by A. M. Miller
“I hear the prince gifted you with some fine silk’s this morning, my queen. It must have been lovely,” Lecive said.
Lu looked at him. His fiery red hair was braided back into a ponytail and his clothes were pressed. Dressing up for the queen? Lu wondered. She still didn’t know what his play was in this whole game. It only made her more suspicious. She turned away from him in favor of the prince. He gave her a timid smile. She noticed the makeup caked around his acne and the touch of rouge on his lips.
Reds, always so concerned with their looks.
Lu smiled back at him. “They were beautiful. I had my handmaiden send my gratitude. I hoped you received it.”
The Red Prince’s smile brightened. “Yes, this morning. I am glad you liked it. That shade of red will look lovely on you. Prince Lecive was the one who suggested it.” He nodded at her brother.
Lu looked back at Lecive.
“I simply suggested that your wardrobe would benefit from some finer fabrics,” Lecive said.
“The queen’s attire is designed to be best suited for combat. Other fabrics do not handle wear and tear as well as the ones made in the Heart.” Ramor said putting down his fork and knife. Lu glanced over at him, thankful for the support. She didn’t know why there was tension between him and her brother, but it was clear neither was fond of the other.
“That may be true but your brother is right dear,” The Red Queen said, pulling the attention back to her. She bit down on a piece of fish and looked back at Lu. “Now that you are queen it is important that you distinguish yourself from the common folk.”
Lu could feel her annoyance rising. It was beyond her how the Reds could look down on her and her people when they so clearly needed them. When the treaty had first been created it had been The Red Queenland that sought their help. The Heart had been willing to put pass discretions aside for the good of the realm. Without the Heart, both the Red and the White would have torn themselves apart with petty wars.
“Here in the Heart we believe that everyone has a role to play and every role is important. We value harmony over separation. As the great Lolakia teaches us not everyone's value is clear upon birth,” Lu said.
The Red Queen smiled. “Right, the anointed sister.”
Lu gritted her teeth. “Do you doubt Lolakia’s claim.”
“No, how can I while looking at the proof of her lineage. Though you are the first of her line I’ve seen without the trademark red hair. Don’t take offense, dear. It’s refreshing. But you know, back to that old harmony pitch. I’ve always wondered if they drill that into you heart girls as children. Your mother was always going on about it. Do you know what I told her?”
Lu held her hands under the table, her nails biting into her skin. Her expression, however, showed no signs of change. Both queens stared at each other. The challenge hanging heavy in the air.
When Lu said nothing The Red Queen continued. “I told her that while her harmony was a nice ideal she should be wary of its possible consequences. When the people start to believe that you are no different from them, they question why you have power where they do not. People start to believe that anyone could fulfill your role. Lolakia was second sister to The Red Queen, but what happens when they stop believing that royal blood even matters. It’s a quick way to an uprising. The queensland falls and we are no better than the east. Is that what you want?”
Lu’s composure slipped as she glared at The Red Queen. “Of course, not. I would die before I let the Heart become anything like the east. My people will be saved.”
The Red Queen smiled. The look in her eyes showed that she’d clearly won something from Lu’s admission. Seeing that look only further angered Lu. The dining hall was quiet as the two queen stared at each other.
The Red Prince cleared his throat. “I think talk of falling queenslands is a bit too harsh for such a fine afternoon. Perhaps something a little lighter would better fit the mood.”
The Red Queen leaned back in her seat. She placed a hand over her sons and smiled. “My son is correct. A different topic then.” Her voice now brighter than before. “Perhaps wedding preparations,” she suggested.
The rest of lunch was spent going over wedding details. Lu only half listened. She was still angry over the queen’s earlier words but she did not show it. She forced bits of food down her throat, waiting until everyone else was done before leaving.
“Queen.” Someone called for Lu.
She turned around to see the Red Prince standing behind her. His chubby face was redder than normal. She noted the beads of sweat on his face as he fought to catch his breath.
“Is there something you wanted?” Lu asked.
The prince nodded. “Earlier I asked you if you wanted to take a stroll.”
Lu glanced around the hallway. After dealing with his mother she didn’t want to be around another Red. Part of her wished Ramor would swoop in with some business that needed her immediate attention but that did not happen. She turned back toward the prince.
He waited for her answer. She’d previously agreed to it and it would be seen as an insult to decline now.
Lu smiled. “Please, lead the way.”
38
The Heart Queensland
The Red Prince smiled at Lu and offered his arm. Lu took it, allowing him to guide her towards the southern entrance. The royal garden sat behind the castle walls. It stretched around the castle reaching back to the cliff's edge. There were a variety of different plants and flowers but the white rose was most predominant.
The Red Prince led Lu to the center of the garden. The goddess glow shined bright above them. They sat down next to the water fountain. It was too cold to be out. She gazed out at the garden, debating if she should order another row of roses to be planted. Currently, the garden would be able to support only a mild outbreak within the inner city, but they could add more.
The autumn breeze carried the perfume scent of the garden around her. Strands of her hair flew free. She tucked them back behind her ear trying not to think of the queen’s comments. Her hair would have been her mother’s color were it not for her sickness.
“Queen?” The prince called.
Lu turned back toward him. His eyes stared at her expectantly.
“I’m sorry were you saying something?” Lu asked.
“I was just saying how lovely your garden is.”
Lu smiled. “Thank you, prince-“
“Josivin. Josivin Malore Red,” the Red Prince said with a smile.
“Josivin,” Lu repeated, although, she doubted she would remember it. Why bother? After their wedding his name would vanish from memory just like hers had. The king was the only other member of the royal bond who needed the ritual to erase his name. Unlike the Jack and Ace, where positions were libel to change, the bond between King and Queen was a marriage born of the goddess’s blessing. Not even death could break it.
“It is a bit odd that we will marry without me ever knowing your name, don’t you think,” Josivin said.
“I suppose.”
There were many things they wouldn’t know about each other before their marriage; her name was just one of them.
“And to think, if nothing had gone wrong, in five months time I would have known your name.”
“But only until the queen died and then you would have forgotten like everyone else,” Lu said.
“Still, it would have been nice to know.”
Lu tried not to make a face. The prince didn’t understand that it didn’t matter. How and when they met, whether or not they knew each other's names, none of it mattered. The results were the same. Their marriage had been arranged before either of them were born. She’d marry him and bare children as all queens were expected to do.
“Do you remember it?” Josivin asked.
Lu looked back at him a question in her eyes.
“Do you remember your name? Mother never told me if she remembers hers.”
Lu nodded. Her eyes returned to the water fo
untain. She saw her distorted reflection in the pool. She blinked and in her mind saw the image of the bloody flower. “I remember it.”
Silence fell over them. Josivin appeared to be thinking of something else to say. Lu dropped her hand into the fountain. Cool water rush past her fingertips. This was another spot she’d spent time with Leo. Once she’d attempted to swim in the fountain’s waters and Leo had to stop her. She’d never appreciated the freedom of her youth.
She looked back at the flowers. When she left, she’d order some of the more decorative plants to be removed. Two rows of white roses could be planted, with the sacrifice of those plants beauty. When darkness descends only the strong remain.
Josivin cleared his throat.
Lu turned her head back toward him. In his hand he held a small black box. She stared at it. “I have another present for you,” he said, holding out the box to her. Lu accepted the box. She already knew what was inside before she opened it. The diamond ring glittered back up at her.
Josivin took the box from Lu. He pulled the ring out and placed it on her slender finger. “It’s diamond because they are one of the strongest gems, much like you and your queensland,” Josivin said, pointing at the diamond in the middle of the ring. Several other smaller ones surrounded it. “The rubies are from the deepest part of the Red mountains.”
Two rubies sat on both sides of the ring. The Red Queensland received both its name and wealth from the vast deposits of rubies found in their mountains and on their land.
Josivin looked up at Lu. “You’re brother told me gold was your favorite so I had the band handcrafted.” His hand still held hers. Lu looked at the band of the ring. Gold and black hearts linked together circling her finger. It was beautiful but the mention of her brother made her want to rip it off her finger.
Lu looked back at Josivin “You and prince Lecive seem very close.”
Josivin grinned. “We are. Mother is very fond of him, as am I. He’s a real man, your brother. I feel there is much I can learn from him.”
His words were sickening. Even her future husband seemed to want to align himself with Prince Lecive. Everyone loved her eldest brother, but no one knew him. Not like she did.
Josivin only confirmed what she already knew. Lecive was aligning himself with the Red court. He wanted control and he was willing to go through the future king to get it. With the wealthy queensland backing it wouldn’t matter when Lu completed her royal bonds. She’d never be free of him.
“He told me about you,” Josivin said gaining Lu’s attention again. “When he came to visit he always spoke greatly of your strength and how you were faring in your training. He worries, you know. You are a very independent person Queen of Hearts, but this life can be lonely without friends. I, myself, am no stranger to the isolation superiority can sometimes bring. I’d like us to get along. You and I, together we can be more than just an arrangement.”
Lu only half heard the rest of his statement. Her mind stuck on what Josivin had said about her brother. He had no right to talk about her like that. Pretending to care. Pretending to know her.
He knows nothing of me.
The thought of her brother speaking about her in such a way made her skin crawl. She turned away from the prince. Her eyes could not conceal the rage burning inside of her. He was a liar. A dirty retch of a thing, she would not dare call human.
Josivin reached out a hand to touch her arm. “Are you alright?”
Lu took a deep breath and turned back. She looked Josivin in the eyes, careful to control her tone. “I would like nothing more than to get along with you Prince Josivin, but as for my brother, he doesn’t always know about the things he speaks of.”
Josivin pulled back. “I’m sorry. I’ve spoken out of turn.”
“No, do not apologize. You’ve done nothing wrong. The cold is getting to me. Perhaps it is best if we head back now.” Lu stood and waited for the prince.
Josivin hesitated before standing up. He offered her his arm. Lu took it without looking at him. They made their way back to her chamber, stopping outside her door. Lu turned around to tell Josivin goodbye but he spoke before she could.
“He’s sorry about what happened,” Josivin said.
“What?”
“He never went into detail about it but I can tell it pains him. Lecive may not show it but I know he regrets what happened between you two. Perhaps if you were willing to forgive him you’d see it.” He looked at her with hopeful eyes.
Lu knew exactly which incident the prince was talking about. Anger rose inside of her again but this time it was cold as ice. The air chilled around her. Her cold gaze forced Josivin to take a half step back.
“You do not know my family as well as you presume to think, Prince Josivin,” Lu said, taking a step forward. “Perhaps if you did you’d be more careful with who you aligned yourself with.”
In that moment Lu didn’t care about the repercussions of her statement. Only later would she regret the biting tone of her voice. Only then she would look back and see the fear that had flashed across the prince’s face and know that she’d made a mistake.
39
The Heart Queensland
Lu’s hands pressed against the door closing it. Her nails scratched against the wood as she balled her hands into tight fist. Josivin’s words stuck in her mind.
He’s sorry?
Lu laughed, cold and bitter. She didn’t give a damn about what he felt. She’d looked into his eyes that night and saw him for who he really was. There was a monster worse than any orcestral hidden behind his fiery red eyes.
Lu pushed away from the door. She walked to the center of the room. Her eyes fell on the fireplace. It was big enough to crawl in. Black stone and metal cage. Big enough to roast a grown man alive.
Leo sat with her on the chamber floor. He held up his hands, casting shadows against the back wall. Lu watched as his shadow bird fluttered against the stone wall. She held her hands up, mirroring Leo’s to make a smaller shadow bird of her own.
“And then the bird swooped down.” Leo’s hands came down for hers. Lu squealed and pulled her hands away.
“You’ll never catch me.” She giggled.
Outside her window, it was still raining. Lightening danced among the dark gray clouds creating flashes of light. Thunder rumbled like drums, but she’d forgotten to be afraid.
Leo was good at distractions. He always came to find her during the storms. They kept their voices at a whisper, so not to wake Eleaa who slept on the other side of the wall.
Leo was twelve, which according to their father, meant he was no longer allowed to spend time in her room alone anymore. Lu didn’t understand why, but she knew better than to question the King. He never touched Lu, but something about him had always frightened her. The King was much like the night storm. His body moved fast as lightning and his voice was thunder. Near him she felt the electric tension of a long awaited down pour.
“Do another one, Leo,” Lu begged.
Leo began to reposition his hands. The cuts on his knuckles were turning to scabs. He told her they didn’t hurt so Lu tried not to pay them much attention. The scars were not an uncommon sight. Wrongs becoming normal.
The door creaked open. Both siblings turn to see who it was. Lu’s first thought was of her father and her heart skipped a beat, but she relaxed when she saw that it was only Lecive.
Lecive eyed them both. He smiled and stepped into the room. “Why are you up, little one?”
“We’re telling shadow stories,” Lu said. Lecive didn’t usually come to play with them. He spent most of his time with their mother, but when they were together their interactions were usually pleasant enough. She thought she might like him, but wasn’t sure. She knew she wanted him to like her, but Lu wanted most people to like her more than they did.
Leo was oddly silent. His eyes were on Lecive. Standing, he moved in front of Lu.
“Brother is everything alright?” Leo asked.
“Broth
er?” Lecive looked at Leo, cocking his head to the side. He nodded to himself. “Yes, I am. We are blood fully and truly. Though looks may be a bit deceiving. You looking so much like him and me so much like her.”
“You mustn’t listen to the rumors. They speak terrible things and they will soon pass.”
Lecive smiled. “Rumors?” He moved closer to them. In the light of the fire Lu could see the cut on his lip and purpling bruise on his lower jaw. There was something in his eyes. A spark of fire that was not unlike the one she sometimes spotted in her father’s eyes. She couldn’t look away.
“I wonder if you could say that with the roles reversed. What privilege this face gifts you.” Lecive grabbed Leo’s jaw, but Leo pushed his hand away.
“You need to go back to your room brother,” Leo said.
“Why? Nothings wrong with me. I just came here to check on the heir to our family’s name. Is there something wrong with that? Or do you not want me to get close to my little sister? Perhaps you think if you’re the only one close to her she’ll show you loyalty. Maybe once she’s queen she’ll let you be her little lap dog.”
Lu couldn’t see Leo’s expression but she knew from the way his hands fisted and body tensed Lecive had upset him.
“Come on, little Leo. Bark for your master.” Lecive sneered taking a step closer.
Lu stepped out in front of Leo. She stretched her arms out to her sides and glared at Lecive. “Leave him alone.” She tried to look as intimidating as someone of her height and age could.
Lecive laughed looking down at her. “Look at you. So ready to defend the weak and helpless. You think you’re special because you’re a girl? You think they really want you, pale daughter? You’re just a placeholder. Once they have a second daughter you won’t be any different from the rest of us.”
Lu jumped forward. Her hands outstretched she tried to claw at Lecive’s face. She hated when people made fun of her skin. Leo caught her and held her back before she could reach him.