by Ashenden, V.
Homa frowned. "Oh, child. I so regret my choices. I should not have thrust this upon you."
"I don't regret it," Sienna said, sniffling, wiping her nose. "I think that night was the best night of my life. And now they'll hang me, but that's okay. At least I had the chance to be a princess and fall in love and kiss a prince."
Chapter Nineteen
The Confession
Court rode Striker through the castle gate, the soldiers saluting. He dismounted and started through the hall. Wellington was at his side, trying to keep pace.
"Sir, hadn't you better rest? You have not taken sleep all night."
"I will rest when I know what's happened to Sienna."
"Sir, she admits her crime."
"I just can't believe it. I can't. It makes no sense to me. There's been a mistake. There must've been."
"It is hard to be confused when one speaks of high treason, sir."
"Just be quiet, Wellington."
They came to the hall before the throne room and were forced to wait outside.
"I'll be king in a week and I must wait?" he muttered.
"In a week, sir," Wellington reminded him. "We must stand on formality. Do remember to be respectful to your bride."
The steward came through the doors. "Her majesty, the queen, will see you now."
Court followed him in, finding Celeste sitting on the throne, the queen's crown now on her head. The king's throne remained empty, the crown sitting upon the seat. Vrine was standing over the queen's shoulder, now her lady-in-waiting, it seemed.
"Celeste," Court said as he reached the small staircase that led up to the throne, "I must know—"
"Prince Cross," she interrupted, "I will remind you to bow before you address me."
He pulled his neck back. "Of course..." He bowed at the waist. "Celeste—"
"And, please, Prince Cross, do me the honor of addressing me by my title in present company."
"Queen Celeste," Court said, "I must know—"
"Please, slow down, Prince Cross," Celeste said. "You are entirely far too worked up."
"I have reason to be."
"I know you do. I understand you pursued the dragon into its lair last night. It eluded you?"
"It did."
"And a search this morning has produced nothing?"
"No, it has fled, but we did honor my lost company with a burial and a prayer."
"I am afraid, my dear prince, the dragon is a fearsome foe, and I must thank the stars that you are returned from it alive. Do you have any idea where it may be?"
"None. Even the forest's perpetual rain has stopped."
"I see. That is unfortunate. We will have to be vigil when looking for the next attack."
"Indeed, but, Queen Celeste, there is another pressing matter. I must know what has happened to the stable girl, Sienna."
"The stable girl? What matter does that reflect upon you?"
"Only that I went to some trouble saving her life, and I would find myself quite distressed to learn she was a villain."
"I am so afraid, Prince Cross, you must be distressed." Celeste sighed. "She has committed murder upon the queen herself, my dear mother, capital assassination, high treason. She will hang by the neck in six days time, on the day of our wedding—the executioner is ever so booked until then."
"Hang?" he said loudly.
"Do you not think it is a severe enough punishment for the cruel murder of the queen? I do so agree with you, but the kingdom has outlawed burning at the stake. Do you think we ought to bring it back?"
"No, of course not. I mean to say, I find it...incredible that Sienna, that a stable girl, would find reason to murder a queen. What gain is there for her? What motive? Why such madness?"
Celeste nodded. "Indeed, she was a troubled girl. I have no wish to keep things from you, my fiancé." Celeste looked to Vrine. "Vrine, clear the hall of all but the prince."
Vrine bowed her head and snapped her fingers. Court nodded to Wellington. Everyone began filing out of the room. Vrine closed the doors before returning to the throne. Celeste stood up, coming down the steps.
"Oh, my dear, Court," she said, holding out her hands. He took them and she patted the back of his hand. "I can imagine how shocking this must have come to you. Yet I am afraid I must shock you more. But first, do tell me, has the girl spoken to you about what she has done?"
"No, not a word. She expressed to me she wanted to tell me something. I assumed it was...well, I assumed she wished to express her feelings for me."
"Oh?" Celeste said, her head tilting. "Is there something you need to tell me?"
"Of course not, Celeste. You must understand the girl is a peasant. When a prince show's her attention, even that of a friend, she so imagines herself in love."
"Indeed. Then she has said nothing of a secret?"
Court shook his head, squinting. "No. I would not think a stable girl had any secrets."
Celeste nodded, taking a deep breath. "What I am about to say cannot be shared beyond your ears, not to anyone, not even your servant. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Oh, dear prince. I fear this will shake you to the core, but on the night of the ball, whilst you and I were out and about in the gardens, the queen, my dear mother, revealed to Sienna that she is my half sister."
"Wh–what?" Court said, his eyes flying open.
"Yes. You may notice Sienna and I have a similar hair color, the same color our dear father was renowned for, the Golden King, he was once known as."
"I, yes, now that you mention it, I did notice."
She nodded. "Indeed. My father, as you may have heard in rumor, was unfaithful to my mother, and so produced a second heir with her. My mother did not hold with sexuality whilst she was pregnant, and nine months was ever too long for my father, it seemed, so he looked for comfort from another, and so found it with a servant girl. And upon learning this, it is a tragic thing to admit, but my mother did indeed slay my father. Oh, I knew, of course, but what can a child do against the madness of a parent? I do believe my mother came to regret it. But upon seeing Sienna, she felt compelled to tell her what she had done, tell her who her father was, and so reveal to her that she was indeed a child of royal birth. Sienna was mad with rage."
"Mad with rage?" he echoed. "Sienna?"
"Indeed," Celeste said. "She returned to the kitchens, and upon the queen wishing for tea, Sienna poisoned it."
"Oh, my God."
"I am afraid it gets worse. Had she the opportunity, she also intended to murder me, and upon my death, so announce herself as the lost heir, to make a bid at the throne. And I do believe upon meeting you, she had formulated some sort of hope of winning you as her king."
"Unbelievable," he whispered.
"Do not hate her, Court. I pity the poor thing. She must have been hurting so to learn the truth of her lineage, the truth of her father's death, but to commit such a crime, well, it cannot be excused."
"How did you learn she poisoned the queen though?" Court asked.
"You will have noticed my previous lady-in-waiting, Homa, is missing. She has been a prisoner these last days—poison was found in her company. Upon learning the queen had finally died, she so revealed to us it was Sienna who poisoned my mother, and then admitted to giving the girl the poison to complete the task."
Court put a hand to his face, rubbing his forehead. "I am...in such shock, Celeste."
"I do see you are, indeed, to think such an innocent child could commit such a heinous act."
"But might Homa have lied, perhaps to slay the queen herself and so shift the blame? Might Sienna be innocent?"
"I am afraid not," Celeste said, motioning to Vrine. "Sienna has signed a confession."
Vrine gave the scroll to Court, who opened it, his eyes running over the text, lying out what she had done, that she had asked Homa for poison, that Homa had given it to her, and that Sienna had put it in the tea before serving it. Her signature at the bottom was askew, as if sh
e had been trembling when she signed.
"Celeste, I am so sorry for the loss of your mother," Court said, looking back up.
Celeste smiled a delicate smile. "Thank you, Court. It is a tragedy for me beyond compare, to lose both my parents and to govern this kingdom on my own. My only solace is that in six days time, you and I will be wed, and I will have the support I need to make my parents proud."
"Of course, you will, Celeste. I will always be by your side."
"I know you will, my king."
Court gave her a troubled look. "Might I speak to Sienna?"
Celeste's eyes narrowed. "Whatever for?"
"I do not know. I, I feel I must at least ask her why she did it."
"Have I not already laid out her motives?"
"You have, yes, but I have lost all my men in the pursuit of saving her life, and if she is to die, I must at least speak to her beforehand."
Celeste bowed her head. "Very well. But pray, let me speak to her first, and you may listen. I fear what lies she may spin to you, and with her so fixated on you, I do fear she may sway your heart."
"No woman will ever sway my heart from you, Celeste. I decided the moment we kissed I would be yours for all time."
"You are far too kind to me, Court. Come, let us speak to the girl together."
* * *
Sienna was lying on her side, her eyes vacant as Homa petted her hair through the bars.
"Does it hurt to be hanged?" Sienna asked.
"Not for long, I think," Homa replied.
"Do you think I'll see my mother in heaven?"
"Oh, child, if ever there was a girl who deserved to pass through the gates, it is you."
"You'll be there too?"
"Pray, I hope so."
"Do you think Court will ever think about me after I'm gone?"
"Yes, I do. I think he shall never cease thinking of you."
"Think he was mad when he found out I was under the mask?"
"Mad, no. Surprised, certainly. It may very well have finally made sense to him. For if I may say, you were a rather unconventional princess."
Sienna smiled. "Yeah. I'd do it just the same though."
"Hold tight to those memories, child."
Suddenly, from down the corridor, the other prisoners began yelling, begging, sobbing.
"Princess! Save us!"
"Princess! Pardon us!"
"Princess! Forgive us!"
"Take pity! Take pity!"
Sienna climbed up slowly, looking through the bars as Celeste reached her cell, dressed all in black, a veil covering her face and a hood over her head, as if to shield her from this place. Sienna pressed her face to the filthy ground.
"Your highness!"
"My title, peasant," Celeste said, "is your majesty."
"I'm sorry, your majesty," Sienna said, looking up slowly. "I am so honored you came to see me. Can I apologize for what I've done? Can I beg you to pass on my apology to Prince Cross? Can I beg you to let Homa and me go?"
"Your majesty," Homa spoke up. "Please, do not sentence this girl to the gallows. I am to blame and I take my punishment willingly."
"Homa, be silent," Celeste said. "I do not wish to hear you speak again, and if you do, I shall have you put to death this very hour."
Homa closed her mouth and put her head down. Celeste turned her eyes to Sienna.
"You wish to apologize to me for what you've done?"
"I do! I am so sorry! I can only beg that you find it in your heart to forgive me!"
"So that I might spare you the noose?"
Sienna gulped. "Yes, your majesty. I'm so terrified. I know it was wrong to—"
"To do what you did," Celeste interrupted. "You admit your crimes?"
"I do. I signed a confession."
"Help me understand why, Sienna. What possessed you to do what you did? Tell me why you betrayed the queen, why you lied to her, why you lied to Prince Cross? After all I have done for you, how could you do this to me?"
Sienna crawled forward, holding the bars as she looked up at the queen. "I did it because, because I thought I was helping you."
"Helping me?" Celeste said loudly, glancing to the side. "Do you think this is how I wished to be helped?"
"I don't know," Sienna whispered. "And, to be honest, I did it because the idea of being a princess, like you, was so tempting, to step into your shoes, even for one night, who wouldn't do that?"
Celeste smirked. "You would kill to be me, wouldn't you?"
Sienna squinted. "I didn't mean it like that."
"But you have already hurt so many, Sienna, my mother, me, even the prince."
"I never meant to hurt anyone. I'm sorry."
"Then you regret what you did? You would take it back if you could? You would never have done it?"
"I...I..."
"Come now; tell me you regret it at least."
Sienna swallowed, meeting the queen's eyes. "I can't. I fell in love with Court, and the chance to be with him, even for a few moments, I'd do it all over again."
Celeste shook her head. "Do you really think he would be with you after learning what you did?"
"No," Sienna whispered. "I know I never had a chance with him. But, but I can't help how I feel. You're the lucky one. You're the princess. You get to have the prince. I know that. All I can do is pretend."
Celeste smirked. "For your crimes, you will hang in six days time, on the very day of my wedding. And as you hang, do think of me and remember what you have done, and know that Prince Cross is mine for all time."
And then Celeste stepped back and Court appeared from down the hall, his eyes falling on Sienna, blazing with an anger she had only seen aimed at the dragon.
"Court!"
"Sienna, how could you do this?"
"Court, I, I didn't know you were there."
"How could you betray the queen? I couldn't have believed you were capable of this."
"I didn't mean to hurt the queen," Sienna said. "I know she was upset, and I wish she was still alive so I could apologize to her again, but I only did it because, because I thought it was the right thing to do."
"You thought it was the right thing to do?" he echoed in disbelief.
"Yes. And maybe I wanted to be a princess, just once in my life."
"And that justifies what you did?"
"No, it doesn't. But I started to fall in love with you, and—"
"Do you think I could ever feel anything for you after what you've done?"
"No. I know you can't. I know it was wrong, but I couldn't help it. Once I got to know you, I wanted it to go on and on."
"You wanted to replace Celeste?"
"No, of course not. I know...know I'm not a princess. I'm no one. I know that."
"But you wanted to take the princess' place?"
"What girl wouldn't want to be her, wouldn't want to be with you, let herself get swept away and just love you. Yes, I wanted it."
"And you don't even regret it?" he said.
She swallowed. "No. I'd do it all over again, just to be with you."
"You are out of your mind," he said. "That's what's most disgusting to me, not a shred of regret."
Sienna's heart burned and tears slipped down her cheeks. She stared at him, watching his anger boil. "I'm sorry."
"I risked my life for you," he said quietly. "I lost ten knights protecting you, men who I have known since I was young, men who were my friends, and I did it to protect you, a lying murderer."
Sienna pulled back, squinting. "I, I'm not a murderer."
"What do you call it then?" he said, his voice growing loud. "Do you think you're bloodline gives you the right to kill?"
"What? No, I don't think it does. I don't even know what you mean."
"Prince Cross," Celeste interrupted. "I think that's enough. She knows what she did. We should leave her be."
Court shook his head at Sienna. "I can't even look at you anymore. You deserve your fate." And then Court walked away.
Celeste watched Court as he moved down the passage. And then she began laughing, quietly at first, growing louder and louder.
"Oh, you stupid girl," Celeste said, turning her eyes to Sienna. "That worked so well."
"What?" Sienna said.
"You are so dumb. I love that about peasants."
"What do you mean?" Sienna asked.
Celeste came closer, right up to the bars, looking down at her. "You silly thing, he does not know you took my place at the masquerade ball. No one knows that. And no one ever will."
"Huh?" Sienna said, wiping her eyes. "But, but—"
"But what was he talking about?" Celeste said, letting out another laugh. "You imbecile, you're being put to death for the murder of the queen. You poisoned her tea a week ago. And after you met the prince, you were going to find a way back into the castle and poison me too. That is your crime. And that is what you just admitted to. How does that feel, peasant?"
Sienna pulled away from the bars. "But, but I didn't do that."
"Oh, really?" Celeste said. "That's funny, because you just told Prince Cross you did. You even signed a confession. You did do it, didn't you? You poisoned my dear, sweet mother. How dare you?"
"But I didn't!"
"Oh, stop," Celeste said, and then she squatted down, coming eye-level. "Here's something for you to think about while you hang from the rope. This kingdom is mine. I will not share it with anyone, not my father, not my mother, and not a prince from Cross. If you want him so much, stable girl, you can have him, on the other side."
"What do you mean?" Sienna whispered.
Celeste reached through the bars, her hand running down Sienna's golden hair, resting on her cheek. "I'll tell you a secret, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. On the night of my wedding, after Court gives me an heir, the dragon shall come again, and this time, it will come for him."
"No," Sienna whispered.
"Oh, yes. Vrine has worked her witchcraft well on that beast, and it will come when she calls. The whole kingdom knows how devoted the prince is to slaying the dragon, and, oh, how they'll weep when they see the new king dead. But fear not! The queen will have an heir in her belly, an heir of Cross. Cross Kingdom will remain an ally, and I will be on the throne, and you...you will be dead."