Hello fellow readers and writers!
This is my first book, and I am incredibly excited to share Amelia's journey with you. Please leave comments. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and remarks. :) I also posted the history of the world I created, which might help to get a little overview, which you can find in the pre-chapters.
Also, check out some of my inspiration for my characters on my Instagram: daz_elda
Love, Dazelda
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Amelia stood in her official attire, her armor suit and blue cape flowing in the back, trying hard not to show her confusion as she read the letter's contents. Being the personal guard of the only princess of the Rodea kingdom, she was supposed to follow the princess to her new home. Contrary to her assumption, the order in the letter clearly stated that she was to stay in Rodea until further notice.
Her forehead wrinkled, and her eyes focused on the soldier standing before her who had delivered the letter as she asked skeptically, "Did the king give you the letter himself?"
The soldier immediately became uneasy and answered insecurely, "Y-Yes, of course, he ordered me to deliver it to you right away."
`So it is the king's decision, not the queen's - how odd.` Amelia thought.
The soldier became further confused as Amelia kept looking at him with a suspicious look in her eyes "Dame Amelia, is there something wrong?"
"No, thank you for the delivery," Amelia said, turning on her heels and heading towards the princess quarters.
While walking, Amelia thought to herself how weird the situation was. What would she do in the kingdom if the princess was gone? Why would the king even want the princess to go without her? She was known to be the best knight in the kingdom, and the journey to Lavia meant for the princess to pass through Helveda, which was incredibly dangerous. Princess Aurora needed her, and she didn't know what to do. Going against the king's order would mean treason which was punishable by death in Rodea.
Amelia was so deep in her thoughts that she did not realize how busy the castle was. The preparations for the farewell banquet for the princess this evening were in full swing.
Amelia could hear the commotion inside when she arrived at Princess Aurora's chambers. There was much to prepare for the move to Lavia, where Aurora was supposed to marry Prince Nathaniel within the following year. Entering the drawing room after a knock and permission to enter, Amelia could see the three handmaids packing according to instructions given by Aurora, who was sitting on the sofa in the middle of the room, looking somewhat exhausted.
As soon as Amelia entered, Aurora looked in her direction and smiled. She was happy to see her best friend, who she was dying to talk to, regarding their journey the following day. Amelia reacted with a faint smile that did not reach her eyes, which immediately alarmed Aurora.
The two were almost inseparable since birth, and their deep connection allowed them to exchange information with only one look in their eyes. Aurora, therefore, understood that something was wrong and gave Amelia a nod towards the door on the right leading to the adjoined bedroom while getting up from her seat. Before Amelia and Aurora disappeared into the bedroom, the princess gave some last orders to the handmaid, so they were busy for the time being.
"What is it?" was the first thing Aurora asked when Amelia closed the door behind them.
"The king has ordered me to stay back and not follow you to Lavia," Amelia answered in a detached tone and without talking around the bush.
Aurora's eyes widened, and she took a deep breath as she said, gritting her teeth, "I can't believe this! What is the meaning of this? You have been my guard for four years and like a sister all my life. Why would my brother want to separate us?!"
Amelia was standing there speechless since she had no answers to Aurora's questions. Aurora started pacing up and down the room as she continued her slight outburst. "I will not accept this; he can't just send me off and expect me to leave you behind. He didn't even inform me in person or explain me. I can't recognize my brother! How disappointed my parents would have been, I am almost thankful they don't have to see the person he had become!!" her head became red due to her anger, and her eyes were round when she halted in front of Amelia and looked her in the eyes.
"Aurora, please calm down, I understand your disappointment and anger, but we should not talk of the late king and queen this way-"
"Well, my brother should not make me outraged this way." Aurora interrupted Amelia.
"You are right, but we should focus on finding a solution rather than getting emotional about the situation. The fact is that there is an order for me to stay in Rodea and for you to leave tomorrow morning for Lavia. We must convince the king to change the order for me or find a different approach to solve the issue."
As Amelia said those words, she took Aurora's hand, leading her to the edge of the bed, where both sat side by side. Aurora immediately calmed down, which always happened when Amelia touched her. It was as if positive energy was flowing through her. She could never really understand the impact Amelia had on people. It was a gift.
She looked around the room, thinking about the time before everything became complicated. Her brother Philipp and his wife Cassandra, the current rulers of Rodea, grew up with Aurora, and they all used to be close. The three of them used to call themselves the Three Musketeers and would get in all kinds of trouble.
Once, they had dressed as commoners and gone downtown without any escorts. Her parents went wild when they found out. Back then, Amelia was in training to become a knight. Therefore, Amelia did not have time to be mischievous during her teenage years.
Although Cassandra was two years older and Philipp was four years older than her, Aurora got them into predicaments. Now that Aurora was thinking about it, Cassandra became mean to her around the time she got married to Philipp. `There must have been something that happened because she suddenly changed. ` But this had nothing to do with the current dilemma.
With a determined look, Aurora focused back on Amelia, who patiently waited for Aurora to collect her thoughts, and said, "You are right. We have to focus on finding a solution. I will have to convince Philipp tonight at the banquet somehow. If all fails, you know that going against the order without the king's approval would be treason, and I would never allow you to get into that kind of trouble, Amelia. So, the different approach you were talking about does unfortunately not exist in this case."
Amelia was not sure how to react to what Aurora said. She had already known this but was still unwilling to accept it. Her hopes in Aurora convincing the king were low. "I will do as you wish, princess, but I would prefer to come along with you even if it meant treason." was all Amelia could say.
Aurora's heart was aching, but she only nodded as she responded, "I need to finish overseeing the preparations for tomorrow and need to get ready for tonight."