Palace Secrets

by Ravyn Rayne

  "This wasn't my suggestion," I say. Not that I'd believe myself either if I were in her place. "I see how it looks, but I swear that wasn't what happened. Sebastian threatened me. He forced me to tell Alexander about the two of us. When I did, Alexander seemed more pleased by the prospect of two women than one."

  Anne laughs under her breath. "What king wouldn't?"

  "That's beside the point." Hannah is in my face, her breathing is ragged, uneven. She's either trying not to cry or not to throw a punch at me. I'm not sure which is worse. "I hate you!" The words spit out like venom.

  "Now that's not very nice," Magdalene says. "Hannah, I'm sure you're upset but Isabella is your queen." She's always been a bit of a motherly figure, Magdalene. Why am I not surprised that she's trying to smooth things over and diffuse the situation?

  Hannah's face goes slack. "My apologies, Your Highness." She curtsies before me. "That is all you are to me. I thought you were my friend. I was mistaken. What we had is over between us. We're through. I'll be your lady-in-waiting, but only because it's my responsibilities, my job." Her heels clank against the floor and she slams the door on the way out of the room. I know she's trying to make a statement, show me she can have power too, even if she isn't a queen.

  Anne finishes lacing the back of my gown. "If I may speak freely, Your Highness."

  "Go ahead." I'm not afraid to hear what Anne has to say.

  "You made a mistake, a large one."

  * * * * *

  It's late morning and I've been searching the castle for Hannah. I need to talk to her. There has to be a way to set things right. Though quite honestly I'm not sure how. Alexander wants both of us, in the end I suspect he'll get what he wants. Perhaps I have to find another way to make it that Hannah will want to be with him. Make him desirable to her. Of course that would have been easier if I hadn't confessed seeing him murder his father.

  Wandering the castle, I pause at the first floor, glancing through the window. I spot Hannah's pale yellow dress she had been wearing when she stormed into my chambers. She's out at the edge of the castle grounds, wandering alone. Is she intending to meet Sebastian?

  I slip out through the main doors and walk at a brisk clip to catch up with her. "Hannah?"

  "Go away! Can't you take a hint?"

  I don't listen to her. I jog the last few feet, walking alongside of her. "I know you're mad at me and I don't blame you. I just, this might be good for you."

  Hannah stops walking. She crosses her arms against her chest. "How could being the king's mistress be a good thing for me?"

  "Actually, you're both of our mistress. He's not keeping you to himself, which is a big deal. King's don't usually include their wives and mistresses together in illicit affairs."

  "I'm not going to sleep with him, Ella."

  "So don't." I stare deep into her pale blue eyes. My hand reaches for hers. "Be with me. Stay with me. I love you."

  Hannah's eyes narrow. "I don't know. You're married to a king, who obviously loves you. I'm going to be the third wheel. Do you know how that goes? It's ends terribly for the mistress, me!"

  "So you will be our mistress?" I grin, hoping that's a yes.

  Hannah's eyes bug out. "You're not listening to me!" She drops my hand and pulls away.

  "Are you going to run away again, Hannah? Just because you're not getting what you want?"

  "Do you even know what it is that I want?" Hannah asks. "Have you ever thought long enough about me to consider my needs and my desires?"

  "Of course I have! I brought you with me because I thought it was best for you. All I want is your happiness. Do you not see that? If it's with Sebastian...well, I don't know. We'll have to figure something out. You've known him for less than a week though. You can't tell me you're in love with the guard already."

  Hannah stares at the grass. "I might be. I don't know. No one's ever loved me for who I am."

  I can't believe her. "Are you kidding me? I love you for who you are. My feelings for you have nothing to do with you being of noble blood or your work station."

  "It's not just that." Hannah's breath is a whisper in the wind. "He paid attention to me, made me feel like a queen."

  I get it. I do. Hannah will never be queen and even if I treated her like royalty, I'm always a royal. "You can have that attention," I say. "Mistresses are taken care of at court. They have beautiful jewelry, nice treasures that a lady-in-waiting couldn't afford. I can't give you my title or marry you, but I can love you."

  With grace, Hannah sits on the grass, her fingers stroke the individual blades. "I didn't like Sebastian that much anyway. I mean in bed he was okay, but it wasn't what I like. I don't want to talk about it." Her eyes avoid mine.

  "To be honest, I got a possessive vibe from him," I say.

  "Yes, I noticed that when King Alexander made it clear I was off limits to him. Though I got possessive too. I hate being told what I can and can't do. It doesn't seem fair." Hannah sighs and lies back on the grass, staring up at the sky. "What are we going to do about the obvious fact that he killed his father? I can't sleep with a criminal."

  I'm silent for a moment, contemplating our options. "Maybe we use it to our advantage?"

  "Yes, maybe." Hannah doesn't sound convinced. Her hands come to rest on her stomach, folded together. "Does it make you nervous, thinking that he might watch the two of us and enjoy it?"

  "I feel a lot of things, Hannah, but nervous isn't one of them."

  My eyes focus on the tree line. I'm certain I see movement among the shrubbery. "Hannah, something's wrong. Get back to the castle and sound the alarm bells. Run!" I grab her arm lifting her in one swift motion. She's faster than I am, a few feet in front of me. "Hurry!" An arrow whizzes by my head. Another follows, grazing my arm. It draws a tinge of blood, a scrape. I'm lucky it's not worse.

  Running for the castle, we rush up the drawbridge before it has time to close and the stone gates shut around us. "Be careful!" I say as we separate. She goes to warn the entire castle we're under attack while I scout out Alexander.

  "You too."

  I hope it's not the last words I say to her. If rebels are inside the castle, it's only a matter of time until the doors are open and we're overrun. My faith is wavering.

  Inside the castle, I find Alexander in the war room. He's studying maps of our land, his advisors haven't accompanied us yet.

  "The meeting isn't for a few more hours," he says, catching sight of me coming into the room. "What's wrong?"

  "They're here. The attack is happening now." The bell sounds ringing at an ear-piercing level, certain everyone will hear it. "What do we do?" I ask. My heart is slamming against my chest. It feels as loud as the chime from the bell. I'm not a warrior. I haven't been trained to lead a militia, or protect a country.

  "We fight back."

  Alexander hands me a small dagger to place along my boot and a sword for protection. "Please tell me your father trained you in fencing."

  "He did," I say. "No bow and arrow?" He saw my archery skills, why not provide me with a tool he knows I'm confident with? I can't help but feel disappointed.

  "Unless you want to watch the perimeter, a sword is your best bet. I need you to find your maids, lead them to the safe room." Alexander hands me a map revealing the interior of the castle and all the rooms including a hidden one. "Protect that map with your life."

  "Where are you going to be?" I ask.

  "Stopping King Frederyk and his rebel soldiers from destroying our country."

  I don't have time to ask how. My first mission is to protect my maids. The castle walls tremble.

  "They're firing canons. Go now!" he orders.

  For once I listen to Alexander and trust him with my life. I escape the war room and dash through the hall searching for Anne and Magdalene. Would the other maids and servants have shown them to the safe room? I can't know for certain.

  On unsteady ground I grip the banister and head for my chambers. The maids loved spending time d
oting on gowns and tapestries for me.

  Rounding the stairs, I find both of them in the hall, looking frightened. It's no wonder. They hear stories of wars and tragedy but never see any of it within the confines of the castle. These walls are supposed to protect us. I pray there's no breech.

  "Come with me," I say and glance at the map.

  "Where are you going with that?" Anne asks, nodding toward the sword in my hand.

  I don't answer her. We don't have time to discuss my defense strategies. I shove the map at my maids, having nowhere to hide it under my gown. Tearing down the stairs, we skip steps as I lead them to safety. I can hear the assailants growing closer. Shuffling into the dining hall, my hands feel over the stone wall on the outside, trying to discover the latch to open the safe room. After a moment, it clicks. The door creaks open a few inches and I pull it the rest of the way. "Get in," I say.

  "You first, Your Highness."

  "No." I shake my head. "Hannah is still out there. So is Alexander. They need me."

  Anne and Magdalene exchange looks. "We're not going without you."

  "Yes, you are. I'm your queen, I order you to safety." I push them into the safe room. It's empty. Why aren't other guards and maids hidden away in there? I don't have time to question it. Shutting the door behind them, I dart back into the hall and down to the bell tower. I need to find Hannah.

  * * * * *

  The map is etched in my mind. Sword drawn, I follow the floor to where Hannah should be. "Hannah?" I call out for her. The silence at this part of the castle is eerie. My stomach tenses.

  "Over here!" her scream is silenced and I hear her try and shout but it's garbled.

  Rounding the corner, I spin around to see Sebastian gripping her in one hand, a dagger in the other.

  "Sebastian, what are you doing? Let her go!" Has he gone mad and lost his mind?

  "Why would I do that? She loves me. We want to be together and your stupid king is ruining our happily ever after," Sebastian says. His voice comes out as a squawk. "I love her!"

  "Leave me alone," Hannah says, trying to shimmy from his arms, twisting and turning but the blade grows tighter at her throat.

  "You weren't saying that last night," Sebastian says.

  His mouth caresses her ear, whispering something that only she can hear. It's enough to make her stop squirming but the blood has rushed out of her face. She's ghastly and her eyes look as though she's about to cry.

  My blade is poised for Sebastian but Hannah is in the way. "Was this your idea? Overthrowing the kingdom today because your precious girlfriend was propositioned by the king? I bet that deflated your ego." I won't let him hurt her, I'm just not sure how to stop him. I can duel well, but defending someone else, that was never a lesson I learned.

  "Let her go!" Alexander comes around the corner, his sword drawn as well. He stands behind Sebastian, poking the blade into his back. "So much as blink and I'll plunge this blade straight through to your heart."

  "He'll do it!" Hannah screams. Her voice is shaking and her eyes are wide like saucers. "He killed King Charles!"

  Shit. Why did Hannah have to go and reveal our secret? Alexander could easily kill us both now as well and blame it on the rebels.

  "How long have you been a spy for King Frederyk?" Alexander asks. At the moment he appears to ignore Hannah's outbreak. For how long though, I'm not sure. Maybe he'll forget it entirely.

  Sebastian laughs darkly, throwing Hannah to the ground. Her head hits the stone window ledge and she falls unconscious in a heap. I want to reach out to her and make sure she's okay. I don't see blood from where I'm standing, but Sebastian is still too close and if I move at all, he might strike me next. Worse if I'm bending down, he probably will plunge his dagger into my back. I won't be defenseless. At least on my feet I can protect Hannah if he goes after her again.

  Sebastian's focus seems to be on Alexander. "A spy? I only turned when you betrayed me. Stealing the woman I love, that's low, Alexander, even for you."

  "It's King Alexander," he says, correcting Sebastian. "Leave now and I shall spare your life."

  "Not a chance," Sebastian says and steps forward with the dagger in hand. It's no match for the king's sword. "At least give us even odds. Yours is bigger."

  Alexander rolls his eyes. "Leave my castle and your odds of living will by far outweigh the odds of you falling upon my sword and being thrown into a mass grave when this is done."

  Sebastian throws his dagger at Alexander. It's his only move with the shorter blade, all or nothing.

  Alexander's reflexes are quick and block the dagger from striking his chest. The handle clashes against his arm before tumbling to the ground.

  I raise my sword, shoving it squarely at Sebastian's neck. "Go for your dagger again. I dare you to give me a reason."

  Sebastian raises his hands in surrender. Is he really giving up or is this a trick to put our defenses down?

  "I want answers!" My teeth are gritted and my cheeks burn red with rage. "Where is King Frederyk?" I don't believe that Sebastian ordered the attack on our castle without reinforcements.

  "He's not here." Sebastian laughs and his happiness makes him sound insane.

  There's nothing funny here. Not that I can tell. Has he lost his mind?

  Hannah is beginning to stir and she sits up, grimacing. "Why is he still alive?" she asks, staring up at her predator. She lunges at me where the sword meets his throat. "Kill him or I will!"

  Her response startles me, so much that I'm momentarily stunned as I look at Hannah and Sebastian ducks, preparing to escape my blade and presumably the room.

  His hand moves for another dagger at his boot. Hannah doesn't miss a beat. She covers my hands with hers, forcing the sword into his chest. I feel it cut skin and bone. Grimacing, we pull the blade back out and are met with resistance as it digs through flesh again.

  "He was going to kill you," Hannah says, staring at Sebastian as he lies in a pool of his own blood. He doesn't move, his eyes blink, still alive but for not much longer.

  "You don't know that," Alexander says, seeming surprised by Hannah's actions as well.

  "I do. He told me the dagger is laced with poison. One cut would kill you."

  * * * * *

  With Sebastian dead, the remaining guards secure the castle. Shooting arrows of fire at the enemy is enough to drive them far and fast out of the country. It's helpful that we have some of the best marksman in the world. Probably because they trained under Alexander.

  Standing in the war room, Alexander and I are safe but for how much longer? I ask Hannah to retrieve Anne and Magdalene from the safe room.

  "We must send a letter to my father at once," I say, grabbing a piece of parchment, quill, and ink. "We shall ask for additional reinforcements, in case King Frederyk decides to strike again. My father must also know that the peace treaty has been violated."

  "This wasn't Frederyk," Alexander says. "I don't care what he said, this has Sebastian written all over it. Maybe he pushed Frederyk into giving him soldiers, but he came here for Hannah. My guess is he was going to drag her to wherever he decided to run off to. This isn't the first time I've had trouble with him when he's courted a young woman."

  This is news to me. Why didn't Alexander say anything sooner? "So we're not out of danger?" I ask. "One of our spies, Bridget, mentioned that King Frederyk had plans to attack soon while we were most vulnerable." Having a new reigning king and queen qualified.

  "Bridget?" he repeats and frowns. "I don't recognize the name. Once your father sends additional guards to protect our villages and the castle, I feel confident Frederyk will leave us alone. It's why I intended to call a meeting with you in the war room earlier this afternoon. I thought it wise to ram up our defenses before an attack. King Frederyk will leave us alone. We wiped out his most trusted spy and defended ourselves against his men. He'll need a lot more manpower to destroy the castle and win our kingdom. Our alliance with your country remains strong and though he may wan
t our throne, he's not going to get it."

  * * * * *

  The three of us are lying together on the mattress. I'm not sure what will happen or when. Hannah seems resistant to Alexander and he isn't exactly putting out vibes of arousal either. It's been a trying day, perhaps sleep would be the best solution for all of us. I don't know how soon Hannah will want to become our mistress, she agreed to join us in our chambers this evening but no one seems ready to make the first move. I'm just glad not to lose her, especially to Sebastian. She deserves better and though I question her happiness repeatedly, she tells me that she wants to be here, with both of us.

  Hannah's hand is on my arm. She's lying behind me, curled up against my body. I can feel warmth radiating off her skin.

  Alexander is facing me, his eyes filled with something I can't quite pinpoint. He looks pensive, lost in thought. He's curled on his side, staring at us but his hands remain on the mattress. Does he wish for Hannah or myself to make the first move in this affair?

  It is foreign to me. I'm not opposed to letting Alexander watch but I'd much rather he participated with us. I know without a doubt how much better the experience will be for all three of us.

  "Why did you call me a killer?" his voice is filled with hurt. His question catches me off guard. How did I hurt him? He murdered his father for the throne. I witnessed it. There's no other way to explain what I saw.

  I should have known Alexander would bring it up. Why had Hannah let the words slip out? She'd been so careful. It wasn't like her to divulge another's secret.

  He waited all day to bring it up. Not a word when we discussed strategy in the war room or shared dinner in the dining hall.

  We all make mistakes or act in what we believe is our best interest. Hannah and I killed Sebastian. Did we have a choice? I suppose if we wanted to die, we could have let him live. His life for ours. It's not something I care to think about right this instant. Is that how Alexander thinks of his actions? That they were lawful?

  "I didn't kill my father, he was already dying. Wouldn't you wish the same mercy if you were growing weaker every day toward your inevitable death? The doctors did everything they could. It was my turn to save him. Spare him the agony of dying slow and in miserable pain. You didn't hear him cry at night begging for death to take him. He was growing too weak to swallow. He'd starve to death soon. I wasn't going to watch that happen."