Fractured Core (Untold Tales Book 6)

by Laura Greenwood

  "There's an office down here, Your Highness," one of the soldiers said to me.

  I nodded. "Thank you, I'll take a look." We'd already found three others, none of which had been Katya's, and none of them had included anything of particular interest to us. We certainly wouldn't be running the kingdom based on anything we'd found in them, that was for sure.

  A small part of me was hoping that this was Katya's, mostly because I was ready for some answers, but also because searching offices was unbelievably boring and I didn't want to go through it again without the pay off.

  "The coast is clear," the soldier told me.

  "Thank you." I walked toward the open door, the hand holding my sword hanging loosely by my side. Perhaps I should have kept it in a more aggressive position, but that didn't seem right. No one was threatening me.

  The office was larger than the others we'd been in, with a large, ornate mirror sat on the opposite wall. Something about it pulled me towards it. There was an unspoken power I didn't want to think about too hard.

  I glanced away, taking in the rest of the space. The remains of a fire glowed in the grate, though there weren't enough embers to catch light. A huge desk was littered with papers. I went over to it and rifled through them, finding more than one wanted poster with my face on it as well as a collection of orders and instructions.

  I sucked in a deep breath. This was it. We'd found Katya's office and everything we needed to take over running the kingdom. It was a relief to be in here, even if it meant feeling the bang of sadness that came from the idea of having lost my best friend. From all of this, that was the bit that hurt the most.

  "Lucia," Katya's voice sounded from behind me.

  I turned, aware of the anger blazing in my eyes and replacing any of the sadness I'd felt now that I was in the same room as her. "Katya."

  "You look well."

  Was that really how she was going to start things between us after the things she'd done? As far as I knew, she'd made three attempts on my life and put a bounty on my head as well. If I hadn't been in the middle of a camp full of trained soldiers, then perhaps I'd have had even more threats on my life to cope with.

  "No thanks to you. Did you think I wouldn't notice your little assassination attempts? You failed every time."

  "As I intended to," she whispered.

  Was I hearing her right? Her assassination attempts were meant to fail? That didn't make any sense at all. Then again, I supposed not much of what Katya had been doing made much sense in the grand scheme of things.

  "What is this place?" I could have asked her to clarify, but I doubted I'd have liked the answer. It was better this way.

  "The office your father used to do his work in. I've used it myself." She glanced towards the desk but didn't say anything. Had I missed something that was hidden among the papers there? Was there perhaps something there that would explain all of this?

  "Why have I never been to this place before?" Had father not trusted me to know about its existence?

  "You weren't interested in running the kingdom," she pointed out. "Neither of us were."

  "It seems like you've changed your mind." At the expense of me and my people.

  She smiled sadly. "Not at all. After today, you'll never see me again."

  "I-I don't think I can kill you." It had been something that had plagued me. How was I going to put her to death? We still had too many good memories for me to just do it in cold blood. And yet, I also had no choice. If I didn't, then there was a risk that people would use her against me. While the nobles had all turned up to swear their loyalty to me, they'd also shown up at her ball. I'd be a fool to think there wouldn't be some people who'd prefer the dark-haired woman in front of me to sit on the throne.

  "Then don't. You won't see me again. The crown, and the throne are yours."

  "You're just giving them to me?" What was going on? None of this made any sense. She'd worked so hard to displace me, but now she was just going to accept that I was the true queen? She'd given me the crown like this too, and she'd stuck to her word then. Maybe she was telling the truth.

  "It's yours. There are papers on the desk for everything you need to know." She turned away from me, showing an immense amount of trust considering my people were storming her palace right now.

  This was my chance to end her for good and make sure she never posed a threat to my people ever again. But I didn't. She'd been my friend, my sister, and my rival. But I didn't want to be her killer.

  "Why? Why did you do this?" I asked, my voice cracking.

  "A promise to a dying man." She didn't say anything else, but walked from the room and left me staring after her. There really wasn't anything left to say anyway. Hopefully, there would be more information hidden somewhere.

  I sighed. This kingdom was going to be in more of a mess thanks to this, but at least it was going to be mine again.

  I moved around to the opposite side of the desk, readying myself to search through the papers there for any kind of clue as to what was going on. Some of what had happened made very little sense to me, and I wanted some answers.

  My fingers landed on an envelope with my name on it, written in Katya's handwriting. Was this some kind of trick, or had she really written me a letter? I ripped it open, hardly caring which of the two it was. Katya had walked out of this office, and out of my life if the words were to be believed.

  My eyes widened as I scanned along the words of the letter, not believing what they said.

  Lucia,

  You were the sister I never had, and the best friend I could have wished for, and it pains me that things have had to end the way they did. On his deathbed, your father made me promise him that I'd do everything possible to make you into the queen you should be. I'm not sure how he knew you'd end up being the queen, Killian and I truly tried to have a child through our short marriage, and if we'd succeeded, then none of this would have been necessary. Maybe if I'd tried harder, we'd still be the sisters we once were.

  The taxes have never been raised. Those are only rumours I started in order to turn the lower classes against me. You'll find all the details of the current finances in a ledger in the top drawer of this desk. There's also a letter to you from your father. I have no idea what it says, it didn't feel right to pry.

  All I can say is that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you pain, and I hope you can find joy in the new kingdom you've created. If I live past you retaking your throne, then thank you. I know it would be easier if you killed me, but I'm glad you didn't. Even though it pains me to write it, you won't see me again. You have a kingdom to run, and I have a new life to live. But please know that I love you like a sister, and I'm proud of the woman you've become.

  You'll be the best queen this kingdom has ever seen.

  With all the love of a sister who might have been,

  Katya

  A tear dropped onto the page, smearing some of the ink. I didn't know how I knew, but every word she'd written rang true. This was what she'd meant by her assassination attempts never being meant to kill me. They genuinely hadn't. She'd just been using events like that in order to persuade more people to my side. I had to admit that it was a genius move. As was the tax thing, which also explained a lot. I'd always wondered why there were rumours that taxes were rising, but no one ever seemed to get any poorer.

  Despite it all, Katya had been taking care of my kingdom for me, and for that, I was eternally grateful. It was a good job I hadn't killed her, if I had, then the guilt would be something I had to live with for the rest of my life.

  "Your Highness," a soldier rushed into the room, his face red from running.

  I quickly wiped away the tear tracks on my cheeks. "Is everything alright?"

  "We followed the false queen, but she was with a man we didn't recognise. He looked as if he were a noble. They escaped. Would you like us to mount a search party in the nearby woods?"

  I shook my head. "Let them go. We'll put a bounty on their heads and s
omeone will do us the favour of catching them and bringing them back to us." It was a lie. If what I now suspected was true, the man with her would be Gideon. He was one of the best trackers I'd ever met. If anyone could cover their trails successfully, it was him.

  "Affirmative, Your Highness."

  "Your Majesty," I corrected. "The palace is now ours. Hoist my flag from the towers and spread the word that we've won. I am now the queen in every way." I rose to my feet as if to reaffirm my words, though I was aware it was more for me than him.

  "Of course, Your Majesty." He bowed deeply and left the room.

  I sighed loudly. This was just the beginning. We might have seized power today, but there was still a long way to go. The hard work was just starting.

  Chapter Nineteen

  "You can do this," I reminded myself, staring into the mirror in my father's office. I still half-expected something weird to happen when I looked into it for too long, but nothing ever did. I still thought there was something unusual about it, but I hadn't figured out exactly what yet.

  "You can do this," Jonathan assured me.

  I twirled around, forgetting about the heavy coronation robes I was wearing. They didn't make it very easy to turn around quickly.

  Or do anything quickly, if I was completely honest.

  I sighed. "There's just so much to do. I think I'd have preferred having more time before being coronated, but..."

  "All of the nobles were already in the building and it was foolish to waste the opportunity to do it now, I know."

  I smiled. It was hard to remember that he listened to me. That was my new reality now. A man by my side and advisors who would listen to what I wanted and thought was best.

  "Did you get a reply from your father?" I asked.

  He nodded. "He was surprisingly quick to respond. I suspect he's pleased to learn that I'm heading towards a marriage alliance after all. I don't think Gideon and Katya were doing much in the way of keeping up the pretence by sending letters to him."

  I grimaced, though inside I was a little relieved by that. The last thing either of us needed was an agreement with Jonathan's father that we didn't have the details of. It had probably been Katya's idea to keep the other king in the dark.

  "Has there been any sign of them?" he asked, clearly following my train of thought, even if I hadn't voiced it out loud. I loved how he did that.

  "No," I answered. "Someone thought they had in the woods about five days away from here, but that's not likely. I think she can be trusted, we won't see her again."

  "What makes you so certain of that?"

  I could understand his reluctance to trust her. He didn't know Katya like I did. "Her letter, my father's, the state of the kingdom. Whether or not she was right to do what she did, she took care of things in the way she thought it was best."

  "You really think your father asked this of her?"

  I nodded. "He said as much in his letter."

  "You said she was good at forgeries, is there a chance she wrote it instead of your father?" he voiced the concern I'd had at first.

  "In theory, she could have done," I admitted. "And it crossed my mind. But there are too many things in the letter that make me certain it was written by my father. Before he was ill too. That wasn't Katya's work, there was too much emotion in it." Tears threatened but I chased them away. I knew deep down in my heart that my father had written that letter. And that the words in Katya's letter were true.

  Not that I'd told anyone but Jonathan about either of them. No one else would have understood the importance of the two documents, and I didn't plan on changing that.

  Sapphire swooped in through the window, as if sensing the conflicting emotions I was feeling. She landed on my shoulder and I reached up to ruffle her feathers. "You can't come with me to the coronation," I told her.

  Jonathan chuckled. "Perhaps she wants to wish you luck. Not that you need it," he assured me.

  I laughed as well, his joviality bringing out my own. "I might. Do you know how long it is since I've worn heels? I'm scared I'm going to trip over my dress when I walk down the aisle."

  "I'll make sure that doesn't happen," he promised.

  "You're still happy escorting me? Even though you know what it means?" It had been worrying me ever since we'd first had the conversation.

  "Of course."

  "Even though you know what it means?" I repeated.

  "That I'll be seen as nothing more than someone at your side and not a political entity myself?" he asked.

  "Mmhmm."

  "Then yes, I fully accept what it means to walk you down the aisle at your coronation." He stepped forward, bringing the two of us within touching distance for the first time since the conversation had begun. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed that until now. "And perhaps soon, you'll be walking down an aisle towards me."

  A blush spread across my cheeks along with a smile. "I hope so."

  He leaned in and kissed me, promising everything that I wanted in this one touch.

  "Now, let's go get you coronated," he said once we'd broken apart.

  "I suppose we should."

  He held out his arm and I linked mine with his. There wasn't far to go between the office and the main hall, but it took an age to walk them. My dress felt heavier the closer we got, though I suspected that it was because of what was going to happen, not because the fabric was changing weight.

  Voices streamed out from the great hall and I clutched tightly at the sleeve of Jonathan's jacket. Like the gentleman he was, he didn't say anything about it, just continued to lead me until we were standing outside the entrance.

  I took a deep breath. This was it. I was officially about to become the queen of my own kingdom. It had only taken a rebellion and some scheming on my enemy's part to get here. At least casualties had been minimal, potentially because Katya also had the same goals as we did.

  "Are you ready?" Jonathan asked as we came to a standstill.

  "No, but I'm going to do it anyway," I responded.

  He gestured to the guards on either side of the door and they flung them open. Trumpets began to sound and I began the slow walk down the centre of the aisle. The nobles on either side rose from their seats and watched intently as we walked past.

  Brutus and Rita beamed from the front row. I needed to make sure both of them were rewarded for their support with titles and lands for their families. They deserved everything I could possibly give them and more.

  I should also do something for Hannah's family. She could be a lady-in-waiting instead of my lady's maid. But now wasn't the time to be thinking about things like that, especially when the throne was rising up at the front of the room, just waiting for me to sit on it.

  Jonathan unhooked himself from me and went to sit in the front row. At least I'd be able to see his face while I went through all of this.

  I smoothed out my skirts and sat down on the throne. Around me, everyone else regained their seats too. For the first time, I was glad I'd been able to witness Killian and Katya's coronation, it let me know what to expect.

  Boredom, mostly. There were a few points at which I had to say something, but it was all such a haze that I was barely able to remember the words leaving my mouth. It wasn't until the crown was about to be placed on my head that things came back into focus.

  It was the same circlet that had crowned my family for generations, and now it would do the same for me. I'd worn it before, but this was something different.

  "I swear to serve the kingdom to the best of my ability, and to always put the needs of the people ahead of my own," I said.

  "Then I anoint you Queen Lucia. Please stand," the priest instructed everyone.

  The nobles rose, their eyes all trained on me and watching for my next move. Or potentially for a wrong one. I wasn't too sure which.

  "Long live the Queen!" someone shouted.

  The words echoed from every part of the hall, filling my heart and soul. I tried not to let the weight of t
hat statement press into me too hard.

  I met Jonathan's gaze and my concerns melted away. I could do this. I had people around me who cared and supported me.

  For better or for worse, I was now the queen, and I had to do what was right for my people, no matter what that meant for myself.

  I'd done it. And now I had to live with that for the rest of my life. I just hoped I could do my family proud. The last thing I wanted was to disappoint them.

  Epilogue

  Two Years Later...

  Jonathan swept me up into his arms and twirled me around. I laughed lightly, enjoying the dancing even though I knew there were other things that needed my attention.

  "I can tell from the look in your eyes that you're thinking about work," he warned me. "And I'm going to tell you to stop it now. We're having a party, make the most of it."

  I chuckled. "Should I be worried about how well you know me?"

  "We've been married for nearly two years, I think you'd only be able to worry if I didn't know you by now," he quipped.

  I smiled as I looked up into his handsome face, amazed by how far my kingdom had come. Katya had set up the groundwork for prosperity, which meant that after I'd taken control again, the whole kingdom had become the place it should be. Harvests were up and the people were happy, at least as far as I could tell they were. I had a lot to thank her for, and I wished I could. But there was nothing I could give her that I hadn't already. I hoped she was off enjoying her happily ever after with Gideon. I assumed they were together after he wasn't anywhere to be found after the takeover.