Men are idiots.
No punch line, no joking or a 'just kidding'.
They just are.
Cwealm and Nadir, Cwealm's personal aide, have somehow convinced me who, in turn, has convinced the resistance, to allow me to take the place of a foreign queen by the name of Kathryina Bozadottir. Cwealm has been order to go out and meet the caravan a mile out from the city to bring them back in safely. There, he and Nadir will take out the guards and tie up the Lady Kathryina.
That's when we will enter.
I will change into Kathryina's clothes and Adkin will take the place of her right-hand guard, Franc. Resistance members will take the place of her guards and Cwealm and Nadir will escort us back.
Once at the palace, I will have to attend the Allies Ball with Cwealm, but it will give me the opportunity to study Ebony and Sabre, who are said to attend as well.
I shifted uncomfortably from where I laid in the bushes, my eyes peering out through the little spaces in between the branches. Every little shift I made caused dirt to creep through the seems of my clothes and the bushes to shuffle. Adkin laid beside me, his hand gripping mine tightly.
"Is it bad that I'm nervous?" I whispered to him, turning slightly so I could look him the face. He gave a small shake of his head and I let out a sigh of relief. "Let's hope that Cwealm and Nadir can actually get this done."
"Blithering idiots, if you ask me," Adkin grumbled under his breath, and I elbowed him gently.
"We should be thankful we have allies," I scolded him gently, giving his hand a squeeze. "They are pretty hard to come by, nowadays."
We heard a deep, baritone howl and a chill raced down my spine. Cwealm.
I gestured to the other Resistance members who were hiding in the bushes with us. We all crawled out and I stood up, brushing off any flecks of dirt that stayed. It was five minutes walk to where the caravan was, supposedly, so we all started off immediately. With every step, my stomach felt tighter and tighter. I could tell I was shaky, and my grip onto Adkin was the only thing preventing me from falling and fainting.
We came over a hill and I spotted two figures in the distance. One was decked entirely in black, bar the bright red neckerchief around their neck, and the other had no shirt on, just thick belts that wrapped around his muscular torso. He wore breeches and tall, brown boots. On the back, attached to his leather harness, were two, long swords, each of them curved. As soon as we reached them, I recognized the one in black to be Cwealm, but the other was still a mystery to me.
His skin was darker than mine, but more of a tan color. He had ear-length locks that were a deep brown, the color of Adkin's eyes. He had a mustache and beard that were both trimmed properly, and he gave a deep bow when he spotted me.
"Hello, Lady Kathryina," he said, smirking. "My name is Nadir, personal aide to the Master Assassin, Cwealm."
"Hello Nadir," I giggled, curtsying in front of him. "You may call me Wynn. But only in private."
"Of course," he said, shooting me a wink. I laughed at his antics and Adkin rolled his eyes beside me. Nadir and Adkin caught each other's eyes and they stiffened for the briefest moment before relaxing. I narrowed my eyes at the two of them. For the smallest moment, they looked as if they recognized each other, as if they were old friends and hadn't seen each other in a long time...
"Kathryina is in the wagon," Cwealm interrupted, shaking me out of my stupor. From underneath his cloak, he produced a small arrow tip. I gasped and recognized it instantly. It was a mistletoe arrow, or, at least, part of one. Probably the one I had left in Vexacion, if I had to guess. "Hope you don't mind, but I borrowed this."
"Not at all," I replied, shaking my head. "Now, let's see if a scrawny, old rebel can become a queen. Peona, follow me please." A smaller girl, with midnight black hair, nodded and followed me towards the wagon. I slipped inside and Peona came right after me. There was hardly any space for the three of us (including the asleep Kathryina).
It took a while for the whole switcharoo process to be completed. I had to take off my clothes as Peona took the fancy dress off of Kathryina, then we had to switch outfits. I had to say, however, Kathryina's dress was probably the fanciest thing I had ever worn. First off, it was a gorgeous blue, like the color of a glassy lake. The bust of the dress was snug and tight, just as I liked it, and it could be considered strapless, except for the piece of ribbon that came from the top and wrapped itself around my neck. My shoulders were bare, and it went that way until right above my elbows. There, the sleeves started once again and went until my wrists, where they were tightly cinched. The gown was floor-length, and I was wearing faded black heels that Peona had snuck in with her.
"Now, for your hair," she said, biting her lower lip in thought. "Oh! I got it!"
She ended up braiding one part of my hair and using it as a crown that wrapped around my hairline. With the rest of my hair, she rolled up and pinned so it was up and away from my neck.
"Now, let's go knock those socks off those men," Peona whispered to me playfully, and I laughed.
"It's a shame this will probably be dyed black," I muttered fondly, my finger stroking the delicate fabric that was wrapped around my body. "It is very beautiful." Peona gave me a weak smile, gently squeezing my hand. She stepped out of the wagon first and faced, who I presumed were, the men.
"May I present," she said, pausing for dramatic effect. "The new Lady Kathryina Bozadottir." I took that as my cue and daintily grabbed her hand, easily descending the back of the wagon while looking lady-like.
The look on Nadir's, Adkin's, and Cwealm's faces were to die for.
Nadir, for one, could not stop grinning. He looked like a proud older brother, who was getting ready to see his younger sister get married.
Adkin looked appalled. His mouth was hanging open and his eyes were filled with disbelief. A little burst of hurt raced through me, but I pushed it down. So who cared if Adkin didn't like how I looked? I did, and that was enough.
Cwealm was a whole different story. I couldn't really tell what his emotion was, because of the mask. His eyes were bright with some emotion I couldn't place...
"Peona!" Adkin finally said, jarring himself out of his little fixation. "We were trying to make her look like a regal queen! Now every male who is single within a two mile radius of Camelot will try and make a move on her."
I blushed and took that as an Adkin compliment. Cwealm was the first to compose himself and walked over, offering his hand to me.
"May I?" he asked, his voice low and husky, and I nodded lightly, grabbing his hand. He brought me around to the front of the wagon and helped me up onto the bench. I scooted down to the far side to allow room for Adkin and Peona. The two followed just as Nadir led the resistance members to the horses they would be riding. Cwealm strode over to my side. He placed a gentle hand on my knee and looked up at me with his stunning blue eyes.
"As soon as you get into those walls, you will be Kathryina," Cwealm quietly warned me. "Any signs of Lifwynn's fiery rebelliousness will need to die."
A shiver raced down my spine and I nodded, the sinking feeling in my chest returning.
"If you ever feel the need to leave the castle and return to the resistance," Cwealm continued, his thumb stroking my leg. "You come to me or Nadir. The two of us will be able to slip you out of the castle." I nodded again and Cwealm gave a satisfied smile before he turned to mount his jet black steed. Immediately, I felt colder without his touch, but I made no show of it.
Focus on the task at hand, Lifwynn, I growled to myself, closing my eyes after taking a deep breath. You are Kathryina. There is no time for whatever Lifwynn's emotions are about...him.
It was odd, being the only person wearing color in a city full of black. Every citizen who came out to greet us looked at me in awe, some with pride, and some with horror. As we rode along, we passed by a familiar house, and a familiar face. Elizabeth Goldsburry, the woman who the resistance saved while capturing Tremaine, stood outside her house. Her face flashed with recognition, and I gently lifted up a small locket that I had never taken off. She gave me a warm smile and nodded her head respectfully before she disappeared behind the wagon.
I turned to face forward again and tried to focus solely on the back of Cwealm's head. Subconsciously, my hand reached up and I began to stroke the dragon's eye necklace tentatively.
We passed through an archway and entered into the courtyard, where Adkin and I had parked for the Vexacion attempt. There were Shadow-Guards everywhere, and, at the bottom of the stairs, in front of a tall statue of a gargoyle, stood Morgana.
I had only seen her once, and that was by accident. I had been a younger child when Morgana came into power. I was there when she stormed the courtyard with her Shadow-Guards. I was one of the only few to ever escape her clutches.
Her eyes were still an unnatural green that was on the verge of being yellow. Her hair was actually smooth, and had a silky look to it, much different from when I was a child and it looked thick and ratted.
She wore a silky black gown that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her pale skin had a healthy glow to it, which I didn't find surprising. It wasn't a little known fact that while the people of Camelot were starving, the rich were living in a feast.
"Lady Kathryina," her rich, smooth voice said, filling the courtyard. The wagon came to a halt and Cwealm immediately dismounted with a stiffness I didn't recognize. He offered his hand to me, which I took. He felt cold and somewhat distant as I stepped off the caravan. As soon as my feet touched the cobblestones, he let go of me and strode over to Morgana's side. He turned on his heel, placed his hands behind his back, and took a sturdy pose, acting as if he had never seen me before.
I didn't know why, but disappointment and fear gripped me.
"Your Majesty," I found myself replying to Morgana, dropping into a low curtsy. "I am honored to finally make your acquaintance."
"Please, the honor is all mine," Morgana insisted as I rose. Now that I stood, I was roughly her height, only a little shorter. She offered her hands to me and I took them, not really knowing what else to do. "It is wonderful to have allies in a time of war and need."
"Indeed it is, your Highness," I told her, giving a gentle nod. "I couldn't have said it any better if I had tried." Morgana shot a smug look over to Cwealm, who tensed up a little bit. I resisted the urge to cock my head. Something seemed off the whole situation. "I hate to be a bother to you, my Queen, but perhaps I could be shown to my rooms? I have been told that my dress," I paused to look down at the stunning blue gown. I was going to miss it, "is not fit for your standards and I wish for it to be made so immediately."
"Dear Kathryina, you have nothing to fear," Morgana said, a smile forming on her lips. If I wasn't freaked out by the fact that I was talking to the Queen of Darkness herself, I would've thought that she was being really friendly. "I have talked it over with the little Council members I have left, and we have decided that allowing color back into the people's lives is just the thing I need in order to get them to support me and my reign."
"What a brilliant idea, your Majesty," I gasped, really surprised. It didn't seem like the Morgana I knew, which made me even more suspicious. "And, as for your Council members, your assassin was telling me all about the recent problem you've been having with rebels." I shot a look towards Cwealm, who made no move.
"Really?" Morgana asked, sending a disbelieving look towards Cwealm. "He doesn't talk that often."
"Perhaps it was the other man," I put in, waving my hand in dismissal. "When you've talked to one servant of a famous queen like yourself, you've talked to all of them." Morgana let out a small laugh, and it sounded pleasant almost.
Key word being almost.
"You have yet to meet my maidservant," Morgana told me, offering me her arm. I took it, making sure to barely touch her. "Ebony is a wonderful woman who knows exactly what she is doing."
"I cannot wait to make her acquaintance, milady," I told her genuinely.
Time for phase 2.