The Fallen Crow - Book 1 in the Misfits & Magic series

Chapter 1 - Misfit Princess

Author's Note: I am in the process of changing some names. Fionn is now Niall, Anuvin is now Arfon, and Freki is now Flynn. Sorry for any confusion! Ah, the joys of editing.

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Eydis told me once that I was born on the winter solstice 'at the exact moment when day faded into night.' At least, that's how the birth announcement read. It was intended to symbolize harmony in my dual nature, or something like that. When your father is the human king of Aunios and your mother is a dwarf, stretching the truth for good public relations is important.

Not that it ever made a difference.

"Princess Branwen, come away from the window at once! You know you can't stand in the sun like that. You'll burn." My elven lady-in-waiting, Eydis, grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the patch of sunlight that flooded my room with cheerful warmth.

"It's not that bright out," I protested.

Eydis pulled the curtains shut. "Your father will have my head if you turn up to the banquet looking like a lobster. He wants you to make a good impression with the guests."

"There's no point. The world decided long ago that I'm some kind of unnatural abomination." Even though I'd heard them often enough in my nineteen years of life, the words still stung.

"Tsk. A handful of stuck-up bigwigs does not the whole world make. Besides, the kingdom will accept you one day," Eydis said in a softer tone. She began the arduous task of brushing and styling my unruly black hair for the banquet.

Looking at our reflections in the mirror, I envied Eydis her beautiful, golden-brown skin and deep brown eyes. She had half the palace guard vying for her attention, though I knew her eyes were elsewhere. I was her confidant as much as she was mine.

I had seen the way Eydis lit up when she received letters from her seafaring "friend." We spent many a night sitting by the fire and reading wild tales of adventure from those same letters. If sea travel didn't make me ill, I would have been tempted to run off and seek such excitement myself.

"The kingdom doesn't bother me much." I wrinkled my nose. "I'll never rule it, after all. I just wish..." I didn't finish my sentence. Eydis had heard it all before. My greatest desire was for my father to be proud of me, instead of looking on me with shame.

But how could he be proud of a half-breed like me? I was never supposed to exist. Few marriages occurred between races, and no children had ever been born of such unions. However, when my father took a second wife to cement his alliance with the Black Dwarves, he ended up with more than he bargained for. One small, peculiar daughter, to be exact.

Skadi, my mother, was the daughter of a dwarven noble from Myrkva, the Black Dwarf kingdom beneath Aunios. Tall for a dwarf, she had lovely black hair and an infectious laugh. Or so I am told. I never met her. My birth caused her death. Sometimes I wonder how my life might have been different if she had lived.

Eydis had just finished getting me ready when a sharp, staccato rhythm of footsteps echoed down the hall. An authoritative knock rattled the door to my chambers. I cast one last anxious glance at my mirror.

"Is she fit to be seen?" a frigid, proper voice asked. "Open this door!"

Eydis hurried to the heavy oak door and flung it open.

Queen Darya swept into the room, every inch of her oozing extravagance and royalty. Her tall, lithe body was made even more imposing by her high heels and elaborate updo of chestnut braids, coiled and interwoven with chains of gold. She wore a seafoam-green gown that matched her eyes and made a striking contrast with her tawny skin. It was painfully obvious that she and I were not related.