1 Chapter 1. The First Drop

My mother has told me the story of my father's death every year on my birthday.

From the moment I was conceived, she knew the price of a wedlock baby. Death before birth.

My father, King Grensden was arranged to marry my mother a year before I was born.

But true love waits for no one I suppose.

He was a fair ruler... Until he wasn't.

My mother was very ill when she was pregnant with me.

Illness during pregnancy was a bad omen of an ill fated future.

Not wanting to raise a ill fated wedlock baby, he gave my mother a choice: Kill the babe (me) before birth or prepare to die by execution. My mother was not going to risk death of either sort.

She began taking her own remedies and attempted to find a cure for her illnesses, even trading her own priceless gems and treasures for expensive alchemy sets and cure books and tomes.

The price to keep me and herself alive was paid off... But it came at a great cost.

My father progressively began to become ill.

Stomach discomfort.

Bloody nose.

Constant migraine headaches.

Soon my Father was too ill to attend court meetings and public appearances

My Mother was married to Father two months before I was born. And then he died a month later. Royal physicians found the cause of death to be posion.

There was no King to rule and my mother was due to have me any day.

With no other heirs, successors or relatives to claim the throne, the only choice was to not kill me or Mother. My mother was announced the widowed Queen, and I the illegitimate child. My mother had no other choice but to claim I'd be her heir.

A title of which I learned to enjoy.

Mother taught me not to trust the court, and with good reason.

They attempted to spread rumors in order to accuse us of murder, treason, betrayal.

There wasn't any proof. We were in the clear.

Yet, as I grew up, I began to realize that even the fairest of them fall.