The Swan Empress (Classics Retold for RH) by M.J. Marstens

Author:M.J. Marstens [Marstens, M.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MJ Marstens
Published: 2019-12-29T05:00:00+00:00

Scene Three

VIVEKA

Hiemal bleeds into Vernal, and the desolate barren landscape becomes verdant once more. I spend most of my days to myself, pretending that my whole world isn’t in upheaval. King Korvin tries to catch my attention, but I mostly ignore him.

I ignore the world.

A knock on my door signals Elsie has arrived with my evening meal.

“Here you are, my hungry little swanling. If you keep eating like this, you’re going to look like a stuffed goose!”

I shrug and pretend to dig in.

“You must be growing,” my nursemaid says sagely and I give her a smile.

Elsie always has been good to me, but she fears my father more than her conscience.

Before she leaves, Elsie relays an invitation to play Rooks, a war game of strategy, with King Korvin but I politely decline. Clearly, I would lose. Between him and my father, they have mapped out all the necessary tasks to wage war and win against Anatidae.

Rothbart didn’t expect us to capture his heir.

Or torture him to death, as my father has personally told him.

I cringe thinking of this.

Thank feathers that he isn’t actually torturing the boy.

But is what he’s doing any more humane?

I carefully bundle up my food and shift into my Anseriforme. With the cloth in my bill, I fly out the top window and quickly land below, where there is a grate. I shuffle over and maneuver it open, pulling myself and the food inside, before pulling the bars back over. Then, I begin my trek into the bowels of the castle.

It takes a little bit, but I finally come to the dungeon and shift back into human form.

There, I find the lantern that I stashed and light it. Relief fills me to see light again. I pick up my sack of food and lumber down to the dark row of cells to Cobbe’s. As usual, the smell nearly knocks me to my knees, but I don’t make a peep.

I can tell how embarrassed Cobbe is by it, but what can either of us do?

Perhaps this is another tactic on my father’s part: abject humiliation.

The food and water have done him a world of good, but he still appears weak and tired. I try to stay most of the night, but I need to ensure that I’m back in my room before dawn so that the guards don’t see me. Luckily, the grate is right underneath my second-story bedroom.

It’s hard to tell what Cobbe really looks like.

He’s covered in dirt, muck, and dried blood.

His hair appears dark, like mine, and his eyes also seem dark, but it’s hard to tell in this light. I can’t even see his skin. He needs a bath. Not just for the stench, but to clean his wounds. Surely, they are festering and infected. I nimble my lip over this new worry.

Why hadn’t I considered this weeks before?

But Cobbe seems okay. . .

As okay as anyone who has been stripped of their powers and left to die can be, I suppose.

“Any news?” he asks me wistfully when I hand him over the food.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.