a fallen empire (working title)

The little peasant girl had done her job, she had been nervous from the start, how could she do this to such a valiant and handsome knight she’d thought when queen had asked it of her. The queen had manipulated her, the evil queen had made sure she couldn't not do it. The queen was holding her father, hidden somewhere in the bowels of the dungeons, she'd never seen them herself but she heard rumors from the men in the ale houses, the dungeons were no safe place for any man or women, they do strange things to the mind down there. She couldn't figure out what her father had done to deserve being there.
Her peasant father was all she had left, the plague that spread through the city three summers ago had killed her four brothers, they weren't real brothers, well, one was but she had never known him, he had died before she was born, the rest were her fathers by other women, bastards like her, she wasn't old enough to understand what it was then but she knew now. Every summer the rumours start, "the plague is here, the plague is here!!", it always ended up some grieving mother over-reacting to one of her children's deaths or several.

She remembered the night the queen had sent for her, being brought to the castle by her men, she actually enjoyed it, she had never been through the richer province surrounding the castle before, she was dazzled by the glorious buildings, huge and fancy, and rich with colour, unlike the slums, most of the building were dull and greyish. The queen held her hand, ever so lightly, she could tell the queen despised the poor and having to actually touch one made her skin crawl. If she said no the queen would kill her father and only find another to fill her place. It might be easier for the others, she didn't want the coins the queen gave her, just her fathers safety, but she also had to eat, and without her father there she had no way of gathering food for herself, so she took it grudgingly, a second bribe, the queen knew without her father she would need the money as well. With a quick forced curtsey she had fled the hall before she sobbed. The queen showed her her father, he looked ragged and his eyes were staring vacantly at the floor. At least he was still alive. She would do her thing now.

The next morning she woke up with heat of summer sticking to her body all over. She went to the basins in the middle of plaza and washed herself. She could spend some of the coin the queen gave her on a nice fresh bath in one of the bathing houses but it would have been a waste of time as her filthy clothes would ruin it as soon as she put them back on her scrawny body, and she didn't want to enjoy herself with the queens money, it would have only made her feel even dirtier than she already was. So she decided to get some fresh bread from the bakery beneath her fathers room behind the plaza. The baker knew her well and knew her father even better, she wasn't sure why but she had a feeling he was looking over her, every morning since the queen had taken her father she had sensed or more so noticed people staring at her, people her father knew well, this made her feel safe, but what if they belonged to the queen?

The task given to her, by the queen was not one anyone could do, the queen needed a pretty peasant girl. The Knight she was about to kill, was fond of pretty peasant girls, there are rumours that in every town or city he travels to he lays with the prettiest he can find, she was not old enough to understand the intention of the knight but she knew from the ale houses and from the docks what they were talking about. She was there to plant the seed, so the queen had said. "you are but planting the seed dear child, do not seek to think you are a great assassin now" she whispered in her as she smiled to herself.
"What seed? Where?"
"I will tell you nearer the time you silly girl, cant have you going round for such a long time with that knowledge, something might slip!" the queen pinched her ear.
"I wont say a thing, i promise" she lied. Desperate to know why her father was being held.
"Now then....girl, what was your name again? All in good time dear child" she patted her head one last time before going to the basin to wash her hands.
"My name is Dela" she whispered, not caring if the queen could hear her or not "...Delaya Telarain"

If anything, she would rather be helping the knight kill the queen, she hadn't even been told which knight it was yet, that was to befall to this foul deed, but she was certain that if the tales were true, the songs she hears from the minstrels in the taverns and holy shelters, her dreams that the knight would be the one to prevail, and she and her father would be free, she would plead with her father to leave the city, and travel north to where the farmers are, she couldn't go east, the weather was to cold and too bitter, she would rather be in the city than suffer that. She could work on the farms, she would tell her father, her and her papa, together. That's if the queen keeps to her word. She had vowed a thousand vows that the queen didn't she would kill her herself.

The queen was an evil woman, devious and unforgiving. Her brother was put upon the throne by her late father, his sons unfortunate death and her fathers age meant that the throne would fall to his eldest daughter, conceiving another child was impossible now, all knew that she was not fit to run a kingdom, her imagination was too wild, every corner held someone with a knife, ready for her to turn her back, she was suspicious of everyone, a thousand shadows she did not know to her. The lords and ladies of her court were much older and wiser but none dare to hope what so many people wish for. Her death, and a dark undeserved death it should be. She thought to herself quietly.