A Dangerous Dance [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Fourteen

CHRISTMAS HELD NO JOY FOR ANY of the girls when it arrived in a whirl of heavy snow, cold temperatures, and drafty windows.

Normally, the younger girls loved to help the maids decorate the palace and string popped corn and cranberries to hang on the tree. But the joy of the holiday stayed far away. And the maids found themselves decorating alone this year.

Althea had given up on trying to whip the girls' spirit up. No matter how hard she tried, the atmosphere stayed gloomy and full of despair.

Christmas Eve brought a heavy blizzard that howled and rattled the windowpanes. The girls took their Christmas meal in their sitting room, since their father was working anyways and it cost too much to heat the entire palace.

Their rooms were warm and cozy, however, and that combined with the good meal brightened the mood.

They were just finishing up with a plum pudding when there was a tentative knock on the door. Althea's heart leaped a little in her chest.

Mary opened the door and Althea secretly hoped it was Blake, even though it wasn't appropriate for him and Jamie to spend Christmas with them.

To her surprise, it was their father. 

Silence settled. King Nathanael cleared his throat and stepped all the way into the room. Althea stood, realizing herself a tad late, and hurriedly curtsied.

He cleared his throat again, "I suppose you haven't exchanged gifts yet?"

Althea opened and closed her mouth a few times, bewildered, before finally answering, "No, not yet."

He nodded, then stepped out of the way of the door and Mathers appeared, pushing a cart laden with presents. The younger girls gasped, delighted.

They crowded around him, but Althea and the older girls stayed back, watching in disbelief as their father handed out one present to each girl. It was tradition to open one present on Christmas Eve, but Althea had been expecting him to be working.

"Miss Dahlia." Nathanael held out her present, wrapped in beautiful red paper and tied with a beautiful blue bow.

Dahlia took it, glancing at Althea in bewilderment, and their father handed Cassidy hers. Then Blythe, then...

"And for you, Miss Althea."

However, it wasn't a packaged box he presented.

It was a sword.

King Nathanael carefully held out the weapon for Althea to inspect. It was a rapier, very old, with a tarnished guard and a dented blade. Althea looked up at her father and frowned, confused.

"This rapier belonged to my ten times grand grandfather. He was the first monarch of High Marland. It is tradition to pass it down to the next heir before they turn twenty-one." Nathanael took Althea's hands and folded them around the handle, "You are the first female heir to assume the throne, and the first to wield this rapier."

Althea was shocked beyond belief. Why now, of all times, had he decided to do this?

The truth was that Althea didn't believe she deserved the sword. She didn't deserve the throne or the responsibility that came with it. She couldn't even help her own sisters, how was she supposed to rule an entire country?

King Nathanael must've seem the doubt swimming in her eyes, for he went on to say, "I couldn't have chosen better, Thea."

He used her nickname.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and accepted the sword.

But all Althea felt was guilty. No matter what her father said, she knew in her heart that she was unworthy.

His eyes swept over all the girls, who were ripping into their presents with glee, and a sadness filled his features, "We haven't been a very good family lately, have we?"

Althea wasn't sure if she was supposed to answer that or not.

And just when she was about to suggest he stay, her father regained his composure and the sad look was gone from his face.

"I will see you in the morning." He murmured almost to himself, then he left their rooms before Althea could say anything.

"Does this mean we get to open two presents?" Natalie asked hopefully, turning her large eyes on Althea.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, unsure of what to say. It was true that Althea, Blythe, Cassidy had gotten each girl one present simply because they had been expecting their father to be working.

"Let's save the rest for tomorrow, Nat." The little girl pouted for a moment, but she was happy enough with the gift their father had given her.

Althea slipped away to carefully place the rapier in her trunk, next to her saber, and pulled out the tarnished silver locket that was hidden in her trousers.

She had seen a lot. Grown men cut down on the field of action, bloodstains blossoming on their frock coats like flowers, a sea of muck and downed men, body parts ripped off in the most gruesome of ways.

And in the midst of the death and carnage, was Lieutenant Jackson Gardener. She could still picture his cheeky smile and the way he dared to speak out against her orders. Lieutenant Gardener has become a very close friend of Althea's, to the point where they could've been more, if the war hadn't caught him.

It was his pistol that she kept in her truck. And his locket of hair that she held now. A mere memory of what once had been, before the destruction and violence of war devoured it.

"Thea?"

Startled, Althea closed her hand over the locket and looked up. Evelina tilted her head to the side, a habit so used by their mother that it caught Althea's breath for a moment, and joined her at the bed.

"Is everything all right?"

Althea smiled and nodded, "Oh yes, I was just..."

"Remembering." Evelina finished with a smile of her own. It was cheeky of her.

Althea sighed, knowing she couldn't hide much from her sister, and uncurled her hand with the locket, "Yes, I was. But the past doesn't do us much good in the present." She gazed at the silver, "And keeping this locket, well, I've only caused myself more pain by remembering."

"Who did it belong to?" Evelina asked curiously.

Althea answered, "Someone of the past. A person whom I've held onto for a long time. I'm sure he's ready to move on."

A thought came to her. She turned to her younger sister, "Will you take it, Eve?"

Evelina touched her heart, "Me? But what could I do with it?"

Althea chuckled, "I believe the owner of this locket would rest very well knowing it'd be worn by a beautiful young lady. Take it, Eve. I'm done with being haunted by ghosts. This would do both of us good if you wear it."

Evelina blinked, then lifted up the chain to study the locket. She undid the claps and pulled it around her neck.

"No more ghosts." She said.

Althea smiled, "No more ghosts." She repeated.