The Queen They Betrayed

The crown was too heavy. That was my first thought as I stood before the mirror on the night of my eighteenth birthday. Not because it was made of gold. Not because the jewels along its edges were large enough to catch the candlelight from across the room. It was heavy because everyone in Elaria had spent eighteen years reminding me that one day it would belong to me. The crown. The throne. The kingdom. My future. I stared at my reflection and wondered whether I actually wanted any of it. My dark hair had been arranged into an elaborate braid, with tiny silver pins scattered through it like stars. My midnight-blue gown reached the floor, embroidered with the golden lion of House Aurelian—the symbol of my family and, according to every history book I'd ever read, the symbol of Elaria's strength. Tonight, the entire palace was celebrating. The capital had been decorated for weeks. Lanterns hung from every street. Musicians had travelled from distant provinces. Noble families had arrived from across the kingdom. Everyone was here to see the Crown Princess turn eighteen. Everyone except the one person I wanted to see. I glanced toward the door. "Still hiding?" I nearly jumped. Kesean leaned against the doorway, arms folded across his chest. He wore the black uniform of the Royal Guard, the silver crest of the crown fastened over his heart. His sword rested at his side. "You could knock," I said. "You would've ignored me." "I might have." "You definitely would have." I rolled my eyes. Kesean pushed away from the doorway and walked toward me. "You look beautiful." I looked at him through the mirror. "That sounded painful." "It was." I laughed. For a moment, the weight of the evening disappeared. Kesean had been around the palace for as long as I could remember. He was one of the few people who spoke to me like I was a person instead of a future queen. Then his expression changed. "What?" He looked toward the corridor. "Something's wrong." My smile faded. "What do you mean?" "There are more guards than usual." "It's my birthday." "Not palace guards." He lowered his voice. "Armed soldiers." A cold feeling settled in my stomach. Before I could respond, the palace bells rang. Once. Twice. Then again. The celebration music outside stopped. I looked toward the balcony. Those weren't the bells used for celebrations. They were the emergency bells. Kesean immediately reached for his sword. "Aurelia," he said quietly, "stay here." "My father is downstairs." "I know." "Then I'm going with you." "No." I turned toward him. "You don't get to order me around." "I do when someone is trying to kill you." My heart stopped. "What?" He didn't answer. A crash echoed from somewhere below. Then came shouting.People screamed. The ballroom doors slammed open. Kesean stepped in front of me. "Stay behind me." I reached beneath my gown and pulled out the small dagger I'd been carrying since my father had insisted I learn to defend myself. Kesean stared at it. "You brought a dagger to your birthday?" "You taught me how to use it." "I regret that." "You'll survive." Another crash shook the palace. Then the lights went out. The corridor disappeared into darkness. I heard footsteps. Many footsteps. Kesean's sword left its sheath. I tightened my grip around the dagger. And somewhere below us, my father shouted my name. "AURELIA!" I had never heard fear in his voice before. Until that moment. Then the doors to my chamber burst open. And everything I knew about my kingdom changed. The doors burst open. Three soldiers rushed into the chamber. Kesean moved before I could think. His sword flashed in the darkness, catching the faint silver light spilling through the balcony windows. The first soldier stumbled backward, and Kesean stepped between us. "Who sent you?" he demanded. None of them answered. I backed toward the balcony. My heart was pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else. Then one of the soldiers looked directly at me. "Take the princess." Kesean's expression hardened. "Try." The soldier lunged. Steel collided with steel. I had seen Kesean train countless times, but never like this. There was nothing graceful about it now. Every movement was quick and deliberate, every strike meant to stop the person in front of him. I tightened my grip on the dagger. Another soldier moved toward me. I raised the blade. "Don't." My voice sounded steadier than I felt. He kept coming. I stepped backward. He reached for my arm. I twisted away and struck his wrist with the handle of my dagger. He cursed and released me. Kesean glanced at me. "Run!" "Where?" "Anywhere but here!" That wasn't exactly helpful. I turned toward the corridor. Then I heard my mother's voice. "Aurelia!" I froze. She stood at the end of the hallway. Her dress was torn, her hair partially undone, and two guards stood behind her. But she wasn't looking at them. She was looking at me. "Mother!" I ran toward her. Kesean shouted something behind me, but I didn't listen. Mother grabbed both my shoulders. "Listen to me." "What happened?" "We don't have time." "Where is Father?" Her eyes filled with something I had never seen before. Fear. "Your father has been arrested." My stomach dropped. "What?" "The High Council has declared him a traitor." "That's impossible." "I know." "Then tell them!" "I tried." "Then we'll go together." Mother shook her head. "No." The word was so quiet that it frightened me. "No?" "You cannot stay here." I stared at her. "Why?" She looked over my shoulder. The soldiers were getting closer. "Because this was planned." My breath caught. "What was planned?" "Everything." She pulled a small object from inside her dress. A silver pendant. I'd seen it before. It had belonged to my grandmother. Mother pressed it into my palm and closed my fingers around it. "Never show this to anyone." "Mother—" "Not even Kesean." I looked at her. "Why?" "Because if they discover you have it, they will kill you." The hallway seemed to tilt beneath my feet. "Who?" Mother's lips trembled. "The people who have been waiting for you to turn eighteen." Before I could ask another question, an explosion shook the palace. The windows rattled. Mother pushed me backward. "Go!" "I won't leave you." "You have to." "Mother!" She grabbed my face between her hands. For one second, she wasn't the Queen. She was simply my mother. And she was terrified. "You are my daughter," she whispered. "Whatever they tell you tonight, whatever they make you believe..." She kissed my forehead. "...you are not a traitor." Then she turned around. "Mother!" The soldiers reached us. Kesean appeared between them and me. "Princess, move!" I couldn't. I watched my mother disappear behind a wall of soldiers. Then someone struck me from behind. Everything went black. When I opened my eyes, the palace was burning. I was lying on the stone floor of a narrow passage beneath the eastern wing. Smoke filled the air. My head throbbed. Kesean was kneeling beside me. "Aurelia." I blinked. "Kesean?" "Can you stand?" I tried. My legs nearly collapsed. He caught me. "Easy." "My mother." His face changed. I knew immediately. "What happened to her?" He looked away. "Kesean." "I don't know." "You know something." "I don't." "You're lying." He looked at me. For the first time since I'd known him, he couldn't meet my eyes. Then he reached into his coat. He pulled out a folded piece of paper. "There was a message." I took it. My hands shook as I opened it. There were only seven words. THE PRINCESS MUST NEVER REACH THE THRONE. I stared at the sentence. Then I looked at Kesean. "Who wrote this?" He didn't answer. A horn sounded somewhere above us. Kesean stood. "They're coming." "Who?" "The entire Royal Guard." My blood ran cold. "Why?" His eyes met mine. "Because they've been ordered to arrest you." I couldn't breathe. "By whom?" Kesean extended his hand. "I'll explain when we're somewhere safe." I stared at his hand. Then at the burning palace behind him. My home. My family. My crown. Everything was disappearing. I took his hand. And together, we ran into the darkness.