Secrets Untold

Chapter 1

My father had always been a loyal subject to the king and queen. Never had he questioned their decisions, not even when they had been so determined to make his daughter join the guards. As they had said, "she shows so much potential that it would go to waste if we didn't cherish it." Even now, when my father was taking his final breaths, he was still loyal to the royal family. I was holding him in my arms, tears rolling down my cheek.

"It's not your time to leave," I whispered.

"Little starlight, promise me that you'll watch over them," he breathed out, "and take down everyone who threatens their reign."

"You can't leave me here," I cried.

His lips turned up into a smile and he put a hand against my cheek gently, stroking his thumb right underneath my eye, "you look exactly like your mother. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you..."

The words were fading into silence as I closed my eyes, holding his frigid hand against my cheek. Even when he was fading away, there was only I by his side. Where did the people claiming to love him go when he needed them?

"He was a good man," a voice said.

I looked up at the man, holding a hand above his heart as he bowed slightly. This man hadn't been around much, but I knew he had known my father. He had been over a couple of times, especially around the time when my mother had disappeared. Since then, he had been visiting us every now and then. But I never thought he would stand in front of me, his sword drenched in blood.

"We all looked up to him," he added.

Men and women alike appeared, pulling down their masks to reveal their faces. They put a hand over their hearts and bowed in respect. Their numbers were impressive, and all these people had known father.

"Adriana. Your mother... these people were loyal to her, but now they're loyal to you."

"Whatever you command, we'll listen. Your mother saved our lives, and we will sacrifice our lives for you. By her last command," the man said.

My mother had given me the control over a group this big. I looked down at my father, but his eyes had lost their light and his hand felt heavy in my hand. Slowly, I stood up and tore off my cloak, covering his body with it. They had sent him to die, the people who had promised to send help.

"Clean up here and I'll send words when I know the next move," I said through gritted teeth.

One of the women brought my horse and smiled gently as I settled into the saddle. She patted my knee gently and pulled up her mask before letting out a chant. Every person on that field joined as they got together and ran towards the woods, heading for the ones who had escaped through their grasp. Everyone beside one woman. She was standing with her hand over her heart and her head slightly bowed, she couldn't be older than I was. I walked over to her and gently lifted her head.

"What's your name?"

"Olivia," she replied with a shaky voice.

"Okay, Olivia. I need you to do something very important. I would like you to get my father and take him back to the palace," I said, unbuckling my name tag and put it in her hands, "show this to the guards and they'll lead you to where I am. In the meantime, I'll go first to tell the king and queen about what have happened."

The girl seemed to glance between me, the body and the name tag in her hands before she nodded. That was all I needed before I grabbed the reins of the stallion and climbed onto the saddle. With a click of my tongue and a gentle kick to his stomach, the stallion went on the way back, knowing where they were headed.

As they came to the gates, a soldier needed only look at her before yelling for them to open. I didn't look at anyone, I didn't stop until the stallion was right in front of the castle doors. Servants looked at me in disgust with how much blood I was wearing, but I didn't care to look their way. I pushed open the doors before two guards could announce my arrival. The conversation on the inside quieted down as the king rose from his throne, and the queen covered her mouth with a small gasp. I looked around the room, taking in everyone that had arrived for some important matter.