"I have a bad feeling, Katya. Something is going to happen."
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him, enjoying that this time I was the one offering him comfort instead of the other way around.
"I promise I'll keep Riki by me and have a knife strapped to my dress too." I'd even go as far as putting a sword somewhere I could easily access it, though I wouldn't be able to openly wear it to the ball itself.
"Thank you. I'll rest easier knowing you can protect yourself."
"Are you forgetting about this?" I asked, touching the amulet around my neck.
"That's going to run out of magic at some point."
"Hmm, that's true. But I don't think that's yet. There are things still to do before Lucia gets here."
"It'll be alright, Lucia. We'll have each other after it’s over."
I nodded. "I hope you're right."
Chapter 21
Music floated through the entire palace, followed by the voices of the nobles all having the time of their lives. This was exactly what Gideon had planned from the start with the ball, which was something.
The music stopped. "Her Majesty, Queen Katya," the announcer called as the doors swung open.
I took a deep breath and stepped inside, Riki trotting along at my heels just like Gideon had wanted.
All eyes were on me as I stepped in, and with good reason. Not only was I their queen at the moment, but the dress I'd had made broke all the conventions of etiquette. It wasn't as bell-shaped as most of the other women's. But more importantly, it was jet black, with tiny glittering crystals all over it. With a crown to match. It might not have been the kingdom's crown, which was the point, but no one would care for now.
"Your Majesty," Gideon said, stepping forward from the assembled, bowing and offering me his hand. "Would you honour me with a dance?" he asked.
"I shall. Riki, stay." I gestured to the musicians who started to play one of my favourite songs. I had to hand it to them, that was a nice choice on their part. I would send gifts of thanks in the morning. No, wait, I shouldn't do that. It wasn't in line with the person I was supposed to do.
The moment I took Gideon's hand, my whole body began to tingle. This might be part of the plan, but I was going to enjoy it.
He swept me into his arms and swung me around onto the floor. We were only thirty seconds into the dance and I could already tell he was better than when we first practised.
"Have you been taking dance lessons?" I teased.
"Perhaps I just had a good teacher." He smirked.
"It's more than that."
"I admit, I've been practising while alone in my room. I saw the ways your eyes lit up when we talked about having a ball in the first place, and I've wanted you to enjoy this from that moment onwards."
My heart skipped a beat at his words. "I love you," I whispered.
The joy on his face could have lit all the sconces in the palace, and then had some power left over. "I love you too."
"I'm glad you pushed me to tell you the truth about all of this," I admitted.
He was stopped from answering by a step in the dance that meant I needed to be spun under his arm.
My dress swung out, reminding me why I loved dancing so much. There was something so beautiful about the movements of people. I glanced around the room, taking in the other couples moving like we did, and the people talking, eating and drinking.
It was almost possible to forget the larger plan and just focus on this night as it was. It was beautiful. Divine.
"I wish we could have done this as ourselves," Gideon whispered.
"The huntsman and the lady-in-waiting?" he asked.
"It sounds so perfect." The worst part about it was that I could see the appeal in living a life that was free of fancy dresses and jewels. Without power.
I didn't need any of that. I'd only taken it to honour a promise.
"We'll have it soon," Gideon promised. "It'll be you and me where no one can touch us. We'll dance in our kitchen with nothing but the fire to warm us."
The picture he was painting filled my heart with joy.
One of the musicians missed a note, and the others followed suit. We stopped dancing and I turned to face them to find out what had happened. This was my ball, and I needed to make sure it went seamlessly.
"What..."
"Stop what you're doing!" someone shouted.
I turned to the source, to find a man in a ragged uniform standing on one of the tables. He looked vaguely familiar.
"Jonathan," Gideon whispered.
"You need to go." I pushed on his arm, my heart racing. If he was here, then that meant that Lucia was too. It was both the trouble we needed, and dangerous for us.
He nodded and moved off into the crowd.
"The queen you are celebrating isn't the true queen!" Jonathan shouted. "She's nothing more than an imposter who stole the crown when her husband died."
"Who are you?" one of the Dukes demanded.
"I'm the real Prince Jonathan. A huntsman here was brave enough to trade places with me and send me to Lucia."
Murmurs started.
"Riki," I demanded. My wolf was by my side in a moment.
"Follow Queen Lucia. She is the one true leader of this realm!" Jonathan called.
The nobles began to mutter amongst themselves, though I doubted he could say anything that would incite them to rebel against me, they'd spend too much time working out how this situation could benefit them, and not enough fighting me.
Which was good news as far as I was concerned. I needed to find Lucia and make sure she did what she needed to.
"Riki, come," I whispered. If anyone was going to try and stop me, then she would put them off.
I crept around the gathered people, which proved surprisingly easy given the circumstances. Everyone had frozen where they were, meaning there were a lot of places to hide. Jonathan continued to speak, which meant their attention was fixed on something else.
The moment I left the ballroom, I sighed with relief. Though it soon became clear that the palace guard wasn't going to be any use. Bodies lay everywhere, but there weren't enough to account for everyone. That meant they'd managed to turn some of the guards too. That was excellent news.
"Come on girl. We need to get to my office to meet Gideon. That was where we'd organised to meet in the event that Lucia managed to break into the castle.
But first, I needed to pull my sword out of the clock in the hall. I opened the casing and grabbed the sheath from the body of the clock. I strapped it on and drew it, the bare blade glinting in the candlelight.
Now I was ready to do the last thing I needed to do before I could leave this place.
I needed to find Lucia.
Chapter 22
I followed the trail of destruction all the way to the place I wanted to be anyway. That was fortuitous.
I stepped inside, to find the one person I was looking for standing and staring into the mirror. The perfectly proportioned face, and the honey blonde ringlets that couldn't even be dampened by the time away from the palace, were unmistakable.
"Lucia," I said.
She spun around, hatred blazing in her eyes. "Katya."
"You look well." I was at a loss for what else to say.
"No thanks to you. Did you think I wouldn't notice your little assassination attempts? You failed every time."
"As I intended to," I responded softly.
"What is this place?" she asked, gesturing around the room.
"The office your father used to do his work in. I've used it myself." She'd find a letter addressed to herself on the desk, but I'd rather not be in the room while she read that.
"Why have I never been to this place before?"
"You weren't interested in running the kingdom," I pointed out. "Neither of us were."
"It seems like you've changed your mind."
I smiled sadly. "Not at all. After today, you'll never see me again."
"I-I don't think I can kill you," sh
e admitted.
I'd guessed as much from the fact she hadn't bothered to lift her sword against me. Then again, my own was still by my side. I saw no point in threatening her when she was doing exactly what I wanted her to.
"Then don't. You won't see me again. The crown, and the throne are yours."
"You're just giving them to me?" Shock was written all over her face. I didn't blame her. I supposed it didn't make much sense from her side.
"It's yours. There are papers on the desk for everything you need to know." I took a chance and turned away from her.
This was Lucia's chance. If she wanted to end me, then this was her chance. Whether that was to stab me herself, or to call for the guards to lock me up, it didn't matter.
"Why? Why did you do this?" she asked, emotion cracking her voice.
"A promise to a dying man." I didn't wait for her to say anything else and strode out of the room, with Riki trotting at my heels.
"Katya, you're here, Gideon said, relief all over his face. "Is everything alright?" he asked, wiping away the tear that had rolled down my cheek.
"I just saw Lucia. It's time to go." I took hold of his hand.
Shouts came from deeper inside the palace and I knew it was time we got out of here.
"We can't wait any longer, if they find us, I don't know what they'll do." I briefly worried about the other people in the palace. The guards who hadn't surrendered, the servants, the nobles...
"She won't hurt them," Gideon assured me. "Just like she's been accepting everyone into her camp, she'll accept anyone here that doesn't fight her."
I nodded. That made sense. "Let's go."
He pulled me down the corridor and towards one of the many empty sets of rooms that lay down this corridor.
"Where are we going?" I asked, realising I never asked him how he planned to get us out of the palace, I just hoped he had one.
"To the secret passages."
"Wait, those are real?" I wasn't sure how we'd never found them as children. Or how I didn't know they existed when I'd seen the schematics of the palace.
"Yes."
We slipped into the room just as some of Lucia's rebels arrived in the corridor.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!" they shouted.
"Bolt the door," Gideon directed.
I nodded. "With Gideon, Riki." I didn't want her accidentally getting in the way and hurt. That was the last thing I wanted.
I slammed the wooden door shut and grabbed the crossbeam, putting it across.
The rebels arrived at the other side, rattling the wood.
"They're going to get in, Gideon." My voice wavered.
"I just need a couple more minutes."
"I don't think we have that long," I responded. The wood of the door began to crack.
We shared a look, both of us filled with the terror of what failure could mean.
"I have an idea. Riki, with me." I moved over to Gideon swiftly and touched the amulet around my neck.
The spell slipped over us and I breathed a sigh of relief.
"What did you do?"
"A cloaking spell, like I did in the stables. It should keep us hidden, though I'm not sure for long." This didn't feel as strong as the magic I'd used from the amulet before, which had to mean something.
"Alright, I'll be quick."
The door splintered more as the rebels pounded against it. I wanted to hurry Gideon, but I knew that wasn't the best idea.
"I think I've got it."
The door crashed open, revealing three of Lucia's rebels heavily armed on the other side.
"Now is the time, Gideon."
"Search the rooms!" the first rebel shouted. They separated to look around the room. At least the cloaking spell was working.
Until I felt it flicker.
"Now. They're going to see us any moment." I tugged on his sleeve.
"I've got it." He pulled open a panel. "Get inside."
"You and Riki first." I wasn't going to have them hurt for helping me. It was better if they didn't get found by my side. If anyone was going to get caught, it would be me alone.
"There they are!" one man shouted as the spell flickered and faded. This was it.
Gideon grabbed my hand and tugged me inside the passageway, slamming it shut behind us. Riki whined, but it didn't matter to me. She was safe. Or as safe as we were too.
"Can you seal it with magic?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. The spell faded outside, I don't think there's anything left in the amulet." I touched it all the same. A tiny slither of magic jumped out of it and fizzled around the edges of the secret entrance. "I don't think that's going to hold for very long."
"Then we have to run."
He nodded and took my hand. "Together?"
I smiled back at him. "Together."
I kicked off my shoes and we began to run, Riki jumping along between us. The rebels were banging on the panel behind us, but the magic must have held as they didn't break through.
We were going to get away. There was an end I never imagined to this story.
Epilogue
Two years later...
Riki bounded up to me, and I leaned down, scratching the top of her head. She'd taken an instant liking to the small shack we now called home, and I understood why. There was plenty of space around and no people around, I could get on board with all of that.
"Is Gideon back yet?" I asked her, despite the fact she had no way of replying.
"I am, but only just." He closed the difference between us and kissed me swiftly. "I brought everything from your shopping list. But you realise you can go into the town if you want. No one is going to recognise you."
I grimaced. We were a week's ride away from the palace for a start. And no one that had known me as the queen would recognise me in the simple clothing I wore now. I'd never been particularly special appearance-centric to begin with.
"It's alright, you don't need to go there if you don't want to," he assured me. "How about a dance?"
"Without any music?" I smirked up at him. It was my standard response to the question.
"Of course." He put me straight into his arms and began the steps of the dance I'd taught him back at the palace.
I began to hum, though it wasn't truly necessary, we could dance without any music at all and be perfectly happy.
He spun me under his arm, letting go so I could spin away.
I laughed, enjoying a carefree moment. I'd had more than enough of them with Gideon to make up for the years I went without in the palace.
"I'll put the tea on. Did you hear any news while you were in town?" I asked, trying to sound like I didn't care much about the answer, when really, I was desperate for news of what was going on in the kingdom.
Gideon chuckled, seeing straight through my not so subtle question.
"There isn't much. People are saying that the kingdom is more prosperous than it's ever been before."
"That's good." A sliver of bitterness sliced through me. I hated that I'd done so much damage to the kingdom. It wasn't fair to Lucia, and it wasn't fair to the people. But there was nothing else I could have done. I protected them the best I could.
"The wedding is next week," he added offhandedly.
"That took them long enough," I muttered, setting the kettle on the fire and watching as it started to heat.
"I think that's what happens when you have to include trade deals and peace treaties in the wedding contract," he pointed out.
"I much preferred our ceremony." I thought back to when we'd first gotten here. The day after, we'd gone down to the tiny church and said our vows. There'd been nothing more than a promise between us. It was all I needed. Gideon was mine for the rest of time, nothing could change that.
"I did too."
The kettle whistled and I took it off the flames. As soon as it's ready, I handed one of the mugs to Gideon, and cup the other one myself.
"Are you still aright about all of this?" he asked.
"Y
ou're never going to stop asking me that, are you?"
"Of course not. You made yourself into a person you hated for years. I need to make sure that you don't feel the same way now."
"That woman is gone now." I smiled at the very idea of not having to be Queen Katya anymore. "A part of my past that I don't want to think about any more than I have to."
He nodded in understanding. "I'm proud of you."
"I know. You tell me all the time," I pointed out.
"I just need you to remember that." He came over to me and kissed the top of my head.
Riki chose that moment to huddle up to me too, and the soft fur of her snout pushed against my hands.
I closed my eyes and revelled in my new life. Despite all the odds, I could have my own happily ever after. And I was going to enjoy every moment of it.
The End
Thank you for reading Poisoned Fate, I hope you enjoyed the not-so-Evil Queen's story. Make sure you pick up the Kingdom of Crowns and Glory boxed set to read Lucia's side of the story in Fractured Core. Or from more from the Untold Tales, you can check out Balanced Scales (The Little Mermaid) or Golden Wings (Thumbelina)
The Lost Soul by H.M. Gooden
Chapter 1
I left without delay the second the last bell pealed its warning. Today was Friday, and I had to run home to get my hockey equipment before practice. It was likely the last year I’d be playing outside of pick-up games with the guys, and I felt a pang in my chest as the eight-year-old boy inside me said goodbye to his dream of NHL hockey stardom. My logical side had given up on that goal years ago, but when I thought of how close I was to being finished playing competitive hockey, I still felt sad.
"Hey! Are you going to practice?"
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and turned to find Paul, one of my best friends, jogging toward me. He looked winded, so I waited for him to catch up and catch his breath before responding.
"Yeah, why?"
Paul winced. "I took a new job. They’ve been pretty good with my schedule but they need me to work tonight. Can you let the coach know I can't make it? I'll be there for the game on Sunday, I promise."
Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance: Fairytale retellings from the villain's perspective (Kingdom of Darkness and Light Book 2) Page 9
