“Moveout of the way.Idon’t want anyone to get hurt.”Evenat that young age,Ihad heard the lie in his statement, his heartbeat racing.Suddenlythe bruisesIhad seen onJun’sarms recently made a lot more sense.
Iballed up my fists, “Makeme.”
Kalimgave me that ugly smirk again and raised his sword, but before he could swing it,Ipunched him straight in the face.Ihadn’t known whatIwas doing, soIheard my thumb snap, asI’dhad it wrapped inside my other fingers.Iyelped at the pain, butKalim’snose bled, andIcouldn’t help but smile as whimpers fled his lips.
IsawSanodash away, andIstood up shaking my hand, butKalimrecovered quickly, “Youbitch!”Heslammed his sword into my shin, andIcrumpled under the pain.NextthingIknew, we were rolling on the ground and his hand connected with my face while the other pulled my long hair.Iscratched at him and heard him yelp again.Hisknee collided with my stomach, andIcurled up as his feet started hitting my side.Tearspoured from me then, as the pain took over my mind andIwasn’t able to think, let alone fight back.
“Tori!”Mymother’s voice rang across the garden, and the immediate pain stopped, even as the lingering soreness fromKalim’sstrikes remained.Mymother’s bodyguard pulled me off the ground, his grip firm, but gentle as was befitting the handling of a princess.
“Whatwere you thinking, getting into a fight like that?Andin front ofJun?Whatsort of example are you setting?”Ididn’t respond, it never mattered whatIsaid anyway.Everythingwas always my fault. “Toyour room, now!”Theguard gently pulled me out of the garden.Ilooked back to see my mother cradlingJunin her arms, not a scratch on him.Kalim’snose still ran with blood, and his face was covered in the scratches from my nails.Thatwas the dayIdecidedIwouldn’t lose a fight again.
* * *
“Wheredid you go,Tori?”Jun’svoice snapped me back to the present.
“Youknow me, head always in the clouds.”Hefrowned again.Ihated to see him so glum.
Hereached out for the tree, “Ialways loved this tree, but it seems it might be at the end of its life.”Hewas right.Theonce beautiful tree was now gnarled and rarely bloomed in the spring.It, like so much else in our kingdom, seemed to be dying a slow, painful death.Butas his hand touched the bark,Icould almost imagine a few of the leaves reaching back to him.Buthis face was still clouded in sadness.
“Now, remember whatMothertold us,Jun?Walkaround with that darkness showing on your face, and it will summonKingAbraxasstraight here.”
Junscrewed up his face in annoyance, butIsaw the smile hiding underneath again, “Don’tyou thinkI’ma bit old to believe those children’s tales?”
“Perhaps.Butnot too old to try and avoid your responsibilities.Comeon, let’s find a reason for you to be gone today.”Wewalked a bit further, arm in arm, andIheard a sweet tune slip from his lips.
Thatwas until my mother rounded the corner.ShesawJunandItogether and her face dropped to the expression of someone who had seen a child running around with a sharp knife.
“Jun,Tori, what are you doing?”Junstopped singing, and we unlinked arms quickly, shuffling away from each other as we had been coached for the last two centuries.
“Junwasn’t feeling well,Mother.Iwas just walking him back to his room.”Junmanaged to raise an eyebrow at me, acknowledging our shared deviance.Hewas a terrible liar, butImore than made up for that.
“Oh, my darling!Whatis wrong?Yourfather will be so disappointed not to have you at the petitions today!”Iworried for a moment thatJunmight not be able to hold up this charade, but he didn’t really need to with how muchMotherwas doting on him.Shetook his arm and led him away, only at the last minute calling out, “Tori, dear, please join your father inJun’sstead.”Sometimesit was too easy.
* * *
Isaton the throne to the left of my father.Theseat that was meant forJun.Myfather,FaeKingRahulKhatoof thePearlKingdom, was being petitioned by his lords.Ihad sat through a dozen already, keeping a royal smile plastered to my face as was expected.Igreeted each lord and then remained silent—as was also expected.Sofar, they had all been quite boring disputes, andIwondered ifJunhad gotten the better end of this arrangement.
Butthen the throne was approached byLordDiamand one of his vassals.Ithad been quite some time sinceIhad seen a vassal bring a petition against theirLord, soIwas intrigued.Unfortunately,LordDiamhad fought with my father in the last war, soIdidn’t have much hope for his unbiased judgment.
“Yousee,YourMajesty,Ayamehas not been able to meet her quota from the fruit harvest.Ihave been lenient these last few seasons, but enough is enough.Ihave ordered her to harvest the timber from the forest instead to make up for the deficit, but she refuses.”LordDiamspoke as if the matter were already closed.Iturned my attention toAyame.Shewas an older woman, half-fae by the look of softly pointed ears.Theonly one in the room besides my bodyguard.Herskin was dark and freckled with numerous sunspots from years spent exposed to the elements working the land.Shealmost looked human with the amount of wear on her body, but she held her back straight and didn’t flinch atDiam’spointed stare, or that of my father.Iliked her already.
Shelifted a finger to point atLordDiamin accusation, her fingernails lined with dirt.
“Ihave told you countless times that harvesting the timber from the forest is a fool’s game.Itwould guarantee that we would never see a fruitful harvest again.”
“Weare going to be cutting down the lumber trees, not the fruit trees.”Diam’svoice dripped with disdain.
“Youthink that cutting down one tree doesn’t affect another?Thesetrees have lived together for generations.Wecannot remove them.”Ayamestomped her foot, her indication that the point was closed.
“Yousee,YourHighness, how she speaks?I’vehad nothing but trouble from her since her husband died.”Hespoke about her as if she weren’t standing right beside him, and my stomach roiled in disgust.
Myfather turned his gaze toAyame, “Itseems you owe yourLorda debt, and he has come up with a very reasonable solution.Youwill cut down the trees.”
Ayame’sface dropped, andIcouldn’t help myself asIspoke, “Iwonder,LordDiam, when was the last time you harvested fruit in the forests of your lands?”BothLordDiamand my father turned their heads to me.LordDiamlooked at me, dumbfounded.Ididn’t wait for him to answer.Ididn’t need to turn to my father to know the look he gave me.ButInever had been good at holding myself back.
“And,Ayame, how many years has your family worked the land of these forests?”
“Wehave been vassals to these lands for nearly two centuries,Princess.”
