"It's best if you don't. Long live the true queen of this kingdom."
I blinked a couple of times, trying to work out what the best way of responding was. Before I could, the old woman had vanished. I frowned. That was odd. She shouldn't have been able to move that fast. I shook my head. I was imagining things. There was nothing to be suspicious about.
"Back to your stations," I called to the people gathered around. "Let other people come and collect their apples." I wanted to share this harvest around as many people as possible.
I watched as a couple of people munched on theirs and stared at my own. No one seemed to be suffering from any side effects. I was starting to get paranoid. If I wasn't careful, it was going to consume my life and make me difficult to be around. That wasn't something I wanted. Especially not when the people of the kingdom would be looking up to me as an example.
I lifted the apple to my lips, smelling the delicious scent as I bit into the rosy flesh.
The world went dark. Suddenly and all at once. Sound distorted and disappeared. I was dimly aware of falling to the ground.
What had happened? What had the woman done?
Why had I eaten the apple?
Chapter Sixteen
The blackness was absolute.
Until it wasn't.
Colours swam around me, forming a chain of pictures that had nothing to do with one another. I suspected they were all moments from my life, but it was impossible to be sure of that as none of them stayed for long enough for me to be sure. I tried to reach out and grab hold of one of them, but my hand was frozen still next to the rest of my body.
Somehow I was aware of that. And not at the same time. It was almost like I was in the deepest sleep I could imagine, but at the same time, there was no way of me hearing what was going on around me. At least I'd been in camp when I'd bitten into the apple and collapsed.
Anger seethed within me. How had Katya done this? Had the other people who'd eaten the apples collapsed too? That was what I was angriest about. I wanted to check on them and make sure they were alright, but I couldn't even rouse myself from rest, I didn't know what else I could have done.
The black tendrils of a dream reached out for me and I had no choice but to answer them. I slipped away from the unfocused sleep and into another state. Perhaps this time I'd be able to recall what I dreamed about.
A familiar scene opened up in front of me. I was standing in the middle of the palace courtyard with a small bow in my hands and a target in front of me. But I wasn't paying any attention to it. I was more interested in what my father was teaching Killian at the other side of the yard.
They had real swords, each slashing at one another. It was clear that father had more skill, but Killian made up for that with enthusiasm.
A hand landed on my shoulder and I looked up to find mother standing behind me.
"If you ask him, he'll teach you," she told me.
I shook my head. "I don't think I'll be any good at it." I glanced away.
"Whyever not?" The way she asked was in her mother voice. She wanted me to know that she thought I could do anything, even when I was a small girl.
"I don't think I could do it in a dress."
She chuckled. "You can do anything in a dress," she assured me. "All you have to do is try."
The image faded, swirling into itself and reforming into another one.
Mother lay on the dais in front of us, still and cold.
I walked up to her, ignoring Killian, father, and my new friend, Katya. All I could focus on was the knowledge that I wasn't going to hear her voice again. Nor was I going to be able to go to her for advice when I needed it.
A tear rolled down my cheek, falling down my face and splashing to the ground. My heart ached, and my insides hurt from the emotion.
I looked down onto the cold white face of mother. Feeling brave, I reached out and I stroked down her cheek.
"I promise I'll make you proud," I whispered. "No matter what it takes, I'll be the woman I have to be."
There was almost a ghost of a smile on her face. Maybe it was just the way the undertakers had rested her face. I wasn't sure how any of that process worked.
Her face faded and warped, changing into my father's dying one. The sickness had taken its toll on him, and he was looking more gaunt than I'd ever seen.
"I don't want you to leave me too," I whispered to his sleeping form.
Father shifted in his sleep, his eyes cracking open. I swallowed. I hadn't meant to wake him, he needed all the rest he could get, the last thing I wanted was to deprive him of that.
"You shouldn't fret, dear," he assured me.
"How can I not? You're leaving me. Mother is already gone. What am I supposed to do?"
"Follow your path. You have a great future ahead of you. Be the leader you were born to be."
He must be delirious and think I was Killian. "I promise, father," I said rather than correcting him. It didn't seem like now was the right time to remind him which child he was talking to. I'd pass his words on to Killian when we got a moment alone.
"I should sleep more," he murmured.
"You should." I leaned in and kissed the top of his head. "I'll see you in the morning." Even as I said the words, I knew they might not end up being true. He was fading fast and one of these days, we were going to wake up to find him gone.
I rose to my feet, trying not to dwell on that fact too much longer. Tears filled my eyes again, just like they had when it was mother who had died.
I left the room, not too focused on what had just happened to pay attention to where I was going. Before I knew it, I found myself knocking on my best friend's door.
"Come in," Katya called.
I pushed on the door and entered her room. She was wearing black, even though she didn't have to. My father hadn't died yet, she didn't need to wear her grief. But I knew that she was just showing she cared.
"Oh, Lucia." She rushed over and pulled me into a hug. "You've just been to see him, haven't you?"
I nodded against her shoulder, not saying anything in case it broke the dam and all of my tears started to fall. I was on the verge of a complete breakdown, and there was no true way to avoid that.
"Let me call for tea and then we'll talk." She pulled away and headed into the corridor to flag down a servant.
I took the opportunity to move further into the room, taking a seat at a small area she had set aside for entertaining. Anyone who visited would never guess that this was the room belonging to the crown princess. She'd never been one for flaunting her status, even after she'd married my brother.
She arrived back with a package and sat down. "The tea will be here shortly," she told me.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing to the package. It was easier to focus on that than on the real reason I was here.
She grimaced. "A present to welcome me into the role of being queen. It's ridiculous. I'm not even the queen yet."
"People send those?" How distasteful.
"Apparently. I think they assume that it'll grant them favour once I'm crowned." Her own disapproval of the practice shone through her words.
"Are you ready for that?" I hated having to ask, but she was my brother's wife. Her coronation was imminent and I wanted to be sure that my friend was ready for it. I found it easier to focus on that aspect of what was happening as opposed to losing my father.
"No," she admitted. "I know I'm not supposed to feel that way. But I'm not ready to be queen. I don't want to be queen. But I'm still worried that I won't do a good job. But Killian needs me. You need me too. I just hope people will see that I'm trying to do what's right by them too."
I reached out and placed a hand over hers. "They'll see it, Katya. You'll be the best queen the land has ever seen."
She smiled weakly. "I think you'd be a better queen than me. A small part of me wishes that the crown will pass to you instead of Killian."
Despite myself, I laughed. "I don't think I'll be a good queen
full stop."
Though the conversation went on after that, and I could recall it all if I tried, the dream world tugged me out of it and back into the deep blackness of sleep.
Was there a reason it had chosen to show me these memories? Or was it just my subconscious trying to make sense of everything and showing me the memories that could help me move forward. I must have been a fool to believe that Katya didn't want to be queen. She'd proved she'd wanted the rule the moment she'd taken the throne from Killian.
But if I wanted to do anything about it, then the first thing I had to do was wake up. I was going to do everything in my power to make my parents proud and keep my promises. I'd made a similar one to my brother too. There was no way I was going to let them down now.
I was going to retake my throne. And I was going to do it soon.
Chapter Seventeen
People spoke around me and I could make out them moving around. That was a start. The world seemed to be coming back into focus, even if I couldn't open my eyes.
Shouts sounded outside the tent, as if someone had just arrived in camp. I thought back through the days. It was hard to keep track of the time I'd been unconscious, but I thought it had been about two days.
Jonathan.
The familiar sound of the tent flap opening, accompanied by the flap of Sapphire's wings gave me more comfort than I was going to admit. I wasn't sure that he could do anything more than any of the others who'd tried, but there was something reassuring about him being here.
"What did she do to you?" Jonathan's voice whispered close by me. He took my hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
I longed to reach out and return his reassuring touch, but knew that I couldn't in the state I was in. Stupid apple.
But why was I starting to come around now? It was a poor assassination attempt if I was able to wake myself up from it. Just like the others. Something wasn't right here, but I didn't know what it was.
"Kiss her," Hannah said, she'd been doing a good job of looking after me while I'd been unconscious, or at least, she had if the past half a day was anything to go by. "I've heard rumours that that's all it takes in order to break a curse like this."
A curse? Could I really have been cursed? Was Katya powerful enough to do that? She'd never been able to do magic before, but I wasn't sure where she'd gotten the amulet she was wearing from. Perhaps it did have enough power to cast some kind of curse on me. Though that didn't completely make sense. I'd never heard of anyone falling asleep because they'd eaten an apple.
"It's worth a try," Jonathan admitted, sounding as sceptical as I felt. At least I wasn't the only one who thought that being cursed was a long shot.
His warm breath fanned against my lips. At least I was getting a kiss out of this one, though I wasn't sure where Hannah had gotten the idea about the two of us from. We'd been so careful not to be affectionate in public so we didn't stir up any rumours. Nothing good could come from people knowing about us before we were ready.
Moments later, Jonathan's lips pressed against mine. It took a moment, but awareness sank back in, bringing me further out of the unconscious state I'd been in.
My eyes snapped open. And I had to admit that it almost looked and felt as if a curse had been broken. Perhaps Hannah had been onto something after all. I should ask her where she'd heard the rumours about curses and kisses once I was better. But first, I had more important things to deal with. "Jonathan?" I asked, even though I knew it was him. I felt it was the polite thing to do to give him a moment to compose himself.
"You're awake." He beamed down at me, joy and relief warring for attention on his face, like he wasn't sure which of the two emotions was the most important. I didn't care. I was just happy that I could see his face again. There was something truly reassuring about it.
"Yes. I think so." I wriggled my fingers and toes, double-checking that everything was working as it should be. They were stiff, as was the rest of me, but that was likely as much to do with the fact I'd been lying in one position for several days and not because of any ill effects of whatever had happened to me.
"What happened?" he asked, gesturing to Hannah. She ran off, probably to get some tea or other refreshments. That was good. My mouth was too dry, and I didn't like the idea of Jonathan kissing me again before I'd had something to freshen myself up with.
"I ate an apple and fell unconscious," I admitted. My mind strayed to one of the things that had worried me the most while I'd been in my almost dream-like state. "Is everyone else alright? She brought a lot of apples with her and people ate them. I don't want..."
"Everyone is fine," he said, cutting me off. "Once I found out what had happened to you, I made sure to find out what had happened to everyone else. I knew it would be the first thing you asked once you woke up."
"Second thing," I corrected. "The first was checking you were you," I pointed out.
He chuckled. "I think that's a logical response to being kissed out of a deep sleep."
A weak smile stretched over my lips. "Is there any such thing as a logical response to being kissed out of a coma?" I countered. "I didn't even think it was possible for that to be a way to wake up."
"Perhaps my kiss is magical," he teased.
"Or perhaps your breath could wake the dead," I returned.
Our back and forth was interrupted by Hannah returning with a tray of tea and bread and butter. She set it down on the chest at the end of my cot, before coming back to where I was lying and helping me into a seating position.
"Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked.
I shook my head. "Please make sure Brutus and Rita are informed that I'm awake, after that, you're free to do as you wish, I'll be consulting with them and Prince Jonathan for the rest of the day."
"Of course, Your Highness." She dipped into a curtsy and left the room.
Jonathan poured two cups of tea and handed one to me. I blew across the top of it before placing the cup against my lips.
"Stop," he commanded. "Let me drink first in case there's anything wrong with it."
Before I could protest, he took a gulp of his own tea, gagging slightly as it went down.
"Are you alright?" I asked, my eyes widening. Had the tea been poisoned too? Was that something I now had to watch for with every meal? I didn't want to have to employ a food taster as that was a quick way for someone to end up dead in my place, and I wasn't comfortable with that.
"I'm fine, it's just too hot to do that with," he admitted. "I was foolish to think I could get away with it."
I smiled at him, pleased he wasn't in any danger from the tea he'd just drunk.
"Has there been any word from the palace?" I asked. If it had been about two days, then our spy should have had more news.
He shook his head. "I have no idea, that's something you should be asking Brutus. I believe the ball is tomorrow night..."
"That's when I want to take the throne back," I informed him. "I was thinking about it while I was asleep, and it's time to act. Too many people have been negatively impacted by Katya's rule, and I can't have that any more. We have to do something about it."
The tent flap moved again, revealing Brutus and Rita as they ducked in.
"What's this I hear about storming the palace?" he asked.
"I want to do it," I said, meeting his eyes. "Tomorrow night, during the ball. Everyone will be distracted and there'll be no better time to strike."
He nodded. "That could work. We have everyone in place already and the soldiers are as drilled as they're going to be. If this is when you want to strike, then I think we could pull it off."
"Between the ball and the short notice, there's a chance that Katya won't know you're awake yet, either," Jonathan added, a pensive look on his face. "What do you think you need to do to lure her away?"
"Not much. If I find her office, I bet I'll find all I need."
"So, you just need a distraction for the people at the ball?" Jonathan asked.
I nod
ded. "It'll have the added benefit of distracting the nobles too. They won't want to fight, and I'd rather give them the chance not to."
"I could reveal myself," Jonathan suggested. "If people still believe that the huntsman is me, then there's a chance that could work."
"Even if they've figured out he isn't who he said he was, then it'll still distract them," Brutus put in.
I nodded along with everything they were saying. "I want the minimum loss of life," I told them all. "If any of the guards or other people want to surrender, then they should be able to. The nobles too. I don't want my reign to be known by one that was started in bloodshed. This will be an era of peace and prosperity."
"What of Katya herself?" Brutus asked.
I set my features into the most determined face I could muster. "I'll be the one to deal with Katya." I wasn't sure how I was going to do that, but I felt like I'd know when the time was right. At least, that was what I was hoping would happen. "Please, go see that preparations are made," I dismissed Brutus and Rita back out into the rest of the army.
"Are you ready for this?" Jonathan asked.
I laughed bitterly. "Is my nervousness that easy to see?"
"Yes. But only because I've come to know you well. You're clearly not comfortable with something."
I sighed. "It's just that after all this is done, I have to be a queen. I'm not sure how to do that."
"Then you'll learn," he promised. "I've never known anyone who was as adaptable as you are. You'll rule your people the best way you know how. And after Katya, I doubt you'll be seen as a poor leader. Far from it. And you'll do just what you said you will. You'll bring peace and prosperity to the people in your kingdom."
"I hope you're right," I whispered.
"I am. I know you, and I've come to know your people. You'll be the best queen the land's seen. Have faith in yourself, and until you do, I'll have faith for you."
Chapter Eighteen
The palace was oddly quiet, partly because of the ball, and partly because of the soldiers going ahead of me and making sure all of the corridors were cleared of enemies. I tried not to worry too much about how the rest of the rebellion was getting on, or how Jonathan was. His plan was to be in the main banquet hall talking to the nobles. I wasn't sure if any of them would listen to him, but I supposed it didn't matter. So long as they didn't feel the need to run about the palace and potentially get themselves harmed or killed, then his job was done. If they believed him, then it was just a bonus.
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