Iron Queen

One

V I C T O R I A

I was in the only place where I could truly feel light and happy. My eyes remained closed, allowing my other senses to sharpen beneath that wave of peace. An involuntary smile lingered on my lips. I overflowed with emotion as I felt every beat of my heart, a latent force against my chest.

I opened my eyes, drawing the bow from my back. I positioned the arrow on the wooden weapon, tilting its frame toward the sky. My arm stretched out, the joints of my fingers adjusting to support my aim, the nock of the arrow pressing against my skin. My fingers, close to my nose, filled with energy the instant the arrow flew meters above, cutting through the sharp air, fierce and decisive. Even beneath the cries of birds and the rustling paths of small animals, the sound was unmistakable as it grazed past a white bird that flapped its wings in panic, unanswered.

The arrow struck the top of the tallest tree, and the bird disappeared toward the north.

I raised my forearm to my forehead, where tiny beads of sweat traveled across my face in agonizing trails.

I liked shooting.

But death would only come when necessary.

A trembling of the earth revealed that the nearby stream overflowed with life, its waters further ahead continuing their course in a fluid murmur. The sweet and gentle songs of birds drifted into my ears. I sighed peacefully, aware that only moments like those could truly make me feel complete.

But, as usual, I was interrupted from my private escape by a noise coming from outside the woods. I walked in the opposite direction, leaving behind the shrubs and pine trees that had once surrounded me. Approaching the edge of the forest, my eyes immediately began searching for some kind of sign. I narrowed them when I finally caught sight of something that might explain it.

In the clearing, a carriage and several horses stood in front of my house, gleaming beneath the sunlight. They certainly were not from the region. The carriage displayed refined and luxurious ornaments, nothing like the old wooden vehicles that usually traveled through Golden Fox. The horses were of noble breed, and the golden crest on the carriage door belonged to the capital: Vermenia.

The mere mention of the imperial city was enough to make my bones stiffen.

Despite my doubts, my feet moved toward the strange carriage as if drawn by a magnet, forcing me to leave behind both the forest and its peace entirely. I secured my bow on my back and flexed my wrists as I started down the path home, a modest countryside property located a few miles from the small town of Golden Fox, a mere speck in the world that had belonged to my family for generations.

The old structure stood about twenty meters above the barn and stables. It was made of wood, like all southern houses tended to be. Two stories tall, it spread across a broad area, as though whoever had built it assumed that even in the harshest storms, at least part of it would remain standing.

Wild grass grew all around it, and at that time of year it was entirely covered with rich yellow and red flowers mixed with the region’s greenery. Not even in the dead of winter, when frost lingered, did the grass seem afraid.

Beyond the house stretched a perfectly green rolling plain, dotted with thousands of small cream-colored shapes that, upon closer inspection, revealed themselves to be sheep. And where the curved hills sliced into the pale blue sky, a great mountain rose nearly two thousand meters high, thrusting its head into the clouds, its slopes still white with snow. Its symmetry was so perfect that even those who saw it every day, like me, never stopped falling in love with it.

Curiosity screamed inside me, and my control over it vanished when I found myself slipping through the back door that connected our kitchen to the living room. I tried to be as cautious as possible. If strangers were inside my home, it would be wiser to discover who they were, what they were doing, and why they had arrived in such a high-ranking carriage.

Entering through the front door would ruin any chance of uncovering the truth, especially considering that my aunt and uncle never told me much about anything. Even if we had won a chest filled with gold, they would have kept it from me.

I moved carefully through the kitchen, measuring every step and making sure not to creak the floorboards, though no one was in the room.

The only thing spread throughout the space was the mess on the counter, covered with freshly cut vegetables scattered carelessly, as though my aunt had abandoned everything in a hurry.

I approached the archway leading out of the kitchen and soon heard voices coming from the living room.

Aunt Eliz had her back to me, so absorbed in the worn papers she held that she barely looked up when I studied her. Even from afar, she usually knew when someone was nearby watching her, especially if that someone was me.

I silenced my thoughts as I watched her reluctantly hand the papers to a uniformed gentleman. Then she circled the sofa to stand before a second man. Judging by the medals on his chest, he had to be some sort of general.

Eliz remained at a safe distance from both men, though she constantly seemed to peer over their shoulders, as if she could not bear the thought of those papers leaving her sight for even a second.

— General, are you certain you wish to speak with the girl? — Eliz adjusted the folds of her worn dress. — There must be some mistake. This can only be a terrible misunderstanding… I need to know exactly why you’re here.

One of the guards shifted, staring through the wall.

I quickly pulled back. Only fractions of a second separated us from the reality of an empty doorway and the humiliation of a nosy girl being caught red-handed.

Luckily, I hadn’t been seen.

If there was any chance that I was the girl they were looking for, then it was better to stay hidden and listen as much as I could.

— I apologize, ma’am, but this is a completely private matter. If you can help us locate her, we will explain everything as quickly as possible. — The first man spoke politely while handling the pieces of paper in his hands.

The elegant handwritten script was so faded and elaborate that it hardly seemed worth deciphering. They looked like ordinary sheets, but each one bore some sort of seal at the top.

It took me a moment to recognize it, but the realization struck like a punch to the stomach.

That was the royal crest.

— You may tell your lord that I will find her, but I demand to know what is happening! — Eliz grunted arrogantly.

Who were they talking about?

Who were these two men speaking with my aunt, and what did they and their lord want here?

A million thoughts raced through my mind, but none of them could have prepared me for what the man said next.

— Find Victoria, and I will speak with my lord regarding your request.

No.

No.

No.

This was wrong.

Why would apparently important men want to discuss something confidential with me?

I blinked several times, trying to process the embarrassing situation I was in. Then I quickly slipped away. If they found me spying like this, it would be mortifying.

I hurried toward the kitchen exit, still dazed.

The moment I stepped outside, I bolted without hesitation.

My stomach twisted while a burning pain climbed my throat. Words rarely affected me so deeply, but suddenly nothing else made sense.

And in the middle of my own chaos, with my mind racing and my body disconnected, a strong impact slammed into me.

I crashed into something and fell hard onto the rough ground.

The shock brought me back to reality, reminding me of one undeniable fact:

I was terribly clumsy.

— Are you alright, miss? — A tall, gray-haired man extended his hand toward me.

I accepted it and used it to stand.

I probably hadn’t seen him and had simply run into him. At least, that was the most logical explanation compared to my only other possibility:

That I was actually losing my mind.

— Y-Yes… I am… Thank you… I mean, I need to go… —

For this and many other reasons, I considered myself a walking disaster.

The gray-haired man studied me with amusement and smiled at how awkward and lost I looked.

I couldn’t even bring myself to say anything else.

I simply lowered my head and ran.

Anywhere.

As far away as possible.

As fast as I could.

— There she is! TORIA, DEAR, I NEED YOU HERE!

My steps came to an abrupt halt when I heard Eliz call out to me, instantly sending my escape plan straight into ruin.

I turned around and faced her slender figure standing on the porch.

Then I noticed all the eyes fixed on me.

The stern scrutiny of the two men dressed as royal guards beside my aunt.

And above all, the most unsettling gaze of them all:

The confusion burning in the eyes of the gray-haired gentleman who, for some reason, had been watching me closely ever since we collided.

— So you’re Victoria?

He spoke the words, and a chill ran down my spine in response to his tone.

Perhaps part of me already knew.

After all, something big was about to happen.