The Queen's Revenge

Chapter 8

I made my way back to the palace, so lost in thought I didn't even give Alosa a treat like I usually do.

What did he mean? Sure, I hated my father, and Arian had never particularily liked him, but what was that pity in his expression, and why had he saved me? We hated each other. He'd even tried to kill me.

Foul git.

But this time, unfortunately, he had a point. The moment I entered the castle, I stumbled, the pain of the wounds I'd gotten hitting me all of a sudden, sharp and cold like an icicle.

I gasped in pain as I forced myself to walk forward. The last thing I needed was for anyone to see me bleeding. I grabbed the walls, as I finally made it to my room.

Just my luck, Lelia was there, folding my bedsheets. She glanced up when she saw me and gasped. "Princess!"

She ran forward and took her hands in mine. Her eyes bored into mine. "Did they break the rules of parley?"

I could barely speak, I brought myself to nod as I collapsed onto the cool sheets.

She traced her fingers over my cuts and I winced. "Don't tell Father." I managed.

"I'll have to!" she exclaimed. "Did that prince do this to you?" I sighed heavily, and shook my head.

"But-" Lelia began.

I interuppted her. "Lelia, what happened to my mother?"
Lelia bit her lips, the way she does when she's nervous. "You know what happened to her. She died."

I gritted my teeth against a rising tide of emotion and crossed my arms. "How did she die?" I persisted. Lelia paced across the room, her eyes darting everywhere but my face. "Nobody knows." she whispered at last, her lips definetly trembling. 

A horrifying thought struck me. Did Lelia kill my mother?

How could she? Why would she? I felt my dagger still strapped to my thigh, and looking at her guilt-ridden face, my fingers closed around it's smooth metal when Lelia shouted. "Your mother wouldn't have wanted you to be like this! Accusing everyone you see of her murder, what sort of a princess are you?