A Game of Crowns

“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.”

-Albert Einstein

Madame Lorrelle repeated herself. “Miss Tate, please come forward.”

Ruby, one of the participants, gently pushed me forward. Oh Priestess, help me. I didn’t want to do this but I didn’t have much of a choice. I didn’t want to come off weak so I raised my chin and walked to the front.

I caught a glimpse of Tobias. His brows were cast downwards with his arms crossed. I gave him a slight smile. It would be okay.

I sauntered to the front and stood in front of The Trinity. The twins wrinkled their nose and the male sibling smirked. It was strange to be so close to them. I was reminded they were only human like me. Although, they had a direct line to a drop of Priestess Xandra’s power. What must it be like to feel even an ounce of what Xandra wields?

Their collective dark eyes narrowed as they watched me. One of the twins was about to lay their hands on me when the male intercepted. He held up his hand to stop her.

The quietness of the room left a hollow feeling in the pit of my stomach.

He raised a black eyebrow as he watched contemplating how to connect with me. I turned away from him and faced everyone. I don’t know what the big deal was. All he had to do was lay a hand on my shoulder.

At that thought, I felt him press his front side against my back. The feeling was instantaneous. A moan of dark desire erupted from my mouth. I heard a yell of protest from a man but my thoughts were lost to the pleasure of this man’s touch. My eyesight disappeared altogether.

It was as if I was present but not entirely. My mind was a storm of rolling thunder. This couldn’t be the power of Xandra. Xandra seemed kind, benevolent, and beautiful.

This power felt all-consuming, dark, and pleasurable. I felt greed, power, and lust. The man brought his mouth to the nape of my neck. His deep chuckle sent a thrill throughout my body. I knew he was taking his time with me. A part of me, buried beneath the lust, knew this was wrong but my flesh didn’t care.

The moment I felt his consciousness in my mind I recoiled at the evilness of his thoughts. I wanted to curl up inside myself and hide forever but it wasn’t possible. I tried to build a wall around my thoughts. I didn’t need him knowing about my meeting with Xandra. It was a good thing he was more interested in embarrassing me.

My stupid body continued to make the most unsavory of noises. My body panted and moaned of its own desire. The other attendants hadn’t reacted like this. He was taking it overboard.

I could hear some sort of protest in the background but I couldn’t push past the haze of sexual hunger. This was wrong. I wanted it to stop. I needed it to stop. It was beginning to be too much.

Finally, when I thought I could no longer manage it, he had me speak.

“May the Priestess bless you and may the chosen win.”

That was all he had me say? If I could I would have slapped him. He prolonged this unnecessarily.

He removed himself from behind me. My body fell to the ground. My thoughts came rushing in and my sight returned. The room was as it was before; although, everyone was staring at me. The women whispered behind their hands as they spoke to each other. The men’s faces were flushed and looked everywhere but at me.

Tears began to well up in my eyes. I could not let them see me cry. I looked down at my hands. My body felt heavy and drained. I felt someone take hold of my body. I looked up into Tobias’s eyes. He cradled me in his arms and made his way to the next room, where he sat me on an empty chair.

Madame Lorrelle followed us. Her lips were pinched and her eyes furrowed. A gleam of anger flashed in her light brown eyes. “Miss Tate, I am sorry for what happened. I would never have allowed that if I’d known what they would do. I shall have a stern discussion with them after the trial. I am sorry to say you still need to take part in today’s trial, but I was able to secure the fifth slot of nineteen. They’ve decided to hold the male and female trial together. It will give you some time to recuperate and gather your wits about you. Good luck, Miss Tate.” She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze before dashing off.

I had yet to look at Tobias. I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. He lifted my chin with his index finger. His cobalt eyes were soft and kind. I mentally laughed. Soft and kind, two words he had used to describe me. I tried to turn away but he held firm to my jaw. “It’s okay, Penelope. It’s okay.”

He wiped away a stray tear I was unable to keep in. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make him stop. When we win, we’re going to get rid of them. I promise.”

I nodded. I straightened out my jacket and fixed my hair. I wiped my eyes of any runny mascara. I had to get through today. I could have a pity party in my room later.

“Thank you, Tobias.”

“Of course.”

“Mr. Carter, you’re next,” called Sir Hawthorne.

I sent him off to win us this round. I wasn’t going to let him down. I was thankful the decision wasn’t solely in the hands of The Trinity. The previous King’s council would help choose the winner of the trial.

I walked back to the main room and made it in time to hear the last minute of Tobias’s presentation. He noticed me and winked.

I smiled. The council seemed impressed with his idea. It gave me hope for mine. He was third in the lineup. I still had three others ahead of me. I took a seat at the back of the room to avoid any lingering eyes. Tobias joined me and squeezed my left knee reassuringly.

Ruby was next. Her caramel skin was a beautiful contrast to the sunflower yellow of her blouse. She was confident and it wasn’t a surprise. Her idea was great and well thought out. She wanted to provide every home with electricity and laid out a two-year plan to make it happen. Ruby was part of the working class. I wish I had made an effort to speak with her more. She was the only person who I had the possibility of having anything in common with.

The next two presentations weren’t even worth remembering. Nothing about them hooked me into their idea. Before I realized it, it was my turn. Madame Lorrelle called me forward. Tobias gave me a thumbs up. I grinned. He was capable of being supportive and it opened up a new level of feeling for him. He was being the friend I needed and it warmed my heart.

I stood in front of the council and The Trinity head held high and presented the heck out of my diorama, plan, and budget. I even had the boldness to wink at The Trinity. I had to let them know they didn’t break me.

***

Two hours later the presentations had concluded and deliberations were taking place. Tobias and I tried to find something to keep us busy. Some of the participants played cards while others strolled around the room trying to kill time.

“So, wanna go make-out?” Tobias asked.

I hit him playfully in the stomach.

He laughed, “What? Just checking. You never know.”

Madame Lorrelle and Sir Hawthorne bustled in with an envelope. Thelonious and the council followed behind while The Trinity glided to their spot.

I grabbed Tobias’s hand and he gave it a squeeze. I looked back at him and he seemed reassured. I returned his smile.

Madame Lorrelle called for our attention. “Everyone, please come forward.” She waited until everyone quieted down. I wasn’t the only one nervous. Viktorya was lightly dabbing her brow with a napkin to wipe off beads of sweat. Lucas was scratching his wrist non-stop and Ruby was biting her lip.

“As you know, only one male and one female will win and have their vision come to light. The rest of you will then be ranked accordingly. Only one female will be going home today to even out the number of participants.”

I gulped roughly. I felt confident when giving my presentation and there weren’t many ideas that could compare to mine and Tobias’s but there was a chance we wouldn’t win. I wanted the orphanages for the children. They needed them.

“The winners of the first trial are Siobhan Merloe and Lucas Green.”

What? That can’t be right. Lucas’s idea was somewhat passable, but Siobhan? No way. I looked at Tobias who was just as confused as I was. I mean, come on! She wanted a plaza in every city. A plaza where shops could all be in one spot.

Viktorya’s eyebrows were raised and her mouth open. She obviously didn’t expect the outcome either. Siobhan on the other hands jumped up and down gleefully. She had never been a real competitor in Viktorya’s eyes and maybe Siobhan played it that way purposefully.

Siobhan moved towards the front but Viktorya grabbed hold of her forearm. “It’s not possible. How did you accomplish this?”

Siobhan ripped her arm out of Viktorya’s hold and sneered. “You thought yourself above me, but let me tell you something, dear friend. There are more ways to play this game than by relying on just your looks.”

I certainly hadn’t expected that and neither had Viktorya or anyone else for that matter.

Siobhan joined Lucas at the front. The Trinity nodded their heads at them in recognition. Siobhan reveled in the praise while Lucas shied from it.

Before exiting, the brother of The Trinity glanced back at me and winked. It was as if a cold bucket of water had been poured over me.

“Now, congratulations you two. The second rank will go to Ruby and Antony. The third Rank will go to Lisa and Tobias. That is all I will be announcing. I will post the list at the end of the room. The female participant going home is Melanie.”

Melanie’s small form crumpled to ground and silent tears fell down her face. Madame Lorrelle helped her up and led her out of the room as she whispered softly to her.

Sir Hawthorne who now had the list made his way towards the back of the room and posted the list of our rankings. I hadn’t even made the top three. I wasn’t in a rush to see how close I came to being sent home.

“You are not dismissed. Please, remain here,” said Sir Hawthorne.

Everyone scrambled to look at the list. My hand was still in Tobias’s. My hand had gone slack in his but he had held on tightly.

The participants finally left the list alone. Tobias led me towards it. How did this happen? I didn’t want to be queen and now here I was disappointed I wasn’t in the top three.

“Ready?” Tobias asked me.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I just took the plunge and looked at the list.

Rankings of Trial 1:

1. Siobhan Merloe & Lucas Green

2. Ruby Seas & Antony Halls

3. Lisa Helion & Tobias Carter

4. Viktorya Vanguard & Killian Isle

5. Emmaline Hill & George Yonder

6. Toriana Meeks & Jerimiah Gates

7. Penelope Tate & Matthew Book

8. Caroline Wood & Timothy Quake

9. Melanie Marie

I was ranked seventh. One person away from being last. I looked at Tobias expecting him to be disappointed but instead, I found him smiling.

“Why are you smiling?” I asked him.

“I have a feeling you’re only at the bottom because you ticked off The Trinity. I think they expected you to show up for your presentation looking meek and defeated but instead, you showed up with your head held high and delivered a kick-ass presentation.”

I rolled my eyes. “That’s doubtful.”

“If you don’t believe me why don’t you ask Thelonious. He did say you could talk to him. As much as I hate the thought of you anywhere near that snake it isn’t near to how much I hate the thought of you doubting yourself. You’re going to be queen, Penelope. There is no doubt in my mind.”

A small layer of doubt fell away from around my heart. I smiled at him.

Madame Lorrelle returned. “Lastly, we have the list of who we’d like you to be paired off with this week. Spend as much time with them as possible. We will be watching to see how well you match up with this other person. The way your partner was chosen is because someone in the judging panel noticed a connection they’d like you to explore some more. Final partners will be chosen for you at the end of the next trial.”

She called us out in couples. Tobias was to be partnered with Ruby and I was to be partnered with Lucas.

Tobias rolled his eyes but he knew if we wanted to win we’d have to look like we were playing by the rules.

“You are free to go,” she announced.

“See you later?” Tobias asked.

I nodded. He gave me a swift kiss on the cheek before leaving to find Ruby. My hand flew to my face where I still felt the warmth of his lips.

“Marking his territory, no doubt.” said a voice from behind me.

I turned to see Lucas.

“Don’t be silly,” I laughed. “Do you mind waiting for a minute? I need to speak to someone before we leave.”

“Go ahead.” He sat down in an empty chair.

I left to find Thelonious. He was speaking with an angry looking Viktorya. I waited until she stormed off to approach him.

“Lovers spat?” I joked.

He ignored that. “How can I help you, Miss Tate?”

Okay then, no pleasantries. “You said I could come to you if I needed to know anything. Well, I need to know something.”

His eyebrows rose in curiosity. “Go on.”

“Why was I ranked seventh? Surely my idea wasn’t that bad.”

He guided me to the furthest part of the room away from others who might be listening.

“You know you shouldn’t be asking this.”

“I know.” I was fully aware I was breaking the rules.

He grinned. “Well, there might be hope for you yet. Look, your idea was well rounded and yes maybe you should have won but this game isn’t just about these trials. It’s how you play the game. You need friends and yes you managed to find one in me.”

I tried hard not to scoff. It didn’t work out so well for me last time.

He continued, “But you need more. It didn’t help that you angered The Trinity. If you want a chance at winning this then you’re going to need to get closer to them. The only reason you didn’t go home was because I pulled for you to stay.”

Get close to The Trinity? How was I supposed to accomplish that?

“Think about it, love,” Thelonious said grinning as he caressed my arm. I held back a gasp. I hope he didn’t mean what I thought he meant. I wasn’t about to go and try and seduce that male in The Trinity.

He left smiling as if we both shared a secret.

“Penelope, you ready?” Lucas asked.

“Uh, yeah sure. Let’s go.”

Hell, I needed to learn to play the game.