"I like the snow," I answered, digging into the food. My belly was happy with the warmth.
"At least, we won't have to worry about the dragons in this weather," Hollis said. "They'd be mad to attack with the snow the way it is."
I paused and looked up at Hollis, who continued eating.
"Attack?"
My father waved his hand dismissively. "Not to worry, Azia. The dragons are quiet once again. We've not had an attack in over a week. The wall is still being erected to keep folk out. Maybe that's all they wanted."
"But we still need to be vigilant, Father," Hollis added." Just because they haven't attacked for a while, doesn't mean they won't attack."
"They won't!" I said, a little too urgently. Both my younger brothers' eyes swiveled my way.
"And how do you know?"
I was saved having to answer by my father chipping in.
"She doesn't. I don't want to hear any more about the dragons. I've done all I can with them. I've got enough on my plate at the moment without all this nonsense. Your mother isn't getting any better. The doctors I've had brought in have been looking at her all day, prodding and poking her, and none of them can find a damned thing wrong with her. All of my troops are back, and not a single spindle has been found. And now, I've got this bloody competition to worry about. The reporters are hounding me every second of the day, and quite frankly, I'm sick of it all!"
He stood up, throwing his napkin down on the table and stormed out, his face as black as thunder.
"It really would have been easier if you'd just married Caspian, "Hollis said.
"Are you blaming me for all this?"
"You did start this ridiculous competition," Ash added. "It's taking up so much of Father's time that he can't concentrate on the important stuff."
"And my life isn't important?" I shot back. "Would either of you married someone you hated out of duty?"
Both of my brothers nodded their heads. "I would do anything for my kingdom," Hollis said proudly.
Standing up, I glared at him. "Well, look who's suddenly all patriotic. Three weeks ago, you couldn't have cared less, but now that Father has made the pair of you soldiers, you think you are better than the rest of us." I slammed my fist on the table, upsetting my uneaten meal. I was starving, but anger trumped that. I followed suit with my father and left the dining room, slamming the door as I went.
Anger raged within me, and I wanted nothing more than to go back to my room, shutting everyone out, but having not eaten all day, I had the perfect excuse to head to the kitchens. I would need food for the journey. While Nyre would be able to kill small animals and eat them raw, that wasn't an option for me, and I wasn't confident enough of my fire-making skills.
The kitchen was winding down, with the chefs leaving and the clean-up staff getting to work on their parts. Nobody paid me any mind as I ran into the larder and filled a cloth bag with food. Nyre was tiny, so I couldn't take much, nor could I take anything heavy. Having Vasuki or Emba to carry me on their backs would have been the better option, but I knew better than to ask them.
Back in my room, I emptied the bag of food onto the bed and sorted it into my backpack. Putting in the clothes I would need, I also pulled out my boots and a thick coat that would keep me warm on the nights I'd have to sleep outside. Then, all I had to do was wait. Nyre knew better than to come to me while it was still light, so I whiled away the hours staring out of the window, waiting for the sun to fall in the sky. At least, the snow was abating. It was beautiful to watch the large flakes falling, but the cold would be a killer if I wasn't prepared. My hope was that we'd find shelter on the nights we were venturing to and from Urbis. Sheds and barns would keep the snow from us, and we'd be able to snuggle down in the hay. At least, that was my plan. This would all have been easier in the summer months where we could have slept under the stars or even in a normal Draconian winter, which were usually very mild. The snow, however beautiful, reminded me that this was not normal weather and was brought about by the darkness caused by the witch. My hope was that if I found out where I came from, I could find out what had happened to my mother and wake her up. My father had not found her spindle, and I know he would have knocked on every single door in Draconis to search. Which meant that Derillen was no longer in the kingdom.
Before Nyre came, I went to see my mother. My father sat next to her. He barely looked up as I entered the room.
"I'm sorry about my outburst, Azia," he said, his voice cracking. "I thought that if I brought the best doctors here, they'd find out what was wrong with her. Not even the mage from Enchantia knew."
I walked over to him and cradled his head as he sobbed.
"I'll make this better, Father."
He nodded in my arms, but I could tell he didn't believe me. Why would he? If the best doctors in the land couldn't cure mother, why would he think I could.
"I think maybe you should go and talk to Caspian and Charlotte," I said. I couldn't tell him where I was going, he'd only stop me, but once he found out I'd gone, I wanted him to know the truth. I'd written him a letter to explain, which was back in my room, but talking to Charlotte about Morpheus would make it more real to him like it had to me. Charlotte really believed that Morpheus was involved, and I had no reason not to believe her. Hopefully, my father would too. "They think they might know how to get her back."
"How?" He asked, his eyes bloodshot from crying.
"Go see them," I urged. I pulled back from him and bent over to kiss my mother's cheek. I'd bring her back or die trying.
I left the room and headed back to mine, only to find Nyre waiting for me on the bed. She hadn't shifted out of her dragon form, so I picked up my backpack, threw my coat on, and climbed up onto the little window sill.
Nyre's talons caught in the back of my coat, and with a tug, we were both flying. It took a moment to get used to the sensation and to get over my crippling fear of being dropped. Once again, I wondered if it would have been better to go to the dragons and ask for help from a bigger one. One I could sit on the back of, but I liked Nyre, and I trusted her. I would just have to trust her with not dropping me because this was going to be a long journey. We flew over the courtyard, and she circled around the side of the castle to head in a southeasterly direction. We were almost over the outer wall of the castle when something zipped past my ear. At first, I thought the snow had started again, but this came too quickly for snow, and it came from below us, not above. Nyre rocked to the side as another thing flew past. This time I saw what it was. It was an arrow. My father's men were shooting at us. Jacob stood at the front of them and sent another arrow our way.
"Go faster!" I screamed at Nyre, but it was too late. She was already plummeting to the ground, and I was falling along with her. This was it. We were both going to die. As the ground rushed up towards me with dizzying speed, I knew then that I wouldn't be able save my mother on this trip. I'd had one chance, and now thanks to Jacob, I never would. My mother would die, and as I slammed to the ground and everything went black, I knew I would beat her in death.
Continue the adventure in Goddess of Flames
After the Happily Ever After…
There is more to these stories. You want to know what happens next right? Fast forward eighteen years…
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PREQUEL
SLEEPING BEAUTY
1. Queen of Dragons
2. Heiress of Embers
3. Throne of Fury
4. Goddess of Flames
LITTLE MERMAID
5. Queen of Mermaids
6. Heiress of the Sea
7. Throne of Change
8. Goddess of Water
RED RIDING HOOD
9. King of Wolves
10. Heir of the Curse
11. Throne of Night
12. God of Shifters
RAPUNZEL
13. King of Devotion
14. Heir of Thorns
15. Throne of Enchantment
&n
bsp; 16. God of Loyalty
RUMPELSTILTSKIN
17. Queen of Unicorns
18. Heiress of Gold
19. Throne of Sacrifice
20. Goddess of Loss
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
21. King of Beasts
22. Heir of Beauty
23. Throne of Betrayal
24. God of Illusion
ALADDIN
25. Queen of the Sun
26. Heiress of Shadows
27. Throne of the Phoenix
28. Goddess of Fire
CINDERELLA
29. Queen of Song
30. Heiress of Melody
31. Throne of Symphony
32. Goddess of Harmony
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
33. Queen of Clockwork
34. Heiress of Delusion
35. Throne of Cards
36. Goddess of Hearts
WIZARD OF OZ
37. King of Traitors
38. Heir of Fugitives
39. Throne of Emeralds
40. God of Storms
SNOW WHITE
41. Queen of Reflections
42. Heiress of Mirrors
43. Throne of Wands
44. Goddess of Magic
PETER PAN
45. Queen of Skies
46. Heiress of Stars
47. Throne of Feathers
48. Goddess of Air
URBIS - Coming soon
49. Kingdom of Royalty
50. Kingdom of Power
51. Kingdom of Fairytales
52. Kingdom of Ever After
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A note from the author
The Kingdom of Fairytales authors hope you enjoyed this new way of reading. We don’t think that a series has ever been set with one chapter a day thought a whole year before and we hope we did it justice.
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These books would not be written without a great many people. Here is our team:
Many thanks to those who have made this possible.
Thank you to Rhi Parkes without whom, this series would never have come about.
Thanks to all the authors.
J.A. Armitage, Audrey Rich, B.Kristen Mcmichael, Emma Savant, Jennifer Ellision, Scarlett Kol, R. Castro, Margo Ryerkerk, Zara Quentin, Laura Greenwood and Anne Stryker
Also thank you to our amazing Beta team
Nadine Peterse-Vrijhof, Diane Major, Kalli Bunch and Stephanie Pittser.
Thank you to our Patrons
Gigi Nickerson
About the Author
J.A lives in a total fantasy world (because reality is boring right?) When she's not writing all the crazy fun in her head, she can be found eating cake, designing pretty pictures and hanging upside down from the tallest climbing frame in the local playground while her children look on in embarrassment. She's travelled the world working as everything from a banana picker in Australia to a Pantomime clown, has climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro and the bottom of the Grand Canyon and once gave birth to a surrogate baby for a friend of hers.
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Somehow she finds time to write.
Throne of Fury Page 9