Chapter Two

 

 

 

Shane

 

I’m not very good at lying. I have tells that always give me away. I bite the inside of my lip and tap my leg repeatedly. Unfortunately, my life relies on my ability to successfully bend the truth. That’s probably why I’m generally only seconds away from losing it.

“Hello, Shane. It’s nice to meet you,” Ryan, the head of Karkonia’s Royal Guard says, smiling at me with kind hazel eyes as he reaches out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too, sir,” I say, returning his firm handshake.

I’m not sure why the rebels thought it would be a good idea to send me, of all people, to be a palace spy. They must have a very detailed synopsis explaining the various ways that they intend to screw up my existence. I guess this is the payback my mother gets for giving the rebellion her very life.

“We’re very pleased to have you here as a member of the palace guard. You were top of your class at your training camp, and I hear that’s in spite of the tragedy you’ve endured up until now.”

“Yes, sir. I lost my mother and my sister in a fire six years ago,” I say, tapping my leg. At least this is a half-truth. My little sister’s alive and well, living back at the rebels’ base with a friend, but my mother was killed in battle when she assisted with a raid on the palace six years ago.

Rebellion was always in my mother’s blood, and I guess it’s in mine too, whether I want it to be or not. When my mother died, she left some sort of debt to the rebellion on my shoulders. It wasn’t something I could pay as a thirteen-year-old boy, and since my baby sister was also fresh out of cash, the rebel leaders decided a lifetime of loyalty from the both of us would be sufficient payment. Lucky us. We’ll be enslaved until we die.

Ryan gives me a sympathetic smile. “I heard. I’m sorry for your losses, but I’d like to commend you on your excellent character. Despite everything you’ve been through, I’ve heard only good things about you. You’re respectful to your commanding officers. You never complain when you’re given a difficult mission.”

“I just try to do what I think would make my mother proud,” I reply. She probably really would be proud of me, following along in her footsteps. Here I am, infiltrating the palace like the rebel she raised me to be. Joy.

“Well, I’m sure if she were here, she would be. Now, I’ve got a bit of a difficult assignment for you while you’re stationed here at the palace. I’ve asked her to meet me here in about five minutes, so you’ll want to be prepared.”

“Excuse me, sir. Did you say her? My assignment is a girl?” I ask, eyebrows furrowed. Hey, maybe this palace guard gig won’t be so bad after all.

“Yes. You’re being assigned as a bodyguard to Princess Laura. Now, I know you probably don’t know who that is. The Emperor wants to keep her identity a secret for now to protect her from our enemies. And that’s why your task is such an important one. She’s the Emperor’s chosen heir to the throne of Karkonia,” Ryan says, looking me directly in the eyes.

Ryan’s wrong. I know exactly who Laura is. Her psycho sister joined the rebellion about a year ago and moved up within the ranks so quickly that she is now my boss. I haven’t heard too much about the secret princess, but what I do know is enough to frighten even the bravest of men.

The princess is ruthless, killing anyone who gets in her way without so much as a second thought. If the Emperor has someone imprisoned for interrogation, she’s the one they get to beat the truth out of them. She’s better than anyone at throwing knives and she uses them to torture her victims before their impending death. At least, that’s what I’ve heard. The rebels talk about her like she’s a ghost story or some kind of legendary creature. I don’t really buy it, though. She’s just a girl—seventeen, only two years younger than I am. She can’t be that bad.

“In that case, I’ll be certain to take my task very seriously. I can assure you that the princess will remain safe at all times,” I say, crossing my arms.

“Good. As you know, there was an attack on the palace a few weeks ago. Normally, we wouldn’t give Laura a bodyguard, but since her brother was so badly wounded, we just want to be safe. He’ll be assigned a guard too, once he’s fully recovered.”

“Is the prince doing okay?” I ask. I hate what the rebels do and I especially hate to hear when the organization has caused injury or death. Recently, I’ve been hearing of both far too often.

“Yes. He’s improved a lot lately. He’s up and about, but undergoing physical therapy. It’s a wonder he survived at all, since he lost so much blood,” Ryan says, looking out of the window absentmindedly as he runs his fingers through his blondish red hair. Silence fills the room, settling over us as we wait for the princess.

Finally, I am the one to break it. “So, can I ask you about Princess Laura? What is she like?”

“She’s a lot like the Emperor, if I’m being honest. She’s got a good heart deep down, but she’s got a horrible temper and she’s terrible at showing affection. She’s a very passionate person, though. She cares deeply for the country of Karkonia and for the people she loves.”

“Hopefully I’ll get along with her all right,” I say.

“I think you will. I hope that spending time with you will remind her of the kindness she once had. I fear for Karkonia’s future if we continue on this path of war and hate that Peter has set us on.”

“Isn’t the head of the Royal Guard supposed to agree with the Emperor?” I say, half joking.

“Peter is an old friend of mine. We’ve never quite agreed, but he still trusts me to help Karkonia succeed. I think Laura will be a better empress if she has the capacity to see what’s best for Karkonia through loving eyes rather than eyes that are filled with hate and a lust for power.”

“I hope that Laura becomes the person that you want her to be,” I say quietly.

“As do I, Shane. As do I. Well, this has been a nice conversation, but I do hope that you’ll keep it between the two of us. I don’t want to be beheaded any more than you do,” Ryan says with a wink, sending chills down my spine.

It’s probably just a coincidence that he said it. I mean, who does want to have their head chopped off? But still, an unsettled feeling fills my soul as I finally feel the weight of knowing that I might not make it out of this place alive.

Luckily, I don’t have much time to dwell on my mortality, because seconds later the princess appears in the doorway. She doesn’t look as fearsome as I expected her to. In fact, she’s quite lovely. She’s slim with a pale, round face that holds narrow golden eyes and full pink lips. Her straight black hair falls almost to her waist, and she leans against the door frame, crossing her thin but toned arms.

“You needed to see me, Ryan?” she says with a confident smirk. I can already tell that I’ll have my work cut out for me.

“Yes. Take a seat next to Shane here. We have a few things to discuss,” Ryan says, motioning to the empty chair beside me.

Laura looks me up and down as she sits, summing me up and raising an eyebrow, “Who are you?”

I open my mouth to answer, but Ryan interrupts me, “We’ll get to that later. Right now we need to discuss some things about your father. Namely, the fact that he’s planning an attack on some Malibahian cities next month.”

Laura quickly forgets that I exist, and her eyes light up. “Really? I didn’t know the attacks were going to begin so soon!”

“That’s the thing, Laura. War really isn’t in Karkonia’s best interest at this particular moment.”

“Don’t be silly, Ryan. Of course it is. Father’s been telling me of his plans to grow our country’s economy and the goods that we’d gain from such a war would help tremendously.”

“Well, your father’s mad if he thinks we’re prepared to attempt to take any cities.”

“A little madness never hurt anyone,” Laura says with a smile.

I resist the urge to bury my face in my palms. Of course an insane emperor is nothing to worry about. What have I gotten myself into?

“He’s more than a little mad,” Ryan mutters. “Look, Laura. I know you want to do right by Karkonia. That’s why I’m bringing this to you, our future empress. We’re fighting the rebels as it is, and with the attack that we just underwent, we can’t afford to go to war with another country. We’d be fighting a war on two fronts and we’re under-resourced as it is.”

“The rebels are nothing.”

“They’re greater than we feared. They’ve generated a ton of support, and we think they’ve forged an alliance with the Malibahians. It’s the only way to explain the amount of weapons they have. We have to focus on the unrest in our own country before we can fight to take another,” Ryan says. I tap my leg every time he mentions the rebels.

Laura ponders this information for a moment then nods. “I suppose that makes sense. But what can we do? Father’s determined to begin this war soon. We can’t cross him. We’ll both be killed, along with anyone who stands with us.”

“I have the guard’s loyalty. We can use that to our advantage if we have to. But that’s not important now. I’m going to try to extend the amount of time we need to prepare for the war. I’ve told him to give me this month to put the guard through more extensive training, but I think that I can push for more.”

“But eventually he’ll get impatient and force the war.”

“Yes. Now that I know you’re willing to help, I hope that you’ll meet with me on a weekly basis so that we can continue to plan a way to stop this war, at least for now.”

“Of course. I want our empire to expand just as much as Father does, but I only want to go to war if I know we’ll be successful. I’m in. Anything for Karkonia, even if it costs my life,” she says, putting her hand over her heart.

“I thought you’d say that. Thank you for understanding, Laura.”

“Of course. I may be Father’s little weapon, but I haven’t gone crazy like he has. It’s better to not fight and remain as we are than to fight and lose everything we love.”

“If only your father thought like you do.” Ryan sighs. “Now we’ll deal with the boy seated next to you. Laura, I’d like you to meet Shane. He’s to be your new bodyguard. He’s a very nice young man, and I’m sure he will do his job excellently.”

Laura stands angrily, unable to contain her rage. “You’ve assigned me a bodyguard? What on earth for, Ryan? I’m a trained assassin! I don’t need a bodyguard.”

“Yes. You are an excellent warrior, and if you weren’t the heir to the throne of Karkonia, you probably wouldn’t need one. But as it stands, you’re the Princess, and your brother was nearly killed in the last attack. You need someone to back you up in case the rebels come back, and that person is going to be Shane.”

“Like hell it is! My father won’t stand for this!” she shouts, pulling a knife from a sheath around her waist and slamming it into Ryan’s desk. He doesn’t flinch, but breathes out a heavy sigh.

“Laura, that’s the sixth desk of mine that you’ve ruined. Now I’ll have to buy another one. If Karkonia goes into debt, we can thank you.”

“No, we can thank you. If you didn’t make so many stupid decisions, you wouldn’t have so many ruined desks.”

“For the record, my decision isn’t stupid and your father agrees with it. Shane will accompany you everywhere you go, even when you sneak out of the palace. And if you’re agreeable, I won’t tell your father that you disappear from the palace grounds as soon as he’s asleep. I know you value your freedom.”

“You suck, Ryan. And you, Mr. Bodyguard. I’m going to make your life a living hell, and you’ll have this horrid man to thank for it,” she says, glaring at me as she points at Ryan. Then, in one swift motion, she yanks the knife out of Ryan’s desk and launches it at the wall, where it passes only centimeters from my head.

“Laura, Shane is your bodyguard and his job is starting now. I’m not budging on this one. Your safety is too important. You’re just going to have to deal with it. Now stop throwing knives at the poor boy and get back to doing whatever it is you do with your days,” Ryan says, folding his arms and shaking his head.

“Fine. Let the little pansy follow me around like a lost puppy. But I can assure you that none of us will be happy as long as I’m being babysat,” Laura shouts at Ryan. Then, she turns to me and whistles, like I’m actually a dog. Is she serious right now?

“Come on now, little Shane. Let’s go,” she says, patting her leg and waltzing out of Ryan’s office, head held high. Before I go, I pause to look at Ryan, who’s evidently holding back his urge to chuckle, and send him a harsh glare. He only shrugs as Laura continues to yell at me from the hallway, “You aren’t a very smart dog, are you? I said, come on.”

I follow Laura into the hallway and when we’re out of earshot of Ryan’s office, I speak up. “Listen here, Princess. I’m not too thrilled that I have to babysit you either. But I have someone that I do want to protect, and her life depends on this job. So, if you can stop talking to me like I’m a domesticated animal, I’ll stay out of your way and you can just pretend I don’t exist.”

She raises her eyebrows at me and smirks, looking impressed with my little outburst. “See that you do, Dog Boy. See that you do.”

Turning swiftly, she walks down the hallway in a fury, and I reluctantly follow behind her. If this is what it takes to keep my sister safe, I’ll do it.

But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it.