Gamble of Lies (Book 1)

Chapter 19

"I had to attend several meetings today with different farmers from the farmlands and had to take a 2-hour lesson of trying to learn this new language. Good grief! I feel like I can just take a nap right now." 

"You know that's not very professional, your highness"

Taylor Jones: 19 years old, cute and the queen of the west. 

"Hey, Calvin don't you think this city is really pretty?" She asked. 

"You've asked that so many times my lady," He responded from behind her. 

"Yeah, I know...it's really gorgeous..."

Her voice was so soft and gentle and had a slight British accent. Taylor had medium-length toffee brown hair that ended on her back and bright emerald green eyes. The medium-height queen wore a long green floral dress and had a small crown sitting on top of her head. 

For the past four days, the petite queen has been taking part in several obligations where she had to travel around the western city and lands. Ranging from noble meetings and dutiful inspection of the people. 

Flyzaia: the western city and lands of hope and freedom. 

Cumulus skies, rays of the passionate sun glistening down on the fruitful city. Apples, cabbages, carrots, and everything is produced and made by the Flyzaian commoners. Next to the glassy and flowing waterfall stood a castle. Compared to the north and east, it is the smallest castle but still holds power and democracy.

Taylor turned her back to the beautiful scenery and walked over to the young and dark-skinned man in front of the large table. He wore a noble man's suit and had a sword tucked in its sheath that was strapped on his belt. 

"Calvin, how many times do I have to tell you that you don't need to call me "your highness"?" She asked politely.  

"Even though this is a game it's still polite to use the correct title-"

"You take this so seriously!" She laughed and slapped his shoulder playfully, "Luckily for you I'm not like the other rulers who are aggressive and treat their people like slaves. I mean come'on! Throwing boulders down to those pitiful men and dictators a whole city...talk about incongruity"

Calvin gave a small chuckle. 

He watched the lady walk past him and towards the door where a soldier opened it respectfully. 

The girl turned around and smiled gleefully, "Want to join me for a walk?" She asked. 

"Don't you have any work to do?-"

"I'll do it later! C'mon!" 

The city itself was gorgeous, almost every corner was filled with well-built houses made of wood and cobblestone, the market was organised and was filled with people buying or trading items, there was a lot of greenery here and there where flowers of all kind bloomed and flourished. 

The commoners waved and said their greetings to Taylor and Calvin as they walked around the city and admired its beauty.  

"We really haven't spoken a lot because of this hectic schedule, haven't we?" She asked as she excitedly ran up to a booth. 

Calvin watched as the girl picked up two ice pops and handed the lady the money. 

Taylor skipped back towards Calvin and held up an ice pop as she kept the other to herself.

Calvin looked at her unsurely but Taylor's smile gave him reassurance as he gladly took it from her and said a quick "thank you". 

They were walking side by side, both in silence as they admired the relaxing fresh air and life around them. The tiny kids playing on the streets, the sounds of carriages and horses riding across the stony path; the warmth of the peace. Kindness. 

After a long silence, Taylor was the first to break it, "You never told me why you wanted to join this game, so if you don't mind, I would really like to hear what you would say"

"Oh about that...in all honesty, I only joined because my friends and almost everyone at my college applied to it so I kind of got influenced to do it too. But..."

"But you weren't expecting this no?" Taylor finished his sentence as Calvin nodded his head. 

He continued, "I can still remember all of their shocked faces, who would think that a nobody could ever have this luck and join this all-too great game. In society, it just does not make sense when a lowly gets placed on top suddenly. But, that's in the past now I want this game to be over with."   

"You're right. It is abnormal." Taylor replied. 

She got the empty stick from her mouth and threw it in a trash bin near them and so did Calvin.

"I applied for this game for the same reason. I guess it was because of the amount of attention this game was received during its first appearances, but my friends also pushed me into it. Not only teenagers but adults and even children applied to it." Taylor explained. 

The people around them were fake, all of this was fake. From the mountains to the ocean. Fake. 

"Say, Calvin...where should I go?...to the left where power and revolution are strong or to the right where harmony and love are strong?" Taylor questioned with a smile. 

"I really can't say...I cannot simply judge by preconceptions..." He replied.

Taylor sighed, "The east, west, north and south; bound by chains and loopholes of ladders...the game was purposefully shaped as is, 4 cities where contestants were made to kill in order to survive. This is no game where the game tells us the multiple choices we have to take in order to make an action. We the players are the protagonists of our own play. And as queen..." 

Calvin watched with admiration.

The girl skipped over to a bush where laid a family of sunflowers. 

She picked one off delicately and looked back at Calvin.

The fresh wind of the west blew her toffee hair as the sun behind her turned a reddish haze and so did the many clouds surrounding it. 

"It is neither left or right. It is forwards. My goals are not to win this game, my goals are to have the best out of everyone and have fun. As long as no one touches us...I swear that this city and all of its people will live in harmony and power. And if that does not happen...I don't know what will come off next. But for now, we must defend. Defence is our biggest priority." 

With that, Calvin knew that he was gifted with a tremendous queen.

"In this world, we dominate the skies and lands as we all fly together with freedom bound to our chains." 

The queen smiled.