The Trio of Trouble

Chapter Fifteen, Princess Jack

Chapter Fifteen

 Princess Jack

     I gaped in disgust. "What is wrong with you?!" 

 "Absolutely nothing!" The king laughed wickedly. 

 "Except for your sick mind, utterly horrid stench and naturally, your belly." I jeered angrily. 

     King Afflon's laughter stopped. "If you dare speak to me again in that manor, girl, I swear I will make your life a living hell." 

 "If you dare to lie to me again I will do more than just make your life a living hell. I will destroy ever piece of it just enough for the pain to be excruciating then-"

 "Jack!" Marco coughed and kicked me in the back of the shin.

    I growled, clenching my fists. I couldn't describe the enormous feeling of anger in hate in my chest. It burned like a live flame, burning through my veins and making my glare bright and hot. I swear I could have exploded. 

 "Besides," Kind Afflon went on his eyes gleaming. "I am not lying. You really do have royal blood running through your veins, though its clearly been hidden well." 

     All I could do was stare wide eyed, the sickening feeling of confusion tackling the anger. 

 "Your from the south east, a wealthy kingdom called Elothien. (pronounced El-o-th-i-en) Your father was Prince Tispar, though he was just becoming king because his father died in a fight against a magical creature. Stories have it that he went out in disguise before he became king and fell in love with a peasant woman. Some accounts even go so far to say the woman was a magician, but that's just a theory I suppose. Anyway, the young king now had a huge problem on his hands. You." 

 "Lies...." I breathed, backing away a little. 

 "He had a child with a peasant woman, and down in that area that was a huge offence. The woman, oh, what was her name...? Chiper, what was the woman's name?"

     Cipher didn't reply, gazing at the ground solemnly. Afflon rolled his eyes. "Guard. Yes, you, what was the woman's name?"

 "I believe it was Zilka sire."

 "Ah yes! Zilka, that was it. Well anyway, Zilka was actually caught before the child was born, but they couldn't hang her because she was still with child. That's when she announced the child's name would be Jacklyn. A modern name, I don't really care for it much myself. And somehow she knew that the baby would be a girl, I guess were the magician theory came from. When the baby was born it was ascribed that she had a unique birthmark on her shoulder, one that was said to look like a dragon. Thus how I was able to identify you." 

     I wanted to shout. I wanted to tell him that he was wrong, my parents where just regular peasants. But the more I thought about it the more it seemed to make sense. I rarely got to see my father, and when I was with her, my mother and I used to move around constantly, as if on the run. Then when I was four, I was completely given up. It explained why my mother always looked afraid, in those short memories I still held on of her. And why my father always showed up in a disguise, and how he held himself different from everyone else. I always remembered his pulled back shoulders and head up like he was somehow royalty. It was because he was. Which meant I was. And if it was true, I was a disgrace. I had been born out of marriage. I choked, blinking. 

 "No, this isn't true...." It couldn't be. 

 "Well, Zilka, your mother apparently escaped with you. No one knows what happened to her next, Tispar went on to be king and acted as if it never happened." Afflon suddenly laughed. "Oh the irony! I wonder how he is going to react when he realizes the criminal he hates so much it his daughter! Oh, I would pay to see his expression!"