by Renna Peak
“You’ll not.” I shake my head, trying to hold fast to his arm as he twists away from me. “We’ll all go. We’ll—”
“There’s a weight limit, Your Highness,” the supervisor interrupts. “One of us has to stay here. At least one—”
“Then William and I will stay together.”
“This is nonsense,” the supervisor says. He shakes his head a few times. “I’m not going to have a prince of my country and his wife dying in a mine accident. And we don’t have time to argue. Get on this elevator, Your Highness.”
William arches an eyebrow, but he does as he’s told. The supervisor pulls down the door behind him, and we all cram in together, weight limit or not.
The elevator begins to ascend, but it seems much slower than the trip down, probably because of the additional weight.
It seems to take forever, and the buzzing sound hasn’t stopped. Whatever happened in the explosion on the other side of the rock separating us is causing the entire elevator shaft to vibrate in a very uncomfortable way.
William seems to sense my fear, and he pulls me into his arms. I rest my cheek against his chest—as much as I can with my hardhat still in place.
Several minutes later, the elevator arrives at the surface. We all depart, the men breathing loud sighs of relief.
William looks down at me. “They’re going to destroy the mines. But they have to know that area they’re drilling in isn’t used any more. What could they possibly—?”
He doesn’t get to finish his question. Another explosion, much louder than the one we heard earlier in the depths of the mine, sounds throughout the camp.
And a second later, something blasts through the elevator shaft, sending shards of rock everywhere.
I’m not sure what’s happening—the only thing I know is William throws me to the ground, covering my body with his as the shock of the blast travels over us like a wave.
My ears are ringing, and I can barely breathe with William lying on top of me. It takes me a moment to recover, but I’m finally able to push him off of me.
He’s unconscious—still breathing, but definitely not awake. I look around at the rest of the site and see other men lying on the ground, some writhing, others still, but all are covered in some amount of blood. A few people are already on their feet, tending to the injured workers.
A light snow is already falling, and it’s hard to tell the difference between the snow and the particles floating in the air.
I hover over William, touching his face. “William?” I shake him by the shoulder. “William?”
He finally stirs, moaning a bit as he sits up. He holds his head in his hands for a few moments before looking up at me. “What happened?”
“There was another explosion.” I shake my head. “I…I don’t know. I think everyone was already out of the mines.”
He seems to scan the area, much as I just did. “We need to make sure.” He struggles to get his footing, and I help him to his feet. “Are…are you okay? Did you…did you hit the ground? Did—?”
“I’m all right.” I’m not so sure it’s the truth, but I can’t think of anything better to say. “I think I’m…we’re fine.” My hand instinctively covers my lower abdomen. “We’re fine.” My ears are still ringing, and my nostrils burn with the acrid smell of smoke in the air. But I seem to be in one piece, unlike many of the moaning men around us.
He nods, a look of relief coming to his face. He looks around at the site again. “It looks like some of the others weren’t so lucky.”
We split up then, each of us going to help the injured as best as we can. From what I can tell, there were no deaths. There are many injuries—and far too much blood—but no one seems to have lost a life at my father’s hands.
It’s an hour or so before William and I are able to meet again. The snow is still falling, and my lungs ache from the smoke and debris still in the air.
The worst of the injuries have been taken to the hospital, and the rest of the men are trying to clean up as best they can. It will be some time before things here will return to any sense of normalcy—if they ever do.
William walks to my side, bending over to help me with picking up the debris. “Are you all right?”
There’s no way to describe how not all right I am—I can’t explain the mixture of guilt and disgust I’m feeling at what has happened at my father’s hands. He’s injured innocent people, and for what? Bragging rights to this mine? It all seems so senseless, and I have no way to make anyone else understand.
I turn to William. “I don’t think I’ll ever be all right again.”
William
I want to take Justine in my arms and never let her go. I want to take us both far, far away from all of this—from the danger, from her father, from the political turmoil that has wrapped itself around us. She doesn’t realize it, but I’m still shaking from what happened in the mine—not because of the danger to me, but because of the danger to her and our unborn children. In the split second before the explosion knocked me over, I was struck by a fear for her so intense, so overwhelming, that it’s still vibrating in my bones. I’m not sure it will ever go away.
I’m not going to lose her. I’ll lay down my own life before I let any harm come to her. My rage toward King Maximilian has turned from a burning simmer to something hot and fierce—if he were here in front of me right now, I’d kill him. I’d kill him, with no hesitation or thought to the consequences. The bastard deserves to rot in hell for everything he’s done to his own daughter. To Montovia. To the men who work in these mines, and to the citizens in his own country. The world would be a better place without him.
Justine’s hand squeezes my arm, and when I look down at her, there’s concern in her eyes.
“It’s over now,” she says quietly, as if guessing my thoughts. “We saved these men’s lives. And we’re safe.”
Safe…but for how long? This can be interpreted as nothing less than an act of war. No, this is only the beginning.
As if to punctuate my thoughts, I hear a familiar voice call my name. “William!”
I look up to see my brother Andrew striding toward me, a grim look on his face. His dark eyes take in everything around him, but he never falters on his path toward me.
It’s not until he’s right in front of me that I see anything other than seriousness and anger in his eyes—I see a deep worry, a vulnerability that he rarely shows. To my complete shock, when he’s only a couple of steps away from me, he raises his arms and pulls me into a hug. I’m so stunned that I don’t even have the chance to lift my arms before he releases me again, stepping back to a respectable distance once more.
“They tell me you went down into the mines,” he says. “That was a foolish, foolish thing you did.” He glances at Justine. “Both of you. Were you trying to get yourselves killed?” He’s barely maintaining control of his temper. “Do you know what would have happened if one or both of you had died because of your stupidity?”
“How did you get here so fast?” I ask. “How did you even know?”
“One of the supervisors called the mining minister in the capital the moment you decided to enter the mines,” Andrew says. “He informed father, and I volunteered to come here and retrieve you. What the hell is going on here? The foreman said you were babbling about Maximilian and some sort of weapon—”
“Maximilian dug under the mountains,” I say. “He tried to destroy the mines, and as far as I know, he may have succeeded. No one’s been down there since the initial blast—we don’t know exactly what he has planned, or how much more damage he can do.”
Even though Andrew knew some of this already, his eyes widen as I tell him what Justine and I discovered.
“This was an act of war,” he says, his voice a low rumble. “King Maximilian knows our father cannot let this go unanswered.”
“My father is acting out of spite,” Justine says. “He knows the Montovian army outranks ours, but he doesn’t care. He just hates th
is country so much he wants to destroy it, and he doesn’t care if he destroys Rosvalia in the process.”
“This is… This is bad,” Andrew says. I’ve rarely seen my brother at a loss for words, which makes his reaction now all the more unsettling. “We must get back to the capital at once. Who knows what else that monster has planned? We must inform Father of Maximilian’s actions and form a plan immediately.”
He doesn’t give either Justine or me the chance to respond, but rather grabs each of us by the arm and leads us swiftly toward a car waiting near the site supervisor’s building. We follow along obediently, but I can’t help but look out among the injured miners.
“Our national emergency services are already on their way,” Andrew tells me when he sees where I’m looking. “They should be bringing more resources and medical care along any moment.”
Moments later, we’re all three in the car and heading back to the palace. Andrew is staring out the window, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the scene we’re leaving. I know his mind is hard at work, running through our country’s options, trying to decide how to manage this situation without making things worse for Montovia. He’s not king yet, but he already thinks like one.
And I, meanwhile, still feel like I’m waking from the haze of a dream. I’m still in shock from everything we just experienced—I have a sneaking suspicion the true gravity of what happened won’t hit me until later. Right now, I’m dazed and exhausted and can hardly think straight, let alone come up with any sort of plan.
I wrap my arm around Justine, holding her against my side. She snuggles closer, and though she doesn’t say a word, I can sense her exhaustion and her fear. None of us can escape thinking about what comes next, what this means for our future.
It’s not until we’re half an hour away that Andrew turns back to us, a slight wrinkle in his brow.
“I suppose I should have asked this earlier, but I’m surprised to see the two of you together,” he says. “Does this mean…”
“We decided to remarry,” I tell him. “We’re husband and wife once more.” After a quick glance down at Justine—and an encouraging nod from her—I go on. “And Justine is pregnant. With twins.”
Andrew’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. I expect him to be upset—after all, a secret royal marriage and pregnancy aren’t exactly responsible, and my brother is all about propriety—but instead, the corner of his mouth tips up into a smile.
“I suppose I should be offering you my congratulations, then,” he says.
“We know it complicates things a little,” I say, squeezing Justine’s hand, “but maybe, at the end of the day, it will be the thing that brings our countries together.”
“Maybe,” says Andrew, and I can’t tell from his tone whether he’s agreeing with me or not. “Maybe.”
The palace is in a flurry when we arrive. It seems the news of Maximilian’s attack has arrived ahead of us.
“We need to go speak to Father immediately,” Andrew says. “He’ll want to hear everything we’ve learned. And he’ll want to know about the latest developments in your personal life.”
“We’ll be right there,” I tell him. “You go ahead.”
Andrew nods and hurries off toward our father’s office. I turn back to Justine, who’s been looking paler and paler since we left the mines.
“How are you feeling?” I ask her. “Do you need to see the physician?”
She shakes her head. “I’m fine. Just…exhausted. And worried.” She looks up at me. “And terrified. I know my father deserves whatever happens, but my people… If we go to war over this, it’s the people who will suffer. They’re already struggling, and if there’s a war my father will only divert more funds away from them. My people have done nothing wrong, but they’re the ones who will be punished by all of this.” She steps into the circle of my arms, pressing her forehead against my chest. “I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help them. My father must face consequences for his actions, I know that, but my people…” She sucks in a shaky breath. “I’ve never felt so lost or so scared in my entire life. And I’ve never felt so…powerless.”
After everything this woman has suffered, hearing her admit that shakes me to my core. I tighten my grip on her, holding her as close as I can.
“I’m sure my father will do everything he can to avoid outright war,” I tell her, but even I don’t know if that’s the truth. “We have to have faith.”
“I’m all out of that,” she says softly.
“Then have faith in me,” I say. “Have faith in us. That’s all either of us can do—believe in each other. And in our children you carry inside you.”
She lifts her head, her eyes searching mine. “And if the worst happens?”
“Then we face it together,” I tell her. “Because that’s the only choice we have.”
Justine
William takes me by the hand and leads me to his father’s office. Even with the doors closed, I can hear the activity going on behind them.
He knocks, and a moment later, the king’s valet opens the door. He narrows his gaze, giving me a strong glare before he turns his gaze to William. “The king is expecting you, Your Highness. This, however…” His gaze darts over to me then back to my husband. “I don’t believe she is welcome.”
William’s grip tightens on my hand. “We’ll see my father together, Stephan. I don’t believe it’s for you to say who is welcome and who is not.”
“Hmph.” The stout man lifts his nose in the air, shaking his head before he turns away and heads back for the desk on the far side of the room. There are others here—people I don’t recognize, but they all seem to be hovering around Stephan’s desk.
They all ignore us as we head to the next set of doors on the opposite side of the room. William knocks, and there’s a stern “yes” that comes from the other side of the doors a moment later.
He looks over at me, giving me an encouraging nod before he turns the knob and guides me inside, closing the door behind us.
The king’s office is modest compared to my father’s in Rosvalia. The room is substantial with rich wood features, but it has none of the ornateness of my father’s office.
William’s father is sitting behind his desk and Andrew is seated in one of the chairs across from him. Both men stand when we enter. William’s father looks at him for a long moment, his gaze sliding between the two of us before fixing again on his son. He frowns, shaking his head. “I thought we’d agreed that the marriage between the two of you was over—”
“Father,” William interrupts. “This hardly seems the appropriate time to be discussing this. As I’m sure you’ve heard—”
“I don’t need to hear anything.” He glances at me, almost as an afterthought, before he takes the seat behind the desk again, motioning for Andrew to do the same. He lets out a long breath as he shakes his head again. “I’m meeting with the Senate in an hour to discuss…” His gaze flicks to me once more, almost as though he’s thought better of saying anything in front of me.
“I’ll head over there myself, Father.” Andrew rises and walks over to the door. “I can get the proceedings started.”
The king nods as Andrew leaves. As soon as the door is closed, he tents his hands on his desk. “Princess Justine, I mean you no disrespect, but I’m sure you understand why none of this will be discussed in front of you.”
I press my lips together, nodding. I look up at William, giving him a small smile. “I’ll find my way—”
“You’ll be taken to a holding cell…chamber. Again, Princess, I mean you no disrespect, but you surely can understand my concerns with you being in Montovia after what has happened—”
“Father.” William pulls his hand from mine, walking over to lean over his father’s desk. “She is my wife. I’ll not have her held like some animal—”
“Like her family held you?” He shakes his head. “I’d heard rumor of your captivity this morning—I was already preparing to take acti
on against Rosvalia before the incident at the mine. We’ll not be allowing any member of the Rosvalian royal family walking freely about our palace. Not after her family had you held inside their dungeon.”
“That had nothing to do with Justine—”
“That had everything to do with Justine.” The king’s expression never wavers. “I’ll not be taking any further chances with a member of the Rosvalian royal family, no matter how dear she might be to you—”
“She’s my wife—”
“Your marriage was annulled. She hasn’t been your wife in some time—”
“We’ve remarried. Legally.” William looks over his shoulder, giving me a small smile before turning back to his father. “And Father—”
“I don’t care. There is nothing you could tell me that is going to change my mind.” He rises again from his seat. “Stephan!”
“Father, wait—”
William is interrupted by the opening of the door. Stephan steps through, giving the king a shallow bow. “Yes, Your Majesty?”
“See to the comfort of our…guest. And post two Royal Guardsmen outside her door.”
“Father, I insist—”
King Edmund cuts his son off with a curt shake of his head. “There is nothing for you to insist upon. We could have prevented this disaster if your…wife had told us earlier. She’s kept far too much from us.” He flicks his head toward the door, and Stephan immediately grabs me by the arm.
“Unhand her.” William’s voice is stronger than a warning—he almost sounds as though he means to kill the man.
“William…” I shake my head. “It’s okay. Your father is right—your country needs to handle this, and I’m the last person who should be interfering.”
The king’s eyebrow flicks up for a split second. “Wise words. You should heed them, son.”
“She saved the lives of the men at the mines, Father. Montovian lives. You don’t understand. She saved my life, too.” William shakes his head, his expression twisted with frustration. “If she hadn’t done what she’s done, we would be talking about deaths of the mine workers. Not just minor wounds and—”