A Kingdom of Tales

Chapter 22

I watch the trees around us as we move. I now have a greater appreciation for the world, knowing that I'll be dead in a few hours if the emperor is a merciful man.

I suppose it would be a greater mercy not to prolong my death. I'm sure the longer I stay at that palace, the greater my misery will be.

I try and fail to blow a loose strand of hair from my eyes. At least I'd had the smart idea of braiding it before I was taken. Now most of it hangs in knots at the back of my head, except for that one stupid strand.

The boy behind me removes a hand from the horse and moves the hair out of my eyes when he notices me struggling. "Thank you." Being kidnapped shouldn't kill my manners, I guess.

"You're welcome." He says quietly, as if he doesn't want his commander to hear.

"How old are you?" I whisper so that he doesn't get punished for speaking to a prisoner. I might as well get some conversation out of this.

"Fourteen." He hesitates for a second before replying.

Damn. I knew the emperor was a cruel man, but to draft a fourteen year old is terrible.

"Are you in the army of your own accord, or were you drafted?" I wait patiently for his reply, as if I have all the time in the world.

"I was drafted." It sounds like he wants to say more, so I wait for him to continue. "The empire needs soldiers now more than ever."

"Why does the empire need soldiers now?" He doesn't get a chance to answer before the commander stops suddenly, making everyone else stop.

I manage not to topple off the horse. I glare at the man who had almost made me fall face first into the mud. "Stop conversing with the prisoner, soldier." He commands the boy.

"Yes, sir!" He replies.

I try not to take it personally when the boy stops replying to any of my questions after that. We trot forward in silence before I break it. "How long will it be until we reach the capital?"

By my calculations, we probably have 2 more hours, but I'm bored of the silence, so I ask. "Do you need to be sedated again?" The old man replies sarcastically, making me shut my mouth.

Sleeping for these last two hours might do me some good. I might as well get my beauty sleep before my head is chopped off in public. With that thought, I lean my back against the boy behind me and fall into a deep sleep.

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I'm tugged off the horse roughly. I blink the sleep out of my eyes frantically, taking in my surroundings. We're in the capital, judging by the swarms of people around us.

I'm pushed forward forcefully by the officer. He looks like he would gladly watch me die. Squaring my shoulders, I walk forward with my head held high. I will die with my dignity, or I will not die at all. The walk to the palace gates has my pulse pounding in my ears, but I don't let it show.

The gates are opened quickly upon our arrival. Clearly, we're expected. I'm taken to what looks like the throne room. They usher me quickly, not giving me time to admire the golden palace we're in.

A guard opens the doors to the throne room and announces our arrival. All the men around me fall into a deep bow. I raise my gaze to the man sitting on the throne, unbowing.

Emperor Wariu. He looks older than I was told he would be. He must be in his forties now, but he looks to be in his sixties at least. The frown lines and wrinkles surrounding his eyes prove that.

I'm shoved onto my knees by one of the younger looking guards. A forced bow is not a sign of respect, but rather the opposite, in my opinion.

"Our guest will not be injured on my watch, guard." The old monarch shouts. He can't possibly be talking about me, can he?

I lift my head when he walks closer. He is not at all what I'd expected. I thought he would take me straight to the execution block. I narrow my eyes in his direction. What is his angle here?

"Get up, girl." He orders. "Untie her right now, General Darrow."

The old man, who I now know was Darrow, removes my handcuffs with a hateful look on his face. I take in the room around me, watching the advisors that are sitting on a long table. This isn't the throne room; it's a meeting room. We'd interrupted a meeting.

I shake my wrists to get rid of the discomfort. All of the advisors are watching with a curious look on their faces, except for one. A woman. She seems to know exactly who I am. She's older than I am, but not by much. My gaze narrows on her army jacket. Five stars. She's the highest ranking general in the army.

I almost gasp when it hits me. She's the princess of Edessa. Not the crown princess, though. She doesn't have any brothers, but the title of crown prince cannot be given to a woman in Edessa; therefore, her only title is princess.

Yuri. I'd heard she'd had to work her ass off to get to her rank at such a young age. She's a woman I'd secretly admired when Melody taught me Edessa's history. Her skills in all sorts of weapons were well known, but it was her hand to hand combat that had gotten her this high.

I'd have asked her to teach me if I wasn't here to die. That thought sobers me and brings my attention back to the emperor.