The King's Games

12. The Future

My legs dangled over the edge of the balcony, and the cobblestones of the town square were fifty feet below. From here, at my perch near the top of the clock tower, Doldastam looked like a quaint fairytale village spread out before us. All the little houses with their flower pots and thatched roofs.

The streets were mostly deserted, aside from a few stray chickens and goats wandering about. Everyone else was in the courtyard behind the elementary school, which had been turned into an arena for the opening ceremonies of the King's Games.

That's how Tilda, Simon, and I were able to get up in the clock tower. Being up there without permission was strictly forbidden, but nobody was around to notice. Climbing all the steps on the spiral staircase had been slow going for me, since I was still sore from the beating Östen Sundt had given me the day before.

After my attempt at the Lausatök yesterday, I'd been left with a black eye and bruises on my cheek, sides, and legs. My mom had freaked out when she saw me and forbade me from ever participating in games like that again. I felt too terrible at the time to even bother arguing with her.

The climb up to the top of the clock tower had been worth it, though. The stadium seating around the King's Games was also so insanely crowded, I could hardly ever see anything. So from here, at the tallest point in the heart of the city, we had the best seats in the house.

I leaned against the wrought iron railing around the balcony, my legs hanging between the bars, and watched the as the ceremony began. All the people looked small, but they were easily discernable.

King Evert and Queen Mina rode out on an ivory chariot. White satin flags billowed out behind them, emblazoned with a black rabbit - the symbol of the Kanin. Two massive silver Tralla horses pulled them, and their manes and tails were decorated with ribbons and bows.

The crowd was cheering like mad as they rode in a large slow circle around the arena, and people began throwing white flowers at them.

"I always thought this part was so weird," Simon said. He sat beside me, letting his own legs hang through the railings. "Why do we throw flowers at them?"

I shrugged. "It's tradition, I guess."

"It started with Queen Birgetta Fryst in the mid-nineteenth century," Tilda explained, in the same matter-of-fact way a teacher might. "She'd come over Sweden to marry King Adalrik from a Kanin village at only fifteen, and she was homesick. To make her feel more welcome, the townspeople grew the flowers of her village - the linnea borealis - everywhere. During events, they would toss them at her.

"Now, I think they just use white roses, but that's how it started," Tilda finished. When she saw Simon and I giving her odd looks, she shrugged, and said simply, "They taught us that in school."

Simon shook his head. "I hardly remember any of that stuff, and I just graduated. You're kinda strange, Tilda."

"I'm strange?" She pointed at herself. "No, you guys are the strange ones. You just follow along with tradition without understanding why. And that's even weirder for Bryn, since she's always fighting everything."

I bristled. "That's not true."

"Like if they said they should sacrifice me to the King, you'd probably be against that," she admitted. "But beyond that, you'll follow whatever random rule they make as long as it means you get to be a Högdragen someday."

"That's not true," I repeated, but with less conviction than I had before.

The chariot slowed in front of the stage at the end of the arena, and the King got out first before helping his wife. The horses and chariot were led out of the way, and the King and Queen took their places on their thrones to watch the rest of the spectacle.

With the royalty seated, the competitors started making their way out to the arena. Konstantin Black strode out, looking as confidant and handsome as ever, and waved to the audience. Trailing a few steps behind was Östen Black, carrying his weapons and armor.

Östen had won the final round of the squiring competition this morning, and as much as it pained me to admit, he had earned it. He'd bested every one of his rivals with ease, including me.

Still, I didn't feel like watching him relish his victory. With some effort, I pulled myself to my feet and walked to the other side of the balcony, looking away from the competition. From here, I could see the Hudson Bay far out to the east, and the rolling fields of grass and hills behind us to the south.

"You okay?" Tilda asked. She'd been standing by Simon, but she came over to me.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said, and I was only half-lying. The wind blew through my hair, and I looked out at the world around me. "We'll be out there soon, you know?"

"Our missions should start next summer." Tilda leaned on the railing beside me, close enough so her elbow bumped against mine.

"I've only been out of these walls a handful of times in my life, and only to nearby towns. I've hardly even met any real humans," I said, and my story wasn't that different from all the other trackers I knew.

Other than trackers and changelings, most people in Doldastam went their whole lives without even meeting a human or a leaving the town.

"Humans aren't so bad," Simon chimed in, misinterpreting my confession for one of unease. "I get along with them just fine."

"I know. I'm just..." I breathed in deeply. "I'm excited to see what's out there. I've spent so much of my life preparing, I'm ready to start making it happen."

Tilda smiled knowingly at me. "You're ready for the adventure to begin."

"Exactly."

As I stared at the hillside beyond the town walls, imagining where my journeys would take me into the human world, I couldn't wait for the next chapter of my life to start. My body still ached from the last one, and my pride had taken more damage than I was ready to admit.

But I knew what I had to do to become who I wanted to be, and I couldn't wait to be her. To be stronger and older and wiser. And that it would only be a matter of time until I was a member of the Högdragen.

This is the end of the Wattpad exclusive prequel novelette "The King's Games," but the Kanin Chronicles continues with Frostfire, Ice Kissed, and Crystal Kingdom. To find out more about the world of the Kanin, please visit: http://www.hockingbooks.com/amanda-hockings-books/kanin-series/

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This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this story are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

THE KING's GAMES. Copyright © 2015 by Amanda Hocking. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

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