I did like parties around here. They were fun, and I got to just blend with the rest of court. Most still had too much respect for my late father to be disrespectful to my face. So it wasn’t like the castle bastard was ill-treated. Not to mention Al still held me dear and would throw a tantrum if someone talked trash about me. I had to admire her determination on that subject. I didn’t mind it anymore. Not truly. I was terribly sad about it when I was a kid, but now it didn’t matter. My sister was becoming queen, and I’d be right by her side, helping her. Always supporting her. That was my role to play, and I didn’t mind it. As long as no one asked me to park my ass in that ugly chair, they called a throne, I could die happy.

The ceremony was boring. Al had to recite a bunch of shit in the old language and then be blessed a billion times by the high priestess before we could finally go to the thrown room and celebrate. She had to be fashionably late though, so I was entertaining myself with a couple of our distant cousins. I didn’t get to see them very often, and they were nice. I would’ve like to see them more often. Maybe I could run that past Al at some point.

Music announced my sister’s arrival and my cousin grabbed my arm, gasping.

“She looks so pretty, doesn’t she?”

I smiled at her and nodded. No one could ever deny that Al was a beautiful queen. The dress she wore was flattering and modest without being prudish. Her crown was an intricate design of small chains laying like a net on her dark hair that had somehow been pressed flat for today. Usually, it was way more curly, kind of like mine.

“Didn’t expect to find you here, councillor Charred,” I said as the councillor stepped up beside me.

“It’s my duty,” he replied a little coolly and met my gaze. “New clothes?”

I ran my hand over jacket and nodded. “Yeah, gotta look fancy when your sister becomes queen, right?”

He smiled faintly. “Of course.” His gaze wandered a little before it met mine again. “You look good, my lord.” He offered me a nod and stepped back again.

I couldn’t help but smile a little goofily. There was something about that guy that always excited me. He was older, powerful and very, very easy on the eyes. And he kept sending me these looks. And giving me these subtle compliments. This one was not subtle at all. It made my cheeks very hot, and I had to briefly fan myself a little with my hand.

I looked back up at my sister, who was still getting ready for her big speech. Her maids were arranging her hair a little, making sure she was absolutely perfect.

Al finally turned to the crowd and opened her mouth, getting ready for her speech but was interrupted by a loud noise. She caught my gaze and mouthed my name and then everything turned upside down. And white. Very white. I couldn’t see a thing or hear anything but a loud ringing sound in my ears.

I had also fallen down. I couldn’t focus on anything.

My vision slowly cleared, and the ringing sound subsided in one of my ears. I wish it hadn’t. All I heard were screams of pain. I looked around the throne room, but it looked nothing like it had just moments before. Rubble was everywhere and a hole behind where the throne has been was gaping at me. My sister was nowhere to be seen.

“Al!” I groaned and pulled myself up on my knees. “Alvina!” I slowly got up and rubbed my eye. I think my eyebrow had a gash in it, blood running into my eye, making it burn.

I called out for my sister again, slowly making my way towards the throne.

“My lord,” someone said from behind me and grabbed my arm.

“No, I have to find my sister,” I said and tried to slip out of their grasp. “We have to find the queen.”

“You don’t get to decide that.”

I looked back and saw a stranger. He wasn’t even wearing the right guard’s uniform or formal wear at all. He was dressed in this red uniform with buttons down one side. I had never seen a uniform like that before.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice shivering.

“We’re the revolution.” He punched me hard in the face, and it was lights out for me.