She’s Just a Peasant Girl

*Rafe*

“They’re just lazy, that’s all there is to it,” Kris says with a flourish of his hand and a shrug of his thin shoulders. “We need to whip them back into shape.”

The carriage bumps along over uneven ground. The mechanics are top of the line, making it as smooth as possible, but the roads away from the area near the castle are not maintained like the roads I’m used to traveling, and it’s not comfortable.

Not that I leave the castle much. Until King Axel declared that I would take over the throne for him, to me and a few of the other royals, not the entire kingdom yet, I rarely left the castle. Now, I find myself visiting a new village at least three times a week.

But we are on our way back to the castle now. I’ve seen several smaller villages in one day before visiting Beoutown. That took longer than expected. While I’d sent Kris to fetch and deliver the food, Zeke had been off on his own errand, and I’d taken a walk through the woods. I’d wanted to visit Stone River, the site of the most famous battle in vampire and wolf shifter history. It’s hallowed ground, and standing there were so many had given their lives for our kingdom, I’d been humbled to know I’d someday be responsible for it.

That day is coming soon, and I need to be prepared.

“I don’t think that’s what’s going on, that the wolf shifters are all just lazy,” Zeke says, shaking his head, making his mop of unruly dark curls dance as we continue to bump along. “I don’t trust those Blacks. That whole family seems corrupt to me.”

“The mayor has been running things just fine for years,” Kris disagrees. “His grandfather was put in charge by King Axel after the last Alpha fell.”

“His grandfather is dead, though,” Zeke reminds him. “I have no idea how his grandfather ruled, but I think he’s a corrupt bastard.

“We need a culling.” Kris’s announcement seems to come out of left field having nothing to do with Zeke’s point, but it does echo the sentiment of the mayor. King Axel felt more comfortable appointing mayors to oversee the governing of the towns. We keep our hands off, for the most part, so these mayors are representatives of the king. King Axel decided not to follow the Alpha bloodlines because those families were the strongest. He felt it better to let them fade into oblivion and establish new leaders who would be more loyal to the king.

“We do not need a culling.” Zeke’s eyes are narrow as he focuses on Kris. “They just had one.”

“Two years ago! Even their mayor thinks it will inspire them to try harder.” Kris shrugs as if that’s all there is to say about it. He’s made his point clear. He thinks the residents of Beoutown are lazy.

“They’re being overcharged and underpaid.” My best friend sighs in irritation.

“Says one girl who is clearly a stark raving lunatic.” Kris shakes his head. “I’ve never seen anyone be so disrespectful to a royal, and then she came after me in the street as well.”

“Probably because you were being an ass,” Zeke tells him.

Kris’s eyes widen and then narrow. “How dare you?”

“Oh, I dare.”

“Stop.” One word from me, and they both simmer down. Mention of the girl has my mind wandering again. I see her face in my mind and want to look on her again. I’ve never seen anyone who looks quite like her.

I’d wanted to go with them to deliver the food but thought it was a bad idea. She’d probably just get angry at me again. Besides, I wanted to visit Stone River before I left. Turns out, she yelled at Kris instead of me, so I suppose it didn’t much matter if it had been me or my representative.

“What’s her name?” I’d asked her, but I wasn’t sure if I was given an answer or a curse in an ancient language. I’m not sure why I am asking now. Maybe Kris is right, and she is insane, although, I don’t think so. It seems to me she was just angry and full of spirit. I saw something in her. What it was, I couldn’t quite describe, but I found myself drawn to her, wanting to peel her layers as if she were an onion.

“Ainslee Gray,” Kris tells me.

“That’s not her last name,” Zeke argues.

“That’s what the butcher told me when I went with the guard to buy the meat,” Kris insists.

I don’t want to hear any more discourse. “It doesn’t matter,” I say, and Zeke drops it.

“We need ten or twenty new feeders. Let them start pulling their weight again. Their blood donations are steadily declining.” Kris refuses to let this go.

“Let King Axel decide.” I focus my gaze out the window, not wanting to talk about it anymore. Beoutown is far away from Castle Shadowmanor. I’ve done what I was required to do. Now, it falls back into the hands of the king, at least until I have that heavy crown on my head.

As for Ainslee, well, she is an interesting, beautiful young lady. Or is she a malnourished, petite woman? I’m not sure, but it doesn’t matter. She’s a wolf shifter, and I’m a vampire. While there’s no law against the two species intermingling, it’s hardly ever happened in the history of Shadowglade. Not to mention I’m a prince, and she’s… not royalty.

And then there’s the matter of King Axel telling me what he truly hoped would happen once I claimed the throne, though he promised me he wouldn’t push it. Still, he’d made it seem almost unavoidable. I just needed to wrap my head around it.

The image of a pretty face and white blonde hair comes to mind.

Fuck, I am screwed, and not in a good way.