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  King of Beasts

  Kingdom of Fairytales book 21

  Scarlett Kol

  J. A. Armitage

  Contents

  1. 20th May

  2. 21st May

  3. 22nd May

  4. 23rd May

  5. 24th May

  6. 25th May

  7. 26th May

  After the Happily Ever After…

  Join us

  A note from the author

  The Kingdom of Fairytales Team

  About J.A. Armitage

  About Scarlett Kol

  Copyright © 2019 by J A Armitage and Scarlett Kol

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited By Rose Lipscomb

  Cover by Enchanted Quill Press

  Created with Vellum

  Kingdom of Fairytales

  You all know the fairytales, the stories that always have the happy ending. But what happens after all those storybook characters get what they wanted? Is it really a happily ever after?

  In this prequel, you will find out what happens next, be transported back to those lands you fell in love with and be prepared to meet some new characters along the way.

  Kingdom of Fairytales is a new way of reading with one chapter a day and one book a week throughout the year beginning January 1st

  Lighting-fast reads you won’t be able to put down

  Read in real time as each chapter follows a day in the life of a character throughout the entire year, with each bite-sized episode representing a week in the life of our hero.

  Each character’s story wrapped up at the end of every season with a brand new character and story featured in each season.

  Fantasy has never been so epic!

  1

  20th May

  “All hail The Party Prince of Aboria.” Kalmin hoisted his glass of ale above his head, foam sloshing over the side and covering his hand. He passed it to his left and sucked the foam off his fingers, raising the glass again. “To Prince Fallon."

  "To Prince Fallon,” the crowd echoed, as they clinked glasses together and let out boisterous cheers. Kalmin took the barstool beside me and slapped his palm on my back. My own ale burned as it gushed down my windpipe. "Thanks, Falls.”

  I coughed and cleared my throat. “You don't always need to make a spectacle out of me, you know?"

  "Why not? The crowd loves it. They feel privileged to be drinking with the prince. Just imagine how they’ll react when you become king."

  King. I shuddered. The icy chill of the word slithered down my spine. It's good to be king, or so everyone told me over and over again. But the label of Prince was enough for me. My father could deal with bickering shepherds and tax complaints, I'd rather enjoy the bounty that Aboria had to offer. After all, someone needed to inspire the people, show them the privilege that came with being royal, and I was the perfect person for that job.

  “Did you save a seat for me?" A sweet sugary voice whispered in my ear, slow and deliberate to make sure her full lips brushed against my skin.

  I twirled around on the barstool as Sophia’s dress tangled against my legs and pulled her in closer. Her knees suddenly gave way and dropped her into my lap as an arm wrapped around my neck—a little too dramatic to the accidental, but I gave her credit for trying.

  "Afraid there are no stools left, but it looks like you found a seat all on your own." I winked and slipped my arm around her back to steady her.

  She laughed and cast her eyes toward the floor. Her long lashes batted playfully as the tips of her fingers found the small curls at the nape of my neck, sending delicious sparks to other parts of my body.

  "And I see you haven't come alone tonight, who is this?"

  A raven-haired beauty in a rich burgundy gown curtsied politely in front of me. Soft ringlets tumbled over her naked bronze shoulders, as her dark ebony eyes drew me in.

  "This is Alessandra, she's visiting from Badalah,” Sophia grabbed my chin and tilted my head to look at her, my interest in her new friend more obvious than I'd hoped. She fought a frown, trying to win back my affections with a flirtatious smile. "But she won't be staying long."

  "Welcome to the Kingdom of Aboria, Alessandra. I would love to show you what our beautiful kingdom has to offer while you are here. That is if you aren't intimidated by being seen on the arm of a prince?"

  Alessandra's eyes looked uneasy at Sophia, the corners of her mouth sinking until she turned and locked stares with me again. "I'd love to, Your Highness."

  "Well then, we mustn't deny the people a chance to look upon your beauty. Might I suggest we start tomorrow?"

  Sophia launched herself from my leg and huffed into the corner. I twitched, my body wanting to chase after her. But what courtesy would that show to a visitor? This was duty after all.

  "I see your hands are empty, miss." I turned back towards the bar and the graying barkeep, Mr. Takka. “Another round for the fine company." I raised a finger in the air and circled my arm.

  Mr. Takka shook his head. "You're running quite the tab tonight, Your Highness."

  "Just giving the people what they want."

  He quickly flipped the glasses on top of the wood-grained bar and pumped the taps of their sweet, amber ale. He handed two overfilled glasses to me. I took a large gulp, letting the heady foam fly down my throat and handed the second glass to Alessandra. She took my gesture with a slight bend of her knee and nod of her head. I liked this one. Maybe a trip through town with me might convince her to extend her time here.

  Smash!

  "For the last time, I said I don't want anything."

  I glanced over at the corner where a petite mousy girl sat at a solo table, a pile of books spread out in front of her and a pool of beer on the floor. Shards of glass littered the foam. I launched from my stool and slid through the bodies toward the serving girl and the patron.

  "I told you I didn't want it." The girl repeated as she bent to help the serving girl pick up the broken pieces.

  "Is there a problem?" I asked.

  "No sir.” The serving girl glared over at her unwanted assistant and rolled her eyes. “Just a mountain girl refusing the prince’s good ale."

  “Prince’s ale. Right." The patron scoffed as the serving girl nudged her out of the way.

  “Have I offended you in some way, miss?" I folded my hands behind my back and rolled my shoulders high. Even the dull tavern lights glinted off my gold buttons and differentiated me from the common crowd. The regal stance. The power position.

  The patron stood, her feet planted shoulder-width, her arms taut at her sides. “You have not offended me, Your Majesty, but your actions and those of your sheep in fine clothing are offensive to all."

  I expected a timid voice from the slight girl in a shapeless tunic, but she roared with the veracity of a lion, garnering the attention of the other patrons.

  "Is that so?” I bit the inside of my cheek to stifle a laugh. “Please indulge me. I offered you a drink, was that not a kind gesture?"

  "Your kindness is not in question sir, but the gesture was not one for you to give. You do not drink the prince’s ale, you drink the ale made from sweat and tears of the people of Aboria. This is the taxpayers’ ale." Her hands flew to her hips as a snarky smile curled across her mouth.

  "Are we not all taxpayers?" Kalmin joined the fight, his full glass held high as he staggered slightly from the bar, his dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows. "And you should know better than to speak so candidly to our future K
ing." He hoisted the drink higher. "To Prince Fallon, the next great King of Aboria.”

  The girl shook her head, a few strands falling from the nest of hair she held at the top of her crown with what appeared to be a crisscrossed set of twigs. "The next great King? How can someone who is not even a great prince expect to be a great king?"

  A hushed “ooh” cycled through the crowd. The entire population of the tavern now hung on her every venom dripping word. I squeezed my hands together into fists and nudged my chin higher as red flushed my cheeks, and this time not from the drinks.

  "And how do you propose to know what kind of King I will be? I've never seen you before. How do you claim to know me at all?”

  "You may not have seen me, but I have seen you. I'm in this tavern nearly every night, as are you and your entourage. I've seen you waste the money of the hard-earned people of this Kingdom. I've seen you and your harem of ladies traipse around town like a pack of pretentious fools. But not once have I seen or heard you do anything of value for this kingdom. You are not your father’s son, you are weak and vain and have no idea what you are getting into as ruler."

  "I know plenty. I know the people, and I've been a son of Aboria my entire life. I don't hide up on the mountaintops like you and your people, I'm here with them every single day."

  Cheers elicited behind me and I smirked. This girl was tough. Not the typical drunk rabble-rouser who wandered in here and decided to lay their hard days story on my royal shoulders. But this room was mine. She’d never break that bond and, in the end, she’d be the one to walk out of here as the buffoon. A small tinge of guilt bubbled up in my chest, but I quickly willed it down.

  Her thin lips dropped into a frown, but she didn’t waver. “Then tell me, prince, what are you going to do about the coming darkness? Are you going to let your people suffer?”

  “What darkness?” I scanned the faces of everyone in the bar. Jaws dropped open and stares went vacant but not one seemed to understand her words. "Are you trying to cause a rebellion? One can be held accountable for treason for that kind of remark."

  "Oh no prince, the threat is very real. Storms have reached epic levels in Atlantice, wolves are murdering again in Elder, and the dark black clouds over Urbis gather thicker every single day. Those clouds inch closer and closer to our border, while you sit in this tavern handing out ale like water. What happens when Aboria is next? What happens when disaster strikes here?"

  I swallowed hard. If what she'd said were true then Aboria needed to be on alert and ready. My father hadn't said anything, neither had my mother, but they often kept me out of the more important matters. Which until now, suited me fine.

  “Well, I appreciate your concern and welcome the voice of my citizens, however, this issue would be best left for the monarchy. Be assured we are taking whatever steps necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of our people."

  The promise seemed to revive the crowd, pleasant murmurs and subtle cheers rumbled through the room. I puffed my chest out slightly and smiled the perfect royal smile I'd been trained to use since birth. What did one little girl know about me? I could go toe to toe with the best of them.

  "So you've got nothing, do you?"

  Her gaze narrowed burning through me like hot iron pokers, searing the truth upon my skin.

  "I… We…"

  "Fallon, she's boring." Sophia marched her golden head between us, her arms crossed and lips pouting. "Can we please just go somewhere else?”

  The room erupted in laughter as the mountain girl shook her head and retreated to her chair and into her books. Her hand scratched feverishly along her parchment, either giving up or maybe knowing she had won but choosing not to claim the title.

  I wrapped my arm around Sophia’s shoulders her head sliding against mine. "Of course, my love, let's find a more suitable venue."

  The door burst open, and a familiar face appeared, the dim light casting shadows from the lines of worry etched across his face as the dark night spread out behind him like a cloak.

  "Griswold?" I rushed to grab the hand of the castle’s oldest butler. A man who'd cared for me my entire life. "What is it?"

  "It's your father, sir. You must come home immediately. Your mother is waiting."

  "What’s wrong? What's happened?"

  Griswold leaned in closer, the smell of the castle rolling off him.

  “I’m not at liberty to say, but trust me, it’s bad.”

  I thrust open the castle door and rushed through the foyer nearly tripping on the lush red carpet leading to the grand staircase.

  "She's in the library,” Griswold called from behind me.

  I raced up the stairs two at a time and sped into the east wing of the castle. The door to the library creaked as I turned the knob and slid in. The familiar mahogany and gilded bookshelves stared down at me.

  Mom startled at the noise then turned toward the door. She forced a smile of greeting behind her wall of tears as her hand clutched at the locket around her neck. She slid it back and forth on the simple gold chain, faster and faster, to the point where it might snap in two.

  "Griswold said—” I watched my mother’s tears fall harder, each one searing a hole in my own composure, “—are you okay?"

  I rushed across the room and wrapped my arms around her shoulders and buried my face in her neck like I did when I was a boy, even though the foot of height between us made it more difficult now.

  She squeezed back, her rose-scented curls brushing against my cheek.

  "It's your father. I don’t even know how to tell you this. We’ve been keeping a secret from you, from a lot of people. I never thought I’d need to tell you.”

  “Tell me what?”

  “It’s your father,” she said, between tearful hiccups. “He’s…the curse has returned."

  I pulled back and sandwiched her cold dainty hands inside my long fingers. "What are you talking about? What curse?"

  She tugged her hands from my grip and started to pace the small room, gripping her forehead.

  "It was a long time ago. So long I sometimes forget.” Mom craned her neck towards the skylight and exhaled. The air drained from her body like a deflating balloon as her memories washed over her. “When your father was younger, before you and even before me, he made some bad choices. Choices that angered a dark fairy and she put a curse on him that changed him into a ferocious beast. He was more animal than human. He was the prince of Arboria, but after that he moved to the deepest part of the forest to live out his years.”

  “What?” I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to take in what she had just told me. “You’re trying to tell me that Dad, my dad, was once a monster. Are you okay, Mom? Do you need to lie down or something?”

  “This isn’t a joke, Fallon” She slammed her hand on desktop and the smack echoed through the room.

  “I don’t quite understand what you mean by beast.”

  “A beast!” she said waving her hands in the air. “You know. Hairy body, big teeth, angry expression. He’s an animal, a monster. He’s not human anymore.”

  I jumped back. This wasn’t Mom. She never yelled. Even when I’d been a petulant child or a rebellious teenager, she always still held her decorum.

  “But it doesn’t make any sense,” I said trying to find reason where there was none. “Dad is a pretty upstanding guy. He’s noble and always does the right thing. The entire kingdom loves him.”

  Mom resumed her pacing. Faster. Shorter steps. “Now he is, but back then he was a different person. It wasn’t until he fell in love with someone who could see past his beastly form that he changed and the curse was broken.”

  “You?”

  She nodded as a few stray tears leaked from her eyes.

  “You have to be kidding.” I gripped my hands in my hair and tugged then started racing my own loops around the library. Like mother, like son. “I don’t believe this. This sounds like some kind of horror story. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Her tear
s came harder, spilling down her face as her cheeks burned red. "Because we didn’t want to upset you. It was all supposed to be in the past. A chapter closed and forgotten. But tonight, when we were walking through the garden, your father just started screaming and fell to his knees. I tried to help him up but he started to change. His hands became claws. Swaths of fur covered his body. And now…" She gazed off toward her favorite bookcase, the one I always saw her standing by when I came in here. As if it unlocked another world that I couldn't see. "The curse has returned. The king has turned back into a beast."

  A beast? A real live monster living in our home. Our castle. The papers would be all over this news. The humiliation of it. My father’s reputation would be ruined. My reputation would be ruined.

  “But he can still rule, right?”

  She shook her head, an almost maniacal look in her eyes. “No. Not like this. This time is different. Last time he was angry at the curse, but he was still functioning as a human. But this time, something has changed. He’s more animal. The curse is changing him and I’m not sure how to control it. I don’t know what to do Fallon. He was fine this morning. Everything was normal. This came out of thin air. I’m not prepared.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to picture the image from my mother’s words, but I couldn’t. None of this made any sense. If my mother wasn’t so devastated I would’ve thought this was some sort of cruel joke. I could already feel my world falling out from under my feet. My reputation centered on me being a prince. If my father was a beast, did that mean he was no longer king? “So what does that mean?"

  "It means we're going to have to figure this out. I don't know why this is happening again. Your father has led a good and true life since the last curse was broken. He's a good man. He's changed." She walked over and opened her locket. The one she'd worn as long as I could remember. Inside two photos, a young man with dark eyes and a stubborn jaw that I knew too well and the other a hideous furry beast, with a stare that burned at my soul. "I wear this to remember, but I never thought it would happen again. I never thought…"