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AND SO, THE WHOLE WORLD has shifted again. I wanted to crown Everleigh today but instead I will have to pretend that she is dead. Macsen is far more evil than I could have imagined.
When Ginata told me that someone had requested the death draught, the scales fell away from my eyes and I knew, but I had not seen the extent of his betrayal, everything that he was capable of.
Last night our King was murdered and our Kingmaker, princess, Queen was in mortal danger. The fool’s boy saved her life. Who would have thought he had it in him? Maybe he is wiser than us and we are the fools. I certainly feel like one at times.
Lanorie, like a spoiled and ignored child has had a tantrum and made a feeble effort at taking her own life. As though that would help anyone at all. Did she think Everleigh would hear that she was dead and realise how sorry she had been for betraying her. Nothing says please forgive me like a dead body. Silly girl. Like we don’t have enough to deal with now.
And then, poor Everleigh, when I awoke in the night for a drink, she was heartbrokenly sobbing in front of my fire, with Archer smoothing her hair. I didn’t interrupt them, she needs more time to grieve and yet with so much going on, how can she?
Oh, I am not feeling generous of spirit today. I must face the day and tell everyone that Everleigh is dead, that I have found her body. I know her maid is only a young girl, and foolish with it, but look at the actions of the fool in the making and the princess’s handmaiden. What a difference.
There is too much going on for me to feel anything much for her though. Everleigh has lost her father and barely had a minute to grieve for him. Her own brother tried to kill her so she has lost him too and has not had a minute to grieve for that either.
I have Ginata out of her mind with worry that Macsen as King will expect her to turn to the dark work.
And I have Will half dead. I think that Ginata is right, he will live, but it saddens me that my gift is slipping. All I knew has been lost to me.
Since the day I embraced my gifts I have felt, and this is not good to admit, superior. I am superior to other people. My gifts make me special; not unique, but special. Most people are normal, average, many are less than that. I had something that made me different. It gave me an edge in life. I had skills and knowledge and intuition above and beyond most others and it has served me so well.
Without my gifts, I do not feel like myself.
I wake Lanorie up, shaking her not too gently on her shoulder. She groans and turns, trying to stay asleep, so I poke her in the arm. She jumps up, panic on her features for a second.
“Come, we have to be the first in Everleigh’s room.”
It is before sunrise, but we need to be early. If anyone finds her bed empty before us, our plan will be spoiled.
We scurry across the courtyard, our breath frosting before us, cloaks wrapped tightly around us. It is a cold morning, a bleak morning and it fits my mood. This safe and warm castle has become a stranger overnight.
We step over the little maid at her door, luckily still sleeping and slip into Everleigh’s room. The bed, covers and floor are saturated with Will’s blood. It is dry but frightening. Lanorie has a hand over her mouth, making heaving noises. “Pull yourself together,” I tell her, a little more sharply than I intended.
I root through one of Everleigh’s chests, find some bed linen and throw it over to Lanorie. “Make a body shape, on the bloody sheets.” I want to find something suitable to wrap her in. She’s a princess after all, and I would never let her be taken to rest in dirty old sheets. It’s not unusual for a body to be fully wrapped, especially if they have suffered an injury. Besides Macsen killed her himself, or so he believes, he will need no proof and there is plenty of blood to convince anyone else.
I find a beautiful blanket, heavy and embroidered with tiny flowers and stars. It is perfect. Lanorie has used her head, she has wrapped the sheets and used ribbon to fasten them. She has fashioned a plausible body shape.
When I am satisfied, I open the door and wake the little maid. “Quick fetch Macsen and Millard and Archer.” I scream the words at her, tears easily filling my eyes.
She scurries off and I sit at the window with Lanorie standing beside me.
“Think of something sad,” I tell her.
We need to look as though we have lost the princess. We need to be believable.
“I can’t,” she says, staring at me with a stupid look on her face.
“Of course you can.” I am upset and I am cruel. “Why don’t you think about how stupid you were telling Everleigh’s secret to some stranger? Why don’t you think about the upset you caused when you betrayed your lifelong friend for a few kisses like a cheap tavern maid? Why don’t you think about the fact that the King was killed last night, that Will risked his life for Everleigh but you, like a selfish spoiled child, sat and tried to drink yourself into oblivion, so that she didn’t have time to grieve, she had to save your wretched, worthless life. Why don’t you think about all that and see if you can cry?”
By the time Macsen and Millard burst into the room we are both sobbing. I feel like a bully talking to her the way I have and I absolutely took out my frustrations on her, but she deserved it.
“What’s happened?” Macsen asks as Millard points at the bundle and asks: “Who’s that?”
My eyes are wet. “I came to see Everleigh, to go over some things for her death day. I found her dead. Stabbed three times.”
I do not dare to look at Macsen as I say it.
“I called Lanorie and she helped me wrap her. She cannot be seen; it is not fitting for a princess. She is a bloody mess.”
Millard is shaking his head in disbelief, tears flooding his face. “And father last night too. Is there a curse, Halfreda?”
I shake my head, wondering who broke the news to him. Macsen with his ability to lie and deceive and pretend to be upset, or one of the guards or the doctor?
I shrug my shoulders. A curse is better than what I could tell him.
“I am not seeing one, though I will look further into the fires this afternoon.”
The princes nod. “I need to know what you want me to do.” I look at Macsen for a moment, it’s longer than I want to.
He shakes his head like he cannot speak, but quietly says. “What a sad day to be in the Realm. I would never have imagined such a disaster. I, of course, will become King, now. We revert to the old law.”
“What about father and Everleigh? What will we do?” Millard asks.
“We’ll have the ceremony for them this evening.”
Dead people are disposed of very quickly in the Realm in one of two ways. Anyone of importance is given a small simple ceremony on the island, as soon as it is feasibly possible, which I perform, and then, weighted with coloured pebbles, dropped into the sea. Anyone who is not important is taken to the Ashes, a small scrap of land to the North of the castle, where bodies are burnt twice weekly, if there’s anything left that hasn’t been eaten by the wild animals.
The King and Everleigh will go tonight. There is no reason to wait.
“And I will crown you tomorrow, Macsen.” I say the words he wants to hear, and bow my head, ever so slightly to him.
Millard looks put out, but resigned. The old law of the land will come into play and he cannot argue with that.
Lanorie hasn’t moved from the window. She is sobbing still and it has helped matters look genuine.
Everleigh’s pretend body is on the bloody bed. The two princes walk over to her, place a hand on her and murmur their blessings. I hope Lanorie has done a better job of this than killing herself. They cannot be suspicious.
Macsen manages to squeeze out a tear and I almost laugh at his gall.
There is a battle ahead; this man will not go quietly.