I am hoping to get some input on whether or not I should continue this story, so please read and review before I post anymore.

Full Summary: I serve my land, and my king. I vowed that I always would, but never considered what I would do if there was no king or if the king I served so loyally died or was killed. My king has recently died, and the lands are falling further and further into unrest and decay. All I am able to do is sit back and watch helplessly. I didn’t choose this life, not completely anyway, and the farther into it I get, the less I want it. We need the king to be replaced, but nobody, including myself, is willing to do anything about it. I am still as loyal as ever to the only king I had known, and I somehow find it disgraceful and disloyal to do something. Hopefully something will be done, and soon.

Chapter 1

I was standing in a very crowded room wearing what most of the men were wearing, although they completely hated that fact that I did. Had I not been a warrior same as them they would force me to wear what all the other woman wear, well those that aren’t part of the royal army that is. Everyone around me was murmuring softly about the rumor that had been spreading rapidly through the kingdom. The king was dead, or so the rumor went, he had fallen into shadow, although no one could for the life of him or her say how or why. I myself would not believe it until it had been confirmed or denied by someone higher up than other knights and peasants. I was one of the few females in the room, since the only ones present here where other warriors, knights, and others like us.

Women were not usually accepted as warriors, it was rather rare. I was one of the better ones at that and had I would suspect more loyalty than most of the men. Since most men were expected to join the kings fighters in someway or another, their loyalty wasn’t quit as true and pure as a woman’s, who actually had a choice in the matter. I was ranked highly, ranked close to the top. I was the highest ranked woman, although there were quite a few men above me in rank. I would take a sword for my king any day anytime. Although I was obnoxiously loyal to the king, I didn’t think he was even aware of my existence. As much as I tried, because I was a woman, and a few ranks away from being allowed to ask an audience myself, I had never been allowed to speak with the king, and it would have astounded me if someone had actually spoke of me to him. Although I had always hoped they had.

I looked around the packed room and recognized quite a few faces, most of them because I fought and practiced with them. I walked farther towards the front of the room, wanting a better spot when we were set straight about the rumor. I wasn’t completely sure who would be talking to us today, so I didn’t want to get too close. I spotted one of the other few females in the room and walked over to her.

“Hey Keaira,” I said smiling as I came up to her.

Keaira wasn’t a warrior, at least not that I was aware of, and I didn’t think that she did any fighting whatsoever. She was about my height and age and had brown hair and brown eyes. I had no clue why she was always at these meetings, as I sometimes called them, but she seemed to attend all of them, even the ones I was not allowed, or capable, to attend.

“Hey Mariel, what do you think of this? Isn’t it crazy? I myself don’t believe the rumors,” she replied in her cheerful voice. It seemed a little forced today and I wondered why. I figured it was either because she was lying about something or because of what was going on.

“Yea, it’s something alright,” I said through a sigh.

“I also hear you were raised in rank, that true, or just talk?” Keaira asked raising an eyebrow.

I smiled slightly. “Talk, as far as I know. I wasn’t told about it, but I guess it’s possible. But if the rumors are true, I highly doubt it.”

Keaira shrugged, “Well I give you the best of luck. I see Ivan, I need to have a word with him.”

“Ok, Keaira, I’ll see you around than, hope the rumors aren’t true. I think we may be in some trouble if they are.”

“I’m with you on that,” she said rolling her eyes and heading off toward Ivan, who was standing on the other side of the room. I sighed slightly as I headed a little farther to the front and stopped. I’d stand here and wait for the announcements, while I prayed that the rumors were false.

I heard someone clear their throat loudly and my head shot up to the balcony that the voice had come from. The king’s secondhand man was standing there looking completely solemn. I kept my eyes on the man standing up there, waiting for the talking to slowly die down as the word that he was standing up there spread. From the look on his face I did not need him to speak, the rumors were true, it showed all over his face. A look of disbelief became plastered on my face and in my mind. It could not possibly be true; the king could not be dead. He was not sick, at least not that anyone was aware of; we are not in war with anyone, what else could have caused it? I knocked all my emotion off of my face, the best warriors could do this quickly, although it had taken me ages to perfect it, I could not do it almost in the blink of an eye. Controlling my anger and other emotions, now that was something I still needed work on.

“If I can have all of your attentions please!” the man said practically screaming so that everyone could hear him. He was unusually tall for our time era and he had untidy blonde hair with blue eyes. Those who had not received the word that he was up their, or those who did not stop talking ceased all conversation. “I’m sure many of you, if not all of you realize why you are here, as I’m sure you’ve all heard the popular rumor that the king is no longer with us. I am sorry to say that this rumor is sadly true. The king passed away last night, although we are not sure why.”

If it was possible the silence became even more quite as the realization sunk into everyone. They had all been happy spreading a rumor that was neither confirmed nor denied, it was done all the time, but one that had been confirmed, and one that was this bad, took it out of them. My eyes dropped to the ground as the full impact of this fact hit me. I wondered who would take over. Our king had no heirs, no brothers, or sisters for that matter. His mother and father where as far as anyone knew dead as well. He had no relatives of any sorts that would or could take thrown. I believe he had one in one of our neighboring villages, but if he did than it was because they were not on good terms.

“As of right now we do not know who we will get to take his place, as I’m sure you all know he had no children and no relatives that we would speak of. You may pass the word on to the villagers that he is deceased, I’m sure we have no way of stopping you from doing that, but do not spread that we have no one to take the throne, that must be left a secret amongst all who are not present today.”

I felt my spirits drop. Something was not right here. Why would they tell us that there is no one to lead? Most here would take advantage of it and use it to their advantage, or maybe even try to take the throne. Maybe they had an heir, but the heir was unknown to anyone outside the king’s trusted few, but the heir was too young to take throne.

All these thoughts and more ran through my head as the speech continued. I only heard some of what was being said. When the king’s secondhand man, Calhoun, had finished his speech and left immediately after the whole place erupted in noise. Everyone turned to his or her neighbor to discuss what had just been said, while I stood there staring where Calhoun had been standing in complete and total disbelief.

“Mariel,” Keaira said coming up next to me and stopping. “Can you believe it?” she asked, obviously not seeing the complete look of disbelief apparent on my face.

I looked over at her and she saw my face. “How could this have happened?” I said quietly.

“Oh, right you actually liked him,” Keaira said rolling her eyes. “I’d have to say one of the most loyal warriors he had, I would have thought you’d have known this was coming, or came. I forgot about your loyalty.”

I glared at her slightly. “You know I was never made known to the king. I doubt he even knew I existed. I was never allowed an audience with him.” I sighed after I had finished talking, remembering the last fact and hating everyone who had prevented it.

“You never know, there may be a trick or two up their sleeves,” she replied mysteriously with a strange glint of excitement in her eyes.

A look of confusion crossed my face, which was quickly replaced by a look and slight anger and annoyance. “What on earth are you talking about Keaira?” I asked annoyed. “What aren’t you telling me? You know a lot more than we were told here today, how?”

“Oh, no I don’t know anything you don’t know,” she said a little too quickly for my liking. “I was just saying…”

I raised an eyebrow. “Right…” I said in disbelief, starting my attempts to pry the information out of her.

“No, really, it’s nothing… I mean I don’t know anything else. I only know what you know,” Keaira said, her voice starting to sound slightly strained.

“Oh come on, you can tell me, I know you’re hiding something. I won’t tell anyone,” I said slightly pleadingly and gave her my own variation of puppy dog eyes.

Keaira sighed and opened her mouth to say something, but as if deciding better of it, closed it again. She looked to her right and pretended to see someone that she needed to talk to. “Oh, I see someone I need to speak with, I’ll be seeing you Mariel,” Keaira said so fast that it seemed to blur together. She then turned around quickly and left just as fast.

I sighed deeply. She had done this to me many times, pretending to see someone she needed to speak to, or “remembering” a prior engagement. I knew that she had more information on this than she was letting on, she had made it more than obvious, and I’d just have to figure out a way to get it out of her. Hopefully I would be able to someday.

I walked over to stand leaning against one of the walls, trying to avoid talking with anyone else, save those who actually took the time to find me. I looked around at everyone present; everyone seemed to be taking it differently. There were some, who like me, couldn’t believe it, while others seemed not to care in the least, and still others were already starting to get over it. The last group seemed to not contain many people, which deeply depressed me. They were mourning his death; I really had wished there’d be more of them. I sighed and kept my gaze on the opposite wall this time.

My mind wandered to the fact that Calhoun had said that they were not going to have anyone take over the throne just yet. It had taken me slightly off guard. It kept running though my mind that if they were to keep people off the throne, then our lands would just become complete and total chaos. I sighed as I stood up straight and looked over at the door. I took one last glance around, made sure I didn’t need to talk to anyone, and slipped out the door.

It was dark out and quite chilly. I was wearing peasant clothing, as I often did to blend in with all the peasants. Most peasants didn’t know me by face or name, didn’t know I was a warrior, let alone one of the best, and I was a girl.

I walked down the street were a few peasants were outside finishing their chores, or just socializing. None of them realized what trouble we were in, no one realized what had just happened, and I couldn’t enlighten them with the truth. A few of the peasants watched me as I passed by, tears glistening in my eyes, and sorrow in my every movement. A slight breeze picked up and a shiver coursed through my body. I stopped where I stood and looked up at the sky, seeing the nearly full moon and stars, shining down upon the earth. I sighed as I tried to pick out a constellation or two to distract myself.

“Miss, are you all right?” someone asked me from behind.

I turned around and saw a peasant man with concern etched on his features. I smiled slightly at him. “Yes, thank you for your concern Sir.”

“Are you sure? You don’t look all right.”

I continued to smile, trying to get him to accept my answer and go away. I tried to hold back the tears that threatened to leak from my eyes. “Yes, positive.”

“Well, if you’re sure…”he said hesitantly and took a step back as if he was going to leave. I sighed internally, grateful to be by myself again. He slowly turned around, as if waiting for me to change my answer, but when I didn’t he sighed slightly and walked away, back to whatever task he had been to before confronting me.

“Peasants,” I muttered. “Don’t know when you want to be left alone.” I turned back in the direction I had come from, which was back toward where I had come from. Realizing this almost too late, I spun around and headed in the opposite direction. I stayed this way until I spotted the apothecary, knowing exactly where to go when I saw it. I would go to the woods just outside the village. It was quiet out there and no one would disturb me. I could catch all my thoughts and possibly take a dip in one of the lakes.