The Rebel's Ruler

Chapter 2

Pandora awoke shortly after the moon had descended from the sky and the sun had reclaimed its place among the clouds. She lay on her back for a moment, lifting her arm over her eyes to block the sparkling rays that seeped through her curtains. She heard a soft knock on her door, and she knew that her ladies were waiting outside. Every morning they came to dress her and inform her of the day's proceedings. Normally Pandora welcomed their familiar, though unnecessary company, but today she wished she could shoo them away and brood in her lonely thoughts. Perhaps she could feign illness, but that might just cause even more unwanted attention to be directed toward her.

Pandora shifted her body until she was sitting upright, her body still covered by her heavy sheets. A faint ache pressed against her temples as the blood rushed to her head. She paused for a moment, allowing her body to adjust to its new position. Then she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and called out for her ladies to enter the chamber. The three girls rushed in and bowed their heads, waiting for instructions from their princess. Pandora commanded them to rise, and they flocked to her side.

"Sleep well, My Lady?" The eldest lady-in-waiting asked. Her name was Lady Isolde, and she was the daughter of the Duke of Lyria. She and Pandora had been close companions since they were children, but as they grew older it was like a ravine had been carved between them, pushing them apart.

"Wonderfully, Izzy." Pandora pushed a false smile across her lips as she lied. She tried to respond in such a way that would not arouse suspicions or cause anyone to express sympathy towards her. She always had to conceal her imperfections for the sake of the court and the kingdom. Princesses weren't supposed to lay awake or suffer from nightmares. She lied because she had to avoid stirring up panic or risk jeopardizing her right to rule.

"I'm pleased to hear." Isolde stretched one arm across Pandora's body and pulled back her sheets so that the princess sat in just her nightgown on the plush mattress. Isolde extended her other hand to Pandora, who gladly accepted the help as she rose from her bed.

Pandora held her palm lightly against Isolde's as the lady guided her to a plush stool that had been pulled out from beneath the ornate vanity sitting on the far side of the room. Pandora settled onto the chair, her back straight and her hands folded in her lap. Isolde selected a bejeweled comb from the tabletop and began to gently brush its teeth through Pandora's sleep-tangled hair.

They continued to exchange pleasantries as the lady worked. Pandora inquired about Isolde's father and discovered that he had embarked on a journey to Valoria's most prominent port city: Ergys. This was not at all shocking as the port was part of his duchy. The Duke traveled there often to negotiate trade deals with ambassadors from other kingdoms. What worried Pandora about this particular instance was that Isolde's father was set to meet with the city's head general to discuss defenses. The King had sent him to secure Ergys after recent events that had left the Kingdom in disarray. Less than a fortnight had passed since a band of rebels had orchestrated an attack along the border between Valoria and the hostile dominion of Sangpar to the east. Although little physical damage had been inflicted upon the targeted town, the strike had instilled fear and panic into the Valorian people.

Rebel activity had long been apparent in the kingdom, but recently the threat seemed to be growing stronger. Pandora's father was convinced that they were coming for his throne, but this theory was unsupported, and the rebels' further plans were largely unknown. Many commoners suspected that they were foreign soldiers sent to fracture and weaken the Kingdom so that their country's leader could swoop in and assert control. The King's royal advisors insisted that the rebellion was simply a small gang of miscreants who could do no more than up turn market stalls and cause chaos. Nevertheless, they had decided to send emissaries out to make reprimands and increase disciplinary actions in numerous important cities just in case the rebels were truly looking to destroy the kingdom.