Outlaw Princess

As soon as she entered her own chambers, Cecilia threw off her headdress. She dismissed the maids and the stewards, as well as her own men. She didn't say anything until it was her, Lowell, and Queen Ella's chief guard, Victor.

"We need to find this crystal, and get out of here soon," Cecilia said softly, being careful that she wasn't being overheard.

Victor looked at her, "I have two ideas."

Cecilia gave him an eager glance. Victor had been on the royal guard for seven years, and Cecilia knew that he could be trusted. Lowell regarded him warily.

"I hate to bring this up, since I have known you since you were a child princess, but one of the options is to seduce his highness," Victor said shyly.

Cecilia nodded. This thought had occurred to her as well, and she had thought most of it through, "But that will take time, and when I seduce him, then what? I can't just ask for the crystal."

Victor nodded, "We could just steal it then, but that would involve a complicated plan."

"What if we do both?" Lowell asked. Cecilia and Victor looked at him with interest. "Cecilia can get close to the king, find out where the crystal is, and while she is doing that, Victor and I can come up with a plan."

"It's a temporary solution," Cecilia said softly, "But it will have to do for now. The king's feast will be in two hours, I say we rest, wash up, and get this night over with."

The two men nodded, "But don't get drunk, you or the men," Cecilia warned, "I don't want loose lips to spoil everything, or someone getting into a fight. It's very crucial that we keep ourselves of the down low."

As soon as the two men left, Cecilia asked a maid to draw up a bath. Cecilia looked at her own reflection knowing what she had to do.
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"Princess!" Alexander said, approaching Cecilia.

Cecilia smiled, "Your highness."

"Do the honor and dance with me," Alexander said, holding a hand out to her. Cecilia nodded and he led her out onto the dance floor.

"So, Princess, am I good enough for the Queen Ella," asked Alexander, spinning her around the floor.

"Please, call me Cecilia," she responded.

"Ah, Cecilia, well what is your impression of me then?"

Cecilia looked at Alexander. She couldn't deny it, King Alexander of Ore was the most handsome king she had ever met. He was strong, had crystal blue eyes, and sandy blonde hair. Cecilia couldn't help but smile and say, "Well your majesty, you are a great fit for my sister. You are handsome, young, a fair ruler, and do know how to put on wonderful festivals, but..."

Cecilia trailed off as their bodies separated, and then when they were together again, Cecilia could see a hint of concern in his eyes, and in his voice when he prompted with the, "But?"

Cecilia laughed, leaving him hanging for a couple more seconds, before finally responding. "Your majesty has stepped on my foot more than ten times. I'm not sure Ella would appreciate that. But then again, she doesn't dance."

Alexander laughed relived. "Oh, Cecilia, if only you were the Queen of Lane instead of your sister. From what I have heard, you are more beautiful and less frigid than Ella."

Cecilia stopped. She could not participate in such talk. Alexander chuckled at the concern look on her face. "Princess, do not fear. You are safe here. The kingdom of Ore is more of your ally than your sister's. Here, let's talk about this privately." He led her out of the great hall. She shook her head at Lowell while he was getting up from his table to follow.

"Now, I did not want to side with Queen Ella when your husband rose up his own troops, but my chancellors told me otherwise," Alexander started when they were alone. "After talking to them, I agreed that we had to put down the rebellion."

"I don't understand," Cecilia said, "Why are you telling me this?"

He stood closer to her, and kept his voice low, "I am not supposed to tell you this, but I think you need to know. Cecilia, there are plans to overthrow your sister from Lane, and put you on the throne."

"Who? What plans?" Cecilia was confused than ever, and she felt a fear for herself and for her children.

"Let's just say that all the stories your wet nurse told you were true, would you believe that?"

Cecilia thought of the wolves in the woods, and the demon Cassandra turned out to be. "I thought that was common knowledge."

Alexander nodded. "For the most part it is, it's just in Lane that the knowledge isn't so common. When did you learn about the wolves? Before or after your marriage?"

"After my marriage. Why is Lane kept in the dark?"

"Listen closely Cecilia. All the major kingdoms have something uncommon. Something nonhuman. Frank and Zorr are known for its shapeshifters. Ore is a kingdom full of elves. And Lane is known for it's diverse Fae and human population. Now when I say diverse I mean that Lane is full of dark and light Fae."

"So Lane's population is kept secret because of the human population? But why?"

"To keep the humans safe. Since Fae look so much like humans, other non humans are afraid to attack."

"Ok, but how does that pertain to me?" Cecilia asked. "It sounds like Ella's problem to me."

"Cecilia, your sister is not your sister."

"Pardon?"

"The light Fae is known for all things good. Your sister is not good. She is part of the dark Fae."

"Dark Fae? Does that mean I'm part dark Fae as well?"

"Your sister is not your sister, Cecilia," Lowell stepped out from behind a pillar.

"I was handling this, Lo," Alexander turned toward him.

"Sasha, you are confusing her. Just look at her."

"No, I need to know this," Cecilia said. "She has my children. My children. I need to know who has my children."

Her voice raised a pitch, the two men shared a glance of concern. "Maybe not tonight," Alexander said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's time to head to bed."

Cecilia pulled her shoulder away. "Who has my children."

"Ella is not your birth sister. She is a bastard of your father and a witch, or a human that has turned evil. The kind heart of your mother allowed Ella to stay. Even though your mother raised her, I'm afraid to say that Ella's heart had always been dark," Alexander explained, softly.

Cecilia wanted to deny it all. Say that it couldn't be true, but as she was looking back at her childhood, she noted how distant Ella was. Torturing her two younger sisters. One time she locked Cecilia into a cupboard, even though she was terrified of the dark. "My maid, Cassandra, she was something evil. My sister paid her wages. My sister tried to kill me."