The Queen's Throne

Prologue

Honour and service. That's all it takes for your people to trust you. It's everything. At least my father thinks so. Me? I believe power is the greatest strength of all, the more you have, the more people fear you. Of course, I want my people to trust me, I'll always look after them, they're the ones who help you become greater. My father lives in a world of weak treaties and surrendering borders, he's barely able to keep his dinner down anymore. He's on the verge of death at the ripe age of 50 and there is nothing we can do. Every day my mother grows more worried, scared he'll be gone any moment. My eldest brother, Luca thinks she frets too much. He just wants to be King, and he wants to make a Treaty with our sworn enemies. It's infuriating how stupid he is, there is no way my father would choose him to be king when on his deathbed. More than likely he'll pass his tile on to Eric, my second oldest brother. He's ok but he's nothing special. He'd be an average king, but we'd lose our borders even quicker. My brother, Nathaniel, who is a year older than me, would be an even better choice, but my father despises him.

Why?

No clue.

My Youngest Brother, Conan, who's 7 won't get a shot at being king. He's way too young to even know what a King is.

Apparently, I'll never be Queen. "You can't have a girl ruling a kingdom". That's what everyone says, at least that's what they say in Glecaes. I've never been outside the Kingdom, let alone the Continent. My father shields his children, we've no idea what anything outside of our Kingdom looks like. All we have are the history books, the geography books, and the political books.

Rifeuneth borders one of the Northen Kingdoms of Gleceas, the Naetalon Kingdom. They are the only two continents attached to each other. To the South-West is Sluacimon, the rumours say they house thousands of years of Faeries. I don't believe it, not until I see it. To the North-West is Okuanis and the Everby Isles. The most ruthless warriors come from over there, people who kill for the mere sake of it.

And to the North-East is Apahun. Nobody goes to Apahun. There's a reason the South is called Dead Man's Land, anyone who enters is asking for a death wish. It's overrun by criminals and Black markets, people who will take you apart just to make money. You're much safer arriving in the north where the Capitol is stationed, even if it is the biggest slavery site in Flicharnea. I've not heard one story of someone who made it out of the South alive.

To our south is the Isle of the Witches. 300 years ago our ancestors all signed an agreement that anyone of 'witch' origin or blood would be sent there. It's supposedly a small island far enough away that they can't hurt anyone, but it's not placed on any maps and only the Royal Families know of its existence.

Why can a girl, not rule a Kingdom? Because it's unethical. Women would start too many wars. We would create the fall of everything that was ever loved or cherished in their kingdom.

Well, I call Bullshit.

Chirid, the main kingdom in Sluacimon has had Queens ruling it for centuries. The history books say they've never lost any war, not in at least a millennium.

One day. One day I'll rule It all.

Mother likes to tell me my ideas are too far-fetched. A lady should never have her own opinions, they must be the correct ones for the sake of her people, and she must always put others before herself. What utter nonsense.

What does she want me to do? Sit still and look pretty, be a placeholder, have to sit by while whatever husband I'm betrothed to sleeps with another? Absolutely not, I'd rather jump off the castle's walls. I'd jump anyway just to see what would happen but it's too heavily guarded for me to do that. Especially since I tried it and got caught by Eric before I could actually jump off. He reported me to father and that was it for me, no more leaving the castle walls.