to love, settle down and have a family–out of the public eye. That’s not asking for too much, surely?

  Anyway, back to the state dinner. When dinner is over, we all stand, and everyone bows to us as we leave. In the back of the car on the way home, I moan about having to join them on these dinners.

  “Why do I have to go with you? They’re so boring. I want to spend some time with my friends.” I know I sound like a spoiled brat, but seriously, these things are enough to give you narcolepsy.

  “You know why you have to go with us, Gracie. You can’t be trusted to stay on your own.”

  “Aw, Daddy. Just because I’ve slipped my bodyguards a few times, doesn’t mean I’m going to keep doing it.”

  “A few times? I think every time you go out is more than a few, Gracie.”

  I giggle to myself. I hate being followed by a bodyguard. I always try to give them the slip. Look, I’m not stupid; I know why I have them. I’m the Princess of Yugotan and I’m next in line for the throne. If something should happen to my parents then I’ll be the ruler of this country. I get that. I really do. But nothing is going to happen to my parents. We are a peaceful nation with no enemies.

  Looking out the dark window, I think of all the places I want to travel to. I’ve never been to the States and I would love to see what the fuss is all about. But the only capacity I’m going to be able to visit is as a princess, and I want to travel as a normal person. I don’t need all that pomp and ceremony. At night, I dream of running away from all this. But I can’t leave my parents. I love them too much. They would do anything for me.

  The next morning while we’re having breakfast, Gerard, the royal butler, comes in with a letter for Daddy. While he opens it, I see his face turn from a pink shade to white. Whatever’s in that letter is not good news.

  “What is it, Daddy?” I ask as I stand and walk over to him.

  He shakes his head and I sit back down. He then looks at the guards and Gerard. “Leave. We need a few moments alone.”

  They all leave, and when Gerard closes the door behind him, Mom asks Daddy, “What’s going on, Teddy?”

  “General Stocker has declared war on Yugotan.”

  “What?” I scream. “How can he do that?”

  “Quiet, Gracie!” Daddy shouts at me. “I need to think.”

  It’s quiet in the room for a few minutes and Mom is reading the letter and shaking her head.

  Daddy looks up at me and comes over to my side of the table. “Gracie, sweetheart. We are a peaceful nation. We always have been. If he has declared war on us then we need to listen to him. We won’t leave this country easily, but we need to keep you safe. If something should happen to your Mom or me then you will be the next ruler.”

  “No.” I stand. “No. Nothing is going to happen to you. I’m not leaving you. Never.” I grab hold of Daddy’s arm.

  “Gracie, you need to be sensible. We need to keep you safe.”

  “But, Daddy, we all need to be safe. Me, you, and Mommy. Not just me.”

  “But you’re the future of our country, Gracie. We need to protect our future. We are going to send you away while we stand and fight for our country. There is no point arguing with me. This was decided as a back-up plan many years ago. We have an emergency plan for these situations, but you have to promise us you won’t run away from your bodyguards. If something happens to us, then you could well have a price on your head. Promise me, Gracie.”

  Daddy looks at me and I know I have to promise him. Our life has just changed. I just hope he doesn’t notice my fingers are crossed behind my back.

  Chapter One

  Taylor

  “Hey, Hawkeye. How’s the leg?” My boss, Jay, looks down at my bad leg.

  “It’s getting better. I’m having physio three times a week. It’ll never be back to normal, but it won't stop me working.” I’m being hopeful. I know it’s going to affect the job I do, but I need this job. I need to prove I can still do it.

  “I’m just concerned that…”

  “Jay, look. I know you think I can’t do this anymore. But I need to do it. I need to get back out there. Just because I got shot a few times in my leg, doesn’t mean I’m bedridden. I can do it, man.” I know I’m pleading, but at this point, I’m not beyond begging.

  “I know you can, Hawkeye. It’s just I don’t want you overdoing it.” He holds his hands up to stop me from talking. “I have a proposition for you. But I need you to listen to me, hear me out and wait until I’ve finished talking before asking any questions. Can you do that?”

  “Yeah, okay.” I lean back in my chair and fold my arms.

  “Okay, so there’s this secret organization I’ve had some dealings with in the past. PINC is the Princesses In Need Corporation. They protect all the princesses across the world. I know they’re looking for someone to protect a troublesome princess, and to be honest, I think you would be perfect. She doesn’t like to have a bodyguard, especially not the ones her father hires. You don’t take any shit from your clients. I think you’d be able to keep her under control. Her father is prepared to pay double the normal amount.”

  “A princess? You want me to look after a princess? A troubled one at that. I don’t look after kids, Jay. I’m not a nanny.”

  “I know that, Taylor. I can assure you she’s not a kid. She’s twenty-six, she’s wild-spirited, and she likes to slip past her bodyguards. You are calculating and watch everything. I promise you this will be the easiest job you’ve ever had. No mad missions to rescue clients in the jungle. No shooting drug cartels. No bringing down human traffickers. It will be easy. Once you do this then we can see how you manage in the field and bring you back in. It’s the only way to keep you in the business without medically retiring you. Neither of us wants that.”

  I think about what he says. He makes sense. Although, I’ve never heard of PINC before, only the singer. “What do I have to do to get started?” I sigh. If this is the step I need to take to getting back in with Jay full time, then I’ll do it.

  “Great. I’ll take you there now. We’ll meet with Dan and he’s show you around the facility and explain a bit more to you on the way.” He stands and I follow him to his car, not really sure what I just let myself in for.

  In the car, I ask him, “So who are PINC and why has no-one heard of them before?”

  “As you can imagine, if people found out there was an organization that protects princesses in need, there would be a lot of people trying to bring that organization down. Basically, they offer to protect princesses who have been threatened. They arrange protection, and where necessary, extraction, transition, transformation, and then relocation.”

  “Extraction? You mean taking them out of their usual environment?”

  “Yeah, if it’s a hostile situation then we take them out and bring them to PINC.”

  “Ah, I see and what about transformation? What the fuck does that mean?”

  Jay laughs. “That’s where they need to change her looks. So, they cut and color her hair, and give her a new wardrobe of clothes so she can fit
into the society she is being relocated to.”

  “Wow. And all this happens and no-one knows about it? Sounds unbelievable.”

  Jay just smiles. “Wait until you see their headquarters.”

  “I can’t believe I’m saying this but show me the way.”

  Chapter Two

  Gracie

  My bodyguard pulls up to a very dull-looking building on the side of a cliff. After Daddy told me I was going to have to leave Yugotan, everything happened so quickly. I was bundled onto a plane for an hour and then put into a car and have been sitting quietly in the back for five hours. Five hours without a stop, a drink, or any food. I guess my reputation precedes me and they know I would try to run.

  When I get a chance, I’m going to do it, I’m going to run and keep running until I can find a town and not be a princess any longer. But until that time, I have to do as I’m told and meet the people who are going to help me. Or at least who think they can help me.

  We’re let into the building and, after checking my passport, we follow the perky girl on reception. She takes us to a windowless side room and asks us to sit and wait for someone called Dan.

  A few moments later, a handsome man walks into the room. “Your Highness,” he says as he holds out his hand for me. I reach out and take it. “I’m Dan and I run PINC.”

  “What’s PINC? What does it stand for? I’ve never heard of it before.”

  “PINC is Princesses In Need Corporation. We help princesses across the globe who need protecting.”

  “I don’t need protecting. I can just run away and start over for a while. I’m not a high profile princess. Most people don’t know me.”

  Dan smiles. “You’re high profile for us, sweetheart. So, let me just explain what happens next. We’re going to take you down to the operations room. You’ll be able to see all the princesses we protect. Gio runs Operations and that’s where they arrange protection, and where necessary, extraction, transition, transformation and then relocation. We’ve already extracted you, so the next step is transition, which we’re covering here now. In the operations room, we will cover transformation, and then we’ll relocate you to a safe house.”

  “I don’t want to go to a safe house. Just let me change my clothes and then I’ll be out of here. No-one will know who I am. I’ll be safe.” I stand and walk to the door, but Dan is quicker and he’s behind me, his hand on my arm.

  “Gracie, that’s not going to happen. You are now under the protection of PINC, and unfortunately for you, we won’t let you leave here unprotected.”

  I groan and rest my forehead on the door. “I’m not going to get my chance to run away, am I?” I shake my head. “Take me down to the operations room then. Let’s see what you’re going to do.” I open the door and he walks out in front of me. My bodyguard, whose name I don’t even know, is standing outside the door and he follows me. I know he’s looking around to see what threats there are. I’m sure he won’t find any, except for me.

  As soon as Dan opens the door to the operations room, the noise level changes dramatically. The whole experience up to this moment has been quiet, serene, and almost like being in a spa. However, the noise in the operations room is deafening. There is a huge wall covered in what looks like a map of the world. There are small lights all over it, which I’m guessing are the princesses they’re looking after. There are at least one hundred people in this room. Some are rushing around, some are sitting looking at their screens, and some are talking frantically into their headsets.

  Dan puts his hand on my lower back to encourage me to walk farther into the room. I know without looking that my bodyguard is having a difficult time watching all these people and it’s probably a nightmare for him right now.

  Dan veers me over to the large map of the world and introduces me to a man with a headset on.

  “Gracie, this is Gio. He’s in charge of operations management. He’s going to talk you through the next steps. You’re in safe hands. I have to go back to my office, but he will take you wherever you need to go. I’m going to take your bodyguard and send him back to your parents. You are extremely safe in this building and he looks so bored following you around.”

  “Thanks. I hate him following me and looking at me.” I turn to the bodyguard. “No offence.”

  “None taken,” he says gruffly. I watch as he turns and follows Dan back out of the operations room. I stand staring at the hustle and bustle for a few minutes before Gio clears his throat, bringing me out of my daydream.

  “I’m sure you have plenty of questions, but they’ll have to keep. You have an appointment with the transformation team. They’re going to change your hair and find you some new clothes. They will be nothing like the clothes you’re used to wearing. We need to make sure you don’t stick out in a crowd.”

  “I don’t like sticking out in a crowd anyway, so let’s get this started. Do I have to cut my hair? I love it long.” I run my fingers through my hair, maybe for the last time.

  Gio laughs and nods for me to follow him. He opens a door which leads into a room totally opposite to the one I’ve just been in. Whereas the operations room was high tech, full of black and white TV monitors, and maps, this one is pink. It’s like stepping into a beauty shop back in the sixties. I like it. It feels homely.

  A short woman walks over to me, smiling, with her high ponytail flicking from side to side as she almost skips toward me. “Hey, I’m Bonnie. I’m the lucky one who gets to make you over today.” She holds out her hand to take mine.

  “I’m Grace,” I say, shaking her hand.

  “I know who you are, sweetie, and you are gorgeous. Your complexion is flawless.” She reaches out and runs her fingers down my cheek. Smiling, she says, “Beautiful.” She skips across the salon. “Come, come. Let’s get started. Take a seat here under the light and let’s transform you into someone else.”

  I’m not sure I’m ready for this. My parents have gone to war and I’m here getting a makeover. Life doesn’t seem right. But this could be my opportunity to not be a princess anymore and I’m going to take it and run with it. Literally.

  Chapter Three

  Taylor

  Jay brings me to a strange-looking small building. When we go inside, I can see it’s a lot larger than I thought. There are two men in the reception area when we step in. I can tell one is a bodyguard. He has that stance, with his hands behind his back, always checking around him. The other guy is showing him out of the building and he tells him he will make sure she’s safe. I wonder if they’re talking about a princess.

  I have to admit I’m really intrigued by PINC. I’ve never heard of them, and I’m sure most people haven’t either. What goes on in this underground secret society? It looks like I’m about to find out.

  “Welcome, Jay. I haven’t seen you for a while. Good to see you.” The guy holds out his hand to shake and Jay takes it and they man hug, with a slap on their backs.

  Jay turns to me and says, “Dan, this is Taylor. He’s had a bit of a hard time recently, but he is still the best I’ve ever seen. He’s the best man to look after your wayward princess.”

  I step forward and hold out my hand. “Dan, pleased to meet you, but I have to say, I’m very intrigued by what happens here.”

  Dan laughs. “Everyone is. We do a good job of keeping it secret. Come on then. Let’s show you what we do here.” He opens a door into the most advanced operations room I’ve ever seen. It’s huge and there are screens everywhere, but what fascinates me most is the map of the world with lots of lights on it.

  Dan sees me looking at the map and walks towards it. “Each one of these lights is a princess. We keep an eye on them from the moment they’re born until they die. If they leave their country, we know about it. If they leave their home, we know about it. If they…”

  “You know about it,” I finish for him. He laughs. “I get it. So, tell me a little more of how it all works.”

  “When a princess is born, they are implanted with a
tracking chip. We follow their every move. Most princesses like the royal life and are happy to go along with the lifestyle, but every now and again, you meet one who just won’t play ball.”

  “And that’s the princess you want me to protect?”

  “Yeah, that’s right. She’s feisty, but not aggressive. She likes to, erm….”

  “What?” I’m dying to hear what he is going to say.

  “She likes to slip her bodyguard. She hates the lifestyle and wants to be just a normal woman, with a normal life, and not in the spotlight.”

  “Interesting. I haven’t lost a client yet.”

  “That’s what they all say.” Dan laughs. He brings me to a screen and presses a few buttons, and a picture of a beauty salon comes on the screen.

  In one of the chairs sits a blonde woman, facing the mirror. She’s chatting to the woman who’s cutting her hair. She’s beautiful. “Who’s that? Is she one of your princesses?”

  Dan nods. “That’s your new client.”

  My breath catches in my throat as I think about working with her. I’ve never been attracted to my clients, and I know that just because she’s beautiful on the outside, it doesn’t mean she is on the inside. However, I can appreciate a fine-looking woman.

  “She looks like trouble could be her middle name.” I roll my eyes.

  “You might just be right there.”

  Dan moves to another section of the room where we sit around a table. “I’m going to give you her file, the details of where you’re going to be staying, and your cover story. We need her to keep a low profile and fit in with the local community.”

  “So, how does that work if she’s out and about keeping under the radar and I’ve got to protect her?” I look at Jay, confused.

  “Her situation is a lot different to our other princesses. We usually protect them if there’s been a threat made or they’re going out of state for an event. With Gracie…”