Side Fifty-One – Princess Adoria Vi Tra Palludia – ???
The young girl sat watching the water in the ornate marble fountains shoot into the sky with her lancholy golden eyes, spray falling down to the surface of the water in a fine mist, leaving behind dancing rainbows in the oppressive heat of the early-afternoon suns. Up above, the smaller sun was starting to rise, adding its warmth to the true sun that was nearing its peak.
Her long pink hair fluttered behind her in the breeze, and her attendant, a young girl who was waving at her softly with a peacock-feather fan to drive away the most oppressive heat, suddenly spoke up, her voice soft and diffident. “Princess, you seem unhappy. Should I call for your maids? Or perhaps your sister? She always knows how to cheer you.”
“Stop pouting.” Elenya whacked her gently on the head, causing her to tear up. “You might as well co in. We are almost done.”
Seeing the chancellor, she held in a shudder. She didn’t dislike him personally, not really, although she found him a little unctuous and quick to flatter her and her sisters, but she had a natural aversion to him, as apparently his son had a high affinity for Air and Wind, so was a likely candidate to marry her sister Elenya. The son, Barbro, she loathed.
The potential marriage alone was not the entire reason for her antipathy of course, though it was certainly reason enough. She had found him staring at her other sister as well during balls and parties that were held at the palace, and even at her and Kiela. Rumour was that he had already got several girls pregnant. I hate him, he’s creepy. My poor sister…
Rembering what her middle sister Claira had ntioned this morning, she prayed to the Elents Above that Elenya could avoid marrying him, and at least find soone she could be happy with, or at least tolerate. Sadly, in these hard tis, happiness is not sothing we can demand. Our kingdom still stands, but many others… she shuddered, darker rumours circulating amidst the servants when they thought that no-one else was listening, detailing lurid, vile tales of what happened to those in demon-held territory, especially captured Elental Princesses…
“I shall take my leave.” The Chancellor bowed. “My Queen. Princess Elenya. Princess Adoria.” He bowed to them all in turn, displaying faultless manners. “My son passes on his regards.” He smiled toadily at Elenya, who nodded politely, her face expressionless except for a tiny smile. “I do hope I can see you together soon. In these current tis of war, it would be reassuring for the Bloodline of Wind to have an heir, would it not?”
With that he left, and Adoria relaxed, only to be rapped on her head by her sister once more. “Ouch…” she muttered, clutching at her head.
“You need to keep your feelings from your face. Put on a mask, as I do, and your mother does.” Elenya warned her. “Anyway, you wanted to see mother, so I shall leave you.”
As she turned for the exit, her mother spoke. “Daughter. I’m sorry to push you to this, but it is either Barbro or one of the Noble Elves. Only they have the requisite affinities to strengthen the Bloodline. I know the choice is hard, but… we no longer have much ti left. The demon advance grows swifter year on year. I suspect within ten more years, everything will be over.”
Elenya nodded. “I understand, my Queen.” At that, the Queen clicked her tongue, annoyed, but Elenya carried on as if she hadn’t heard. “But if I could have a little more ti to mull it over…”
“A little. It is all I can spare. The sa for Claira too. Soon we will all have to face the battlefield, and I’ll not have Wind and Ice end the sa way as Earth and Lightning.”
Elenya bowed once more, before retreating from the room, and out of the corner of her eye Adoria could see the mask slip, her face cold and anguished. Sister Elenya… I wish there was sothing I could do to aid you…
“So, my daughter, what brings you to see ?” her mother asked, her golden hair flowing like a waterfall of molten tal around her still-youthful face. “I have little ti for idle chit-chat, I fear.”
No! I forgot why I wanted to speak to her… now what do I do? Mortified, Adoria wracked her brains for sothing to say, the stern azure gaze of her mother conspiring to keep her head empty…
User Comments
0 comments from readers