Prologue
Once upon a time, many many years ago, there was a Kingdom in distress. There had just been a long war and they wasted nearly all of their money trying to defeat their enemies. Well, the King and Queen of Sylvvia were ready to have a child. They didn’t know how they would care for it because they were nearly out of money, but they needed an heir. They thought a male heir would bring strength and hope for the people, for they would have something to look forward to, and help them push past this rough time for their country.
“Sir, it is time.” said the servant as he approached the King.
He looked up from his desk, weary. It had been two years since the war and the country was still in horrible shape. There were villages to be rebuilt, new land treaties to sign, and the Kingdom itself needed to be repaired both physically and emotionally.
The people were still resistant to go outside the walls even after the war for fear of being killed by disgraced soldiers, banished from their homeland for the atrocities they committed. The castle was in need of repair, too. Some of the rooms had been burned when the Bingabount invaded.
Then, there was the royal family. They were poor from the war, even if they didn’t want people to know about it, and now with the child arriving, it would be even harder to provide what everyone needed.
All these thoughts went through the King’s mind as he got up and stretched. His graying hair fell into his eyes and his beard was long and uncared for.
“How many more minutes?” he asked the servant.
“The midwife predicts about five to ten.”
“Good.” The King had left the room five hours ago. It was taking too long and he needed to catch up on some much needed work.
Nonetheless, he followed the servant to the room him and his wife shared.
His wife looked pretty bad. Her dark brown hair was in a pool around her head where it sat in tangles. Her face was red and she had dark circles under her eyes. Her labor had been going on for an extremely long time which was rather inconveniencing to the King.
He sat down on a chair beside the bed and tried to soothe her. It didn’t work well, and his wife grasped his hand and squeezed as hard as she could as if hurting him would take away her own pain.
Finally, after over 24 hours of labor, the child was brought into the world.
It was a boy with dark brown hair and gray eyes, and a high pitched scream that could be heard from the other side of the world!
The King was pleased. All he wanted was a son, a male heir to the throne. He gave a small smile. All of the sudden, thought, his wife grimaced with pain.
She handed the baby off to the midwife saying, “There is another!”
Another five minutes, and there was a baby girl being held by his wife. She, unlike the boy, was not crying. She was giggling the sweet baby giggle. She had red hair and blue eyes.
“What? You never said we were having two!” the King roared at the midwife.
“I didn’t know.” she quietly squeaked.
“We cannot afford this!” he yelled. This time at his wife.
“We'll be fine. I can work as a smeatress to bring in extra money. It will be okay. We can keep this baby! ”
“No! You must stay in the castle! We can’t let anyone else know of our situation. Our country is already viewed as weak. If you have to work, our country will never recover! I don’t want to do this but we must; we will have to send the child away, the girl!”
“NO! Don’t take my baby! Be reasonable, it will all work out, we’ll be fine. I WON’T LET YOU! Please...no.”
“No, Charlotte! The child must be sent away! You, servant!” He said, directing his finger to the closest woman servant he could find. “You will take the girl to an orphanage far, far away. Say you are her mother and you are too young to care for her!”
“Let me have at least a few days with her, Will. I cannot just get rid of my child like that!”
“ I will not let you grow too attached. There is nothing worse than a baby that needs its mother.”
“ Please… my baby, all I want is my baby. Please…”
”Fine! Just stop your pitiful begging. You will have a week and that is all!”
With that, he left the room, slamming the door, making the Queen flinch. Leaving his two children, his wife, the midwife, and the servants in shock.
“War does terrible things to people.” said the midwife as the door slammed behind him while the Queen laid on the bed and sobbed quietly.
“I can’t do this”, the wife whispered. She gave the girl a kiss on her forehead, and gave the brother to the midwife.
“Keep him away from Will right now. Take the child outside, anything to soothe his worries. When my husband is in a better mood take him to him. We must name the children then. Tell him we are going to name the girl and she will have a proper name, even if it is changed when she leaves.”
Laying her head back in defeat she stared at her baby girl and felt a sense of despair. Her daughter would never know how much she loved her. She could fight the king. She could win, but she was tired. More tired than ever… of everything.
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Chapter 1
Flipping the page, the young heir stared at the words. It was a fascinating book on military tactics his father gave him for his fifteenth birthday. Implementing them on his new troops would be hard, but if missing a finger or two was incentive, they would work harder than they ever had.
“The carriage is ready, young sir.” a servant said through the door.
William sighed, for he had no wish to see his father and mother leave. They left often enough it was starting to be a common occurrence. Walking down the the main hall of the palace, he saw his father yelling at a servant.
“What do you mean my trunk won’t fit!”
The servant tried in vain to fit the trunk in, but to no avail. At this point the trunk was starting to weigh on his arms. As he stood to put the trunk down the King reached out his foot and tripped him. Sending the trunk flying from his arms, the servant cried out. The trunk landed heavily on the stone floor sending the lid flying open and clothes falling out.
“To the dungeon! I cannot stand such clumsiness in my palace. Get out of my sight!” screamed the King now getting so frustrated he kicked the trunk as the servant ran away in fear. The sound of his boot hitting the trunk caused the poor man to run even faster.
As the Queen moved to pick up the clothes from the floor, the King reached out fast and grabbed her arm. The Queen flinched and froze, her eyes darting around the room like a caged animal.
“Don’t do that, that's what servants do.” the King scolded, venom dripping from his voice.
He released his hold on his wife’s arm once he saw William standing in the doorway.
“Mother, I will miss you when you are gone. I am sorry to see you leave.”
Although William did not approve of the way most woman acted in his time, he could not stand to see his mother being treated so horrendously by his father. It made his blood boil. His mother, the one who did everything she could for his family? His father was disrespectful to her, and that made him mad.
As William walked to greet them, his mother ran and threw her arms around him. She did love him. His father on the other hand, did as he always did. His eyes gave off this coldness that was nearly always there. How long would it be before they returned and his father was just as cold as always?
“When will you be back?” he questioned, hoping the answer was not for a long time.
“A week, maybe more.” the King answered shortly.
“Send my regards to Aunt Margaret.” said William in a mocking tone as his parents got into the carriage. As his father grew colder and more indifferent to him and his mother, William grew haughtier and more coarse. No amount of love from his mother could compensate from the fact that his father never showed any love for William.
He wondered what he was like before the war. His mother talked of him being a jolly man. One who smiled and let his family leave the Kingdom to experience the beauty of different lands. One who would have been a real father to William, not just some figure who stood and blocked the light from him becoming a real King. A kind one.
All these thoughts swirled in William’s mind as his parents got in the carriage. When they finally did, after he could no longer hear his father screaming about incompetent servants, he stood there for a bit. His mother waved at him as she left making silly kissing faces that always made William laugh. This time, something was different. He didn’t laugh. As he made his way back to the castle, he turned around again and felt a stab of something… regret, sadness, he couldn’t tell but it left a sour taste in his mouth as he walked back up to his study.
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Chapter 2
A girl of about fifteen walked back from the woods in shock. What had just happened? She tossed her long, red hair in distress. She was so confused. Mistress would kill her if she knew what was going on!
As soon as she reached the hill that lead up to the orphanage, she was greeted by a distressed Breeanna.
Breeanna was a tall girl with chestnut eyes and brown hair. She was a quieter girl who had a passion for learning.
Breeanna, like Olivia, was an orphan at Mistress Vivian’s Home for Girls. “Olivia! Olivia! Come here quick!” shouted Breeanna.
“What?” called Olivia.
“Mistress said that if you don’t come do your chores, you’re going to have to leave the orphanage!”
“Your kidding?”
“No! She said you haven’t done them in a week and she is sick and tired of your laziness!”
“That’s not true! You know I am one of the hardest workers here!”
“That is true. But you know, she has been after you ever since the food fight.”
“Oh stop it! You know I didn’t start it.”
“Yeah. Mistress doesn’t think so, though.”
As the two friends walked up to the orphanage, unbeknownst to Bree, Olivia was thinking about Mistress and that maybe she was right in thinking Olivia was odd, different, an outsider. For in the woods earlier that day, she had met an older lady in the woods. The lady had a warm glow to her and she seemed so kind. She had brown hair and dark eyes. She told her she must stray from the path she was on. The lady told her she needed to do magnificent things and return something to its former glory. She told Oliva that she was special; that she had a gift. Then, just as the lady appeared, she was gone, leaving poor Olivia confused.
“Hey don’t worry about her.” said Bree.
“Yeah.” Bree was right. Olivia was upset about something, it just wasn’t what she thought it was.
As they neared the orphanage, Olivia gasped. There were royal carriages parked outside! They had the symbol of a Kingdom she had never seen before.
“What are they doing here?” asked Bree.
“That’s a good question.” Olivia replied.
As the two girls entered the orphanage, two royal guards were chatting with Mistress. They were big and muscular with golden uniforms with a bright red rose on their chest. Underneath the uniform was a Kingdom Olivia had indeed never heard of. It appeared to her as though it read, Sylvvia.
“There she is.” said Mistress, pointing at Olivia.
“Me?” Olivia asked.
“What is your full name?” asked the smaller and kinder-looking royal guard.
“I only know two names. Olivia Grace. When my mother brought me here, she only gave two names.”
“That’s her.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Mistress, looking just as confused as Olivia and Bree.
“We are not able to disclose anything right now, miss. We will send you a letter when we know. The only thing we are for sure is that this girl needs to come with us.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t just let you take away one of the children here without tangible reasons.”
“Ma’am we work for a Kingdom far far away from here. It is by the name Sylvvia. You must trust us. I would hate to contact our King and have him come to talk to.” said the bigger, meaner looking guard.
“Fine. Treat her well. Please just give her some time to gather up her belongings and say her goodbyes. And don’t forget the letter explaining everything. I care about my children.”
“We will.” assured the older guard
“Olivia, go grab your belongings.” said the nicer guard.
“Um, I’m not sure if I want to.” Olivia sassed.
“I’m sorry, sir, she has a bit of a personality. She doesn’t mean any harm.” said Mistress, hiding her smile.
“Well, Mistress , how can I just go with these people that I don’t even know? They could be horrible people with fake uniforms! We have not ever even heard of this Kingdom before!” Olivia asked, getting more and more frustrated.
“I assure you, Olivia, you will be fine, right, sir?” she said directing her attention to the closest guard, the nice one.
“Yes. You have to trust us. I swear we are not going to hurt you, please come with us.” he replied.
“You should go.” said Bree, speaking the first since we arrived.
Olivia threw her arms around her friend, missing her already.
“I don’t even know them!” she whispered in her ear.
“You’ll be fine! Just give them an old one-two.” laughed Bree.
“Yeah, because that will work.”
“Oh just go! Experience something completely knew! You are lucky!”
“But Bree-”
“Go!” said Bree, half laughing.
“Fine.” sighed Olivia. “Just let me get my things first.”
Trudging up the stairs Olivia already wished that she could stay here. Sure, life at the orphanage wasn’t great but it was all she knew. As she came downstairs she gave Bree a hug.
“Don’t forget me.” she whispered in her ear.
“Oh, I could never, Olivia.” said Bree and she pulled back looking Olivia in the eyes. It was only there that she saw sadness, like a shadow, darkening her friends eyes.
“Bye…” Bree whispered and turned away, tears brimming in her eyes.
Olivia then turned to Mistress. Mistress had never been overly affectionate with Olivia but she could now see the worry swirling in her eyes.
“Come here child.” she said gently. It was then that Oliva sensed tears of her own, gently spilling down her face.
“Oh Mistress, I do not want to go with these strange men. How am I ever to survive without you. And all the kids here! Why, I will miss them so much.” now Olivia was full on sobbing. Mistress gave her a hug, enveloping her with a flowery smell Olivia associated with a mother.
“You will be fine child, just remember, you know what is right for you, don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” she reminded her, turning Olivia around to face the guards.
Olivia dried her tears on her sleeve and walked towards the guards. Wordlessly, they turned and walked from the front door of the orphanage to the carriage waiting outside. She didn’t look back.
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Chapter 3:
William was not by any means a crier, but when he heard the news, he felt a tear run down his cheeks. His parents were dead, murdered by some deranged man. As soon as the messenger told him, he ordered all the palace guards to search for the man. He wanted him to rot in the palace dungeon. To suffer just as he now did.
William was fifteen and not ready to be King! Sure, he watched his father do his work sometimes, if his father was in a good mood, but he didn’t have any idea how to do it himself!
It had been five days since William received the news and his guards began looking for the murderer, when his head guard, Jeffrey Allen Hook, returned from their search.
William looked up from his desk in his study, eager.
“Did you find him?” he asked.
“No, sir. We searched everywhere around the spot and beyond where the murder took place. I’m sorry.”
“I WANT HIM DEAD!” William screamed, throwing a vase his Aunt Margaret sent him across his father’s portrait, ripping it.
“Sir-” Jeffrey started, only to be cut off by a raging William.
“LEAVE ME ALONE!” he shouted.
“Yes, your majesty” Jeffrey soothed and walked slowly out the door.
When Jeffrey left, William tried to calm himself, pacing around the room when he noticed a light piece of parchment poking out of the rips in the portrait. He decided to walk over and take a look. He noticed it must be a royal document because it had Sylvvia’s signature red rose.
The parchment was old with slightly faded ink that said inside:
Royal family ‘tis are you
You are ready for the new
At birth you were split
But now you must be close knit
A beautiful fair maiden of Maleen
Is now ready to be Queen
You will find her far far away
Her hair is red, her family couldn’t pay
Her name is two, so she wouldn’t be found
To an orphanage she is bound
Open up and do not tell
Until you hear the twelfth bell
Beware if your blood is not ours
We will haunt you to your last hours
Her name is Olivia Grace
Startled, William read the riddle again, this time going through each line and trying to decipher what is meant. In the first stanza it must mean that the riddle was meant for the royal family. That was him.
But what about that second stanza … talking about maybe a sibling? But he didn’t have any siblings… but did he? This was confusing him, so he read on.
The next stanza seemed to be talking about a maiden in Maleen. Maleen was a small country that had never been a threat to Sylvvia, so William didn’t learn much about it. As he kept reading it became more and more apparent that the riddle was talking about a girl, apparently his sister.
William sat back in his chair in shock. The old wood creaked and has he stood up and walked toward his window. Suddenly, the old room seemed too small, with the with the old bed with faded red velvet duvet and pine headboard. With the cold stone flooring and a picture of his parents shrouded in black everything seemed to choke him, to remind him of his old life. He couldn’t deal with this, it was too much.
He tore the black shroud from his parents painting revealing his parents faces, but the look on his mother’s face was too much. She was too kind, too kind for his father, too kind for a failure of a son like him. He grabbed the painting and threw it at the window, breaking the glass and ripping the painting as it soared out the window and fell several stories to the ground.
A cold breeze swept through the room, swirling his brown hair around his face. His eyes flashed like storm clouds. How could his parents keep this from him? This was a betrayal of the people he thought he knew. It made him furious to think that all this time he had a sister and he didn’t know about it. Olivia Grace… the name tasted sour on his tongue like the bitter taste of his parents betrayal. Even his mother, his wonderful, kind, mother kept this from him.
Feeling even more frustrated he took his duvet and grabbed a shard of glass. Holding it tight he ripped his blanket in tiny pieces and let them float out the window, not caring that for every cut he made, his hands got even more bloody. Eventually he stopped when there was no more blanket left. Gone, was his anger, all that was left was a sad hopelessness that filled him.
He walked out the door and it slammed shut behind him.
“Sir-” started one of his guards.
“I’m fine, burn everything in that room, I’m moving to the King’s suite.” he said and continued briskly walking down the corridor.
Times were changing and William was changing right along with them.
“Oh yes, and one more thing, we need to find the girl. My sister…”
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Chapter 4:
Olivia looked around the carriage. It wasn’t a bad carriage by any means, just plain. It was painted a simple brown color with uncomfortable wooden seats. The only difference between this and a normal carriage was that it had a lock… on the outside. A big, serious looking lock with only one key that could open it, and it was on the guard’s neck. Olivia needed to distract the guard so she could grab the key. Suddenly, she had an idea.
“I need to go to the bathroom!” she yelled through the door.
“Come on.” the older guard muttered to his friend.
“If you try to run away we will not hesitate to follow.” he reminded Olivia and opened the door.
Olivia blinked, the bright sun was a sight for sore eyes. They had been in the carriage for at least three days with only making stops to use the bathroom every few hours. They even slept in the horrible thing!
She walked towards the trees lining the side of the dusty road, stumbling slightly because she hadn’t walked for so long. She walked toward a group of a particularly thick grouping of trees.
“You get two minutes!” grumbled the older guard.
Looking around, she rustled the plants by her feet, then she started running. She ran faster than ever before. Faster than the time when she was being chased by a boy in the village who claimed he needed a wife. She didn’t care where she was going, she just knew she needed to get away from these awful people with a lock keeping her inside that the musty carriage. She was quickly losing breath, but she pushed on.
“HEY!” yelled the guards, immediately giving chase.
In reality, this was not the smartest plan and Olivia soon realized this as the guards continued to gain on her. For wearing all those hot clothes, they were surprisingly fast. She kept running, for fear of those awful guards! If she could run fast enough maybe she could run home, back to the orphanage.
Soon, the guards caught up with her. They grabbed her and dragged her back to the carriage. Kicking and screaming Olivia shouted, “I’ve been kidnapped! Help me!”
Hearing no one coming for her aid, Olivia gave up, after all, they were in the middle of nowhere. Sighing in defeat, she allowed the guards to drag her back to the carriage. That carriage.
“My, you are fiery.” said the older, bigger, and meaner guard.
“She will make a good-” started the nicer guard.
“I will make a good what?” shouted Olivia.
“Nevermind.” said the nicer guard, trying to distract her.
“NO! You drag me all the way out here and don’t even tell me why!” Olivia yelled, getting increasingly louder.
“Fine. You will make a good...helper.” and with that, the guards ended the conversation just like that.
Sighing again, Olivia climbed into the carriage this time and sat down.
“How far are we?” she asked.
“About three more days.” said the nicer guard.
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After many days of riding, they were finally there.
The great stone castle loomed in the distance, with flags flying from the turrets. Olivia starred, slightly intimidated. How could something so great house something so scary? Why did the King want her? This was all so new to Olivia.
Suddenly, the carriage jerked to a stop. Olivia flew forward hitting her face on the other side of the carriage. She heard some chuckles from outside. Groaning, she rolled her eyes and waited for the door to be opened. The door creaked open and Olivia pushed it and hopped out.
It was amazing, a wide entrance with tons of flowers and beautiful flowering trees. The guards grabbed both of her arms and dragged her towards the castle.
“Just to make sure you don’t try to escape again.” they said.
She stumbled along with them and tried to keep up. Eventually, they reached the great castle doors.
Three knocks… Olivia observed, because if she was going to escape she needed to notice everything. A group of four servants answered the door. All girls. One was an older lady with kind eyes and white hair. The other was a middle aged woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. The other were identical twins who looked a little older than Olivia with brown hair and gray eyes.
“My, child. Come, we need to clean you up.” said the oldest lady.
“Yeah, you smell.” said one of the twins who was a bit taller than the other.
“Oh.” said Olivia, taken back.
“She doesn’t mean any harm, dear. And take heed, Elizabeth, she has been riding in the that horrible carriage for days!”
“Sorry, Mother Laura.” said Elizabeth, the taller twin.
“Follow me.” said the blonde lady. And with that, she took Olivia by the hand and took her up a flight of steps to the left of the entrance. Olivia tried to notice every detail of the palace, but it was all so surreal, she couldn’t. She did notice that everything was ornate, but dusty as if it hadn’t be cleaned in a while.
After a bit of walking, they made it to a room off a third staircase...or was it a fourth? Well, the room was a big with high ceilings and a large bed in the middle. The bed was beautiful. It was a dark wood color and it had beautiful drapings surrounding it.
“What is this? Why did you take me here?”
“Just get in the tub, dear.” said the other, shorter twin.
After a moment of thought, Olivia realized that there was bathroom attached to the bedroom. Although, she tried to contain her excitement, she ran to the bathroom.
It was huge and magnificent with a large porcelain tub and two vanities with gorgeous marble sinks. The floor was also a white marble. Unlike the rest of the castle, it looked as though servants worked hard to clean up this room, for it sparkled like the sun.
“Were you expecting me?” Olivia asked.
“Don’t worry. Just get in the tub.”
Olivia was hesitant. “Um, can you leave first?” she said.
“No, we have to help you.” replied Elizabeth, an air of disgust in her voice.
“With the bath?”
“Yes, we comb through your hair, massage your back, and try to make those toenails look at least a little appealing.” Elizabeth said, this time truly angry.
“What is the matter with you! I came from an orphanage! How do you expect me to know this stuff?” Olivia yelled, getting angrier.
“Why don’t you go back to where you came from!” yelled the twin.
“Elizabeth! That is enough! She doesn’t know!” said the other twin.
“I don’t care, Diane!” yelled Elizabeth, and with that, she left the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
“Don’t worry about her, dear.” said Mother Laura.
“Yeah she is just jealous.” said the blonde servant.
“Why would she be jealous of me?”
“She thinks you are coming to marry the Prince and she is angry. You see, she has always fancied William.” said Diane.
“Oh.” said Olivia, appalled. She felt terrible. She didn’t want to hurt anyone. All she wanted was to go home.
“I guess she will never understand that a servant cannot marry a Prince.” said Diane.
“Ok, dear, time to get your bath, you will need to get in the tub.” said Mother Laura.
“Ok.” said Olivia.
When Olivia got in the tub, the warm water felt so good on her skin. It had been a while since she had a proper bath. She allowed the servants to clean her up. After the bath, she was told to close her eyes and wait for her outfit.
“An outfit? Why can’t I put on my old dress?”
“No offense, but you should look nicer for the Prince.” said the blonde servant.
“I have to meet him now?”
“Yes, and hurry we are behind.” said Diane.
Three minutes later and Olivia was wearing a beautiful lavender dress that was flowy and simple, yet elegant. The servants also brushed some simple makeup on her face, and did her hair in a way she though framed her face well.
“Now you are ready to see the Prince.” said Mother Laura.
“Thank you so much. Please tell Elizabeth I would never even marry the Prince even if he wanted me to. He took me away from everything I know and love.”
And with that, Olivia followed the servants to meet a Prince she already despised.
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Chapter 5:
William sat on his throne as the door creaked open. In came a girl of about fifteen with her hair put up in a bun, and long strands in the front braided and left down. Her dress was simple a bright lavender color that came down to her knees. She looked around in disguised awe, but to William it was written all over her face.
“Olivia...” he said, letting the silence hang in the air.
“How did you know my name? Why did you bring me here? Why did you take me away from my home!” she asked all in a rush. It had been so long, she needed answers!
“Calm down, calm down. I brought you here because I am your brother…” he left that in the air a bit to see how she would react. She looked shocked, and then she fainted, her eyes rolling back in her head. He started towards her and carried her up out of the room. As soon as the guards saw her , they grabbed her.
“Take her to her rooms, unless she is able to handle the truth she shall not be able to see me.” he declared and walked back to his own quarters.
Soon after, he walked back to Olivia’s rooms and listened by her door. He could hear her quietly sobbing inside. That made him feel slightly guilty. This was enough, he walked towards her guards and said:
“Please let Olivia know that she is invited to lunch with me, I know she has a long ride.” William informed the guards and walked back to his quarters.
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Later at lunch, William sat across from Olivia. A long silence stretched on as she examined him for the first time. Finally, her eyes met his.
“So, what should I call you now, brother?” she said in a slightly mocking tone. William chuckled harshly and set down his fork.
“No need for that Olivia, but we need to talk about important matters. Do you want to be Queen?” he deadpanned. She looked at him as though she had been thinking about it a lot.
“I know you are not much for feelings William, I can tell that right when I met you, but let me explain my life before this. I have lived my entire in that orphanage. A distant woman named Mistress raised me my entire life and I felt no love for her and she felt none for me. My entire childhood I felt unloved, even my own mother didn’t want me.” she said, her voice getting higher and more upset. “You have no idea what that is like. You had a mother and father that loved you! You have no idea what it is to be like to be unwanted. And now you are telling me that I not only have parents, but their dead!” she was yelling now.
“OLIVIA. Stop. Do you even think to presume that our parents were perfect. That they loved me! My - our - father was a distant, cold man. I do believe that it was impossible that he could love anybody. Nobody was ever good enough for him, it was only him and his work.” he shouted, now very frustrated. “ Our parents are dead! I have known this for weeks and yet you think that you have it so much harder than I have! It is actions like these that make you unfit to be Queen.” he snapped. Then he got up, and stormed out of the room walking to his bedroom.
“Hey! William! Come back!” shouted Olivia from down the hallway.
He ignored her and went to his room. Slamming the door he realized that he was back in his old room, with the broken window. The afternoon breeze was sweeping through the room, making it seem calm, almost peaceful. Still fuming from his fight with Olivia he kicked the bedpost.
“OW!” he shouted.
Grabbing his foot, he slowly slid down the bedpost, sitting on the floor. How could she… actually how could he? Her life was probably worse. Thinking you had a parent who didn’t want you would be… horrible. Why was he like this? He could never have a good relationship. Even his mother, his wonderful, wonderful, mother he couldn’t appreciate. It wasn’t his father who wasn’t deserving of her, it was him.
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Chapter 6:
Olivia walked through the doors of the palace, ignoring the guard’s shouts behind her. Wow. She had no idea what William’s life was like. Being insensitive again, oh how Bree would yell at her. Thinking about Bree made her homesick. If only she were here, she would know what to say. Tears began slipping down her face. Sitting down against a wall somewhere in the palace, she covered her face with her hands as tears streamed down her face. Suddenly life was so much more complicated. Why did she ever leave the orphanage?
“Hey! You ok?” asked a voice above her. It was the smaller guard.
“Not really.” she said, trying to keep the shake from her voice.
“William was never really one for family.” he informed her kindly.
“No offense, but that isn’t really making me feel any better.” she laughed, tears slipping down her face.
“Oh. Oh my goodness that is very offensive isn’t it . I’m sorry. Forget I said anything, my Queen.” he apologized quickly.
“No seriously it’s alright.” she said. Drying her tears on her dress she looked up at him for the first time. He was a little older than her, with light blond hair and dark brown eyes, wearing a royal uniform that was a little frayed around the edges and with dirt smudges on the hem.
“Do you mind if I ask why you are crying?” he questioned.
“I just can’t seem to get along with anyone. I had a fight earlier with a young servant.” she answered.
“Who?”
“Elizabeth. I just don’t know if I belong here. I mean, I don’t want to get in anyone's way.”
“No, you are going to be great! Don’t worry, you will make a wonderful Queen!” said the guard, smiling.
“Thank you.” said Olivia, her voice lonely and sad. “Wait, what is you and the other guard’s names? You never told me.”
“My name is Griffin, and the other guard who brought you here is named Roger.”
“Oh, thanks. Well, see you later Griffin.” said Olivia, somehow feeling more lonely than ever before.
She needed to do something different. Something to cheer herself up. So, she walked back to her rooms and wrote letters. She wrote to Bree, and Mistress. Somehow, when Olivia was done, she felt better. At this point, it was nearing nighttime so she skipped dinner and fell right asleep in her soft feather bed.
……………………………………………………
_______
Later that night she awoke to a person shaking her shoulder.
“Oliva… Olivia.. Oh come on wake up.” a distinctly male voice muttered.
“Mmmm. What is it?” she grumbled.
“Someone broke into the castle. Come on wake up!” the voice whispered, who she could now see was William.
“William? I thought… nevermind someone broke into the castle?” she jerked up in alarm. Slipping on her shoes and coat, but still in her nightdress, she followed William down the stairs into the main hall of the palace.
“Do you see those footprints” he asked. Pointing to a set of large footprints, now faint in the grayish light of the moon. “Those aren’t mine…” he whispered, as if scared that one breath would somehow summon this mysterious person to them.
“Where is this person?” asked Olivia.
“I don’t know.” William replied.
“How can you be so careless? Don’t you have guards patrolling every entrance to the palace?” Olivia said getting louder.
“Shhhh. Yes, I do have guards, they are already looking for the intruder. I wanted to tell you.” he whispered putting a finger in front of her mouth.
“Look.” Olivia pointed to another footprint near one of the doors exiting the hallway. “This way, come on let’s go.” she whispered and ran towards the footprints, William following suit.
As the two began speed walking - not running for fear the intruder would hear them - the footprints seemed to become more noticeable as if the intruder had been there just a bit ago.
Suddenly the two siblings heard a scream… close.
“Hurry!” yelled William. This time grabbing Olivia’s hand and pulling her toward the sound.
The scream continued which helped Olivia and William get an idea of where it was coming from. Then, all of the sudden, it stopped.
“Why did it stop?” William said aloud to himself, stopping their pursuit.
“Who cares? Keep running!” yelled Olivia, grabbing William and trying to get him to move.
“Uh, Olivia, maybe we should leave it to the guard to figure that one out.”
Olivia couldn’t believe it, a future King, turning away from helping somebody.
“Well, I’m going and I hope you do too. A future King shouldn’t be acting like this.” said Olivia, leaving William to ponder his thoughts.
She continued to follow where she thought the sound was until she came to two staircases somewhere near the East Wing, or was it the West?
On the right staircase, she saw a figure laying down, she noticed it was Elizabeth.
Elizabeth, are you Ok?” she asked her. “I heard a noise coming from this way, did you hear it?”
When she got no response, she came toward Elizabeth. “Look, about earlier…” she stopped in her tracks. She didn’t look right. She rushed toward her just as William arrived, out of breath.
“Olivia, you were…” he started, but saw Olivia and Elizabeth and stopped.
“William, she is dead.” Olivia said, crying.
“Oh no…” he breathed, staring at Elizabeth.
……………………………………………………
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Chapter 6:
“William we DID THIS! Oh no. No no no this can’t be happening.” Olivia gasped, tears running down her face. She let loose a scream and slid down on her knees.
William’s mind was racing. Who did this? Why? Did they have a vendetta against her? Or was it against the royal family? Why the palace? Of all questions, this one seemed to stick with William. As the guards filtered in and out Dianne and Mother Lauren finally arrived.
“NO NO PLEASE NOT HER. THIS ISN’T REAL… please.” sobbed Diane, collapsing next to her sister. “Oh Lizzie you didn’t deserve this. Why couldn’t it have been me. WHY NOT ME!” Weeping now, she held her sisters head in her lap and bent over her; her pain raw and obvious on her face. Olivia just stood by a wall in shock as Mother Laura came over.
“Oh Olivia, that must have been a horrible sight to see.” soothed Mother Laura. “Oh poor you, I can’t imagine what that must have been like.” she said sounding more curious than sad. Suddenly, Olivia grew angry.
“Why! Why are you talking to me! Look, Diane is over there sobbing her heart out because her TWIN SISTER JUST DIED. Look me in the eyes and say you don’t care. That you won’t go over there and comfort her as you were just doing me. That you are just being nice to me so that the you’ll be in the King’s favor. TELL ME... “ yelled Olivia and sputtered out. Mother Laura looked at her in shock but went to comfort Diane instead.
“Olivia she has something a letter of some sort.” William said, gesturing to a single piece of paper by the poor girl’s body.
William couldn’t take this. He needed his family more than anything now. His mother would know how to handle this! His lovely mother who… he would never see again.
“Let me see it.” said Dianne, pointing to the paper.
William grabbed the paper and handed it to Dianne.
As soon as Dianne read it, her heart seemed to break. She kind of crumpled down in a storm of sobs and started punching the hard floor.
“No. No. NO!” she screamed the last word, like if the sheer sound of her voice could bring back Elizabeth.
“Stop!” yelled Mother Laura, trying to get her to stop from getting her knuckles bloody. “I’m going to take her for some rest. Can we get some of the other servants to take her body and put it in the church down in the village? Can we have the funeral in some days time?” asked Mother Laura.
“Yes.” said William. “I will go for some of the other servants, the funeral can be held next week. I am so sorry. This murderer will be brought to justice, I promise.” said William, waiting for Mother Laura and a broken, empty, Dianne to leave the scene.
“What does the letter say?” he asked Olivia.
“Here, look.” said Mother Lauren, sobbing.
When William got the letter, he noticed right away, the writing was neat and small. It said:
Dear, Olivia
I am so sorry for earlier. It was rude of me to call you out for something you were not even trying to do. I guess I was just jealous. I know I will never be Queen, I just like to dream sometimes. The truth is, I get lonely. Being a servant has its perks, but it isn’t what I have always wanted to do. The truth is, I want to be a teacher. Is that too much to ask? Anyways, I would like to be friends. I am sending this in the form of a letter for fear you will turn me down. Well, see you around then. I mean, I do help you get ready every morning.
Elizabeth
“I’m going to go clear my head. See you later, William.” muttered Olivia.
“I will come with you.” said William, but all Olivia could do was walk away, leaving William to scuttle after her.
……………………………………………………
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Chapter 7:
All that was on Olivia’s mind was vengeance now. What had started as just a flicker of a thought was now an uncontrollable tornado that had taken over her mind. She had to leave the castle. Elizabeth’s killer was still out there, still ready to hurt more people. She needed to find the person… needed. Gone was the emotion from Oliva, she was a cold, brittle shell of herself.
Once she found Elizabeth’s killer she didn’t know what she would do. This was the only thing distracting herself from the grief that was about to push her over the edge. Like a rock on the edge of a cliff, one wrong move would topple her.
“Olivia, are you alright?” asked William softly. She ignored him and kept walking, now at a brisk pace. “Olivia?” he asked again, sounding worried.
“Leave me alone. I don’t want you here.” She said in a sharp voice. “You killed her.” she snapped.
“Wait, what!” William exclaimed, now struggling with keeping pace with her. “I didn’t… no, no, Olivia how could you think that.” he insisted.
“YES. Yes you did. Who stopped me in the hallway? You. Who suggested that we let a guard handle it? You. Who was unwilling to put themselves in harms way for a person they didn’t know? You. All I get from you is calculated hatred. The reason we couldn’t save Elizabeth… YOU!” she spat.
Running back to her rooms, she was even more worked up. Not long after, she heard a knock at her door
“William, if this is you, go away I’m not talking to you!” she yelled.
“Ummm no, this is Griffin.” he spoke, sounding confused.
“Oh ok… come in then.” Oliva sighed, her voice breaking just in the slightest. The door creaked and Griffin walked in. Looking tired, with dark circles under his eyes and wrinkled clothing he sat next to her on the floor.
“Elizabeth died.” Olivia blurted
“I know.” Griffin sighed.
“I’m going after the killer.” she proclaimed. “Help me or not, I don’t care.”
“... ok.” he agreed, sounding unsure. “Lets go.”
They walked out of her rooms and out the front entrance onto the grounds. Being at the palace only one day, Olivia never got to experience everything. They grounds were big with luscious grass and beautiful flowers though to Olivia, they all seemed fake. Like they were pretending to be pretty, hiding the real truths of the castle. The deep, dark, ugly things that Olivia could now see with such a clarity that it scared her. It made her feel empty. As if the castle was slowly draining her of all feeling and emotion. She was the animal, caged and alone, and it was the leech. Slowly sucking her emotions until one day she would collapse, breathe one breath and not the next. She was tired. So very tired. Her and Griffin kept walking until they left the castle and walked on a deserted path near the forest.
“Griffin, I’m sorry I brought you out here with me.” sighed Olivia. Her voice shuddered like glass, spun with lies of stability but one wrong move and it would break. Shaking from the cold, the wind blew through the trees as she turned at looked at Griffin.
Once those words left her mouth, his smile became just a tiny bit wider. At that moment, Olivia realized something was off. Griffin looked into the distance and smiled a small smile. He seemed to shrink from his old self, to transform into something she didn’t know.
“Griffin?” questioned Olivia. But she did not pay attention to his answer, a dark figure in the forest caught her eye.
He ignored her and said to the same spot where he looked a second before, “It is time. I have the girl.”
“What? Me?” Olivia asked, her voice sounding shrill.
He ignored her again and said a little louder, “COME!”
Olivia was still confused at the whole thing, and she would have started yelling for help, but a figure shrouded in black came and covered up her mouth while Griffin tied a rope around her mouth held her arms behind her back. When the figure stood back, Olivia realized who it was, and she was surprised. It was Roger, the bigger meaner looking guard who brought her to the palace hours back.
She tried to scream, but no sound came out, only a muffled tone.
He laughed a horrendous evil laugh that resonated. “Oh, girl. No one can hear you now. Griffin, go fetch the boy.”
Griffin scuttled off back towards the castle like a dog that had been praised.
How could he do this? Olivia thought. He seemed so nice. He seemed so innocent. Maybe this was the fate of all man. Like a fly, she had been spun into Griffin’s web of lies and deceit and was about to be eaten. Maybe it wouldn’t be so sad… nobody would miss her.
Olivia looked on with indifference as Roger began speaking again. She shouldn’t have expected so much from somebody. To actually care for someone was a chore, and nobody liked doing chores.
“So, dearest Olivia how are you doing? Feeling a bit… tied up!” and Roger burst into manic giggles. Once he dried the tears from his eyes he looked at Olivia, expecting to see fear in her eyes. Instead, he saw nothing, and in an instant Olivia saw his expression change.
“Tough girl are you? Or putting on a show? Ohhhh you’re so complex.” he cooed.
“Mmmph.” mumbled Olivia, and Roger laughed.
“Hmmmm. Should I remove the gag? Mmmm I think not. Nice try girl.”
“MMMmmph.” mumbled Olivia, even louder.
“Now now, don’t fuss, here I’ll tell you a story.” he said, growing excited at the idea.
“Once upon a time… this all started long before you were born, maybe twenty years ago, I was engaged. My bride-to-be was gorgeous to say the least. With flowing brown hair and dark eyes. She was a peasant girl as was I. We couldn’t wait for our wedding, which was to be held at a small church in the village below.”
Olivia took his words in with a sense of longing, maybe that could have been her.
“At the same time, the Prince of Sylvvia was ready to become King. Now, his family and advisors were pushing him to get married so to produce an heir. Well, one day, he was out in the village doing some acts of “charity” only to make him feel better about his shell of a character. For everybody knew he abused the servants by yelling at him and calling them horrid things. Anyway, he was in the village and he saw my fiance. He knew she would make a good wife because of her beauty and he could tell he would be able to tell her what to do for her personality was shy and quiet.”
Roger paused as if the words were hurting him like men’s fist. He continued but this time with an angrier tone. “He took a liking to her right away. He came back in the village many days after seeing her for the first time to see her again. After the third day of watching her, he asked her to be his wife. She replied saying she was already engaged and she had no ideas of changing that. Well, this Prince did not do well with being told, “no”, so on the day of our wedding. That’s right OUR WEDDING!” Roger said, growing more angry, his eyes filled with a crazy look.
“He came and took her away as she was saying her vows just like that. He didn’t look back. Well, they did get married and I didn’t see her for a while, then, I had a great idea to train as a palace guard in hopes of seeing her once again. After six months of brutal training, I was a certified palace guard. The first day on the job, I saw her and it was all of my strength not to run to her and kiss her. I restrained myself and we began meeting in secret to discuss how we would run away together. The King found out that we were meeting, and condemned me to a death of hanging for treason against the throne.”
At this point, Roger’s voice was just a little below a scream, and Olivia wondered how anyone from the palace hadn’t heard him yet.
“Well, that beautiful wife of mine saved me. She came down and let me free from my cell. She kissed me on the cheek and told me to run to a far far away place. I did. I ran faster than ever. The King had his guards searching for me for at least three years, but they gave up. They couldn’t find me. I traveled to far away places even beyond the Great Sea, while life at the palace was even worse for my fiance after she let me go free. The King turned colder to her. Some say he was abusive. I don’t know. Then, there was the war. I loved to see the King fret over losing it all. Maybe, I thought, if the Kingdom fell, my fiance could escape and we would be together. Then, you and your brother were born they wanted to hide it from the whole world that they were poor. The King decided it would be a good idea to give one of the children up, so they could have enough money for the Kingdom.”
Roger paused, taking a breath and then continuing.
“Well, Charlotte sent me a letter that explained everything from the Kingdom being weak to the children. She wanted me to look after you. Seeing as she was my fiance, I took it to myself to come and visit you sometimes as the local postmaster. I watched you grow.”
Olivia remembered the postmaster who came to the orphanage once a week. Thinking back, he did a lot like Roger.
“Then, after a while, I could no long bear being away from her. I had word that the King and Queen were heading to visit family. I took this as my chance. I went back east toward the castle. I saw the carriage leave and followed it until I thought it was at a good time. It was late in the night. I went to the carriage and only one of the guards was awake. I easily knocked him out. Then, I approached the carriage. I had nothing on my mind but vengeance. I opened the door and there they were asleep. I grabbed my knife, ready to kill the King once and for all, when Charlotte woke up. All my years of waiting for her and all my worry was gone. There she was as beautiful as ever.”
Olivia let out a little sob. She never really cried for her mother. Her mother she never knew.
“I plunged the knife down to the King. It didn’t hit his flesh, though, it hit hers. She didn’t die right away. She had some powers you see, she was able to send a message to you and your brother. The King never knew what kind of magic she had. People would have called her a witch. They might have tried to burn her. I knew, though.”
All of Olivia’s thoughts of doubt that she was the daughter of the King and Queen went away at that moment. The woman in the woods was her mother. She was the lost Princess. If Olivia’s mother had powers, did that mean she did?
“I wept with her in her last minutes after I killed the King. I never meant to hurt her. She didn’t speak but I knew why she did it. Charlotte was a beautiful person inside and out. She would never have been able to live with herself if she let me kill the King, no matter how awful he was to her. In that moment, I realized that she did learn to love him. After she died, I made a run for it in a guards uniform, returning to castle. I knew I would have to do what I am about to do some time. It is fate.” Roger started to laugh again but stopped when Roger returned with William.
“OLIVIA!” William yelled.
“Yes, isn’t this all very touching?” cooed Roger. “Now, before the fun begins, I must tell a story to dear William.”
With that, Olivia was forced to hear the story again. At the end, William looked at Olivia. “You got it too?” he asked her, referring to their mother’s dying words.
Olivia nodded.
“Oh, Heaven’s! I almost forgot to tie up Willy!” cried Roger, “Wouldn’t want him calling for his guards, now would we?”
“Now, children. This is the fun part. See, I just simply cannot have a man who stole my beloved fiance right from me, having his children rule, now could I? I’m going to kill you both just like I did that stupid servant girl. Oh, she did fight, but I managed to slip the poison down her throat. I simply couldn’t have her driving Olivia away, could I?”
Olivia wanted nothing more in that moment than to hurt the guard. She wanted to destroy him! Elizabeth didn’t deserve to die, neither did anyone! Olivia gave up that thought, though, when Roger drew out a knife. It looked very sharp. Just as he was about to come close, Griffin jumped between him and the siblings. “Please Roger! They didn’t do anything! Don’t let what happened to you overcome you!”
“NO! You were supposed to help me Griffin! We had a deal! Now MOVE!” yelled Roger, moving closer to Griffin.
“This isn’t right, Roger. Charlotte would not have wanted this. She loved her children.”
“Don’t tell me what she did and didn’t want!” yelled Roger, running at Griffin.
Olivia and William watched in awe as the two guards rolled around on the ground. Amidst the chaos, Olivia heard Griffin yell, “Run! I’ll hold him off, get the guards!”
Olivia and William looked at each other and paused, but upon another, “GO!” they ran back to castle to alert the guards, and they to pulled off their gags.
“Guards!” shouted William, quieting them immediately. “There is a dangerous man on the loose. He just attempted murder on me and Olivia. His name is Roger. If you find him, no mercy.” he shouted over the guards mutterings.
Just then Roger ran into the castle grounds.
“There he is!” shouted Olivia, and the guards ran after him. Olivia and William just stood there, hand in hand, wondering what would happen next.
Epilogue:
The next morning, Olivia and William had breakfast together. They made up and accepted their differences. Upon realizing their mother had magical powers, they saw a wizard from another land to teach them. Eventually they went on to rule together in a joint monarchy. Griffin’s body was found and he was given an honored burial. Mother Lauren was fired after her insensitive remarks toward Diane. Diane went through therapy from Bree and Mistress, who were allowed to leave the orphanage and come visit sometimes. Elizabeth’s funeral occurred on the same day as Griffin’s. Lots of tears were shed. Roger, on the other hand was found and killed two weeks later for crimes against the crown. Olivia and William lived their happily ever after, and did, after many years, accepted their father for what he did. They had trouble, but learned to love him, just as their mother learned to.
The End
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