The Doppelganger Princess

By Kimberly Vogel

All is not well in the royal court. King Francis' health is failing. While the three councilman wait to see whether he will recover or die, rumors develop in the palace. The woman behind the princess' veil might not be the true heir. Councilman Simon seeks the truth. Councilman Henry seeks to place the princess on the throne - by whatever means necessary. Councilman Herbert only wishes to keep the kingdom of Upper Tsubasa from falling apart no matter what changes occur. Away from the palace the rest of the Tsubasans are also just trying to survive. If the princess has been replaced by another, where did she go? And if so, can she survive long enough to return before her father's death?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 22, 2014
• ISBN: 9781304802941

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The Doppelganger Princess

The Doppelganger Princess

Copyright

Copyright © 2014 by Kimberly Vogel.

ISBN eBook 978-1-304-80294-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

For additional copies refer to:

http://www.lulu.com/shakkathi

Acknowledgements

I want to thank my family and friends for supporting me.

Without you, I don’t know where I would be.

CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Royals at Play

Chapter  2 Peasants’ Existence

Chapter 3 Royals at Work

Chapter  4 Bliss of the Peasants

Chapter  5 The Councilman’s Suspicions

Chapter  6 Not a Perfect Life

Chapter  7 Destroying Paradise

Chapter  8 Who is this Woman?

Chapter  9 Conspiracy Unleashed

Chapter  10 The New Royals

Chapter 1 Royals at Play

Nestled into caves set in a rocky slope, a group of fair-skinned figures bedded down for the night. They were different from the other people in the land, mainly due to the addition of feathered wings on the men and elongated ears on the females. Only the royal line was able to have both, though not all did.

Goodnight my dear, King Francis said.

Goodnight, Father, the princess replied from behind her bedroom curtain.

With a nod, the king left the room. The moment that he did, the princess’s attendant Maude closed the door behind him. From another doorway a new man entered the bedroom.

Good evening, he said.

Bowing her head, the attendant hurried out of the princess’s bedroom into her own. It was from there that the man had emerged. She closed her door to give them privacy.

Does he suspect anything? Henry asked as he walked to the curtain that veiled the princess from view.

Not a thing, the princess replied. A single pale hand reached out to him. Will you join me tonight?

Chuckling softly, Henry clasped his hand under hers as he kissed the back of it. Now, now, you know that can’t – not yet.

Please?

No, my princess, Henry replied, releasing her hand.

Fine, the princess replied. She pulled her hand back behind the curtain. Do it soon.

In due time, Henry said. Hiding a smirk, he turned away from the bed. Goodnight, Princess Charlotte.

Goodnight.

Walking to the door he entered from, Henry knocked. It’s time.

Yes, Councilman, Maude replied as she opened her door.

Pushing past her, Henry said, You know what you need to do.

Yes, Councilman, Maude said as she closed the door behind him.

In her bed the princess sighed. Charlotte did her best to ignore the noises from the other room. She couldn’t blame him from finding comfort somewhere else. The rules the king had set in place meant that no one other than the royal children’s attendant could look upon the face of any royal children. It was to make sure that no one knew which child was the heir to the kingdom. That way the king and kingdom couldn’t be threatened. That made it impossible for her to make friends with anyone besides those in the royal court, however. Lying in her bed, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Well before the others rose in the new morning, Henry slipped out of the princess’s attendant’s room. There was much that he had to do. All would be for naught if he were to be caught sneaking out of the royal bedchamber. Walking through the stone hallways, he made his way into another woman’s bedroom.

In her bed the doctor curled up on the far side. The piles of blankets kept Mallory warm despite the chilly weather in the mountain heights. As the councilman slipped into her bed, she rolled over to press her body to his.

Smiling at the movement, Henry wrapped his arm around the smaller figure. With his body on the side, his auburn feathers curled against his back. He didn’t need much rest this night, so he simply lay in bed with her. As long as they didn’t leave the room together then he wouldn’t get in trouble for fooling around with her too.

As the sun streamed through cracks in the far wall, the princess woke. Climbing down from the platform bed, Charlotte slipped out from behind the curtain. Without it blocking her she could see everything clearly as well. Stretching her arms above her head, the seventeen-year-old let a small yawn pass her lips.

Good morning, Princess, Maude said as she entered the room. The blonde woman pulled the cloth away from the windows to let the sunshine fill the space.

Turning to her, Charlotte smiled at the older woman as she said, Good morning.

Would you like me to help you bathe?

No, I can do it, the princess replied. She brushed her fingers through her long white hair as she dropped her arms. Wandering around her bedroom she walked through the doorway into the bathroom area.

Yes, Princess, the attendant said. She turned her blue eyes to a wardrobe set by the door. What would you like to wear today?

What does it matter? the princess replied from the bathroom. No one is going to see me anyway.

But it could make you feel good.

Just the usual, Charlotte said.

Very well, Maude replied. She removed a beige dress and brown leather boots. A gold detail ran through both of them.

Though the princess didn’t wear a crown, she did have a silver chain with a sapphire pendant as the mark of her future rule. With her morning wash complete, Charlotte dressed for the day in the clothes provided. To finish off the look she took a head-to-toe veil from the wardrobe and wrapped it over her shoulders.

Are you going out?

Glancing at her, the princess replied, I wasn’t planning on it yet, but if they come with breakfast I don’t want to have to hide in my bed again.

Ah, yes, Maude said. Glancing at the door as someone knocked, she murmured, Speak of…

I know, Charlotte said. She flipped the veil over her head. Her brown eyes could barely be seen beneath the fabric.

Opening the door, Maude smiled at the servant behind it. Thank you, she said as she pulled the wheeled cart into the room.

Gazing at the door, the princess pulled the veil off her head as soon as it closed. What do we have?

It looks like pancakes, oatmeal, and spiced apples, Maude replied.

Are you eating too?

Yes, but it’s just the oatmeal.

Fine, Charlotte said. She dropped the veil on her bed. Walking to the desk by the largest outside opening, she sat in a wooden chair.

Pushing the cart over to the desk, Maude moved the princess’s food onto it. Then she sat in another chair with the cart in front of her. The simple food was quickly consumed. Standing again, the attendant collected the dishes after the princess had finished. She took those to the servant who waited just outside the door.

Staying out of view of the other person, Charlotte waited for the door to close. Then she collected her veil from the bed. It’s time to face them - so to speak.

As you wish, Maude said.

With a wry smile, Charlotte pulled her veil over her head. Once she was hidden, she walked to the door that led into the hallway. She paused just long enough for her attendant to open the door ahead of her. Walking into the hallway, the princess traveled through the winding corridors up to the throne room.

A man with dingy gray feathers walked up to the pair. Good morning Princess Charlotte, he said, raking one hand through his short brown hair. His single wing curled behind his wife as they walked arm in arm. 

Hello Councilman Herbert, the princess replied.

I hope that you are well, the councilman’s wife said.

I am, thank you Ashlee, the princess said.

A man with pale gray feathers hurried to join them. The brown streak in the front of his blonde hair waved back and forth. Good morning, he said, lifting one hand.

It feels like a good day, Councilman Simon, Herbert said.

That it does, said a third councilman as he walked to join them. He had the auburn wings. Henry’s slicked up hair was pure white, though. Smiling broadly at the group, he lifted his hand. Are we ready for today?

I am, the princess replied.

Let’s hurry to join the king then, Henry said.

As a group they walked through the hallway to a carved archway. Entering the throne room the princess and her attendant walked straight through the huddled masses to the platform. The king’s throne was set in the center at the back of the platform. The three councilmen’s seats were off to the right side just below the platform. The height between them wasn’t much, just enough to show the king’s superiority. The royal children’s seats were on the left, though there was only one for the princess. Against either side wall near the front the princess’s attendant and the councilman’s wife had a chair as well.

Turning his brown eyes around the room, King Francis said, Now that we are all here, we can begin our day. He rubbed his hand over his hairy chin. The brown hair was turning white, the same white as his feathered wings. Dropping his hand, he asked, What is the first item of business?

At the king’s question, the councilmen took turns bringing up different grievances from the people gathered in the throne room. The gatherings were held for one straight week during each month to give the people time to travel. Since the war across the world ended the Upper Tsubasan people had trouble connecting one pocket of their civilization with another due to the chaos in the land below the mountains.

There were three main settlements on the continent that they remained in. Right now the royal court was held in the northernmost cluster around the mouth of the central river. While they didn’t want to move, if the situation with the other countries grew dire then they would.

At the end of the afternoon’s activities the people dispersed. To help with the princess’s safety one of the councilmen escorted her and her attendant to her quarters. While it wasn’t definite that she was in danger, the king didn’t want to