The queen was seated on her throne, impeccably dressed as always, not a hair out of place, and her crown was perfectly situated on her head. The rest of the council also appeared as if they’d been up for hours. Kit approached the throne slowly, with her head held high, as Eli had suggested, and she tried not to be in a rush or seem upset at all by the information she’d discerned earlier. The fact that Armant, the royal physician, stood across the room, in front of the council members’ thrones alerted her that whatever was wrong, it was serious, and Kit did her best to keep her breathing even.
She bowed and went through the process of greeting her mother, trying not to hurry through it to get on with the matter at hand. When she stood, she kept her shoulders back and her chin up, determined to keep her head on straight no matter what she was about to hear.
“Katrinetta, thank you for joining us. Finally,” her mother chided, rolling her tongu
Raising an eyebrow, Kit leaned in, having no idea what her mother was suggesting. “The people?”“Yes. I can’t stand before them and show any sort of weakness. They will think I’ve lost all of my power and turn on me. So… I will allow you to make an argument for him, if that is what you wish. If you can convince the crowd that Jecobian should be spared, I shall come up with an alternative punishment. If you cannot, then he shall lose his head. Fair enough?”She imagined herself standing out on the dais, appealing to the masses, begging them to spare Jecob’s life, and knew the chances were slim. Everyone seemed to love a good beheading, and the fact that the princess was asking them for mercy didn’t sound like much of a deterrent. But it was the best opportunity Jecob would have to live. “Yes, Your Majesty. That sounds fair. Thank you. Your grace is much appreciated.”“Oh, don’t thank m
As soon as the door was closed, she turned and buried her face in his shoulder, hot tears splashing against his uniform as she could no longer contain her emotions. He wrapped his arms around her, whispering, “It’ll be all right, Kit. It’ll be all right. Just breathe.” She thought she heard her ladies’ footsteps behind her, but he waved them off, and she continued to sob, gasping for air as images of Jecob’s smiling face flashed before her eyes. Despite some of his less than amicable behavior, she’d already began to bond with the man, and now, his fate was in her hands.Eli continued to soothe her, and Kit fought to control her breathing and her tears, but just when she thought she had them under control, an image of Jecob as he leaned in to kiss her filled her mind, and she’d find herself gasping for air as another wave of sorrow hit her, leaving her sobbing again. Her knees felt weak, and she took a few steps backward, away fr
“It doesn’t matter. I only hope Eastbury is able to elect a finer candidate for you on their second try,” Eli said in response to Kit’s question about what Jecob had said to him on the slingball field.She remembered then that he would be leaving again the next day, and her stomach tightened. “It seems like every time I’ve gotten used to you being here, you have to go away once more.”“I know.” He sighed and readjusted, dropping his arm so that his hands were on her hip and knee now. The feel of his touch was comforting, and any thought of removing herself from his lap, now that she had control of herself, was quickly pushed aside. “I’ll be back soon enough, though.”“This man who came in second, do you think that is who they shall elect? My mother doesn’t seem to care for him much.”“I have no idea what they shall do. Eastbury is very divided right now. There
Atkin of Iceforge was a brute of a man, and not in the same way that Cassius and Landon were—he wasn’t the least bit attractive. Just very large and bulky, and she almost wished he hadn’t bothered to come from such a great distance when she was fairly certain she’d be sending him home within a few weeks’ time. Still, she’d greeted him and his entire delegation and wore a pleasant smile even though her mind wandered to Jecob endlessly.At least it hadn’t taken hours to meet just one Representative. Kit was hesitant to return to her chambers because she knew she’d have to think of something to say tomorrow. She looked out at the crowd now, before she turned to go inside, and wondered how many of these people would be there in the morning. Her mother had not made a formal announcement yet. That would come through couriers out into the queendom shortly, but Kit was certain the rumors had already begun to spread. Even now, there seem
Cassius took a deep breath and glanced around the hallway again. “Yes, it was distressing to see Jecob arrested. In my opinion, Armant was very professional. He did his examination, as he had for everyone in front of Jecob in line. I was a few places behind him. None of us ever pay any attention to the examinations themselves, as you can imagine.” She nodded. She didn’t suppose they would. “But when Armant called for the guards, we knew something was amiss. He asked that Jecob be held until he could consult with the queen, and then Jecob became irritated, demanding to know what the situation was. Armant told him he had tingo, and Jecob began shouting it was just a rash from slingball, that he was fine, but Armant had him removed, and he fought against the guard every step of the way. Your commander had to put him in a choke hold and drag him out of the room.”Kit was shocked. Not only was she stunned to hear that Jecob had gone through all that,
The crowd was alive with shouting and laughter, a raucous pulse that seemed to fill the space in front of the castle with a festive vibration, and there was no doubt those that had gathered that early morning had come for one reason, and one reason alone; they wanted to see the spilling of blood.Kit stood next to her mother on the dais, the same place she’d occupied for the better part of the last two weeks, though the pleasant feeling associated with greeting those who’d come to be a part of her Choosing was long gone, replaced with a dread that threatened to overwhelm her. Had it not been for the encouraging glances of her Representatives positioned right in front, below the dais, she might’ve shriveled up and lost all of her nerve. It also helped to know that her father, Avinia, and Isla were behind her, and though she could not see them, they were giving her every ounce of their support. Her cousins had been quite helpful as she’d spent most of th
The Queen’s Guard acted at once, and the sound of chains filled Kit with dread as they brought Jecobian out a door beneath the dais, one that led deeper into the castle, down dark corridors toward the prison cells below. That didn’t necessarily mean he’d been held there since yesterday, but wherever he had been, she was certain his experience had not been pleasant.Seeing him confirmed her suspicions. He was chained at the hands and ankles and was having trouble walking. His hair was no longer a lustrous blond but held the filth one might expect from a prisoner. When he turned to look her direction, she could see a blackened eye, as well as a busted lip and blood stains down his blue tunic, which no longer looked royal at all. He didn’t look directly at her, and she was glad for it because she thought she might burst into tears, and now was not the time to lose her resolve.The guards brought him to a wooden stand just below the da
There was a long silence as the women and men present seemed to look to each other for agreement, and then a loud cheer broke out, and Kit realized they were chanting, “Mercy!”A smile threatened to spill across her face, but at the risk of angering her mother, she fought it. A glance at the friendly faces before her showed they all thought she had done well, though she didn’t dare shift her eyes to Eli for fear her mother would notice and lose any semblance of grace she may have gained from the crowd. She did look at Jecob, and he mouthed, “Thank you,” to her, but Kit had to look away, still not sure if it had been enough or what the punishment might be if he was not to lose his head.Her mother took hold of her arm again, but this time, she did not squeeze. She tilted her head slightly, and in a quiet voice said, “Well played, Katrinetta.”Kit cleared her throat but said nothing. All of her words had been used up