2. False Accusations.

~DAHLIA~

The throne room is quiet.

Too deadly quiet this night despite being filled with the pretentious faces and rotten, potbellied bodies of my father's nobles and esteemed members of his Royal council. Not a single soul among them dares to speak against Andessa.

Their lying faces are covered with false grief barely concealing their hunger for power.

My father, the King of Velmira, is dead.

He is… dead.

I am strong, but I don't think I am ready yet to live in this world without him.

He is the only family I have. He's all I have!

And now, he is gone.

All because of the monster who is now circling near his throne and trailing her gloved fingers along the golden armrests of my father's throne which is now empty. Unoccupied.

My father's throne. My birthright.

Behind the monster, my step-siblings flank her on both sides like hungry vultures.

Alistair, her eldest manwhore with one functional eye, thanks to me.

And Cressida, who is just as monstrous like her mother. Worse even.

The both of them are wearing facial expressions of sorrow. But I know better.

There is no sorrow or any shred of human sympathy in their hearts, only immense satisfaction that my father, the King, is dead.

What does that make me now?

Well, I guess I am the orphan who is the next obstacle in their path to claiming my father's throne for their selfish evil desires.

“My husband the King is dead!” Andessa's voice announces loudly. “We grieve him, but his death will not go unpunished. It has come to my notice that our dear crown princess, Dahlia Balerion, killed the King by poisoning him.”

Ripples of murmurs spread throughout the throne room.

“LIAR!” I scream out my lungs, hating that I am on the floor and that my wrists are still binded and preventing me from scratching out that woman's eyes and cutting off her vile tongue!

“Crown Princess Dahlia orchestrated the death of the King with her humble maidservant, Sabrina,” Andessa continues, totally ignoring me, “Sabrina confessed everything to me in secret. She admitted to slipping a slow kill poison into the King’s wine on Dahlia’s orders. Unfortunately, the poor Sabrina isn't here to testify because she's dead. Suicide.”

The whispers grow louder.

I can't believe my ears!

My lovely, kindhearted Sabrina dressed me up to go see my father. She promised she’d be waiting for me and then stayed back at the tower while I—

“ANDESSA YOU MURDERER!” I fight to stand but fall back to the floor, “You killed Sabrina! You poisoned my father! The King confessed the truth to me before he died!”

“As we all know, the king was old and very sick.” Andessa waves me off, “Sabrina was a healthy woman who spoke the truth and served you, Crown Princess. Yet you made her do your dirty work of regicide and now, she's dead because of you. Two people died tonight because of you!”

“Andessa stop labelling false accusations against me—”

“My husband’s final wish was to unite our kingdom with the Dragon Kingdom of Drakarith,” Andessa disregards me once again, “the Dragon King has long awaited a queen tribute from us. In honor of our alliance, we shall be sending our dear crown princess to his kingdom as our offering.”

“WHAT?!” I struggle against the floor.

“For your own good, accept this as your mercy punishment, Dahlia.” Andessa straightens up, brushing invisible dust from her sleeves, then turns to the assembled stupid fools, “From this night henceforth, with the power bestowed on me as Queen Mother, Dahlia Rhadaya Balerion has been stripped of all royal privileges and her rights to the throne of Velmira as Crown Princess.”

“No!” I struggle against the guards now trying to hold me stable, “You can’t do this!”

“Oh, but I already have.” She speaks as if she is enjoying her victory, as if the very seat of my father's rule already belongs to her. She caresses the throne a few more times before she steps down and walks over to where I am kneeling on the ground.

All eyes are on us as she crouches before me and leans in so close that I can smell her rancid breath blowing against my face.

“Tell the Dragon King that the Kingdom of Velmira owes him no more.” She glares into my eyes like she desperately wants to strangle me, “Hopefully, he won't butcher you out of pity.”

Panic explodes in my chest. “You can’t do this!” I struggle against the grips of the guards, but they’re too strong. “The people of Velmira will never accept you as queen!”

Alistair steps forward, arms crossed. “Come now, little sister. Did you really think you’d inherit the throne after what you did to our father?”

Cressida appears beside him and sighs dramatically. “You always were Father’s favorite. Such a shame he died because of you.”

I whip my head back to Andessa, anger and hate burning through my veins. “I swear on the Creator you will—”

Her palm hits my face. A hard slap that instantly explodes sharp pain across my cheek.

I taste blood. My blood.

Andessa never dared hit me. But my father is dead now. She thinks she has the power and authority now.

None of the nobles reacted to her insult of me. Andessa’s hand remains raised, the rings on her fingers smeared with my blood.

“I’ve waited many years to rid that insolence of yours,” she begins wiping her rings clean on my dress, “You’re powerless now, traitor. My people will believe whatever I tell them. And what they will hear is the truth. The truth that you, my dear stepdaughter, murdered your own father for the throne.”

“No—”

“Take her away,” she commands the guards behind me.

The throne room spins before my eyes so badly as I am jacked up and dragged towards the doors, my bare feet scraping against the floor.

I twist, fight, kick around, but it’s no use.

Andessa is disposing me away to die not just anywhere. But in Drakarith.

At the hands of Azraelyrs Vasileios, the ruthless Dragon King who rules over dragons. A callous barbarian King rumored and famous for his merciless slaughter of those who dare cross him.

My father is dead.

Sabrina is dead.

And soon, I might be too.