"Leave," I instructed again.
He seemed to start to say something but thought better of it. He didn't say anything else to me as he left my rooms, slamming the door behind him.
A small part of me wondered if I'd just ruined my only chance with Jake. But no, if he was the person I knew he was, then there was no way it would be.
I crossed the room to my bed and sat down, covering my face in my hands. What had just happened? What was going on? This wasn't how I expected my evening to go, and I didn't know what to make of it.
I ran my tongue over my teeth, tasting the stale wine leftover from the kiss. I should brush my teeth, whatever it took ito get it out of my mouth.
I must have dozed off, as another knock startled me awake.
"Go away, Jake," I murmured, not loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to actually hear.
The knock sounded again.
"Coming," I half-shouted, rolling off the bed and trying to smooth down my hair to at least look semi-presentable. I wished I hadn't fallen asleep in my clothing, as it was all wrinkled from sleep.
I padded over to the door, relieved that this time, the other person was still on the other side and not just barging into my room. Potentially, not Jake then. It was bad that I was thinking this way when just yesterday I'd have relished the opportunity to spend alone time in my room with Jake.
"Mother?" She was looking tired.
"Are you free? I know it's late...are you still dressed?" She looked me up and down, shocked to find me completely clothed.
"I fell asleep before I could change," I admitted sheepishly. At least I'd managed to brush my teeth first. That was something.
"Can I come in?" she asked.
"Yes, of course. Do you want some tea, I can ring for one of the maids." I gestured to the ring pull by the door.
She shook her head as she moved past me. "Let's not bother them. No doubt, they'll be shutting down for the evening. I was just coming to ask you about your outfit for the Fright Festival." She swept into my room and past my bed.
The mirror stayed silent. I frowned. She'd walked right past it, why wasn't it smothering her in compliments that she didn't want? She should be rolling her eyes and telling me I should get rid of the thing right now. Instead, she hadn't even noticed that it was quiet.
"Is there a problem with it?" I asked, a little nervous about what she was going to say. I wanted my Fright Festival outfit to be the best it could possibly be. Especially now that Jake had expressed interest.
"No, of course not. The seamstresses had some questions and suggestions, though." She pulled out the original sketch and handed it to me.
I sat next to her on the bed and studied the new annotations, nodding along with what I was reading. "Did you really need me to approve this?" I asked, handing the sketch back to her.
Mother chuckled. "No, of course not. But I've barely seen you since your cousin arrived, and I wanted to check if you were alright."
"Thanks, it's all fine. I'm just tired. One of Adam's friends is teaching me about magic," I said.
"I know. I saw you the other day."
"Oh." It hadn't crossed my mind that my parents might have been watching me while I practiced with Topher.
"He seems like a good teacher," she said off-handedly.
"He is."
"And perhaps more than that?" She raised an eyebrow.
"Topher? No. We're just becoming friends," I assured her.
"Mmhmm." She didn't seem convinced, but I knew she wouldn't press me on the matter until I was ready to talk about it.
"Are you feeling okay?" The question slipped out before I meant it to, but she was looking more tired than normal, and it was starting to concern me.
She reached out and stroked a strand of dark hair behind my ear. Even if I was adopted, we had that in common. It was probably why none of the Enchantian people had questioned the circumstances of my birth.
"Your father said you were worrying about my health."
The fact that wasn't an answer didn't escape me.
"I'm fine, Kelis. I promise. I just don't think your father and I understood how much you'd been doing for us. It isn't fair for us to have relied on you so much."
"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized I was letting my duties slip. I'll put some time aside tomorrow," I promised. It had only been a couple of days, and I'd spent time in my office on both of them.
"Oh, Kelis, that's not what we're getting at. We're both glad you're getting to spend some time with your cousin and his friends. You need to be with people your own age sometimes."
I opened my mouth to protest, but she held her hand out to stop me.
"I don't want to hear about you being in your office for at least a week," she instructed.
"But..."
"Kelis," she warned.
I chuckled. "You know me too well."
"I do." She rose to her feet and leaned in to kiss me on the forehead. "We love you. We want what's best for you."
"And for Enchantia," I prompted.
"Yes, and for Enchantia," she acknowledged. "I'm heading to bed now. Sleep well."
"You too."
I watched as she left to return to her own bedchambers.
The moment the door had closed behind her, I made my way over to the mirror. There was something off about what had just happened. Why hadn't it fawned over Mother? That wasn't normal, and I wasn't sure what to do about it. First things, first, I needed to check on whether the mirror was working. And the easiest way to do that was to get it to insult me.
I sighed loudly. "Mirror, mirror on the wall," I muttered, remembering the words Mother had told me was part of her story.
"He had to have been drunk to have wanted to kiss you," the mirror taunted.
"They do say that your true feelings come out when you've had a bit too much to drink," I mused.
If it were capable of it, then the mirror would probably have chuckled. "Keep telling yourself that."
The mirror was working just fine. It insulted me as if it were any other day, potentially, even worse. So why didn't it say anything to Mother?
I half-wanted to ask the mirror what was wrong with it, but I didn't think it would give me an honest answer, so there was no real point. But that only left one explanation.
If the mirror no longer plied Mother with compliments, then that meant that she was no longer the most beautiful woman in all the lands.
Continue the story of Kelis in Heiress of Mirrors
After the Happily Ever After…
There is more to these stories. You want to know what happens next right? Fast forward eighteen years…
Pick up book one now
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
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
A NEW FAIRYTALE ANTHOLOGY
If you love fairytales, you’ll want to add this new set to your collection.
Enchanted Kingdoms is the biggest set of fairytale retellings by USAT and Amazon bestselling authors, with each story depicting a different take on a classic.
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Old tales: New twist
The stories you loved as a child have been twisted into wildly addictive tales that will bewitch you as an adult: enchanted castles, spellbinding magic, handsome princes, beautiful princesses, and as many happily-ever-afters as your heart desires.
Cherish this mesmerizing set of 20 classic tales retold by a collection of best-selling and award-winning authors. Each novel-length story features a different take on your favorite fairytale.
Your every fantasy will come to life in ways you could never have imagined, packed full of heart-wrenching romance, gripping adventure, and magic that will weave you in its spell.
Scroll up and one-click now to grab this limited edition set before the clock strikes midnight!
All proceeds benefit Puzzle Peace United, a children's autism charity.
Fairytales include:
Alice in Wonderland by J. A. Armitage and J.A. Culican
Cinderella by Kimbra Swain
Snow White and Rose Red by Eileen Mueller and A.J. Ponder
Beauty and the Beast by Beth Hale
Aladdin by Zara Quentin
Rumpelstiltskin by Craig Halloran
Sleeping Beauty by Stacey O'Neale
Wizard of Oz by Amanda Marin
Snow White and the Seven Dwarves by Lacy Sheridan
Red Riding Hood by May Dawson
Rapunzel by Anne Stryker
Sinbad the Sailor by Cassidy Taylor
Robin Hood by Jacque Stevens
Little Match Girl by Lee Ann Ward
Twelve Dancing Princesses by Kit Winters
Mulan by Charlotte Daniels and Charlie Daniels
The Nightingale by IreAnne Chambers and Rachel McManamay
The Girl without Hands by Daphne Moore
Nix of the Mill Pond by Astrid V.J
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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.
With this in mind, please leave a review, but when you do, remember that these books were always meant to be short breaks in your day and the blurb reflects that.
We would LOVE it if you can drop us a few words on Amazon
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The Kingdom of Fairytales Team
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, Amanda Hurst & Coralee Butterfield
About J.A. Armitage
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.
She spends way too much time gossiping on facebook and if you want to be part of her Reading Army, where you'll get lots of freebies, exclusive sneak peeks and super secret sales, join up here
https://www.subscribepage.com/v7o8k4
Somehow she finds time to write.
About Zara Quentin
Zara Quentin is a fantasy author, book lover and traveller. Raised in Adelaide, Australia, Zara grew up with a strong sense of adventure, which she inherited from her parents, who took her and her sister on trips to the United States, Europe, and Asia.
She also inherited a love of reading from her mother. Throughout her childhood she explored fictional places through books, and in particular, through fantasy novels. She'd turn the black and white text on the page into the colourful worlds of her imagination. Later, she put pen to paper and started creating her own.
After graduating from high school, Zara studied at the University of Adelaide and has lived in France, London, and Auckland, New Zealand. She is always determined to stimulate her imagination with as much travel as possible, spending time in Europe, the United States, southern Africa, Morocco, Peru, the Pacific and south-east Asia.
Zara now resides in Melbourne, Australia with her husband and three children. She is the author of the Airwoman series, and is currently working on a brand new project.
Queen of Reflections: A Snow White retelling (Kingdom of Fairytales Snow White Book 1) Page 8