She blinks a few times, but her eyes are glazed over, her expression hard to read. “Sounds like him.” She takes a step closer before continuing on. “Tell me, Ariah, what skills do you possess?”
That’s an odd question for a queen to be asking a commoner like me.
“Well…I am a seamstress and work for Kimpol’s shop. My dream is to design dresses, though. I made this one, and the one my mom is wearing. Oh, and my friend who is getting married tomorrow, I’ll be making her dress.” Her lack of emotion crushes my enthusiasm.
“Is that all?”
Ouch, that one stings.
“I mean, I can cook. Sometimes.” She’s really making me think here. Should I be concerned that I can’t think of any other skills?
“How about your apothecary abilities? Do you take after your father?”
“I know very little. Chemistry is something I struggle with.”
“And your use of a blade?”
I hesitate. How am I supposed to answer that? “Normal? Mainly just for cooking.”
“Archery?”
“I skipped those lessons as a kid.”
She begins circling me again, like a bird waiting for their prey to die. “And how about sneaking in and out of places undetected?”
“I…don’t…know. I’ve never tried. Why are you asking these questions?” I spin to her as she passes between me and the desk.
“Have you ever killed someone?” she continues, ignoring my question entirely.
“What? Absolutely not.”
She leans against the desk and stares at me, her eyes drift from the hem of my dress that brushes the wooden floor up to my dangling earrings. “Your father’s hands shook when he poured my tea.” My eyes draw close together, not understanding what she’s getting at. “And all your mother did was talk about her children. I didn’t think time would make them so fragile. You see, Ariah, I came to collect.”
“Collect what?” Her words are not aligning for me.
“Your parents were once a part of my Foxes. Your father could mix the kind of concoctions all other kingdoms were envious of. My favorites were his poisons, though. He once created a mixture that slowly burned a man from the inside out. His flesh began to boil and melted straight off his bones during a coronation. And your mother, well, she was something special.She moved with the night and could track down anything I asked of her. I reckon she has a body total that’s more than all the workers in the brothels in Haymel combined. Though I suspect they brought a different kind of pleasure. A different kind of lust.”
Bodies. Poisons. Blades. Is she mad?
Instinctively, I step away from her. I’ve thought about what it would be like to meet the Queen before, but never something like this. Slowly, the questions and her little monologue set in, and the more it all saturates, the more I’m disturbed.
“Are you calling my parents murderers?” It takes a few attempts to conjure up any kind of coherent sentence, but finally I get it out.
She smiles. “I call them loyalists. You seem to be taking a little longer to get this than I’d like. Your parents are older and have lost some of the qualities I look for in my Foxes. Yet, they still owe me. Instead, I’d like to make a deal with you.”
“Me?”
“I promised your parents a safe life here in Foxhead. The chance to live out their love.” She looks like she’s going to be sick when saying that word. “Under the condition that at any time I could come back and ask for a favor. I didn’t think that favor would take nearly thirty years, but here we are.” She pulls something from the pocket of her dress, making her ensemble even more desirable. Holding up a letter, she continues. “Ariah Tyddle, I am giving you the opportunity to pay off your parents’ debt. If you come back to the castle with me, train under my Foxes, and serve me in court for the next year, I’ll consider their debt paid.”
“And if I say no?” I ask, trying to get a better glimpse of the paper in her hand.
“Then I say yes to this letter, which will then grant the council of Foxhead permission to marry you off to the highest bidder,which I assume is something you don’t want since you denied them.” Dammit, she knows. Moving closer, she draws a finger and points it at me. “Better yet, I’ll make it a law. Everyone in Haymel shall be forced to marry for the convenience of their village councils. A way for all to serve the crown.” She pulls back, thinking of her own words. “That’s actually not a bad idea though…”
That’s a terrible idea, and to know my “no” would set the new law in motion is sickening.
“Alright, what if I say yes and fail at being one of your so-called Foxes?”
“Then you keep trying until you succeed, or until you or your parents die.”
