It was a quiet evening, one that Susannah was rather enjoying, when Judith suddenly burst into the room with a face full of tears. The latter wasted no time in throwing herself onto the velvet couch at the far end of the room, burying her head into the pillows to stifle her sobs. Getting up from the large, comfortable mattress, Susannah immediately went over to her older sister to offer any kind of comfort required.

They were in one of the many chambers of the east wing, a comfortable setting to make residence in. The political status of both Vikus and Solovet had allowed the family to move into the palace, something that Susannah enjoyed immensely. It was almost like being royalty. Judith, on the other hand, repeatedly expressed her dislike for the palace life. It was honestly a nag to hear about her nostalgia for the sound of Regalia's streets.

Judith missed everything about their more modest life. One that had ended only a few months before. She missed hearing the merchants call outside her window that a new harvest had brought in fresh fruit. Or the sound of the children playing with a ball or with a few sticks, practicing with their make-believe swords. They were preparing for a life in the military that was almost inevitable in the Underland. She preferred they didn't, but what was to be done to keep them from it?

War was a horrible thing for everyone, something Judith abhorred with all her might. But she was no one important to do anything about it, so why should she blame the children? All they saw was their relatives train for battles that they sometimes never came home from. Who could be angry at them for wanting to learn all they could before they were thrown into it themselves? All they wanted to do was survive.

The military life was something that was expected of most men unless a specific craft ran in their family, like blacksmithing or farming. Even women weren't exempt from the army, as there was a great number of female soldiers among the ranks. However, Judith didn't have to worry about that.

Her life was going to end up much, much worse.

"Judy, why are you crying?" Susannah asked quietly.

Shutting her eyes tightly to squeeze out any last tears, Judith lifted her head and wiped her sleeves over her face. The fabric from her shirt wasn't the kind to absorb liquids that well, however, and her cheeks remained a wet mess.

"Solovet has made the arrangement," she whimpered with a trembling voice. "It is final."

Susannah frowned. "What arrangement?"

"The marriage agreement!" Judith cried. "She finalized it today with the king."

"So you are going to be married then?"

Judith nodded sadly, feeling more tears coming up. "To the oldest prince. Solovet told me a few minutes ago."

A huge smile spread on Susannah's face, causing Judith to frown. "How is that a bad thing, Judy? You are going to be queen. Ruler of everything," she sang, standing from the couch and twirling on her toes. Her arms were spread out and Judith could have sworn she heard her younger sister giggle.

"Not a bad thing, Suzy? I do not know him in the slightest! I have never even spoken to him!"

Susannah stopped her dancing to look at her sister. "But we were all introduced to him the other day at dinner."

"We are acquainted! That is not the same thing!" she yelled furiously, not happy with the way Susannah was completely okay with this. Then again, she was barely starting her run as a teenager. Everything was still perfect in her eyes. She didn't understand the burdens of getting older. She thought that being queen was a dream all girls had.

Well, not Judith.

She didn't know her future husband, the prince she had been promised to just an hour before. Sure, she had seen him a few times, but they had never exchanged words. It was possible that he wasn't that bad of a person. For all she knew, he was a complete gentlemen. But Judith wasn't about to take any chances. She knew enough of the royal family to want to steer clear of it completely.

It was no secret that the current king was a drunk. It was also very public that he liked to sleep around, never even being seen with the same woman twice in the many feasts the palace hosted. In fact, although he had legitimate children, the oldest now being Judith's fiancé, the king had a few children going around that had no claim to the throne, as they were born outside the royal marriage.

Was that her fate, then? To suffer and keep quiet while her husband went around bedding every other woman he saw? As queen, she really had no important role in society except look pretty standing next to the king while he ruled over everything.

She would have no say in her husband's actions. Who he chose to sleep with was not her affair, wife or not. It left her feeling empty knowing that her marriage would involve more people than just the two of them. Marriage was something every girl dreamed of, the months of planning and anticipation. The excitement of being proposed to and finally saying yes when she felt she was ready.

She didn't expect all of that to be done for her.

Turning to look at Susannah now, who seemed so happy with everything, Judith knew neither of them deserved something like that. The twirling girl looked as if she would have been the happiest person in all of Regalia had she been the one chosen, but Judith refused that fate for either of them. Even if her sister had been chosen and not Judith, that was no life to live decently. They both deserved someone who cared about them. Someone who would go out of their way to make them happy. Not some…stuck up prince.

"How long do the two of you have to court?" asked Susannah, stopping her spin though her eyes still dreamy. She seemed oblivious to Judith's previous outburst.

There was a moment in silence as Judith took time to stop her potential sobbing. And then she remembered what Susannah had asked her.

"Not very long at all," she sniffled. "The wedding is a fortnight from this Saturday."

"So soon?" exclaimed Susannah, finally showing some worry. "Why do I feel like it is being rushed?"

Judith let herself fall back against the couch. "Because it is," she answered with a sigh. "The gnawers are rising up again and the king refuses to be pushed back into our own territory. He wants to keep his claim over some of the Dead Land!"

"But there is nothing in the De-"

"I know! And yet he plans on going out to battle himself!"

"But he is so…old," whispered the younger sister, glancing at the doorway as if afraid someone might hear her. When she was confident no one would, she turned back to Judith. "If he dies out there, then you will just be made queen."

"Suzy!"

"I was just saying," Susannah said quietly, stepping back slightly with the stare Judith was giving her. "It does not mean I wish for him to lose his light."

"Still," sniffled Judith. "That is no way to talk. Understand?"

"Yes, your majesty," she said before rushing out of the room, barely missed by the couch cushion thrown her way.

Instead, the cushion went straight into Hamnet's face. He had just finished dodging an escaping Susannah but was smacked by the soft velvet pillow. He took a moment to look after Susannah with a confused expression before glancing at the fallen cushion.

"Oh, Hamnet!" Judith wailed, running up to wrap her arms around her twin.

"Judith? What is it? Why are you crying?"

"They…they…"

"Who is they? Are they trying to hurt you?"

Immediately, Hamnet pulled Judith away from him with a firm grasp, almost roughly, and shoved her behind him. In a flash he had a dagger in his closed grip, ready to defend his sister at any costs. He scanned the room quickly and failed to see any sign of danger.

At the sight of Hamnet holding the small blade, Judith's heart broke just a little more, if that was even possible. She was sure her mood couldn't get any worse after the news of her horrible engagement, but her brother managed to prove her wrong.

She remembered them playing through the city, running around the fields and hiding in the many halls of the arena. They would watch the fliers zoom in and out of the air, gaping at the seemingly impossible acrobatic movements of the athletes and their bonds. Back then, Hamnet had always protected her, just like now, but never had it scared her. She had recently seen what those hands could do when equipped with a blade. Two very gifted hands in the art of war. It further proved how she and Hamnet were going to start very different lives, away from each other.

She just couldn't decide who had it worse…

Hamnet now thought it perfectly fine to resort to violence for anything. Not only that, he saw nothing wrong in carrying a weapon with him at all times, no matter where he went. She was going to be married into royalty, but she promised herself she wouldn't change in her core.

Could she say the same for her brother? He was slowly turning into a hardened professional, expertly wielding weapons with ease. It was only a matter of time before the boy, barely a man, was sent out to battle himself. And then she would lose him forever.

"No one here is trying to hurt me. At least not physically."

"Then what is it? Please tell me," he said softly, losing his initial alarm and sheathing his dagger just as quickly as he had brought it out. Hamnet found her hands with his own before giving them a gentle squeeze.

"Just…hold me?" she pleaded quietly, doing her best not to tremble so hard.

"Of course, of course," Hamnet nodded, taking her in his arms again. He allowed her to cry into his shoulder, the tears soaking up his dark tunic. They stayed there for a while until Judith ran out of tears, which didn't seem to affect her sadness. Her misery was nowhere near being over and yet her eyes had finally run dry.

As calmly as she could, Judith told the same news she told Susannah a few moments earlier. Hamnet kept a straight face the entire time, even crossing his arms as she tried to keep from crying…again. Just when she thought she'd be done for the day.

When she was finished, Hamnet only sighed and put his index and thumb to the bridge of his nose.

"Mother made the agreement personally?"

"Yes, mother and father were-"

"Then I am sorry Judith, but there is nothing that can be done."

Judith stared at her brother with bitter astonishment. "But I do not want to-"

"It is not about what we want or do not want. If Mother gave orders, we must follow them."

Judith took an involuntary step back from her brother in disgust. There it was. Orders. The way that sounded coming from him made her sick to her stomach. She was losing him more and more each day. Taking a moment to recompose herself as best she could, Judith turned away from Hamnet completely and walked away a few more steps towards the couch she had just been laying on. She loved him, and yet she couldn't stand to be with him at the moment.

"I think I need to be alone, Hamnet. I will see you tomorrow at breakfast, alright?"

"What?"

The surprise was easy to discern through his tone. Judith never willingly chose to spend time away from her brother. Being dismissed by her was something completely new to him. He took a step forward, trying to regain a certain lost connection between them.

He sighed. "Marriage was something that would happen eventually, Judith. We need to-"

"Go, Hamnet. Please."

Realizing he would not win this one, Hamnet left his sister with a bow. As soon as he was gone, Judith sat on the couch and put a hand to her mouth to stifle the sobs. This simply couldn't be happening. Everything wrong that could go wrong was happening at the same time.

She was losing her brother and her sister. Although Hamnet seemed indifferent to his change, Susannah seemed to relish in the fact that Judith would be royalty. How was it possible for Susannah to be blinded to Judith's horrible fate?

But oh, sure. It was all a game for Susannah. No matter what Judith said, her younger sister simply wasn't going to understand. Ever. Never would she grasp the concept that a life had just been destroyed at sixteen.

And this was all thanks to Solovet. As soon as she heard that the king planned on going out to battle, she wasted no time in throwing her greedy hands into the mix. Solovet had always been demanding, causing Judith to ponder whether she loved her or not. It seemed that out of the three children, Solovet only loved Hamnet. Then again, the young man was a rising star in the ranks of the Regalian army, something Solovet was very proud of.

Was becoming the next queen something that Judith could do to finally be important in her mother's eyes? Or was it a political move that was meant to keep Solovet's position firm as new Head of the Military? Honestly, her mother could be so cynical and controlling sometimes.

Or more like all the time.

Why was Solovet so determined to ruin her life?

All Judith wanted was to be back in the city and live a normal life. She wanted to have butterflies in her stomach and tears of joy in her eyes as she walked up to the altar. She wanted to be in love on the day of her marriage. And more specifically, to the man she was marrying. Was it too much to ask?

Now, all Judith wanted to do was die. She had been so adamant with never wishing death on anyone, and yet there was no other solution for her problems.

But death wasn't a solution. It wasn't an option. What did that mean? It meant she was going to have to suck it up and live her miserable life until the day her light was unwillingly taken from her.

Hugging one of the cushions close to her chest, she curled up on the couch and cried herself to sleep.