Something With a Prince

Chapter Forty-Five: Gutted Gods and Sacrificial Saints

Arlyn

The battle lasted into the night and ended at the brink of dawn. I hardly remember most of it.

After pushing Elleanor to safety under the table, the door burst into splinters and I was faced with a flood of soldiers, adorned in Rughwen blue, and grinning like fiends.

"Hello, Your Grace." The first man mockingly bowed as I was braced against the table, gripping a chopping knife in my hand. "We've got a message for you."

Somehow, we managed to defeat the battalion of Dominic's men that had infiltrated the castle. They had paid off a guard beforehand that allowed them access to the tunnels below, and from there, they worked their way into every floor, eventually slashing their way to me. The message was clear: Look at what I can do.

It was about power, always, but that was not the only fire I had to douse. Most of the villagers had been evacuated beside those who were called to arms or were tasked with healing. Elleanor, my mother, and Rosemary Osuin, among others, had been circling all around the castle, aiding guards, servants, and soldiers alike in mending their wounds and sending those fit to help others on their way. Any of Dominic's surviving men were thrown in the dungeons and those who perished were quickly disposed of by the undertakers.

Everything was under control by the early morning, at least it had the illusion of it. That was until a scream echoed along the main hall as I made my way past the throne room to my mother's chambers; we were going to devise a new contingency before taking it to the collective. The time for waiting was over. We would need to move out the remainder of our troops toward Dominics location and declare war starting today. Dominic had tasted his last of victory as far as I was concerned, come what may.

I stopped at the doors of the throne room, to hear that voice shriek again.

"Unhand me you filthy, horrible brutes!"

It was Cassida.

A patient breath was needed before I threw open the doors and looked at the circle of my advisors peering down their noses at the Queen of Slerian and pointing their fingers in accusation.

"You, Queen Cassida, are a threat to this Kingdom and will therefore be treated as such!" This was spoken by Rai, who was at the forefront of the circle and by far, had the most accusing look on her face. An expression of vengeance rather than justice by the flare of her nostrils and the red flushing up her pale cheeks. Even the roots of her hair, a stark blonde color, seemed reddened with anger. "Confess to your espionage or face death for your crimes!"

Astonished by such an order, I cleared my throat, catching everyone in the room off guard. Especially Rai, whose blue eyes looked horrified by my catching her giving orders behind my back. This would not stand, regardless of what Cassida was or wasn't involved in. And like clockwork, I could feel all those moments of suppressed anger boiling up inside of me as every advisor bowed their head in submission and shame.

Crossing the room, a chorus of, "Your Majesty," "Your Grace," "My Lord," permeated the air in whispers. It infuriated me to no end as each of them parted to reveal Cassida, sitting on her knees and head turned away from me. I approached the Queen and grabbed her by the arm, raising her to her feet, catching a glimpse of a split lip as her hair moved back. Her cheek was bright red.

My entire body froze, and her eyes, the most deadly, pale brown eyes I had ever seen swept to mine with that look. The one she had let me glimpse a couple of nights ago when she spoke of her past. A blatant expression of vulnerability. So, I made a point to expose the injury to the room, full of stubborn and somewhat cowardly men and women congregating around us. Two of my fingers, thumb, and pointer finger, captured the Queen's chin as I raised her busted lip higher. She, to my surprise, let me take hold of her and push her hair out of the way so all could see. My voice boomed over the room and its occupants.