Plot Twist by My Own Hand

“Guards! Arrest the crown prince and his accomplices immediately!” Queen Mahaut ordered, her voice carried through the gardens, I suspect that it can even be heard clearly inside the castle. “They are to be charged with high treason for attacking His Majesty! The traitorous Crown Prince shall be beheaded, his head shall decorate the outer wall spikes as a warning to anyone trying to usurp His Majesty!”

Two guards started forward, then hesitated when the king thrashed beneath Leofric and Lord Whitmoure, snapping his teeth at the nearest hand. I stepped into the torchlight before I could lose the courage I’d been building in order to save the Prince from his fate.

“His Majesty is already dead. He died of smallpox several weeks ago.”

My father turned toward me, his expression darkening. “Alix?” He said my name as though he’d discovered something rotten in his dinner. I’d never met Gautier de Vaucroix before tonight, but apparently inheriting his daughter’s body meant inheriting his disappointment too.

“And what proof do you have, foolish child?” he roared. “Call for the King’s Warden! I’ll have every one of your heads for defying your queen!”

A guard hurried toward the entrance, and I suddenly remembered just how thoroughly my father had filled the palace with his supporters.

Fuck.

The King’s Warden, the palace guards, and most of the knights owed their positions to Gautier rather than House Hartham. Leofric had four loyal vassals standing beside him, while my father practically had an entire army at his disposal.

“Well, then, bear witness to my proof, Father,” I said, hoping my voice sounded steadier than I felt.

I reached over Leofric’s shoulder and took an arrow from his quiver before approaching the king. He immediately twisted toward my feet, his teeth snapping shut on empty air. I jumped back, nearly tripping over my dress, before moving to his other side where I could reach his chest without getting bitten.

“Lady Alix, what are you doing?” Leofric demanded.

“I apologize, Your Highness, but I need to do this for your sake,” I whispered.

He looked up at me, his cheeks still wet with tears, and for a moment I nearly lost my nerve. I’d spent years imagining how I could save him, but I’d never considered that doing so might make him look at me like that.

I’d held thousands of arrows during my archery career, although never quite like this. I tightened my right hand around the shaft, steadied it with the other, and drove the point into the king’s chest. The impact jarred my wrists as the arrowhead struck something hard before sinking deeper.

The king didn’t even scream.

He continued thrashing beneath the two men, his heels scraping against the paving stones as he struggled to bite Whitmoure’s wrist. There was an arrow protruding from his chest, yet he seemed entirely unaware of it.

“Look at him!” I shouted toward the guards. “The queen and my father have turned His Majesty into a flesh-eating beast!”

“Stop, Lady Alix!” Leofric pleaded, his voice cracking. “Please, do not hurt my father any longer.”

My fingers loosened around the arrow. Watching him desperately restrain the man he’d loved, I began to understand that saving Leofric from killing his father wouldn’t necessarily spare him the pain of losing him.

“Your Highness, your father is already dead,” I said softly.

Leofric reached toward his father’s face, only to jerk his hand away when the king snapped at his fingers. I pulled the arrow free, revealing the dark blood coating its tip. His Majesty continued struggling as though nothing had happened.

“I pierced his heart, and he’s still moving!” I raised the bloody arrow for everyone to see. “Does that look like a living man to any of you?”

Several guards exchanged uneasy glances, but none lowered their weapons. Instead, their eyes kept returning to my father, who stood beside the queen with an expression that suggested he was considering several unpleasant ways to dispose of me.

A murmur from above caught my attention. Court ladies had begun gathering on the balconies overlooking the gardens, while more faces appeared at the palace windows. Good. My father might control the guards, but it would be considerably harder to convince everyone that we’d murdered a perfectly healthy king when so many people had witnessed this.

Then I heard the heavy clanking of armor approaching from the garden entrance. The guards parted to admit a man in heavier armor, followed by several soldiers. The King’s Warden had arrived, and my father was already gesturing for him to approach.

I didn’t have much time.

Whitmoure had managed to force one side of the king’s face against the paving stones, leaving the other exposed to Lady Mereford’s torchlight. His Majesty continued twisting his head, desperately trying to reach the young lord’s hand with his teeth.

I moved around the king’s head, careful to stay beyond his reach. The arrow felt awkward between my fingers, nothing like the familiar weight of a bow.

“Forgive me, Your Highness,” I whispered before driving the arrow into the king’s exposed eye.

His body jerked so violently that I nearly stumbled backward. Then, just as suddenly, the struggling stopped. Whitmoure kept his knee pressed against the king’s shoulder, apparently expecting another attempt to break free, but His Majesty lay completely still.

For a moment, I could only stare at the motionless body. It had actually worked, although my hands were trembling so badly that I could barely maintain my grip on the arrow.

“No! Father!”

Leofric’s anguished cry made me turn toward him, but the approaching guards reminded me that there was still something I needed to do.

“Let it be known that I, Alix de Vaucroix, was the one who struck down the monster His Majesty the King had become!” I declared, raising my voice until it carried toward the balconies.

My father stared at me, his face contorted with anger. I stared right back, remembering how carefully he and Mahaut had kept their distance while the king was attacking everyone around him. They clearly knew enough about his condition to avoid getting bitten themselves.

“You good-for-nothing child!” Gautier roared, finally finding the courage to approach now that the king had stopped moving.

More guards followed him into the gardens, spreading around the well and blocking the paths leading toward the exits. Watching them, I suddenly realized one rather significant flaw in my otherwise brilliant plan.

Leofric had arranged carts outside the keep, but I had absolutely no idea how we were supposed to reach them. My father's shouting seemed to snap the prince out of his grief. He rose beside his father's body, drew his sword, and stepped between Gautier and me.

“Do not dare take another step, you traitorous viper.”

His green eyes were still wet with tears, but the blade in his hand didn't waver. I stared at him, momentarily forgetting the danger surrounding us. After what I'd done to his father, I had expected anger, perhaps even the execution he'd threatened me with earlier. Instead, he was defending me.