*THIS NOVEL IS A SEQUEL TO WILD CARD & CANNOT BE READ AS A STANDALONE*
There is a legend that one in four royal advisor-mages will betray their monarch, overthrow them for power.
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Gwenore, the new Queen of Acewood, is on a throne most would kill...
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Never had I sat in a seat so crowded with cushions, yet so uncomfortable. So pompous yet so exquisite, so imbued with memories I didn't wish to have swarming about me. A seat so foreign yet meant for me; a seat I was never sure I wanted.
As I fidgeted, watching the movement of those below the dais, I gritted my teeth. Every few minutes, flashes of my past rushed through me. Visions of sneaking into the throne-room during large gatherings I wasn't invited to. Echoes of my laughter when hiding from Father and his constituents. Tremors of my running off when in trouble.
I no longer laughed, but I was still in trouble.
Not the same little girl who had no notion of what awaited her. Innocent and pure, seeking to have fun. Curious about her royal title and what it'd mean when I grew up.
I was the adult version. The one who didn't want to be here; who'd rather run off like I did as a child.
I was put on the spot, given a rank and role I once yearned for...but now feared.
Queen of Acewood. An entire continent under my rule.
I still couldn't believe my two once greedy-for-power sisters had agreed on it. Agreed on me. Yes, it was my title by right, but...I'd been away for so long. Been out of the Acewood scene for so long.
Who was to say I'd live up to Father's reputation? The one he'd built before he surrounded himself with lies, that was.
The stained windows on either side of me sent heart and diamond shaped patterns onto my bare arms, clubs and spades to dance over my too-tight bodice. The mirror-like ceiling reflected the jewels worn by the noblewomen lined up, their intrigued husbands at their sides.
Shuffling noises came from the waves of flustered faces focused on me, mixes of emotions in their bewildered eyes and slack mouths.
My constituents. Folk who responded to Father, and who'd been living under the Ace's rule since his death. Folk who'd surely waited for this day for a long time.
For a true descendent of King Hendry to take the throne.
And they were all assembled to hear my first public announcement.
All gathered to see...me.
"I am Gwenore, eldest daughter of King Hendry, and your new queen," I said as I sat up straight, hands clasped in my lap. "You have been without a real ruler for too long. We had planned for proper elections, but my eligible sisters chose me."
Not a peep broke free from my audience. Not a single reaction, not a nod in my favor or a shake of their heads in disagreement.
Met with such neutrality, I worried about the rest of my speech; the distasteful knowledge I had to share if I wanted their trust.
