I headed to the courtyard fueled by a new purpose. As I neared, the commotion of a conflict hung in the air. I burst through the door to see a crowd of Besmian soldiers huddled in a circle. At the center, two men brawled, their fists colliding with each other's faces sporadically.
"Hey!" I called. The crowd turned, sending each soldier to attention. "What's going on here?" The bloody men at the center of the circle hung their heads.
An older man stepped forward. "Leon was the leader of the southern unit, but he never named a successor—or even his second in command." He scratched his thick beard. "These two men believe they should be the new leader."
I put my hands on my hips. "Listen, gentlemen," I said, projecting my voice as much as I could, though my throat was still raw from vomiting. "I can imagine why Leon didn't feel any of you were ready to lead. Here you are, fighting each other over a title, while the enemy is practically knocking down the castle door." I scanned their faces. "What good is your title when your kingdom burns to the ground? Do you want to be a hero? Then, for God's sake, act like a hero." A frost-cold wind pushed through the courtyard. "There are three outposts a reasonable distance from here with reinforcements. I need those men delivered to this castle in less than three hours. Understand? Three hours."
The old soldier finally spoke, "What happens in three hours?" The soldiers' gazes scorched my face.
My voice broke. "There might not be a castle to come back to."
He nodded, the deep lines on his face drooping. "Then I'd better let someone else take this."
"I'll do it, Your Majesty," a voice called from the crowd. A fair-haired man with a split lip stepped out of the center of the circle, blood dripping off the bottom of his chin. "I apologize for my behavior earlier. I can make it back in time."
I eyed him warily. "Which outpost?"
"Any," he said, bowing deeply. "Let me make it up to you."
I nodded. "Make it up to your own men. It's their lives at stake if you don't make it back."
He mounted his horse. "I'm headed for Magnolia."
A tall man with several medals stepped forward, pulling another decorated soldier with him. "I'll take Begonia and Gresham said he'd take Calla."
Instinctively, I put my hand on my stomach. "We're counting on you."
The three soldiers raced to their assigned outposts, but even if they made it back, I worried they'd miss the bulk of the battle ahead. "The rest of you, gather every soldier on the premises. We're going to back up the King and the Prince of Vires."
The old soldier pulled on his graying beard. "Excuse me, Your Majesty. Not to cause waves, but who will be leading us?"
I clutched the hilt of my dagger. "I will."
Chapter 44
Prince Minseo
I HELD THE EDGE OF my sword to my little brother's throat, my body shaking. What was I doing? I didn't want to hurt him, but my body wouldn't lower the blade. I knew none of this made sense, but I didn't care. I was a mess of adrenaline and rage.
Young's gaze remained transfixed on me, a glimmer of sadness in them that I'd never seen before.
"Why, brother?" he whispered.
The wind knocked out of me. "Charlotte," I said, pressing my sword against the soft of his neck.
The soldier who delivered the message lunged at me.
"Stay back!" Young shouted. "Don't interfere."
The guard stumbled back as if he'd been struck.
My brother's gaze returned to me. "I'm in love with her," he swallowed, prompting my blade to cut him slightly. "I can't let her go."
Rage tore through me. "Then raise your sword."
"I won't," he said. He stood up straight, daring me to cut him further. "Who are you?" he asked. He pushed me back with the flat of his blade. "The heroic older brother or the wife-stealing villain?"
I shook my head. Small white flakes of snow fluttered down around us.
He continued. "Oh, you don't know?" he said, wiping a drop of blood from his throat. "I suggest you figure it out quickly. You're putting us all in danger."
"Raise your sword!" I shouted, tears stinging my eyes.
His sword landed with a thud on the ground, a snowflake dissolving on the blade. "Even if you love Charlotte," he said, stepping toward me, "you love me too."
I inhaled his words and they stung my lungs.
Emmett stepped out from behind a tree. "What a touching speech," he said. I clutched the hilt of my sword and my pulse raced. Of course he would show up now.
He continued, "No doubt arguing over Charlotte." Young picked up his sword and pointed it at Emmett, but he didn't seem to notice or care. Emmett sighed. "I felt something for Charlotte too, once upon a time," he said.
"Are you alone?" I called, scanning the empty woods.
He ignored me. "She has this quality about her, doesn't she? She can make you believe whatever she wants you to believe."
Young shouted, "Enough!"
Emmett continued. "She doesn't lie, exactly—she just implies things." He turned his attention to me. "I mean, here you are fighting your own brother over her, and has she ever actually told you she loved you?" His gaze moved from me to Young. "What about you?"
Young clenched his jaw.
Emmett huffed. "I didn't think so."
"Where's your army, Emmett?" I asked, stepping between him and Young.
He laughed. "Not three seconds ago you were about to kill him. Now you're trying to protect him? Make up your mind, Prince of Vires."
In the distance, the rhythmic clop of horses moving toward us echoed. They were coming. If we left now, we could make it back to the castle and our army before Emmett's men arrived—but I wasn't sure we'd get another shot at Emmett, not like this.
"Young!" I called. "Get out of here."
I clutched my blade. In my periphery, I could see Young and the castle messenger mounting their horses. Emmett smiled, amused by the prospect of battle. His confidence unnerved me. I analyzed his broad shoulders. I'd lose if this fight came down to strength alone. I needed to knock him off balance, and with Emmett's army growing closer, I had to be fast. "Young, go!" I shouted over my shoulder.
"Let him go, brother," Young said.
"Did he let Leon go?" I said. My mind was already made.
I charged toward Emmett, his army a cloud of thick dust in the forest’s horizon, coming into view. I tallied the number of soldiers with a glance. Forty, a hundred, perhaps more. It was about as many as we had at the southern castle. The full Algonian army must've been a bit behind. Even so, my window to defeat Emmett was closing fast. Emmett drew his sword with a fluid motion, as if his large broadsword was an extension of his arm. It was now or never. I lunged forward, slamming my sword down on Emmett. He blocked, sending me stumbling back. Young rode his horse between us, holding his arm out. "Get on!" he yelled.
I spit on the ground and grabbed his hand, thrusting myself onto the back of his horse. We rode back toward the castle. Shloop. An arrow landed on the frozen ground. I turned to see Emmett, another arrow already nocked on his bow—but Emmett was a swordsman through and through, and for the moment, we were out of his broadsword's range.
"You should have let me try to beat him," I told Young.
"I couldn't let you die," he said.
"We're not going to get a better chance than that. With his army's support, he'll be unbeatable."
"He's already unbeatable."
"And now, because of you, he's alive in your kingdom. Who else will you allow to die while you try to protect me? Charlotte? Your baby?"
Young rode on silently. I wasn't sure if I could have defeated Emmett, but the small chance we had was gone now.
Our northern army was almost equal to that of Drethen's. Emmett and one hundred of his men were here, near the southern castle. At best, we could hold them off for a good while, but when the rest of Algony's forces arrived, Besmium would fall and my brother, Charlotte, and I would fall with it.
Chapter 45
Queen Cha
rlotte
COME ON, YOUNG, I PLEADED with the universe. Where are you? I rode my horse through the empty forest. The thud of the Besmian soldiers riding behind me soothed me. With each stride deeper into the forest and no sign of Young, I worried that Young may have met the same fate as Leon.
In the distance, a hooded figure on horseback, followed by two soldiers in green, drew nearer; their deep green uniforms an effervescent contrast to the wintery landscape. Algonian soldiers. I forced myself to refrain from looking back over my shoulder to my men. Though we outnumbered the three strangers thirty to one, I felt an upsurge of fear. As I approached, the hooded figure dismounted his horse. I breathed a puff of white vapors and clutched the dagger beneath my shawl. My men drew their swords but the mysterious figures didn't draw theirs. The man threw back his hood. Emmett. My stomach dropped, but as I looked into the face I'd dreaded to see, I realized it wasn't Emmett's. This man was slightly taller, with similar features and a thick but light-colored beard on his wide, double-cleft chin.
"Your Highness," he said, bowing deeply. He eyed my men. "My apologies. I was not expecting to see you away from your castle.” He lowered his voice. “What luck,” he said, half to himself, “I am Prince Ezrah of Algony, the second son."
I eyed him warily.
"So, you're what the fuss is about?" His gaze traveled up and down, like a vulture swooping in on its prey. "I've seen prettier."
If I closed my eyes, he almost was Emmett.
He continued, "I've come to deliver a message from the king."
I nodded, unnerved by his likeness.
He opened a crinkled letter and read aloud. "To her royal highness, Princess Charlotte of Besmium. Algony does not support the actions of King Emmett of Drethen. Emmett is allowed to oversee a certain amount of our military forces but when he returned to Algony to ask for military support and explained how he’s been using our resources, he was refused. Some of his soldiers defected to Drethen in order to follow him, but this does not reflect the attitude of the Algonian counsel. The disgraced son of Algony is in no way associated with our kingdom. We cannot condone joining in a war and risking lives over some..." he scoffed, "romantic feud. I wish you well in your upcoming battle but cannot lend my support to either side. Sincerely, King Ethen of Algony, the first son of Jarvan."
I dismounted my horse. "How many men does he have?"
"From Algony?"
I nodded.
"A few hundred, but he claims to have a thousand coming from Drethen."
My stomach tightened. "Is that true?"
"Apologies, Your Highness, I don't know. I suggest you clear these woods before he arrives," he said, mounting his horse. "Rejoin the rest of your military. Your battle has nearly begun."
His words echoed in my head as he rode away. The rest of my military? It was obvious that Algony didn't know how depleted we were. If they did, they probably would have supported Emmett. The majority of Besmium's southern army was at my back, and Prince Ezrah had assumed it was a mere scouting troop. One truth was indisputable: the moment I married Young instead of Emmett, I doomed my father's kingdom.
I looked over my shoulder at my soldiers. Their somber expressions all seemed to suggest the same thing: we were all going to die today.
I turned my horse around to face them. "Listen, we don't know if any of this is real. If Emmett had a thousand soldiers coming from the north, we would have been notified by now," I said. "Besides, one Besmian soldier is worth more than ten Drethen soldiers." I scanned the faces of my men and saw defeat conspicuously dripping from their sunken faces.
A middle-aged soldier cleared his throat. "Maybe we haven't heard anything because everyone to the north is dead."
A weight pressed in on my chest. This was my last semblance of home and I'd die protecting it. Why wouldn't they? Was I the only one that hadn't given up? I knew we didn't have a great chance of winning, but as long as I had breath in me, I'd fight. I straightened my posture. "Emmett is here near the southern castle. He's got only a few hundred men. So, we cut the head off the snake, and while the rest scrambles and dies, we hold our kingdom." I rode my horse through the soldiers, each bowing as I passed. A new surge of energy circulated the group. One drop of hope was all it took to draw the life back into Besmium's last warriors. "Let's head back to the castle," I said. "We'll have an advantage if we're ready when they come."
A gruff man called from the back of his horse, "But what about the king?"
I smiled, the fear inside me draining as I filled with something stronger—something indestructible. "He knows the way home."
Chapter 46
King Young
AS MY BROTHER AND I rode toward the castle, I felt the threat of Emmett's army behind us. They were almost here. I started to wonder if the north was really under attack again and, if so, if they were holding up against the Drethen army. Had I underestimated Drethen the way I'd underestimated Emmett?
We rode through the outskirts of the castle grounds, my mind focused on making it back to Charlotte and our baby. A gust of frozen wind chilled my bones.
We'd almost made it to the castle, just in time. Emmett's men fusilladed from the edge of the forest, but I didn't want to think about what was behind me. Just ahead was Charlotte. If I could just make it to her, I knew everything would be okay—even if these were our final hours. I felt the frantic energy surge through me as we made our final approach. "Archers," I breathed. "We need to get archers ready."
Before I could put together a plan for rounding up enough archers to buy us time, I saw them step forward. Row after row of bow-slung soldiers readied themselves for the approaching army. They lined the top of the walls like gargoyles, ready to protect their home. Charlotte. Where had they all come from? How could she’ve managed to rally so many since I’d left only a few hours ago. A glimmer of hope began to take form inside me. Even Minseo seemed to gain energy as we neared the walls of our salvation. As Minseo and I rode through the outer gate, the soldiers closed and fortified it behind us. Red and yellow uniforms cut through the grayness of the sky and castle walls as Viran and Besmium soldiers alike joined together to defend Castle Cadere.
I dismounted my horse and pushed through the rows of soldiers, feeling more triumphant with each one I passed, but the mood inside the castle walls didn't reflect my own. I didn't pause to observe more closely. If I had, I would have noticed that the soldiers had already been to battle. They'd already been defeated.
I raced into the castle, ready to congratulate my queen on a job well done. I knew that this new surge in troops meant Charlotte had given us a chance, and a chance was all we needed. I hurried to her chamber.
"Young," a voice called behind me.
I spun around to see Milly. “Where’s Charlotte?” I asked, half out of breath. Her eyes were heavy with despair and I braced myself for an onslaught; retribution from my laxity over the past few months. We had been friends once, and now we were as disconnected as two ships passing—bound for different lands.
"She's in the throne room," she said, sadness dripping from her lips.
"Thank you," I replied. I paused for a moment. I wanted to say more—to apologize for the way everything happened—but there was no time. Emmett's army would reach the castle in minutes, and once the fighting started, the chaos would make it difficult to find Charlotte. I headed back toward the throne room, once again leaving Milly to fend for herself.
I pushed open the doors to the enormous throne room to find Charlotte sitting on the golden throne. She wore her ceremonious crown and her face was as expressionless as a stone carving. Relief poured into me. She was alive, she was carrying our child, and thanks to her fast thinking we stood a shot at winning this battle.
"You did it," I shouted as I raced toward her. "How did you manage to get so many soldiers here?" She remained frozen.
I reached her throne on the other side of the massive hall and leaned in to kiss her. Her lips brushed mine but she didn't move. She didn't embrace
me the way she'd done after each of my past missions. What spell was this?
I tried again, this time willing her back from her motionless state with my love. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
She whispered, "I'm sorry I failed you."
My stomach dropped. "Failed? No. You've done so well. Th-the soldiers—"
"They're from the north."
All at once, I understood. We'd already lost.
Chapter 47
Queen Charlotte
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I'd ever sat on the throne. It was a place I'd always avoided. Maybe I'd known all along I'd fail as a leader. Now, all that was left of Besmium hid behind the castle walls, and I longed to remain here—on the throne—a little longer.
Young lifted my chin. "It's not your fault."
I sighed. It was a beautiful lie. In the palm of my hand, I felt the scratch of crinkled parchment. I tightened my grip. Young reached for my hand and pulled the note from it.
"Dear Charlotte," Young read, "I've fallen in love with you." His voice trailed off to a whisper. "You're the reason I can't return to Vires. Love, Minseo."
"You see?" I sniffed. "I'm the reason he's here. I'm the reason you're here. I'm the reason they're all here."
"Do you love him?"
The suddenness of the question threw me. It was as if we were unwittingly having two different conversations at once. I gazed into his eyes and saw fear brimming at their corners. I shook inside. He didn't know.
My heart thudded in my chest to match the pace that my mind raced, looking for the words. How could he not know? Each breath Young took was what made my soul breathe. I collected his words. I memorized each moment we spent together so that I could re-live them later in his absence. Each smile was my purpose—a drop of heaven shredding every obstacle that life presented into a fine, golden dust. He didn't know. If I were to return to the moment we'd met, knowing what I stood to lose—I'd choose him again. I'd watch everyone I loved die. I'd watch my father's kingdom burn. Fueled by his motionless gaze, an electric pulse tore through me. Had I known how much I loved him until now?
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