The False Princess

Chapter 26

Gai turns on me.
"How?" He asks. I smirk.
"I was a thief in Delllea before. Sometimes the castle kitchen was the only place I could get a meal." I say. Gai grits his teeth.
"If this is a trick I swear..." He mutters. I laugh.
"I'll be there." I tell him. Gai obviously doesn't like it, but he lets us go.
"Be outside the throne room when the last bell tolls." He yells as a afterthought. I give him a thumbs up, then disappear.
Running through Faiyria, there's a river. The river happens to run under the castle as well. So I lead my friends (and others) towards the place where the river disappears under the castle.
"What are we here for?" Kaone mutters sullenly. In response, I kneel on the ground, and push a switch. The grass before me swings down to reveal steps leading down into the darkness. I raise my eyebrows at Kaone, who rolls her eyes and mutters some choice words that would make my mother roll over in her grave.
"After you." She says mockingly. I smile patronizingly and descend into blackness.

Once we are all gathered in the tunnel, I start forward. The river flows swiftly beside me. The path is only wide enough for one person at a time. So (obviously) I go first, with Derrin bringing up the rear.

The path is slippery and I have to concentrate on my feet. Plummeting twenty feet in the pitch dark into a icy river might put a damper on the evening.
Eventually though, the path widens out enough for us to walk as a clump. I relax. The worst of the slippery bits is over. But what I'm about to do next-claiming my throne-makes this difficult walk look like a stroll through the park.

Soon we come to a gate.
"What's this here for?" Briss asks. I smile in the darkness.
"To keep out unwanted visitors, and to catch garbage from the castle kitchens." I say quietly. My voice echoes eerily. I pull a bobby-pin from my hair, and pick the lock in seconds. Then I slip through the gate.
Once everybody is through, I notice they're all breathing hard. Time for a rest.
"Let's take a quick break." I say. Immediately Briss flops onto the cold stone ground. Derrin and Kaone sit against the wall. But Mufar walks to me. He pulls something from the satchel I hadn't noticed he was carrying.
"This is for you." He whispers. Then he hands me a crown. It's a silver tiara with amethysts and emeralds on it. It's my tiara. It was made for me when I was just 11. Back then it was much too big. Now, it's much too small.
I smile at it, remembering the adventures I had with this crown.
"Thanks." I respond. Then I give him a hug. Although I didn't like Mufar at first, he has grown to be a mentor and a friend.
"You don't deserve that!" A voice from the darkness yells. Kaone appears from the gloom. She looks angry. I sigh, anticipating what's coming.
"Look Kaone. The battle is over. I won the competition. But I want you to be my friend." I tell her. Fire blazes in her eyes.
"No! That crown in rightfully mine! It belongs to me!" She yells. She takes a step closer, and makes a grab for the crown. It sails out of my hands, and into the river. We both watch it for a moment. Then, we turn to each other. A unspoken agreement seems to pass through us. Kaone draws her knife.
"It doesn't have to come to this." I say. She just glares at me.
"Winner takes all." Kaone whispers. I nod as I draw my own knife. Before the knife is fully out of the sheath at my waist, Kaone strikes.
She jabs at my chest, but I parry with my blade. I guess those sword fighting lessons with my brother did help. I've been skilled with knives since I was 5, but I haven't really practised since I went into hiding. But fighting is as natural to me as breathing, so I quickly pick it up again.
We're locked in a dance, metal flickering between us. Kaone is much better then I expected. She lunges at me, but I sidestep, sending her flying on the slippery ground. During that time, I find Mufar.
"Knife!" I scream. His eyes light up with understanding as he understands what I was implying. He draws his own knife out of his sheath and tosses it to me. Now armed with two knives, it's not long before I'm winning the fight. Kaone's looking nervous, and I grin. Then, catastrophe strikes. I slip on the slick ground, and end up on my back, looking at the blade of Kaone's knife. One of my knives was lost in the darkness, while the other one is pinned underneath me. But she doesn't know that. She thinks I'm unarmed.
"Prepare to die Lynx." She whispers. I just smirk. Kaone lifts her knife high above her head. That's when I strike. I arch my back to reach my weapon. Then I roll under her legs, and come up standing, with my knife at her throat. She freezes.
"Leave now." I hiss. Then I grab her knife, and push her away. She runs. I wait until her footsteps are too fare away to hear. Then I turn to the others.
"C'mon."
The kitchen entrance is a mere 50 feet away from the scene of my battle with Kaone.
"This is what I need. Derrin and Briss-can you retrieve my crown. Come to the throne room as soon as possible when you have it. Mufar, let them know I'm coming. I'll be there soon. There's something I have to do." I order. They all nod, and I run off into the darkness.

High above the Council of the Seatadors is coming to session. The Kings Adviser, Ardis Kole, sits at the head of the table. The Seatadors sit in order of their rank. Gai is near the end.
"We have gathered here today because of Faiyria's loss. King Lochlan, Queen Ebony, and Prince Mithil have been announced as dead." Kole says sombrely. Three bells ring somewhere above them. He waits until they have finished before speaking.
"Seatadors Jaque, Lond, and Dricil went to Baracudma to look for evidence about Eadu's death. She was proven dead four years ago." He tells. Another bell bongs.
Kole takes a deep breath before again.
"Therefore we must-" He starts but Gai interrupts.
"With all due respect sir-you are wrong. Eadu is still alive." Gai announces. Kole glares suspiciously at Gai.
"Show me your proof." He says.
Just then, the doors burst open to show Mufar, sweaty and out of breath.
"Mufar! This is a private council!" Gai says pointedly.
"Sir, you better come see this. All of you." Mufar pants.
There's a rush for the door as eager Seatadors push and shove in order to see what Mufar burst into a private meeting to announce. Kole slips though a secret door, and arrives at the scene first. The Seatadors gasp when they see it. Kole's mouth drops when he sees.
What they see of course is me.