Königsspiel

by TheRookieKing412

The Princess Odette Ahiru of Schleswig-Holstein had come to the city of Nordlingen for one purpose and one purpose alone: to save her kingdom from financial crisis by holy matrimony. Ahiru has secrets, namely that she isn't a real princess. The sun and the moon fall only to rise, and until the fresh ink dries, the Königsspiel shall be run.

5. Ara I

I SPENT MY LIFE living in darkness, swallowed by the night.

And the first day I spent in the sun, letting it warm my face, letting my eyes adjust to the light, it was too much.

Like a sickness, the sun sinks into my skin and for the first time in my life, my heart knows what love is.

Now, as I stand in the night again, far away from the sun and her glory, I crave the light, and I miss her. My very soul calls out to her, I yearn for her, I want to call her mine.

The night is long, but I have lived out my sentence, and now I am free to live in the sunlight.

EGGS AND SAUSAGES DIDN'T look appealing, and as Ahiru poked at her plate, she looked over at Rue, who also didn't touch her food.

Rue woke at sunrise, and she invited Ahiru to an early breakfast; her last as a Princess, as an unmarried woman.

That meant, however, that Ahiru had to get ready for it.

Waking up wasn't the problem, growing up as a fisherman's daughter, she was used to waking up at dawn to help her father get ready for a daily catch, but here, she was used to her mornings being her own. She would read, write, even try to learn any information she could about the kingdom she abided in.

So, when a maid knocked on her door inviting her to breakfast, she was caught off guard.

Ahiru laid on her stomach in the middle of the floor with a book open in front of her, and when the maid came in Ahiru jumped up and started a jumbled explanation.

"I'll go get your handmaids." The maid left with a shake of her head.

Now, she sat at the breakfast table set up in one of the rooms of Rue's apartment, and pushed the food around her plate.

She wasn't just upset for Rue, oh no.

Today contained a thousand possibilities.

Either, Rue and Autor would get married, Ahiru would marry Mytho and she'd know that her husband was in love with another woman. She wasn't sure she could deal with that.

Or, Mytho would stand up, for himself, for Rue, and he would challenge Autor to a duel for Rue's hand.

He could lose, either disgraced, or by death, Rue would have to marry Autor and Ahiru would be sent back home, to be nothing more than someone's wife.

He could win, and Rue would marry the man she loves, but where would that leave Ahiru?

Would Autor take her? Or would he demand someone else.

If he did take her, then she would be married to a man who obviously hates her.

And, if she was left by herself, if she had no one to marry where would she go?

Back home? There was nothing there for her.

Would she stay? To be forever known as the girl who was once betrothed to the Prince?

It was too much to think about.

So, she shuffled her eggs and sausage.

"I know." Rue sighed. "I can't eat either. Tell me about Arnis. What is it like?"

"Oh." Ahiru set down her fork and wiped her mouth, even if she hadn't eaten anything. "It's small, it's easy to get to know everyone there."

"Why do the King and Queen live there? Why not a larger city? Or the capital?"

"It was the Queen's choice. Paulamoni's choice. She loved the ocean and the sea, and she wanted to live in the town where she grew up. Fortunately, there was a summer palace there, and they stayed. Though, now their oldest son, Rudlof lives with his wife in the capital."

"Hmm. And you grew up with them?"

"Kind of. I couldn't go with my father on his fishing boat, so I would stay with the maids in the castle, and I would just play with them, being the only other kids in the palace. It was Rudlof, Ivan, Peter, and…" She couldn't say his name. She just couldn't bare it.

Rue seemed to see it as well. "And?"

"It's funny. I can't say his name."

"Why not?"

Ahiru blinked her eyes, "I don't know. I- I always knew that, we could never be. But, I always let myself hope."

"Paulamoni was a peasant, wasn't she?"

"She might as well have been. The daughter of an artisan, no higher than a lady," Ahiru tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "They used me, instead."

Rue was silent, letting her eyes rest on the table. "You said it was by the sea?"

"Yes."

"What is the ocean like?"

Ahiru tilted her head to the side. "You mean you've never been?"

"My kingdom has been at war for all my life. I never really had time for holidays."

Ahiru blushed. "Oh, right, I'm sorry."

"Tell me about it."

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen. It's a thousand colors, the sand, the deep blue, the pale green. The way it moves, never stopping." Ahiru closed her eyes, conjuring it in her head. "Sometimes I would go out to the dock and sit at the end, and I could pretend I was out in the middle of the ocean, floating in the middle of the air." She scrunched her eyebrows together. "Once, my father was out, and there was a storm, I wasn't supposed to, but I ran out to the edge of the dock, and I had to hold on to the wooden pillars because the waves were so high that they hit my legs, and out in the distance, I could see it. The white sails of papa's ship. I was so scared, but there was nothing I could do. I was so scared for him." She opened her eyes and looked at Rue. "Sorry, that's not what you meant."

"No, no it's fine."

Ahiru nodded. "But I love the beach, it's one of the only things I miss."

"Your father?"

Ahiru smiled. "Yes, I miss my father as well. Normally, it's cloudy, but there are days when the sun was out, it felt warm, and the sun would light up the waves, and you could see the sand rolling inside."

"It sounds nice."

"We can go. Together. I'm sure we'd be able to, the war would be over, and now there's a trading deal between us, surely, we have to go check on that."

"That's true." Rue smiled, she shifted in her seat, leaning closer to Ahiru. "We could go in the summer, so there's more chances of sunny days."

Ahiru grinned brighty, sitting up in her chair. "Yeah! And we can go sit at the edge of the dock."

"Thank you, Ahiru. I didn't think I would smile at all today." Rue patted her cheek. "My face hurts."

Ahiru giggled, but there was a knock at the door.

"Mademoiselle?"

Their smiles faded, and Rue stood, clearing her throat. "Come in."

The doors were thrown open and a man stepped in. "Look at you! Mwah!"

Ahiru stood as she came face to face with the French Dressmaker called to make Rue's wedding dress.

He took both Rue's hands in his and kissed them, making loud, unnecessary noises.

"And who is this?"

"My sister."

Ahiru smiled, he held out his hand for hers, and when she gave it to him, he offered her a low bow and kissed the top of her hand. "I am Lord Femio Gustavo of Paris. You, I understand, are next in line for marriage, the young Prince Siegfried."

"Y-yes!"

"It is an honor to meet you." He snapped back up and clapped his hands twice. "Ma fille, entrer."

Two young women came into the room holding trunks.

"You don't have to stay, Ahiru, they'll just be stuffing me in that silly dress." Rue placed her hand on Ahiru's shoulder and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, I wanted to see it."

Rue smiled, and the preparations began.

Mostly, Ahiru stepped back, watching as Rue was placed on a stool and was disrobed and dressed up again.

It was a fashionable thing, the dress Femio made, completely white, and covered in jewels that would have sparkled in the sun, if the sun had been out. Her feet were tucked into white slippers, and she was pulled into a chair, her hair pushed out and pinned to her head. A veil was attached, flowing over her shoulders, and the maids were adding make up to her cheeks when she started to worry.

The whole time they had been talking, an easy distraction, but as Rue watched herself in the mirror getting ready for a wedding she didn't want to attend, her pale skin grew paler.

"Ahiru?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you go find Mytho. Please."

They made eye contact in the mirror, and in the depths of Rue's eyes, Ahiru saw fear and panic, infinite worry, and she knew Rue was on the verge of falling.

Ahiru nodded, she stood and left, closing the door behind her, but before she did, she took one last glance at Rue, she looked like she was going to be sick.

Out in the hallway, Ahiru didn't really know where to go.

So far, she had been lead to every room she needed to go to, and besides her room, the ballroom, and the breakfast nook, she hadn't really explored the castle.

She took a deep breath.

It was going to be fine. It was all going to be fine.

She didn't even know what room was his.

Ahiru looked down the hallway, all she had to do was choose which way to go, left or right.

Well, she was right handed, so it made sense to go right, and Mytho was always to the right of the Queen and Autor.

Although, maybe that was cause to go left. If the Queen rested in the middle, then Autor would be on the right, and Mytho would be to the left. Or maybe he was right to Autor.

But, that would just be more right, or righter than Autor was.

Left made sense, too. Mytho wasn't on the right hand of the Queen, and if there are only so many apartments, they wouldn't have two on the right, and if he was on the right, he and Autor would just get crowded.

So then Mytho would be on the left.

Or maybe he wasn't, because being by himself on the opposite side of the palace would get lonely, and maybe he would miss his brother so he asked to be moved closer.

But surely he would want more space as an adult, so then he moved back, so obviously he was to the left.

That is, if he was even in his room.

Oh, this was harder than she thought.

"Eenie, meenie, miney, moe, catch, a, tiger, by, the, toe." Right.

Ahiru released a deep breath and picked up the front of her skirts as she made her way to the right.

She would stop at every door and knock, sometimes there was an answer, and sometimes not, and she opened them so long as they weren't locked, which lead to a few embarrassing encounters.

"Close the door!"

"Sorry!"

Ahiru moaned and rubbed her face with her hands, she heard the clock tower toll ten and she knew she only had an hour left, the wedding was to be at eleven, and then the Königsspiel at noon.

She was about to make her way downstairs, when two maids walking by stopped to have a conversation, and a key name caught her ear.

"-stop yawning, you're going to make me start yawning!"

"Sorry!" She yawned. "I was up all night last night!"

The first scoffed. "So was I, you don't see me yawning like crazy. I told you you should have just gone to bed."

"And missed his speech? I would never!"

"Yeah, he has such a way with words. I think I'd stay up all night just listening to him talk, too." She sighed contently. "Hey, once he's King, he'll need a Queen, think I fit the bill?"

"Oh Queen Pique, how shall you take your tea?"

"Hmm, however my husband takes his!"

They both burst into a fit of giggles, and Ahiru was confused as to why Autor would need a queen, he was already betrothed.

"Fakir would have your head if he heard you."

Fakir? Why were they talking about Fakir?

Pique giggled. "I know, it's just fun to think about! I mean, c'mon, you can't tell me now to get my head straight when you were talking about him in the same way last night."

"I never expressed my desire to marry him, just to warm his bed."

They broke out into hysterics once more, but their conversation made Ahiru blush.

Why- why were they talking about him like that!

"I think it'll be great if he marries someone, we can become great friends with her, and make Fakir horribly embarrassed."

"Oh, he's so cute when he gets flustered!"

Cute? That wasn't a word she would use to describe him.

"If he likes anyone that is. I don't think he likes anyone here, and he knows everyone."

"Maybe that's the problem, he doesn't view us as women, just people he needs to help and rule over."

"Hmm, I'd let him rule over me anyday."

They laughed again.

Perhaps, it wasn't too unreasonable to see why they talked about him in such a way.

When she thought about it, he was handsome, his strong jaw, and the way his hair fell, framing his features. His pale eyes, so contrasted with the rest of him, he was lovely.

That thought made her blush again.

He was her friend, she couldn't think about him like that!

Although, what was wrong with noticing someone's features? Especially if they complimented one another.

But, she heard their footsteps grow louder, and in an effort to seem like she hadn't been listening, she started walking again.

"Oh! Your Grace." They curtsied to her. "Forgive us, for gossiping."

Ahiru nodded. "It's fine, I didn't hear you say anything, anyhow."

They stood and looked at her, but before she could walk past, one seemed to recognize her.

"Wait a second, aren't you the one Fakir's been with all week?" It sounded like Pique.

"Oh! Um! Yes, he's my friend."

"We're friends of his, too!" Lillie said, bounding up to Ahiru and taking her hand. "We've known him all our lives!"

"Really?"

"Yeah." Pique said, her eyes roved up and down Ahiru's body. "You know, now that I think about, I can't recall a time Fakir has ever spent so much time with someone."

"Hmm?"

"Oh! Pique, I think you're right!" Lillie beamed, and cupped Ahiru's face with her hands. "My, my, my."

"What's he like?"

"Huh?" Ahiru looked between them, letting a confused expression rest on her face. "I thought you were friends?"

"Of course we are! We just don't spend much time with him, not anything longer, say, an hour." Pique said.

"A week!"

"Oh, wow. Really?" Ahiru tried to tilt her head, but was still held captive by Lillie's hand.

"Yes." They both said.

"But he spends so much time with you." Pique said.

"And he talks about you." Lillie added.

"He does?"

"Not in so many words." Pique said, peering down at her nails. "But, we can tell. It's always the Princess Odette, or Mytho's Betrothed." She rolled her eyes. "Like he can't say your name, or something. Why is that?"

"Yeah, why is that?"

"Um." Ahiru looked around the hallway, to see if there was some means of escape. "I don't know. He's my friend."

"Just your friend?"

"What? Yeah, what else would he be?"

"Well, there are rumors." Lillie stepped back, she held her hands behind her back. "About Kings and Queens who don't play by the rules."

"What do you mean by that?"

Pique smirked. "C'mon, you know."

"That, Fakir and me, that me and Fakir, would -?"

They nodded, expecting her to finish the sentence, but she couldn't.

"No! That's- that's wrong."

Pique shrugged. "It wouldn't be the first time. And most arranged marriages only last so long because they have outside help."

"I'm sorry, but we're just friends. I swear."

They shared a glance before bursting out into laughter.

"You should see your face!" Pique wiped at a fake tear. "Listen, we know."

"We just like messing with people!" Lillie gave a pretty giggle, her hands finally left her cheeks.

"Oh, um- good. I think?"

"Hey, do me a favor?" Pique put her hand on Ahiru's shoulder. "Don't tell Fakir, he hates it when we talk about him like that."

"Yeah, he'd have our skin if he knew."

Ahiru smiled. "Well, so long as you're joking."

"We were! The day I see that grumpy, stuffy old man get married is the day I die." Pique shook her head. "He's never loved anybody."

"He hasn't?"

"Nope. He's pretty easy to read once you've known him for a while, I would have been able to tell if he was in love with anyone."

Ahiru nodded. "Say, do you know where Mytho is? Or, Prince Siegfried. My betrothed?"

They laughed. "Um, no, not this morning. Why?"

She shrugged. "I just wanted to talk to him before the wedding starts."

"Try the second garden." Pique said, with a curt nod. "Yep, that's where I think he would be."

"But, where is that-?"

"Gotta go! Bye!"

"Good bye!" Lillie blew her a kiss and Pique gave her an eccentric little wave.

"Okay. Second garden. That would have to be outside. On the ground."

Ahiru nodded to herself and went to find a little staircase that would take her downstairs.

Maybe she could find another maid who could give her directions.

Actual directions.

Ahiru couldn't stop thinking about their words, the way they talked so frankly, and about Fakir too.

It wasn't that she never talked like that, she would laugh when her old friends made off colored jokes and suggestive comments, normally about her and the prince.

She put up with it, but she never partook in it.

And the subtle winks and not so gentle nudges never bothered her, and it was always directed at her, specifically for her, and her unrequited love.

Now, she had simply overhead a silly conversation between friends, a conversation that would most likely remain hypothetical, and it bothered her.

It bothered her a lot!

She didn't want to think about anyone else being with Fakir in that way, it was just wrong!

Fakir wasn't like that. He wasn't the type of man who just slept around with women, he wasn't the type to use innocent girls and leave them behind in the dust.

She just knew he wasn't. He couldn't be.

He wasn't like Rudlof.

Ahiru halted when she was assaulted with a memory.

She leaned against the wall, and she remembered.

As a young girl, going to the palace during the day, being 'watched' by the maids, but mostly playing with the two youngest princes. They were playing hide and seek, and running through the palace halls.

She had found a perfect hiding place, there was a table with a cloth covering it's legs until the tips of the fabric touched the floor, and she was trying to find that table again but grew lost instead.

The palace wasn't large, no, she could run from one end to the other, but as she went along, she learned that she had never been to this part of the castle.

That's when she heard him, Rudlof, the oldest son, ten years older than her.

She didn't remember what he said, but she knew that he wasn't alone. She didn't pay that any mind, she went to him, knowing he would show her back to a part of the palace she was familiar with.

When she found him, he had a girl with him, one of the younger maids, she was new, and Ahiru knew because she had never met the maid before.

They were laughing, and talked in hushed whispers, she peeked around the corner and watched as he pushed her against the wall and pressed his lips to her neck.

She remembered she made a noise, mostly one of disgust, but she ran away before he saw her.

That was only the first incident.

That was were he took girls, and Ahiru was curious, she wanted to see the maid again, to try and place her within the palace, but when she went back, another girl was in his arms, and she was a noble woman, her clothes richer and finer than the previous.

Ahiru put a hand to her forehead, no, Fakir wasn't like that, pushing girls against walls to steal a kiss only to trade her out for someone else.

Fakir wasn't the kind.

Perhaps that's why their words bothered her, because he was a loyal man.

Ahiru closed her eyes and shook her head. She hated that memory of Rudolf, until then, he had been her big brother, someone who would protect her.

Not anymore.

Ahiru took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, letting go of the memory, letting go of the uncalled for anger, and that's when she heard footsteps coming her way.

She could only think of her memory, of playing hide and seek, and even though there was nothing wrong with standing in the hall, she panicked, looking for a place to hide and only found a long, hanging drape.

It only stopped rustling when the two men rounded the corner.

"-You are sure that no one suspects you?"

A cackle. "No! Not one person, especially not Fakir. He trusts me."

Why was Fakir always the topic of conversation?

Ahiru was half tempted with jumping out from her hiding place and telling them to stop gossiping, but what he said next stopped her cold.

"No matter what happens today, if Mytho objects or doesn't, we cannot let Fakir run."

How did they know about that?

Perhaps they overheard Mytho and Rue speaking with each other, but there was the creeping fear that they overheard her and Rue.

And if that was the case, did they know?

Did they know that she wasn't supposed to be here?

Ahiru placed a hand over her chest, she wondered how good their hearing was.

"Of course not, but I know he's planning something. Something big. He called the whole town to a meeting at Rossville's. I tired to go and see, but they wouldn't let me in."

"How strange. I thought you said he trusted you?"

They were coming closer to her.

Ahiru looked down at her feet, and realized that, while the drapes where long, they didn't touch the floor.

Her feet were visible in the light.

She was visible.

She would be seen.

"He-he does! I swear it! I'm sure they just weren't letting in Bookmen and he didn't tell them that I was his informant."

"Hmm, and what did you tell him?"

"Everything. That Autor would run, but we would try to stop him."

There was a pregnant pause.

"And just why did you say that?"

"Wh- what do you mean?"

They stopped, but Ahiru could hear them crystal clear.

They were right in front of her.

"Why tell the truth? You gave him time to plan. If you had told him we failed Autor, that he would not become King and that we would wait for Mytho to come of age to run the Königsspiel he would not even think about running today! He would have no rally behind him, he would have nothing prepared for his great run."

"Who's to say he will even win?"

"Don't you see, boy! He is prepared! He has prepared every day of his life! If he runs, he will win."

Ahiru flinched at the Bookman's rising tone, but she was careful not to move her body lest the curtain flutter and reveal her hiding place.

"You have no faith in Autor?"

"Autor was not born to run, Autor was born for a life of luxury, he wasn't born to be a king, you fool."

"What are you saying?"

"What do you think Drosselmeyer has been doing all these years? Personally teaching Autor, going over and over what the Prüfung will contain?"

The second man was quiet.

"Do you know why only the true King can run?"

"No." He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Because in the forest, it is not just a competition, to see if one can survive, but a trial. His every move is watched, every action he takes, it is more than just a game. After generations, we learned. That no matter who went in, it was only those of the same bloodline who came out."

"B-but the First King- "

"A man of honor, but of the six, they chose him, and when his son ran, they saw the same qualities in him. They learned, and they picked favorites, don't you know?"

"Know what?"

"There are five noble families. The house of Stärke."

"Oh, it was the house of Stärke that made it to the final round of jousting."

"And who beat him?"

Silence met her ears.

"The House of Vermittlung, the House of Taktik, the House of Stimmung, and the House of Verstand. All descendants of the five who first ran. They all share the same traits as their forefathers.

"Where did Autor fail?"

"Strength, mediation, and morale."

"There is some overlap, but Autor was stolen from the House of Verstand. Don't you remember? The mysterious death that befell their baby boy?"

Ahiru put a hand to her mouth.

Why were they saying this? Surely it couldn't be true.

"I- I remember."

"But, that was before you were a Bookman, before you knew any better."

"How-?"

"Drosselmeyer. Simply a matter of making them see what he wanted them to see."

"A dead baby?"

"Precisely. It was I who took him. It was I who held the future King in my hands." He took a deep breath. "And put him in the Queen's."

"But what about King Ecke? He came from-"

"Simple, Drosselmeyer was able to control the outcome."

"And if Drosselmeyer can make anything happen, then why isn't Fakir dead?"

Ahiru shut her eyes, why were they saying all of this? Out in the open? It was so stupid!

But, when she closed her eyes, she could only see Fakir lying on the floor, cold and pale.

Her feet were starting to ache, she wasn't used to standing in one place for so long, so still, and in the stupid heels she had to wear.

"An infant was thrown out a window into the snow, most children wouldn't survive."

"Just-! Kill him now!"

"Ha! You think it's that easy! It's not so simple. Especially with what he's done."

What had he done?

"The next time Fakir asks you for information. Lie."

Silence.

"Spion? What will you do?"

"Lie."

"Good. We have work to do, let us keep moving."

She waited until she could no longer hear their footsteps before she fell to the ground.

Half hidden by the curtain, she planted her palms onto the stone floor, trying to steady herself.

"I'm going to start something, the Bookmen, they know where you stand. They may not like you if you choose me over him." He had told her.

He was going to start something.

If…

If Autor wasn't meant to be King, did that mean Fakir was?

They tried to kill a baby. They tried to kill Fakir.

What did they say? About Drosselmeyer?

It was all him.

He called Fakir "Fritz" at the ball, he thought that Fakir was dead.

She had to tell Fakir.

She had to-

And tell him what? That she knew? And knew what? It was something she didn't want to believe.

Ahiru moved so she sat down, her back pressing to the window.

She wondered, would she choose him?

He was going to challenge Autor to the Königsspiel, and when it came down to it, the Bookmen would support Autor, but the people...

Lottie, Cordelia, Tilda, Luise, Chiara those little girls loved him, he walked all the way to the Southern wall just to give Lottie back her basket.

The crowd cheering on the Black Knight over all of the Nobles; cheering on the Black Smith's son when he was challenged.

The people expected him to protect them and their sons and their husbands during the Bauersspiel.

The people would choose him.

Who did she stand with?

She had no loyalty to Autor and Mytho, to the Queen, and Bavaria. She was only here because Paulamoni wanted to get her out of the picture.

Mytho didn't choose her; he chose Rue.

Autor didn't choose her.

Even her prince didn't choose her.

So then, who did she choose?

But, it couldn't be true, it couldn't be….

Suddenly, there was a face in front of hers.

"Princess? Are you alright?"

Ahiru gasped. "What?"

"Shouldn't you be at the Chapel? It's almost time for the wedding?"

"I was looking for someone. What time is it?"

"Half past ten. Who are you looking for?"

Half an hour, she only had half an hour!

Poor Rue, she must have been so nervous.

She had only been looking for Mytho's reassurance.

"What's your name?"

"Pardon?"

"Sorry, I-I-" Ahiru shook her head, which was everywhere. She never had to think this much before.

"Raetsel, my name is Raetsel." She gave Ahiru a pretty smile. "Who are you looking for? Perhaps I could help."

"My- My fiance. He's in the second garden."

"Ah." Raetsel nodded. "Let's see. We're in the east hall, and the second garden is in the west. The best way to look for it is to stick to the inside halls. It's behind a wooden door with wrought iron hinges."

"Thank you." Ahiru snapped up to her feet, and was off.

"Oh- oh. You're welcome." Raetsel gave a small wave, but soon Ahiru was rounding the corner. "What a strange girl."

Ahiru felt her heart racing, there was too much happening, there was too much information swirling around in her mind. And she still had to find Mytho.

Then she heard voices again.

She cursed under her breath and stopped herself from coming around the corner, pressing herself against the wall instead.

"Are you my escort to the wedding?" It was Miss. Edel.

Ahiru let out a breath and was about to step around the corner when the second voice cut her off cold.

"My Dear, I only trust myself to keep an eye on you."

Drosselmeyer.

"How lucky."

"Luck has nothing to do with it. Nor chance, or fate."

"The Oak Tree would say otherwise."

The Oak Tree? Trees can't talk.

"The Oak Tree is dead. Gone."

"Is she?"

"I chopped her down myself, I think I would know."

Great, not only is he a terrible person, but he's cutting down trees now too.

"Perhaps you did, but that does not mean she is dead."

"Stumps can't talk. And no branches have sprouted from the base in twenty years. Dead, I believe, is the correct form of diction."

"True, stumps can't talk, but you did not succeed. You cannot kill what is not meant to be killed."

He humphed. "I control the very lives of every breathing thing on this earth."

"You are asking the wrong questions."

"I have not asked any questions."

"Oh? So instead of getting information out of me, you are bragging about something you didn't do?"

"What then, oh Protector of the Dead Tree, should I be asking?"

"Even if she was dead, would I have abandoned her? Wouldn't I have done everything to bring her back?"

"Ha! You wish you could."

"Ah, but I have. So, why didn't I stay here? Keep my eye on you, make sure you don't go killing anymore royalty?"

"I assumed you ran away when I killed her. But why didn't you stay?"

They were coming closer, or perhaps they had just started walking, and Ahiru knew that they would pass her.

She tried to back away, keeping her back to the wall, her lower back was stabbed.

"Ow." She whispered, and when she looked behind her, there was a door knob.

"The Oak Tree knew that one day Bavaria would be lacking in a certain area of trade, she knew that a deal would be made, and a trade established. She told me-" And then they stopped, only a few feet away from Ahiru. "The Golden Sun sets over the sea, she sets behind a girl who stands by the waves, and with the last of her great beams, she crowns the Meerjungfrau, she will rise into the sky, and over all will she rule.

"Do you understand?"

"You think that stupid girl will be Queen? Ha! I've never heard such a preposterous thing."

"No matter what you think you have done, she will be crowned Queen."

"She's nothing more than a lowly Princess."

Ahiru opened the door and escaped inside.

No, outside.

Ahiru looked around her and found herself in a small garden, quiet, quaint.

It reminded her of the garden at home.

Queen Paulamoni had always loved gardening, and she kept a small garden in the palace.

It had only been so small because not much liked to grow in the cold, wet, cloudy climate, but what she was able to grow was always beautiful.

It was a place she always visited whenever she was at the palace, and she could see now why Mytho was here.

The main difference was that there were roses here.

Rose bushes of every color.

Ahiru didn't see many roses at the palace in Arnis, mostly in vases, imported from somewhere warmer, and they never lasted long without the sun's light.

But here, where it seemed to be sunny every day, they were thriving.

Ahiru lifted her skirt and followed the small stone path past the roses, the tall, soaring branches, reaching for the sky, until she saw Mytho, kneeling before a small pond.

In his hands was a sword, but a sword she recognized.

It was the sword Fakir had made when he was challenged by Rothenburg's black smith.

The tip of the sword was embedded in the ground, just touching the edge of the water, and his hands hung from the grip.

His head was bowed and it was like he was praying.

Ahiru tried to give him his space, not wishing to interrupt his meditation, but then, the clock tolled eleven, and she knew she was out of time.

"You have come to retrieve me?"

Ahiru jumped. "Ah!"

Mytho stood slowly, pulling the sword from the dirt and water. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

"No. No it's fine."

He turned to face her, and gave her an apologetic smile. "I was told of your sacrifice, and I thank you."

"Which one?"

"What?"

Ahiru shook her head. "I mean-"

He pulled his eyebrows together, his countenance becoming concerned. "I realize that Autor isn't an agreeable man, and based on how he's treated you, I imagine it would be hard for you to give me up, and take him instead. Not that I am a better option."

"You were." Ahiru offered him her own small smile. "It's fine. I just want Rue to be happy."

Mytho nodded. "I want her to be happy as well."

"And she will be, if she marries you."

"You think so?" A lopsided smile overcame his features, and as much as Ahiru wished someone would smile like that when they thought of her, she knew that no one ever would. Not now.

"We should go. We don't have much time left."

Mytho nodded, sheathing his sword.

"The way our weddings run, she'll be walking down the aisle in fifteen mintues, then I can object and challenge Autor to a duel. We should hurry. This way."

Mytho turned on his heel and ran out of the garden.

Ahiru smiled, she liked running.

She bunched up her skirts into her arms and kicked off her heels before chasing after Mytho.

She was quick to catch up.

"So long as he accepts, I know I can win."

"Can he decline it?"

"No. By our laws, when a challenge is issued, especially in the case of marriage, it has to be accepted." There was something in his eyes, Ahiru couldn't place it, it was like a fire, but different from the spark that was in Rue's eyes the night before.

No, in his eyes, he contained a storm.

Like the sea, in the middle of winter, caught in a wild storm.

The waves large and threatening to kill you if you stood too close, the wind and rain blinding you, and when you were knocked under, there was no hope of telling which way was up, and which was down, it was too dark, too deep; there was no light.

That was what was in his eyes.

When they arrived at the chapel, they stopped, people were still coming in, which meant Rue was still waiting.

"What should we do?"

"Well, it'll be more dramatic if I threw open the doors when I challenged him, what do you think?" He turned to her, offering her a wild smirk.

She smiled back. "You're going to be a formidable brother-in-law." Ahiru turned back, and her smile disappeared. "Fakir."

"What?"

Fakir walked in with the last remaining dregs of people trying to grab a seat, he walked with serenity, but at his belt, she saw a sword.

She needed to talk to him. About everything.

There was no way she could keep all that she heard to herself.

Well, maybe what Pique and Lillie said she could keep to herself.

"Where are you going?" Mytho grabbed her arm as she started walking forward.

"I'm-" She looked between Mytho and the chapel doors, Fakir had already entered. "I should be in there already, so when you come in, it'll just be you."

"I shouldn't drag you any further into this. You're right. Go, I'll wait until after she walks in." Mytho dropped his hand from her arm to her hand and gave it a small squeeze. "You'll be a wondrous sister-in-law."

She gave him a beaming grin before running the rest of the way to the chapel.

Her eyes scanned the crowd for him, hoping that even though she was short, he was tall enough to stand above the rest of the crowd.

"Ahiru."

Ahiru looked to see Miss. Edel.

"Come with me, you should have been seated a long time ago."

Miss. Edel dragged her through the crowd until they reached the front two rows.

"Sit."

Ahiru plopped down in her seat, but she didn't sit still. Instantly, she twisted around and looked into the crowd trying to spot him.

There were too many people crowding around the back, and she knew he would press himself against the wall, looking as inconspicuous as possible.

Several servants pushed through the crowd and made a hallway with their bodies until the door was actually visible again.

She still couldn't find him.

A silence fell as an organ began to play, loud, filling the entirety of the chapel until it echoed around in her head, too.

She didn't even hear the creak of the door.

Around her, everyone stood, and she did too.

Rue was coming now.

Ahiru took a deep breath, she was nervous, she didn't even want to think about what Mytho and Rue were feeling.

A priest walked through the hallway of servants and stopped at the front of the chapel, then following him was Autor, he walked slowly, seeming unconcerned with what was going on, what was happening today.

Every aspect of his life would change today.

In his mind, he was to get married and he would be a husband, he would run the Königsspiel and either come out as victor, as King, or he would die.

But as he walked down to stand with the priest he almost seemed bored.

Next came the Queen. Everyone bowed low as she passed, but like her son-

No, not her son.

Like Autor, her face was without emotion.

She sat down in the first pew, and watched Autor with an unnerving eye.

Then…

Then it was Rue's turn.

As she passed, no one looked into her eyes, they kept their gaze on the floor, only submitting a small bow.

But, as she passed Ahiru, she understood why.

There was a deep sadness in her eyes, unlike the detached looks the Queen and the Crown Prince shared. She didn't cry, no she held her tears back, but only a small push would break the dam, her face contorted from trying to take control of all she felt.

There was no fire in her gaze, and perhaps that was what made Ahiru know that her heart had broken.

Only the cracked logs remained in her eyes, like a deep pit that never experienced warmth or light.

Ahiru hadn't been quick enough, Rue had sent her out for two hours to find Mytho, to gain reassurance that his love was true, and Ahiru never returned.

What did Rue think?

That Mytho had abandoned her?

That he had lied?

Rue didn't doubt him, did she?

Ahiru didn't want Rue to fall into despair, but perhaps it was too late.

The wooden pews creaked around her, and she was the last standing.

The organ stopped, and she stuck out like a sore thumb.

"Oh!" She dropped down, and a sharp pain shot up her tail bone.

The priest looked out over all in attendance, and opened a Bible in his hands. "Marriage, marriage is what brings us together today. Holy matrimony. Between the future King and future Queen. To end a decades old war, and combine our borders-"

"Stop!"

Ahiru stood as the doors were thrown open, and there, framed by the threshold, was Mytho.

"I have fallen in love with the Princess Kraehe Rue of Baden Wüttermberg, and I challenge-" He drew his sword. "The Crown Prince Lohengrin Autor of Bavaria to a duel for her hand."

There were soft murmurs, but no one said a word.

Ahiru looked to Autor. He stared blankly back at Mytho.

Ahiru heard the light scraping of a pen against paper and looked to the right of her.

To Drosselmeyer.

Drosselmeyer had, in his hand, a small book, and he wrote furiously on it's pages.

Autor drew his sword, his face turned to one of anger and outrage. "I accept your challenge."

Ahiru ran to Rue's side, and once she was there, Rue grabbed hold of her arm, she shook wildly, her knees knocking together.

Tears flooded over her lashes and she pushed her face into Ahiru's neck. "I didn't think he would come. I didn't think he would come!"

Ahiru held Rue closer to her. Trying to block her eyes as Mytho and Autor dealt the first blows.

"Wait!" The priest shouted, holding out his hands. "I refuse to have any bloodshed on this holy ground! You will take this outside. And at the very best, make this an official duel!"

Mytho blinked wide eyed at the priest. "What?"

"Young man, don't you know? You can't just call a duel willy nilly!"

"Yes." A bookman stood. The one Ahiru had overhead in the hallway, the elder. "A duel is called in anger, but fought with a level head. The duel will commence tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"What about the Königsspiel!"

"When will the Königsspiel be!"

The crowd grew louder in protest, until the Bookman held up his hands.

"Quiet! The winner of the duel will change what happens. Mytho, by taking Autor's bride, who do you suggest to take her place? Surely, you would not leave us without a Queen."

"Of course not. The Princess Odette Ahiru of Schleswig Holstein has offered to take the place of Rue- the Princess Kreahe Rue of Ba-"

"Yes, yes. This will all be discussed at a later date, but until then. The wedding of the Crown Prince Autor and Princess Rue is therefore postponed or canceled."

Rue fell to her knees and Ahiru went with her.

The Bookmen made quick work of forcing everyone to leave, and when Ahiru looked back to where she sat she saw that Drosselmeyer had already disappeared.

She looked out over the crowd again, looking for Fakir.

He leaned against the back wall, and he was the only one who didn't move.

Ahiru begged with her eyes for him to stay, she needed so much to talk to him.

"Ahiru! What happened, zura!"

Ahiru looked down next to her to see Uzura pulling at her dress.

"Are you marrying Autor now?"

"I don't know."

Ahiru looked back to find Fakir, but he was gone.

"Are you okay, Miss Rue, zura?"

Rue sniffled as Uzura pressed her forehead to Rue's to peer into her downcast eyes. "Yes, yes I am now."

Mytho approached them and knelt before them, but upon seeing them, Rue burst into sobs again and fell into his arms.

"I thought you wouldn't come."

"Why would you ever think that?" He smiled as her head pressed into his chest, he kissed the top of her crown and held her head in his hand. He looked to Ahiru and smiled. "Thank you." He mouthed.

Ahiru nodded shakily, and stood to her feet, taking Uzura's hand in her own.

She walked outside of the chapel, only to feel a chilling drop of rain fell on her uncovered head.

"C'mon." She said to Uzura and was about to run instead when she saw him. "Fakir."

She ran to him, letting go of Uzura's hand, stopping herself before she barreled into his chest, but he caught her anyway.

"Fakir! I have to tell you so much!"

"Are you alright?"

"What? I'm fine?"

He nodded. "I didn't realize-" He swallowed hard. "Autor, I didn't think."

"Fakir it's okay. I don't mind being married to him, but, but I have to tell you, there were things I heard." She shook her head. "There's so much I have to tell you."

"You should go inside, you'll catch your death." He lifted his hand, the tips of his fingers brushing against her bangs.

"What? No, Fakir you don't understand." Her hands, already on his chest, gripped his shirt. "The Bookmen, an-and Drosselmeyer-"

"What about them?"

Looking up at him, she couldn't imagine coming here without him being here too. She would never feel as comfortable as she did. She couldn't imagine her life if the Bookmen had succeeded.

"They- they tried to-" She felt her eyes started to water.

Someone was calling her name.

"Fakir, they- Drosselmeyer." How was she going to tell him everything? Did he know already? Would he even understand what she was rambling about? "And and Autor!"

His eyes flashed past her before returning. "What? What about them?"

"They're horrible."

"Ahiru!"

Fakir pulled away from her and she shivered, she didn't realize how warm he was.

"Come quickly now." Miss Edel held out her hand. "We don't have much time."

Ahiru looked back, but Fakir had already walked away.

EDEL HAD PLAYED HER cards wrong, she pushed Drosselmeyer's buttons in an effort to set him off, but now that she had succeeded she was worried she had pushed him too far.

She knew that Autor didn't care about who he married, and if Drosselmeyer didn't start writing in that damned book, there would be no duel.

But Autor and Mytho were equals, now that Drosselmeyer controlled Autor's every move.

Perhaps it was the last prophecy she shared, if she had just held her tongue - but how could she? Drosselmeyer was just too easy to mess with - Ahiru wouldn't be in danger.

She had flown under his radar until this point.

Now Edel had messed up, and as she looked around for the young girl, seeing her wrapped up in Fakir's arms, she wondered if Drosselmeyer saw the same.

No matter what, the Oak Tree's words were true, they were the future, as far as Edel could see, their love was written in the rings of the Oak Tree years ago.

If Mytho won the duel, and Ahiru was traded to marry Autor, either way, she would become Queen.

Then, her prophecy would be true, and that would mean all of her other prophecies would be true.

And she knew Drosselmeyer would do anything to stop her from being right.