The Eighth Kingdom.

Maidens and men came from miles away to enjoy nights full of passionate sex and endless drinking in our private ballroom.

These events were invite-only, and I made it my personal mission to screw as many maidens as possible—to use sex to dull the harsh pain of losing our parents at sea.

With the two of them long gone, we didn’t feel the need to listen to our staff’s warnings about the consequences of our vices, and if any of them dared to challenge us, we locked them away in a dungeon for months at a time.

The only exception to this rule was Sola, our annoying cousin, who was the only other living family member we had.

Her job was to make sure whoever she let inside was “someone you could see on a wall of royalty.”

It was always that simple, and she almost always complied.

But she fucked up on one particular night…

In the middle of a storm that was ravaging homes and toppling trees every second, she took pity on an old, haggard woman who knocked on the door.

As if this woman was actually someone worthy of being in our presence, she treated her to a cup of tea and offered her new clothes.

Then she brought her down to our party.

“Oh wow!” She sat behind a harp, pushing two maidens away. “This party is far more interesting than I thought.”

“Well, that’s good to know since you weren’t invited,” I said, signaling for the music to stop. “Who let you in here?”

Sola raised her hand, whispering, “She needed a warm place to stay for the night.”

“And that’s not our problem.” Charlies rolled his eyes.

As if she wasn’t interested in our conversation, or the fact that she was in the wrong, the woman stood up and moved to the middle of the dance floor.

She twirled around under the sound of her own humming, shutting her eyes and acting as if she owned our palace.

My brother and I exchanged “What the fuck?” glances.

When she finally stopped, she realized she was all alone on the floor and my brother and I commanded our guards to take her to the dungeon.

“No, wait. Please!” She begged. “I only request a few nights of hospitality, Your Graces. I will be forever grateful. I can offer you both a special gift in return if you agree.”

“You’re wearing a necklace made of wet forest moss.” Charlie laughed. “I doubt you have anything of value to offer us.”

“Please.” Tears pricked her eyes. “You shouldn’t determine a woman’s worth by what she wears…or what she looks like.”

Annoyed with her intrusion, I snapped my fingers and again ordered the guards to carry her away.

“Let this woman wither away to ash in the dungeon,” Charlie said. “Feed her nothing and block the sunlight.”

As two guards rushed to grab her shoulders, she transformed into a beautiful goddess. A vision in bright red, with a crown of roses atop her head.