Princess of Erodaire II: Part One by christinetran |  |
I sat upon the comfortable cushions and stared out into
the bright, blue sky. Winds whistled past the green trees which dotted the undisturbed
lawn of grass, singing out and praising the world on how beautiful the day was.
Pterii chirped as they flew by under the great blue heavens, happily wheeling
through the clouds which lazily went whichever way the wind blew them. Another
fresh breeze flew in from the window which was open... the window that was always
open.
My hand fell upon the silver chain on my neck,
and I twirled it in my hand. Although this certain chain seemed as plain and
simple as any other thing, it mean a great deal to me. It might be priceless
when compared to Neopoints value, but sentimentally, it was a goldmine. It has
been a few weeks since I've last seen Oldraik, the giver of my simple chain,
and I miss his comforting presence as each day passed by. I looked away from
the open window and glanced at my reflection, meeting the figure of a Maraquan
Draik who looked quite stingy with all the jewelry bedecked upon her. Every
single necklace, bracelet, and earring which I adorned contained at least some
expensive looking gold or gem, except one. I once again twirled the plain, silver
chain upon my neck, my mind still thinking about where Oldraik currently was,
and whether he was safe or in some type of danger.
"Princess Andra," a humble voice said, interrupting
my thoughts and daydreams.
I looked up and saw an Aisha wearing maiden clothing
standing quite nervously by the doorway.
"Yes?" I asked and averted my eyes to glance
out the open window once more. The sun was still desperately trying to reach
it's full peak, but the rays of light still felt hot upon my cheek. The day
felt too warm to be called spring.
"Brunch is served. King Alastare awaits your
company in the Royal Dining Hall," the Aisha replied in her humble tone before
she curtsied and walked off down the pure, white corridor.
I sighed when I received this message, but continued
to sit inside the room decorated with large windows at every side. Although
I knew that I should immediately go to my father's, King Alastare's, side, I
continued to dwell upon the cushions. The room which I sat in was circular in
shape, and it was this room which I am always in. It was the corner which I
ran to during the good or the bad, and I still didn't want to leave it just
yet. But, deep down inside, I knew that I shouldn't keep my father waiting,
so I stood up and took one last look at the bright blue sky before I continued
down the hallway.
The Royal Dining Hall wasn't that far from where
my personal space was located, so I took my time. At each window which I passed,
I gazed longingly at the bright, blue sky, always wishing that I would be allowed
to just release my wings and fly out into the world and away from all signs
of civilization. It was this urge that constantly meddled into my thoughts,
but like all meddling things, it always drifts away once again. The hallways
that I traversed so that I'll be able to enter the Royal Dining Hall were incredibly
unfurnished, and the walls were colored in so pure a white that it clashed with
my taste. I'd rather be outside and running about in the dusty villages and
the fresh grass instead of inside this castle that I considered as my cage.
But, this was my life, and I had to accept it, so all my yearning thoughts were
forced out of my mind as I turned into another passageway.
By the time I finally crossed the many winding
passages of the castle and into the room which my father sat in, an annoyed
look plagued his face. Fear seized me when I laid eyes upon that look, for I
did not realize how long I took to get to the Royal Dining Hall. I rushed to
his side in a second, an apologetic look upon my face.
"Apologizing to His Royal Highness for being
late to Brunch and forcing him to wait upon my arrival," I said and curtsied
to him, which was what every Neopian should do when greeting a King, even if
they are his own kin. With a grunt, my father nodded his acceptance and motioned
with his scaly green hand for me to sit down.
I sat down near my father and started to poke
at my food, for I did not feel as hungry as usual. I glanced up awkwardly and
met the burn of my father's miserly face. The frown that formed his mouth was
still there, a constant reminder of how my father went through bitterness in
the past.
"So," my father said as he laid his sober eyes
upon me, "how was your sleep? Quiet or unpeaceful?"
"Quite peaceful indeed, King Alastare," I replied
as I continued to pick at my food. "How were your dreams, My Majesty?"
"Oh, this and that," he said and glanced down
quickly, but not fast enough, for as his eyes lowered themselves away from my
gaze, I saw a look of remorse and regret cross his face, and it was then that
I knew that his dreams were actually nightmares.
"That's quite nice," I said, ignoring the fact
that I knew the truth about his 'peaceful' sleep. A pang of guilt sprang into
me as I recalled the look of wretchedness in my father's eyes. I quickly searched
through my mind for a topic which I knew that my father might like, and quickly
said, "So are the dungeon renovations faring well?"
"Yes, quite well, actually," my father said quickly
as his head perked up. My heart floated when I realized that I was able to mention
a topic that actually struck his fancy, but I still wasn't satisfied, for the
same grim frown was still embedded upon the King's olden face. "We were able
to put in all of the metal cells to house each dungeon dweller, and I've told
the entire castle guard that at least two guards should be stationed at the
opening of each cell every day. The shifts change every quarter of an hour,
and I also bought a pack of rogue Three-Headed Bearogs to help guard the entrance
to the stairway. Ha! That should keep those rebels from ever escaping again."
I nodded at these words, my eyes lit with interest
just for my father's sake, but deep inside, I wasn't as absorbed in the dungeon
topic as my father was. The only reason which I listened to his rambles was
because he was my King and my only surviving relative, and it was rude for a
daughter or a princess to ignore a speaker this important. "How interesting,"
I said after my father was done talking. "So how ar-"
"Fair morning, is it not, my dear Uncle Alastare
and Lady Andra?" a sweet and sugary voice said as it rudely interrupted me.
A flinch and a shudder swept throughout my body
as I recognized the voice; it belonged to one whom I was not quite fond of.
Lady Vevina, a Starry Draik, owned it, and although she called my father 'Uncle',
she was not at all related to us. She was the daughter of my father's best friend
who died in the past war, and, being the godfather of Lady Vevina, he was bestowed
with her just a few days after I was born.
The moment I first laid eyes on Lady Vevina,
I hated her with a passion. Although I knew that my father was not able to see
through her sugary outerself, I knew who she truly was. The only thing which
she yearned for the most was the honor of being a princess, and there were only
two ways to become one. You'd have to either be born into the royal family,
or somehow convince the king to dub you as a princess, and I knew for a fact
that Lady Vevina was desperately trying to do the latter.
"Quite a fair morning it is, Lady Vevina," my
father said back in a rough tone. His eyes flickered upwards to acknowledge
Lady Vevina's presence before they fell down once again. "Would you like to
join us for brunch?"
"Well, I would, except that I fear that Lady
Andra would mind my presence. Many say that quality King and Princess time are
precious and not to be interrupted," Lady Vevina said sweetly, but she still
swept herself into the chair opposite of mine before I was able to reconsider
my father's offer.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure that Princess Andra
wouldn't mind. She's such a well mannered daughter," my father said back in
a neutral tone and glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "She won't complain."
"So," I finally said as I tried my best to ignore
the annoying face of the Starry Draik before me, "how are you faring in the
search for that runaway dungeon prisoner?"
"Oh yes, how are you faring, Uncle Alastare.
Have you caught that nasty scoundrel yet?" Lady Vevina quickly said and smiled
adoringly up at my father.
"Well," my father said as he slowly put down
his fork and looked at us with his grim face, "the search is only in vain. My
guards and I still haven't been able to capture that durned Shadow Draik yet,
but mark my words, when we do find him, he'll be in for a horrible surprise."
To be continued...
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