1 A Game of Chess

Inside a seemingly abandoned tower, high above the castle and its people, stood a girl leaning lazily against her widow seal.

The outside world that she craved so desperately was just outside these tower walls. The view was mesmerizing, and even after seventeen years of continuously looking at it, it still help its appeal to her.

The tower was high enough that she could see almost the whole kingdom from her room. Their lights twinkling below her like a million fluttering fireflies.

A soft breeze gently brushed past her face, filling the room with the warm scent of leaves and earth. Her long silver hair swaying behind her slim waist, like a waterfall of star light dancing in the wind. A single strand of loose hair tickled at her face, making her her flawless face light up slightly with an enchanting smile.

"Miss Amiria, you're father won't listen to reason. He wants to marry you off in just a few days! How could he ask you to marry a stranger after locking you up in this tower for seventeen years! It's unfair!"

A small boy, around the age of five was seemed to be throwing a tantrum, and was seconds from crying right behind where she stood. Panic and anger mix threw out his voice, making the poor child sound especially pitiful to her.

She didn't have to look back at the boy to know what kind of face he had to be making. After practically raising that spoiled kitten, she was very aware how sad his big yellow eyes could get when he was upset. She bet his cute little cat ears were flattened on his head, making is depression he felt for her clear to the world.

Seeing him so worked up over her made her feel a sense of affection she still wasn't very use to. Other than when she used her magic to communicate with people outside her tower, he was the only person whom she spent quality time with in person.

She hated to see her sweet child upset, but at the same time her heart melted at the thought that he cared so much for her. There was not a single person on this earth whom she loved more then this adorable little boy.

"Now, now, Mikel. Do you really think I would marry a man I didn't love? Why have I been training you so hard up until now if you were to give up so easy without even a fight?"

She turned her head around to look at her pitiful little boy. Her silver eyes almost glowed in the dark tower, making her look mystical and a little scary.

A sly smile crossed her beautiful face, and she slowly reached down to pat the top of his head right between where his ears poke up, making them twitch adorably from the sudden touch.

"If that old man thinks he can do as he pleased after treating me so poorly these past years, he is terribly mistaken. He will pay for locking me up, and he will die for what he has done to my mother."

The glow in her eyes intensified, and a menacing aura full of power flooded out from within her, making the room grow cold and uncomfortable.

She had been secretly practicing magic on her own all these years for a moment just like this. Not even the Gods themselves could stop her once she had made her mind up.

Mikel loved his mistress, and trusted her words more than anyone else. If she said someone had to die, then that someone would have to die. It didnt matter if it was a simple peasant or a powerful King, if they wronged Amiria then they would have to pay the price ten fold.

He understood his Mistress temperament, she would never harm someone who didn't deserve it first. If she chose to seek revenge against someone, then there would have to be a good reason for it.

As far as Mikel was concerned, the king deserved to die a thousand deaths for what he had done to his beloved Miss. Because of that fat man, she had never stepped foot out of this tower since she was just an infant.

And if incarceration wasn't enough to seek revenge, then what he did to her mother, the late queen, would certainly save him a spot in hell.

He wrongly accused the Late Queen of being a Blood Mage, and sentenced her to be publicly burned on the stake. Blood magic was a unfathomable and extremely evil magic, that used the blood of sacrificed people to become stronger. It was a taboo type of magic, and anyone who was deemed a blood mage would be killed for their crimes.

"Yes, Mistress! Mikel was wrong for doubting you, it will never happen again! Mikel was only scared of what might happen to Miss!" His big golden eyes widened, showing clearly his love and affection for her.

He really knew how to melt her heart, something no one else could seem to do. He wasnt a child born from her womb, but she felt a strong maternal love for the boy. After all, she did raise him from a kitten. It was only natural the kid bore a hole in her heart.

"I understand, my sweet boy. I would never fault you for caring for me." she bent her knees to crouch on the ground infront of him, using both her arms to hold and reassure him.

She sent a warm energy threw her hands and into the boys arms, making his mind become clear and warm. The warm sensation quickly calmed the remaining worries he felt in his heart, and he now looked up at his Mistress with worry free and clear eyes.

After she saw that his mind had calmed down enough to listen to her instructions properly, she finally felt it was time to start her little games.

Her face became more stern, and her words came out clear and without error, showing the importance of her words.

"I'll be leaving this tower tonight, Mikel. I've been training secretly all these year for this very escape, and I need you to play your part in order to make it out of this palace alive."

She took a deep breath and stood up straight, one hand still touching his head of fluffy black hair.

" The king just made an unfortunate young girl his concubine, not suprising considering his pig like behavior. I sent my little birdies to scout her out, and as a pleasant surprise, it seems she's a trophy from the most recent kingdom my father has conquered. I'm sure she would rather die then be de-flowered by the man that murdered her entire family. So, I let one of the maids under my control serve her, and let it slip that the King is deathly allergic to gooseberries. Can you make a guess who made a special request from the vineyard to make a bottle of gooseberry wine for her two nights ago?"

Every word she spoke made her face became more and more menacing. Like there an intense game of chess was going on in her mind that she couldn't bear to loose.

Normally no one in the capital would be able to get their hands on a single gooseberry since the king outlawed them, but Amiria had quite the underground market she had been building over these years. Even the vineyard wouldn't dare to use gooseberries to make wine, and naturally turned the concubine's request down.

Even though the Vineyards in the kingdom couldn't supply it, doesnt mean she couldn't get her hands on some. She could only send her lackey's in her place for now, but whatever she wanted done she would fine a way to do, even from this tower.

In all honesty, it was surprisingly easy for her to get some gooseberry wine made and sent to the concubine. She even sent it straight to the her door and made sure it was under the name of the kingdoms vineyard. Skillfully leaving no traces back to her incase her plan failed.

"I have no doubt she will try and poison the king tonight when he visits her bed chambers." a sly grin covered her beautiful face, not hiding her wicked pleasure in the slightest.

Mikel tilted his little face to the side, as if he was trying to piece together a puzzle with missing pieces.

"She we will kill the king just like that?" he asked, his voice filled with the innocence of a child.

Amiria softly laughed at his inquiry, and ruffled his hair with her hand.

"No, he wont die. If something like that could kill him so easily then I would have been free a long time ago."

"Mistress, I still dont understand." he looked pitiful, like she was bullying him by not telling him her plans in a simpler way so he could easily understand.

The atmosphere seemed to lightened around her, and her aura seemed more playful compared to before. She loved to see him struggle to figure something out. The harder he tried to understand things on his own, the smarter he would grow as he got older. But tonight was an important night for her plan, and she would leave nothing up to chance.

"Though he won't die, he will surely be angry. The angrier he gets the less he'll use his brain, and the easier it will be to fool him. Alas, the attempt on his life alone wont be enough to get the outcome I want. That's were you come in, my sweet little kitten. When the guards come to arrest the girl, I want you to use the flame magic I taught you to burn everything from the treasury to the concubine's chambers. Leave nothing out. With all the commotion I would be truly surprised if anyone could feel the magic that I need to gather here. Even if they did, it would be too hard to get here in time to stop me with all the chaos going on outside."

As far as plans go, it was well thought out. At least it left very few chances for error on her part. There were several other little factors she would have play out tonight in order to be sure her escape was a success, but as long as these two things go as planned, then the rest would fall into place regardless.

"But miss, what about the concubine?" his little heart went out to her. He was sure she just wanted to go back to her own kingdom, but she got caught up in one of his Mistress's plot's unexpectedly. How sad the poor girl must be.

"Very good, Mikel. I did not raise you to be a heartless man. The king will most likely want to have her publicly executed the following morning, and will hold her in the prison for the remaining of the night while he deals with the fire and it's aftermath. I have already arranged one of my pets to aid in her escape as well. Though her escape wont be near as grand as mine."

Mikel was satisfied with her answer, and was even happier to be praised by her. His Mistress really does think of everything!

With an elegant swish of her wrist, she silently dismissed Mikel. He knew what his Mistress wanted, he needed to go somewhere he can clearly hear everything that was about to happen in the concubine's court yard so he could know when exactly to set the fire. His mission was too important to delay any longer.

With a respectful bow, he silently left the room to find a good place to wait. Leaving the room empty, and making her feel alittle lonely in his absence.

After seventeen long years of being a prisoner inside her own Kingdom, she would finally begin the game of chess that will take the king off the game board permanently.