Alliar

I laid on my bed and stared at the ceiling. With everyone else preoccupied I had been confined to my room so that I was protected without having to be watched. Henrietta of course was the only set of eyes watching me today.

She was very jittery today. One of the maids down stairs had just given birth to a baby girl and according to Henrietta she was the most beautiful baby she has ever seen. I rolled my eyes tuning out the topic of conversation. I wasn't overly found of babies. I loved my sister Kaya as she was a baby, but other babies, well I wasn't as comfortable around.

"... And she had the rosiest little cheeks." Henrietta rambled on.

Oh merciful gods please shut this damn woman up!

"Her cute little fingers wrapped around mine as I held her. Such a strong little girl. She will survive the winter for sure."

Survive the winter.

Yes, I heard people talk in corridors about the young and old 'surviving the winter'.

Horick, Jonathan's own guard, was a little concerned about his youngest daughter. She was barely almost three now and although his eyes had danced as he told me about the little girl he loved so much, there was a fear in his eyes as well. She was still recovering from a bad flu that had circled around the noble born children, and while she had visited her father in the castle she had caught it from them. Jonathan had allowed the girl to see Kodak – the North's best physician if I was to believe the rumours. She had recovered. But she was still weak. Too weak for the blistering cold winters in the North that claimed the life of new-borns in their cribs, in the lower town and the castle alike – the winds didn't discriminant.

Jonathan had given Horick a room in the castle, told him it was his to use at his pleasure but had advised him it would be a good place to keep the girl until winter was over and spring flowers began to bloom.

His family had moved in only yesterday, a few rooms down the hall from the Kings in the warmest part of the castle – the natural caves allowed the warmth from hot springs below to heat the stone and take the edge off the cold.

"And then she sneezed."

Oh dear gods!

"That's it!" I finally snapped. Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I quickly stood on my feet. Henrietta technically had nothing to do here apart from watch me since she was not allowed to clean as much as she liked – she wasn't allowed to touch anything that belonged to the King, and if she did, the man would know, I tried it myself to see if he noticed.

"I need air." I didn't wait for her retort as I strode for the door.

Yes, good lie.

Only Horick stood guard outside the doors but I knew it wasn't to guard, it was mercy. To give the man a few extra minutes in close proximity to his family. He was in the corridor itself and not behind the fake walls where he usually remained, his oldest daughter stood next to him.

She had blond hair, almost like white gold and the bluest eyes I had ever seen. She would be beautiful when she was older, just like her mother. At five-years-old the little girl stood guard with her father, her face set in a determined line that made me smile.

"Little Miss." Horick bowed his head a little, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Horick." I returned the gesture and patted the little girls head as I walked by.

With no guards, I wondered through the seemingly empty halls of the castle.

It was strange.

So damn strange.

I couldn't feel any eyes on me for once. Even in the shadows of the fake wall and secret space for the shadow knights, I felt as if they were missing from their posts.

Getting ready for the war, I concluded as I paced.

My heart was heavy and I already felt sick as I tried my hardest to place ideas – too find something useful to do to help my sister. It wasn't enough to just warn my uncle – and by extension King Edward Thorn in the Eastern Mountains – there had to be more I could do.

I didn't trust Jonathan not to harm Kaya.

She was a Queen now – her own station exceeding anything I could possibly obtain as ruined princess and King's mistress – and as such, she would be shown no mercy.

The thought made my stomach flip again. I didn't dare eat breakfast for fear of being sick.

But the sickening feeling in my stomach didn't stop the thoughts. In fact, I dare say it increased them. What if I failed my sister? What if she died at the hands of the same man whose bed I warm? Would I ever be able to even look at him again after such a betrayal? Should I just tell him the truth now and be done with it?

He would hesitate. Maybe even pause his war bands because of it – because he would suspect me of spying and trading information to his enemies, which I had done, and because he would be so enraged and feel so betrayed by the tiny little detail that I forgot to mention to him, that he would most likely need at least the month to torture and kill me. Who knows, maybe even by then Jonathan might even have cooled down and forgotten why he was even waging a war with the East? And then Kaya would be safe.

It was a long shot.

A plan that had too many options for terrible things to occur. Too many loose ends.

And anything short of a certainty was unacceptable and not worth the risk.

I bit my lip and shuffled through the thoughts as I pushed open the doors to the throne room. Jonathan wasn't there. A few of the younger, less experienced guards stood around the entrances to the room. Princess Ashiar sat in her throne, biding the girls goodbye. As it turns out the King no longer cared to entertain the group of noble born girls and wanted them vanished from his court by the time he got back from his efforts in the East.

As I walked in the girls all turned to be. Some with smiles on their faces, nodding politely in greeting, while others... well, if that wasn't a scornful look full of hate and murder, then I didn't know what was.

None others could give the glare better than Bethamy.

She looked pissed.

I shrugged a shoulder as I walked towards the girls. The door behind me cracked open and I turned my head just in time to see the King stalk into the room. His eyes were black, focused and calculating – like a predator hunting its prey...

I was knocked to the ground.

My head banged off the tiled floor before I could stick out my hands to brace myself. Pain pulsed through my head and everything echoed, like a gong ringing and ringing in my ears.

My eyes clenched together in an attempted to deal with the pain, but the darkness left me vulnerable.

Bethamy pounced on me, her weight quickly crushing my stomach as she saddled me and pinned me to the floor. My eyes flung open just in time to watch as her small and delicate fingers wrapped around my neck – and squeezed.

My eyes widened and my fingers rushed to my throat. My finger nails dug into her hands but she didn't falter. No, not one bit as if she were oblivious to the pain. So I did it harder. Blood dripped from Bethamy's fingers as I tried to thrash underneath her. She was stronger than she looked and could deal with every ounce of pain I dealt her as if it were nothing.

Black dots danced long my vision as my mind began to slip, the darkness slowly crawled towards me.

Oh gods, I defiantly didn't think this was how I was going to die!

When I was younger, I was convinced I would die at the hands of my brother – most likely from stealing his things and telling our mother every nasty little thing he did.

Then I thought it would be at the hands of my step-father, not directly of course, but as a result of his plotting.

There was only a few months of my life, sometime after Kaya was born that I thought old age would be the one to claim my life. Staring down at my new born baby sister made me think that maybe I could have a life, longer than most, with children of my own and filled with joy and love.

And then I conceded that I would die at Jonathan's hands. I came to terms with the hard truth some time ago now. I just prayed it didn't hurt and that it was quick – he owed me that much.

He promised me that much.

But now, fate seemed to have it's own sick, dark humour making me die at the hands of some skinny little ferret in a slow and painful way while I laid defenceless and...

She was ripped off me and suddenly the air rushed through my lungs - letting me breath.

"She stole my necklace. She deserves to be punished your Grace." She bowed her head and lied through her teeth.

Jonathan struck her. "I don't tolerate liars and silly little girls. Get her out of my sight." He ordered to one of his guards who rushed towards her. Not too gently Bethamy was dragged from the castle. "Anyone else?!"

The room remained dead silent.

"That's what I thought. If I catch any of you so much as glare at her, you'll lose your eyes!" He threatened before turning to walk to the door after Bethamy and the guard. I stood up to my full height, my knees buckling and wavering under me, but I did everything in my power to keep my legs under me and my head high.

Everyone else in the room bowed their heads at Jonathan's retreating figure.

Not in respect.

Not because they should.

But out of pure and simple fear.

They weren't afraid of the threat, or of what staring at me might cause them.

They were terrified of the Man behind the words.

The Reaper King.

I watched each turn of the buckles. Each strap being tightened and each piece of leather and steel was set into place. The shine of steel and iron flared in the dim morning light. The small bits of gold and black flickered as daggers were effortlessly hidden in each little compartment in the light armour.

And with every dagger added, my heart sank.

Which one of those daggers would end my sister's life?

Already my body was sweating and my hands trembled at my sides. A fever Kodak the physician had said. He told the King it could happen sometimes after a hard knock to the head like the one I received late yesterday afternoon. He didn't mention how my heart raced or the fear he clearly saw in my eyes as Jonathan had crossed his arms over his chest and watched me closely.

The fear inside me hinted that he could see me.

See how afraid I was.

But he didn't say anything.

Maybe he thought I was afraid for him? Maybe...

I shut that idea down straight away.

I wouldn't consider my fear being for anyone else but Kaya.

"Are you sure this is a wise decision?" I finally broke the steady silence in the Kings chambers as I watched him double check his light armour. He had woken up the same time as he did every morning to watch the sunrise before he dressed for the march. It would take them two-weeks to get to the East Mountains just before the Kingdom on the Rise where Jonathan planned to set up camp and push at Kings unprepared forces.

"Is that concern I hear in your voice Little Miss?" Jonathan didn't turn to look at me as he spoke.

"You were angry, perhaps you jumped to conclusions. Maybe you should reconsider."

Now, he turned to me. His dark eyes seemed a little guarded as he regarded me. "This has been a long time coming."

"Is it really worth re-igniting the war again?"

Jonathan stepped towards me now. He leaned across the bed, his strong arms bracing himself as he stretched, until his face was right in front of mine – close enough to share breath. I was still dressed in only a loose fitting shirt – Jonathan's shirt, long enough to cover my body to my mid-thigh – and curled in the warm furs on the bed, my knees bought up to my chest as I wrapped my arms around them. Jonathan's thumb and finger and caught my chin, dragging my face up to look him in the eyes.

"They tried to have you killed, why are you trying to talk me out of this?" He seemed genuinely puzzled by the idea.

"I'm not." I quickly defended. I knew I shouldn't have, I knew better, but still I found myself saying "I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about you. You could die."

Something flashed in his eyes, the black turning a dark grey for a flicker of a moment – almost like a flash of lighting through the storm.

He pulled away, letting my neck once again bare the weight of my chin as he turned his back to me. "Don't worry. If I die at least you'll be free. My aunt and uncle will give you a small purse for your service."

It was like a knife in the chest...

"If you're smart you'll head South, to the Kings isle and the Golden city. But you won't. You'll linger, probably even go West to whatever family you once had. But that would be a mistake." Still, he did not face me. His back was tense and I could almost feel his hands polishing the out-of-sight dagger. "You'll die in the West, along with everyone else there and your name will be forgotten. No one will remember and no one will mourn you."

The knife in my chest twisted...

He walked out then. His two swords – one hanging at his side and one strapped to his back – and his numerous daggers in hand.

The harsh truth he had dealt me hurt more than it should have.

I thought...

For a moment I thought...

I took a deep sigh.

Maybe I was wrong. Wrong about the whole damn world. Maybe I had been a fool to trust him. An even bigger fool to let myself feel for him, to admit that I would mourn his death, that seeing him again wouldn't be worst possible thing ever.

Yes. I was wrong about so many things.

The sun broke through the horizon and dawn was officially upon us. Guards waited outside as men mounted their horses and waved once last goodbye to their loved ones who they may never see again.

And that was when the idea struck me.

It was horrible. Gods, it was probably the worst idea I had ever had. But I didn't have anything else better, and after today, what did I have to lose?

My life? By the sounds of it, my life was doomed since the day I was born. Either as Alliar the Princess of Leece and daughter to an ancient house, or as Little Miss, mistress to the Reaper King. My life had stopped belonging to me a long time ago, at least if I died now, it would be in an attempt to help one of the few people in this gods forsaken world who didn't deserve to die.

With that thought in mind, I left the Kings chambers.

A heavy black hood cloaked my face and the dagger I had found under the Kings bed was strapped to the high thigh of my riding leathers. A small set of shoulder plates ensured that I looked more like a broad shouldered man than the girl I was.

No one spoke as I fell into step with the guards.

Just another shadow knight in their black cloak.

No one spoke as we marched out the gates.

And no one spoke as a princess marched out to war.

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Hey everyone, sorry for being late on the update I've had a busy weekend. But here it is! Sorry for all the mistakes, I haven't had a chance to read through it just yet.

Thoughts?

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