⋘ ──── ∗ ⋅ ◈ ⋅ ∗ ──── ⋙

She stood to the side of the ball, but Landon soon caught her eye in the crowds and made his way over. He was dressed in a blue doublet lined in silver and a small band of gold lay across his messy hair; it was the first time she had seen him wearing a colour other than black since his father's death. She focused on the baby curls in his hair instead of watching his face, seeing the way they poked out beneath the golden crown lying on his head.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

Audrey met his gaze. He showed nothing to suggest that he remembered what he had said the day before, or just a few hours ago. It was strange to think that he was officially King Landon then. No turning back. He had been crowned and declared in front of the Northern nobility with no objections raised.

"My king," Audrey replied simply.

Landon smiled before taking her hand and sweeping her onto the dance floor. He moved with easy grace and Audrey stepped in time with him. His touch was light around her waist and in her hand, his breath warm against her bare skin. She thought of his lips on hers and half wondered if it had been a dream.

"You shouldn't make bribes like the ones you made at the banquet," Audrey said.

"It doesn't matter. Soon all the Everwoods will be gone," Landon said.

"I am an Everwood."

"As of tomorrow, you are a Shadowhart," Landon corrected.

No. I will always be an Everwood. "You had Kael poisoned so you could have the throne. Now you have it. Is that not enough for you, or do you really need me by your side too?"

"The throne is mine," Landon said. "And it will stay mine. You're just a figurehead for the Northerners, a way to strengthen my claim to power."

"But you are not immortal." Audrey smiled coldly.

"I do not intend to die anytime soon."

"The throne is an unstable place to be. When the day comes when Ethelind or someone else kills you, I won't be surprised."

"Then what? You would take the Northern throne?" Landon raised his eyebrows.

"I am their heir. A woman can rule; I heard rumours that your mother had been a spirited person." She searched her memory until she found the name she needed. "Elise, right?"

Landon was silent for some time.

"I hear you were very close to Thomas," he said lowly. "Lucian, Adina, Lachlan. I even heard rumours of a serving boy named Clovis. Do you really want to get into naming games?"

The sound of her brother's name from Landon's voice made her heart clench. Each name was a punch, hitting her in the face. It was excruciating, the mental battle of attrition going on between them. But she refused to relent.

"Who is this new girl, Grace? What are her intentions, pray tell me?" Audrey shot back. "I saw the look on your face. You care for her."

"We grew up together." His gaze moved past her to the side where Grace stood, giggling at something a Northern lord was saying while he blushed and looked at his feet.

"You must be afraid of her," Audrey mused. "Because you don't know what she will see in you now."

His grip on her tightened and she wasn't sure if it was intentional or his way of trying to centre himself. He did not reply until the song ended and he let her go, his hazel eyes narrowing. "Stop looking back at the past, Audrey. Neither of us can afford to do so."

He walked away, leaving Audrey standing alone in the middle of the dance floor.

Manipulator, schemer, killer. Any pity for him dissolved.

Frustrated, she turned away and walked in a random direction until a tall, dark-skinned girl entered her path. Audrey recognised her as Adebiyi's eldest daughter, the one who had nodded at her earlier, and curtseyed. The girl returned the gesture.

"Hi. I'm Faiza," the girl introduced with a smile. Her speech was slightly awkward, but she had a lovely voice.

"Of course, I remember. How long are you visiting for?"

"I was not told." Faiza paused. "I would like to apologise for my brother's lack of presence. It is not because he is trying to offend. It's just that he's..." She seemed to realise what she was saying and paled.

Audrey raised her eyebrows, prompting her to continue.

"A bit lost. Mentally." Faiza flushed pink. "I mean, not that much. Just a little..."

Audrey remembered being told about the Meyir's reputation of having mad children, and their reputation for simply executing them to try to 'cleanse' the bloodline.

It must be horrible to spend your whole life on edge, anticipating madness, Audrey thought.

"Where is he now?" Audrey asked.

Faiza's eyes widened slightly. Then she dropped her voice.

"You don't know what happened, then. Your... your king is a monster," she whispered.

Audrey stepped back without meaning to. Adebiyi called Faiza his heir. But Lucian always said that Adebiyi's heir was an ebullient young boy. "What happened to him?"

"My brother is dead." Faiza could not meet her eyes. "My father sent him here for your boy king to deal with him. My father did not want him." When she looked up, her eyes were full of grief. "So Landon killed him, and my father did not care."

Audrey swallowed, her throat constricting as she thought of Thomas. "I'm... sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry too. Damisi and I were never particularly close, and he was often vain and rude, but he was still my brother." She looked up. "I do not know if anyone else would believe me if I told them, or if they would even care. I just thought... you know. You would understand."

Audrey sighed. "I do. You have two sisters, right?"

"Chinue and Tamasha." Faiza gestured at a small girl watching them from the sides. The girl rushed forward and grabbed onto her arm, sucking her thumb with her other hand. "This is Tamasha."

Tamasha took her thumb out of her mouth to wave. "Hullo."

In the background, Audrey spotted Lavinia twirling in the crowds with Edison, the height difference between them almost comical. Audrey stifled a smile at the sight of the father and daughter and looked back at Tamasha.

"Heya." Audrey forced a small smile. "I'm Audrey."

"I know. I waved at you earlier," Tamasha replied nonchalantly.

"The Eastern heir!" The three of them turned to the fool, who had bounced over, brandishing his dragon sceptre. He glanced at Audrey, then winked. "And the queen."

"I'm no queen yet," Audrey replied coldly.

The fool grinned. "Oh, but you are. Who else punches royal guards and gets away with it?"

Faiza turned to Audrey. "You punched a royal guard?"

"I..." Audrey started as the fool started to sing, cutting her off.

"The princess publicly turned to the prince and said,

'Love me not, love me still,

I care not, for I am unbroken in will.'

But come that night, when darkness obscured and fell,

She spread her legs, and soon all was well." The fool had a lovely singing voice, despite the lewd words. He smirked. "Lanny Donny is pretty, right? Gods, I would fuck him."

Audrey wanted to hit the fool. She felt her cheeks flush red at the implication.

"What happens when princesses become queens, when they wear crowns studded with the victories from people lost?" The fool's eyes twinkled, and Audrey had a sudden glimpse of the fool's hidden intelligence. "Tell me, Dree Dree, do their heads bow under that heavy weight? Do their dainty little necks snap, or do they raise their heads and fight back, day by day?"

"Shut up," Audrey snapped.

"Alas, I am paid not to." The fool turned to Faiza. "Ah, I got a little sidetracked. I was really only meant to give a message for Fazey to go to her father."

Faiza frowned at the fool. "Come on, Tamasha." She glanced at Audrey as the fool skipped off. "It really is an honour, Your Highness."

"We should talk later on," Audrey offered. She shoved aside the fool's words and considered Faiza politically. What gain she could make by befriending her, how useful she could be. She knows what Landon is. "We have much to discuss."

"I hear the library is quite large." Faiza smiled. "And I love being surrounded by good literacy. I'll find you tonight."

Audrey nodded as the two of them walked off, then caught sight of Chinue slipping out of the hall. She picked up her skirts and followed Chinue, who looked from side to side before slipping out into the corridor. Audrey went through the doors too, only to find herself shoved against a wall as soon as her foot left the hall. Chinue glared at her, her arm crushing her windpipe. Audrey tried to push her away, but Chinue didn't move.

"Shh," Chinue snapped.

She was quiet for a second, as if listening for noises only she could hear, before she let Audrey go.

"You shouldn't have followed me," Chinue accused. "If I had thought that you were someone else, I would have had you dead in seconds."

Audrey coughed. "I just wanted to introduce myself. I feel like pressing me against a wall was unnecessary."

Chinue smiled slightly. "I'm a bastard. I've learnt to live on edge, especially around my stepmother."

Audrey could feel Chinue's eyes cutting into her as she turned to shut the doors. She almost missed what Chinue said next.

"Duck."

It took her a split second to process what she had said, barely having enough time to duck as an arrow flew over her head, hitting the wood above her where it embedded itself.

Her whole body tensed in horror as she realised that the arrow should have killed her.

She turned to find Chinue watching her calmly.

"What just happened?" Audrey asked.

"Someone just tried to kill you. They made a poor job of it, I must say."

"And where are they now?" Audrey's eyes moved around, anticipating the next attack.

"Dead."

Audrey frowned. "What?"

"You heard me. One of my guards shot an arrow at them; they keep an eye out for threats, and one was conveniently within view of the window. The dead body should be by the flower patch, I suspect. Good night, and be careful."

"Wait," Audrey called.

Chinue stopped but did not turn.

"How do you deal with it all?" Audrey asked.

"I was not raised like Faiza, to be pretty and meek." She could almost hear the smile in Chinue's response. "I was raised with fear and death threats, and it made me a survivor."

The Eastern princess disappeared around the corner, leaving Audrey standing alone in the corridor. She waited for a bit, anticipating another arrow to come and finish her.

The arrow never came.

She walked over to the weapon that had nearly killed her and inspected it. She could see the fletching on it, the craftsmanship needed. It was in the style of the Free Isles; she had done archery for years with a large array of bows and arrows and could recognise its make.

She turned and walked back into the hall, slipping in unnoticed.

She shut her eyes as she leaned against the wall, letting the music overtake her emotions and drown out the laughter and conversations of the surrounding people. A large, incomprehensible rumble of noises, a mess of humanity. They became background noises, something from another world.

If I really wanted to die, I wouldn't have ducked, Audrey thought. I knew what she had said it for. Something is forcing me to live and I don't know what.

She opened her eyes and searched the crowds for Landon's cousin. Grace was easy to find where she stood with her three ladies, speaking to a group of noblemen with a smile on her face. Audrey made her way over and Grace dipped into a small curtsey, as did all her ladies.

"Your Highness," Grace greeted pleasantly. "May I help you?"

"I would like to speak to you."

Grace turned to the men. "Please excuse us, my lords."

They bowed and left. Grace turned back to Audrey.

"Did you try to kill me?" Audrey asked bluntly.

"I'm sorry, what?" Grace frowned, her smile instantly fading. "Why would I want to kill you?"

"Because I am in the way of something," Audrey replied levelly.

"I don't know why you are making such accusations," she said solemnly. "You are not in the way of anything. Why would I kill someone so pretty, anyway? Seems like a waste. Plus, I think you'd be good for my dear cousin."

"Then why did an arrow created in the Free Isles almost kill me?" Audrey demanded, ignoring the flattery.

Grace raised her perfectly threaded eyebrows. Her next words were colder, a complete flip from the girl she had been a few seconds ago. "Oh, Audrey, I will tell you now that I am not someone who fails. If I had wanted you dead, you would already be cold. I am not stupid enough to try killing someone with an arrow from the place I just came from. Only a fool would attempt such a thing, and I am no fool. You are not in the way of my goals, I assure you. Someone has either tried to frame me or perhaps an Islander wants you dead, although for what reason I am not sure. We are not naturally violent people."

At her side, her three ladies shared the same confused expression. Audrey searched Grace's face. She was used to liars and had the feeling that Grace was a master at it, just like Landon. However, she seemed genuine, and her words made sense.

"What are your goals, then?" she demanded.

Grace shrugged lackadaisically, her warm demeanour back. "To marry some rich Northerner and establish myself a place at court with my cousin on the throne. As far as I am concerned, that involves seducing men and making a few threats, but not killing my cousin's betrothed."

Audrey smiled slightly. She couldn't help liking Grace. "Then can you help me?"

"What would I get from it?" Grace asked, her manner blithe.

"It depends whether you can help me or not."

Grace's eyes twinkled. "You want me to find the person behind the assassination."

"If you can't, I'll have to assume that you had a part in it," Audrey threatened. "Would Landon like that?"

She pursed her lips into a tight smile. "You strike a hard bargain, Your Highness," she said teasingly before turning to her ladies. She met the eyes of a woman, the oldest of the three of them, likely in her thirties, with two black braids thrown over the back of her shoulder. "Hatsuko, can you look into it?"

Hatsuko nodded. "Of course." Her accent was noticeable, but she obviously understood the common tongue.

Grace turned to Audrey as Hatsuko disappeared into the crowds. "Where's the arrow now?"

"Outside the hall. You'll also find the assassin's body by the flower patch."

Grace grinned. "Ah, shame."

"It's what happens to people who get in my way," Audrey shot back, making the threat clear in her words. Even if Chinue's guard had saved her, Grace did not have to know that.

So close. The arrow kept sailing past in her mind, inches away from hitting her. She was still on edge, her nerves fired up and making her jittery. If it had not been for Chinue, it could have killed her.

"I like you. You're so straightforward," Grace mused. "We should be good friends." She gestured at Hatsuko and muttered something to her in Xiakyaore. Hatsuko nodded and slipped away, her movements quick and elegant.

"There are no friends at court," Audrey said calmly. She still did not trust Grace with her smiles and ingratiating manner.

"Indeed. But in the Free Isles, people are a lot more open and less... manipulative." Grace's other ladies nodded their agreement. "I'll have to get used to the court intrigues of the Northern state. Tell me, Audrey, are you afraid of Landon?" No response as Audrey tried to find something to say. Grace took that for an answer. "Ah, I see. I was afraid that he had changed too much. You know, he is..."

"Stop it." Audrey gritted her teeth, unable to help herself. She did not want to believe that he had ever been anything other than the power hungry boy that he was at that moment.

Grace's expression turned sympathetic. "Oh, I see. Poor boy." She shook her head, her curls bouncing with the movement. "It's a shame, what politics does to people."

"I don't think it was politics," Audrey said.

"Oh, it certainly wasn't." Grace's frown deepened. "I should never have left him in that place alone."

Audrey frowned. "Aldric..."

"Please don't. May he rest in peace, but please don't speak of him to me," Grace replied. "I have seen none of my family since I went to the Free Isles. The war camps were brutal, and I had to leave, but now I am back and there is another war against Ulysses. A bunch of boys playing at gods." Her eyes moved over to Adebiyi from where he was speaking lowly to Landon by the corner of the ballroom. "Listen, Audrey. I know I am a Shadowhart and you do not trust me. That is understandable. But you might need some allies in court when you become queen, and I'm a formidable opponent, if I say so myself. I know what it is like to be alone in a world of liars and schemers. If you need anything at all, I will come to your aid. And my ladies are trustworthy as well if you want to speak to them."

"Aren't people not supposed to serve others in the Free Isles?" Audrey asked, eyeing Emiko and Terumi. Terumi was watching the dancers, bored, while Emiko watched the exchange in silence.

"People will always serve others. But I treat my people well and they wanted to come with me to see the Northern state. So I invited them to join me and they came with me as friends, not servants. They are not my servants; gods, Terumi would hit me if I ever treated them as such. It's probably the other way around, unfortunately. She and Hatsuko are practically my guardians while they use me to get them a place in a nice palace."

Terumi snorted and muttered something in Xiakyore that made Grace laugh.

Audrey nodded, finding the animosity she had felt at first for Grace fading. "You see that redhead on the dance floor?"

Grace's gaze moved to the dance floor and easily found Ethelind. She turned back to Audrey. "That is Ethelind Eternel, the king's adviser?"

"Yes. You might want to keep an eye out for her."

"Linei retude ensa viterya." Grace addressed Terumi. "Throsya xi Ethelind."

"Der xesaria," Terumi nodded, a small smirk on her face.

"Etersa." Grace smiled as Terumi walked off, heading towards Ethelind as she went to get a drink. Emiko stayed with them, her downcast gaze suggesting that she was the meekest of the ladies.

"You speak Xiakyaore well," Audrey noted.

"Landon and I shared a scholar. In the Free Isles, their preferred language is the old tongue of the North after the Northern invasion a few centuries before the Southern War. The North was thrashed, and the Islanders incorporated some of their words into Xiakyaore. Using it is their way of mocking all Northerners," Grace mused. "I was just telling Terumi to speak to Ethelind. That girl loves stirring trouble."

"Whose side are you on?" Audrey asked suspiciously.

"Side?" Grace laughed. "In the Free Isles, most people are impartial. I am here to live comfortably in a castle and maybe flirt with some handsome lords and ladies. I will always offer help to a princess in need, however."

A servant brought a tray of wine to them and Grace took two chalices, passing them to Emiko and Audrey before taking one for herself and thanking the servant who blushed, muttered 'my lady' and walked off.

"If we can't be friends, then let us be allies," Grace declared, holding out her chalice. "To allies."

Audrey smiled and repeated the toast.

Fun fact: Grace was named after Thomas Cromwell's daughter ( I had an obsession with Tudor History at one point while writing this- )

Learning Spanish at school means I always pronounce things in Xiakyaore in a Spanish accent in my head

Anyway, love you all,

Shelly M x