"Princess Amida can't marry that beast! It's madness!" Tama cried out, jumping up and blocking Amida's bed with her arms stretched.
"With all due respect, Tama Raveene, this affair isn't a handmaid's concern," Prince Ishgal scoffed at her. "Just get the Princess ready and bring her to Her Majesty's chamber!"
Before Tama could retort, Ishgal turned around, clicked his heels and walked out of the room with the train of his guards. The doors shut with a thud behind them.
"Ugh, that bastard!" Tama snarled.
She heard shuffling from the bed. Amida had sat up and grabbed a bell from her bedside. She clanged it and two stout elderly maidservants rushed into the room, ready to dress and prepare her.
"What are you doing?" Tama cried to Amida. "You can't go now, you still have a temperature!"
"It'll go down now that I've drunk the medicine, won't it?" Amida weakly smiled. "It's Mother's summons, so I must go."
She wore a placid expression, but Tama could tell her soul was in turmoil. She'd also be devastated if she heard she was to be married off to some brute in an enemy kingdom! She imagined the brute having Ishgal's face and gagged.
The maidservants put a puffy white dress with blue laces on Amida, which accentuated the innocent twinkle of her sky-blue eyes. Her shoes were blue too, crafted of expensive suede. Tama couldn't help imagining a heavenly angel when she looked at her royal friend dressed in white and blue. Princess Amida was too good for this world.
Amida sat in her golden wheelchair. Tama pushed her out of the chamber and through the golden corridors of the palace. The few guards stationed near Amida's room followed them, serving as the Princess' escorts. The procession reached the highest tower of the Hasurei royal palace and stopped at lofty golden doors guarded by heavily armed knights. One of Princess Amida's stout attendants was admitted in to report the Princess' arrival. When she returned, she invited the whole procession inside.
Tama pushed Amida's wheelchair into the room. It was spacious and richly furnished. The windows looked directly onto the other parts of the royal settlement so that the movements of all residents were visible. Red satin curtains were now pulled up to let some light in. Beyond the royal settlement, blue roofs of houses, churches and other towering buildings shimmered under the sun. It was the city of Vienrose, the capital of the Hasurei Kingdom. At the edge of the city, glimmered the blue sea, and far on the horizon, loomed the tiny silhouette of a grey volcano – Mt Belphezar, the capital of the enemy kingdom of Drahvelt.
Near the windows of the chamber, stood a double-sized golden bed with puffy crimson blankets and pillows, decked with a likewise crimson canopy. On the wall opposite the bed, hung a portrait of a handsome man sitting in an armchair, a jewelled crown on his head and a green sword with a golden hilt in his arm – Arthur Blackthorne, the first king and founder of Hasurei. Beneath the portrait was a fireplace, and near it were placed a crimson armchair and a wooden tea table. A pile of scrolls was lying on the table along with a cup of strong dark coffee.
In the armchair, sat a woman in her mid-forties, her hair blazing blonde and her eyes sky-blue like Amida's and Ishgal's. On the bun of her royal hair-do, shimmered a golden crown with scarlet rose depictions. She wore a red silken dress with black sleeves, bedecked with jewels. The fluffy fur shawl of a white fox adorned her shoulders. Her skin was white as snow and her lips blood-red. She carried a surly expression on her face. Eyeing the guests, she took the coffee cup and had a sip.
"I've brought Princess Amida, Your Majesty!" Prince Ishgal bowed to her.
"Greetings to Your Majesty Eclaire the Illustrious!" Amida bowed from her wheelchair too.
The woman in the armchair, Queen Eclaire of Hasurei, swung her hand at the attendants and the guards, making them quit the chamber. Only Tama remained with the royal family, clutching the handles of Princess Amida's wheelchair.
"Tama Raveene, Her Majesty meant all handmaids!" Prince Ishgal rolled his eyes.
"I'm a healer from the Lotus Temple, assigned to Princess Amida by the Lotus Priestess," Tama retorted, her face contorting with rage as she glared at Ishgal. "I can't leave my patient's side under anyone's orders but only when I deem it acceptable!"
"Leave her alone, Ishgal!" The Queen's mild but stiff voice echoed throughout the room. She sipped some more coffee. "The Lotus Temple might dwell in our territory but they're an independent entity… and then, there are things Tama needs to hear too."
Tama smirked at Ishgal, who snarled with defeat but retook his composure to uphold his princely demeanour.
"So then," Amida said, glancing at the Queen and clutching parts of her dress in her lap, "Big Brother mentioned something about my marriage?"
Queen Eclaire sighed, putting the half-empty cup down. She stared at the coffee, her blonde eyebrows rising in the inner corners. This display of anxiety didn't last long, though. Heaving another sigh, she regained her cold expression.
"I've talked with some officials of the Drahvelt Kingdom," she said. "Their king, Gerart the Bloodthirsty, is planning another war. This time, he targets our kingdom, Hasurei. That beast has no remorse, his dragons can burn his enemies without the need of a single soldier from Drahvelt! For him, people's lives are worth nothing!" She slammed her fist on the golden armrest of her armchair. "I… I had to find a diplomatic solution. With our unstable economy and frequent rebellions, a war against dragons is out of the question!" She looked at Amida, her forehead wrinkling with anxiety. "The officials from Drahvelt said King Gerart is unmarried, so I proposed a marriage alliance in exchange for peace. Alvina is the eldest, but I can't send her since she's one of the twelve Flower Knights. If the worst happens and the dragons invade us, the Flower Knights are our only hope for survival! So, I told them I'd send you. I explained the details about your ailment, but they said it was alright. However, they warned me not to send your attendants along, because they don't accept foreigners in their palace. They reassured me they have an experienced staff to wait on you. Your healer needn't worry!" She looked at Tama, who'd opened her mouth, about to object. "I was told King Gerart is a powerful healer, being the late Dragon Priestess' son. The Dragon Temple's reputation is on par with that of the Lotus Temple, so Amida will be in good hands."
"Good hands?!" Tama exclaimed, unable to hold herself even with the Queen. "With all due respect, Your Majesty, that man is titled 'Bloodthirsty'! He slaughtered his whole family upon ascending to the throne, and I won't even mention all the other blood he shed in his thirteen years of reign! How can you send your ailing daughter to him?"
"Tama, you and I may both agree that fighting one's family is a sad course of action, but it's an established way among royals. Even though I disagree with that policy, it's a sure way to solidify one's power," Queen Eclaire said. "As for Amida, she may be born with a curse, but she's still a princess. With her title, come responsibilities." She turned to Amida, her lips forming a bitter smile. "As royals, there comes a time when we must sacrifice our hearts for the greater good."
"But_" Tama began.
"I hear and obey!" Amida's meek voice echoed, interrupting Tama's speech. She bowed to the Queen, clinging to her wheelchair with her feeble arms. "I'll become the Dragon King's bride!"
"Thank you, my dear!" Queen Eclaire's sorrowful smile deepened. She took Amida's little hands into her slim fingers painted with red nail polish and squeezed them. "You'll depart after tomorrow. Until then, we'll make sure you look your best!"
"Yes, Mother!" Amida bowed again.
The audience was over. Tama and Amida returned to their quarters, while Prince Ishgal remained with the Queen. His lingering behind in the Queen's chamber made Tama think he had a say in the matter concerning Princess Amida's engagement to the Dragon King, which made her despise him all the more.
That bastard! She thought, clutching the handles of Princess Amida's wheelchair and pushing her along. He's willing to sell even his sister for his ambitions!
Perturbed by the news about the political marriage, which was scheduled after tomorrow, neither Princess Amida nor Tama had the enthusiasm to speak or do much that day. They sat in the Princess' room, each sunken into her sorrowful thoughts, until night fell upon them. Tama helped Amida go to bed as usual. After checking her temperature again to make sure she was in perfect health, she moved to the neighbouring room to sleep but the Princess' soft voice stopped her.
"Tama?" Amida called through the darkness in a tearful tone.
"Your Highness?" Tama whipped around and ran up to her bed. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine!" Amida blushed, not having intended to agitate her. "It's just… I know this may sound silly, but… would you mind sleeping here tonight?" She tried to muffle her whimpers, but some of them slipped through. "I… I don't want to be alone."
"Oh…" Tama's eyebrows rose in the inner corners with pity. The Princess was crying! No less sorrowful, she sat on the edge of Amida's bed and embraced her tightly. "Of course, Your Highness! I'll stay with you all these two days!"
"Thank you, Tama!" Amida sniffled, smiling through her tears. She took a handkerchief from her bedside and blew in it. "You're a true friend!"
Tama went to bed in the Princess' room that night, offering her company before her departure in two days, which would separate them forever.