Separate Crowns of One Heart

Føur

"A correspondence." Demi hands me a sealed envelope.

"But I just saw Mother at the ball," I yawn, sitting up in bed.

"It's not from your mother." She reaches over and taps the shiny golden seal that's holding the envelope closed. The royal lion.

Why is the crown sending me correspondence? They never do this. Was I spotted last moon with Micah?

Drawing in a breath to calm my nerves, I pry the envelope open and pull out the letter inside. Gold embroidery curls at the edges of the parchment, making it one of the fanciest things I've held in all of my eighteen seasons.

"What does it say?" Demi urges, peering over my shoulder.

It's an order for my arrest, I think. But as I read, I realize I couldn't be further from the truth.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒦𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝑜𝒻 𝒦𝒾𝓉𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒶

𝓇𝑒𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝐹𝑒𝓂'𝓈 𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝓃𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉 𝒾𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒢𝒶𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝐻𝒶𝓁𝓁 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝓇𝑜𝓅𝒽𝑒𝓉𝒾𝒸 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔.

𝒞𝑜𝓂𝑒 𝒾𝓃 𝓎𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒻𝒾𝓃𝑒𝓈𝓉 𝑔𝑜𝓌𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒽𝑜 𝓀𝓃𝑜𝓌𝓈

...𝑀𝒶𝓎𝒷𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝓂𝒶𝓉𝑒𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒫𝓇𝒾𝓃𝒸𝑒

Confused at what I just read, I flip the parchment to the back to see if there's more. There isn't. I look over at Demi who looks just as perplexed as me. "They're holding another Reading? So soon?" It's only been two Suns since the chaotic reading.  And what does that last line mean "maybe you will be mated with the Prince?"

She shrugs at me. "It does not matter, Odusanya. I'm just grateful I have another reason to dress you up." She claps giddily, jumps up, and hurries to the wardrobe. "You will be the most beautiful Fem next moon."

I give myself one more minute to puzzle over the letter before dropping it into the wastebasket near my bed. I'm not sure what the crown is planning but I am sure that I want nothing to do with it. That is why I will not be attending

I get up and dress for training with the Jaguars and slip out of my quarters while Demi is occupied in the wardrobe. This cat is going to be a Warrior.

If I thought the Prince's presence at the training the other day was bad enough, I have no idea what to make of His Majesty, the King being here. Do they not have a prophetic Reading to prepare for? Are they always this involved with training or do they know someone who isn't supposed to be here is here? Do they know it's me? Are they here to arrest me?

"Comrad?" A short Jaguar with unruly hair pulls me out of my thoughts. "Did you not hear the instructions?"

Damn me. "Not really. I was, uh... thinking." I will be the cause of my own downfall at this rate.

"Thinking?" The Male cocks his head to the side and studies me. "You're a bit odd. Are you one of the new recruits?"

"Is it that apparent?"

He chuckles and slaps me on the back (so roughly that I struggle to keep my balance). "We're working on hand-to-hand combat today so that will not be needed." He points a finger at the sword on my hip. "Or the armor."

Skies... I did not think this through and Nora the cracks in my plan are beginning to show. "Of course. Just let me..." I nod in the direction of the armory and the changing space. Understanding, the Jaguar nods and I quickly excuse myself.