《The Many Adventures of Frostine Guinevere: A Snow White Retelling LitRPG Saga》


 The Death of a King

    The King knew fear was a powerful emotion. People feared starvation so they did everything in their power to make sure they didn¡¯t starve to death. People also feared him, the King of their kingdom, because he held the power to end their lives whenever he wanted. They feared the Dungeon that lay on the edge of the Kingdom¡¯s border with the savage dwarves, the kidnapping Elves, and the man-eating Dragons, yet they didn¡¯t understand what role the powerful Dungeon played in their lives. He had made sure they didn¡¯t know. Not even his newly wedded Queen nor her several daughters.


    Only his daughter would know. She would inherited the crystal, powering the Dungeon because she was a blood relative of the Founder, King Tristan of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom. She would be the first female to gain the Heart Crystal of the Dungeon.


    History had forgotten his name and what he did to earn his various titles and rewards in his lifetime, but he lived on through the royal family¡¯s history. The only thing he was remembered for was founding the Dungeon and ruling over the Kingdom until his death before he passed the knowledge onto his grandson. He didn¡¯t have a son to take the throne. The current King knew how that felt. He had remarried for a son, but his new Queen had other plans. She did her duty on the night they married, but she had refused to allow him to touch her again. It was only recently she had expressed she had no interest in siring a son.


    However, the fear the King felt coursing through his body was different then the other times he had felt the emotion. It was different then holding his daughter for the first time. It was worst then the first time he had faced an enemy on the battlefield as he wrestled with the idea of killing another man for the first time. This fear was for his daughter. He knew his time was coming to an end and he would have to leave his sweet daughter to face the horrors alone. However, he wasn¡¯t going to leave her unprotected. He was a gifted mage in Life Magic. He had casted several long term spells on her hours before he found out about his new Queen¡¯s agenda. He hoped it would be enough to help her until she was able to take the throne from her stepmother and stepsisters.


    His chest heaved as he darted through the darken stone hallways. The tapping of the sharpened claws chased after him. He didn¡¯t dare stop to caught his breath. He flew past the openings of hallways leading off the main one. He couldn¡¯t take them. They led to the more populated areas of his castle. He couldn¡¯t led the creature to them. He couldn¡¯t turn around and fight. He didn¡¯t have enough strength for that. A red flashing bar at the top of his sight alerted him his stamina was running out. He didn¡¯t need a bar to inform him of that fact. He could feel it. He felt his reaction speed slow down and it got harder to force himself to take the next step. His chest ached.


    The King had to make it to the Dungeon. He was sure that was the only way he would survive this encounter. He would led the creature into the heart of the Dungeon and allow the Dungeon to do its work, basically asking the Dungeon for a favor. He would have to pay the favor back one day during the next time an over-powered creature entered the Dungeon and tried to destroy it. That would be a small price to pay.


    His thoughts drifted back to his innocent daughter. She would have no idea how the Dungeon worked and that might work against her when it came to the Dungeon¡¯s abilities. He always thought he would have a son to teach about the abilities of a Dungeon Master and the various responsibilities and power that came with the position. He shook his head. He directed his attention in front of him and felt a surge of joy. He finally was able to spot the exit. It was the closest exit to the Dungeon.


    He pulled up his Dungeon interface and hurried to the Dungeon Master abilities. The ability he was looking for was called Fearful Help. He only used a total of two other times when he was overwhelmed with a powerful creature and the Dungeon had agree to help, providing he would help the Dungeon in return. Fearful Help alerted the Dungeon to the fact its Dungeon Master needed help and the Dungeon would send its most powerful creatures and active abilities, directing them to lay in wait, hidden just inside the entrance. Once he entered the Dungeon, he would just allow the Dungeon to do its job and tear the creature apart. He might even have the option to add the creature to the Dungeon¡¯s roaster of creatures it could summon for the various adventures to kill and a means to protect the Kingdom.


    A chill went down his spine. The tapping claws and the rattling chains had stopped. He slowed to a walk. His chest heaved in order to caught his breath. His mouth was dry as the desert and he fought off a cough. He moved to the opening for a hallway. He poked his head around the corner and didn¡¯t see anything. He used his Nightvision spell and got the same results. He walked down the hallway and pressed his back against the cool damp stone. He reached for his belt where he kept his bag of Holding and pulled out a water canteen. He unscrewed the cap and took a long drink, shallowing several mouthfuls. He didn¡¯t know if the first two or three mouths full made it to his stomach from how dry his mouth and throat were from the minutes long spirit he took from his bed-chambers to the passage way to the Dungeon.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    He closed his eyes and lend his head against the wall as he replaced the cap and slipped the canteen back into his bag of Holding. It would be something else his daughter would inherit if he did died. He smirked. His Queen nor her daughters wouldn¡¯t be able to access anything of his. Not the Treasury. Not the Dungeon Master¡¯s Interface. Not the Settlement Points. Nothing within his Kingdom could be access by her. He wanted to laugh. Her plan wouldn¡¯t work.


    His precious Frostine Guinevere was a smart girl for being 10 years old. He thought sometimes she remembered living another life before becoming his daughter from the way she acted and spoke then she tried to pull off the innocent routine. There had been a few times she had given him some advice and after he personally gave it some thought went with the advice she had gave. It surprisingly had helpful, but strange at the same time. He was aware of cases like that from his ambassadors commenting on such people in other kingdoms he was allied to or had traded agreements with. Those people were praised or hated for their knowledge, but sometimes, ended up in strange situations and it doesn¡¯t always work out for them.


    Tap tap, tap tap. It echoed off the stone wall followed by the sound of a chain rattling. He straightened up, pushing off the wall. His eyes snapped opened. He backed out the Dungeon interface and casted Nightvision, again. His eyesight went from nearly black to shades of green and black.


    Tap tap, tap tap. It was close. He peered down the hallway he was standing. The creature wasn¡¯t coming from that hallway. It meant it had stopped and slowly hunted him. He took a breath to calm his shaky nerves. He glanced up at his stamina bar. It was full. He could go for another 10 minutes of this annoying chase, but he really didn¡¯t want to. He was close to the Dungeon, but he needed to be closer to it before he could use the Fearful Help action.


    He went back to his Dungeon Interface and double checked who would inherit the Dungeon Master Status. It was Frostine. He nodded. He went to the settlement page and checked the Heir information. It was the same as the Dungeon Master. Frostine would inherit everything. He wished he could have spent more time with her, teaching her everything she needed to run the Kingdom he could have laughed to see his Queen¡¯s face when she got the noticed that he died, but she wouldn¡¯t inherit anything from him.


    He took another deep breath and peered around the corner to look up the hallway where he had ran down. The creature was there. He knew it. The damn thing was staying just outside of the range of his Nightvision. He mentally cursed. He just had to make a mad dash for the Dungeon. He sighed. He went through the list of spells he gained over the years and settled on Haste.


    It was a simple Life spell designed to give the caster a boost in their agility. With his mastery in Life magic, he would get an extra 25 points to his speed. It was nothing to sneeze at when one thought about it. After all, his base speed was 50.


    He stepped from the hallway he took cover in and darted down the hall toward the dungeon. His eyes widened when he saw the creature standing in his path. He stopped, staring at the creature. He mentally cursed. A glance at his interface informed him he was nearly in range of the Dungeon where he could use Fearful Help. He took a deep breath and hoped he could make it past the creature, but he noticed something about it that made him pause and slow to a stop.


    It stood there. A surprise look colored its scaled face. The bright blue eyes widened as its maul opened, revealing two rows of sharp teeth. The two slits on its nose flared, smelling the air. Its skin was reptilian in nature, a dark color hard to see while the King was using Nightvision, but he could have sworn there was a solid blue stripe going down the center of the creature¡¯s back and a blacken necklace wrapping around the creature¡¯s neck. The creature stood on its hind legs - like some sort of lizard, but it had short arms that were close to its body like a bird. However, the forearms stuck out and ended in a pair of clawed hands.


    Never seeing a creature like it before, the King casted analyze, hoping to figure out a possible weakness or at least what it was. He blinked. Analyze didn¡¯t work. That was first for him. He cocked his head to the side. He never heard of Analyze not working before for anyone at his high level.  A realization settled over him.


    It was humbling, in a way. There were still creatures he couldn¡¯t get information on and he was working blindly, even he was a king and powerful one. He had been a King over two decades, since his own father died when he was 17 years old and forced himself to grow stronger each day until he felt confident enough where he could led his people to prosperity.


    He felt a sharp pain rack down his front. He snapped out of his musings and peered down. The creature had sliced his front like it was a hot knife going through butter. He glanced up at the creature and noticed it grinned at him. It half twisted, bringing back its claw and attacked him, again. That was the last thing he saw as pain exploded and the glowing red message slowly appeared in his interface was the creature transforming into a female form before his vision darkened, leaving the following red messages.


    You Have Died.


    You do not have any abilities that will allow you to be resurrected.


    Your soul will return to the Cycle of Rebirth.


    You will not remember this life and you will restart at Level 1.


    Your heir, Frostine Guinevere, will inherit everything you had once lay claim to.


    Good Luck on your new adventure.

 Frostine Guinvere, Princess of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom

    Frostine Guinevere stared at her reflection in the tall mirror from behind a black veil. She felt numb. The guards had found her father¡¯s body in the hallway leading to the Dungeon, two days with several large gashes over his chest. There was a good chance he had bleed out. What had caused the gashes was still under investigation, but Frostine had a good idea who was behind the attack. She didn¡¯t dare voice her thoughts of who did it. That would be too dangerous.


    She ran her icy blue eyes over her image, making sure nothing was out of place. Her black dress was form fitting. She still didn¡¯t how she felt about that. The dress had been custom made for her by the finest Kingdom¡¯s tailors. Unfortunately, the darkness of the dress brought out the fact she was really pale. Lucky for her, she mused, it was the current fashion trend. She had been the talk of the town since the fashion trend started - to much her displeasure and her wonderful step-sisters.


    Her step-sisters had been trying to copy her since their parents married several months ago. So far, they had unsuccessful. Instead, her eldest step-sister decided to spread a rumor that Frostine was really a vampire in disguise. She had laughed in response so did majority of the court when they found out who started that rumor. Her step-mother, the Queen, wasn¡¯t too happy and told her eldest step-sister to grow up, to get over childish pursuits, and focus on her duty to the Kingdom now that she was a Princess. Her Eldest Step-sister had pouted for nearly two days after that scolding, but tried to find another way to discredit Frostine.


    Frostine sighed as she turned away from the mirror and opened her interface. She still couldn¡¯t believe her father - in this life - was gone. She knew exactly when it happened, too. The System had alerted her in the dead of night that she was the sole heir of the King and she, now, held all of his powers over the Kingdom and the Dungeon. However, the System had restricted her access to the Dungeon and majority of the Kingdom¡¯s settlement points.


    According to her father, Settlement points were credits earned by completing various quests given to the Leader of the Settlement and spent on upgrading the settlement the owner of the Heart Crystal had. The quests usually appeared at random so Frostine didn¡¯t count on them to help her in leveling up. So far, she couldn¡¯t spend a single point in trying to improve the lives of her people. The reason was simple. Frostine Guinevere, Daughter of Rudolph, Princess of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom, had not yet come of age. Being 12 years old, she hated the fact she still had 4 years to go before she could really start making changes, so, her step-mother was acting as regent of the Kingdom until then, but even then, the Queen had limited power.


    Frostine thought there was a way around the age restriction by conquering the Dungeon of Fear. She briefly remembered she had an ancestor who inherited the Kingdom before they came of age and was granted all of the Kingdom¡¯s powers when they conquered the Dungeon. She didn¡¯t know if she could do it or not. She was Level 1.  One of her ancestors managed to do it at Level 10. Normally, if she could grind, she could easily reach Level 11, but being a princess, she was expected to stay at a low level. It didn¡¯t stop her from trying to gain levels. She had been sitting at 50% of Level 1 for nearly a month.


    The last time she had used Analyze on her step-mother, a skill her father had taught to her when she turned 9, the Queen was a Level 15 with a profession in Politics, but her mana pool was high. Her step-mother had invested heavily in her magic points. Frostine used to wonder why, but she figured her step-mother was a mage of some sorts. However, her father, before his untimely death, was a Level 45 with a profession in Politics, Business Administration, and a Swordsman and a Mastery in the known elements. Someone having three different professions was something Frostine had not yet come across and it was highly impressive, to her, at least.


    Upon her father¡¯s death, Frostine gained Mastery in Dark, Death, and Earth Magic. Having a mastery rank in any of the known elements gave the user a 50% resistance to that branch of magic and granted the user a spell in each of those branches of magic. She had squealed when she realized she could use Nightvision, Summon Small Soul, and Rose Brush. She knew what nightvision could do. Her father had helped her out with that, explaining to her one night when she had asked about what spells he knew.


    However, she didn¡¯t know what the other two spells would do yet. She just didn¡¯t have the time to experiment with the two spells, yet. She did know a few other spells. Since her father knew and held a mastery in the known elements, he had tested her for the magical ability of those elements, she had the knack for Water and Life magic as well and gained two more spells. For life magic, Frostine earned a healing spell called Weak Healing. For Water Magic, she got weak Rain Shower.


    A knock echoed in the stone bedroom. It came from the main room where the door leading to the hallway stood. Frostine blinked, tearing herself away from thoughts of magic and turned to the bedroom door as her maid opened it. She listened to her maid¡¯s voice as she spoke to someone. It might have been a guard or a member of the council of Advisers. She glanced around the bedroom. Her step-mother had basically informed her within hours of the guards discovering her father¡¯s body and Frostine becoming the new owner of the Heart Crystal for the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom, Frostine would be moving to her new quarters. Normally, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem since it meant Frostine was getting to old to live the Royal Nursery, except for the fact, her new quarters were outside of the royal wing and back of the castle.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    According to family lore, there had been several royal family members who lived in these forgotten quarters since the Family took over the Heart Crystal of the Snow Capped Mountains. Most recent family member before Frostine was an Aunt from over 75 years again. Frostine had heard from a few servants that her Great Aunt had been seen floating in the hallways, looking for something. One of the servants made mention that the Great Aunt might have been searching for her long lost love. Another claimed that her grandmother had been working for Frostine¡¯s Great Aunt and said she died from heartbreak and didn¡¯t move onto the Cycle of Rebirth because she couldn¡¯t find her child she forced to give up, but didn¡¯t give the reason. A third claimed to see the mysterious Great Aunt and she had blood trailing down her jaw from her mouth like the creatures of the Night did when they feed on the innocent.


    Either way, Frostine needed to make a trip to the royal achieves to figure out the truth. She really didn¡¯t want to wake up in the middle of the night to figure out if she started rooming with a ghostly relative or a vampire desiring to feed on her. It would probably give her nightmares with her ¡®young¡¯ mind. She sighed, feeling a lot older then her 12 years. This was one of the times she wished whoever skipped over her memory reboot would show up so she could kicked him hard in the balls. She knew going through puberty was going to suck as much as it did the first time around.


    Her step-mother had made sure Frostine would get the cold shoulder. She wondered how long it would be before she would have to start looking over her shoulder for an assassin to appear. Maybe she could hire a food taster to see if her food and drinks were poisoned or not. She snorted. She could see if she could gain a mastery in poisons or life magic where she could easily heal herself in those situations or another.


    ¡°My Princess,¡± her maid¡¯s voice broke through Frostine¡¯s thoughts. She turned to give the Maid her attention and saw one of the guards standing beside the maid, ¡°It is time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Natasha,¡± Frostine spoke softly. It was one of the few times she had spoke since she discovered the truth of her inheritance. Her eyes flickered over to the guard. ¡°Is it safe to assume you been sent here to escort me to the funeral?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my princess,¡± the Guard replied with a bow.


    ¡°What is your name and rank?¡± Frostine asked. She tried to keep her voice and face emotionless. She needed to start working on her royal image. She remembered from a previous life, there was a story involving a powerful young Queen among the Stars. She, too, had cultivate an image of being a stoic queen. Of course, she had a few body doubles who would take her place when she asked and sometimes the body doubles had end paying the ultimate price for the job. Frostine didn¡¯t have that ability. There would be no body doubles for her.


    ¡°I¡¯m James,¡± the Guard gave her a salute, ¡°Of her royal Princess body guards. I will be the Head of the guard.¡±


    Frostine raised an eyebrow at him. ¡°Oh? I wasn¡¯t aware of this division of the guard.¡±


    ¡°The Royal Advisers thought it would be best to put a division in place,¡± James explained, ¡°In the wake of your father¡¯s death. Long Live the Princess.¡±


    She hummed, thinking about what was implied. ¡°My wonderful step-mother has not won any favors within the guard.¡±


    ¡°Permission to speak freely, my princess,¡± James asked. He stood tall and confident.


    ¡°Granted,¡± Frostine replied. She didn¡¯t think one of her guard would request that already. Of course, she would not hesitate in allowing them to speak their minds. She needed allies for the future. She watched James¡¯ body language and noticed he didn¡¯t make any sort of the normal tales of a lie or wasn¡¯t nervous about what he had to say.


    ¡°There are many in the guard who think The Queen may have been behind the mysterious death of your father,¡± James stated, meeting her eyes, ¡°We do not have enough information on what killed your father and we want to take many precautions as possible in order to make your life is safe from harm. After all, you are the sole heir of the Heart Crystal for the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom.¡±


    Frostine nodded. That made sense. She had seen the slashed marks on her father¡¯s body and knew they weren¡¯t made by a sword. It could have been a large creature with claws. She didn¡¯t know of anything creature like that. It might have been a creature from the Star Labyrinth who managed to escape the Dungeon of Fear. There were too many possibilities and not enough information for Frostine to go on. However, what he was suggesting was a heavy notion to part on anyone. The guard basically admitted the guards standing watch on the Royal step-family weren¡¯t loyal to them and thought the Queen had a hand in the death of the King.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Frostine admitted. She needed to keep that silent. If it got out the guards were ready to accuse the Queen of treason, even if it was true, there could be some people rioting in the streets, thanks to the Queen¡¯s rather large family and connections they cultivated over the many years they have existed.


    ¡°It would be my great honor, my princess,¡± James stepped forward and held out his arm to Frostine, ¡°If you would allow me to escort you to the Funeral.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Sir James,¡± she stated, ¡°For being loyal to my family in our trying times.¡± She took his arm and they walked from the new quarters for Frostine. As they walked down the hallway, Frostine saw a glimmer of something on one of the walls. She couldn¡¯t make it out, but she could have sworn it was some sort of symbol. She turned her head to look at it better, but it disappeared from view. She frowned. A mysterious she would be looking into when she had a chance. It might be nothing, but it could be something. She turned her attention forward as James led her through the various hallways of the ancient castle.

 Chapter 3: Late

    Frostine narrowed her eyes against the bright rays of the sun as she stepped out from the shadows of the castle with James at her side. She struggled to see at first until her sight adjusted and took in the open top carriage, the four dark color horses standing in front of the two bench carriage, and the small group of people hurrying around, finishing preparations. A few of them had horses nearby.


    She glanced around the small courtyard. No one representing her father¡¯s court was there. She wondered if they truly supported her step-mother¡¯s bid for power She, also, wondered which of her step-sisters would be married off to the various sons of the local Dukes and Lords in the surrounding lands and estates. She wondered if she would be better off to step into the shadows until something happened to her step-mother, the Queen. She sighed. Those things she would have time to figure out later after she saw her father laid to rest in the Royal Family¡¯s catacombs. Right now, she had to focus on saying goodbye to her father in this life. It never got easier with each new life she lived and remembered.


    She shook herself from those thoughts as James escorted her to the carriage and helped her into it. She settled down, middle of the seat in the front bench. She spread out her skirts, glancing up every few moments to watch the action around her. She aware of James climbing up and sitting behind her left shoulder. The single handmaiden the Queen allowed her to bring with her climbed up and sat behind Frostine¡¯s right shoulder. The two of the guards had hopped onto their horses and move them into position ahead of the horses drawn carriage. The rest of the guard brought up the rear. So this was Her Princess body guards. She casted Analyze on each of them. Her heart fell. They were all low level guardsmen with a large stamina pool. No way why the Queen parted with these guards. Frostine had hoped there was at least one of them with a high level in the teens or at least had a profession. Maybe James did, she thought to herself before she half turned in her seat and cast Analyze on him.


    Analyze didn¡¯t give her a lot of information, but it did give her enough. James did hold the title of Captain of the Princess guard. He was a Level 8 guardsmen with a medium sized magic pool and a large stamina pool. She didn¡¯t know if he had earned his title of Captain through merits or the fact he was the highest level out of her new guards. However, he didn¡¯t have a profession. That was his only downfall. She would soon found out if he got his title through merits or level.


    ¡°My princess, we are ready,¡± one of the footmen announced, turning his seat in front of her as he held the reins in one hand.


    Frostine nodded and called out, ¡°Let¡¯s go and say our final goodbyes to the King. Long Live the King!¡± she didn¡¯t know if that was the right thing to say or not.


    The driver nodded, echoing, ¡°Long Live the King!¡±


    The guards repeated the same thing and their horses started forward. Frostine felt the carriage shift under her as it rolled forward. She stared past the driver to the gate leading to the rest of the castle roads. One day, she promised herself, she would reward these men and women who showed loyalty to her. One day when she was Queen of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom. They will raise to their highest station and want for nothing if they were loyal to her and the Kingdom. However, that was in the future. She couldn¡¯t dwell on the future when her focus on the here and now. The corner of her lips twitched at the old quote from a space movie. If she remembered correctly, it was the first movie where the young Queen she wanted to imitate was introduced.


    Frostine watched as the gate got closer. She frowned. It didn¡¯t open. She looked upward to the wall separating this part of the castle from the rest of it and scanned for the guardsmen she knew were standing. They should have been. However, she didn¡¯t see any of them. Her gut tightened with worry.


    ¡°Ronald,¡± James called out, standing up from his seat, ¡°Angeal.¡± Frostine spotted the two named guards as they turned their horses around and trotted up. ¡°Go up and see if you can open the gate.¡±


    The two nodded and turned their horses around before they rode to either side of the gate and got off. They disappeared through a set of doors. Frostine sat there, waiting. The sound of her heart beat in her ears. Was there a possibility that the Queen would lock her out of her own father¡¯s funeral and try to drive a wedge between the Princess and her people? That was a good possibility, she figured. It would be a way for the Queen to gain the loyalty of the common folk by spreading a lie about Frostine abandoning them. If the Queen did, she would have to counteract somehow. It would be a long dangerous game of chess. Lucky for her, her father had taught her how to play chess in this life.


    One of the guards, Ronald from the looks of him, appeared on top of the wall and called down to the group, ¡°It appears, Captain, we can¡¯t open the gate.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    Frostine glanced over her shoulder to James. He looked troubled at the news before she asked in a loud tone, ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Princess,¡± Ronald cleared his throat, ¡°They have created some of barricade on the other side.¡±


    She hummed, thinking, ¡°Is there another way out of this courtyard for the Carriage and horses?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± James sighed, ¡°But it is a bit longer to get around the castle. This way was a short cut.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get a move on then,¡± Frostine announced, ¡°The Funeral won¡¯t wait for anyone.¡± The driver of the carriage nodded and directed the horses to turn around, heading the opposite direction. She turned her head in the direction of the clock tower. It was analog clock. Numbers surrounded the edge of the clock as a pair of needles sat in the center. The longer needle pointed at 11 while the smaller needle rested upon 9. They had fifteen minutes to get to the main portion of the castle before the funeral parade happened. ¡°We have to hurry.¡± She looked forward, ¡°The parade starts in 15.¡±


    As soon as she said that, a box appeared in the center of her vision and she blinked. The box simply informed her that she could give the driver and the guardsmen a quest. She thought about it. If she had the ability to do that, she could easily level them up and help them become stronger. Another box popped up asking about the requirements of the quest. She knew they needed to be part of the parade before the clock struck noon. If they had managed to do it, she would be grateful to them. Somehow that was translated to increased relationship points, experience points, and skill points in the System. She agreed to give her group a quest.


    A red timer appeared in the bottom right corner of her vision with the two digits - 15. She sucked in a breath. Did she just give out a quest? That was amazing! She blinked and turned her attention to the members of the group.


    The driver nodded, getting the message. He shook the reins and the horses sped up. The guards moved head. Frostine glanced up at the tower. It still took her by surprise sometimes, seeing those kind of analog clocks. In a previous life, analog clocks had been slowly replaced by digital clocks through her childhood and became outdated by the time she reached her 30¡¯s, just like so many things. When she was just a young child, in this life, and gain conscious on what was going on around her, she was surprised by many of things her this life parents had in their royal apartments. Most of the items seemed ancient by the standards of her first life, but in a way, it made life interesting trying to learn how to live without the advancements of technology.


    Frostine was jerked out of her thoughts when the carriage rode over a bump in the road. She tilted to the side as she felt her rear leave the bench for a moment before she landed back in her seat and she reached to grabbed the bench at the same time, her handmaiden and James reached out to her. She clenched the back and the edge of the bench and said, looking over her shoulder, ¡°I¡¯m good.¡±


    James nodded at her and sat down, grabbing the edge of the carriage. However, her handmaiden looked pale as she held onto the carriage tightly. Frostine hoped she would be alright. She turned to face the road. The road they had to take went around the entire stinking castle. Usually, it would take 30 minutes to get there by carriage with the horses walking. She mentally cursed at her step-mother and closed her eyes as she shook her head. Doing that won¡¯t do anyone any good. This was just obstacle in her path and she would have overcome it. She opened her eyes and they widened as she noticed they were entering the merchant distinct.


    Three of the guards rode ahead, trying to clear a path for the carriage, but the dirt covered road was crowded with the villages wanting to see the King for the last time before he was buried in the Royal Catacombs. Frostine saw heads turned before they yelled and scrambled to get out of the way, followed by crashing sounds. She winced. She might have to figure out a way send a few fruit baskets to her citizens or at least send something as an apology.


    She clenched the bench as the carriage race through the streets with the trio of guards leading the way. She turned her attention down to the timer as they reached the outskirts of the village and the streets turned from cobblestone to dirt roads. There was still 10 minutes left. She hoped they would be able to make it in time. She knew it would look bad for her not to be there, unless her step-mother spun in it a way to make it to look. She personally doubt it. She sighed as she tried to relax on the bench, but the carriage wheels ran over the potholes, bouncing along the road. Her heart thundered in her chest. She tried not to think about her step-mother and her actions. She tried to direct her thoughts to the future and what she was going to do as she rocked back and forth on the bench, praying she didn¡¯t fell off.


    Being 12 years old, Frostine knew there wasn¡¯t much she could do. From what she did remember of her previous life of real life and fictional royalty, she was aware she could try to gather allies, so when she was old enough to overthrow her step-mother, she could have an army at her back. However, she knew the downside of that. There was always a chance she would be betrayed by an ally or her step-mother would try to have her killed off to get the Heart Crystal of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom. She was sure that was the other way to get a Heart Crystal. The Queen would have to be close by to lay claim on the Heart Crystal upon Frostine¡¯s death. Of course, she could thwart the Queen¡¯s actions by selecting an heir to pass the Heart Crystal onto, but it would also put the person she chose in the Queen¡¯s line of fire when she discovered what Frostine had done. She sighed. She resisted the urge to cross her arms over her chest and pout. It would be childish. Plus, it would increase her chances of falling off the carriage as it bounced along the holey road. She could act her age later when she was alone.

 Chapter 4: Queen Regent Janet

    Janet, The Queen of Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom, smirked as she saw the path leading to the Forgotten Tower where she had ordered her step-daughter, Frostine, to live, just yesterday. She didn¡¯t want her own daughters to be influenced by the creepy daughter of her late husband. The child acted differently from the other 12 year olds Janet had dealt with, raising several daughters. Frostine appeared to act one way in front of the Court, acting like a pre-teen trying to act more older and mature then her actual age while keeping the child-like innocence and wonder, but in private, Frostine¡¯s attitude changed completely, reminding Janet of a woman around her own age - her mannerism, how fast she would catch onto things only adults would, and the list went on. No 12 year old should be able to do something like that. It rubbed Janet the wrong way.  She actual prefer her step-daughter to vanish so she could claim the Heart Crystal of Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom and she would rule the Kingdom the way she saw fit.


    Personally, Janet never thought she would raise up, this far within the ranks of royalty. She was a simple peasent, a daughter of a merchant and a witch, one child of many. Sometime during her late teen years, she had managed to catch the eye of a Duke. She didn¡¯t love him, but she did agree to marry him because he presented her an opportunity to raise up the ranks of society. Her own mother had no desire to do that, despite the fact she could have used her magic on people. However, once in a while, her Aunt would visit and tell Janet stories about how she would bewitched Kings, Emperors, and low level gods to get what she desired, but she would usually flee when she got caught and the Royal Family had sent out a bounty on her Aunt¡¯s head. Between her mother and Aunt, Janet started to learn how preform magic. She quickly leveled her skills in the magical fields and abilities.


    After the wedding was over, she discovered she could barely stand her husband and his personality, but he made up for it in their marriage bed. That was probably the only reason why she didn¡¯t killed him, immediately. She was content and ended up baring him several children - all daughters. However, he didn¡¯t have a male heir and sought out company outside of their bedroom. He had the nerve to approach her about a bastard child his mistress had bore and ordered her to adopt the bastard boy, in order to make sure he had a male heir. They had argued over the bastard for weeks before Janet had enough and gave him a special celebration drink to take on the road one day. He was found dead a week later at a random bedroom at a neighbor¡¯s kingdom, during a political mission. She had taken great joy in that news, despite the fact, she had to comfort her daughters over the death of their father and War had broke out between the Snow Capped Mountains and a neighboring Kingdom. King  Adolph took the death of one of his Dukes, personal, and reacted such. For Janet, that was a surprising turn of events and it allowed her to get away with the murder of her own husband.


    Janet turned her attention away from the blocked path, bringing her mind back to the present. She knew Frostine wouldn¡¯t be able to attend the Funeral Parade. She would have to address the Court later if they had any questions about the ¡®Crowned¡¯ Princess¡¯ mysterious disappearance from the Royal Wing and the Funeral Parade. She could come up with a heart tugging story about how Frostine had begged to move to the Forgotten Tower to live the rest of her days in solitude and away from her memories of her precious ¡®papa¡¯. She couldn¡¯t lay it on thick, but just enough where it was believable for the Court. Her daughters would proved support on the story. They didn¡¯t like their new creepy step-sister either.


    Her eldest Daughter, the one who should be the Crowned Princess, Teressa, sat in the carriage behind the Queen¡¯s Carriage. Teressa¡¯s hair was done up in an elaborate bun with a few strands of her dark brown hair framing her face. Her hazel eyes stared ahead as she held the emotionless expression on her white powered face. She looked beautiful in her dark mourning clothes. Any high lord, duke, or prince would be proud to have her on his arm.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Janet resisted the urge to frown. She needed to plan a Coming of Age ball for Teressa. The girl would be turning 16 in a couple months. There was a list of things she would have to complete in order to have the correct set of bachelors to show up for the ball. She wanted the best for her daughters. While she would prefer Teressa married a prince, there was a chance that wouldn¡¯t happen since her daughters¡¯ father was a low Duke in the Court, despite the fact, he was sent on several political quests beside the one he died on.


    In face, Janet had been surprised when she had managed to catch the King¡¯s eye, last year. It was an unexpected blessing, in a way. She didn¡¯t know exactly what to make of it when her relationship had first started with the King, but she did find out and took advantage of it. She created a plan. She even sent a message to her Aunt, but nothing came from it. Apparently, her Aunt had been caught and was killed for what she did. Janet did mourn the news of her Aunt¡¯s death, but she swore to herself she would do better then her Aunt. Her own mother wasn¡¯t much help, saying she wanted no part of Janet¡¯s plan. Eventually, an illness took her away from Janet. It had been years since her own father had died from a bar fight. Janet had thrown herself into the task and often told her daughters to watch and learn how she managed to woo the King into a possible marriage with her.


    Teressa had soaked Janet¡¯s lessons up like a dry sponge in water. Janet felt great motherly proud whenever she used analyze and saw Teressa had archived another level in one of her skills, abilities or even in a new level general. Janet wished Teressa¡¯s younger sisters would apply themselves and started seriously leveling up so they would have better matches for marriages. However, Janet did have time to help them and teach them the various skills they will need to be smarter then their future husbands. She would figure out what to do with Frostine when she had the time. Somehow, the brat inherited the Heart Crystal of the Snowed Capped Mountains. She figured it might have been done in the last few moments of the King¡¯s life. Her darling husband, at first, didn¡¯t have Frostine as his heir, but he pulled a fast one on her and she didn¡¯t see it coming.


    Queen Janet pushed those thoughts away. She needed to play the part of the dutiful wife, mourning the passing of her husband then play the dutiful Queen with limited powers to rule the Kingdom. She didn¡¯t know how much she could do with the limited powers of the Kingdom, but she would figure it out. Maybe she could go through her mother¡¯s and aunt¡¯s spell books to learn a few new powerful spells. She knew she was on the verge of leveling several of her magical abilities. Hopefully, those new spells would send her over the edge and she would ascend.


    ¡°My Queen,¡± the Head of the Knight¡¯s Order spoke up. Janet snapped out of her thoughts and her eyes flickered to him. She didn¡¯t even remembered his name. ¡°We are ready for your order.¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s get this started. It would appear Princess Frostine will not be joining us.¡± She allowed a tear to slid down her cheek. ¡°She has been taking her father¡¯s death hard.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware, my lady,¡± Sir Knight¡¯s voice held a sympathetic note. ¡°You and your daughters are all she has left.¡± Janet was aware of that fact. She knew the previous Queen and King, Frostine¡¯s grandparents were assassinated for some unknown reason. She didn¡¯t know if King  Adolph ever had caught the assassins or learned the reason behind their deaths. Frankly, Janet didn¡¯t care. There was a pause as the rest of the parade fell into line. ¡°I¡¯m sure she will join us, soon.¡±


    Janet nodded her head, but she hoped the brat didn¡¯t join them. Maybe she should make sure to cast a few spells to make sure the great Princess Frostine didn¡¯t join them. She didn¡¯t know if she could do it, secretly. Decisions, decisions, decisions. Before she could debate it further, the carriage horses became to walk forward, heading to the Church where the funeral will be held before the Knights carried the King¡¯s body down to the royal crypts to be buried.

 Chapter 5: The Funeral Ceremony

    Frostine glanced at the red timer at the bottom right corner of her vision. They had less then 2 minutes to join the rest of the funeral parade. She didn¡¯t know what her step-mother would do as the result of Frostine being late. She hoped it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. Of course, it could be. She didn¡¯t know her stepmother well. Her father, the Late King, had married the widow a few months ago after deciding to give Frostine a mother again. This time, her father also gave her several sisters who want nothing to do with her and prefer her to be gone. She knew they wanted to have good matches for marriages, but they didn¡¯t have any ¡®good¡¯ suitors since Frostine was still the True Heir of the Kingdom and would have a line of suitors will to do anything for her attention.


    From what she remembered from her previous life, a royal family having too many daughters could be a bad thing since the line of secession went from father to son. However, the Late King didn¡¯t have a problem announcing Frostine to be the next ruler of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom when she came of age. No body expected the King to die in a random corridor of the castle, leading to the Dungeon of Fear.


    She saw the timer reached the one minute mark. She stood up and grabbed the wooden railing that separated her and the driver. She peered over the driver¡¯s shoulder, trying to measure how much further they had to cover before they joined the funeral parade. She glanced down at the timer and saw there was 30 seconds left. She sighed. They weren¡¯t going to make it. She frowned, thinking. She regretted not studying the maps in her father¡¯s study of the town surrounding the castle. Those maps would have been helpful right now.


    ¡°My lady,¡± her handmaiden gasped from behind her. Frostine ignored her as she glanced to the left where the main street was located, perhaps a few streets over. She managed to catch sight of the funeral parade as it started to move. She muttered a sharp curse word under her breath and she heard the handmaiden gasp while James coughed. The carriage rolled over a large rock and rose into the air. Frostine¡¯s habit of keeping her bent kept her on her feet and inside the carriage as it came back down to the road.


    ¡°I know,¡± Frostine said, ¡°We are going to be late.¡± She looked forward and shook her head. She sat back down. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at her feet. She sniffed as she fought to control her emotions. She took a deep breath as tears welled up in her eyes. She knew what was going with her. She was on the verge of going through puberty. She hated it the first time around and she still hated it. However, she knew it was necessary for her to grow into a woman. She took another deep breath. She felt the carriage take a left turn and slowed to a stop.


    ¡°My lady,¡± James placed a cupped hand on her shoulder. She turned, blinking back the tears that wanted to flow down her cheeks, and looked up at the head guard. ¡°We are going to join the parade at the tail end.¡±


    ¡°At least we arrived,¡± Frostine said, ¡°Later, after we get back to the tower, I would like to address the guards who escorted me here.¡±


    ¡°As you wish, my lady,¡± James looked puzzled, but he nodded. ¡°Forward, driver.¡±


    Frostine reached up and made sure the black veil sat straight on her head and covered her face. She felt the tears she tried to hid from James rolled down her cheeks and her lower lip trembled. She was frustrated at the situation. While she knew there was a chance it wasn¡¯t her stepmother who blocked the path from the Forgotten Tower to the Main road, Frostine also didn¡¯t put it past the new Queen. She refused to take it out on her guards. They could be the only people she would be allowed to interact with for a long time.


    Frostine stared ahead, but she noticed many of the people of the Kingdom pointed and whispered as her carriage past. Even they knew she should have been up closer to the casket then toward the end of the Funeral parade. In small way, she hoped the rumors that will fly over the next few days will make the Queen and her daughters question their actions behind blocking the path from the Forgotten Tower.


    However, once her carriage pulled to a stop in front of the church where her father would be buried in the crypts, she spotted her step-mother standing just outside the double doors. At first glance, she thought the Queen had been crying over the King¡¯s death, but when Frostine took a closer, she knew it was rage coloring her face. The Queen¡¯s eyes flashed, dangerous. Frostine knew she would hear of her actions later that night after dinner. Hopefully, she added silently.


    James climbed out of the carriage first and turned to Frostine, holding out his hand. Frostine reached the edge of the carriage and took his hand as she stepped down out of the carriage. She walked over to the Queen and grabbed the edges of her skirt before she preformed a curtsy, muttering, ¡°Queen-Mother.¡±


    ¡°Princess,¡± The Queen replied, ¡°Inside before you embarrass this family further.¡±


    ¡°As you wish,¡± Frostine bowed her head and hurried inside the large church. She kept her pace steady as she walked to her chair on the opposite side of the aisle way from the Queen and her daughters. The act further solidified the fact she was not welcome within the Queen¡¯s family. That was alright with Frostine. She figured out what to do later. She will need time to do that.


    However, a quest prompt popped into her vision, informing her she had failed the quest to join the Funeral Parade before it started. There were negatives effects to failing the quest. The fact there was a negative effect on relationship points with the Queen and her daughters took her by surprise. She really didn¡¯t think there would be any relationship points rewarded for beating the timer, but apparently, there was. Another side effect of failing the quest was an emotional debuff that was going to last for several hours.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Sitting in the chair next to hers, a foreign prince with dark brown hair, wearing the symbol of the nearby Dwarven Kingdom, gave her a puzzled look as she claimed her seat. He had a silver crown holding his hair back from his face. He might have been a few years older then she was from the whiskers she spotted on his jawline. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t tell his age. She might have use to Analyze on him to gather more information. He could have been a lot older then her, but had the appearance of a human teenager. From what she could remember from her lessons over the nearby kingdoms, the Dwarven Kingdom was ruled by King Bili, son of Fili, Son of Wili, the First of his name, of the Iron Mountain Clan.


    She bowed her head to him as she sat down and casted analyze. The Dwarf was a member of the Iron Mountain Clan, in fact, the heir named Kili. She was right about the age. He was a lot older then her, but there was a number in a circle with the label over it called human years: 70 (14).


    She turned her head away from him, keeping his stat page in the center of her vision, slowly over it. She had no doubt he was doing the same with her boring stat page. His was a lot more interesting to her now she was studied it. Kili had invested several of his leveling points in Endurance which helped increase his stamina pool or maybe it was the fact he was a Dwarf and they got 2 points per level for Endurance and Dexterity. He was already at level 8, but she couldn¡¯t see what his skills were. His level wasn¡¯t high enough for a profession.


    Most non-combat professions were awarded at Level 15 and the combat professions were awarded at Level 30. So, naturally, there weren¡¯t a lot of people with a profession. It was achievable, but once a person achieved a profession in any skill, it was equal to winning the lottery, earning an important prize, and meeting several presidents and royal family members. A Professional could charge any amount of money for their services and give out quests in their profession. For example, a candle maker could give a quest to three of his apprentices to gather dye supplies for red, green, and yellow candles while giving out a second quest to two more apprentices to create the wicks for several different candles. So far, Frostine hadn¡¯t heard of a limit on quests a professional could give out or how many professions one could have.


    Frostine saw under the Alliances area of his stat sheet his kingdom had an agreement with the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom. That was interesting. She really needed to visit her father¡¯s library to read over the records when she had a chance. When she takes over the Kingdom, she needed to be ready for any agreement renewals.


    She pushed those thoughts away and glanced over Kili¡¯s stat sheet, again. This time, she noticed a locked element on the relationship line and there was a dash next to it with a single word ¡°ONE¡±. It obviously had a weight behind that word. She wondered what that meant.


    Music erupted from the large piano sitting halfway into the wall. Frostine blinked and Kili¡¯s stat page disappeared from her vision as she flicked her eyes to the Bishop, standing by a podium. He glanced down at the open book on top of the slated top before he started to speak, ¡°Today, we mourn the lost of our great leader, King Adolph Frost Meyer, son of Maximilian Jonas, son of Theodore Jakob, son of Henry Bruno¡­¡±


    Frostine admitted to no one else, but herself that she turned the Bishop as he listed the last several Kings. There was no need to go back 15 generations to acknowledge her father¡¯s birth right to the Crown of the Snow Capped Mountain Kingdom, even though one of the last 15 rulers was Female. She tuned back into what the Bishop was saying after he had finished the list of names, ¡°Join his ancestors in their eternal sleep. Blessed be the Faithful.¡±


    ¡°Blessed be the Faithful,¡± Frostine echoed with majority of the attendants. She dimly noticed Prince Kili didn¡¯t speak the phase. She knew he didn¡¯t follow the religion she had grown up with in this life. She wondered what the Dwarf lore speak of the creation of the World and how their people came to be.


    The Bishop continued, ¡°Through our Father and The God of All, our beloved King will arise in Paradise and live without hungry or pain until it is his time to rejoin the Cycle of Rebirth. He will walk among us once more until we will remember how he lived in this life.¡± Frostine glanced across the aisle way to see her step-mother looking stotic like she didn¡¯t have a care in the world, but Frostine recognized the glint of proud in her eyes. ¡°King Adolph was a great warrior and even better leader. We have faced a time of peacefulness we have not experience during his father¡¯s, King Maximilian, time on the Throne. Hopefully, that peace will last through the Queen Regent Janet¡¯s time until Princess Frostine takes the Throne and marries a suitable Prince.¡±


    Frostine cocked an eyebrow at the Bishop when he turned to her. She wanted to remind the Bishop it was her father¡¯s funeral and not a sermon. His cheeks turned a faint shade of pink when he saw the look on her face. Frostine saw he turned to the Queen and the color deepened. She glanced over at her step-mother and saw the dark look she had coloring her face. Frostine had to bit her tongue in amusement. Despite the obvious feelings the woman and the child felt toward each other, they didn¡¯t like being talked down by a mere priest.


    The Bishop cleared his throat as Frostine sensed someone entering her personal bubble. She glanced over to see Prince Kili¡¯s eyes glinting in amusement and he muttered, ¡°He doesn¡¯t respect you or your step-mother much, does he?¡±


    ¡°Obviously not,¡± Frostine agreed, ¡°He can be replaced if he creates too many problems for either of us.¡±


    ¡°Of course he can be,¡± Kili agreed, ¡°Especially he tries to jeopardies any peaceful treaties between our two kingdoms.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting something, Prince Kili,¡± Frostine questioned. She took delight in the surprise look darting across his face and saw how his eyes unfocused. He was no doubt looking through her stat page like she did when she first sat down next to him.


    ¡°Interesting, Princess,¡± Kili commented, ¡°However, your analyze skill obviously is still too low to read into the other parts of my stat page.¡±


    ¡°I will have to wait to see the rest of your stat page when my analyze skill is a lot better,¡± she rolled her eyes, ¡°I still have a few years before I can take the throne.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I noticed that aspect of your civilization,¡± he replied, ¡°I look forward to working with you when you do take the Throne from your Step-Mother.¡±


    As Frostine turned her attention back to the Bishop as he went on praising her father¡¯s many accomplishments, she saw the Queen¡¯s dark look transfer onto her. A heavy feeling settled into her stomach and she worried what will happened later that night after the Funeral was over.

 Chapter 6: Punishment Delivered

    Frostine watched with watery eyes as her father was lowered into the Family Crypt. The moment the coffin disappeared from sight, people started to leave the Church. She heard them talking in soft voices. However, she didn¡¯t tear her gaze away from the hole in the floor until the piece of the floor moved back into place, covering the hole. She took a deep breath and reached up to wipe her eyes. A hand cupped her shoulder. She glanced over to see Prince Kili standing a foot away.


    ¡°I know I haven¡¯t experience what you have went through, Princess, but I can tell you are a person with a strong will and you will make it through this troubled time,¡± The Dwarven Prince started, ¡°You have my sympathies over your loss.¡± He offered his arm to her.


    Frostine nodded, ¡°Thank you.¡± She took his arm and allowed herself to be escort out of the Church to her carriage. She spotted her handmaiden already sitting in the carriage while Sir James stood beside the footsteps, waiting on her. Prince Kili paused next to the carriage and nodded at Sir James. He grabbed her left hand as Frostine grabbed a handful of her black skirt with her free hand before she climbed the stairs. She let go of Kili¡¯s hand and her skirt before she settled in her seat. She met Kili¡¯s eyes and said, ¡°Thank you.¡± This time she tilted her head in his direction.


    Kili grinned, brightly, and said, ¡°Anything for you, my lady.¡±


    Frostine blinked when she heard some of the words being stressed. An odd feeling settled down into her stomach as she knew the stress words meant something. She might have to look into the Dwarven culture to understand what the Prince of the Iron Mountain Clan meant.


    They heard some bark something in the Dwarven tongue and Kili¡¯s cheeks redden as he preformed a hurried bow to her before he turned away. He didn¡¯t run. Apparently, that was also against the Dwarven Royal protocol. However, he did walk as he could toward his mountain pony and the rest of his group.


    Frostine spotted a bold Dwarf with tattoos covering his head and dressed in enough armor to give the impression he was either the Head of the Guard or a very important person within the escort party, already sitting on a pony and giving a glare to the Prince. She cocked her head to the side. There was another thing about Dwarven culture she just learned. The Guard, she was assuming on his position within the escort party, could give a lecture to the Prince while they were in public. She frowned, thinking about that as she strained her ears. The Guard was speaking in their mother tongue. Perhaps, he used that as a cover to do that. Anyone would think the Guard was giving some important advice on how to handle the rest of the ceremony, but Kili¡¯s face told a different story.


    She tried not to giggled. She knew how it felt to get a lecture, even though in her case, it would be whispered by her guards and not using a loud tone where everyone could hear. She turned away, but she spotted out of the corner of her eye, the bold guard turned to her carriage.


    Sir James noticed her gaze to the Dwarven party and rolled his eyes as he climbed into the carriage, settling down in the same spot he had occupied on the way to the church. He called out, ¡°Driver!¡± The driver turned in his seat. ¡°Take us back to the Forgotten Tower.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Frostine added in.


    James sighed, ¡°Please.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± The Driver flicked the reins and the remaining guards of Frostine¡¯s party filled into rank around them as the driver stirred them back to the base of the Forgotten Tower. A notification appeared in the center of her vision a few moment later, stating her relationship with Kili had improved to Friendly from Acquaintances. It would be easier to start a conversation with him the next time she ran into him, assuming there would be a next time.


    Frostine and her handmaiden, Natasha, walked into her new bedroom at the top of the Forgotten Tower. The Princess sighed as she reached up and grabbed the black veil, pulling it off her head. She tossed it at the high back chair before she reached behind her and undid the strings holding the dress together. She felt the torso of the dress loosen and she let out a sigh of relief, closing her eyes briefly.


    The combine years of her old life and this one, she had discovered she didn¡¯t like wearing a corset. They were medieval torture devices for females. However, in a way, she was thankful she had started wearing one early in this life. Her body had developed to allow her internal organs to move to create the illusion of a smaller waist. In fact, she had to forced to start wearing one when she turned 8. At first, she thought it was creepy for a kid at 8 to wear a corset, but as she grew up a little and felt her organs shift to make her waist to look smaller then it was, she was somewhat glad.


    It didn¡¯t take her long to shed the black dress and walked across the bedroom, wearing her under shift. Natasha giggled at her actions. ¡°My lady!¡± she tried to scold her, ¡°What if there had been a man in this room?¡±


    ¡°Why would a man in my bedroom in first place when he is not my husband?¡± Frostine shot back. ¡°A True Gentleman would know he wouldn¡¯t welcome in my bedroom unless I welcome him there.¡± She sent a smirk over her shoulder and went to her closet. She opened the door and walked into the huge walk-in closet she would have destroyed her monthly budget in her previous life to have. Now, it was a given she would have to have one since she had been born into royalty. She eyed the various dresses. She grabbed a dark silver one. It would good with her dark colored hair and it would also fit the mood of mourning, still. She slipped it on over her head and forced down around her form. Lucky, this dress didn¡¯t have corset with it so she didn¡¯t have to worry about feeling her organ shifting around to give the illusion of a smaller waistline.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    She sighed as she stepped from the closet. She needed Natasha¡¯s help to tie up the back of the dress. She missed having zippers on dresses. Maybe she could talk a trailer to work with the blacksmith to create zippers. She frowned when she glanced through the bedroom. Natasha usually followed her into the bedroom and picked up the discarded mourning dress that Frostine had left on the floor.


    Frostine walked over to the discarded dress and picked it up before she tossed it on the back of the nearby chair. She walked to the anti-chamber and froze in the doorway. She stared at the large escort group filling the room. At the end of the group, The Queen Regent Janet stood with a glared on her face.


    ¡°You were late, Princess Frostine,¡± Her step-mother started, ¡°That was unacceptable. You embarrassed myself and my daughters.¡± She paused. Frostine didn¡¯t say anything, waiting. ¡°What do you say for yourself?¡±


    Frostine had a lot to say, but she was 12 years old and she had to act like it. She spoke, ¡°The path was blocked, Step-mother¡ª¡°


    ¡°You will address me as my Queen, your highness, or your majesty, Little Princess,¡± The Queen growled, ¡°I will not accept you as one of my daughters.¡± Frostine opened her mouth to reply, but she snapped it shut as the Queen went on, ¡°I only accepted your father¡¯s request of marriage to further my daughters¡¯ status. They were meant to be princesses and they will rule their own Kingdoms, but Teressa will rule this Kingdom when I pass.¡±


    Frostine blinked. She didn¡¯t expect for Queen Janet to say the quiet part out loud, but she wasn¡¯t surprise. She glanced through the room for her handmaiden and her Head of the Princess Guard.


    Natasha was bounded and gagged near the window. She looked terrified and surprised when she heard the Queen¡¯s confession. She didn¡¯t struggled against the guard standing beside her with a knife pointed at her throat.


    Sir James lay crumbled on the stone floor. Frostine spotted blood surrounding his head. She hoped it was stretch or flesh wound and nothing deeper than that. She also hoped he would awake from being knocked out. His sword laid a few feet away from his out stretch hand.


    ¡°My apologies, my Queen,¡± Frostine preformed a curtsy. She needed to stay on Queen Janet¡¯s good side for the time being. She didn¡¯t want any innocent blood on her hands. ¡°The path to join the Funeral Parade was blocked, your highness, and my escorts had to find another way to join the Funeral Parade. We tried to get there before the parade started to move.¡±


    ¡°Excuses,¡± Queen Janet spat. ¡°As punishment for embarrassing my daughters and I, you will spend the two nights in the Dungeons.¡±


    Frostine took a step back as she heard the sentence. Two nights in the Dungeons? The adult side of Frostine thought it was a bit overkill on the punishment and would have settled on something simple as being grounded. That was far better punishment then the Dungeons. The child side of Frostine reacted to the news instead. After all, it was where her father had died. Tears filled Frostine¡¯s blue eyes as her lower lip trembled. ¡°Why the Dungeons?¡±


    ¡°Be glad it is the Dungeons and not something far worst,¡± The Queen snapped, ¡°Guards! Take the disgraced princess away.¡±


    Four guards stepped forward and encircled Frostine. They marched forward. The two rear guards grabbed Frostine¡¯s upper arms and forced her to walk with them. She didn¡¯t say a word as tears rolled down her cheeks and the group left the anti-chamber with the Queen calling behind them, ¡°Make sure you are not seen. I don¡¯t want this to get out and become a scandal for the Crown.¡±


    Frostine tried to hold her head up high and not to shed a tear as they took the long way to reach the dungeons. Fear slowly crept into her heart as they reached the stairs descending to the dungeons. She knew this path. It was the same path her father had used to banish the criminals and other people with a death sentenced walked this path. At the far end of the path, the entrance to the Dungeon of Fear sat, waiting for its next meal. It was also the same path they had find her father laying in the pool of his own blood.


    Her heart thundered in her ears as she was forced to walk down the stairs with the guards¡¯ holding her upper arms, still. She noticed their grip had gotten tighter as they reached the bottom of the stairs. A guard wearing a captain¡¯s armband around his left upper arm stepped from the shadows and said, ¡°Halt.¡±


    The group came to a stop. One of the leading guards stepped forward and stated in a loud voice, ¡°The Queen Regent had ordered¡­¡± he paused as he appeared to be thinking about what to address Frostine as before he went on, ¡°The Princess Frostine to stay in the Dungeons for the next two nights.¡±


    The Captain¡¯s raised his eyebrows in surprise and peered over the Guard¡¯s shoulders to stare at Frostine. He blinked then he went on, ¡°On what charge?¡±


    ¡°For Embarrassing her royal highness and her daughters,¡± The guard explained, ¡°The Princess Frostine had appeared late for the Funeral Parade.¡±


    ¡°Oh for The Blessed One¡¯s sake,¡± the Captain growled, ¡°You are telling me that the Queen Regent had ordered the imprisonment of her step-daughter for being late for the Funeral Parade for her own father.¡±


    Frostine gathered her courage and took a deep as the Guard stumbled over his words in the face of the Captain¡¯s wrath. She spoke, ¡°That is correct, Captain.¡± The Guard stepped to the side and allowed the Captain to face the Princess. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t address me as the Queen Regent¡¯s step-daughter, anymore. She doesn¡¯t like it.¡±


    The Captain blinked again at that statement before he asked, ¡°Perhaps, if you could be kind, Princess, to explain what happened.¡±


    Frostine did. The guards who had escorted her shifted uneasily as Frostine informed the Captain of what had happened. The Captain nodded and started to pace back and forth. She used analyzed and got the Captain¡¯s stat page. She ran her eyes over the important parts, getting the Captain¡¯s name, level, and profession as well as a few other parts of his character.


    Captain Rex was an half Human-Elf Level 30 with a profession of Administration and Warrior. He got a point of agility and Dexterity per level, thanks to his Elven heritage. Frostine thought he would have at least 2 points to Agility and Dexterity since he did have Elven blood, but apparently, it was cut in half for being a half Elf. If she remembered from her studies with her father, Elves did get 2 points to Agility and Dexterity and were naturally gracefully. They also got boost to their herbology skill for their natural affinity with nature. However, Frostine¡¯s Analzye skill was not high enough to figure if Captain Rex receive such boost to his herbology skills, was naturally gracefully, or his alliance was. She studied him. He looked conflicted over what to do.


    ¡°Captain Rex,¡± She started. He looked startled, but he snapped a salute with a mutter of her title, ¡°If it helps, Princess is outranked by Queen and Queen is out ranked by King. With no King, the Queen¡¯s word is law.¡±


    Captain Rex looked taken back, ¡°Princess, you are aware of what that means.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Frostine sighed, ¡°I¡¯m spending the next two nights in the Dungeons.¡±