DAWN OF THE PHOENIX Page 9

  Her father had looked so pleased when he saw the throne room. He had thanked her for all she had done and gave his daughter an almost remorseful smile. She wished she had asked him what was making him so forlorn. Maybe the whole thing could have been avoided.

  The first of the nobles had begun to arrive by midmorning. The lesser lords and ladies of Bandara were all dressed in their finest to see their king. Raygan knew many of the nobles didn’t care for the king’s lenient taxation of the commoners. It was no secret to anyone that the king was ill, and it might be the last time Aaron Albana held court. Even though the nobility disagreed with the king’s politics, their sense of nobility wouldn’t allow them to miss the affair. Raygan felt good about how many of them turned out to show proper respect for the man who had ruled the kingdom for so long.

  She remembered Finn Selmac and Bishop Lyfair coming in and hovering like vultures near the dais. The rest of king’s council was the last to come in: General Voths, Lords Kasper, Bradford, and Fox. Talorn Blackthorn and his father had entered with her brother. She had never liked Talorn, he was arrogant and far too pretty for her taste.

  Raygan had invited many of the wealthiest commoners as well. So many had come to the palace to see their king that many had to be turned away and asked to wait in the garden where refreshments were to be served after the court business was finished. It was a grand gathering, and somehow it had gone terribly wrong.

  Someone was knocking on her door. She jumped, afraid that it was someone sent to bring her back down to the throne room. She was not ready for that yet.

  “Are you alright, Highness?” It was just her young servant Isabella.

  “Yes, Bella. I won’t need you for the rest of the night, you may go to your quarters.”

  “Highness, I heard what happened. The whole palace is in an uproar. I don’t think you should be alone.”

  “Just go, little one, I will be fine.”

  Would she? How could she ever be fine again? she thought.

  King Aaron had given a fine speech to the court about his beloved Bandara and his years on the throne. The crowd had cheered and applauded. It was after that when things took a turn for the worse.

  Her father had raised his hand and quieted the room. He started speaking of how he had left a fine mess of things for his heir and that they would have to be an extraordinary and exceptional person to undo all the mistakes he had made. He said he had chosen his heir because they shared his vision for the continued prosperity of the citizens of Bandara. Her father proclaimed to everyone in the throne room that he was leaving the kingdom in the hands of someone he could trust and that he had the utmost confidence in them.

  Cain was beaming with pride; you could see the satisfaction on his face. Her brother liked nothing better than to have his ego stroked. The truth was Raygan thought Cain would be a great king; he had trained all his life to be the ruler of Bandara. He had been sent to the colleges in Asqutania where only the very brightest and astute young men were allowed to attend. Father had told her he had done very well there. It was not surprising. Cain had always been more intelligent than she was. Sometimes she felt a little jealous about that, but she had no head for facts and numbers. Raygan had trouble with the subjects the royal tutors had tried to teach her. If not for the way she could flip her hair and smile, she would have never completed mathematics this past winter.

  The princess had been daydreaming again, as she usually did during court functions, when she heard he father say, “That is why I have changed my mind. My daughter Raygan will be my heir. She will rule Bandara when I am gone. I’m sorry, Son, but it must be this way.”

  The throne room went silent. Everyone stood frozen by the shocking news. Raygan stood with her mouth open, staring at her father. Had she heard him right? He looked at her and spoke in a low tone only she could hear.

  “Promise me, Raygan, you must do this for me. You must rule. If Cain takes the throne, there will be nothing left of our Bandara. I promise I will explain it all to you later.”

  She remembered nodding. The next thing she heard was someone yelling, “The king is mad!”

  The dais was rushed by Royal Guardsmen and her father was picked up and carried out through his private entrance. The throne room had erupted into complete turmoil. Bishop Lyfair and most of the lords were trying to restore order. The common people were yelling and some were even cheering the announcement. She felt like everyone was looking at her. It was Cain she noticed, though. The anguish written on his face was more than she could bear. She stepped down from the dais and ran.

  “Get those peasants out of here now,” Lord Bradford screamed.

  The throne room began to fill with Royal Guardsmen. William Blackthorn pulled one of them aside. “Get everyone out but the high lords, Bishop Lyfair and Selmac. Do whatever you have to.”

  The guard saluted the old lord and went to give the lord’s orders to his commander. Cain stood staring at the throne. She had done it again. Raygan had bested him and made him to look like a fool in front of all the nobility of Bandara.

  “Cain? Cain, listen to me, this means nothing; your father was ill, his decision will never stand.”

  The prince turned his head to look at Talorn. His friend was trying to comfort him, but he couldn’t quite understand what he was saying. He had just been cheated out of everything he had ever wanted. The throne was the only thing that mattered to him in this world. Was he so much less than his sister?

  “Cain, where are you going?” Talorn called after the infuriated prince.

  Lord Blackthorn saw his son trying to talk with the dejected prince. “Let him go, Son. Help us clear the palace and then we can see to the prince.”

  Raygan paced back and forth in her room, trying to decide what she should do. She heard the lock turn and the princess jumped back, covering her mouth with her hand.

  “Highness, why did you run away?” Agnes said as she turned and relocked the door.

  “Didn’t you see what happened? Father made me the heir to the Phoenix Throne. It was Cain who has been groomed to take over when Father is gone. Why did he change his mind? He knows I have no idea how to run a country.”

  Agnes took the little princess by the shoulders, squeezing them hard enough to make Raygan wince. “Calm yourself, Highness, I’m sure your father had his reasons for taking Cain out of the succession. Collect yourself and get back down there, the people need to see you’re not a frightened little girl.”

  Raygan shook the woman’s hands off her shoulders. “I’m not going back down there, you old troll. Has everyone gone mad? I need to see my father right now. He is going to undo this, I wanted no part of it.”

  Agnes stomped her foot. “Like it or not, you are to be the next ruler of Bandara. I suggest you start acting like it or the nobles of this kingdom will tear you apart.”

  “I’m fifteen and a woman, no one is going to listen to me anyway.”

  Agnes shook her head. "Your father loves you, child, and he believes in you, despite the way you are. I hope you won’t disappoint him. I will go down and tell the lords you will meet with them shortly.”

  “Tell them whatever you want, I’m not leaving this room.”

  Agnes stomped out of the room and Raygan locked the door behind her. The princess went to her window and saw the sky was beginning to darken. There was a storm coming.

  She heard a very soft knock on her door again. “Bella, I told you I didn’t need anything.”

  A voice from the hallway answered very softly, “It’s not Bella.”

  Cain! What would she say to him? He must be furious.

  “Open the door, Raygan. I want to talk.”

  He didn’t sound upset, maybe he was here to tell her it had all been a big mistake. She turned the key and opened the door. Cain stepped into her room and softly closed the door. He had a vacant look on his face. He walked over and stood right in front of her. Raygan had never noticed how much taller he was than her.

  “Please
, don’t be mad at me, Cain; I will go to Father and...” Raygan never finished the sentence.

  The back of Cain’s hand struck her across the mouth, knocking the small crown she wore off her head and sending her straight to the floor. Raygan had never even been so much as spanked in her life. Now blood dripped from her busted lips onto the beautiful carpet that covered the floor of her room.

  “I think you have talked to Father enough, you treacherous little bitch.” He moved toward her like a monster in the old stories. “How long did it take you to get him to do this to me? I never said anything when he spent all his time with you.”

  Cain clenched his fists as he spoke. “I never complained when he put you before me time and time again. Not one word passed my lips when he laid everything you ever asked for at your feet.” He walked slowly around the princess. “My whole life I stood in your shadow, Sister, and watched as he gave all his love and attention to you and never did I once complain. I took the leftovers of Father’s love because I knew that he had entrusted me with Bandara. The one thing I had with our father, the one thing we had together. In the end, you found a way to destroy that too, didn’t you?”

  His accusations hurt her as much as the back of his hand.

  Raygan tried to rise, getting as far as her hands and knees before Cain kicked her in the stomach, flipping the tiny young woman completely over on to her back. She could not get her breath, and it was agony to even try. She could hear him rage on. “What was it, dear sister? Did you whisper in his ear the whole time I was in Tyro with your sweet lies and our mother’s looks? Did you tell him it was your heart’s desire to be the queen?”

  She was just getting her breath when Cain stomped down on her abdomen, and this time she heard a bone snap. He loomed over her, looking down with contempt.

  “How did you do it, little sister? Did you take our mother’s place in his bedroom? Did you become Father’s whore?” Cain jumped on top of his sister, straddling her small body, and began to scream in her face, spittle flying from his mouth. “Answer me, you worthless little bitch. I want to know how you did it!”

  He began to pound her face with his fists. Her head bounced off the floor with each blow. The last thing she remembered was his hands sliding around her throat.

  “Cain, what the hell are you doing?” Talorn said as he and his father came through the door of Raygan’s room.

  “Talorn, would you be so kind as to stop the prince from killing his sister, please?” William asked casually.

  Talorn was already halfway across the room. He grabbed Cain by the arms and pulled him off the bloody girl.

  “You will never sit on the Phoenix Throne, you treacherous whore,” the prince screamed.

  Cain struggled to break free, still kicking at the helpless girl lying on the floor. The prince couldn’t free himself, Talorn’s strength was too great. The big knight began to slowly pull him back. William walked over to the struggling prince.

  “Highness, I think you need some air. Talorn, if you please.” William pointed to the door and Talorn dragged Cain from the room. As he wrestled the struggling prince out the door, Bishop Lyfair and Finn Selmac came in.

  “I think the princess is in need of your administrations, my good surgeon,” William said.

  Selmac knelt over Raygan and started assessing the damage her brother had inflicted on her.

  Bishop Lyfair looked down at Raygan’s bloody face. “What in the name of Almighty God happened?”

  “It seems the prince thought that his sister’s treachery should not go unpunished. Cain has more backbone than I gave him credit for.” William smirked.

  “You call that backbone? He has savagely beaten his sister, a mere fifteen-year-old girl, and you think that shows some kind of courage?”

  “Indeed I do, Father. The princess betrayed her brother. He may have not chosen the best way to punish her, but there is no doubt of her guilt.” Lord Blackthorn looked at the guards standing in the doorway.

  “Would you be so good as to close the door? I don’t think we need any more people to see this than already have. Come, Finn, let’s get her onto the bed.”

  Lyfair walked to the door, nodded to the guards, and closed it.

  As the other two men put the princess on her bed, Lyfair looked around the room. Lyfair had never been inside the young girl’s chambers before. The lavish furnishings were worth a fortune. The gold that had been spent on Raygan’s room was almost sinful. The princess was spoiled and willful, but Lyfair didn’t believe she deserved the abuse her brother had inflicted on her. He knew the empty-headed princess had not contrived to steal the throne from Cain. Anyone that believed that the comely little dunce could accomplish that was foolish.

  “How bad is it, Finn?” Lyfair asked.

  “She will live, but I fear her looks will never be the same. Her head is split open in the back, I believe her nose and jaw are both broken, and it might be a couple of days before she can see. Both eyes are swollen completely shut. I think the worse is a couple of broken ribs. She is young, she will heal quickly, provided he didn’t break something inside her head.”

  “See to her then, Finn.” Lyfair let out a huge sigh. By the looks of her, he thought the damage would be worse, though the conceited girl would have a fit when she found out her looks had been ruined.

  “Selmac can take care of the princess. Come, Father, we have business to attend to,” William said.

  Lyfair looked at Blackthorn, confused. “What business?”

  “We should go to check on the king.”

  Talorn pushed Cain into his room. Cain whirled around, face red with rage and tears in his eyes.

  “Keep your hands off me, knight.”

  He dumped over the writing desk that sat in the corner of his room then ripped a painting of his mother off the wall and smashed it against his wardrobe. Talorn grabbed the prince in a bear hug and tried to keep the young man from wrecking the entire room.

  “Cain, it’s over, stop this madness. Do you realize you almost killed your sister?” Talorn said a little more harshly than he intended.

  The prince stopped struggling and looked at his hands. His eyes grew wide when he noticed the blood that stained them. Talorn eased his grip on Cain as the prince walked slowly across the room, staring at his bloody hands.

  “She betrayed me, Talorn. She played me false the whole time, always acting like she wanted nothing to do with the crown while the whole time she was undermining me with Father so she could get her hands on Bandara.” He went to his dresser and poured some water from a pitcher into a large washbasin. He began to furiously scrub at his hands, trying to wash the blood away.

  “She has been plotting this since I left for Asqutania; she has stolen the crown right out of my hands.” The prince snatched a towel off the dresser and dried his hands feverishly.

  Talorn looked at Cain and scoffed. “Do you really believe that? Raygan? When did she hatch this diabolical scheme, while she was trying on dresses or picking flowers in the garden? Think, Cain. It’s like my father said, the king’s illness has finally driven him mad. You know no one in their right mind would believe he would name Raygan heir. In your wildest dreams, can you imagine her as the Queen of Bandara? You have nothing to worry about, the throne still belongs to you.”

  Cain ran his damp hands through his hair, slicking it back down to his head, but his eyes were still wild. “How can you say that? The whole court was there! They heard him. Even if I am crowned now, there will always be questions, suspicions. The commoners will say I usurped the crown from Raygan; you know how they love the little sow. There will always be a shadow over my reign.”

  Talorn walked over to Cain’s writing desk and set it back up. He noticed a bottle of wine that had fallen to the floor without breaking. Talorn picked it up and pulled the cork. He picked up two cups and filled one, handing it to the prince.

  “Here, drink this.”

  Cain drank it straight down. He sat down on the bed, looking exha
usted.

  Talorn poured himself a cup of wine and stood before the prince. “There will be no questions. Everyone knows your father intended the throne to be yours, so calm yourself. What you should be thinking about is what you have done to Raygan. What happened? Why did you do it?”

  “I went to talk to her and find out why she had stolen my birthright. When I saw her, I lost my temper. I would have killed her if you hadn’t stopped me.”

  Talorn looked at the prince with disappointment. “It would have been for nothing. Raygan has no mind for politics or intrigue. I don’t believe for a second she tried to steal the throne from you.”

  Talorn sat down beside Cain. “How are you going to explain what you did to her?”

  Cain gritted his teeth. “I don’t have to explain anything to her, she is just a girl; she may be special to my father and the peasants of this kingdom, but she is nothing but a spoiled little bitch to me. She will never forgive me anyway, so there is no point in trying to make her understand.”

  “Give her time and stay away from her. I know you don’t care about her forgiveness, but I do. It will be better for us if you can make amends.”

  Cain looked confused. “For us? You should have no grievance with me.”

  Talorn stood up and walked toward the door. “Have you forgotten she is to be my wife?”

  “Of course not, but…”

  Talorn turned a flash of anger in his eye. “Cain, you are my friend and soon you’ll be my king, but I want you to know if anything like this happens again, I will avenge her, make no mistake about that.”

  With that, the most dangerous knight in Bandara walked out, leaving the prince sitting alone.

  Cain got up and closed his door. He didn’t really care what his sister thought, or Talorn, for that matter. He would kill anyone who stood between him and the throne. He needed Talorn, he also needed the Blackthorn fortune, so he would have to go easy, but he didn’t like to be threatened.