Of Blood And Shadows

Part Two

ARJUN

Arjun was tending to his flowers in the garden, his favorite pastime. He was an hour late for a meeting, and he was certain his mother was fuming by now. Arjun had made it clear to his mother how much he hated those meetings. He was of no use there, and it frightened him how casually the council spoke of ending lives, with as little compassion as one might have when tearing a page from a book.

"Prince," his helper Nari said urgently, "your mother will be here to take you away any minute. You know she wouldn't want to see you—"

Before Nari could finish, the queen of the witches entered the garden. In her presence, the flowers shriveled up. Her white hair, usually tied in a neat bun, cascaded down to her waist, and her face wore a look of absolute disgust.

"Ananya!" she gasped in horror, pinching his ear. "How many times must I tell you not to wear that male body!"

Arjun winced from the pain and muttered a half-hearted apology before shifting into his female form—Princess Ananya, the form his mother preferred.

Arjun had come to accept both parts of himself. He was born male, but as the firstborn, and therefore the heir to the throne—which had always been occupied by women—being male was considered a disgrace. Something to be ashamed of. Most previous queens had killed their male firstborns, trying again until they had a daughter. But his mother couldn't kill him. Instead, she sought out a powerful witch, and together, they gave him his female form.

It should have made him entirely female, but as Arjun grew, he discovered he could switch between male and female forms at will. His spells and powers changed based on which form he inhabited.

As much as his mother resented it, she had made her choice. By the time she gave birth to his "perfect" sister, Mira, Arjun's heir powers had already begun to manifest. Killing him was no longer an option.

His mother turned to Nari. "Take her to her room and dress her immediately. Bring her to the throne room within ten minutes, or I'll cut your tongue out and feed it to the dogs."

"Yes, Queen Ishani," Nari stammered, pulling Arjun away. He avoided eye contact with the queen, keeping his head bowed as they passed her.

Nari managed to dress him—now her—within five minutes. Arjun, now Ananya, wasn't entirely sure if she was clean everywhere, but she didn't have time to check. She took a deep breath, knocked on the door, and entered the throne room. Familiar faces of council members and generals greeted her, and her eyes finally met her sister's. She smiled, feeling a surge of happiness.

Mira had been away on a secret mission for their mother, and Ananya hadn't seen her in months. She longed to rush to her sister and hug her but held back, remembering her place. She had already annoyed enough people by being late; the least she could do was remain obedient.

"Nice of you to finally grace us with your holy presence," Consul Koari said mockingly.

Ananya didn't engage, inclining her head in deference. "Forgive me, Consul."

She caught a flash of disappointment on her mother's face. If it had been Mira in her place, Consul Koari would probably be dead by now.

Her mother sat, and the rest of the room followed suit.

"So, where were we?"

Ananya quickly zoned out. War bored her. She'd much rather be in the library, reading science books all day

"And now, to conclude this meeting," her mother announced, standing up. "As you all know, my beautiful daughter Mira went on a secret mission, the details of which none of you were privy to."