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momolady · 2 years

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The Shadow, the Orc, and the Princess: Part two

The story of Princess Leopoldine continues. As she grows she realizes what she wants when she is to take the kingdom. but there is a possibility her promise of taking the throne could be halted.

Female Main Character x Male Monster (both cis)

Part One

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The first few months of Bronn’s life were hard. Due to his small size and the extremely cold weather he was often sick. We were all worried for him, losing sleep and appetite during the darkest of moments.

“He’s one of us,” my father would say. “He’s strong, he can do this.”

I kept looking at Bronn, worrying about how tiny he was and how hard he had to work to breathe. I didn’t say a word, because anything I might say could turn into a curse upon my tongue.

“The dawn can’t seem bright without the night,” my father said reassuringly. “Your mother told me that once.”

I looked away from Bronn’s crib and into my father’s eyes. He was exhausted beyond all reason, but he was still smiling.

Tears welled up into my eyes. “I feel like dawn isn’t coming.”

“Come here.” He beckoned me over and held me close. “It will come. One way or another, it will come.”

A year to the day after I was told Bronn was coming, he laughed for the first time. I was holding him and sneezed very loudly. I was terrified I had startled him, instead he began laughing.

Bronn began to come out of night and rise into the dawn. He began to grow and gain weight, and he obtained a vicious little appetite. By the time summer was at an end he was walking and following us wherever he could.

“Look at these strong legs!” My father announced to anyone who would listen. “He was built to be a warrior!”

“Maybe a dancer,” my mother would interject.

“Leo had legs like these when she was little. Did she not?” My father set Bronn on the ground and grinned into his face. “You’re going to conquer worlds, aren’t you my little raven? You’re going to cast shadows over everything you see.”

I was a bit uneasy about my father’s words, so I just told myself it was baby talk. “He will do as he pleases,” I corrected. “Remember? You said that to me when you announced he was coming.”

“I stand by that!” He huffed. “But look at him! He will be a beauty to his lovers, and a monster to his enemies.”

My mother rolled her eyes at me and I smiled. She then looked at a letter and she scowled deeply. Ever since Bronn was born, letters from Arda the First had been coming in more frequently. She was demanding that she see the new baby and to make sure it didn’t turn out ‘like the last one’.

I snatched the letter from my mother’s hand. “I would love to give her a piece of my mind.”

“Now, now Leopoldine, she has her ways and that’s what she lives by. You certainly wouldn’t want someone telling you that-” She stopped herself when she caught what she was about to say. “In any case, I’m going to tell her once again that Bronn is sick and that we can’t travel.”

“She can’t even get off her bony ass to come down here?” My father snapped.

“She thinks you’ll kill her dear,” my mother huffed.

“Good! That’s what I want her to think.”

“We can’t keep her at bay forever though,” she huffed. “The older she gets, the more impatient she grows.”

I looked at the letter in my hand, and it felt thicker than the ones that had come before. I opened it and read it for myself. It didn’t take long to come across the first thing that set my blood to steam.

“She says she has ideas for my marriage,” I guffawed.

My mother rolled her eyes. “She always has ideas.”

My father picked up Bronn and carried him over to trade with me. Bronn sat happily in my grasp as he read over the letter.

“She’s crazier than I am!”

My mother slouched back in her seat. “By how much, dearest?”

My father made sneering and mocking faces at the letter. “Leo has an intended already lined up! I have plans for her!”

Another turn of phrase that sunk the metaphorical dagger of fear into my liver.

“You’re still on that?” My mother rose and took Bronn from me. “But what is she on about?”

“She says since we now have a male heir we need to worry about what will happen to Leopoldine. Talking about her as if she’s going to die alone or destitute because of ‘my worrisome ways’.”My father ripped the letters into shreds then tossed them into the fireplace. “It isn’t her place to say how I should worry about my heir!”

I looked into Bronn’s big brown eyes for reassurance.

My father was huffing and puffing enough to suck in the castle walls. “And besides, Brevalan is the only suitor I will accept for Leo.”

“He’s been away all this time, I would have figured you’d have changed your mind about him by now.” My mother began walking away with Bronn, heading towards the hall and probably her study.

My father scoffed, then turned and looked at me. “Come on, let's throw axes and blow off some steam.”

I wanted to open my mouth and ask him who his heir was, but the breath left my body. I followed behind him, watching his back as he strut down the halls.

“He’ll come back one day, but I told him to train as long as he needed,” my father said.

“Huh?” I gasped.

He glanced over his shoulder. “Brevalan, you looked worried when he was brought up. I told him to train until he was satisfied, and that when he came back he would continue to work hard.”

“But why did you send him away?” I asked.

“Because then he’d be able to receive better training. A wider variety of training actually.” he looked down at me and grinned. “If he learned only from me then he’d know everything I know and then he could use that against me. It’s best that he knows little of my methods.”

My heart sank. “Then why do I know everything you know?”

“Because your mother would have throttled me for sending you away. But don’t you fret, I’ve kept a few of my tricks.” We reached the axe rink and he began inspected edges.

Not what I was concerned with. “Will you send Bronn away then?”

“Not unless I wanted your mother to burn me alive!” He selected two axes, tossing them up into the air then catching their handles. “I doubt she’d let me send him out alone to pick apples well into his thirties.” He turned, slinging an axe with all his might and hitting the target. He held out the second axe to me. “Stop fretting over it. You two will still be some of the best warriors in all the world.”

I took the axe and tried to shake off my fears. “I know, Dad.”

As the seasons turned cold again, fears that Bronn would get sick plagued my family. My father brought in new physicians, as well as worked on ways to keep the palace warmer. I trained outside to escape the bedlam and stress. Sometimes I found it hard to go inside, because I feared that once I did I’d find Bronn sick.

I’d sit out in the cold, watching my breath fade into the air. One late afternoon, a figure came and stood beside me. I looked up and up, until I realized who it was.

“So you do remember me,” Brevalan laughed.

I jumped to my feet. “You’re the last person I expected to see! But I certainly remember you!” I patted his arm in welcome. “What are you doing here? Are you back for good or something already, it’s only been a year and a half!”

“No. I’m not so lucky as to be back for good. My brothers sent for me, they’ve decided to come and join me.” He set down his things then sat on the bench.

I returned to sitting beside him. “How long do you plan to stay?”

“Not sure. I haven’t decided.” He sighed. “I guess I’ll let my brothers finish up their business here and tend to their belongings before we travel.”

I couldn’t stop looking at him. Not much had changed, but there were definite signs of his training. His arms looked stronger, his face was scruffy, and there were new tattoos on the back of his hand.

I smiled brightly as I snapped myself out of staring. “It might be loud inside, but would you like to come in and warm up?”

“In a moment.” he exhaled heavily. “I’ve been on foot most of the day, I just want a moment off of them.” he then turned his head towards me. “Your father sent me word about your brother. Congratulations.”

“Yeah.” I looked back out over the yard. “He’s amazing.”

Brevalan leaned forward onto his knees. “Is something the matter?”

I shook my head. “I guess not.” I turned and smiled at him. “It is good to see you here though.”

He smirked. “I figured you would have forgotten about me by now.”

“Oh no!” I laughed. I cupped my hands around my ears. “Anytime I throw an axe or spar with someone I can hear your voice ringing like an annoying chime in my ears.” I then shushed him. “You’re veering to the left!” I said tauntingly. “You’re going to far to the left!”

Brevalan laughed loudly, leaning back in the seat and holding his gut. He beamed down at me and my cheeks went warm. “Well, are you?”

I pinched my fingers together. “A little still. But you never showed me how to throw properly.”

He smiled serenely. “If I wasn’t so tired, I’d show you now.”

“You’ll never show me, '' I chortled. “Because then you’ll know I’ll be better than you and you’ll never be able to hold that over my head.”

“That is true,” he teased.

“I know.” I then stood up and offered my hand. “Come on, it’s warm inside and I’m sure my father would love to offer you a warm drink.”

“I thought you said it was loud inside.” Brevalan took hold of my hand and rose from the bench.

“We can find somewhere quiet, I’m sure. Everyone is just worried about Bronn.” I kept hold of his hand as I took him inside.

Inside the halls I could hear my parents arguing in the distance, so I took Brevalan another way. I took him into the opposite wing where my mother had made a greeting room for guests.

“I can sneak down to the kitchen and get something to eat,” I offered.

“Just resting a moment is good enough for me.” He huffed as he took a seat. He pulled out his hair from inside his coat, tossing it over the back of the chair. “That, and good company.”

“It must be bad out there if you consider me good company.”

He smirked. “The man your father sent me to train with is a strict man. The few of us he kept on as students barely get along and he fosters that competition between us.”

That made me think about Bronn and I for a split second.

Brevalan sighed. “And even if we only knew each other for a short time, I still enjoyed your company. After all, I’m working towards being your most trusted hand.”

“And we were engaged for a short period,” I laughed.

“Ah yes, those blissful few moments I had a bride. I remember them fondly.” His amber eyes fell upon me and his smile turned nostalgic. “Have you thought of me since I left?”

“Left,” I snickered. I then smiled and nodded my head. “More than I expected. I think you left an impression. Did I?”

“Your father writes about you so often, I have no other choice.”

My cheeks warmed and tingled. “About that. I had no clue my father wrote to you, or else I would have sent letters as well.”

“Now that you know, you can.”

I smiled shyly and nodded. “Maybe I will.”

“Then I can get the story straight from you and not your father,” he chuckled.

I leaned forward in my seat and pinched my brow. “Just exactly what is he saying about me?”

Brevalan glanced away, reaching up and rubbing his jaw. “Anything a father might say about his child.”

“That might work on me if my father was normal,” I huffed. “Now out with it. What does he say?”

Brevalan leaned his head back and exhaled loudly. “You see that is where it gets tricky.”

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled up.

“Most of what he writes, he says to me in confidence. And since he’s taking care of me and my brothers, I feel I should uphold some bond between us, even if I do plan to fight him several times in the future.”

I swallowed and sat back.

“I will say he does an awful lot of bragging about you. He’s more proud of anything you do than anything he’s ever done.” Brevalan looked into my eyes. “He thinks you’re the moon in his sky. Those are his exact words.”

I pressed my lips together and nodded. “I knew that! I was wondering if he had said anything else.”

“He makes me worry that I will never be able to catch up. I’m also mildly terrified of you.” His smile makes my heart flutter. “But I just remind myself that you go left.”

I laughed, bowing my head down to hide how big my smile had become. “But by the time you come back, I won’t. I swear on that.”

He grinned at me. “And like I said, I can’t wait to see it.”

I suppose some time during the evening we both fell asleep by the fire. Brevalan had been traveling, and I had been fretting over the coming winter and Bronn. I woke to a chill, spying that the fireplace was soon to go out.

I got up to add wood to the fire and I looked down at Brevalan asleep in the chair. His legs were stretched out before him, splayed a bit, and his head was turned to the side so his cheek was smooshed and his mouth hung open.

I fought with myself for a long time, longer than I should have. I tiptoed closer to Brevalan looking at him up close for once. The way his jaw and neck met in a muscular curve had me biting my lip. Then how his shirt hung open, showing the top of his chest and the hair upon it made my heart skip a beat. I stretched out my fingers to touch his cheek, but recoiled them again when he grunted.

His hand slid down his stomach, rubbing before resting again. I saw the new tattoo on the back of his hand was some sort of flower I had never seen before. I came closer to him, closing my eyes for a moment then pulling away. I couldn’t do it. Instead I went back to the fireplace.

“Coward.”

Every hair on my body stood on end. I turned back to see Brevalan’s eyes was cracked open and he was smirking.

“What?” I huffed. “Go back to sleep, you’re dreaming.”

“No, I don’t think so.” He sat up and his long hair fell over his chest.

I turned back to the fireplace. “Then you’re imagining things.”

Brevalan stood up from his chair as I placed fire onto the glowing embers. I felt him come up right behind me. I ignored him, not even looking his way as he knelt down beside me.

“Look at me,” his deep voice rumbled.

I grimaced. “No.”

His lips pressed against my cheek when I refused to turn. It was warm, a little wet, and it made my insides squirm with glee.

“Because of your father’s letters, you’ve never been out of my mind,” he whispered.

I bit my lip and stayed quiet.

“I want to be your king, but I will settle for a knight as long as I get to remain by your side.”

I turned my head and looked at him. “You have to work hard.”

Brevalan grinned, placing his hand upon my face as I placed a kiss upon his lips. I forgot to breathe until he pulled away, placing his thumb upon my bottom lip. He smiled and pressed his forehead against mine, which felt even more intimate than the kiss.

“Why do I feel like this?” I murmured. “I’ve never felt so nervous around someone.”

“Do you want me to stop?”

I shook my head.

He kissed the tip of my nose then smoothed the hair away from my face. “Leopoldine, you terrify me for many reasons. Your strength. Your ferocity. But mostly by just existing in my presence and I cannot do anything about it.”

I giggled and ran my fingers through his hair, something I had wanted to do since I first met him. “If you could do something, what would you do?”

He pressed his lips to my ear and whispered. I had been prepared for a lot of things, but I had not been prepared for what he said. My face instantly turned red and I had to pull myself away for a second.

“Was it something that I said?” Brevalan chuckled.

I cleared my throat. “You’re just fooling with me, aren’t you?”

Brevalan caught my chin between his fingers and lifted my head. “I wouldn’t fool with you, that’s dangerous.”

I gulped.

“If I could, I would do everything possible to make you feel my devotion. I’d bathe you in my kisses and I’d make your legs grow weak.” He smiled. “If I ever win your hand you would never a know a night without my affection.”

“Shut up.” I kissed him hard, cupping his face in my hands if only to make him stop talking. I did want to hear his words though, but I was not prepared for them.

The doors opened and I sat up in alarm. My father stood there, scanning the room before his eyes fell on me.

My father sighed with relief. “There you are, Leo! What on earth are you doing here by yourself?”

Brevalan sat up from the floor with a guilty look upon his face.

My father’s eyes widened. “Brev my boy, when did you get here?”

“Earlier this evening, sir.” Brevalan stood in attention and I stepped aside from him to not seem so culpable.

My father rubbed his chin, his eyes darting between Brevalan and I. “I hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

“I was kissing your daughter, sir,” Brevalan said without an ounce of fear.

I stared up at him, shaking down to my toes.

My father nodded, his eyes darting to me and then back to Brevalan. He huffed and tilted his chin up. “Did she like it?”

Brevalan flinched. “Sir?”

My father motioned to me. “Were you kissing him back, Leo? Was it mutual between the two of you?”

I gulped and nodded shakily. “I…I was, Dad. It was uhm…both of us.”

He sighed and placed his hands upon his hips. “So I was interrupting something.” he then sighed. “Well, I guess now I have to be a father and separate you two. Come along Leo. Brevalan, stay here and I’ll come back to show you a room.”

“Yes, sir.”

I touched Brevalan’s hand before following my father. I left the room with him, stepping into the hallway where silence became a crushing weight to bear. I stared at his back for a long while as he took me through the dark hallways.

“Dad?” My voice cracked.

“I used to sneak around with your mother like that,” he sighed. “That made me very nostalgic.”

I opened my mouth then shut it. “You aren’t mad?”

“I’m surprised, but I am not mad.” He turned around and put his arm around me. “I know how young hearts can pitter patter. But I will have a stern talk with that young man.”

“We just kissed,” I murmured.

“I know, Leopoldine. But I am still your father and a younger lover once long ago. It’s my job to give these lectures,” he chuckled.

“You really aren’t mad?” I murmured.

My father turned to face me, placing both his hands upon my shoulders. “Do you like him, Leopoldine?”

I nodded. “I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Good. Then you’re just like me. I was certain I’d never fall in love, only in lust. And then I met your mother and my whole world changed. I loved her at first sight, and I knew I would do anything in this world to keep her.” he smiled at me and kissed the top of my head. “You can make it to your room from here. I’m going to go back and talk to him.”

“Be nice,” I said sternly.

“I’ll let him live,” he chortled as he walked away.

I went into my room and sighed. Touching my face I realized I was still blushing and warm. I sat down upon my bed and looked out the window as clouds floated before the moon. I laid back in bed as my mind wandered aimlessly through the words Brevalan had spoken.

“When I become queen, I’ll marry him.”

---------

Not long after my sixteenth birthday my father gave me the opportunity to train my own knights. I was excited, but only until I learned he wanted to begin focusing on Bronn and his training. While it was a worrisome moment, I decided it was best to put my focus onto deciding the kind of people I wanted around me, as they would be with me when I was queen.

I went into the village, selecting six young women. I decided if I was going to have these people around me, I wanted them to be like me so we would all understand one another. Two of them, Kirsa and Veerle, became my constant companions, and the three of us worked together on the best training regimen for our knights.

“Our best means would be horseback,” Veerle suggested. “We can strength train all we want, but our best advantage would be learning how to combat mounted.” She was a tiefling and was the tallest and strongest of my girls as well as the most educated. She came from a well off family but had worked on her family’s farm as soon as she could walk.

“Archery!” Kirsa interjected excitedly. “Aiming and shooting, those will be what's most fun.” She was much more petite and thin than most of my girls, but she held a vicious streak inside her that made her a terrifying combatant. The others called her the Goblin.

Veerle gave her a look and her tail twitched. “It’s not about what’s the most fun.”

“Oh come on!” Kirsa whined. “We can swing battle axes all the time. Arrows give us range! The give us speed! They’re silent, most people don’t know they’ve been hit until it’s too late,” she giggled with glee.

Veerle then gave me the look.

“She’s right,” I grumbled reluctantly. “And most of the girls are already performing well in archery.”

“That’s not what worries me. The Goblin does.”

Over the years we perfected our craft. Our horses were carefully selected and bred, our girls were trained to be the best shooters in the land. We became a vicious and beautiful force to be reckoned with.

Around my twenty-first birthday my mother fell ill. I asked that any celebration be canceled, as I didn’t feel like celebrating while she was sick.

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Bronn asked me one night. He had been having nightmares and he took to coming and sleeping with me.

I stroked his hair, giving him a faint smile. “She’ll be fine. She just needs her rest. She gets better by the day.”

Boon went quiet, holding onto his stuffed knight toy. “Are you okay?”

I chuckled. “What are you going on about, little prince? What’s going on in that head of yours?”

He looked up at me with those big eyes and pouted. “I keep feeling you hurt.”

I sighed and pulled him into my arms. “Don’t you worry about your big sister. I will be okay. As long as I have you around, I will always find a reason to smile.”

His small hands touched my face. “What if the shadow man comes back?”

“Don’t you worry about the shadow man either. I handle him just fine.” I kissed the tip of his nose. “Now get to sleep. We can’t have you getting sick either.”

Bronn settled down, closing his eyes and holding his toy close.

I hated he worried so much, but he seemed to feel everything that those around him felt. Father said it was a special power, and one we should watch and cultivate.

But the shadow man was something else. He was a gargantuan man clad only in black who would appear at the palace every few months. He kept his face obscured, wrapped in black cloth, and his hands were stained as if by ink. Father’s wrestling matches had grown, and I had started taking on challengers myself the same way my father did. I would let any challenger come forward and select their choice in weapon. The shadow man began showing up not long after.

During our first fight, he chose a sword. I could tell he was being tentative, so I put everything I had into the fight.

“You choose a sword but you’re using it like a shield!” I yelled at him. “Why challenge me if you’re only going to act delicately!” I struck his sword and he threw me back. I went flying into the ground, hitting so hard it nearly knocked the air from my lungs.

“I was merely waiting to see how you danced around the arena,” he replied with a gravelly voice. “Now I know how you move, and I won’t be gentle again.” He held out his hand and helped me up from the ground. “Now, let's start again.”

I wiped my face and nodded. “Be prepared. Now that I know you watch, I won’t move the same way twice.”

The match ended in a strange stalemate. I was more exhausted, but I had landed a blow to him that slowed him down. My father called the match, realizing both of us were at the ends of our ropes.

The next match he paid back my final strike with another, resulting in a cut on my arm that had my mother panicked for weeks. But the resulting scar had both my father and I proud ever since.

“I look forward to these matches, princess,” the shadow man told me. “You keep me on my toes like no other opponent has.”

I looked him up and down, always marveled by the size of his arms and thighs. “How so? You appear awfully flat footed.”

He chuckled, and that deep, raspy sound always ignited the woman in me. “I think it’s because you hold no expectations for the fight. You simply become a warrior when you battle.”

I smiled up at him, more flattered than if he had complimented my eyes. “You could woo a woman with words like those.”

“Not just any woman, princess. Only you.”

Perhaps I had lust in my heart for a man who kept himself hidden. What woman hasn’t fallen for someone tall, dark, and mysterious?

I found him taking care of his wounds late one evening. It was a memory I carried with me as often as I thought about the kiss I shared with Brevalan. He was putting a bandage around his arm as I came upon him. His back stiffened in attention and both of us remained silent.

I approached, letting my tunic hang open so my breasts were almost presented.

“Princess,” he growled.

“I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy our little rivalry.” I bent down, kissing where I thought his mouth might be through the black fabric. I felt his hot breath, his lips, and then he pushed me away.

“Careful, princess,” he snarled warningly.

I smirked and reached down into his lap. “Are you sensitive, shadow man?”

He growled, moaning as my fingertips found purchase on something big. “You shouldn’t be aiming for such a dangerous game.”

“I know what I want. Fighting you gives me great pleasure.”

The shadow man snarled, grabbing my hand and forcing it down upon his cock. “Do you even know how to handle such a weapon?”

I chuckled, groping and squeezing him through his pants. “Do you?”

He moaned again, sending shivers through my body. “Why are you after this, princess? Is this some rebellion?”

“I was taught that desire is worth pursuing. It’s worth it to fulfill it” I undid the laces of his pants. “You don’t have to take off your mask, shadow man. I don’t need your kisses or your affection. I just want to be fulfilled.”

The shadow man grunted, standing up and placing me over a table. He yanked down my britches then began fondling between my legs. I whimpered and pressed my cheek into the table. His fingers were rough and thick, rubbing against my softest part until wetness began to flow. His finger dipped inside and I felt a wash of relief with a new tension.

“Do you really enjoy fighting me so much, princess?” The shadow man breathed.

I moaned for him. “Yes. Nothing gives me more pleasure, until now.”

His fingers pressed deeper while another rubbed against the sensitive bud at the top of my folds. “Are you sure you want this?”

“I’ve thought about it long enough. I no longer want the fantasy, shadow man. I want to know the truth.”

He pulled his hand away, and my poor slit felt wanting. I gasped as I felt him press against me. His strong hands kneaded into my thick thighs, his hard cock pressed against my ass.

“Is this the truth you seek?” He growled. “Do you feel it now?”

I closed my eyes, trying to imagine the shape and size of him. He felt quite big, much bigger than I expected.

His hips moved slightly, dipping so his cock slipped between my thighs. My wetness coated his shaft as he rubbed it against me. “Do you still want it?”

I gulped and whined. “Yes. I want it.”

“Then, sweet princess, you shall have it.” The shadow man was inside me, stretching me, taking my breath away. His heat radiated through my loins and melted my knees so I had to rely on the table to keep me up.

“Fucking hell,” the shadow man snarled. “You’re so damned wet.”

“I’ve wanted this for so long!” I wheezed. “It’s better than I thought.”

He rutted inside me, groaning as his fingers kneaded into me. “This cannot be your first,” he snarled.

I lifted my rear, pressing it against his stomach. “It won’t be the last, I’ll tell you that.”

“Princess, how dare you?” He pulled out then slammed back hard inside me. “I had no warning.”

I bit my lip as I smiled. “Harder. Like you’re trying to fight me!”

He drove in deeper again, moving both me and the table.

“Just like that,” I purred.

“Leo! Leo!” I was pulled from my dreams, shake awake by my brother.

“What’s wrong? What?” I sputtered and kicked the blankets. I was caught somewhere between the shadow man’s embrace and Bronn’s sniffling. “I’m here! I’ here I-” I turned to look into Bronn’s terrified expression. “Oh no, was it a bad dream?” I was having such a good one, but his fear took me out of it completely.

Bronn threw his face down onto my chest and started weeping.

“Hey.” I sat up, holding him tight. “Talk to me. What happened?”

“I don’t want you to go,” Bronn blubbered.

I chuckled. “Go? I’m not going anywhere. I’m staying here.”

Bronn shook his head, hiccuping and sniffling.

I rubbed his back gently, trying to get him to talk. “It’s okay, Bronn. I’m right here. Big sister is always going to be here, especially for you.”

Bronn whimpered and held onto my nightgown tightly. “You have to though.”

I reached the side table, grabbing the cup of water I kept there for Bronn. “Tell me about your dream. What happened?”

Bronn sniffled, lifting his head as I offered him the cup. He took it in both hands, looking down inside where the moonlight reflected off the surface. “You trade places with mom, and you go in her place.”

I furrowed my brow. “Go where?”

Bronn drinks down the water, lifting his head up only to breathe. “Somewhere dark. Something grabs you there with these scary hands!”

“That’s just a dream, Bronn. It’s okay.”

He was quiet, keeping his eyes cast down.

I smiled and tickled the back of his neck. “Aside from Father, I’m the strongest person here. No hands are going to grab me. Got it?”

Bronn giggled and finally looked up at me. “You sure?”

“Positive.” I laid him back down in bed. “Now back to sleep with you. I’m sure Father has some big plans in store.”

The next day I was outside with Veerle and Kirsa, working on our new batch of recruits, when I was fetched by one of our maids from the castle.

“It’s urgent,” she breathed heavily. “Your father is demanding you get there now!”

“Is it my mother?” I asked as I set my weapons aside.

She shrugged. “I’m not sure. I was simply grabbed in the hallway.”

I followed her back inside where my father was waiting at the door. He grabbed my hand right away, pulling me into the castle.

“Is Mother okay?” I gasped.

“For now,” he huffed. “But we have something serious on the horizon.”

I grabbed his hand tight. “You’re scaring me!”

We went into my mother’s room where she was sitting up in bed with Bronn by her side. She looked up at me, a smile on her face but concern in her eyes.

“I hope he’s not being dramatic,” she sighed.

“He is.” I yanked my hand away. “What’s going on?”

I saw the letter in her lap, and I knew the wax seal immediately. “Oh, it's Grandmother again.” I rolled my eyes and took the letter from her.

“She’s insisting on coming down since it is your twenty-first year and your mother is ill,” my father scoffed.

“I think it would be alright,” my mother muttered.

“But the stress she causes would undo all the work you’ve done to recuperate,” my father fussed.

I looked over the letter carefully, making sure to read between the lines. But grandmother's intentions were as clear as crystal. She would arrive to prepare birthday celebrations for me as well as tend to her child, Arda the second.

A thought flickered in my mind, one that would protect my mother but possibly be a torturous event for for me. “What if I go to her instead?”

Bronn gasped loudly.

“I won’t let you fall on such a blade,” my father huffed. “Maybe we can build a moat around the entire kingdom instead.”

“Darling,” my mother spoke up warningly. “Think reasonably. Where would we ever find enough shovels for such a thing?” She then looked at me apologetically. “Leopoldine, you don’t have to do that either.”

My grandmother was not a well liked person in our family. Luckily, her being a queen kept her at a safe distance for the most part. “But I would be dealing with her regardless. At least if I went to her you’d still be able to rest in peace. I’ll take Kirsa and Veerle with me, it shouldn’t be too horrible.”

“You say that-” my father grumbled. “But that woman is a vile cu-”

“Darling!” My mother snapped at him while putting her arm around Bronn’s head. “My mother is very hard to get along with,” my mother agreed.

“I’ll look at it as mental training,” I chuckled. “Can always do with more training. Right, Father?”

He frowned at me. “Even I wouldn’t be this cruel to you.”

I smiled. “Send her word that I will come to her. After all, it must be so hard to travel at her age.”

My father sighed. “I will send someone for you if Bronn has a bad dream.”

I frowned and looked at Bronn who gave me a worried expression. “I’m sure Bronn will have sweet dreams all this time. Won’t you, little prince?”

Bronn kept quiet but nodded.

“Yes, well, it still stands!” My father huffed.

Word was sent ahead to Arda the First, and within a few days I was ready to leave with Kirsa and Veerle. I was nervous, to say the least, but I knew I was doing this to protect my mother.

The night before I was set to go, my father pulled me aside to have a private conversation with me. Most of it was nothing new, we mainly went over our attack strategies and how to tie knots. Then, he said something strange.

“Arda the First was obsessed with my brother,” he murmured.

“Really? You’ve never told me this,” I said with a chuckle.

He sighed. “It was never something that needed to be brought up. But you’re an adult now, have been for quite a while. And I didn’t want Arda bringing it up and surprising you.”

It was a bit shocking, but nothing too jarring. “Good thing she and Julian never got together. They would have been…troublesome I bet.”

“She was already married by the time she met and fell for Julian. But when her husband died, she thought they could be together-” It sounded like he had more to say, but he kept quiet. “It doesn’t matter really. He didn’t last much longer.”

“You happened.”

He smiled and nodded his head. “That’s correct, my dearest girl.” He sat back in his chair and took a deep breath. “Your grandmother isn’t like your mother, and she’s even farther from me. She’s not happy. I want you to keep that in mind. Unhappy people don’t like happiness around them. And you are a very happy lady, are you not?”

“I like to think I am.”

“Good. I’m glad,” he sighed. “Your grandmother will do what she can to chip away at it. It’s like she feeds off misery.”

“I’ll do my best to fight her off. Don’t worry about me. Just take care of mom and Bronn until I get back.”

He nodded. “As long as Bronn is kept away from here, that’s all that matters.”

This did chip away at me, but I just smiled.

“I promise, should anything happen, I will send someone for you. I will not let you stay with her for long. You belong here, and Bronn would miss you horribly.”

I smiled. “I’ll bring myself home.”

“I will still send someone,” he grinned. “I have just the man in mind too.”

“I will have Veerle and Kirsa with me. They are my best friends and my my trusted companions. I think they will have no issues dragging me home if need be.”

“I’m your father,” he replied sternly. “I know what’s best. I have no faith in your grandmother, but I have faith in this one I have in mind.”

I rolled my eyes and laughed. “Okay fine. Send your man. He won’t be needed though. He will just slow me and my girls down.”

I left in the morning, bidding farewell to my family before I rode off into the cold morning mist.

“I’ve heard that Arda the First is a vicious ruler!” Kirsa giggled with excitement. “Is she prone to torture and dungeons?”

“What on earth are you on this morning?” Veerle fussed at her.

Kirsa’s jaw dropped open. “It’s just cool, don’t you think! Arda the First is legendary. She was never meant to be queen, but she managed to marry a king who was already betrothed and promised to another! She’s known as a master tactician and even an enchantress in some circles.”

“My father calls her other things,” I replied, cracking a smile from Veerle.

“She almost had your uncle, King Julian as well, but your father saw to him before she got much closer to her goal,” Kirsa clicked her tongue. “And you father is a whole other thing! Did you know he mined with the dwarves for five years?”

“Yes, yes, I am well aware of my fathers adventures.” I then furrowed my brow. “Five years? He said it was three?”

“Oh yes! From the time he was five, that’s where King Julian put him anyways,” Kirsa chortled.

Bronn was almost five, I thought to myself. Why would Julian do such a thing to such a little boy? It felt so ridiculous, I wouldn’t even do that to the child of my enemies.

“No wonder the king is well formed. He’s had jewels to look up to,” Veerle joked.

“I could work in a mine!” Kirsa exclaimed.

“How unfortunate you work for me,” I replied. “So while we are with my grandmother, I suggest the both of you do research. See how their weapons fair and what materials they use. It would be nice to expand our armory if possible.”

“I’ve heard that Arda the First has an Illithid on her staff!” This started Kirsa on a long winded story that carried us almost to the gates of my grandmother’s palace.

I was taken from the gates by a silent young man who handed me a letter from my grandmother explaining to go with him. I followed him through the palace, which was much bigger than my home. Everything felt ast and endless and strikingly empty.

I was led into a large chamber where the fireplace was massive and covered by a huge grate. A large dog stood up from beside a chair and started growling.

“Down boy,” my grandmother murmured.

The silent young man bowed, leaving the room and closing the doors behind him. I stood there, waiting for grandmother to say something else, but she never spoke back up.

“It’s me,” I replied.

“I know who it is.” She rose from her chair, walking around it then staring at me. “It’s been a long time, Leopoldine. I haven’t seen you since you were very little.”

I really wasn’t sure what to do. “You’ve not changed much from what I remember. You're still the same as the picture in my mind.”

She walked towards me, only the click of her heels making any noise. I held my breath, afraid that would be too loud for her.

She approached, a stoney look upon her face that melted into a smile that made her look exactly like my mother. “It is so good to see you!” She took my hands in her own and squeezed. “Look how tall you are. I can’t believe it! Everyone on this side of the family are such runty creatures,” she laughed jovially. “Come, come. Let’s get you close to the fire so I can see you better.”

I was stunned by how nice she appeared. All my life I assumed she was an ice queen, bitter, and unhappy up in her tower. At least, from what my parents had told me about her, that's what I had gathered.

Arda the First had me stand before the fire, her big dog had it’s head raised but then it dropped back down to the stone floor. She looked at me with a smile then sighed.

“I am glad to see you, Leopoldine.”

I wasn’t prepared for this. “It has been a while,” I tried to laugh my nerves up.

She had me sit down and then she tapped her dog’s head. It got up and walked out of the door. “He’ll go to the kitchen and they’ll know to send up tea.”

“That’s a nice trick,” I replied.

“It’s easier to keep my dogs around rather than someone to follow me about all day. I prefer the company of animals at my age anyways. Do you keep any pets?”

“Uhm-” I was still baffled. “Bronn has his cats, a few tend to follow me around. I mainly keep horses.”

Arda the First nodded and smiled. “Are they for show? Do you ride?”

“They’re for riding,” I replied uncertainty. “Father allowed me to start training my own knights, and we’ve been training and breeding horses for a while now.”

She sighed. “I never liked the way Falko was raising you. It’s far too dangerous. And when you become queen, what really can you do with all that training? Do you plan to go into battle?”

I shrugged. “If I have to.”

She shook her head. “You look strong enough, I suppose. Do you even enjoy it?”

I nodded. “Very much so. I like weapons and training. And I’ve really enjoyed training my knights. My two best knights are with me on this trip; Veerle and Kirsa.”

“That’s all you brought with you?” She gasped in alarm. “What if you had been attacked or-” She stopped, freezing for a moment before she laughed. “Oh, of course! You’re quite prepared for such a thing. I’m so used to the ladies in our family being so much more vulnerable and delicate. I suppose it's a comfort knowing you can protect yourself.”

“Not just me. If I have to, I’ll protect as many people as I can.”

She smiled brightly, then turned as the tea cart was rolled into the room. She stood and took it, shooing away the staff member before bringing the cart towards the fire. She elegantly poured the tea into cups then offered one to me.

“I have a lot of plans for you while you are here, Leopoldine,” she said with a smile. “I want to make up for lost time, and celebrate what a stunning woman you’ve become.” She remained standing while she drank her tea.

“That will be nice,” I murmured. “But, I don’t want to stay away too long. They count on me back home.” I took a sip of tea, which I didn’t really like, while she watched me.

Arda the First tilted her head to the side. “I know they must rely on you dearly. Especially while your brother is so young.” She set her tea cup down and it sounded empty. “Especially when your father is off doing all his…wild ideas,” she chuckled.

“Uhm-” I felt a little dizzy. “He’s very active with Bronn, actually.”

Arda the first sighed. “That’s good to hear. He should be very involved with his son’s upbringing.” The way she said that made me a little anxious.

I rubbed my hand against my chest and cleared my throat. “Sorry, I must be tired from the journey.”

She took my teacup from me and then helped me to stand up. She placed me in front of the fire and looked up at me with a strangely blank expression.

“I think I need to stay seated,” I murmured.

Arda the First put her hand upon my cheek. She scowled, fingering a scar that was on my jaw. “You are beautiful, such a shame your father put you through such rigors.” She slid her hand down my arm, squeezing around my bicep. “I cannot believe my daughter allowed this to happen to you.”

I stood still as she prodded me, but I wasn’t going to let her get to me. I was expecting all of this. “Well-”

“Still, I would rather you look this way than sickly and scrawny. At least I can see those parents of yours have kept you healthy.”

I wobbled a bit and her hand clamped down tighter in mine.

A smile appeared, soft and cautious. She touched my face again. “You do look like him though.”

I was still taken aback by her words that I had even begun to process her sweet smile. I opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

Her fingers gently brushed under my lower lashes. “You have his eyes. They are almost exact. I never thought I’d gaze into them again.”

I floundered to speak, but I managed to croak out a reply. “Whose eyes?”

Her smile changed, but only slightly. “Why, your father’s eyes.”

I had dark brown eyes. My father had bright blue eyes. “What?” I said, still mired in the earlier confusion.

She cupped her hands around my face, holding me there. I felt small. Her grasp made me feel withered and tiny in her presence. I wanted her to let go, but there was no fight inside me. I was locked in her hands, held by her gaze.

Arda the First tilted her to the side, sly smile still on her lips. “Your father had striking brown eyes like these. They could send a man to his grave with just the right stare.”

“I uh-” I tried shaking my head, but that somehow made me feel worse. “I really need to rest a moment. This fire is…it’s really, really hot.”

“Oh,” she murmurs. “Not the man you call father. No. Your real father.”

An icy coldness twisted in my gut, as if steel had been slid down between my ribs and through my stomach.

“I can see Julian as clear as day upon your face.” Arda the First had tears in her eyes. “They could not take that away from you.”

I finally managed to pull away from her grasp. “What are you talking about?”

Arda the First sighed. “I was never supposed to tell you. I was threatened by that beastly Falko. He said it was best you never knew. He thought the truth would hurt you. But seeing you, I know what’s right for you, and I can’t let him and my daughter go on lying to you.”

My sides were aching and the coldness in my belly had turned to nausea. “What?” I could barely breathe as I spoke.

She placed her palm upon my cheek again. “Your father, your real father, is the man Falko killed. He took you and his bride as his own,lying to you all the while. He’s afraid of you, just like he was Julian.”

“Julian-” I choked and had to gasp for breath. “Julian is my father…that can’t be.”

She raised our hands, squeezing mine in a vice. “I have so much to tell you, Leopoldine. Much of your life has been kept hidden from you. And I will stand by it. That’s why your parents kept me at arms length. They were afraid of you, not me.”

I woke up in a cold room, my vision blurred around the edges. I must have fallen asleep while talking to Arda the First. My head was still swimming, that it took me a moment to reach the shore of my memories. I was not the daughter of Falko, I was the daughter of Julian.

I sat up, taking a deep breath and feeling much better with cold air in my lungs. I stood up from the bed and hobbled over the the window. Opening it, I saw there were storm clouds over the path home, and light rain had already begun falling here.

I felt so painfully angry that I didn’t know what to do with it. I got dressed and went down to the stables, finding my horse and retrieving my sword.

“Leo, there you are!” Kirsa squealed. “You won’t believe the types of arrows they shoot here!”

“Not now!” I roared at her. I stormed away with my sword clutched tight in my hand.

“Leo?” Kirsa followed behind me.

I went into the mud of the courtyard, and the first crate I saw I began bashing it over and over again with my sword.

“Leo!” Kirsa sounded unlike herself. “Leo, what’s wrong with you?”

I kept swinging the sword, over and over again. Someone near me was screaming at the top of their lungs.

“Leo, stop it!” Kirsa touched me, and I swung back. I hit her, knocking her over down into the ground. She held a stunned look upon her face.

Veerle was standing at the edges of the stables, a mortified look painting her usually stern expression. She looked at Kirsa then up at me.

I exhaled and shook my head at her. The screaming had stopped, and I thought that maybe it was inside my head.

Kirsa stood up and sniffled. She wiped her face then walked away and into the stables by herself.

Veerle approached me and tried to take my sword from my hand. I fought her at first, struggling to keep it in my grip. Then I simply let go and she yanked it from me. She then slapped me with her free hand, and the blur at the edges of my vision started to dissipate.

“What has come over you? We haven’t seen you in two days!” She roared at me.

I stretched my jaw and rubbed it. “I don’t know.”

Veerle rolled her eyes. “They won’t let us see you. We’ve been worried.”

I shook my head.

“Not good enough, Leo. Answer me.”

I closed my eyes and held my hand over my mouth. “She told me-” I gulped go a breath. “She told me that Falko isn’t my father.”

Veerle’s stare narrowed. “Then what the fuck is he?”

“My uncle,” I murmured. I opened my eyes and turned to face her. “Julian is my real father.”

Her harsh gaze softened, and her tail twitched behind her. Kirsa appeared back in the doorway, watching us from a distance.

Veerle rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. “And you trust her with that sort of information?”

“She made sense,” I murmured. “She-” I wiped rain away from my eyes. “She told me everything.”

“Which was?”

“Is she crazy?” Kirsa yelled from the door.

Veerle turned and gave her a look. “Seriously?”

I sniffled and tears started to flow. “Veerle it’s true!”

She put her arm around me and forced me back inside, sitting me down in the stable where she and Kirsa stood over me.

“Start from the beginning,” Kirsa urged.

I took a deep breath and held it until it hurt, exhaling until I felt empty. “Julian was sixteen when he took the throne,” I started.

“Duh!” Kirsa interrupted.

“Well, yeah, but he never married. Not until he met my mother. He came to her sixteenth birthday, intending to meet with Arda the First. Instead, he only had eyes for my mom.”

“Oh, so your half creepy guy,” Kirsa interjected again.

Veerle hissed at her. “Keep going.”

“He married my mother rather than Arda the First. But that’s when my mom and my dad…Falko met. At the wedding banquet. They said they met at a party, but they never said what sort of party.” I cupped my hands around the sides of my head. “They kept spending time together, and Julian realized what Falko was up to. So he sent Falko away, but he returned shortly after I was born.”

Kirsa was counting on her fingers. “He could still be your dad though depending on how long-”

“Two years,” I murmured.

“Never mind.”

I closed my eyes as more tears fell. “My dad was always telling me stories about how cruel and vicious Julian became. What if he was warning me? What if he was telling me that if I ever showed the same signs as him, that he would kill me?”

“Falko wouldn’t do that to you!” Veerle snapped.

Kirsa nodded. “Besides, if you did turn evil I would kill you first!”

“Hush,” Veerle hissed.

“I’m so confused. I feel like everything my father…that Falko ever told me was a lie or a warning. Has he been training me all this time so that he doesn’t feel responsible? If I do lose it and he’s there…then he’ll know how to kill me. Is he…is he going to train Bronn to kill me?”

“Stop that!” Veerle barked.

“Was Julian even mad to begin with? What if my father told all those lies to me to excuse why he killed him?”

Both Kirsa and Veerle went quiet.

“All accounts of his reign are nowhere to be found,” I sniffled. “He could have been a good king and my fath- Falko could be the crazy one.”

Veerle averted her gaze and remained silent.

“Could you confront him?” Kirsa spoke with a soft voice.

“I still don’t think you should trust Arda the First,” Veerle muttered.

I lifted my head and brushed away the tears from my face. “I don’t know who at all to trust right now.”

Kirsa looked up behind me then pointed. “What about that guy?”

I turned and saw the shadow man standing in the dark corner of the stable. I jumped up my feet in alarm, panic and terror flowing through me. This answered it. This affirmed my father knew my grandmother would talk. The shadow man was his man all this time!

Veerle pulled me back. “What are you doing here?”

“I came for the princess,” the shadow man rasped.

Veerle must have had the same thought I did. She went forward, holding up my sword towards him. “Get out of here, or you’ll be put into a shallow ditch.”

The shadow man chuckled. “I was instructed to keep an eye on the princess. I just wanted her to know that I will be around.”

“That’s fucking creepy,” Kirsa scoffed.

“King Falko sends his regards,” the shadow man directed at me. “He said you won’t be alone.” He charged Veerle, catching her off guard and snatching away my sword from her. She sank her claws into his arm while he held the blade to her throat. She released and he removed the blade.

“This isn’t safe for you, princess,” the shadow man murmured. “Until you return home, you’re in a death trap.”

My stomach sank into my knees. “What does that mean?”

His head turned at a sound and he vanished from the stables as voices came from behind. Kirsa pulled me out, taking me away as Veerle regained herself.

“I can’t believe this,” Kirsa whispered.

“I know,” I huffed.

“Your father couldn’t have really sent him!” Veerle snapped. “It’s too much of a coincidence.”

I frowned. “Is it? Right before I left he said he would send someone for me. Why? I have you two. Why would he need to send someone unless he knew Arda the First was going to do this? And the shadow man…the only person I can’t seem to get the upper hand with.”

“It’s weird for sure,” Kirsa replied. “Sexy, but weird.”

“Sexy?” Veerle snipped.

“I don’t know what to do,” I heaved. “What am I supposed to do?”

Kirsa snapped her fingers. “Seduce him.”

“Oh my god, Kirsa, no!”

I rubbed my hands down my face. “My head feels like it’s dipped in cream. Everything’s gunked up,” I growled.

“What have you been doing since we last saw you?” Veerle asked. “Did you get sick?”

“I felt tired when I started talking to Arda the First,” I huffed. “Maybe I was coming down with something. I woke up in my room a while ago.”

“Maybe we should think about leaving,” Veerle murmured. “All sides could be true.”

“What do you mean?” Kirsa asked. “How can everyone be right?”

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