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Prologue: Expedition Day (Part One)

Early morning sunlight streamed into the room as Jacqueline parted the white silk curtains. Soft beams fell on the pale cheeks of the little girl who lay entangled in plump red blankets. She stirred, her dark brown curls falling over her closed eyes.

"Good morning, Princess," Jacqueline chirped, kneeling by the sleeping girl. "Your Expedition Day breakfast awaits you."

Ruby's eyes flew open as she shot up, nearly knocking her forehead into Jacqueline's. "I can't believe I forgot!" She rubbed her eyes once before sliding out from under the sheets. Her heart pounded; Expedition Day was her favorite holiday, one she only enjoyed twice a year. "Do you think Daddy and Sir Adam will let me go with them this time?"

Jacqueline smiled at her. "If they think you're ready," she said, repeating the same thing she'd been saying for the past seven Expedition Days.

Ruby responded by racing out of her bedroom, leaving Jacqueline behind to make her bed. She bounded down one of the many sweeping staircases, her bare feet thudding softly on the think crimson carpeting. On her way down, she glanced at the massive windows overlooking the garden and gasped. "Snow," she breathed. The day couldn't get any better.

As she drew closer to the dining hall, the scent of freshly made pancakes permeated the air around her. Ruby closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, overwhelming herself with the buttery, syrupy smell. Her experience was cut short, though, when she felt herself run into someone else.

Ruby opened her eyes to see Thomas, a member of the kitchen staff, trying not to laugh at her. "Having fun, Princess?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

She blushed. "Sorry, Thomas. Pancakes."

"Understandable." He swung open the heavy oak door that led to the dining hall. "After you, my lady."

Ruby giggled as she skipped through the doorway and past several seats to her chair just to the left of her father's. She plopped down and swung her legs impatiently, waiting for the rest of her family to join her. As she waited, she imagined what it'd be like to go on an Expedition.

Growing up, she'd heard countless tales of the ruthless Outsiders who forced her people to retreat to their tiny kingdom. The Battle of Crystal Lake had always been her favorite, and to Jacqueline's surprise, she'd ask her to tell it over and over again. Unlike her brother and sister, Ruby never hated the Outsiders-she was merely curious. Obviously they weren't as savage as the stories claimed, or her father and Sir Adam wouldn't survive the Expeditions, which led Ruby to the same old question: What were they really like?

Ruby hoped the legends were wrong, that it was all a big misunderstanding. She hoped that, when she was queen, she could get the people of Cienna and the Outsiders to get along again. Her siblings said she was naïve for thinking such atrocious people could ever make peace with Cienna. Her parents, though in much kinder words, said the same.

"Up so soon? Rubes, you keep me young," her father announced as he entered the room. She looked up to see him, arms stretched out, waiting for a hug. She bolted from the table and ran full-speed at the king, colliding with him hard.

"It's Expedition Day, Daddy," she said into his shoulder. "Can I come with you this time?"

Lucas chuckled. "We'll ask your mother."

Ruby's heart soared; this was a new answer. Before, it was always "Ruby, you're too young." "We'll ask your mother" wasn't a yes, but it was one step closer.

The king released his younger daughter as his eldest, Eleanor, entered the room. Unlike Ruby, she'd changed out of her nightgown and into a long-sleeved shimmery silver tunic. She yawned and used one finger to delicately rub her eye, careful to not smudge her makeup. "What are we asking the queen about?"