1 Two Fates

An eerie roar violently shook the air, the powerful shout reaching the ears of hundreds. In turn, the crowd roared back, cheers washing over the arena before them. The golem began to rise, a shower of sand falling to the earth like a waterfall as clumps of rocks merged together. Limbs outstretched as its figure became more visible, the golem's hulking body managing to take a single step, cracking the ground with power.

It rose in height, exceeding ten feet, then twenty, and finally, its shoulders slouched at forty. A skull of dirt and grass unclenched its jaw, another roar escaping from the creature. The ground shook this time, the spectators gripping their seats in excitement.

A few were a little late, bodies shifting out of their spots and thudding on the stone steps. Laughter broke out amongst the crowd, and toward the front, a girl flinched in pain.

"Elise are you alright?"

The girl slowly rose to her feet, her short white hair falling in front of her face as she did. For a moment she stood there, a frown forming on her face. A few eyes looked at her, only to see the frown slowly rise. Laughter broke from her small lips, and she quickly brushed her hair away, ice blue eyes filled with mischief shining as she rubbed her rear.

"I'm fine Yanin, didn't expect to get thrown off my seat."

A plump girl still grabbing her arm rests chuckled back. She had black hair tied up in a perfect bun, rosy cheeks chubby and black beady eyes surveying her friend.

"That was one hell of a fall, you sure?"

Elise slowly lost her smile, noticing that the girls around her were staring at her more than they should. Her cheery attitude dipped and she quickly sat down in her cushioned seat. Only, as she did a squishing sound made the back of her upper thighs wet. She grimaced as she looked down to see nacho cheese splattered on the velvet cushion.

Giggles rose from the women around her, and Elise quickly covered the back of her skirt with her hands. She glared toward Yanin, only to see the girl laughing with no restraint.

"Oh man that's gonna leave a stain!"

Elise's cheeks burned red as she hissed at her friend, "hurry up and give me your napkins."

Yanin wiped a fake tear from her face and outstretched her arm, the napkins dangling in her face. Elise snatched them and got to work, frowning as she saw the splotch of cheese on her black skirt. At the very least her tights had gotten only a little bit of cheese on them, any more and that would have been a nightmare. She was also glad her white blazer had been spared. After she finished cleaning her seat and her clothes the best she could, Elise quickly sat down and tried to ignore the fingers pointing in her direction.

Soon though, she planted her face in her palms, embarrassment getting the better of her. Elise hated attention, and the accident was going to be in the back of her head all day. On the verge of tears, she swallowed hard and gave her friend a side glance,

"Thank you for laughing, really helped me out there."

Yanin tossed a few kettles of popcorn into her mouth, a small smirk plastered on her face.

"Don't sweat it, that was funny as hell and I'm sure they will forget it eventually."

Elise shook her head, "How do you know, I'm already the weird girl at Grace Garden."

Yanin made a mocking gesture with her hands, "Well Cheese Girl has a ring to it."

"Not funny." Elise countered back.

The plump girl devoured more popcorn before pointing toward the arena, "They'll forget trust me, I mean, Rosemary is about to come out."

As if on cue, an arched gate rose from the far wall. The crowd began to chant and cheer like their life depended on it. The stadium rocked with a wave of cheers. To answer their excitement, a figure appeared from the dark tunnel.

Her figure was slender, her ginger hair long as it ran down her arched back and curled at the ends. Long legs were caressed by white knee socks, and a red skirt fluttered in the wind. She wore the signature blazer of Grace Garden Academy, its pure white accented with forest green.

Rosemary Everglare was tall, and her seductive figure made even the women that took up the entire spectator seats blush. She was simply beautiful, freckles seemingly placed just across her cheeks and green eyes etched with confidence. Rosemary was only seventeen, but her body was perfectly developed which made older women in the crowd whistle with respect or cringe in envy.

Despite everyone's reaction, most faces gleamed with admiration. She was the pride of Grace Garden Academy, and the girl had the skill to prove it. She was going to be one of the top ten of the graduates, that was certain. Rosemary's personality was also a big factor. Sometimes she was as gentle as snow, but at a moment's notice she could become a blizzard. Many feared her and decided to admire her beauty from a safe distance.

Elise gulped down her embarrassment as she watched Rosemary with a mix of emotions. She wished she could be like her in many ways, but at the same time she was glad. She despised being the center of attention and being a Jewel of the Academies was probably the single position where every girl in Layla knew your name. That would be a living nightmare.

However, she wouldn't mind being as powerful as her. Rosemary's presence alone made many people freeze on the spot, and even a few Kings would probably flinch when she walked in.

"What King will she marry?" Yanin asked through a mouthful of more popcorn.

Elise simply shrugged, "That question is a little hard. I mean, being a Jewel means any of the Gold Kings could get engaged to her, or if she desires, a Steel King might ask for her hand."

Elise smiled, the thought of marriage bringing up an image of her father. For a second she lost herself, the wrinkled smile she saw in her head granting her pleasant memories.

"And we are probably stuck with Iron and below." Yanin muttered through popcorn.

Elise saw Yanin's eyes lose light, and she quickly put a hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry about the future, let's just enjoy the graduation ceremony."

The plump girl nodded and swallowed her food, "You're right, no amount of thinking about our awful future is gonna ruin my appetite."

The two girls shared a few giggles before placing their attention back on Rosemary, the girl now stalking toward the center of the arena. Across the field of grass, the earth golem roared with rage, vanta black eye sockets swirling with ominous green energy. The creature slammed two giant rocks that were in place of its hands against its chest, each of the strikes hitting like thunder.

Rosemary did not falter in the slightest, her pale skin gaining the slightest glow of white. She was encasing her body in a thin layer of Fey, its magical effects strengthening her skin to that of steel. She was ready, her legs falling into a familiar stance.

The crowd which had gained levels in volume had fallen to the background, Rosemary pushing them behind her own focus. She enjoyed the love of her underclassmen, but right now she had to give them what they all wanted.

A show of her power.

She was one of the Jewels of all the Academies of Layla, the top ten ranked females that had the best scores across the board in studies, etiquette, beauty, and skill. Rosemary smiled as she remembered when she was a first year, the pain and struggle of pushing herself beyond her limits. The nights she wanted to pull her hair out to the many times she passed out in class due to sleep deprivation. She earned every ounce of pride that seeped into her heart, and no one could convince her otherwise.

Even right now, she knew that a simple earth golem, no matter the size, would be nothing more than a nuisance. Honestly, she would argue that she could take on the whole world with a hand tied behind her back at the moment. So with the single thought, she vanished from sight.

Elise held her breath in the stands, the sight of seeing Rosemary disappear making her freeze up.

Where?

The girl scanned the battlefield, her eyes widening as she saw the blur of ginger hair that raced across the arena. The circle of grass was a mile wide, so crossing the distance was going to take some time, even Elise knew that. So why, why was Rosemary already halfway to encountering the lumbering golem.

"This is true power," Elise whispered to herself.

If it was her down there right now, she would maybe need an entire three minutes to cross the distance, and after she would be winded and barely able to fight for that matter. So when Rosemary stood before the Golem just under a minute and a half, her heart lurched forward.

She hated it.

She hated the fact she was jealous right now. Elise glanced at Yanin, the excitement clearly ebbing on her face also. Elise sighed heavily, her attention locking back onto Rosemary. Even if she was envious, she could not bear to look away, this was what she would one day achieve, even if it was years from now. Also, Elise could guess that Rosemary was participating in this battle to entice her underclassmen to strive for the same achievements. Now that she realized the fact, Elise leaned forward and watched closely, knowing she did not want to miss any of it. Of course though, Rosemary was almost a small dot beneath the spectators, so Elise channeled Fey into her pupils.

The arena zoomed in with the magical power flowing through her eyes. It was a little disorientating, but Elise did not falter as she caught the first movements of the red head.

Rosemary slammed an open palm into the giant fist that the golem flung toward her, the air between the impact forced outward like steam from valves. The impact caused a wave of pressure to cut across the open field, the power exchange being felt from the stands.

She quickly spun around and let the golem's fist race past her, the giant rock sinking into the ground with a thud. Rosemary shifted her stance and jumped, her body flipping through the air with grace. Her leather high boots landed on the golem's arm, skirt seemingly teasing the sight of what was beneath. She was elegant, moving in modesty as she lowered herself and kicked off into a full sprint. Rosemary raced up the golem's arm, the width of the rock allowing her to move with ease, but as she made it halfway she leaped off in haste.

Just a mere second after, long spikes made of rock jutted out where she once was. Rosemary spun and slammed her foot down, one of her boots seemingly stepping on air as she bounced back onto the arm and continued her climb.

The golem seemed annoyed, and instead of trying to impale her again it's other arm came into view. The rock fist was huge, easily big enough to squash her like a bug. Of course, Rosemary was already moving, a swift kick powered by Fey breaking off one of the spikes that tried to strike her previously. With only one hand, she gripped the long spike, leaping off the giant arm once again.

She landed on the fist that was still flying toward her. Usually that was not the smartest move, but as the golem was huge, the fist would still take a few seconds before hitting its mark. Rosemary flipped the pike so the broken base was facing toward the rock. Then, she thrust will all her might, the spike sinking in like butter.

Elise raised an eyebrow, unsure what her senior planned on doing. If anything, she just made that rock a lot more deadlier, a sizable spike in the center of its fist.

Her confusion was cast away as Rosemary threw herself off the fist, the impact of the golem punching its own forearm sending quakes across the air. The golem did not wince as the spike pierced its own arm, and it instead glared to see Rosemary now running up his other limb.

Then, it noticed a key detail. The golem could not pry its fist away from its forearm, the spike Rosemary placed holding it completely still. Elise's face darkened, realizing she would never have thought of using its own weapons against it. Now, the golem was caught with both of its arms in no place to attack the girl that was on his shoulder. With little left for it to do, it simply started to fall over.

Rosemary lost her smile, hoping that she would be the one making the golem fall over, not the creature doing it on its own violation. As it began to fall, the ginger shot a gaze toward a tower situated in the center of the stands. A lady stood on a balcony in a flowing green dress with black accented flowers pinned across it. The lady had deep midnight hair and soft wrinkles that showed her age, but despite that she held a mischievous grin. Her hair was tied up in a bun, dark brown eyes in the center of brass round glasses.

The lady had her hands outstretched, a single finger pointing doward. It was clear that she was the one controlling the golem, and Rosemary watched as the woman simply chuckled after noticing her glance. For a moment, Rosemary looked to the women's left, but she quickly pulled her attention back to the battle as she almost lost her footing.

It was a man, his giant body lined with muscles that were covered in silver armor. He sat atop a throne, having a mahogany colored beard that stretched to his chest, deep blue eyes, and a balding head. His face seemed unamused as he leaned against his arm and yawned.

Garnet, The King of Puppets, a Gold ranked King that was overseeing the graduation festival. Even though he wore a disappointed face, he grinned ever so slightly as Rosemary noticed him. Atop his stone throne, he sat up and nodded toward the women controlling the golem.

"Hmm, what do you think of this one Hagrel, she has the Fey capacity to be of use to us?" His voice came out deep and gruff, his face unchanging as he asked.

Hagrel did not look away from the arena, but she straightened her back and spoke with confidence, "She seems to be the type that likes confrontation, that would not mix well with your Royal Decree my Liege. Although, we might need someone like that in our west territory as tensions rise with the Beast King. Also my Liege, there is the fact she is capable of using her head, a key feature of using your decree."

The King of Puppets weighed the words of his closest advisor, his unconcerning gaze following Rosemary with interest.

"You make good points, but sadly she does not fit my taste."

Hagrel raised an eyebrow, but of course she did not speak out of turn.

The King noticed and for a moment the slightest of emotion showed on his face, "I mean I only like black haired, tall, plump butt, and flat chested women. She seems to only be okay in two of those areas."

The King's Advisor blushed as he so calmly complemented her, "Of course my Liege…"

Garment gripped his arm rest and yawned again, looking back toward the battle.

Rosemary was swift in her judgment, hopping on the golem's head and making her way toward the back of its skull as gravity shifted. She readied herself, and as the golem was halfway to impacting the grass she jumped up. In the air, she released the Fey in her feet, propelling herself father skyward. The technique was hard to replicate twice, but with precision she seemed to step on air again, taking another hop farther upward.

Below, the golem had hit the ground with a deafening boom, an indent of its body scarring the land. The golem rolled over, the impact having broken the spike on its fist and freeing it to attack. Its empty face roared as it noticed a figure blocking out the sun.

Rosemary was falling, fast, and instead of panicking she brought her arm back. She smiled as she readied another palm strike. Within seconds she became a blur as she used Fey to fuel her descent, her aim at the golem's skull.

Two giant rocks moved to intercept her, and a roar of anger filled her ears. Rosemary opened her mouth and roared right back. Although, her shout made the air in front of her blur, a wave of Fey hitting the gigantic rocks that zoomed toward her. They missed her by mere inches, air rushing past and making her hair whip wildy.

She thrust her arm out, the crowd going completely silent.

The most thunderous boom rocked the entire stadium, a spray of rocks exploding from the golem's body.

Almost simultaneously everyone rose from their seats and threw up their hands and screamed. All but Elise, her entire body stunned as she watched Rosemary rise from the small crater she made. The ginger looked up to watch as thousands of tiny pebbles came down like rainfall. It was beautiful, and Elise grabbed her chest, her heart beating like a drum.

"Woah." Yanin said, practically plucking the words straight from Elise's mouth.

The two sat back and shared glances, a smile creeping onto both of their faces.

"That was amazing!"

They yelled in unison, the rush of adrenaline finally showing itself. They grabbed each other's hands and hopped up and down in excitement. The two were second years, so there was the slight shimmer of hope that maybe they could one day do the same. Elise's caught her excitement, realizing there was still a stain on her skirt. She sat down quickly and suppressed her eagerness to celebrate.

Yanin chomped on her popcorn happily, and Elise shrunk in her seat and closed her eyes. She listened to the crowd around her, hundreds of giddy screams and cheers echoing across the stands. Elise could still feel her beating heart, and her mind raced.

Could she honestly get that powerful?

Could she be a Jewel before she graduated?

Could she marry a Gold King?

Her hopeful questions were cut short as she noticed something. The once joyful cheers had been replaced, and instead, screams of fear rang out. Elise yanked her eyes open.

"When did it get so dark?" She blurted out as everything seemed woefully a shade dimmer.

Then she looked up, only to see a massive rock ten times her size hurtling toward her. She just watched in awe, unsure if what she was seeing was actually happening. Suddenly a hand ripping her from her seat and forcing her to stand made the sight real in an instant.

Yanin's face was littered with fear as she yelled,

"Elise what are you doing we need to move!"

Elise had heard her words, even watching her lips as she screamed them at her.

But.

She could not move, her gaze locking back on the boulder that was about to crush her. She knew that there was no escaping its path, and she instinctively channeled Fey to her fist. Elise was stunned by what she was doing, did she honestly think she could stop the boulder? Although, did she have much of a choice, the boulder now edging across the railing of the arena. Yanin yanked on her arm,

"Elise!"

Elise's breaths grew weak as she faced the boulder, death staring right back at her. She took a stance as the world around her seemed to slow. She readied her clenched fist.

Then she could feel her heart racing, the sweat pooling on her forehead, and her arms shaking with fear. Elise bit her lip, her courage leaving her body. She couldn't do it.

The entire boulder splintered with force, a shower of dirt and grass exploding outward. The force knocked both Yanin and Elise to the stone steps. The two cried out in pain as they hit hard.

Elise groveled from the impact, her throat dry as she kept herself from passing out. Unsure why she wasn't crushed, she looked up and gasped, although the sound was cracked and barley audible.

Rosemary stood, her long figure heaving as she sucked in air, "Phew, barely made it."

There was a long moment of silence as Elise could simply stare at her back, the few remnants of the boulder harmlessly dinging off her. Through the silence, Elise managed a single word.

"Beautiful."

Rosemary turned to her voice, "Hello there M'lady, sorry about the close call."

She bowed deeply, her hair falling over her face. Elise stared at her, still not sure how she should react. Despite her lack of words she hurried to her feet and bowed back.

Rosemary rose, her perfect lips curling into a smile as she shifted to her right and outstretched her hand.

Yanin did the same as Elise did, staring at her as she sat on the stone steps.

"Need help?" Rosemary asked the plump girl.

Yanin nodded her head furiously and grabbed her hand without a second of hesitation. She was pulled to her feet and she quickly bowed in respect.

"I apologize to the both of you, I never meant to send rocks this far."

Yanin and Elise shared a side glance.

"Ah no problem um- Miss Everglare."

Rosemary raised both her hands in defense, "No need for formality, Just call me Mary."

Yanin was the one to speak this time, "We could never Miss Everglare, that would be disrespectful."

Rosemary nodded in response, "True, but it would be even more disrespectful if you ignored my demand."

Elise bowed again and spoke wearily, "Well thank you... Mary, we could have lost our lives there." Yanin also bowed again, although frowned after seeing the popcorn scattered across the floor. Rosemary giggled, which Elise would remember till the day she died.

"Hmm, with a fist like that I think you both would have done just fine."

Elise's eyes widened as she looked down to see her fist glowing with white light. She hid her hand and released the Fey she had built up, "I'm way too weak to have done what you did Miss, um Mary."

Rosemary looked at Elise, which practically made her almost fall on her rear. Never did she even imagine that she would be talking to a Jewel. It was a wasted breath for such an amazing individual to converse with her.

"I would say otherwise, but as I am on a tight schedule I cannot waste your time anymore." Rosemary curtsied. "I hope the festival display was of your two's taste, and I hope that um"

She stopped and gestured to them, "What are your titles?"

Yanin was quick on the uptake, "I am Yanin Rashire, thirty-fifth daughter of King Mattets."

Elise paused before speaking, noticing that a small crowd of people were listening intently. She swallowed hard, "I am Elise Smith, Eighteenth daughter of King Andrew."

Her heart sunk as she heard the snickers and disgust radiate from around her.

"She is the daughter of an Outsider, disgusting."

"Isn't that the King that doesn't try to conquer land, pathetic excuse for a King"

"Oh she is the daughter of the Gold King on his deathbed, poor girl."

Elise held back tears as her face darkened from the comments floating through the air. Despite being used to the insults, one pierced her chest like no other.

"When will her Father die so someone else can make use of his land?"

A single tear fell to the floor as she held her bow, not wanting to let Rosemary see her face. Then, more tears fell to the floor, Yanin quickly stood at her side.

"Well it was nice seeing you Yanin and Elise, have a splendid time at the festival."

Rosemary did not spare another glance as she made her way up the steps. The women around her moved like a herd, a path forming for her to pass. Although she looked complacent, deep down Rosemary was furious. She hated how the girls spoke as if Elise was not there, disrespecting the girl's Father right to her face.

If not for her position, each and every girl that spoke would be broken on the floor, but today was special. Rosemary had to be perfect, and causing trouble would hinder her selection. So with a clenched fist she managed only a side glance, Elise pushing through the crowd as she covered her face which raced with tears.

It was cruel, but that was how this world was. Her Father was an Outsider, a rare occurrence where a King came from another world. Rosemary could count the number of times it had happened on a single hand, which made Elise's situation all the more worse. In many people's eyes she was an abomination, someone who should have never been born.

Rosemary had to silently agree.

Elise's Father, King Andrew Smith, was weak. Weaker than any of the other thousands of kings that held land in Layla. He had barely reached gold after eighty years of ruling and his land was half baked because of it. A few villages, pathetic agriculture, and an excuse for a plausible army. He had only six Advisors, which was severely lacking to the thousands that a King could have. Maybe if had potential he could have at least tried to conquer land and expand his power, but to everyone's surprise he refused to do so. King Andrew was a pacifist, and wanted nothing to do with war or battle.

He was worthless when it came to being a King.

Women dominated the population ten to one, but there was still no shortage of Kings in the land of Layla. However, the birth of a King was rare, so rare that when one was born the power shift caused decades of war to break out. Even if the land of Layla was massive, war of a new king usually only happened to others that encompassed his land. However, when King Andrew appeared, he had done nothing. He meagerly managed to rise through the ranks of a Kingship due to time and nothing else. All prevalent Kings ridiculed him, giving him the title that would be etched into history and those who carried his lineage.

The Worthless King.

Rosemary dropped her thoughts as she came to a long hallway leading out into the academy grounds, and decided to follow a stone path through the rolling hills of the courtyard. She was on her way back to the dormitory. As it would soon be her selection, the time which a ruling King would take her and give his Royal Decree. Then she would be one of his Advisors, doing his bidding. She wanted a chance to look her best, even if she had a few hours before it would happen. Still, Rosemary would need the time to make herself look the part.

As she walked she thought back to becoming an Advisor. Most would think of it as a curse to have to swear loyalty to one man, but for Rosemary it was a great opportunity.

The opportunity to grow stronger and let the world of Layla know her name. To battle other Advisors and prove her worth, being rewarded her own city to govern and being allowed to select three daughters.

A future Rosemary's Mother had sought after and achieved with flying colors. She was proud of her Mother, and would do the same to respect her name and to achieve her dream of standing beside a worthy King.

Rosemary smiled to herself as she sauntered onto a dirt path that winded through a small forest of oak trees. She took her time to admire nature, her eyes watching as the green leaves were starting to stain with autumn colors.

Soon fall would whisk its way across Bellsworth, plunging the land into a plethora of rainy days and cold storms. Rosemary loved autumn, as the trees would soon match her ginger hair. She began to hum to herself, enjoying the alone time, something that had become scarce as she came closer to graduating from Grace Garden. Although, the voice behind her thought otherwise.

"Hey if it isn't Miss perfect."

Rosemary frowned, turning around to see a familiar face. It was Cindy, her older sister. The girl donned deep brown hair that was cut short, green eyes that mirrored Rosemary's, and freckles that ran across the bridge of her nose. Her lips were in the usual wicked grin, something that could always spell annoyance for Rosemary.

"What do you want dear sister?"

Cindy scoffed, offended that Rosemary was using such a disappointed tone.

"Don't dear sister me Rose, you know I hate that."

"Don't Rose me Cindy. I go by Mary and you know I hate that." Rosemary countered.

The two sisters shared distaful gazes, a thick silence falling over them. Green irises filled with annoyance mirrored one another. Rosemary sighed, breaking first,

"Why did you curse me with your presence, usually you stay far away from me?"

Cindy nodded and thumbed her chin, "I do agree, being around you makes me dumber by the minute." Rosemary flinched at her words.

"Oh I remember why I came to see you! I got a proposal from King Garnet, and I will accept it immediately."

Rosemary's eyes widened, but she stuffed her surprise down and smiled as fake as possible, "Wonderful dear sister, I wish the best for you."

Cindy sneered, "Don't dear sister me. But there was another reason I came here." Cindy snapped her fingers, "Oh yeah, I came to ask if you have been proposed too."

Her sister's words hit her full force, and Rosemary barley held herself together, but despite her efforts she could feel her face redden. She knew her sister had only come to see the face of her pathetically holding her usual proud and confident image together after hearing her news. Rosemary had yet to get a proposal, which as a Jewel should have happened months ago. Now she was nearing her selection in a few hours. She had hoped maybe it was because many Kings were rushing to propose to her, which had delayed letters from reaching her.

She hoped.

No, Rosemary knew it had to be of that nature. If she was going by true ranks she was ranked eight out of the ten "Jewels" of the Academies, meaning she was a top prospect when it came to recruiting. Her sister Cindy was ranked tenth, and had apparently gotten a proposal before Rosemary.

It could not be a lie ethier, as someone would have to be crazy to lie about a proposal. So with no way to counter her sister's mocking face, Rosemary turned and strode away, not wanting any part of Cindy's laughter.

"Oh, and the Perfect Queen runs with her tail tucked between her legs." Cindy sneered.

Rosemary gnashed her teeth and stopped in her tracks, turning to meet her sister's gaze, "For once can you just leave this be Cindy, I am not in the mood for your shenanigans."

Cindy put her hands up in defense as if to cower, but she clearly still held amusement in her eyes, "Of course I will, I should go get ready for our selection ceremony anyways since I cannot wait to see you become a Widow."

That single word caused the air to shudder, and before Cindy could even react a hand was inches from her nose. No, a fist that shook with white energy was. That had Cindy's mouth shut as she watched Rosemary's face riddled with rage. Being called a Widow was worse than being selected by an Outsider. It meant that she was unfit for marriage or even servitude, which would leave her to be practically less than a Burden. A cannon without ammo, one which would slowly rust as she became the laughing stock of Grace Garden.

"It was only a jest Rose, I-"

Rosemary's fist moved forward, and instead of Cindy having her face sunken in, the white energy dispersed and she was simply pushed over. Cindy landed with a thud on the dirt as she looked up at her sister.

"It's Mary."

Then she swirled around and stormed off.

Cindy was left alone, noticing her heart was beating rather fast. She calmed herself and wiped away the fear stained face she had donned in surprise. In its stead, the familiar goading grin took its place. She laughed to herself and stood to dust herself off. With a sigh she watched her sister pass behind a bend in the path. Then, a tinge of worry washed over Cindy.

"Sorry sis, let's just hope the Worthless King doesn't choose you."