‡ Celleria ‡
A kingdom, where beauty and wealth reign supreme, King Richard's royal army returned triumphant, fresh from their latest conquest. The king, blessed with divine grace, was accompanied by his queen, three concubines, and four royal children. Within the castle walls, three children and their mothers eagerly awaited the king's arrival, but one child stood apart. Kira, the last born and only daughter of the queen, watched from her mother's room with anger and resentment as the king was received with fanfare.
Kira's pale white skin and snow-white hair seemed to glow in the dim light, her eyes burning with a fierce intensity. She and her mother, the queen, had been relegated to the shadows, mocked and belittled by the concubines and ignored by the king. The queen's attempts to protect Kira had failed, and she was now bedridden, weakened by sickness and unable to shield her daughter from the cruelty of the concubines.
Every day, the children and their mothers would taunt and disrespect the queen and Kira, their cruelty escalating until the queen was too weak to intervene. Kira was left to fend for herself, her small body bearing the bruises and cuts of their cruelty. Even the king's concubines had turned on her, poisoning her constantly with their malice and neglect. Only the queen's closest maids and butler had shown her kindness, keeping her alive and safe from harm.
As Kira turned four, her life was a constant struggle for survival. She had learned to rely on herself, her small heart filled with sadness and anger. Her mother's unconscious form lay before her, a pale beauty who had been drained of her strength and vitality. Kira's eyes reflected her sorrow as she asked Karen, her mother's maid.
"When will mother wake up?". With this question Karen gazed at her master's body with a heavy heart and answered" Soon my dear, soon"
but Kira knew the truth – her mother was dying, and she was going to be alone soon.
"Aunt Karen, why do they hate us so much?" Kira asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Karen, the queen's closest maid, hesitated, her eyes filled with sorrow.
"It's not you they hate, child. It's the fact that you are the queen's daughter, and they fear your mother's power."
Kira's eyes narrowed, her small body tense with anger. "But what have we done to them? Why do they treat us like this?"
Karen's voice was laced with pain. "They are jealous of your mother's beauty, her kindness, and her influence over the king. They fear that one day, you will surpass them, and so they seek to break you, to make you weak and submissive."
Kira's eyes flashed with defiance. "I will never be weak. I will never let them break me."
Karen's smile was proud. "I know you won't, child. You are strong, just like your mother. But you must be careful. They will stop at nothing to destroy you."
She knew what Karen said was true. The concubines had poisoned her, beaten her, and left her for dead countless times. But she had survived, and she would continue to survive, no matter what they did to her.
The sound of footsteps outside her mother's room signaled the approach of the concubines, their cruel eyes and mocking smiles a familiar sight. Kira steeled herself for the ordeal ahead, her small body tense with fear and determination. She would survive, for herself and her mother, no matter what lay ahead.