1 1. The Eavesdropers

A dim light shined through a cracked door in an otherwise pitch-black hallway. Voices were mumbled by the door in front of them, but the closer to it they got the easier it was to make out.

"This is absurd! The people are going to revolt if they realize what he's doing."

"That's why they won't find out!"

"We have to stop him. We can't just sit and watch this maniac destroy our empire!"

The voices were clearly recognized as Queen Elena and King Asher. They already knew who they were talking about. They'd been fighting with King Zachary for as long as anyone could remember. Anyone and everyone in the kingdom of Malvada knows that he is a terrible and manipulative ruler and uses the magic in this world for evil. He brainwashes his subjects and his henchman into thinking he was a good ruler, but the citizens of Malvada know better. By hearing what the King and Queen were saying the eavesdroppers could only assume he was up to no good. They needed to get back and tell this information to someone, but when they turned around ready to run down the long, dark, marble-paved hallway, they didn't happen to see that behind them was a tall porcelain vase placed on a vintage mahogany table. They turned around and slid into the table leaving the vase to crash loudly to the floor.

There was a moment of silence. "Come in girls.", came the booming voice of King Asher. They stepped into the light of the study to reveal it was two teenage girls. The first was a shorter girl with naturally purple hair with a singular orange streak in it. Her hair was tossed messily in a ponytail and she was wearing black and orange, plaid, fuzzy, pajama bottoms, and a white tank top. She was also sporting large circular brimmed glasses that just accentuated her brown freckles spread across her cheeks and down her nose.

The second girl was a taller girl who had a much curvier figure, which only seemed to make her more beautiful. She had medium-length dark brown hair with some natural highlights showing through only under the light of the study's dim glow. This girl was wearing a pink silk nightgown with lace trim that fell right below her knees. She also wore a slim gold wristwatch around her left wrist that read 11:23.

Between the two girls, one stood out. Whether it was because of the exotic colored hair or the look of zero fear in her eyes, I don't know. "Rowan", a word that she felt couldn't have been said in a more 'you've been caught with your hand in the cookie jar ' type tone. "Do you want to explain to me what you were doing lurking in the halls past curfew, or do I need to ask my mess of a daughter?", Asher asked her. "Sir, I believe there's been a huge misunderstanding and honestly it's quite the humorous story if you just let me-", after a moment of Rowan rambling, King Asher cut her off with a thunderous, "Quiet! Why can't you just get to the point for once without circling around the drain that is finding out the truth?"

At this point the King was beginning to show his disappointment and frustration in the girls, so Queen Elena intervened. "Divinity, dear, what were you girls doing running around the halls this late at night?", she asked so gently, but in such a way that she couldn't not respond. The attention was pulled to Davinity, an 18-year-old princess who seems to only want to help and be the best for her parents, even if it means doing something she hates. "Mother, Father, please. We heard there was a threat from the kingdom of Egaldia again, and I just wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help our efforts in this trying time.", her response sounded like it was read out of a book. From the large chair in the study, the King let out a large puff, as if to signify that he too knew that this was the most scripted and vague answer she could give.

He had a response ready for her, "Actually Davinity, there is something you can do for your mother and l." This was the closest she had ever gotten to a real answer from her parents. She perked up like a puppy that had just been shown a bone, "Really? That's great! I will do anything to-" "You can stay out of it.", he said. "But-", she said shyly, knowing there was already no hope left. "No.", he responded with such power held behind only one word. It was nothing new for the princess. This is how she was raised. Sit on a chair at events, look presentable, kiss babies, never talk back, lock-ins at night. Any arguing at this point was just going to dig her grave even deeper for when she was told her punishment for sneaking out in the morning.

After a moment of accepting her defeat, once again, she brought herself to respond with a simple, "Yes, father." She knew it was time for her to leave before she made it worse, so she turned around and headed toward the door that led back out to the darkness of the hallway. Before she could get to the doorknob she heard the voice of her best friend speak up, "Sir, I believe if you were to just listen to Davey for a minute, you might realize that she has some real quality ideas on how you can stop the wrongdoings of King Zachary for good. You always shut her down before she can say anything, but I think if you hear some of this you might be more open to the idea of letting her stand beside you in the fight against Egaldia."

King Asher stood over a foot higher than Rowan. He glared over her taking in every single emotion showing on her face. After a moment he spoke, clearly able to hear the frustration in his voice, "You are dismissed, girls."

"But sir!"

"Leave. Now. Rowan!"

Without another thought to it, the girls were fleeing out of the door of the study.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, the girls arrived at their living quarters. Once the door was closed Rowan spoke, "Davey, listen I have a-"

"No! Ro, you can't keep doing this to me! You don't realize that every time you do something like this that I am the one who has to pay! You get a slap on the wrist and I get sent to the guillotine!"

"Davey, just-"

"Stop! You need to learn when it's right to talk and when you need to keep your mouth shut. You're just getting us in trouble. Let's face it, I'll never be able to fight King Zachary face to face. Even though we're the closest in age, and I already know everything there is to know about this rivalry. I can't! So please just-", Davey was cut off by Rowan's hand placed over her mouth, "Can you please just shut up for a second. I've been trying to tell you that I have an idea to get so much information on Zachary that your parents will have to let you on the board of guards."

"Yeah, right."

"I learned a spell... interested now?"

Suddenly Davey's eyes we're fixed on Rowan. "Tell me."