The Legacy of Giants

Part 4: The Bastard-Born Princess and the Rebel Queen

Sophie

I'd memorized the pattern in the tiles in front of the bench where I was seated.  I could draw every speck of dirt, every crack, and scuff mark from memory.  It had been three hours since we arrived in the Thousand Isles, and the king had still refused to see me.  He wouldn't let me go anywhere except to sit on a bench outside the throne room and wait.

We'd all been separated the minute we arrived.  The children had been swarmed by a horde of nannies who had been alerted of our arrival, and they were being treated to a hot meal in the palace kitchens.  Philippe and the rest of the pack had been ushered away by some very frazzled looking guards, who were trying to avoid an incident should the halflings be spotted.

Kade, John, and Iekika were inside the throne room.  From the sound of it, whatever was happening inside wasn't going very well.  An unfamiliar voice which I assumed must be the king's hadn't stopped yelling since they went in.  Occasionally, Kade would try to get a word in edgewise, but that just resulted in louder shouting.

The guards standing outside the doors moved their spears, and Iekika stormed out of the throne room.  "Where-- Oh, there you are.  Come in, he wants to see you now.  All the nobility is in here, so be warned.  They're hard to make a good impression on."

I'd dealt with snobbish nobles before.  A little bit of money, a touch of power, and they thought they were better than everyone else.

Iekika helped me up from the bench, but I insisted on bracing my leg with sulah instead of letting her help me walk across the throne room.  I didn't want to appear weak.

The chatter that had resumed after the king stopped yelling stopped as we strode into the throne room together.  The nobles were scattered around the edge of the room, and every one of them was staring at us.

"Look, it's the bastard-born princess and the rebel queen," someone snickered.

I didn't turn to look.  Iekika didn't, either.  We'd reached an unspoken agreement that we would not let them shake us, no matter what insults they hurled our way.  She had saved my life in the Beyond, and I owed it to her that I would make her mission seem worthwhile.

We stopped in front of the throne.  There was a pause while everyone waited to see what I would do.  They were expecting me to bow or curtsy, but a twang in my leg told me that would be a bad idea.  Instead, I inclined my head.  "Your Majesty."

The king glared at me through cold eyes.  "They told me you had crossed the Beyond, but I didn't expect for you to have carried it with you."

I was suddenly aware of my tangled hair, dirty face, and torn clothes.  I didn't come all this way for a king who was glued to his throne to make me feel worthless, no matter how much I needed his help.  "I apologize for my appearance, Your Majesty.  Life in exile does not lend itself to to frequent bathing."

"We can smell that," one of the nobles muttered.

Kade stepped forward from where he had been standing near the wall.  "Father, Princess Margaret and her companions are the only reason I am standing here with you today.  Surely you could show them a little hospitality."

The king narrowed his brows.  "Very well.  You shall be reunited with your... friends... and then you will be given rooms.  I will discuss with you tomorrow after you have slept and bathed.  Guards!  Have the Children of the Stars brought in.  My court would like to see the oddities, and it will reassure the girl that I have not harmed them."

I bit my tongue before I could tell him not to call the halflings oddities.  As horrible as he was being, he had an army and a lot of influence.

 A legion of guards entered, escorting Bridget and Hubert along with a handful of the other halflings.  Philippe was nowhere to be seen.