The King takes my father into another room. It is larger than his previous one with a heavier door and a window facing the front of the castle, not the back where the cliffs are. He sits my father down on the bed and sighs.
"How long has this been going on for?" he asks my father. The young boy gulps and tries not to cry.
"Since I arrived," he replies. The King shakes his head.
"Why haven't you done anything about it or told anyone?" he asks.
"Because Lord Leander told me this is how the court works. That if I told anyone, no one would befriend me and that I need friends in order to gain your favour. He said he is toughening me up." Matthias gulps. The King shakes his head.
"That boy," he almost growls before he closes his eyes and starts again. "In some ways, Leander is right. It is very difficult to navigate the politics of this place. There are very few people you can trust and if they know you are going to spill their secrets then no one will trust you."
"So what do I do?"
"Do you really want to be the King, Matthias?" he asks. My father gulps and looks at the king.
"Of course," his voice is a whisper. The King's eyes soften and he pats the boy's shoulder.
"I didn't think so," he sighs. "But like most children, our fathers have chosen our paths for us and there is no way to escape." He looks off into the distance. "When I chose the next king, there are many qualities I am searching for. I need to know the person taking over me is smart, assertive and brave. I need to know he can manipulate people like Leander and get people like that under his control." My father's eyes are wide.
"How do I do that?" he exclaims.
"It will be a long and slow road that you will have to learn for yourself. I am testing you so I can't give you all the answers. Best to follow by Leanders example. Study him, learn from him. He is both feared and worshipped around here by young nobles that you will one day have to work with. His popularity comes with more than just his title. You're a smart, caring young man. Qualities I am already drawn to. Now you need the strength and political cunning. You need to know when the right time to strike is. What secrets to reveal and when. Who to trust and how to act around certain people." My father nods and pales.
"That is a long list." The king smiles softly.
"It is, but you have time to learn." The King stands and begins to exit the room.
"Don't think my advice here tonight means I have shown you any favour. There are plenty of young men in the same position as you. Your father got you here. Now you have to continue his work." Matthias nods his head and licks his lips.
"Your majesty?" he asks as the king turns to leave. "Lord Leander said that if I fight back, lie to him or hurt any of his friends then I will be in massive trouble and exiled from court. What if I need to do something...drastic...in order to prove myself?" he asks. The King smiles.
"I'll make you a deal, young Matthias. If you can put my arrogant, nasty little nephew in his place..." he frowns as he thinks. "Then any crime or act against him you committed in order to beat him will be officially pardoned by me," he grins. "But only if you are clever about this." My father nods eagerly. "Remember, take your time. Do not waste my pardon on naive, rushed mistakes."
"I won't."
"Good. I sense a strength in you. I look forward to seeing how this plays out," he smiles before walking away. My father rushes over to the door, closes it and then locks it. Then, he sits on his bed and takes deep breaths before a smile crosses his face. I frown. That is a smile I am all too familiar. The smile when my father has a cruel plan forming.

The Fae charge. They move with effortless grace. Karn growls behind me and jumps off his horse.
"Stay here, southern girl. I will not let them get you," he tells me as the Fae begin to circle us. Absolutely not. I want these fuckers dead. They want to take me home so I can do the Queen's Trial. I am not going to let that happen. I will not be go back and compete with my sisters for our lives.

My eyes widen as Nyxa charges into the Fae. Their weapons seem to bounce off her and in seconds, she has ripped their bodies in half. Karn fights with a brutal grace. He is pure strength and speed. There is no faffing around. Just quick and deadly blows. I can see the Fae using their abilities to see what their opponents are going to do next. This means it is taking a little longer for the Lupine to finish them off and they continue to surround us. I look around to Wyatt. He is fighting with the Lupine and I call for him. He looks over and throws me a weapon. It is a dagger. Seeing the shining, slightly curved blade brings a smile to my face.

Wyatt, Zoran, Karn and the other two Lupine and the wolves have all formed a protective circle around me. Cutting down the Fae who try to break through and get to me. However, their barrier won't hold for long. The fact that the Fae are using their ability to see the moves that they about to make means that this fight is going to be even more difficult. Though they are slowly being defeated, they are distracting the Lupine whilst others try and sneak in to get to me. I growl and leap off the horse. I feel rage burning through me as I run to the first Fae. She smiles beneath her armour, not expecting me to be any sort of fight. I grin wickedly as I slide under her sword in a blur. Twisting as I slide to slice at an exposed part of her armour up her torso. She lets out a shriek as I turn to face her and charge again. She jabs at me with her weapon. I dodge it and bring my arms down on the blade, blocking it between my arm and torso. Before she can react, I am kicking her knee cap and twisting my body at the same time, pulling the sword from her grip. I release the blade and catch the hilt in my free hand in one movement. The next movement, I am swinging the blade across her throat as her body had yet to recover from my kick to the knee. Blood sprays everywhere and her body falls to the floor.

I charge again, now armed with the sword and dagger. Arrows fly from the Fae still up on the cliff. I look at Wyatt and he nods his head as he takes off for the cliff.
"What are you doing?" the female Lupine growls at me as I spin the blades again.
"I'm taking his place whilst he gets the archer," I growl back at her. She is about to snarl something but is attacked by a Fae who she cuts down with ease. The Fae stop and regroup, surrounding us again. They quickly charge at us. Instinct takes over. That and the burning anger I have toward these people. I jump forward and out of the way of the first Fae and her elegant attack. She moves with much more precision than the other one. However, she doesn't want to kill me. They think they need me so that I can lead them to the Princess. That means her blows aren't killing ones. Mine will be and I have had enough of this. I want them dead and I want to get to the Solavar.

I growl as she cuts my skin. I glare at her black eyes and attack. I am fast as I leap toward her, ducking out of the way of her sword and slicing at her exposed arm. She lets out an angry hiss, but it doesn't affect her much. I attack again straight away. I block her attack with my sword before kicking up, arching and spinning my body so my foot collides with her cheek and sends her spinning before she lands on the ground. With my dagger in my hand, I crouch down and bury it into her throat. She gurgles, her blood spraying over me and I pull the dagger back out. Suddenly, there is a pain in my right hand which causes me to drop the dagger. Before I can process it, the same pain springs in my left hand and reflexively, my grip loosens on the sword and I fling it away. I look down at my now bleeding hands and the arrows that had cut away at the skin and had caused me to throw away my weapons. I look at the direction they came from. The leader of this little group stands there with a smug look on his face, a bow with a mounted arrow in his hands. I look around, but the others are all busy with the Fae attacking them. I look back at the commander.

His silver skin blends with the gleaming silver armour. His eyes are the same shade too and they almost seem to glow. His angular and long face is covered partly by the elegant metal helmet which curls intricately around his eyes and down his nose. It has wing-like patterns and shapes as it curls around his pointed ears. The metal sits closely to his slim, tall figure. Attached by a silver pin on the shoulder pads, is a long, pale blue velvet cloak. The metal of his breastplate is carved with water like engravings. His toned arms are exposed mostly. Silver metal cuffs with the same carvings sit along his wrists and forearms. Along his hands, spiked metal jewellery follow the lines of the where his bones would be, ending in long black claws across the nails. I stare between him and my weapon on the floor. Quickly, I try and get to it but I spring back and land messily on my bum as the arrow lands only millimetres away from my hand. My eyes dart back to him as I stay sprawled across the floor. Another arrow is already mounted in his bow and he grins at me. My heart races in my chest and my fists clench with anger. Adrenaline burns through my veins as I stare at him with rage.
"I have seen every move you plan on making," he taunts. "The best option is to come with me now, relatively unharmed or you come with me with both your legs broken," he tells me calmly. "Another option is you can tell us where the princess is now and I'll let you go straight away." I gulp. There is no way he would let me go. He would not risk me telling him the wrong information.
"Fuck you!" I snarl and stand up slowly, rubbing my bloodied hands on my messy brown trousers. "My princesses won't be going back to that place unless it is to kill her traitor father," I growl, remembering the Lupine might still be able to hear me. His eyes darken.
"Very well, broken legs it is." I am already charging at him. An arrow flies toward me but I dodge it and continue without my speed slowing. The arrow passes so closely that I can feel it whistle the skin of my upper arm. He mounts the bow quickly and fires. I dodge the other way, feeling the whistle against my ear this time. I am on him before he can fire his next arrow. I grab the bow and twist. He let's go and it goes flying away from us. I fling my leg out, aiming for his chest. He catches it and pulls me toward him. I jump up, putting all my weight on the leg he holds and swing my other foot toward his face. He let's go before I make contact and I fall to the ground and role out of the way as his boot slams down where my knee cap just was. Springing back up onto my feet, I crouch slightly and get myself into a fighting stance. He attacks this time, giving me barely any time to prepare myself. His spiked covered fist comes flying toward me. I move my head just out of the way and grab at his arm and twist it. He lets out an angry grunt but grabs me with his other arm, pulling at my hair so hard that my back completely arches back. I let out a scream. I use the position to my advantage, using it to give my leg the extra height as it swings up into his face. He stumbles back slightly and releases my hair. His eyes are wide and shocked as he wipes blood from his nose. He growls at me and I barely see his hand as it slams into the side of my face. I scream as the spikes that cover his hand burry into the skin and the force of his backhand sends me flying. Pain explodes in my face and blood fills my mouth. My head spins slightly and I wobble as I stand up slowly. I spit blood out onto the ground next to me and stare at his arrogant grin.
"I have seen you every move, give up now," he orders. I slowly run my tongue along my bloody teeth and grin before charging toward him. When I fell, I picked up some of the dry red dirt on the ground. I throw it straight into his eyes. He swings out but I skid on the ground, using my whole body to take out both his legs. He goes tumbling over the top of me. I spin around whilst in my crouch and lunge myself at him before he can stand. I straddle him and rip off his helmet so I can get better access to his face and neck. Before I can pin his hands down, he backhands my face again. Another angry scream rips its way out of my mouth again however I was expecting it and I do not allow the force of the slap to send me flying as it had earlier. His hands reach for my throat in my momentary distraction from the pain. I let out a snarl and punch him in the face as hard as I can. His hands wrap around my neck and he grins wickedly as I struggle to breathe. I clutch at his wrists, my hands being torn by some of the spikes as I desperately try to get his hands off me. I force myself not to panic. Instead, I bring up one of my legs and stamp it into his face. His grip releases and I am able to use my arms to bat his away and pin them by his sides. With my leg back down in its previous position, I use my knees to keep his arms pinned to the ground, pressing against the joints of his elbows. Before he finds the strength to free himself, I punch him in the throat. His eyes bulge as he gasps for breath. I punch him again, in the face this time. Blood explodes from his nose and I smile. I let the rage burn through me and I know my eyes return to their different colours. His eyes widen as he realises that somehow, I am the princess.
"I am not going back to compete in the Queen's Trial," I snarl at him and punch him again. "I want you to die knowing that I will become the queen of these lands and when I do," I grin feeling the blood coating my mouth and teeth. "I am going to fucking destroy your people," I slam my fist into his face again. "I am going to destroy everything they built," another punch. "and I will never let anyone be your slaves again!" I am taken over by a rage I have never felt before. I have had enough of the arrogance of my father and his council and those who follow him like the Fae. I have grown so sick of them using and abusing everyone. Myself included. I am a human being. I am a Princess. I am not anyone's pawn to be abused and manipulated. I am not their toy to play with. But to top it all off, they are threatening my sisters. The Queen's Trial will kill them and I am not going to allow that.

The Fae gasps and gurgles beneath me, his face nothing but a red bloody mess. I wrap my hands around his neck and squeeze. He convulses beneath me as he struggles for breath but I just stare into his eyes, my face an expression of pure hatred and rage.
"Little Brinya! Leave him to be questioned!" I hear Karn call behind me. I make a split decision and snap his neck. He has seen my eyes and he knows who I am. That is information I do not want Karn to know yet. His body goes limp beneath me and I stand slowly, my body shaking. Karn rushes over to me and looks at the body, crossing his arms and muttering something in Lupine. I look around. Fae bodies lie in various states of dismemberment. Blood stains the ground and the stench of death is strong. Karns hand gently takes my face and lifts it slightly. He inspects my wounds and sighs.
"Come," he tells me and leads me away from the bodies. Blood is splattered all over his chest and face. There are some cuts on his skin but no major injuries. He sits me down,  opens up a water flask and pours it on a piece of cloth. I don't flinch as he wipes away the blood from my wounds.
"Is this the first time you've killed?" he asks.
"No," I reply, my voice monotone as I begin to calm down. "I have killed lots of people," I tell him. He stays quiet and continues to clean up my wounds.
"Nasty piece of equipment he had there," he sighs. "They shouldn't scar, but they may take time to heal..." Zoran appears. He is just as bloody as the others. He kneels down, pulling his vile of Sirens tears. Wyatt appears too and smiles at me softly.
"Are those?" Karn asks with wide eyes. Zoran gives him a look which shuts him up before coming over to me. I open my mouth as Zoran pours a single drop into my mouth. My whole body tingles as all my fresh wounds heal. After only seconds, my body is back to how it was before. I sigh and thank him. Karn is still wide-eyed.
"Why would you give that to her?" he finally asks as he looks between the three of us, suspicious. I can see why. Why would you use something so valuable on a prisoner?
"We want her in her best condition when she meets your Solavar. How would it look if we delivered her with gaping wounds over her face?" Wyatt asks. Karn still has his eyes narrowed but he leaves the subject. Zoran tucks away the vile and walks away. I look past them to the female Lupine and the other male. They look at me with narrowed eyes, muttering between themselves.

The female eventually comes over.
"You are skilled in fighting," she frowns. "You told us you were only a lady in waiting," she almost growls. I look up at her lazily.
"Do you think the Princess, on a mission as dangerous as the one she is and being hunted in such a way, would surround herself with people who couldn't protect her or themselves?" I ask. She glares at me and I continue. "I grew up in the castle," I shrug. "The King had me train with the Red Guard so that I can be the last defence between an attacker and the Princess. Just for safety." She doesn't look impressed with my answer but she drops it and walks away.

It doesn't take long before we are on our way again. I am sat with Karn.
"What is your name?" he asks suddenly. They hadn't bothered with my name. They just called me little Brinya. I am not even sure what to say.
"Anna," I finally reply. A slight variation of my shortened name that my friends call me. Not a huge difference but hopefully enough that it doesn't sound like the end of my full name. He nods his head.
"When you kill someone, how does it feel?" he asks. I shrug.
"When I am killing in self-defence, then I feel nothing. When I kill a bad person, I feel satisfaction," I tell him. He stays quiet. "I always thought I would feel something when I was younger and training," I continue. "The first man I killed was not a nice man. He liked to... touch me... and he was getting bolder and bolder. I had to stop him before he took it too far or before he realised I was not going to give him what he wanted and turned his attention to my sisters."
"How did you do it?" he asks.
"I slit his throat," I reply. "Without a doubt and without hesitation. I had known as soon as he approached me that day what he was planning. He had grown bored of trying to manipulate me into his bed so he was just going to force me instead. I was alone in the corridors of the castle in the middle of the night and he saw that as his opportunity. He had me against the wall in an instant. I remember his slimy grin and the way he was sweating. I remember the sound of the buckle of his belt as he undid it and the feel of his sweaty hand as it stroked my inner thigh." I stop and gulp, surprising myself with my honesty. "I had been carrying the knife with me everywhere because of him. I was already training with the Red Guard by then, so I knew exactly how to use it. I grabbed it quickly from where it was sheathed on the side of my dress and slashed it right across his throat. His blood sprayed all over me and he fell to the floor clutching at his throat before bleeding out. When I looked at his dead body, I felt relieved that he couldn't hurt me or my sisters again. I felt happy that he got what was coming to him. Most worrying, I felt sad because he didn't suffer." Karn says nothing for a few moments and the next question he asks, he sounds like he is scared of the answer.
"How... How old were you?" he gulps.
"Twelve," I reply. He goes silent again. I don't say anything as a lump forms in my throat. Finally, I speak again.
"My father and grandfather found me with the body. He was one of their friends. I told them what he was trying to do."
"Were they angry at his actions?" I shake my head.
"They were angry, yes. But not with him." I stop there and force myself not to remember that night again. Karn's grip tightens slightly. I clear my throat and talk again.
"Since then, killing has been easy. If someone is trying to kill me or hurt me then I will defend myself and make sure they can never do it again. I've never killed an innocent though. That would be very different for me. It would make me just as bad as the people that I was protecting myself against." He nods his head. I turn and look at him. "Karn," I say, "I know you see people like me and the Royals as jokes. To you, we are entitled, privileged and pathetic. But please understand that growing up in the castle is not as perfect as it sounds." He nods his head and we fall into silence.