Overthrown

Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

The dirt beneath the horse's hooves fled along with the wind as it galloped effortlessly along the path. Although it  hung loosely in my hands, I pulled the lead towards my torso, urging the tamed animal to obey my command.

"Halt, boy." The horse shook its head in response, expressing its submission and came to a slow stop as I had wished.

I leaned forward, petting the horse's head gently-showing my gratitude for listening to my words and respecting my order. "Good job, Gallan."

My leg swung over the saddle as I jumped off the majestic animal, barely catching myself  from the great height. I dug a gloved hand into the bucket that had been left beside the wooden fences surrounding the barn and pulled out a freshly-picked apple. The wooden stakes had been worn down by the harsh weather lately, leaving it chipped and rough around the edges. Some kind of moss had started making itself at home in the creaks as well.

Gallan happily skipped over, his chestnut coat gleaming quite pleasantly. He immediately chomped down on the sweet fruit in my hand, not taking even a moment to savour its taste before he gestured for another. Distracted by the amusing action of the horse, a voice from behind suddenly had me  startled.

"How's the riding going, Sister?"

I turned to find my half brother-also a bastard son of the king, Andrew. I couldn't help the smile that immediately graced my face as soon as I saw my favorite sibling. His face had changed, grown older or perhaps more mature. The remnants of a beard remained evident from the light stubble scattered across his chin and his hair was definitely twice as long as it had been the last time I'd seen him. Had my father laid eyes on him then, he would've been ordered a visit to the royal groomer to tame his hair in less than a second.

Ironically though, a couple years ago Andrew and I had almost never even acknowledged each other. I had spent hours hiding behind the door of his bedroom, trying to catch a glimpse into his world but he had always ignored my presence entirely. My curiosity held strong though, and every now and then I'd follow him into the yards to watch him take his fencing lessons. Admiration was the only way I could describe it, but it stung to have been so blatantly overlooked at the time. Although now I had stopped taking it personally, after attributing his silence to our major age difference. Whilst I had only been six years old, he had already reached his sixteenth birthday. So too came the years of mood swings and emotional outbursts, which I realised only later on of course.

I rushed over through the open gate, pulling him into a tight hug. "It just isn't the same without you, Brother."

It had been a while since Andrew had returned to the castle. Being the free-spirited type that he was, he always felt the need to explore and journey into long quests for months at a time. After some time he would always make his way back home though. I assumed the homesickness and perhaps loneliness got the better of him out there. Our father didn't seem to mind anyways, he'd always been lenient with him in that sense. Whilst he was here, he'd always join me on horseback rides to fuel my competitiveness. Sadly, he had won most of our races.

"I missed you dearly, Lettie. You should join me on my next journey. I'm certain you would enjoy it, the people of our kingdom have a culture we could never experience inside these castle walls."

I could feel the excitement bubble up inside my stomach as he reminisced about what he had seen throughout his journey. He spoke of the foods he had tried for the very first time and how he'd experienced such amazing kindness from the people of our kingdom. For a moment I could almost imagine what it was like outside. The freedom to walk without worrying about my next step and just go wherever I wanted. Then reality slapped, reminding me that I had never left the castle grounds.

My smile dropped when I was suddenly overcame with a sense of actualisation. "You know how father is. He would never let me go with you. Much less step foot outside the castle gates. It's a miracle he even lets me ride out here without you."

No matter how many times I had tried to convince our father to allow me to leave the castle, he had never budged. I had never understood the reason behind his stubbornness. His other children had the freedom to go wherever they liked and do as they pleased, while I had practically been imprisoned since my birth. His strict rules, which somehow only applied to me, made it impossible to have even the tiniest amount of freedom. As unfair as it was, I couldn't do a thing about it. The king's words were set in stone after all. Fortunately for me, it wasn't so bad though. The library had been my safe-haven for as long as I could remember, offering an escape into a world I thought I could never experience.

"I'm sorry, little sister. I'm sure with time, father will change his perspective. Actually, there's something I've been meaning to tell you." Andrew looked to the ground hesitantly, debating how he should go about saying what he had to.

I placed an urging hand on his shoulder, meeting his eyes. "What is it? You can tell me, 'drew"

He let out a short breath before revealing what had him in such an anxious state. "It's Sophie-she's with child."

Sophie-the woman Andrew had been seeing for the last five years behind our father's back. Tough as it may have been, my brother had managed to keep his relationship with her entirely secret all this time. Although she was the definition of perfection, their relationship would never receive his blessing for one sole reason. Sophie was but a plain baker. She was considered nothing short of a commoner and that would simply go against the king's will for his children. Or so he would say.

The squeal of joy left my mouth before I could stop myself and my lips curled upwards into a grin. "Really? She's really with child?"

My brother only nodded, a small smile a relief etching onto his face.

"I'm going to be an Aunty. I'm going to be an Aunty? I'm too young to be an Aunty!" I slapped his arm playfully.

He shook his head, letting out a bellowing laugh. "You surely have mixed feelings about this, huh?"

"You're going to be a fath-wait, what are we going to do about father?"

The celebration seemed to  halt dead in its tracks. His face was expressionless yet somehow displayed a storm of emotions clashing everything he was feeling. Nervousness? Anger? Sadness?

He ran his hand through his hair habitually. It had been something he always did as a child whenever he was nervous or frustrated. "I have no idea. I-I'm not sure whether I should even tell him."

"Don't."

I didn't have to explain any further. We both knew the lengths our father would go through to cover this up if he ever found out. Not only would it endanger Sophie, but now the life of her newly conceived child would also be at risk.

"Surely, he wouldn't be too upset now? What's done is done, right?" Andrew was trying to convince himself that father was more reasonable than he actually was.

He hadn't been around for months. He hadn't witnessed the change in our father. The difference in his behavior. His attitude towards just about everyone and everything. Sure he had been lenient with Andrew's need for exploring and adventures, but this matter was entirely different. He had made his stance crystal clear when it came to his courtship-the memory of his warning echoing down the castle halls ever so present.

I pursed my lips in debate, wondering if bringing up these recent changes would do him any good in his current predicament.

"Trust me. It won't end well."