by K. M. Shea
Yes, her grandfather was wrong, and the people needed to be protected. But she had already tried to fix the brokenness of the monarchy, and in repayment she slept for a year and lost Isaia.
She was so tired. Tired of the disapproval, tired of the petty remarks, tired of being resented because of all the things she wasn’t. The easiest course was to give up and become the princess everyone wanted her to be.
Jewel’s words echoed in her mind. But why would you want to do that?
Briar shifted in place. She loved her childhood. She loved the people she’d befriended then—people who would be in danger if her grandfather carried through with his plan.
“Enough!” King Giuseppe shouted, cutting Briar’s thoughts short. “You may be a lady enchantress, but you will not question how I choose to rule my country. Leave Ciane, or I will have you dragged out.”
Gasps tore from the crowd, and Briar bit her tongue to keep from squawking in protest.
Magic users were seen as esteemed guests and were always to be treated with respect due to the aid they provided. To treat one as the king had just threatened…the Veneno Conclave wouldn’t stand for it!
Angelique was not cowed by the threat. She faced him with continued serenity. “The blood of innocents will be on your hands, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, for it will be done as I have said,” King Giuseppe said.
Anger roared in Briar’s ears as his words broke her last bit of hesitation.
Her family might be disappointed, but sacrificing people was not worth a stupid thing like approval, nor was remaking herself to suit others’ desires the right way to live. If they don’t like who I am, that’s their problem. As long as I do what’s right, I can be—no—I should be me!
“Grandfather, you are making a grave mistake.”
There was a collective exhale of breath as Briar finally glided down the path the spectators had opened for her and joined Angelique in standing in front of King Giuseppe’s throne.
He stood. “Rosalinda, you should be in your lessons.”
Briar offered Angelique a smile before she rolled her shoulders back and prepared for a shouting match. “Yes. I’m afraid skipping lessons is just another one of the many weaknesses you’ll have to add to the list of my failures.”
King Giuseppe narrowed his eyes. “Return to your class—this does not concern you.”
“Quite the contrary—it very much concerns me,” Briar said. “Not only will I one day inherit this kingdom, but I also happen to be one of your subjects who once lived in the country.” Briar’s smile turned brittle. “So, if that were still so, would you mean to let me die, Grandfather?”
“That is enough, Rosalinda,” King Giuseppe said.
“No, it’s not. Not by half.” Briar shook her head and glanced at her parents. “You are the king. You have been entrusted not merely with land and resources, but with lives. The people pay your taxes and follow your laws because they trust you to guard them. This is how you mean to repay them?”
“You speak of things that you know nothing about,” King Giuseppe said.
“Wrong again! Perhaps if I was raised in this festering place that would be true, but I happened to receive a fine education as a child, and I can confidently say that what you are about to decree is not what a good ruler would do.”
The king clenched his jaw. “You dare to speak out against me—to humiliate our family in this way—in public?”
“If I had a hope you could be reasoned with in private, I might have waited.” No, I wouldn’t have, Briar internally admitted. This is too important. “Or if someone else had spoken out…but no one will because you have them too browbeaten!”
“Guards! Remove the princess and take her to her chambers!” King Giuseppe snapped.
“At least let the Magic Knights go,” Briar said. “This is what they were created for, to protect the people and react quickly—not to standby like nursemaids!”
“The knights will do as I say,” King Giuseppe said.
“That’s not how it is supposed to be,” Briar argued.
“Enough, Rosalinda! You are a foolish child, and you will be held responsible for your careless manners!” The king’s stone mask was back as he looked down on Briar as if she were a bug beneath his notice.
“Father…” Princess Alessia quietly started.
“Silence!”
Princess Alessia sank back into her throne, looking chastised.
The exchange infuriated Briar. A glance behind her confirmed the soldiers were moving—at roughly a snail’s pace, but they were coming for her.
Briar’s anger and fury over the situation got the best of her. She searched her mind for the most poignant, perhaps even hurtful way she could make her point. Just as the soldiers stepped behind her, she lifted her chin and spat. “You, King Giuseppe, have the same death grip, the same twisted hold, the nobility used to have on Sole before the Queen of Hearts. Mark my words, just as she wrested control from the nobles, if you do not change, someone will rip it from you!”
Briar whirled around and stalked out of the throne room. The soldiers’ relief was palpable as she voluntarily left—her ladies-in-waiting gliding behind her. They bowed to her as she marched down the hallway, still boiling with anger.
“Where will you go next?”
“To the Magic Knights of Sole. Let us hope they can be reasoned with.” It took Briar several strides before she realized it was the Lady Enchantress Angelique who had asked her the question and walked with her side-by-side.
“Lady Enchantress Angelique!” she yelped.
Angelique smiled. “Indeed. It is nice to finally speak to you, Princess Rosalinda.”
The name was slightly more palpable when the enchantress said it, though it still made her shiver. “Thank you for everything you have done—for me and for my family,” Briar said.
“It has been my honor.” Angelique twitched her skirts as they continued down the hallway. “If the Magic Knights do not listen to you, what will you do?”
“Then I will go myself,” Briar said grimly.
Velvet and Silk gasped.
“Your Highness,” Jewel started as they trotted down a staircase.
“I am not so stupid as to think I can face Carabosso, but I can help evacuate citizens,” Briar said. “In fact, whether or not the Magic Knights listen, it is my intention to help.”
“Evacuate?” Silk asked.
“They do it for bad weather and floods,” Briar explained. “Farmers and those who live in smaller communities will evacuate with their families and livestock and retreat to fortified areas. We evacuated twice when I lived on Sir Roberto’s lands. It’s a chaotic, hectic time, and any help would be appreciated.”
“Your Highness, it’s still too dangerous,” Velvet protested. Her voice echoed as they entered a long hallway.
“I’ll come with you,” Delanna said.
“Delanna,” Jewel growled.
“The princess is right. We cannot leave those people to die,” Delanna said.
Velvet and Silk joined arms and exchanged frightened glances, but Jewel’s chin rose. “Very well,” she said in a shaky, frightened voice. “If you believe we can help, we will come, too.”
Briar blinked as a strategy began to form in her mind. “Actually, I would prefer you stay in Ciane, though it will be a great social risk for you.”
Jewel gripped her skirts with white hands. “You wish for us to cover your flight.”
“I do,” Briar said. “If King Giuseppe realizes what I am prepared to do, he will have the whole army camped outside my door.”
Jewel tapped her lower lip. “I think we could arrange something. We will be waiting for you at the stables.” She grinned—the most roguish smile Briar had ever seen on her—and directed Velvet and Silk up an alternate hallway.
“Firra, Donaigh, and my companions will come with us. I will leave you here so I may go warn them, but is there anything you require my assistance with before I do so?
” Angelique asked.
Briar shook her head “No, I don’t believe so—”
Faro.
The pull of the magical-and-slightly-creepy legendary weapon almost knocked Briar into the display case of an ancient shield and sword. Oops. I forgot about that. When she regained her feet, she realized they were just a short distance from Aeternum Hall. She threw back her shoulders and prepared to march away—forcibly yanking herself out of its orbit—when the shadowy touch of the weapon’s magic pulled back and was replaced with a bloom of warmth.
Isaia.
Briar stilled. Was the two-handed sword, one of the exalted legendary weapons, meant for Isaia?
Magic hummed in the back of her mind, pleased.
If it was, how could she give it to him? If anyone saw her walking around with it they would tell her grandfather, and it was not an inconspicuous, easy-to-hide weapon.
“Your Highness? Did something happen?” Delanna asked.
Briar took a shaky breath. “I may have spoken too soon. Lady Enchantress…you know of the legendary weapons?”
“The weapons of the original Magic Knights of Sole that hang in Aeternum Hall? Yes.” Angelique tucked a stray hair away from her face with a pleasant smile.
Briar’s nerves made her spine tingle. “There is a particular weapon from there that I need, the two-handed sword. Do you think you could remove it from Aeternum Hall and smuggle it from Ciane without anyone knowing?”
Angelique’s smile turned introspective. “You know to which knight it should belong?”
Briar hesitated, and was, again, almost pushed over with the strength of the sword’s magic and the warm memories it incited of Isaia. “Yes.”
“Consider it done. My companions are just the people to successfully retrieve it. I will also take my leave so I can explain the situation to them. It seems the stables will be our meeting place?”
Briar took a deep breath and began walking again. “Yes.”
“Excellent. Until then, good luck.” The lady enchantress also branched off, taking with her some of the lightness and courage that had held Briar up.
“Am I making a mistake, Delanna?” Briar asked her friend as they slipped out of the palace and strode towards the training ground. “And I don’t mean in standing up against my grandfather. I mean in essentially asking Lady Enchantress Angelique to steal a legendary weapon.”
“No, Your Highness,” Delanna said. “Another legendary knight would be a great boon to the country.”
“Perhaps, but my grandfather is not going to like who it is,” Briar grumbled.
“It is not his choice to make. It is the weapon that determines who wields it,” Delanna said.
Briar made a face. “Magic weapons that make their desires known—it makes my spine shiver.”
“Mine as well,” Delanna said as they reached the edges of the training ground. “But they are wondrous.”
Briar wasn’t so sure she agreed with that, but she shifted her attention to the white, stone administration building. It was odd, but there weren’t any knights out training. She didn’t even see any in the stables.
A sick feeling uncurled in the pit of her stomach as Briar stalked around the white marble fountain of a mounted knight on a prancing horse, hurried up the few stairs, and barged into the building.
A young knight was waiting there.
“Where are they?” she asked.
“Your Highness, you must make an appointment if you wish to be here,” the knight stammered.
“Where is everyone?” Briar repeated.
“The assembly room—no! You cannot go there!”
Briar ignored his protests and sailed down the hallway. She had to convince the Magic Knights. If they didn’t move, if they didn’t protect the people, Sole would suffer greatly.
Keeping that revelation in the front of her mind, Briar paused when she reached the end of the antechamber. She sucked in a breath, rolled her shoulders back, and pushed a door open.
The Magic Knights of Sole were waiting for her. They were dressed in their anti-magic armor, making them such a dazzling and inspiring sight Briar’s heart hurt. They glittered in the sunlight that shot in through skylights and windows and were arranged in evenly spaced rows and columns, filling the four levels that ringed the room.
The four legendary knights stood in the center, four steps down from the entrance. Each of them held his legendary weapon, which—Briar was pleased to see—actually did seem to sparkle oddly.
These were the heroes of the country. Surely they would save the people!
Briar licked her lips. “Magic Knights of Sole,” she began.
“We know why you have come, Your Highness,” Sir Artemio said.
“Then will you save them?” Briar asked.
Sir Artemio’s gaze was level and even. “No.”
The response shocked Briar. No? She paced a small circle, trying to recollect her thoughts. She glanced back at the door and wanted to roll her eyes at the giant portrait of the Queen of Hearts that hung over the door. In this one, she was younger—perhaps only a few years older than Briar.
Briar’s attention was pulled back to the discussion when Delanna spoke.
“But Sir Artemio,” Lady Delanna said. “Can’t you send out at least a few teams?”
“I’m afraid not,” Sir Artemio said.
“But why?” Briar asked.
Sir Virgilio shifted. “We were forced to act against the king’s wishes when you were cursed, Princess Rosalinda, and had Ciane put under a spell for the good of the country. The king was most displeased with us, as is his right,” he said.
“How is that an explanation?” Briar was so mad she almost sputtered. “You’re the Magic Knights of Sole! In cases of disaster—magical, natural, or otherwise—you can operate independently of the crown.”
“I am sorry, Your Highness, but we cannot,” Sir Artemio said.
Briar’s shoulders grew rigid. “So the vows you take as knights—when you promise to protect and serve—do they mean nothing?”
“Tread carefully, Your Highness. We do not have the same love for you that His Majesty has,” Sir Lucio growled.
“Then help me understand! Why do you refuse? What does my grandfather have over you that would make you forsake your vows?”
“This is the way things are, Your Highness,” Sir Artemio said. “We follow the crown. We are loyal to the d’Avalas family and always will be.”
Briar propped one hand on her hip. “I see. It’s because of her is it?” She jabbed a finger at the portrait of the Queen of Hearts.
“We have an obligation to follow her family,” Sir Jacopo said.
“I am of her family!”
“But you are not the ruling d’Avalas,” Sir Jacopo said.
Briar was so angry she could have spit. “You honor her so, but do you think she’d want you to act like this? She made you to be heroes! Right now you’re little better than an expensive army.”
Some of the knights began to exchange angry murmurs, but Briar was too enraged to care. How could they cling to a misplaced sense of duty when there were lives at stake?
“We are no army,” Sir Virgilio said.
“Then why do you not fight?” Briar clasped her hands together and lifted them, pleading. “If you will not come as a unit, can’t you come as individuals?”
The room was oppressively quiet, and Briar gave up almost all hope.
“I will.”
Relief coursed through Briar. She knew that voice, and she should have expected it. Isaia breathed honor, after all. She turned to smile at her childhood friend.
The tall knight murmured for a moment to his companions—Sir Roberto and Sir Franco, who both looked reluctant but understanding—then broke away to approach Briar. (She was a little surprised Roberto did not come with, for Isaia had inherited his steadfast belief in honor from him.)
Isaia went down on one knee before her. “Your Highness, my sword is yours.”
The aw
kwardness and hurt of their previous discussion faded, and Briar smiled fondly. Whether he believed in her love or not, he was still Isaia. “Thank you, Sir Isaia, for your courage and for your help.”
“Don’t do this, Isaia,” Sir Virgilio said. He took a step towards them, but Jacopo placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “I know you are loyal, but she cannot possibly be worth this.”
“If you insist on going, Sir Isaia, there will be consequences,” Sir Artemio warned.
“Consequences?” Briar whispered under her breath. Visions of dungeons and chains began to haunt her.
Isaia offered her a half smile. “Lack of promotions, the worst of the assignments, that’s all.” He raised his gaze to the legendary knights and offered them a bow. “I thank you for the warning, but my honor is worth more than anything you could ever take from me. I will go with the princess not because of the affection I hold for her, but because she is right. To turn our backs on the people now is to forsake what it means to be a Magic Knight of Sole.”
Sir Virgilio angrily shook his head, but Sir Lucio’s expression turned thoughtful.
“Very well. In that case, I ask that you and your companions leave the training grounds, Your Highness,” Sir Artemio said. “Or we will send word to the palace and inform the king of your…speech.”
We need to avoid that—or the grumpy old man will realize what I intend to do!
“As you wish. But remember this.” Briar stood as tall as she could and lifted her chin. “Those weapons you hold were given to men because they were judged to be loyal and wise. They were used to stand between the worst this world can offer and the innocents of our country. Do you really think you are fulfilling your vows by staying behind walls, while children, men, and women are murdered by the kind of evil you were meant to fight?”
She did not wait for a response. She turned around and swept from the room, her anger almost palpable. Delanna and Isaia went with her without a second glance back.
When they were gone, the doors closed, and silence reigned.
