Capture the Crown

Prologue — Council Meeting

The man stood silently, waiting to see what his orders would be and trying – and doing very well at it, too – to contain his anticipation. The council had been in discussion since he’d arrived over an hour ago, and since they never took more than two hours to decide on anything, he knew they would soon reach their decision.

As predicted, within another few minutes the ten men who comprised the Council filed in through a side door of the cavernous room, settling into their respective seats. Every action was carried out in silence, until the man at the head of the table folded his fingers together, rested his head on top, and spoke, in a deliberately off-hand tone.

“You look bored, Mister MacLachlan.”

He shifted his weight to his other foot as he replied, “With all due respect, sir, there isn’t much for a hunter to do during peacetime.”

The council elder raised his eyebrows. “You are thirty-five years old; hardly old enough to remember anything but peacetime, I’d say.”

He arched his eyebrows and replied in a tone that held only the slightest hint of mockery. “I remember the chaos after the birth of Princess Aurora.”

The elder frowned and looked about to say something more, but another man coughed discreetly, reminding him of what had to be said, and quickly. He closed his mouth, then opened it once more and began again, in a much calmer voice.

“Princess Aurora... Interesting that you should mention her. What do you know of her?”

“I know mostly rumours and little fact. I have heard more than most people have, I suppose.”

“Such as?”

“I have heard she is the most beautiful woman alive, who no man can resist because of her impressive powers of seduction.” He paused, then added, “I have heard she is hidden away in a tower somewhere. I have heard some say she is dead. I no longer know what to believe, nor do I really care.”

Hearing this, the elder gave a thin half-smile. “Oh, the princess is very much alive. For now.”

The man raised his eyebrows. “For now?” he repeated suspiciously.

The elder nodded and handed him a slip of parchment before going on to explain in a more business-like manner, “She was taken to Earth shortly after her birth, in secrecy for safety’s sake, and has remained there since to avoid any riots by countrymen and women who disapproved of her parents' union. However, what with the King dead, the Queen preparing to step down from the throne, and no other living heirs, we need to be completely certain of Aurora's safety so that she may someday soon ascend to the throne. As it stands, the safest place for her to be is here.”

His eyes flicking quickly over the parchment, the man asked, “And how exactly do I fit into all of this?”

“You will stop the man out to kill her,” came the simple reply. “As the best hunter in the land, it only makes sense that you should be the one for the job.”

At this his head snapped up, confusion clouding his expression. “I thought you said she was on Earth?” At the elder’s nod he went on to remark, “Only council elders and royalty can send someone to Earth. How would anyone else get through, if her departure was so secret?”

The elders pursed their lips and exchanged looks; then one of them, the same who had coughed earlier, said sharply, “Tell him. He has the right to know what he’s up against.”

The elder at the head of the table considered this, then nodded reluctantly and said slowly, “The King did not die while quelling a rebellion in the north country.”

The man frowned, uncomprehending. “But that was the story in all the newspapers...” he said slowly, his voice tailing away as he thought it through before slow realization dawned, and he exclaimed in incredulous disgust, “He betrayed his own daughter to an enemy?”

Every single elder nodded as one; then the Head of Council informed him, “He was tried and executed for treason against a princess, around the time the newspapers posted the story of his death – which, incidentally, we wrote for them – so, about three weeks ago.” He cleared his throat and continued. “As you know, normally such drastic measures would not be applied, but for a case like this, we had little choice.”

He nodded, imagining what would have become of their country had a rogue king continued to rule. The thought was not a pretty one. Returning to business, he lifted his gaze to Council and asked, “Do you know who the would-be killer is? Perhaps I can find some background information on him, maybe find out his motives.”

For the first time in who knew how long – maybe forever – the Head of Council looked distinctly uncomfortable; but then again, they’d never had a case quite like this before. Rubbing his temples with long, pale fingers and closing his eyes, he exhaled a weary sigh, then opened his eyes again and met the other man’s gaze squarely as he stated flatly, “It’s your brother.”

End of Prologue

A/N: Right, so, yeah. Another new one. This time you can blame it on my friend Josee... she had this thing going and it made me want to write a fantasy, so.. Here it is! Please review, and tell me whether you like it. The rest of the chapters will be in Aurora’s POV. (Yes, Aurora as in the princess they were discussing.) And the title will (hopefully) make more sense later on... oh yeah and FYI this will either be a very long story, or a series. So... didja like it?

- LL