Stalemate | A Rise To Power

𝘑𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘢

⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅ ◈ ⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

Junia paced the room nervously while Cloud watched from the bed.

"What if I am just a fool?" she asked Cloud, rounding on the dog. "I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

The dog gave her a lazy look, as if to say: who cares?

"Oh, you stupid dog," Junia exclaimed. "You don't understand politics! You should try living my life—gods, all you have to do is sit around and look cute."

She looked over at the letter on her table. Her fingers strayed to break the wax seal, but she was scared. What would it say? She knew it was from the West by the seal—four hearts ending each compass point from a four-leaf clover at the centre—and it had taken six days to arrive.

She forced herself to open it, feeling her heart thudding in her chest as she did so.

Junia Silverling,

I thoroughly enjoyed reading your letter. I understand your point of view, and I believe that most of the West agrees with you. For the time being, we would like to remain neutral but would be pleased to meet you and discuss it in the flesh. I have heard you are a young girl and would be interested to hear what you have to say. Perhaps you can prove to us all that you aren't just the quiet princess they claim you to be. I expect well from you and disagree with them: it is rumoured that you escaped from Kael and found your way to Ulysses without aid. My wife disagrees with my interest and believes we shouldn't even talk to you, but I, on the contrary, am eager to see the South. If this war will ensure peace for my people afterwards, then I may be willing to pay the price.

Convince me, then. Name a day, and we'll be there.

Filip, King of the West.

Junia's eyes skimmed over the paper once. Twice. Four times. Against the odds, he wanted to meet her. Maybe she could convince him to help Ulysses get Kael off a throne that rightfully belonged to Audrey.

Her heart didn't stop its incessant pounding, however, and she felt no relief. A fresh wave of panic rushed over her instead as she realised what she had done.

Convince me, then. He sounded like he was taunting her, and she hesitated, reading it over again for the fifth time. Quiet princess. Young girl. What if he turned on her and took the castle like Kael had done?

There had been no word back regarding the battle. Maybe Kael was dead, and it was all over.

But it's best never to take chances. The South needs you, she told herself.

Junia grabbed a quill and began to write, hesitating after 'To King Filip' before adding 'and Queen Lynne'. She wanted Lynne on her good side.

To King Filip and Queen Lynne,

Thank you for your last letter. We would be pleased to have you at our castle in the South and would happily host you whenever you can make it. The next full moon, perhaps?

Princess Junia.

Junia put her quill to the side before rereading the letter. She wanted to add that Clovis was the only reason she had ever made it to Ulysses, and she didn't get there by herself. That she was a coward, no matter what others said. It was Annalee who was the brave one.

But Annalee's gone, so you have to be brave for her, she thought.

She hesitated to put it in the envelope. She wasn't in charge of the castle and didn't know if Ulysses would approve of her doing things without his permission. But she was the heir. She didn't even know if he was coming back.

She stamped the letter with the seal of the South: a flower on a shield dripping with blood.

"Deliver," she commanded Cloud, who took the letter into her mouth and hurried off to find Jonas.

Junia sighed, trying to calm her anxiety, before she went to look for Katana. She found her cousin in her usual place, leaning under a tree with a pile of wool on her lap. The sky was cloudless overhead, the sun relentlessly beating down in the heat of the summer, and Junia was glad to get into the shade of the tree. The sweat was sticking to her body uncomfortably—even though she had lived in the South all her life, the heat could sometimes be unbearable.

"Oh, hey, Junia," Katana said, looking up from her crocheting and putting it aside. Junia couldn't even tell what she had been trying to make: it was a mess of knots and tangled wool. "What's going on?"

Junia sat down next to Katana. "I think... I think I just invited a king to our palace."

She looked at Katana's face to see how she would react.

Katana stared back, as if trying to see if she was joking, before she burst into laughter.

"Stop it! It isn't funny!" Junia chastised, but Katana just grinned.

"Which king?" Katana asked.

"King Filip." Junia couldn't see the bright side of it.

"The king of the West?"

Junia nodded glumly.

"Oh, dear Junia, you should see yourself! Stop worrying so much. From what I've heard, he's an... interesting guy," Katana said. "Seriously, though, did you really invite the king of the West to stay here? In a practically empty castle without Ulysses or anyone else? Just you, a girl of twelve, hosting them somehow?"

"I... yes. I did." The situation properly dawned on Junia, and she felt despair grip her at the prospect of what she planned to do. She felt the urge to burst into tears of helplessness, but Katana's face had lit up in a wide smile and Junia found the stress building up inside of her melting away. It was hard to be frustrated when Katana took it all in such a light-hearted way.

"Ooh, how exciting! Do you need my help?"

Junia took a steadying breath. "Actually, yes, please. Some help would be nice."

"Then we'd better get to work. We have a king to host." Katana grinned and stood, offering Junia a hand.

Junia took it, and Katana helped her up before spinning her around, making Junia laugh despite herself. She reached for Katana's other hand and they both spun around and around until they collapsed to the floor dizzily, lying on their backs and staring up at the branches ahead, wide smiles on their faces.

For the first time since her parents had been killed, Junia let hope back into her heart.

Love you all,

Shelly M xx