The Ashen Queen

  The Ashen Queen

  The Ashen Book 1

  by Sidney Gray

  © 2018 Sidney Gray

  All Rights Reserved.

  From one booklover to another.

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 1

  Sofia Addington was born to be Queen. She came into the world on the last day of a long, sweltering summer, just as all the Queens before her had, and because of that, she has never been able to live a normal life. She had no desire to be a Queen; a normal life was all she wanted. Well, as normal as could be in Latheria, a land full of magic. Latheria was split into five countries: Arandale, Bordonia, Meraya, Darnu, and Eliador. All of them spreading out from the great mountain in the center. The people of Latheria all had magic running through their veins, it affected everyone differently and manifested in very different ways, from healers to telepaths and everything in between, everyone was unique.

  And one day she would be the Queen of Arandale. It was a frightening thought to be responsible for so many people, and she hated the court life, she put on a good front, but she had grown more and more tired of it. She had realized at a young age that nobody was even as they seemed in a room full of other nobles and they were constantly plotting and scheming against each other. Her mother was one of the worst and as the mother of the future Queen; nobody could do much about it. She loved lording that power over everyone.

  While Sofia tried to avoid the schemes as best she could she did enjoy finding out people's secrets and what they were really like behind closed doors, which was why she was currently hiding in the corner of the Hallewell twins' sitting room spying. Her invisibility definitely came in handy with that. Somehow the Hallewell's always found out the latest news before everyone else and loved to gossip while they were getting ready. Sofia had become tired of them keeping secrets, so she had started spying on them more and more lately.

  Her mother would have a fit if she knew what Sofia was up too, but she had some time before her lesson with Queen Marianna so she had to take the opportunity when she could. There had been a lot of whispering amongst the servants the past couple of days and Sofia was hoping they would know what it was about. However, the two girls were currently discussing afternoon tea the day before, giggling over one of the other girls spilling wine all over her dress, so she might have to wait a while.

  She shifted uncomfortably; she had had to squeeze into a corner behind the lounge to avoid the many servants rushing about. Although the party wasn't until tonight, they would spend the whole day getting ready for it as if it were the most important night of their lives.

  Chelsea and Rebecca Hallewell were both blessed with their mother's beauty, and they considered themselves the most popular girls at court. Which was partly true, mostly everyone was just too scared to act otherwise. They had been known to completely destroy the reputation of anyone they didn't like.

  “She’s so clumsy I cannot believe the Queen hasn't banished her from attending parties,” Chelsea said, flicking her blonde hair out of her face. She was carefully examining a collection of dresses held up by half a dozen nervous servants using her telekinesis to move them around, throwing the ones she didn't like on the ground.

  “One of these days she's going to knock over a candle and set the whole palace alight.” Her sister agreed, and they both snickered loudly.

  “She’s just as bad as her aunt,” Chelsea remarked.

  Sofia realized who they were talking about and vowed to be extra friendly to Kelsie, she was a bit clumsy, but she was incredibly nice, far too kind-hearted for court life.

  “I can't wait until I marry the Sutton heir then I will have the most beautiful jewels in all of Latheria instead of this rubbish,” Chelsea said as threw a necklace onto the ground in disgust.

  “Chelsea you do realize Lord Sutton is engaged,” Rebecca replied, she was lying on the lounge while one of the servants painted her nails.

  She scoffed, “Oh that means nothing, I will change his mind, don't you worry.” She replied easily as gestured to one of the dresses and the servants all rushed to help her into it.

  “Well, if he doesn't change his mind after seeing you in that dress then he is crazy!”

  “I know,” Chelsea smirked as she studied herself in the mirror.

  Sofia sighed quietly; she couldn't handle listening to them anymore. She slowly crawled out from behind the couch then waited until someone opened the door to slip through. She hurried down the hall as she quickly brushed the dust from her dress, it was times like this she wished that she could use magic to get rid of it; unfortunately, hers didn't work that way.

  “And what could you possibly be doing here, I wonder?”

  She startled, looking up to find her future husband, Prince Alexander Dalton and his five guards blocking the hallway in front of her, staring in her direction.

  Nicholas Clark, or Cole as he preferred, was the one who spoke and he stood leaning against the wall smirking, as per usual. Cole was Alex's cousin and closest friend, born only weeks apart, they were inseparable. Cole was annoyingly handsome, and he knew it. He was also Captain of Alex’s personal guard and would be commander of the Royal Guards when Alex became King. Why anyone would give him that kind of power, Sofia would never know. They had always fought growing up, Alex said it was because they were both so alike but she didn't see it.

  Alex just raised his eyebrows, but he had a hint of a smile on his face. All the girls at court were in love with him, and she didn't blame them. He was handsome and charming, with dark hair and brown eyes, many people said he looked like the King when he was younger, but Sofia could never see the resemblance, she could only ever see his mother in him.

  Alex’s other guards; Jack Barlow, Hayden Fielding, Lex Shaw and Blake Rutherford, all looked amused. They had all been chosen as guards because of their different magical abilities at a young age, they had trained together growing up, so they had all become like brothers. Alex was never without at least two of them. The way Sofia saw it was that Jack and Hayden were the spies while Lex and Blake were the muscle. Lex and Blake spent most of their free time working out while Jack and Hayden often disappeared for long periods of time. No matter how much Sofia pushed no one would tell her where they went but it was always when one of the King's Guards was away as well.

  She groaned, making herself visible again. “I didn't realize I was being followed” She glared at Hayden, silently cursing him and his enhanced senses; he was the only person she couldn't hide from.

  “Actually, we just happened to be in the area, we were coming to rescue you, we thought you must have been kidnapped because why else would you be in the Halliwell's suite?” Alex said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Well, that’s very gallant of you...” she replied sarcastically

  “But now it all makes sense.” he continued, while the others nodded in agreement

  “What makes sense?” she asked innocently.

  “How long have you been spying on the Halliwell's?” Lex interrupted, he could never be quiet for long.

  “I don't know what you're talking about.” she protested.

  “We should have known,” Cole said, shaking his head, “how else could you have known exactly who in the Hallewell family was competing in the tournament.”

  She rolled her eyes in a very unladylike gesture stalking past them.

  “You should be more careful, or you'll get into trouble, as per usual, and then we’ll have to bail you out,” Blake added winking at her. He was a huge flirt.

  She scoffed, “What do you mean as per usual, I never get into trouble!”

  “No, you just never get caught,” Jack spoke up, he was standing back from the group, he was the tall, dark and brooding type. Only Hayden stayed silent, he was t
he quietest of the group, but that was probably just because he couldn't get a word in, and the most serious.

  “Exactly,” she replied smirking.

  They all burst out laughing at her, and she turned to Alex, mock glaring, with her hands on her hips. He was laughing along with them.

  “Are you going to just let them talk to your future wife that way?”

  He half shrugged, “Well, they are the ones who have to bail you out.”

  “One time,” Sofia exclaimed.

  “Who taught you to count!?” Lex joked.

  She just rolled her eyes at them again, groaning.

  “So what did the Hallewell's have to say?” Alex asked, despite his immaculate appearance he looked tired, and she wondered if he was getting enough sleep. They didn't talk a lot these days, well not about anything significant, they still joked around, but she couldn't remember the last time she had had a proper conversation with him. They used to be close when they were kids, spending their days exploring the palace together; she had been madly in love with him back then. But then he grew older, and his father and the council demanded more and more of his time. Teaching him everything from politics to war strategies and training him to fight and lead armies. She also had her own training and had started to realize what being a Queen would actually mean and the fairy tale ended.

  The only time she saw him most days was when they were training. All children of noble families were trained at a young age to control their magic along with some basic weapons and hand to hand combat. After they knew the basics and passed a control test, it was up to their parents whether they continued with this training or not. Sofia's Father thought it was necessary as the future Queen that she should know how to defend herself, so she had continued. While most of the other noble girls had been more interested in improving their social status and securing a good marriage. For Sofia, this was never a choice, so she had thrown herself into her training and become an incredibly good fighter. Not something her mother was proud of, unfortunately; she had refused to even consider the idea of Sofia competing in the tournament, to her frustration.

  “Nothing of interest,” she replied shrugging.

  Alex raised an eyebrow but didn't push her further.

  “I don't know how you stand it, it's hard enough having to put up with them at parties,” Lex groaned, “I mean do they ever stop talking?”

  “You’re one to talk,” Jack drawled, and they all laughed while Lex smiled sheepishly.

  “I know, but I just hate that smug look on Chelsea’s face when she tells me something I don't know. I wish I knew how they find out before everyone else.” Sofia grumbled.

  “Wait, shouldn't you be preparing for the party tonight” interrupted Cole.

  Sofia shrugged. “Oh mother is much happier when I'm not getting in the way,” she said sarcastically.

  Alex shook his head, “I doubt that. You should get back before your mother has a fit.” he knew her mother too well.

  Sofia smirked, “My being there is hardly going to stop that.”

  It would probably just make it worse, she thought. If only Evelyn, her sister had been born first, she would have loved to be Queen. For Sofia though, it just meant less freedom. She had loved exploring as a child, and that hadn't changed when she grew older, she just had to be sneakier about it. But she was still confined to the city; there was a whole other world out there that she wanted to see. She had heard so many stories over the years from her grandfather, places she could only dream of. Nobody had ever asked her if she wanted to be Queen and it was something she always resented.

  “Actually, I have a lesson with the Queen soon so I should hurry before I’m late.” She turned to walk away.

  “Wait,” Alex said behind her, and she turned around.

  “You missed a bit,” Alex reached out to brush some dust from her cheek, ‘wouldn’t want the Queen to see that.”

  “Thank you.” Her cheek tingled from where Alex touched it, and she turned quickly and hurried away. She could hear the guards sniggering as she left. She didn't completely understand the feelings that she had for Alex; it had been a lot simpler when she was younger. Now her feelings were mixed up with resentment and frustration in a life she didn't want but that wasn’t Alex’s fault, she had to remember that.

  CHAPTER 2

  She hurried through the palace to the royal wing for her meeting with the Queen; she made sure to stay out of the way of the servants along the way, all rushing about getting the palace ready for the arrival of the other nobility of Arandale, who would all be arriving in a couple of days for the tournament. There were servants with earth magic sweeping away all the dust and dirt while those with wind magic aired out the curtains and cleaned the hard to reach places, there were also telekinetic’s moving the furniture around for others to clean underneath. The palace was vast, and it took a small army to keep in clean normally, but the Queen had insisted that it be absolutely spotless for the tournament, so she had hired extra help from the city. She still felt bad for the servants though, it was going to be a busy week for them, and most wouldn't even get to see the tournament. There was still a general air of excitement though, as there always was when guests arrived at the palace and they greeted her with cheerful smiles as she hurried past.

  Sofia arrived just in time for her lesson with Queen Marianna, luckily, she had learned long ago that the Queen didn't appreciate tardiness. Sofia had been going to lessons with the Queen once a week since she was twelve to teach her everything she would need to know when she was crowned. She had already had a lesson that morning with her governess to go over the events of the tournament one last time, this would be her first time meeting a lot of the nobility from other parts of Arandale, and she needed to make a good first impression. She had been preparing to be Queen her whole life, but now that she was only a couple of months from her 18th birthday everyone was putting more and more pressure on her to be perfect.

  Thankfully with the tournament starting in a couple of days, her lessons had been put on hold until it ended. It was a relief to have a break, even for just a couple of days; it was the only part she was looking forward to. Along with her governess, she also had tutors, to teach her history, politics and the three languages of Latheria. Although Latheria was now split into five countries, it used to be only three, until the great war tore the country apart and split Bordonia from Arandale and Darnu from Eliador, Meraya was the only country that wasn't torn apart, and because of that, it was now the largest of the five countries. The countries had never fully recovered from the war centuries ago. It often felt like they were on the brink of war with Bordonia and one wrong move would tip the scales. Eliador and Darnu often had skirmishes over their borders, which was why it was so crucial for the Royals, Council members, and other high ranking officials to be fluent in every language so they could maintain the relationship between the five countries.

  The Queen was sitting in her usual chair in her sitting room staring silently out the window; the servants had opened the doors to the balcony, so there was a gentle breeze ruffling the curtains. The Queen's sitting room was the very picture of luxury, everything made of the highest quality in deep reds and browns. She looked very serene and poised, as always, there wasn't a hair out of place. She couldn't imagine ever looking the part quite as much as Queen Marianna. Sofia found it exhausting already, and she wasn't on display nearly as much as the Queen. When she was younger, Sofia had found the Queen incredibly intimidating, but since their lessons, she had grown more comfortable around her.

  Queen turned to her upon hearing her announced, inspecting her as usual and giving her a nod when she found nothing to comment on.

  “How have you been, Sofia?”

  “Very well, thank you,” she replied taking a seat in the armchair opposite the Queen.

  “And your studies, your tutors mentioned you have been distracted lately,” she frowned watching Sofia closely.

  She winced inwardly but kept her face ca
lm and poised.

  “I'm sorry Your Majesty, I’m just excited for the tournament,” she said trying her best to sound convincing, she didn't want to tell her the truth. She had been in denial for so long, trying not to think about it but she couldn't ignore it any longer, the fact that she was going to be Queen and the very idea terrified her. She had been having trouble sleeping lately and been spending her nights wandering the city, so she was often too tired to concentrate on her lessons.

  The Queen was watching her silently, so Sofia forced a smile.

  “I'll do better.”

  “Yes, you will.” She said with a nod before she beckoned for a servant. “Today we will be doing something a little different. For the last couple of months, we have been discussing all the noble families of Arandale you will be meeting during the tournament. Today I thought it would be a good idea for you to actually see the people we have been discussing.”

  A small dark haired man entered the room bowing deeply to the Queen,

  “Your Majesty.”

  “Mr. Mallard, lovely to see you again, thank you for agreeing to do this.”

  “Of course, it is a great pleasure to serve the Queen.” He said smiling widely.

  “I would like to introduce you to Lady Sofia.” The Queen said waving her hand to Sofia.

  “Your Highness,” he said bowing again; people often addressed her this way even though she wasn't technically a princess, she nodded in greeting.

  “Mr. Mallard is a very talented illusionist from the circus, he has met and performed for most of the nobles of Arandale and has agreed to help us with our lesson today.”

  “It is an absolute honor, Your Majesty.” He said joyfully.

  They spent the rest of the morning going over every noble family member in Arandale and testing Sofia on various details about each. Mr. Mallard was quite entertaining and often told tales involving the nobles he was projecting. The Queen seemed amused by him and was happy to let him talk.