It was curious, but I couldn’t make any sense of it.In Earsleh, princesses were only allowed to marry men who were royal or of a noble family.Of the eight royal princesses old enough to marry, only two had married.The rest of us would probably never marry simply because there were no acceptable men.While we might secretly mourn our fate, we didn’t question it.
At one time, long before I had been born, before even my papa’s time, things had been different.There had been five kingdoms on the continent.I’d heard whispers of other peoples across the sea, but no one I knew, not even Old Ceba, who claimed to be one hundred and forty-three, had ever seen any of those people.Most doubted lands across the sea even existed.But sometimes, when Ceba had drunk a little too much wine, he would forget that he was not to lecture us on history and would tell us tales of the time before the red vein virus infected people and turned them into Hollows.In those days, almost one hundred years ago, people moved freely between the kingdoms and trade between the lands flourished.Ceba said that in those glorious times, royal families intermarried to strengthen ties between kingdoms.I’d never met anyone from another kingdom.It was difficult to travel safely in Earsleh.No one wanted to go beyond our borders and the security of our Barrier and patrols.
Something else Ceba accidentally said, that always stuck with me, was that before the red vein virus, there were no restrictions on how many children a woman in Earsleh could produce.People had lived all over the kingdom, spread out over the land.Now only a handful were brave enough to live in the outerlands.When I asked Ceba why the law had changed so that only the king and queen were allowed to have multiple children, he said it was because most people in Earlseh were confined to the castle walls.The king felt it necessary to regulate the number of people in Highcastle, and he approved all marriages and said when or if a couple could produce a child.If a couple disobeyed and had a child without approval or more than one child, they were sent to live in the outerlands.Many families lived in the outerlands simply because they desired a large family.
Once Ceba let slip that in the past, women were excluded from military service.It was still a fact that mostly men were sent to the Barrier, but now all women were also required to go on patrol.The only excuse was if a woman had a child under two years old.Some people said women who were afraid to go on patrol birthed multiple children to exempt themselves.Those sorts of statements were uncharitable and distasteful.Hadn’t I just seen that living in the outerlands—the trade-off for having multiple children—was far riskier than any patrol?
By now we were at the gates of the castle, and the sleepy guards at the entrance opened the gateways to admit us.Ecdra went first, followed by Finnrey, and then me.The guard started to close the gate as my mother cried out in protest.
“I’m sorry, Lady Aine.Only the princesses are allowed.”
“I am the mother of a princess and a former queen.I demand to be admitted.”
I let out a breath.I knew that tone.My mother did not like being denied something she wanted, and she could make a very big fuss when she didn’t get her way.Her eyes narrowed into slits, her lips pressed into a tight line, and her voice grew low and quiet—as it was now.
Ecdra must have known what was coming too and decided dealing with an angry Lady Aine was not worth it.“Let her pass,” he said, tossing the words over his shoulder.He sounded tired, and I felt that weariness in my bones.I’d been awake almost a full day now, traveling or scouting for most of it.My head and back hurt, and my eyes stung with fatigue.I would make whatever sacrifice was required to get this audience over with.
“Thank you,” my mother said as she passed through the gate and stood at my side.Her head was held high as though she was the one who had done Ecdra a favor by joining us.Two more guards opened the towering wooden doors, revealing the shining great hall of the castle.It was quiet at this hour, but usually it was bustling with activity.Signs pointed to the fact that we were expected.The great hall was not dark.Instead, lamps blazed, the polished floor gleamed, and the opulent tertanium accents glinted in the light, reminding everyone that we were a rich and noble kingdom.
Ecdra marched ahead, veering to the right to take a doorway off the great hall.I knew this path well.It was a faster route to the king’s throne room than climbing the wide stairway and passing the great gallery with paintings of all the kings and queens of the past.This corridor was simple and had been carved out of the rock that composed the hill protecting one side of the castle.I shivered at the cold air and ducked my head as I entered the doorway.I had to stoop a bit so as not to brush my head on the ceiling.The path wound around but sloped gently upward as we climbed the hill.A few moments later, Ecdra pushed open another door and we emerged in the throne room’s antechamber.
Two large she-wolves lifted their heads from where they’d been sleeping beside the hearth.The Hollows had decimated any free-roaming animals in Earsleh.Though the wolves lasted longer than any cattle or sheep, the Hollows would converge on a wolf pack in a horde and take them down.We still saw the occasional bird or creature that could burrow underground, but anything that might draw the notice of the Hollows was long gone.
My father’s wolves were said to be the last of their kind.Seven or eight years ago, the pups were found by a patrol, alone and crying in a den.The patrol leader brought them to Highcastle and gifted them to my father, who raised the pups as pets.Being in the presence of the wolves always felt magical to me.Now, seeing us, the wolves put their heads back on their paws and closed their eyes again.
My attention was drawn by the sound of my half-sisters bickering and squabbling as usual.My father’s head of council approached, looking as though he’d been dragged out of bed and hadn’t had time to dress properly or comb his thick gray hair.Ecdra opened his arms, indicating Finnrey and me.
“Here they are.”
“Very good,” Lord Ashe said.He beckoned us forward and cleared his throat.“Lady Finnrey of Highcastle and Lady Mara of Highcastle.”
My mother cleared her throat and stepped forward.
Lord Ashe sighed.“And Lady Aine.”
My father, who had been slumped in his throne, sat straight now.He was still a young man of sixty or so.His hair had gone slightly gray at the temples but was otherwise black and luxurious.He had a neat mustache and beard, brown eyes with small flecks of green, and wore a bright red tunic—a sign that he did not need to hide from anyone or anything.Any one of us present would have protected him with our lives.
As Finnrey and I moved to stand before the stone dais where the throne sat, our sisters grew quiet and gathered closer as well.Without thinking, we organized ourselves in order of age.The king was said to be a lusty man and had sired nineteen children, nine sons and ten daughters.The four eldest of his children with his first wife were married and had children.Cameed had come next.She was short and slim, and the oldest present at seven and thirty.Next was Morga, who was Cameed’s full sister and resembled her except she had more curves and didn’t wear a perpetual scowl.Morga was four and thirty.
Next came Finnrey’s full sisters.These were the product of the king’s second wife.His first wife had asked for a divorce after the birth of her last child, a son.She had said she felt like a royal brood mare and was done with enduring her royal duty.The king had remarried less than a year later and then Broga and Riah, fraternal twins, had been born.Broga was known for her strength.She was the only one of us strong enough to wield a sword successfully.She was also my nemesis.We’d never liked each other, not since we were children.Riah, her twin, was the least clever of all of us and focused on appearance.She possessed light brown hair, which stood out among the rest of us who had hair so dark it was almost black.Her hair was her pride and joy and, as usual, she wore it long and flowing.The twins were eight and twenty.Another son had been born and then came Finnrey, who was five and twenty, and I thought the prettiest of all of us.She was on the shorter side but had an athletic figure with high cheekbones and a straight nose.
Finnrey’s mother had died from complications during her next pregnancy, which was probably a good thing because the court whispered that the king had already fallen in love with my mother, whom he married the day after she turned eighteen, which was shockingly young to marry.I came along just a few months later.
My father had not married for several years after he’d divorced my mother.His current wife was our Queen Nahla and had produced four sons in a row.Her eldest daughter was only nine.I envied that little princess right now, probably in the royal suite sleeping in comfort.
The king cleared his throat.“Daughters, I know you are all wondering why I have called you here.I have had some very distressing news.”
To my left, I saw my mother clasp her hands.I remained stoic, my attention on the king.
“Our furthest western patrols sent a runner who reported that a man from Zulen has crossed into our borders.”
My sisters murmured, and Finnrey and I exchanged looks.
“What’s Zulen?”Riah whispered loudly.
“Zulen is the kingdom to our west,” the king said, not pretending he hadn’t heard her.I hadn’t paid as much attention as I should have in geography class, but I knew the names of the original five kingdoms.Two of the kingdoms were very far away.Zulen and Lorendor were on our western and northern borders, respectively.Earsleh occupied the middle area of the continent, and the sea was on our east.Far to the south had been the kingdom of Toledev, and the last kingdom, whose name escaped me at the moment, was even further west than Zulen.
A hundred questions suddenly came to mind, most pointedly, how anyone from Zulen could be alive.They’d all died in the outbreak of the red vein virus.I knew better than to speak unless given permission.I clenched my hand and kept silent.
