Chapter 6 - Idynn

Hurrying back to the Princess' quarters, I knocked lightly on the door. 'Your Highness? Is everything alright?'

It was unlocked, so I opened it. King Odern was standing by Mirea's bed. 'Come in and close the door,' he said without looking up.

Mirea's sheets were still sprawled messily on the bed, but with an additional human-sized lump beneath them that was shaking and trembling.

'Your Majesty.' I bowed my head, and against every fibre of my being that screamed at me to run, stepped inside and did as he ordered.

The King turned his attention back to the sobbing lump of blankets. 'Mirea, get up. This is poor behaviour for a princess.'

Mirea flung the covers off. Her tear-stained face was contorted with a mix of anger and grief, and she jumped out of bed to face her father.

Up close, King Odern cut even more of an imposing figure. Mirea had inherited his golden hair but not the frown that was permanently etched in his features nor the deep-set eyes that held decades of weariness in them. The golden crown on his head had seven sapphires set in it, much grander than the one in my pocket. It was infused with small magic, Light, perhaps. Looking at it made my eyes water.

King Odern dwarfed his daughter easily—like a lion dealing with an unruly cub—but she did not seem to care. Mirea jabbed a finger at his chest. 'Call off the wedding.'

'It is too late.'

'You know what he is capable of! Hells, all of Navhëlm knows! He's a prince in title alone—that boy is a monster, and I. Will. Not. Marry. Him.'

She punctuated the last few words with a jab at King Odern's chest.

'Listen, Mirea—'

'No. I am done listening, all I ever do is listen to you, Father. I obey your orders and do as I am told, but you never pay attention to me! I would rather burn this castle down than marry that... thing!'

'Now, you—'

With every word, Mirea's voice grew louder and shriller. 'Stop being a king for one moment and actually be my father! You would never have agreed to this if Mother were still—'

'MIREA. ENOUGH.' King Odern roared.

She shut her mouth. I forgot to breathe. The King had never shouted at his daughter before.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 'Let me finish. The wedding is happening, but it is not you who will be marrying the Prince.'

What?

King Odern looked at me. 'Your name, servant girl.'

I'd served Mirea since I was a teenager and was in the castle since I was a child. I felt foolish, but it hurt a little that the King did not know who I was. 'I-Idynn, Your Majesty. Idynn Bruilde.'

The King examined me from head to toe, then did the same for Mirea. I clasped my hands behind my back so he wouldn't see them shake. His frown deepened and he nodded gravely to himself.

'We will have the tailors alter the Princess's garments for you. Over the next few days, you will learn to behave as she does and learn what she learns.'

What was he saying? What did he mean by that? All that left my mouth was a timid 'Your… Majesty?'

'Idynn,' he said, 'you will be taking the Princess's place. You are to marry Prince Adenos and return with him to his homeland where you will ensure the alliance between Navhelm and Sonera holds.'

My knees trembled. I felt faint.

Mirea interrupted hesitantly, 'Father, you can't. She's a servant, a ward of the castle. She cannot convince Sonera that she's a princess.'

But King Odern seemed set on the idea. 'She has no family. Good. Fewer people to silence. They will find her inadequate regardless—she is from a foreign land, and what she doesn't know can be reasoned away.'

'But she cannot…'

King Odern ignored her. To me, he said, 'You are the reason my daughter was absent at the welcome, so as a father, I thank you. As your king, I order you to do fulfil your duty and take the Princess's place.'

Mirea stared at me, a different kind of terror in her eyes. 'Father, if I could just—'

'No.' King Odern rumbled. 'Would you replace her now and marry Prince Adenos yourself?'

A tiny bud of hope bloomed in my chest. It was stupid to think that maybe the Princess would offer herself in my place, but it still hurt when she finally dropped her gaze and shook her head.

'Good. Idynn, you will begin your studies to become the Princess at once.'

Just like that, my fate was sealed. My fingertips went numb, my chest feeling tighter and tighter with every breath I took, and try as I might, I couldn't stop thinking of the events that unfolded in the grand hall. The chieftain's bloody face. The Prince's blank expression.

A cold husband I might be able to survive. A violent one? I didn't want to think about that.

The Idynn of this morning would never have dreamt that she'd be wed to royalty, let alone the infamous Winter Prince of Sonera.

'… Yes, Your Majesty,' I whispered.

I waited for him to leave the room, then sunk to the floor. My sight blurred with tears.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around me. Mirea, kneeling at my side.

I felt hands on my shoulders. She was sweeping my hair up with my ribbon. Then she brushed a few stray strands away from my face and wrapped her arms around me, hugging me tight.

She didn't let go. I buried my face in her shoulder and cried until I was heaving for breath. Through my sobs, I heard her murmur over and over again in my ear, 'I'm sorry, Idynn. I'm so, so sorry.'