Reign of Rivalry

Chapter 2

I could count on two hands how many times the King had personally requested my presence this year. Of course, it would be that he summons me the morning after Clara and I had polished off many bottles of wine, gossiping into the early hours of the morning.

Trying to ignore my pounding headache, I stood outside the King's office, waiting until he called upon me. I'd been standing here for 15 minutes now.

This is how it usually went, I was invisible to the King until he needed something from me. Typically, it was attendance at a royal meeting to show a united Fire Kingdom front, but I had no doubt this summons was about my impending marriage.

While Clara had cheered me up last night at the prospect of travelling far and wide, I still couldn't help but feel betrayed. I had pushed down my anger for months as the deal with Lord Dunn was drawn up, clinging onto the belief that this deal would never go through, but now I just felt like a pawn in some political game.

I knew Cassius would do anything to secure more power, but I had never thought it would be at the expense of my freedom. Perhaps I had been too naive. 

My brother, Brax, would never be sold off like this, no, my brother was being primed to be the next king of the Fire Kingdom. That role came with trainers to hone his fighting skills, mages to teach him how to use his powers and a seat at the table when political decisions were made, including the decision to marry off his younger sister.

While I was also born with the power to wield fire, the King never allowed me to train more than being able to hold a small flame. It was enough to put on a show to anyone who wondered whether his bloodline was strong, but not enough to cause him any trouble.

Did it make me mad that I wasn't able to train as every fire born mage was? Yes, absolutely. I had argued many times with the King and my brother, but each time I had been confined to my rooms, sometimes for weeks on end. I had learnt that the little freedom I had was better than being locked in a cage, even if that cage was decorated with beautiful things.

The minutes ticked by as I stood waiting for the King. I looked down at my hands clasped in front of me and wondered What if I could fight like Brax? Would the King still only see me as a bargaining chip? Would I have a seat at the table to make real decisions about my land and its people, like my mother had?

Thinking of my mother had me clenching my palms to keep the tears at bay. My mother was one of the youngest Queens the Fire Kingdom had seen, crowned at just 50 years old. While young, she was a powerful mage and had been trained to fight in battle. It was her strength that made her family successful in securing a deal to marry her to the new King. My mother was also loved by her people and spent 60 years ruling alongside the King, strengthening the fragile peace between the territories. She had led armies in the war against the dark mages 50 years ago and fought alongside leaders from the other territories. When she died, sorrow not only spread through the Fire Kingdom but throughout all of Amarayus.

I had heard what a great leader my mother was my whole life, and consistently wished I was more like her. She was never afraid to speak up or show her anger. When she spoke, people listened to her, but they also respected what she had to say. I desperately wished she was still here with me, giving me the strength to demand to be heard. Without her, I felt as powerless as I was and so I stayed quiet like a good Princess should.

"You may enter." I jolted upright at the King's command, the doors in front of me starting to open.

_Deep breath, stay calm_. I told myself as I walked towards him. Sitting behind his desk, focused on the stacks of papers in front of him, the King barely regarded me as I took a seat across from him and waited in silence. Dressed in dark burgundy slacks and a dress shirt, he blended in with the dark mahogany office furniture. The only pops of colour in the room came from the books lining one side of the room and the blue sky through the floor to ceiling windows on the other side. I often wondered whether Cassius had ever read those books, or were they just for show. I would regularly find my mother reading in this room and join her, but I wasn't a welcome visitor anymore.