The King's 100

by Karin Biggs

  “Chip, activate alarm.” I held my wrist above my head as a loud alarm filled the auditorium with the rapid flash of blue light. The house lights flipped on and the sound of my alarm was replaced by silence. “It’s true,” I said into the microphone. “I’m from Capalon. In fact…” I found Ari at the edge of the orchestra pit and took a deep breath. “I’m…Piper Renée Parish, Princess of Capalon and sister to Queen Evelyn.”

  The whispers of disgust stung like a swarm of angry bees. I stepped closer to the microphone and spoke louder to be heard over the hum of disapproval. “I know that what I’ve done is illegal and I’ll be punished by imprisonment or…by death,” I choked out, “but Your Majesty,” I tilted my head up to his box, “I renounce my title and my kingdom.”

  The auditorium responded in a shock of silence.

  “I came here thinking my mother was still alive, and that I would bring her back to Capalon. But it turns out that I found something greater than I could have ever imagined—I found joy. Friendship. Love. All things that have been absent from my life until now.” I took the mic out of the mic stand and rested my knees on the edge of the stage. “And that’s why I kneel before you and ask you to please take me into your kingdom as a Mondarian citizen. I know you’ll want me off the court and as far away from you as possible. I’ll live on the border in the woods if that’s what it takes. But, Your Majesty, I will forever pledge you as my king and do whatever you wish to be able to stay in this kingdom, where love truly exists.”

  My position on the stage made it is easy for the captain to slap a pair of cold handcuffs over my wrists. He muttered a standard line of arrest as I held the king’s gaze. But the king dropped his head, signaling his answer.

  Panic surged through my body as the captain pushed me through the King’s 100-turned-angry-mob.

  “Piper!” I heard Ari’s voice behind me but no matter how hard I tried to fight I couldn’t turn my body under the grip of the captain.

  My shoulder dipped as Genevieve flung her arms around my neck. “You’re not my enemy, you’re my friend. I love you, I love you.” She covered my face with tears and kisses.

  The captain pushed me past her to see Layla leaning over the pocked-faced guard’s arm. “Let her go!” she shouted. “Paris! The king is a demon, I’m so sorry!” She tried to push her way forward, but the guard pushed her back, knocking her to the ground. Reese appeared behind her and helped her to her feet before sending a fist into the guard’s jaw. The guard stumbled backward, falling in front of me and the captain.

  Then a green wall of smoke billowed up around us but Captain Murphy held me closer, his fingernails digging into my skin.

  “Piper!” Ari’s voice carried through to me despite the commotion from the smoke bomb. He was close.

  “Ari!” I shouted. I blinked, wanting the smoke to clear so I could see him.

  The captain adjusted his grip on me as he reached for something at his side. The sound of a gun cocking sent shivers down my spine.

  As the smoke cleared, the captain extended his arm and turned us together in a slow spin. “If anyone else gets in my way, shouts in my face or sets off a magic bomb, I swear I will shoot you.”

  The auditorium fell silent and a wide path opened before us. The captain pushed me forward as another body stepped onto our path but I didn’t have a chance to see who it was because the captain’s gun fired, sending me to the ground with closed eyes and deaf ears. In those few seconds on the ground, everything that generated life within me came to a cold stop. There could only be one person willing to step in front of the captain. And if he died because of me, I was already dead before my eyes could will themselves to open.

  Ringing filled my ears, followed by muffled voices. The first person I saw when my eyes opened was King Orson, with his head tilted up to the ceiling. I followed his eyes to a fresh bullet hole smoking inside the intricate woodwork. I was slumped on the floor but a warm hand stroked my arm. I turned my head and Ari’s brown eyes met mine. He asked me something but the only thing I could hear was the fervent beating of my own heart, choosing to be alive.

  The captain clicked something on his gun and shoved it back into its holster. “I apologize, Your Majesty, I—”

  “You couldn’t hear me over all the commotion, so I came to you.” The king approached me, lifting my chin up with his fingers. “Princess of Capalon,” he said, examining my face. “You are my enemy. But you’re also a magnificent performer. To avoid the boring trial, I’m making my decision now. You will be Mondarian and you’ll hold the title of Head Lady of the Court. We’ll announce it to The Lands and they will see that Mondaria has won over the daughter of their enemy. And if you fail me…well, I suppose I’ll let Captain Murphy here shoot you. Do we have a deal?”

  I moved my jaw in the king’s firm grip. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

  “Good,” he said as he released my face. “Captain Murphy, take her in for interrogation. Round up her closest comrades for questioning as well, so we can confirm we have no more Capalons living inside our walls.”

  After hours of interrogation, I was escorted to the Royal Wing of the Mansion. With my new title of Lady of the Court, the king thought it best that I have my own room, a seat at his table for every future event and even a custom-made tiara. His intentions were clear—I was to be a spectacle and a symbol of Mondaria’s power over Capalon.

  My new room was about five times the size of my dorm room. An enormous four-post bed sat as the centerpiece, adorned in shades of white, cream and gold. Mansion staff moved all of my belongings from my dorm room into my new walk-in closet. I ran my fingers across the few pieces of clothing I owned, landing on a shirt I hadn’t seen since my first day in Mondaria. Eager to get out of my dress, I changed into my pair of jeans and Ari’s red and black flannel shirt he gave me in Dan’s. I rolled his long sleeves up to my elbows, revealing the bandage on my left wrist.

  I mourned the loss of Chip but it was a necessary action to proclaim my allegiance to Mondaria. I cried throughout the procedure—not because of the pain, but because Chip assisted the clinician through his own removal. Placing a hand on my bandage, I moved to the bed, where a folded card waited for me to read it:

  Lady Piper—

  Congratulations on your new title! Here’s a gift to offer my sincerest welcome into our kingdom. I wanted to let you know that this doesn’t change anything about our agreement. I could have picked anyone to fill Mr. Olsen’s spot on stage, so you’re welcome! In fact, please share this mix with Mr. Novak. I hear he enjoys a good cup of hot chocolate. Happy New Year!

  -Maestro Bernard Leto

  I picked up the generic bag of hot chocolate mix and tossed it into the waste bin. It sickened me to think I had the maestro to thank for my kiss with Ari. What would have happened if we never kissed? Would I be matched with Gregory Harp and comfortable in my old life in Capalon? I moved to the window which sat ground level with the West Courtyard and yelped when a face appeared.

  “Are you alright, Lady Piper?” My assigned room attendant looked up from placing a stack of laundered towels in my private bathroom. “Yes, just stubbed my toe. I’m exhausted. I need to rest.”

  She scurried to the bed to draw back the covers.

  “I can do it myself. I just need some time alone.”

  She curtsied and exited the room. I locked the door before sprinting to the window and pushing it open. Ari climbed through and I shut the window and the drapes.

  When I turned around, I expected him to take in the luxury of the king’s private guest room but his eyes took in only me. His lips formed a straight line.

  I repeated his words from our last night together on New Year’s Eve. “Why the frown for such a happy occasion?”

  Ari stepped forward and turned my wrist with a stronger grip than I expected. His eyes lingered on my bandage. “This isn’t what I had hoped for you.” He dropped my hand, looked around the room, then settled his focus back on me. “You’re the king’s prisoner.”r />
  I shook my head with a half-smile. “This definitely isn’t prison. There’s a window. And I’m still on the court. And…” I wanted to say I get to be with you, but something in Ari’s demeanor made me question my certainty about his feelings. Had he changed his mind? I tucked a strand of blonde hair behind my ear.

  Had he only loved me as the brunette, Paris Marigold?

  Ari chewed on his bottom lip. “You’re about to be the most talked-about person in Mondaria and probably The Lands.”

  “But I just want to talk to you,” I said, taking a step closer.

  He pulled something out of his back pocket. “This fell off your foot in the auditorium.” Ari handed me a glittering silver high-heeled shoe.

  “Thanks.” I took the shoe and ran my fingers over the rough stones set in the fabric. “You came here just to give me my shoe back?”

  Ari shoved his hands in his pockets. “Piper, I walked, ran, hunted down an auto-taxi and played my snare for over an hour to talk to you from the outside of your kingdom. I didn’t come here just to give you your shoe back.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m so sorry about what I said on New Year’s Eve. I—”

  “You don’t have to apologize again. I understand.”

  He pulled his hands out of his pockets. “What you said to me after the New Year’s show…do you still feel that way?”

  I nodded and took another step forward. “And what you said on the patrol feed…about being doomed from the first time you saw me?”

  He smiled and placed his hands on my waist. “Yes. There was supposed to be more, but I was rudely cut off by the Queen of Capalon. I shouldn’t be too mad at her, though, since I’m in love with her little sister,” he said, looking into my eyes. “And when she hears that you’re officially a Mondarian, she’s really going to—”

  I dropped the shoe, pulled the collar of Ari’s flannel shirt and pressed my lips against his. His response was tentative at first, but then certain with firm hands on my back and a crashing mouth against mine. He carefully parted my lips and the taste of his tongue sent me into a delirious frenzy. My arms wrapped around the back of his neck as I pressed my entire body into him. Without releasing his mouth from mine, Ari hoisted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist. He took a few steps, then gently laid me down on the four-post bed as he hovered above me. His hand slid under the back of my shirt, sending my body into a pleasing arch. My hands explored the firmness of his abdominal muscles, causing Ari to moan something in my mouth. I reached up to caress the soft hairs at the base of his neck as his mouth moved down my neck in a trail of kisses. My body and mind buzzed with euphoria.

  This.

  This is all I want.

  He lifted his mouth from my skin. “I was supposed to bring you back to the Lounge tonight for a surprise, but I think I want you all to myself.” He placed a soft kiss on the side of my neck. “Plus, it’s only a fair trade—a shoe for a shirt, right?”

  I pulled his face back on top of mine but my interest was piqued. “It’s not a surprise flogging by the King’s 100, is it?” I asked between kisses.

  He fell beside me on the bed and propped his head up with his fist. “No, everyone but those of us being interrogated were dismissed for the weekend.” His fingertips brushed a few strands of hair off my face. “Wow,” he said, with a grin that could have melted me into a puddle.

  “What?” I asked, already missing the taste of his mouth.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  I traced a finger around his top lip, resting it on his scar. And then the events from the auditorium flooded my mind.

  “What’s wrong?” Ari asked, watching my eyes swell with water.

  I took a rattled breath. “For a second, I thought the captain shot you and you died. It was like losing my parents all over again but a different kind of pain. Like a new spot in my heart opened up just for you, only to be taken away. I never want to have that feeling again. And I know Mondarians have rules about dating and milestones, but…I love you, Ari Novak. I love you so much.”

  He wiped the tears off my cheeks. “Hey, it’s okay. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.” He smiled and kissed my forehead. “And I love you too, Paris Marigold…Princess Piper…Lady—”

  “Just Piper is fine.” I laughed through two final tears.

  “I love you too, Piper.” Ari pulled me into him for a deep kiss, then rested a warm palm on my stomach. “Is there anything else I should know about you? You don’t really like hot chocolate?”

  I positioned my face so close to his, that our noses nearly touched. “I performed a death-defying stunt so you wouldn’t kiss Heather.”

  “You thought I wanted to kiss her?”

  “I wasn’t sure!”

  His fingers played with my hair. “That doesn’t count. Tell me something I don’t know.”

  “Okay.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “I performed that stunt without any sugar water.”

  “You mean you’re just naturally that crazy?”

  I nodded. “And there’s one other thing.”

  Ari’s brows raised.

  “Today is my real birthday.”

  He grinned. “Then I’m happy to be the first one to say happy,” he kissed my neck, “birthday.” Ari planted a kiss in the dip of my clavicle, then lifted his head up. “Wait, how old are you?”

  “Seventeen.”

  “And here I thought I was with an older woman.” He punctuated his felicitations by picking me up off the bed and spinning me in a circle. After setting me on my feet, he pulled me into one more deep kiss. “We better get going,” he said in my ear. “They’ll wonder what’s taking so long.”

  Ari helped me out the window to slowly wind our way through the courtyard, stopping to kiss occasionally in a shadow. I squealed with delight as I watched a fat snowflake land on Ari’s black brow. Soon, hundreds of snowflakes fell all around us. I opened my arms and tilted my head back, welcoming the cold flecks of joy to land on my face. When we finally entered the Lounge, one of the six hearths roared with a bright yellow fire but the room was absent of court members.

  “They’re out back,” Ari said, leading me with laced fingers.

  When we stepped outside, Darden, Layla, Reese and Genevieve shouted “Happy Birthday!”

  Ari’s arms wrapped around me from behind and he planted a kiss on my temple. “Surprise,” he whispered in my ear.

  “We didn’t forget you told us your real birthday is today,” Darden said. “Happy birthday, Piper Parish.”

  Ari released me so I could give Darden and my other friends hugs. Reese and Layla handed out pieces of cake and I didn’t fail to notice their shared smiles and polite chatter.

  After telling my comrades the whole story of my journey to Mondaria, the group dispersed into separate conversations.

  Layla placed her arm over my shoulders. “So, friends again?”

  I pressed the side of my head against hers and nodded.

  She removed her arm, but I stayed close to whisper, “You’re talking to Reese.”

  She smiled. “And that’s all it is—talking. But I’m guessing you and Ari were just doing more than that.”

  I blushed and couldn’t stop the smile from stretching across my face.

  She shook her head. “Oh no, Genevieve is going to—”

  “Eeeek!” Genevieve squeezed her arms around my waist. “You and Ari are such a cute couple!”

  Layla rolled her eyes but kept her smile.

  “Thanks, Gen,” I said returning a one-armed hug. “And thank you for what you said back in the auditorium. That was really kind of you.”

  She looked at Layla. “Can I have a second alone with Paris?”

  “Piper. Her name is Piper.” Layla shot a glare at Genevieve before heading to the group of boys.

  Genevieve removed something from her coat pocket and slid it into my hand.

  “Darden’s notebook? But how—”

  She shushed me and guided my hand into my coat pocke
t, hiding the notebook from anyone’s view. “Heather planned to talk to the captain about the coins she found in your room and I tried to stop her. I knew who you were, but I didn’t want you to get hurt. I promise, Paris, you have to believe me.” Tears formed at the corner of Genevieve’s eyes. “It was such a relief seeing you backstage for the Showcase because I thought you had been captured!”

  “It’s okay, Gen. I believe you.”

  “What Heather did was just awful,” she said with balled fists.

  I shrugged. “It was bound to happen, eventually. Heather just sped up the process.” Ari caught my eyes while Reese told a story. The back of my neck tingled as our eyes locked. “I’m actually thankful for how it all worked out.”

  Genevieve picked up her cake plate and took a bite. “Yeah, well, her backstabbing makes it that much easier when the king dismissed her from the court.”

  I gasped. “What?”

  Genevieve nodded. “The king turned in his dismissal list and she was the only one on it. She was kicked out while the rest of the court packed up to go home.” She sighed. “So, I’m down a best friend and a roommate.”

  “I’m so sorry, Genevieve. But…what about Darden?” I asked in a whisper.

  Genevieve sucked frosting off her fork as she gathered her thoughts, then let out an exhale. “I want you to know I didn’t steal his notebook. He dropped it after sectionals one day and I just…didn’t give it back to him. The trick he did for me was truly amazing. And the things he wrote about me…nobody has ever said kinder words. Not even Robert.”

  My heart jumped with excitement for Darden. “Genevieve, are you saying that you have feelings for—”

  “What I’m saying is that I’m confused. Darden’s only said maybe three words to me the whole time I’ve known him and I find out he’s the one behind the most romantic illusion I’ve ever seen? I don’t want to make any sort of decision that would hurt Robert…or break the heart of the boy who brought Paris to life for me,” she said with a smile. “So, please don’t tell him I’m the one who had it, okay?”