Aiyana -
Birthdays… They're supposed to be fun and exciting, right? I should be elated that I'm having a big party with many people coming to celebrate me, but I'm not. August eighteenth has become a day of torment for me. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but that's how I feel about today. I've never been one for the spotlight.
Tonight, I will have to wear my best gown and be on my best behavior. Yeah, I may be the only person who doesn't look forward to my birthday, especially since I'm turning sixteen today, but there are many reasons behind it. Simply, it's because I will have to dance around with amen I don't know and listen to them drone on about how beautiful I am. Who likes doing that sort of thing? How am I to know if they mean it? Or do they say nice things to get close to my father? Being a princess sucks sometimes. You never know who likes you for you and not because of who you were born to be.
Sighing, I sit on my large king sized bed - though I am the only one who sleeps on it and I think it's too large for my small frame - with its pink frilly sheets and red comforter, and I stare out the window for a long time. I'm glad that my window looks out to the forest behind the castle, opposed to looking out over the town. The two blue moons shine softly overhead, casting long shadows from the trees. A small light glows brightly on the peripheral from the village. Every light is on despite the late hour. They are all getting ready for my ball. So many people will be there to watch me fall on my face. I'm so looking forward to that.
Feeling someone staring at me, I turn and look at her. Somehow, I forgot that someone else is in the room with me. My best friend Shylah – she has yet to tell me her last name and still refuses to do so, and this far into our relationship, I stopped caring – scowls at me, holding something red in her hands.
Her eyes look at me, threatening to rip me from my thoughts and hold me prisoner. "Aiyana Leone, stop daydreaming about going beyond and leaving this place behind. Nothing good will come out of facing the universe, don't you know that?" Shylah frowns at me - rare for her. She always has a smirk on her face, but she's right, I was dreaming about what's out past the stars. When it comes to the outside world, she is very pessimistic. Being able to see my dream the way I do makes me feel sad because she is the most open-minded person I have ever met. It isn't her fault that the Kingdom of Leone has become my own personal prison in hell. Actually, since she came here a few years back, it hasn't been as bad. Though, I didn't always resent this place, but again I have my reasons.
Still, there is a twinge in my chest, waiting to burst open and run from where I stand. My best friend is the only one I can explain this to, even if she doesn't understand. "Shylah, why can't you understand that the universe is an amazing place that I want to someday explore? Look out at those stars and tell me that they aren't beautiful," I plead to her as I stare at the few stars that had started to gather when suddenly I see a meteor shoot across the velvety blackness. Closing my eyes, I make a wish for my dream to come true. Please, just let me be able to get out of here and be on my own. Let me visit all the places I've never been able to see.
Opening my eyes, I turn around and stare at Shylah while she scrutinizes me. Her long midnight blue hair hangs in waves past her knees, but she hardly notices how it sometimes gets in her way. Her eyes are a bright golden color and when you look into them; you feel as if she is staring into your soul and scrutinizing how to torture it, at least that is what I am told. She isn't the friendliest person in the kingdom. Although, with me, she's somehow very protective. I'm her very best friend after all - well her only friend.
The wings on her back are the most beautiful wings I've ever seen, other than mine of course. They are an almost transparent midnight blue color and there are several golden specks throughout that remind me of stars. They are very much like the night sky. Her wings resemble angel wings, except that they point towards the sky with several branches all pointed at the tip. When we fly at night, it is hard to see her against the night sky, because she blends in and the only way to see her is her pale skin. Even her clothes are always in dark colors. Like right now, she wears a black top that ends at her belly button, showing off her thin stomach. She has on a dark navy blue mini skirt that barely reaches mid-thigh and shows off her amazing long legs. Her black knee-length high heel boots and elbow length netting gloves add to her dark and flirty nature. I remember the day I met her. We instantly became best friends. Looking back, Shylah hasn't changed much since then.
Walking down the path behind the palace used to be my favorite thing when I was younger, especially around the time I was thirteen.
Behind the castle, there was a large garden and forest area. The garden had beautiful flowers of all colors from red roses to white lilies. Shrubs, bushes, fruit trees, and sculptures were scattered about with a large fountain in the middle. The fountain had unicorns carved into the stone and two graceful stone unicorns connected, sharing the water that flowed out of their mouths. It all led to the deep and enchanting forest beyond. The sweet aroma was heady and strong, but filled with warmth. I loved the smell. It was my favorite place. I tried to come here when I needed to get away from my parents, especially my father. My mother could be overbearing when it came to making dresses for me, but she wasn't the one I usually wanted to get away from. My father, however, caused all of my stress. He was too strict and I could hardly stand him always telling me what to do and how I should act. The only one I liked to be around was my brother, but he passed away last year. My brother, Keani, had gone on an adventure and never returned. He had told me, before he left, that when I turn fifteen, I could go with him wherever he went next if I was a good girl. Now, I can never go anywhere.
Lost in thought as I walked, I didn't notice the girl ahead of me. She had long blue hair and golden eyes. She was very pretty. Her age was a little fuzzy, but she looked to be about sixteen. I accidently tripped over her since I hadn't watched where I was going. It was her fault because she was just sitting in the middle of the path, but she hardly looked up when I fell on my face. "Hey!" I exclaimed angrily. "Why are you just sitting there?"
"Hmmm?" She looked up from the dirt and I found that there were tears in her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I neglected to see you coming." For some reason, her tone and facial expressions changed.
"Actually, I am not. You didn't see where you were going, so therefore it was your fault that you fell on your face.
Angry again, I stomped my foot. "I am going to tell mother and father that there is a pixie in our kingdom."
Doubt flashed in her eyes. "You can tell that I'm a pixie?"
I nodded my head. "Of course, it's not like fairies and pixies look that much alike. I am old enough to tell the difference." Did she think me stupid? I may have been young, but I had been well educated.
"Interesting," she muttered quietly. Her hand extended towards mine and I looked at it warily before I shook it. "I'm Shylah and if you keep my secret, I will be your very best friend."
"Princess Aiyana," I said, giving her my title as well. Her eyes widened at that and she grinned. "I guess we can be friends…" I had muttered quietly.
We were inseparable since.
Coming back into the present, I barely catch the annoyance in Shylah's tone as she says, "Yeah, we better get ready for your sixteenth birthday party or your father will get angry if you're late."
"Yeah, I know how he can be. I do live with the guy, remember?" I say, rolling my eyes and sigh. My father, the king, is most impossible to please. Heeding the warning, I get dressed quickly, though Shylah is the one to pick everything out. I end up wearing a pink thigh length dress with red sparkles all over and a big bloody red bow in the middle above my belly button. From the ribbon of my bow six strips hang down in a circle around my waist, just pass my knees. Then, I pull my short hair into a small bun on the top of my head and let two stray pieces of my bangs hang down the side of my face. I look into the mirror and stare at my reflection. Unlike other fairies, I'm rather short, but like them, I'm thin. Except, I barely have any curves and my… well, I'll just say they are small. My red hair, which has pink highlights, hangs only to my shoulder blades, well, when it's down. The dress I'm wearing accentuates my hair and my matching blood red eyes. Sighing, I turn back to find something to cover my feet. I settle on pink ribbons, really thin material that I wrap around my feet and halfway up my calf. I hate having anything on my feet and refuse to put shoes on.
Shylah wears the same thing she has on and smiles at me. She loves to dress me up for some reason. "You look beautiful. What guy wouldn't want to dance with you tonight?" I fight the urge to cringe.
"Yeah… if you say so, but I do feel like your personal doll." I mutter, finishing the last touches on myself before heading out of my room.
"But you are my beautiful doll." Shylah laughs and dances across the hall.
Without reply, I sigh as I follow Shylah's footsteps down the stair and to the dreaded ballroom where my party will be held.
As soon as I walk through the room, I spot my parents easily. "Hello Mother, Father," I greet them where they are at the end of the room on and next to their thrones. My mom, all blond and wavy tresses, stands tall with her purple eyes alight with a smile. My father, on the other hand, stays seated. His red eyes, which I inherited, gaze at me intently. I also happened to inherit his wavy red tresses, though I added in the pink so I wouldn't look like his girlish clone. Of course no one would make that distinction. My father is tall and graceful whereas I am short and slightly clumsy.
The ballroom is our largest room in the castle, fit to hold hundreds of people. We have all of our events here in this room. The floor is a smooth and polished golden marble that allows us to dance gracefully across its surface. The walls used to be white at one point, but my mom had made it her project to see them covered since the day she was crowned queen. Now, almost every surface of the walls are covered in paintings, letting off a light and happy feeling. The colors are mostly in warm colors like gold, red, orange, and yellow. From the ceiling hangs a golden grand candle chandelier. This is one of my favorite rooms in the castle.
In the distance, I can hear the sound of the maids and servants moving about, trying to get things organized. The smell of bread, fruits, and wine hover in the air along with the smell of a thousand flowers.
"Aiyana you are seven minutes late." My father scolds me, always the strict one, especially when it comes to time. His eyebrows cast shadows over his face, forcing him to scowl at me. Figures he would get the time down exactly. I knew he would be watching like a hawk.
"It's only seven minutes, besides the doors don't open in like three minutes anyway…" Since I already expected this, I know kind of what to say. My dad always does things on time. Therefore, the doors will actually open at the stroke of the next hour, about two minutes away - not that I'm keeping track or anything. I just want this party to start so that it can end.
"Just sit and wait for our guests to come in," the king says and I sit down, not taking the chance for him to scold me again. Shylah sits beside me and we talk for the next couple of minutes in hushed voices. The scowl on my father's face remains intact as he ignores everything around him, with the frequent reprimand of the maids if they do something wrong.
Jaynin, my father, the king of all fairies, is one infuriating man. He's tall and thin like all fairies, well except me… he is the tallest fairy in our kingdom. Having bushy eyebrows and a small beard make him look imposing and somewhat a little threatening, especially with his cold eyes. My mother tells me that he used to be a different man before Keani died. I hardly remember those days. Have you ever smelt a thousand different flowers at once? Well that's how fairies smell. We smell like flowers, but my dad smells like one that wilted long ago. It's sad really, but I can't change someone who doesn't want to change.
Anyway, my father is the reason I can't travel around the universe, to see the other planets, and he yells at me for even thinking of it. Sometimes it's uncanny how he knows just when I think about it. My mother explained to me how my brother used to get the same look before he went on one of his adventures. My father and I don't get along much.
My mother, Queen Nakara - everyone in the kingdom calls her Kara the sweet - is so unlike my father it's comical. She is the sweetest, warmest, loving, and kindest fairy anyone will ever meet. Her hair falls in beautiful blond waves past her shoulder blades, much longer than mine, and her kind violet eyes hold a knowledge that is lost on the world. Her features are gentle with her thin eyebrows and smooth skin.
Sometimes I wonder how such a loving and sweet person can fall in love with such a cynical man. It confounds us all. "Us" being Shylah and me of course. My father loves my mother too, even though sometimes it's hard to see. I've seen it maybe only a handful of times. They love each other and that's that, I guess. I may know why my father is the way he is, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. Because my brother died, my father won't allow me the freedom I so desperately need. Doesn't he get that I loved my brother too? Keani wouldn't want things to be this way.
Keani, my brother, was an amazing person. He was always so kind and loving towards everyone, especially me. I loved him so much. It still hurts sometimes to think about him. He only died about two years ago. Keani was a good mix between both of my parents. He had my mother's blond hair with my father's blood red eyes that match my own. His features were his own though. Being the man he was, he had honor, bravery, he was quick witted and stubborn. He fought for every little thing he believed in. The way he talked, you could believe his dreams were real and alive. Everyone adored him. He would have made the greatest king we have ever had. I miss him with every part of my being.
As the guests start filing in, I'm jolted from my thoughts. Once they start filing in, the band starts to play, and Shylah goes off on her own to dance. She will enjoy this party more than me, even though it's my party. She's just that kind of person. Looking around I spy my parents dancing in the middle of the room. My mother glances at me with a smile, while my father shakes his head. In my mind I could already imagine he would be telling me to dance, "it's what princess' must do." His voice is perfectly ingrained into my skull. I smile back at my mom, but I think she sees the misery and boredom behind it. I ignore my father, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. He is too concerned about my future that he doesn't want to listen to what I actually want to do with it.
A young man, a few years older than me, walks over and asks me to dance with him. Not wanting to be rude, nor did I want to hear it from my father later, I diplomatically accept his outstretched hand.
He leads me towards the middle of the room and twirls me around as we start dancing. I look at him and admire his looks because I notice how handsome he is. Light brown freckles lay across his nose and cheeks, just under his sky blue eyes. Sandy blond hair gently rests against his forehead and down his neck. Looking at him, his features are pleasing to the eye with his round face that shows signs of the boy he used to be even though he looks to be eighteen already. His face looks soft, warm, and friendly. He catches me watching him and he looks me over to take me in as well - but not in a gross way - before he meets my eyes.
"You are so beautiful," he softly murmurs in my ear, his voice deep, yet pleasing to listen too. I decide that he smells like a dewdrop on a red rose first thing in the morning, and I love it. "You know, you are of age now to get married and I would be so delighted if you were to choose me as your husband." I am stunned and stop dancing at once. Marriage? One thing I don't want to do this early in my life. I've only just turned sixteen! Although, I think this guy is nice, I don't know him, and to accept a marriage proposal is unthinkable.
Somehow, though, I don't want to upset him. I'm sure my father worked something into the announcement of this ball about a possible marriage with me. It isn't this man's fault that my father got his hopes up. "Well, why don't we go out on a date and see what happens, um…?" Shoot. I don't know his name.
"Just call me Ace, and that would be very nice," he smiles at me. I like his smile; it makes him look even more attractive.
We dance in silence until the song is over. Once it ends, I step away from him, and say, "thanks for the dance and see you soon, I think." He bows low with another smile playing at his lips as he nods and walks away.
Seeing my parents practically bouncing in excitement, I walk over to them. "How was your dance? He seems like a nice guy to marry," my father starts as soon as I walk over to where he and my mother are standing.
"Father!" I quietly yell. This is ludicrous, shouldn't he think I'm too young to get married? After all I'm supposed to be his little girl.
My father barely notices my outburst. "By the way, I sent an invitation to every palace with an eligible prince for you, so that you can pick a husband," my father says with a grin. Like he couldn't tell how I was going to take that.
"What!?" I yell a little louder than last time. A few people turn and send me a curious glance. I refrain from sticking my tongue out at them and tell them to mind their own business; that would only get me in more trouble. My father would only tell me how it isn't very princess-like.
"Well, yes, it is about time for you to get married young lady," my dad responds, frowning at my reaction.
"But…?" I start, but my father interrupts.
"This argument is over; I don't want to hear another word about it today," he says, looking around at all the curious eyes and ears.
What argument? He won't even let me get a word in. "Fine!" I yell, stomping back through the dance floor, "but don't think I will forget about this." In my anger, I accidently bump into a man I don't know and apologize. All he wants is to dance, so I let him lead me into the thickening crowd. I really need a distraction or else I might kill my own father. He makes me so angry!
I end up dancing with many men and some of them even ask for my hand in marriage. Of course, I turn them down. By the end of the night, I am yawning endlessly and my irritation with my father hasn't decreased a bit. Maybe it has something to do with the many proposals I've had tonight. They barely knew me and yet they ask for my hand just like that? No, all they wanted was to get the chance to be king and rule. The riches were probably another thing they would love. Whatever. If I could do anything to prevent my father from marrying me off, then I would do it in a heartbeat. Even run away.
I go up to my room and dress in my nightclothes - leaving the party behind. I know it was for me, but I doubt I will be missed much. After I finish changing, I crawl into bed, and the second my head hits the pillow I am out for the night.