by Helene Gadot
"I don't want you to lie to me. I want to know what the three of you want."
"But we don't want you sacrificing more for us either. We're behind you either way, doll." He stepped back. "You look perfect. No one's going to look down on you now."
THIRTEEN
Sky's words banged around in my head as Aster escorted me through the palace. Even with Aster accompanying me, guards followed, waiting for me to attack or make a break for it.
Stares and whispers stalked our steps, but we both ignored them. Any conversation we had would be overheard, so Aster kept the conversation light, pointing things out around the palace halls and giving me pointers on finding my way around.
"I suggest you stay close to either me or one of your assassins for now though. It'll be easier and safer." He eyed the guards.
Did he think the king would still try to have me killed? I narrowed my eyes at Aster in question and he nodded. Wonderful.
Aster paused at a set of double doors. "Here we are. I am truly sorry about these classes. I will be here when they are over to escort you back to Whist and the others."
"Okay, what exactly am I in for in there?" I asked.
He grimaced. "History of the royals, information on the laws, how to act as a new royal and what your role will be. There aren't any new royal kindreds, so you'll be the only student. How long it takes depends on you."
"Sounds fascinating." My tone was dry.
"I grew up taking the same classes. It is certainly not very enjoyable, but it isn't difficult."
"Good to know. See you later."
"Wait." He stopped me with a hand on my arm. "Don't leave with anyone other than me, one of your other kindreds, or my sister."
His touch made me shiver. "I won't."
"Have fun."
I snorted and slid through the doors. A middle-aged woman waited for me in the middle of a room that was part classroom, part library.
"You are Rhapsody?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"I am Jeine and will be helping you make the transition from commoner to royal. For some, it's a relatively simple one, for others, it's more difficult. Before we get started, why don't we have some tea and you can tell me about your life. It will give me an idea of where to begin."
No, thank you. "Very well." I sat at the table she gestured to and placed my hands in my lap.
She nodded in approval. "Serve the tea, please. I'd like to see how you do."
I bit back a sigh and did as she asked. Commoners drank tea, it wasn't only for nobility.
Jeine beamed. "Excellent. You're already better than a lot of the people that come through my classes."
"Thank you."
She didn't seem to notice my acerbic tone. "Now, tell me about your life."
I didn't want to tell her. She had no right to know and I had no desire to live through it with a stranger who would carry my words to the rest of the palace. So, I gave her the bare minimum. I didn't tell her my parents weren't kindreds. I didn't tell her they died from starvation. I told her my father was a musician and my mother was a seamstress. All truth, but not the full story.
"You moved around a lot?" Jeine asked.
"I did." My fingers tangled together in my lap, my tea untouched on the table.
She took a delicate sip from her cup. "Were your parents well-off?"
I ground my teeth together. "They weren't royals, but their families were pretty well-off. They owned businesses."
"Excellent. Must be where you got your manners."
"Plenty of commoners have delightful manners. We don't all eat with our fingers and fart at the table." I was not the slightest bit amused at her ostentatious attitude and I had little interest in being praised for not acting like an animal.
She sniffed. "No offense meant, my dear, but the prince himself did just that."
"That is not something I needed to know, and he wasn't a commoner."
"The little monster might as well have been."
She was really starting to piss me off. I bit my tongue so hard I worried it would start bleeding.
"Anyway. Your manners seem fine enough for now. Your clothes are fine. Let me give you a lesson on what to expect when you join the royal family and what your responsibilities will be. Since the prince won't be king, it isn't as much for you as his kindred. But there are still enough you need to be able to handle. Can you dance?"
"Yes." I wasn't certain about fancy ball dances, but I wasn't adding it to the list of things she wanted me to learn.
I zoned out as she droned on and on for the next few hours, only paying attention enough to answer the few questions she asked and to have at least an idea of what I was in for.
She had just finished piling a stack of books for me to take with me and study once we were finished when the princess stalked inside, her female kindred at her side.
The princess smirked. "We came to rescue my brother's kindred from your evil clutches."
Jeine stood and bowed. "Your highness, you know how necessary this is. Your kindreds had to go through the same thing."
Princess Indigo glared at the woman. "Yes. And you attempted to ruin them and crush their spirits and I rescued them from you as well."
Jeine protested and stuttered. "But your highness, the king--"
The princess sliced her hand through the air. "The king will hear nothing of this. I will take over Rhapsody's lessons. If she makes any errors that upsets my father, I will take the blame."
"Very well, your highness."
Princess Indigo grinned at me. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
FOURTEEN
Princess Indigo and her kindred led me through the halls in silence until we were outside in a courtyard. "It's safe to talk here."
Only an orchard separated the courtyard from the guard training grounds. I could see purple uniforms through the trees. Apparently, the princess had the ability to make my shadows disappear. Probably not once we father got wind of it.
"It wasn't in the palace?" I raised a brow.
She shook her head. "Not about what I want to discuss."
"Which is?" Whatever she wanted was beginning to worry me.
I finally inspected the princess and her kindred. Things had been too crazy for me to pay attention to them before. She looked more like my sister than Aster's. She had dark brown hair and hazel eyes more green than brown, and her skin was lighter than mine, but we looked quite similar. Her kindred was toned and pale and tall with blond hair and brown eyes. She was beautiful, and she looked at the princess like she was completely head over heels.
The princess shook her head. "First, let me introduce you to my kindred, Elora. She was a royal guard before we met and discovered we were bonded. I don't know how much fighting skills you have, but she can help you train. You need to be able to protect yourself here, you're going to have a lot of enemies just because you're bonded to my brother. And even more once people realize the king hates you."
Things kept getting better and better. "How lovely."
A grin twitched on her lips and Elora's.
"Sky was starting to work with me before we were caught. I'm decent with a dagger, but nothing too impressive. What exactly do you want from me?' Was she here to convince me to accept the bond?
"I want your help. I think you can be a real tool in our plans to overthrow my father." Her hazel eyes burned into mine.
She seemed sincere and friendly and my assassins trusted her.
"How? I have no power, I'm not a fighter. All I do is write songs." Why did everyone think I was some rebel leader?
"Your songs are what will help me. Your music and words are powerful and have spread across Faligrey. A lot of people are unhappy with their bonds and your songs have both comforted them and stirred them up. It's why my father wants you dead. He doesn't like it when people question him or his laws."
"If I perform anything else, he'll kill me and the assassins."
Indigo nodded. "For now, yes. But not after you b
ond with Aster. And you may not be able to perform, but you can still write music and we can use it to pass messages and others can perform them."
I frowned. "Anyone who performs my songs will be in danger."
"We have a system set in place. We're good." Elora smiled with utter confidence.
"I admit, I'm a little confused. What do you want me to write about?" I was more than willing to create more rebel music, but I didn't see how it would help.
Indigo spread her hands. "Whatever you want."
"Most of my work tends to be about the kindred laws. Do you disagree with those laws?"
She bit her lip. "I will be honest with you. I never gave it much thought until I heard your songs whispered around court. I found my kindreds and I love them. They're perfect matches for me. My brother felt it more than I did because until now he hadn't found his. He was beginning to believe he'd be alone forever. And if you choose not to bond with him, the current laws will mean he will have to spend his life alone and I can't have that."
"If until recently you didn't really care one way or the other about kindred laws, what exactly are you fighting against?" I needed to know what she was fighting for. If it was something I could get behind.
She sighed. "My father isn't evil, but he's spoiled and insecure. He was the spare, never supposed to be king, never taught how to rule. And he idolized my grandfather, who wasn't the best man himself, but my father refused to see that side of him. Since he wasn't supposed to be king, he cannot bear for anyone to challenge him, he thinks they're saying he shouldn't be king."
"Isn't that exactly what you're saying?" I asked with a raised brow.
Indigo laughed, hard, but an edge of sadness welled in her eyes. "I am. It's become a self-fulfilling circle. He's so terrified of being a shitty king, he became one. He's paranoid and war-hungry. We can't afford to go to war with Havisam and the dragon lands. But he wants to because of some perceived insult and now thinks they're a threat. I'm doing everything I can to stop it, but the majority of the council is too afraid of the king to stand against him and speak up. He keeps abruptly changing laws on the slightest whim, our dungeons are overflowing with supposed criminals like you. We want peace and prosperity for our people and for our neighboring countries. We'll never have that under my father's rule. We have to force him to step down."
As much as I would love to see the king removed from his position, it wasn't going to be easy. "He doesn't seem like the type to ever give up power without a massive fight."
She shook her head. "I will not use violence, it would make me a poor leader. If we get most of the council behind us, he'll have no choice. It's the law. And if the leaders of Havisam and the dragon lands push for it, the council will cave. They don't want to go to war either, they're just scared."
"And how are you going to get the other countries on your side?"
"My brother has already reached out to the Havisam royals and we're hopeful. The dragons have finally agreed to meet with me in a few weeks. We're playing a long game, Rhapsody. A very dangerous one. It takes time and very careful effort. I would understand if you would prefer to run with your assassins. Aster told me you aren't interested in accepting the bond." Her gaze was understanding, but sad and regretful.
I grimaced. "No, I'm not interested in that. I... I can't. My family died because of the laws in place. They were outcast and couldn't afford to feed us properly and we were never able to live in one place very long before we were run out of the villages."
"What was their crime?" Elora asked.
I sucked in a sharp breath, but decided if they could trust me, I'd at least try to do the same for them. "They weren't kindreds."
"What?" Indigo and Elora almost shouted the word together.
I clutched my hands together behind my back. "They never found their kindreds, and they fell in love with each other. But they couldn't marry and then they had me and we were always ostracized whenever people found out."
Indigo closed her eyes for a moment. "I see. I am so sorry. That's awful."
I sighed. "Look, I know it's not your fault or the prince's. And I want to help you in any way I can. I just don't know if I can accept the bond with him, but I already told him I would pretend as long as we could before your father pushed the ceremony on us."
Indigo bobbed her head in a businesslike nod. "Good. We can keep him preoccupied for a while. He isn't thrilled about it and since you already have three other kindreds, Aster won't have another one, so you should be safe enough for now. But my father ultimately cares more about his rule than he does Aster, so you still need to be on your guard. Don't go anywhere alone, learn how to defend yourself, things like that."
"What do you need from me?" I wasn't at all clear on what she was asking me to do.
"For now, keep up the premise of you learning how to be a royal, getting to know your new kindred, and I would love if you could write a few new songs for me to send out. And I have one important one I need you to slip messages into for the coming ball. Aster has the messages, so he can help you."
I still didn't understand what sort of messages she meant, but I shrugged and nodded. "Easy enough."
"I do hope you'll change your mind about Aster. You could help us change things for the better and usher in a new world of peace. I know all kindreds aren't good matches, but so far yours appear to be working out well."
I didn't want to alienate one of the few people in this palace who seemed to want to keep me alive and I couldn't deny the draw I felt towards the prince, but it felt like a betrayal to my parents.
"I'll think on your words."
She snorted. "You don't fully mean that and I understand, but I do hope you'll consider it. Aster is nothing like our father."
"So I keep hearing."
"Did someone say my name?"
I spun around with a rapidly beating heart to see the prince sauntering towards us, his eyes trained on me.
"Brother, I was just getting to know your kindred. She is utterly delightful and a perfect choice for you. You need someone to keep you humble."
He grinned. "She is most certainly excellent at that, dear sister." He turned to me. "Your kindreds are growing concerned, so I told them I would fetch you."
"Are they okay?" I asked, worried they'd do something foolish out of concern for me.
"They're fine. A bit stir-crazy, but fine. Your bond is new enough, it makes them anxious to be away from you. I must admit, I suffer from the same anxiety."
I shrugged. "I don't." A complete and utter lie, but no one called me on it. Based on their expressions, no one believed it either.
"Meet here tomorrow instead of with that old crone and we'll work on your training." Elora had been quiet while the princess and I spoke, not adding much to the conversation, so I wasn't sure how she felt about all this, but perhaps when we were alone I could get further answers. Though since she'd been a royal guard before she became a future queen, her loyalty was always to the crown.
I nodded. "Thank you. See you tomorrow, then."
Aster led me away, leaving me alone with my whirling thoughts.
FIFTEEN
My mind still hadn't cleared up a week later. Our days had settled into a strange rhythm -- I spent my mornings training with Elora and sometimes Sky, my afternoons were filled with reading and studying the ways of the royals, my evenings were usually spent chatting and eating with Aster and my assassins and sometimes Whist's mother and the princess, and my nights were spent curled up with my kindreds.
I'd stayed out of the king's way and he seemed to have completely lost interest in me. Something for which I was grateful, but I didn't trust. It was only a matter of time before he remembered me and did something about it. I'd gotten to know Aster pretty well, and I agreed with the guys, he was a good man. And the attraction between us was strong, but I just couldn't convince myself to give into it.
It made it worse how little he pushed it. If he did, my natural rebellious side would shut him down fas
t, but instead he was friendly and helpful, but kept his distance. It was driving me mad. I was spoiling for a fight and he refused to give it to me.
Convinced he knew exactly what he was doing, I kept poking and testing him. I pushed and prodded. But he remained steadily polite and kind. It had to be a trick, a mask, a plan. I knew it couldn't be who he really was and I was determined to shatter his mask and reveal the man behind it.
Whist waited for me in his room when I stepped out of the bath. "Hey gorgeous."
I smiled at him as I toweled off my hair. "Hey."
"You planning more games tonight?" Whist asked.
"What are you talking about?" I bent over to wrap my hair in the towel.
Whist huffed. "With Aster. I know what you're doing. We all do."
I stood tall and stuck my fists on my hips, not caring about my nudity. "I'm determined to break him, Whistler. No one is that calm and polite and charming. I don't trust masks and his is thick."
He forced his eyes away from my chest. "You're going about seeing beneath it all wrong."
"What do you mean?" I yanked on a pair of trousers and threw on a simple shirt I'd found in the rack of clothes from Indigo.
"Aster only lets his guard down when he's alone or when he's around people he trusts implicitly."
Why did it hurt hearing the prince didn't trust me? "I don't care if he trusts me. I want to know if I can trust him."
"The two of you are driving the rest of us batshit bonkers. We all want the same thing, gorgeous. The king off the throne. Can we please stop with the games and just work together? Trust me and Saber and Sky to know the prince is on our side? Aster isn't going to break no matter how much you annoy him. Look who his father is and everything he has to deal with? He's used to being annoyed and bugged and bothered. Until he trusts you, the mask is all you'll see."
"Why wouldn't he trust me? You three do."
He nodded. "We do. But you're also our kindred, so he probably thinks we're biased. And he trusts you to help against the king. He just doesn't trust you with his heart. And you've been clear from the beginning that he shouldn't because you have no interest in the bond with him."
