When I'm in the clearing near the castle I take a look at myself in the pond and sigh. My arms are burnt, my court garb, much to my maid's future chagrin is burnt or shredded from the run. I sit down and cup a cool drink of water in my hand. And then I lay back in the grass. My outfit was already ruined, grass stains wouldn't make a difference at this point.
I can hear the birds overhead singing to each other like beautiful chimes in the wind. Each having its own meaning. Own culture. Birds are kind, mostly, but not that bright. Fish mostly can't speak but dogs and cats make for sometimes good company. They are nothing like the dragons though. Nothing is. Their intelligence matches my own, but their knowledge far exceeds it. They had a thousand years of life before meeting me, my wit couldn't compare to that. All I can do is offer them a short haven for as long as my family is in power here in Salva.
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It's sunset when I finally work up the nerve to head inside. My mother would be waiting, I know I've been gone too long. I mentally braced myself for her lecture with every step towards the royal wing, but everyone was running around in a panic. I use the chaos and slip myself inside my rooms quietly. In two steps I've pulled open the chest at the base of my bed for the salve that I know would heal my relatively minor burns with ease.
I was thankfully done lathering, bathing and changing when my mother found me.
"Ella they're here!" She cooed a smile bright on her face. I'm instantly confused. "Who's here?" I can't help but answer.
"Why the suitors darling, they've arrived early. So far there are seven men from all over the kingdom waiting for you." She answers matter-of-factly, placing herself between me and the door. Blocking my escape. She knows it's a conversation I don't want to have.
"Your father has ordered them to all be dressed in black, no house emblems, no sign as to which comes from where until you make your choice. You won't be pressured by us about alliances, just like he promised." She reassures me and I stop cold. All black.
"Even their guards?" I manage to stutter, and she seems pleased that I'm asking a question. "Of course, my dove, they're all vowed to complete secrecy. You will have no interference or hints until you make your choice." She whispers conspiratorially before looking me over with a tsk.
"Cerilla, you must come fix our girl!" She turns and shouts towards the adjoining ladies' maids rooms adjacent to my own. The kind face of my maid appears within seconds. "I think the gem patches will do just fine for this evening," my mother muses fussing through my wardrobe before leaving the room to put herself together for the reception. The royalty of my people honours our heritage by patchwork clothing, each patch is intended to signify that we are a people of many united into one.
I let Cerilla put me into the dress without complaint. My same shoulder is always bare, my family's mark only hidden underneath my long dark hair. My lips are painted red to hide the shimmer of my power, always on my lips. Gems are attached all throughout my hair and lined along my part at the top of my head. My people wear the gems instead of a crown. We come from a wild people that found crowns to be wasteful and useless uses of metal that should be committed to weaponry.
I think if my mother could she'd hide my eyes too, stamp out any indication to the other kingdoms that I was anything but normal. My magic complicated things. Our small kingdom was a target because of it. It was too bad that the secret was already well-known. I was the gifted princess of Salva, the whisperer of dragons and the weaver of magic. Seven suitors were only the beginning. Like a piece of meat thrown to dogs, I was going to have to sift through them to find one decent man among the rest. While doing so I was going to have to figure out who wanted to harm my friends. My father's kind efforts to give me some agency in this process had inadvertently given one of them an opening to engage in an act of war —bearing arms and attacking creatures on our land.
I admired myself for a second in the mirror. The patches of the gown were held together by gold filigree. Each patch was layered gems and underneath was a soft slip. The gems were cold against my skin and rubbed uncomfortably in several places, but it emphasized all the areas my mother had hoped. My breasts looked full and plump. My waist looked dainty. My legs long and lithe. At my feet, I was tied into delicate glass slippers reminiscent of the fairy tale princesses I read about in books as a child. Cerilla was good at her job, I looked the part – I was the beautiful princess of Salva they'd come to see. At 18 I'd held this off as long as I could but as an only child, the crown princess, my duty was marry and bear heirs for the continuity of my family line as well as for the stability of my kingdom. I plaster a smile on my face and make for my door. My mother is there waiting in the hall.
"Don't worry my dove, you'll have all the time you need to make your choice. Your father won't rush you. I'll make sure of it." She whispers as she pats my hand and pulls me along to meet the men. I take a deep breath to steady my nerves. It was likely the soldiers came from the encampments of the men tonight. Seven potential allies, threats or possibly even a husband among the bunch.
I'd much prefer to be in bed, but at the very least I had to root out the usurper in their midst and eliminate the threat they posed to the crown.