Kingdom of Crowns and Glory
Your favourite heroic fairytales
Laura Greenwood
H M Gooden
Chelli Larsen
Anne Stryker
Cassidy Taylor
M T Finnberg
Majanka Verstraete
Copyright © 2019 by Enchanted Quill Press
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Each author retains copyright of their book within the set
Cover By Enchanted Quill Press
Created with Vellum
Contents
About Kingdom of Crowns and Glory
Fractured Core by Laura Greenwood
Blurb
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
The Cursed Heart by H.M. Gooden
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Towers by Chelli Larsen
Part I
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Epilogue
1. Authors note
Glacier by Anne Stryker
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Acknowledgments
Also by Anne Stryker
A note from the author
Peter Pan by Cassidy Taylor
Untitled
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Epilogue
Dreams In Bloom by M.T Finnberg
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
The Heir to Wonderland by Majanka Verstraete
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Coming soon
About Majanka
Blurb
Fairytale heroes, but not as you remember them…
The age old tale of Good versus Evil comes to life in this epic boxset featuring only the heroes from your favorite fairytales.
Will light triumph over dark? Will the heroes beat the villains?
Be part of the battle and explore your favourite fairytales from different perspectives, in this one of a kind split fairytale anthology retelling collection.
This set by USA Today and Amazon Best Selling authors is like nothing you have never read before.
Paired up with The Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance boxset, you can now read the story from the perspective of both the heroes and villains. Come on a magical journey to see if good does always triumph over evil.
About Kingdom of Crowns and Glory
This set is one of a part of two. Good v’s Evil, Heroes v’s Villains.
This set takes the fairytales you know and love and tells the story from the heroes perspective.
Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance tells the story from the perspective of the villains.
You don’t have to buy the Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance to enjoy the stories in this set, but it is highly recommended you do.
Download Kingdom of Villains and Vengeance now
Fractured Core by Laura Greenwood
Blurb
She's determined to regain her throne, no matter what it takes.
Lucia wasn't raised to be a warrior, but it might be the only way to get her kingdom back from the sister-in-law who stole it. When a foreign prince turns up claiming he's going to marry her, and the assassination attempts from the queen increase in number, Lucia has to face that regaining her crown won't be as easy as she wanted it to be.
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Fractured Core is part of the Untold Tales series of fantasy retold fairy tales and is based on Snow White. It is written in British English.
Prologue
I stared at the palace, not quite understanding what had just happened. Of all the people in the world, Katya was the last person I'd expected to betray me. She'd been my best friend since we were children. She'd even gone on to marry my brother and become my sister.
And now it was all over. Killian had barely been dead a week and she'd seized control of the palace, ordering anyone who supported me out.
I sighed and rubbed a hand over my face. What was I supposed to do now? I didn't have any friends outside the palace. There was nowhere to go.
A tear rolled down my cheek. I was a princess without a throne, and a woman without a home.
"There's a cottage not far from here, Your Highness," one of the stewards said.
"Is it going to be safe there?" I asked, lifting up a part of my skirt so it didn't scrape across the ground and ruin it. I supposed it wouldn't matter too much in the end. All I had from the palace was the dress and jewels I was already wearing.
How could she do this? I wanted to scream at the sky and demand answers, but no one would give them.
I watched the balcony looking out from the palace. And there she was, the wind whipping at her dark hair and dress. I wasn't close enough to see the ice in her eyes, but I could imagine it. I'd seen it when she'd made the announcement that I was banished from court and if I was spotted in the castle, I'd be put to death.
"I'm going to get my throne back," I whispered. "You'll fall, Katya. And I'll be
the one to do it."
I turned away from the scene in front of me. It was going to take a lot of work, but somehow, I'd manage.
I was the true Queen, and I was going to remind everyone of that.
Chapter 1
The arrow hit the centre of a target with a loud twang. I let the satisfaction of the bullseye travel through me for a moment. But that was all. It might have taken me a couple of years, but I was finally at a place where I knew what I needed to do to get my throne back. And that I had to be more than a princess.
But knowing I had to become a warrior and actually doing it were two very different things. And I wasn't there yet.
I notched another arrow and prepared myself to take another shot.
"Your Highness," one of the men said. I was fairly certain that he'd come from the palace with me, but there was no way to be completely sure about that given the time that had passed and the number of people who joined us daily. I wasn't sure what Katya was up to, but she was quickly turning the people of the kingdom against her.
"Yes?" I relaxed my hold so I didn't accidentally point an arrow at him.
"There's a man here, he says he's from the palace."
I frowned. No one came from there anymore. They'd all chosen their sides when the original takeover had happened. "Who is he?"
"I don't know. He says he'll only talk to you."
I sighed. This happened every now and again, normally when it came to nobles who had finally seen the light.
"Fine. Send him to the cottage and I'll be there in a moment." I had to clear my things from the archery range in case someone else wanted to use it while I was off dealing with whoever was waiting for me.
"Very good, Your Highness. I'll prepare some refreshments for you while you do that."
"Thank you. I appreciate your assistance." Guilt filled me about the fact I didn't remember his name. I was supposed to be these people's ruler, and instead, I was clueless about them.
It was too late to change the past now. All I could do was be different going forward. I pulled my arrow from the target and placed it back in the sheath after a cursory examination. This was only my practice set, but I needed to make sure it lasted as long as I could make it. We didn't need to be wasting the little money and resources we had on making new weapons because I broke them. Yet another thing I'd had to learn when moving from the palace to the woods.
The walk between the range and the cabin is only short. Though I no longer used it to sleep in, we still put the building to good use as a command centre of sorts. Now, I camped with the rest of the resistance in the clearing nearby. I worried about what would happen if Katya discovered where we were camping. Would she send her guards in one evening to slaughter us all?
More importantly, would the guards go through with it? I wasn't so convinced.
I shook my head, ridding myself of those kinds of thoughts. It wouldn't do me any good to keep stressing about things that I couldn't control. We had scouts posted, they'd warn us if anyone was about to attack.
Smoke rose from the chimney of the cottage. I rubbed my hands together at the thought of the warmth I was going to find within. There were plenty of fires around the camp, but I never felt truly warm. Hopefully, things would be different when summer came.
I pushed open the door, anxious to get inside and find out who it was that wanted to see me. I didn't get many visitors specifically for me. Most just wanted to know what they were supposed to do to be a part of the resistance against Katya.
The warm air hit me the moment I stepped inside and I almost sagged with relief. Whoever this person was, they'd come at the right time. I needed the time away from everyone else.
"Hello?" I called out.
The man hunched over the table jumped, almost spilling his tea.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." I flashed him my best princess smile, one I'd perfected during my early court life.
"Do you know when the princess is arriving?" the man asked, nerves flitting through his eyes.
I could tell from the way he'd pronounced his words that he was of high birth, but that didn't tell me much. The numbers of nobles I'd had turning up here were minimal. They were more likely to send a case of coins with a servant when they wanted to support us.
"She's here," I said in a flat tone. Did I really look so bad that he didn't think I was the princess? Maybe I should start going around with a crown on my head.
"Will you send her in?"
"Are you in a rush?" I snapped.
The man chuckled. "No, but I don't want to sit around chatting with a maid."
I laughed loudly. "You'll find I'm not a maid. I'm Lucia."
His mouth fell open. I ignored him and dropped my sheath of arrows to the floor by the door. I went over to the kettle and poured myself a cup of tea before finally sitting down opposite him at the table.
"Who are you?" I looked straight into him, trying to get the measure of the man without completely revealing what I was doing. No doubt he got the message though. It wasn't a tricky one to master.
"Prince Jonathan."
My eyebrows raised without me intending them to. The prince bit explained a lot, though not what he was doing here.
"We don't get many princes here," I observed. I took a sip of my tea, enjoying the warmth. "How did you find us?" That was somewhat concerning. I didn't want just anyone walking into our camp unannounced, it could end up with us in a sticky situation.
"I was given this." He laid a map down onto the table, apparently over his disbelief that I was the princess. Or he just accepted that I was his lot and he wasn't going to be able to talk to anyone else.
I unfolded the map but couldn't see any markings on it. "There's nothing there."
"There is. It's right here." He pointed to a clearing on the map.
I shook my head, but didn't say anything. He could see something, I couldn't. I had to assume that it was magic. Hopefully, whoever had cast this spell had made it so that only he could see the markings on it.
Just to be sure, I rose to my feet and grabbed the map, walking it a few swift paces over to the fire and dropping it in.
"What did you do that for?" Jonathan asked, horror clear in his voice.
"We can't keep something with our location on hanging around," I pointed out. "Who gave it to you?"
"A man at the palace. I think he was a huntsman..."
Gideon? That made no sense, he was Katya's friend, why would he help a prince make his way here?
"Are you sure?"
"That a huntsman helped me escape the palace? Yes. He switched clothes and horses with me and gave me the hawk that's outside."
Wait, did he say hawk? If Gideon had sent a prince to me, had he also sent my beloved Sapphire to me? That still didn't make much sense, but I wasn't one to not take a gift like this when it was offered.
"Are you seeking passage back to your kingdom?" I asked.
The prince shook his head. "I went to the palace to ask Princess Lucia, er, you, to marry me."
"And you thought I'd just say yes, just like that?" I put my hands on my hips. He wasn't doing a very good job of convincing me that I would want to be married to him.
"I...argh, I'm making a mess of this, aren't I?" he asked.
"Yes." I had no time to mollycoddle a prince who didn't understand that women didn't want to be told who they had to marry. "If you're not going to go back to your kingdom, you can see the steward and he'll give you instructions on where to pitch your tent and what your duties are."
I turned to leave, done with this meeting.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his chair scraping back loudly.
I winced. How could he be so uncouth? I thought he was a prince. Shouldn't he have better manners?
"I have things to do. So do you." With that, I closed the door behind me and let him stew in his annoyance.
He deserved it. I'd worked hard to become the person I was today instead of the princess I used to be, I wasn't going
to let some prince ruin that for me.
Chapter 2
The people swarmed around me, each wanting to talk to me about what the next phase of the rebellion was. I wished it was as easy as that, but I had no idea. I didn't have any more direction than knowing that I needed to take Katya down. She'd stolen far too much from me. My palace, my brother, and my throne.
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