The Royal Game (Editing)

Prologue

 

Prologue

Fifteen years ago

     ''Run Amelie! Go!''

     My uncle’s words startled me and unstoppable tears ran down my face. It was hurting him too, we were so close. He swore to give his life to save mine. Quickly, I turned and wiped away my tears, he always taught me to be brave.

      Running through a dark forest was painful; my feet were sore and cut and my pale skin was stained with blood.  Sweat drenched my dress as I fell, too exhausted to move. Taking out the dagger, I ripped the lower part of dress into shreds and folded it around my feet.  Tiny black spots covered my vision as I blacked out on the ground in the middle of the night, alone.

Now (around 1809.), unknown land

     ''My Queen?''

     I opened my eyes slowly, letting them to adjust to the sunshine streaming through the window. My father's face hovered over me; his eyes full of concern. Rapidly blinking, I watched closly watched him, wondering why. Something clicked in my mind.

     ''I dreamt about my uncle again?'', He slightly nodded and straightened up, regaining his formal posture. He locked his hands behind his back, lifting his head up. I smiled, he knew I hated when he was so formal with me. He was my father after all, but many people didn't even notice. We had no similarities; he had piercing blue eyes and shaggy brown hair, muscular arms and broad chest while I had straight black hair, green eyes and long, skinny arms. And that was just physically, we also couldn’t find one thing we both liked. But he was always there for me, even when I thought I never want to see him again.

      I noticed him staring at me, waiting for my tears to come like every morning. I've always cried when I woke up after dreaming about my uncle, it was fifteen years ago but I still haven’t forgotten it. My father had left for a week to search for some water near our village. He gave me to my uncle and warned him to watch over me. I was just a thirteen year old child back then and of course I loved to play with my uncle.

      He didn't have a wife or children, he lived alone. One day, Guardians from the Wick Kingdom near us attacked our village, we then ran into the woods searching for a sanctuary. He gave his life to protect me, commanding me to run away while they attacked him. Guardians never killed children; instead they preferred to train them so they could serve as slaves to their kingdom later on.

      Exhausted from running, I had blacked out and woke up here in this room. My father had sent his knights to find me and they did, which seemed unfortunately for me. After a few weeks I was completely healed, but the memory of my uncle remained untouched.

      I still dream about his death every night. It’s worse than being locked in a dungeon or even get killed; you can't even imagine how hard it is to relive those moments. My father stared at me but remained silent. He knew I was reliving all my memories of that night but did nothing to stop me. Several moments later he finally broke the silence.

     ''Please come to my chambers, my Queen. I have something very important to tell you.'', He said kneeling, giving me a sign of respect. I nodded and stood up, my feet brushing the soft carpet below. ''Father, you know I don't like it when you act like this. I'm your daughter, not your queen.'' I said, but he ignored my comment and stood up.

     ''May I leave?'', I narrowed my eyes, starting to get annoyed.

     ''Yes, you may leave whenever you like.'' He smiled and left, closing the heavy wooden door softly behind him. I'm sure anyone would expect me to have a beautiful room, full of precious things but I do not feel a need to have everyting I want. The walls were made of an average quality stone and painted a golden color.

     Heavy red curtains decorated the windows and I loved them, it was a gift. On the side of the room was a simple desk for writing letters. In the middle of the room was a big bed, covered with a blanket I had made with intricate patterns carved into the old wood for a headboard. I loved making new things when I was younger, but now I just don’t have any time.

     I opened my wardrobe and looked for one of the corset dresses. The one I picked out was breathtaking beautiful, even so dark. I went to bathe as quick as I can and change. The last thing I had to do was to put on earrings and a necklace which paired well with the dress.

     Walking down the hall, passing by servants bedrooms, I went directly to my Father's chamber. His chamber was very elegant; everything was made of gold except for the wooden furniture. It had no windows so the only light came from the candles secured to a wall. It created a good atmosphere; I could relax here and forget about all of my obligations.

     But someone was already there; my father and he were talking. A deep masculine voice made me shiver, it was so soft, beautiful. I walked inside and they both stopped talking immediately and turned towards me. A boy who seemed much younger than me and the obvious owner of beautiful voice knelt and nodded.

     ''My Queen, my respects to you, I wish you peace.'' I almost believed him but something in his black eyes didn't let me. He lifted his head, stood up and brushed the dirt off his suit. My father gave him a death glare, kneeling in front of the Queen should be a sign of utter respect and humiliation. If the person brushes off the dirt, it meant disrespect or in other words that he or she knelt just because of the law. The boy glared at him in return, his look far more dangerous than my father’s. Suddenly, my father turned toward me.

     ''I'll leave you alone now. Christian, don't be too harsh.'' Too harsh? Before I could ask my father what did it mean, it was already too late since he had left. The boy, Christian, grinned. I didn't like him at all.

     ''Well, let's start again. Good evening little one.'', I was surprised by his words and couldn't help but hiss at him, my words turning venom. “How can you speak like that to me! To your Queen!''

     The boy laughed, daring me.''Because you're not a Queen, at least not anymore. You should kneel to welcome your new King, Amelie.'' A gasp escaped my throat, I didn't want to believe such a thing. It was impossible to stop being a Queen unless you are ill or dying.

     ''I'm waiting . . .  and you know the rules, if you don't want to spend the whole night in the dungeon, you better kneel, now!''

     Blood boiled in my veins as I walked over to him, furious. Whispering, I let my lips brush his ear but the action was far from gentle. ''Listen to me, boy. I'm the Queen and yes, I don't like it but I will not give my kingdom to an arrogant idiot incapable of caring about it. You are not a King and I'll make sure of it.''

     I could sense his tension and anger building up. ''Guards! Take her away and lock her in servant's room. Let her adjust to her new position. From now on, she will be my personal servant, I would love to keep her on chain.''

     He seemed to find amusement in his own words, laughing as the guards took me away. Let me say this: If he wants to play, I'll play.

     Starting now.

Author's note

This is one of my first drafts and there's a visible difference between first and last chapters. I put this story on hold for a while, and then, after my writing improved, I continued, so the end is definitely written better than the beginning.

If you want to do a one-shot (pick any scene from this book and write a chapter using your own words and imagination), don't hesitate to share the link in the comments or send me a private message. I promise I will read it and give feedback.

Thank you for reading :)