Chapter 6

Staring at the list of names in front of me, I sigh and lean back in my chair rubbing my temple. This morning as promised, Sky had showed up to my room and lead me to the armoury, helping me pick out a few weapons that I can keep on my body at all times for self defense. After that, he lead me to my father's study explaining that no one other than the assigned Maids were allowed inside. It was a burden lifted off my shoulders that I never knew I had in mind when I walked into the room and learned from Ellisia – the Head Maid in charge of this room – that nothing has been changed in the last fourteen years. From there Sky and I began to weed through the names of Guards now under his command.

Right away Sky pointed out the ones that he knew for a fact were supporters of the Trilavantas, their promotions over the years being ones that made me question if they truly deserved their current rank. Of course I added them to the list of those who will be let go and groaned when I realize it was over a third of the Guards.

"We will need to go through enlisting new Guards soon." I muse just as Ellisia walks in, a cart full of snacks and steaming hot tea being pushed in front of her.

"Might as well throw in hiring new Maids. I kept a list of those I was suspicious of over the years and a few I feel like were more than just loyal to that Traitor if you know what I mean." She chimes in, a frown on her aging face. This piques my interest and I find myself sitting up straighter in my chair, motioning for Ellisia to take a seat on the other side of the desk.

"Do you have the list on you?" I ask as the Maid sits beside Sky, her frown deepening.

"No, it's in my room. I can go get it for you if you'd like your Highness." Straight to the point, Ellisia answers me with honesty; a trait I have grown to like about this forty year old woman. In the short time that I have met her, Ellisia has been frank when answering me, never holding back her words but always being polite. It lead to Sky and I discussing making her the Head Maid of the Palace. I could use her as an ally in my home managing the ones who work to maintain the Palace.

"Sky and I can come with you to retrieve it later so that no one tries to harm you. For now, I want you to keep an eye on the Maids working in the Palace and report back to either him or I if you hear anything in favour of Trilavantas." I shrug, watching as a look of relief crosses her face. It seems having the information that she does is a ticking time bomb, one that could lead to being killed over. As if sensing my thoughts, Sky stands and heads to the door way, motioning for someone outside. He soon returns with a young man I would say is about a year younger than me, his brown eyes and red hair a striking feature I would recognize easily in a crowd.

"Princess Allisara, Miss Ellisia, this is Adam. He is a newly knighted Guard of the Palace. He will be assigned to Guard Ellisia and help be our eyes and ears if need be." Sky introduces Adam to us, causing me to really study the man before my desk.

"Who trained you?" I ask, deciding to test this man.

"Sir Skylard did your Highness." He answers instantly, no trace of nervousness or worry on his face. Surprised, I look to Sky who gives me a smug look and I in turn roll my eyes at him. Adam can be trusted which is good for us.

"Very well then. From this moment forward you will Guard Ellisia. We are working on cleaning up those who support the Trilavantas from the Palace and only keeping those loyal to me." I sigh out, turning to look back at Adam who smiles with enthusiasm.

"I can help with that. Sir Demitrias loved coming to the barracks to brag to us new knights about the Maids he kept around to warm his bed. There are probably a few carrying his children as we speak." Frowning at Adam's words, I stand from my chair and walk to the window, visibly shaking with rage. We were betrothed and yet he messed around with others. I am glad I broke off our engagement.

"Did...did I say something wrong?" Adam whispers, his voice wavering with slight fear.

"No, on the contrary you said the right thing. You see our Princess here was once engaged to that piece of shit. She called it off yesterday but hasn't announced it yet." Sky answers, getting a chuckle from Ellisia.

"He was a piece of work too. Many of my Maids were harassed by him trying to enter here. Luckily he would back away as soon as I rounded the corner." Comes her retort, causing me to smirk. It seems my hunch is correct in wanting to make her my Palace Head Maid.

"Ellisia, I want you going about your day as usual. If anyone asks why Adam is with you, just say I ordered him to help you. Make up any excuse you want and I will support you." I order, Ellisia standing to curtsy before asking to leave. After granting her permission, she takes Adam by the hand and drags him out behind her, causing Sky to chuckle.

"I think we need a break. How does lunch sound?" My friend suggests. I go to protest, needing to get all this work done, but my stomach decides to grumble in that moment. I sigh, conceding that the snacks that Ellisia brought in will not be enough and agree to going for lunch as long as it is in the dinning hall. Leaving my office, I make sure to lock the door with the key Ellisia had given me before following Sky down the corridors. Maids and Squires were running about performing their daily duties but stopped to bow or curtsy when we would pass by - something I have not gotten used to yet. It doesn't take long for us to reach the dinning hall, the sounds of laughter and conversation floating out the door bringing a smile to my lips.

"I asked all the Guards and Knights to be here. The squires are still in training so we won't need to worry about them If it comes to it, we can just flunk them out of training and send them to the military barracks." Sky states as we keep just out of sight. I nod, deciding to observe the men in the hall and taking a chance to see if I can tell who are those we can trust and who we need to remove from the Palace. It doesn't take long to notice a divide in the room. On the left the tables were arranged in a way that made it seem like one big community, the men laughing and sharing food as they ask about each other's day and family. On the right is a little quieter with less people. The tables were in an orderly manner, a look of distain on the men's faces as they look on at those on the left.

"Can you tell which side is which?" Sky asks with a chuckle, making me smirk and give him a look from the corner of my eyes.

"I can. It also doesn't help that many wear their rank and distain on their shoulders." I point out, receiving a low impressed whistle from Sky. Without giving him a chance to respond, I nod to the Squire stationing in front of the doors, my smirk growing as I stand straighter.

"Her Highness, Princess Allisara Nimair." The Squire calls out. Instantly all the men in the room rise from their chairs and stand at attention, the room becoming pin drop silent as I stride into the hall and towards the small stage set against the far wall. Sky follows behind me, his face emotionless as he stands at the bottom of the stage guarding me while I take my time to stare at each and every one of these men in their eyes. It seems those on the right hold distain for me. Good. It will make getting rid of them easier.

"At ease men. You may be seated." I call out, watching the one hundred and fifty men take their seats. With everyone's attention on me, I take a deep breath before continuing.

"As many of you already know, I am Allisara Nimair and your soon to be Queen. Starting today I will be taking control of my Kingdom and working towards fixing the mess caused by the traitorous Regent and the Rebellion that took place fourteen years ago." I address the room but my eyes scan the men on the right, watching as some of them frown at my words. I can tell that my presence here angers them. Good. This means it will be easier to remove these men from my home.

"Before I can fix my Kingdom, there are things I need to take care of here in the Palace. With that being said, I expect all of you to swear your loyalty to me. If you haven't by this time in three days, I will have to replace you." I finish my announcement, waiting to see what those on the right will do.

"I swear my loyalty to you Princess." Came a response from the left, making me turn to that direction as a man with a slim build – one could even consider him to be an androgynous beauty - steps forward, his long black hair braided down his back and held in place by a black ribbon. He comes to stand before Sky, nodding to him before dropping to his right knee, his right hand over his heart as he stares into my eyes. I note his unwavering loyalty and nod, ready to thank him when the rest of the men who sat on the left side soon follow, forming rows of five behind the first man. When all have bent the knee, their right hand over their heart as they stare at me, I look to Sky who smiles at these men, his men.

"We swear our loyalty to you, Princess Allisara, future Queen of Nimairene." The group of one hundred men chorus together, causing me to jump slightly. Pride fills my heart as I take in each and ever one of their faces, deciding that there and then I will have Sky keep a look out for any outstanding men that will be perfect for a promotion. We will need a few high ranking Guards to help keep track of training and patrol.

"Rise men. I thank you for your loyalty and ask that if there is anything you required be it for health reason or work related, that you come to me or Skylard Nighthawk, the Captain of the Royal Guards." The slamming of silverware on plates causes me to turn towards the right as those who were previously promoted by the traitor stand to their feet. We watch in silence as they all stand and stomp their way out of the dinning hall. It seems announcing Sky as my Captain of the Guards seem to be their breaking point as soon the right side clears. I scoff, giving Sky a pointed look and watch as he signals to a few men. Without any reply, four men that were kneeling before me stand, bow respectfully to me, then leave. No doubt they were ordered to spy on those still loyal to Juden Trilavantas.

"I have a feeling you all will be training a few new recruits soon." I muse, scoffing as the dining hall doors close. The remaining men before me chuckle as they rise to their feet and with their help, we rearrange the tables before Sky and I join them for lunch. With the fifty men gone, the atmosphere in the room becomes warm and cheery as I spend some time getting to know my Guards. I learn that the first man to bend the Knee is names Arian and that he was brought in as a Squire a year after my disappearance. We soon became good friends when he told me he came from the very Slums I was dumped in and we muse how in that one year, we never ran into each other at all.

"To think the Princess was just around the corner from me as a child." Arian chuckles out, passing me a bowl of salad and I pile the greens onto my plate.

"To be fair, I was terrified of interacting with anyone from there during my first year. I had no memories of my past and no clue who I was or how to survive." I shrug as I set the bowl down between Sky and I, the former watching Arian and I with a bemused smile.

"That makes sense. From the stories Arian told me, those slums are dangerous." He chimes in as I take a bite of my salad, Arian and I looking to one another before I nod in agreement.

"They are. I watched many girls be taken after they had their first period. I made sure to never show any signs of weakness to avoid the human trafficking that takes place there." Sighing, I think back to the first time I watched a girl a few years older than me be taken away. Her name was Haily and she was a natural red head like Adam. It was only a few months after I was left to the Slums and her begging and pleading woke me from a hunger induced slumber. I remember how terrified she sounded. How a man had slapped her hard across the face until she was shoved into a car. Then she was gone.

"That must have been horrible." Sky whispers out, his smiling face becoming a grim frown.

"It was. Speaking of girls, why are there none in the Guards." I ask, motioning around the room. Arian chuckles, taking a sip of his water as his pale blue, almost clear, coloured eyes watch Sky fumble for an answer.

"Because no one wants a girl doing a man's-" He begins, his words trailing off as my curious gaze becomes a glare directed at him.

"I will get a few candidates for you to look at." He quickly adds, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment. Arian chuckles, causing Sky to glare at him in turn.

"That would be a good idea. Arian, I would like to offer you the position as Vice Captain of the Guards." I state, turning to face the tall man and turning just in time watch as Arian does a spit take from the second half of my words.

"I...you...what?" He fumbles out as he wipes away the droplets that stuck to his chin. This time I smirk at the speechless man, the table growing quiet to watch the three of us closely.

"Sky needs a second in command, and since you were the first to swear your loyalty to me and judging by how he trusts you, I want you as Vice Captain." I state, leaving no room for arguments. Sky his shaking beside me, doing his best to stifle his chuckles as the rest of the men watch with amusement.

"I... thank you Princess." Arian stutters out, his eyes wide as he looks from me to sky then back to me. With a grin, I motion for us to continue eating as I take this meal time to get to know the men tasked to keeping me and the Palace safe. After finishing the meal, I bid farewell to the men and motion for Arian to follow Sky and I back to my study. It doesn't take long for the three of us to reach it and soon I am facing my computer with Arian and Sky in front of me.

"I will need you two to keep an eye on Trilavantas' men. Make a list of who they try to contact and what they are up to these next three days. I expect a report at the end of the day." I begin, watching Arian and Sky look at one another before turning back to face me.

"What else should we do?" Arian asks, an amused smirk on his face.

"Schedule training sessions and recruit female Guards. It will be easier guarding me if we can disguise a few as ladies in waiting." I add, getting a nod as I bring up a list of men in command of the Royal Army. Frowning, I print out the list and hand a copy to each men.

"Schedule a meeting with all of them and make sure to mention that Juden Trilavantas exposed many of them embezzling funds in order to lesson his sentence. If we have a few men trained in espionage, assign one to each man to gather evidence." Sky lets out a low whistle at my words as Arian looks at me with a look of shock. I smirk, feeling proud of myself for impressing my Vice Captain.

"Do I want to know how you came to this conclusion?" Sky asks, folding the paper and placing it into his pocket.

"I noticed some irregularities in the financial records. When you grow up stealing in the slums, you get surprisingly good at accounting and spotting any fraudulent dealings." I answer, pulling up the statements and turning the computer screen to show the records of military and national security founding. I begin explaining the trend I noticed during the years when my parents ruled and how after their death and over the course of last fourteen years the funding went from being relatively the same to drastically decreasing.

"I can have someone blend into the barracks and speak with some of the soldiers to see if there have been complaints made." Arian suggests, making me grin.

"Sounds like a plan. You and Sky can take the rest of the day to organize and plan everything. We have seven days to sort out the Military if we want to help better the lives of the citizens." Agreeing with Arian, I turn the screen back to its rightful position. The men take this as their que to leave with Sky promising to bring me a list of men he believes will be great for my personal Guards. Arian volunteers to be one of them but is shot down when he is reminded that we will need him to help lead the Palace Guards. As they begin to walk towards I look up from the computer screen and call out to Sky.

"Can you fine Ellisia and gather the information of the Maids she believe to be traitorous?" I ask, getting a nod from my friend.

"Give me an hour and I will bring her and Adam here." With that, he and Arian leave my study, the room growing quiet. I can feel a headache coming on and with a groan, I lean back on the chair and take a moment to just breathe. It is only my first day gaining back the control of my Palace and already it has taken a lot out of me. Deciding that I have an hour until Sky returns, I decide to look into all laws created in the last fourteen years under Trilavantas' rule. If I want to change the country, I need to know what laws will help my people.