All is Fair in Politics and Dish Washing (TITLE IN PROGRESS)

Prologue/Teaser

The single ring from the clock tower brought me out of my stupor. Lifting my head, I gazed out at the mass of people gathered in front of the steps of the palace. "Blythe Harlow." The king's voice was deafening in the tense silence. "You have been charged with treason against your country. For committing war crimes and general treachery against the State, you are hereby sentenced to a lifetime in a federal penitentiary." His announcement did not come as a shock to me; my fate had already been sealed the day before in a courtroom, but the king was never one to turn down good theater.

As I was marched down the steps and through the crowd, I held my head high. My shoulders squared, my footsteps steady. At the bottom of the stairs, safely behind three armed guards, was him. I maintained eye contact, refusing to break the one kind of power I could still wield. I could see in my mind's eye how I must have looked to him--stony, unforgiving. It didn't matter. He looked the same to me. I searched his eyes for any sign of regret, any sign of the man I had fallen in love with, but came up with nothing. This was not the man I knew.

The doors of the armored truck closed behind me--another histrionic on behalf of the king--shielding me from the onslaught of comments and glares from reporters and onlookers alike. I settled onto the bench seat between two heavily armed men, ready for the long ride toward the rest of my life.

**so yeah (: after five years on this site, I'm finally publishing something! This is one of WIPs that I've had in my drafts for over a year now, and I'm excited to finally be able to share it with you! Let me know what you all think, and also, if any of you know how to design covers on this godforsaken website, please let me know. I'm in desperate need of some help. Thanks for reading!