Page 11 of Royal Hunt
Their footsteps faded away, and after a few moments of silence, I realized they’d left whatever room they’d been in. It hurt to have confirmation that after all those years of supposed friendship, Gregory honestly thought of me as a possession. I vowed to deal with him in due time since the more pressing concern was keeping Ellis alive. I was no staunch loyalist to the royal family, but I wasn’t a rebel either. I was simply against anyone who thought murdering an entire family was a political maneuver. That, and I knew I could work my angle to get something for myself out of all of it—some kind of control over my future that didn’t get any input from my father.
I shimmied carefully backward, counting the two turns and moving my feet carefully. After what felt like an inordinate time, I bumped back into Ellis. I wasn’t really able to turn around, so I had to crawl backward over his body again just to ensure he had a pulse. I grimaced at his sour smell, but was reassured he was just sleeping off the drink by the steady rise and fall of his chest underneath me. I retreated a few paces from him and curled onto my side. There was no way I was going to sleep, so I tried to compile what I knew about the situation.
The nobles from the Northern Realm had turned against the royal family. They’d clearly planned for some time to overthrow the monarchy at Mellan’s engagement party and had brutally slaughtered any resistance they encountered. Trenton made lofty promises of women and riches to get others to agree.
It was clever since it was also a subtle threat to those on the fence. If they didn’t support him, then their own wives and lands were at risk. His religious claims were ludicrous—the ramblings of a mad man. Nevertheless, religion was taken quite seriously by most in the Northern Realm. My father even had our chapel expanded recently, holding services outdoors when we could in a new, zealous wave of faith. Now that I was on this side of the coin, I wondered if the gatherings had been a guise for something else that had been brewing. Or had it been the services that had radicalized everyone? My head hurt.
Wasn’t one of the main tenets of the new religion peace? I’d never really understood much of it or paid attention. It was too new, and my father’s priest always made me feel like there were ants crawling under my skin.
The rulers of the other realms (also half-fae) followed the old ways as far as I knew, and not this new religion. Four royal families ruled over the continent, and they were split into four realms: north, south, east, and west. If Ellis had any chance of surviving or claiming back his throne, I would need to get him to one of the other kingdoms for aid, get him to others who would help him. But which realm? And how?
I took a deep breath. I needed to calm down and plan. First, we would need to stop by my manor, and get supplies—food, clothing, weapons, and ideally horses. I would have to make it back before my father, who would likely stay here a few days until things settled down. The servants would assist. They’d always liked me better than Father anyhow, and no one had bothered to include them in the religious renaissance. They probably knew as much of the old ways as the royal family. If I was sneaky enough, they wouldn’t even know I was there.
I closed my eyes, an empty hole in my chest as I realized there wasn’t anything else I could do right now. The adrenaline of the day was gone, leaving me hollow and exhausted. In just a few hours, my tiny world had broken apart, and I didn’t think there was any way to put the pieces back together.
That wasn’t entirely true though, was it? My life had never really had a purpose before now. I was a pretty thing to be used for profit. No better than any of our horses back home. As horrific as today had been, something had stirred to life inside of me: a purpose so clear and strong it was as if I’d spent all of my life dozing, only to be shocked awake by a bucket of cold water.
I’d saved the heir. I’d kept the royal family bloodline alive.
I couldn’t join the religious rebels–I wouldn’t. Anyone who murdered children didn’t deserve my allegiance. I would help Ellis the best I could, and then …
And then what?
I didn’t want to marry Gregory, not after learning he’d been a part of this plot the entire time and never once told me. What other choices did I have? Any husband was purely an economic enterprise, except for the 1 percent that actually fell in love.
I didn’t feel great about my chances.
And even if I did, I became my new husband’s property regardless. I couldn’t make my own money. My children would even belong to him.
No. I didn’t want to marry. It didn’t solve anything. The only woman in the kingdom who was truly sovereign of her own life had been the queen.
My stomach rolled as the image of her head detaching from her body floated in front of my eyes, more fresh than morning dew.
Ellis snored next to me, and an idea jolted through my body.
There’s no way he would agree.
I thought it through carefully, not wanting to get my hopes up.Why wouldn’t he? He has just as few choices as I do.
I licked my lips, realizing it was the pragmatic choice. Prince Ellis—nowCrownPrince Ellis—owed me his life, after all. What better way to repay his savior than by marrying her and elevating her status?
Queen of the Northern Realm.
No one would ever try to control my life ever again. Hell, I’d be the one telling my father to stop eating, and he’d have to obey. I liked how it sounded, provided we could get out of the kingdom, find some allies, and take back his throne. Ambitious, but not impossible. Not yet.
I fingered the crown that lay deep within my pocket, the sharp edges rough against the tips of my fingers. Ellis would need some polishing. If he was the playboy prince everyone claimed, he’d have to clean up his act if potential allies were to take him seriously.
Unbeknownst to my father, I’d spent a large chunk of my childhood next door at Lord Trenton’s manor, spying on Gregory’s lessons and learning politics and war history through the cracked door. I was sure we could muddle through with Ellis’s help. I would prove myself to be a valuable asset not only to him, but the entire Northern Realm.
I could do this.
“No . . . come back.”
Ellis mumbled in his sleep, his body twisting and convulsing as though someone were attacking him. He let out a loud groan, and I hissed at him. “Ssh! Be quiet!”
His eyes were still closed, but he went still at the sound of my voice. His hands erratically felt around until they found my wrist, and he squeezed it weakly.
I tried to shake him off. “It’s just a nightmare. Let go of me.”
