Chapter 1

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I wake when sunlight barely peers through the silk curtains and hits my face. With
a huff, I turn around to have my back face the window. I doze off again only to be
startled by the sound of something fragile breaking, perhaps a vase, followed by a
minute or two of complete silence. Then back to the shuffles and scurries up and
down the hall. No matter what I did, I couldn’t bring myself to fall back asleep.
It’s like the world wants me awake.
I dramatically fling the silk blanket off of my body and lay there for a few
moments before sitting up. It takes everything I have to heave myself out of the
thick, comfy bed and onto my feet, sleep still pulling at my eyes. I walk over to
the water basin before the temptations to crawl back into the cloud-like bed get
too strong. I clean my face with a small, damp towel and brush out my short, black
hair. It barely reaches my shoulder but I’m able to style it in a simple ponytail,
my bangs swooshing in front of my forehead.
I stroll over to my wardrobe and open the smooth, wooden doors. I slip out of my
night clothes and into my favorite cotton tunic and pants. I don’t usually care
much for the dresses and gowns sulking on hangars. I lace on the only pair of boots
I own and open my room door, greeted with the hustling and bustling of morning
activities. I step out of the doorway and into the hall where a laughing little
girl bumps into me.
“Sorry,” the girl stutters, curtseying clumsily and scurrying away.
I watch as she trips over her foot and steady herself before disappearing around
the corner of the hallway. I take the opposite route from the little girl and take
my time getting to the courtroom. I see the Princess walking in my direction and
stick to one side of the hall to give her space to pass. She passes me, but I hear
her footsteps stop. I keep walking.
“You should know better than to pass a Royal without acknowledging them, Eleanor,”
she calls out.
I roll my eyes but slowly stop in my tracks and turn around to face her with a coy
smile.
“Pardon me, Your Highness,” I say with a dramatic, flourishing bow.
I can feel Princess Irene narrow her eyes. I stand back up but slightly slouch my
back and cross my arms, leaning on one leg.
“Let’s not have this happen again,” she finally says.
I roll my eyes, this time knowing she can see me. With a look of annoyance, she
steps toward me, closing the 6 foot gap between us until there’s only inches
between our bodies. I’m not sure why she came any closer, but she smells of fresh
cut firewood and flowers.
I’m taller than the Princess by a few inches, so she doesn’t seem as intimidating
to me. Her shiny, light brown hair is tied in a braid that hangs down to the middle
of her back and she’s dressed in a simple pink dress that compliments her emerald
eyes. I straighten out to my full height and look down at her with a smirk.
“Let me help you here then, Princess,” I tease as I raise my right hand to move a
lock of hair out of her face.
But before I could do anything more, I’m pinned against the wall, one hand holding
my right wrist and the other slightly squeezing my neck, a dangerous taunt.
“You don’t get to do that. Just because you’re slightly taller than me doesn’t mean
that you’re better than me. You’re only a Knight, I’m a Princess,” she snarls.
“But I am better than you in a way, Princess,” I say with a wink, careful not to
let my smile falter.
She looks away, lets out a huff of frustration and hurries off, leaving me to be on
my way again. I could have sworn her smooth, porcelain skin turned slightly pink at
the cheeks. As I walk to the courtroom to check in, I pass groups of gossiping
Admin and chatty Civilians, barely looking at me as I pass by. When I reach the
front desk, the Admin worker there saw me and motioned to the throne room.
“The King wants to see me?” I ask.
The Admin nods quickly, her eyes downcast. I smile and nod to her in thanks and
head over to the wooden gate that looms over its little siblings. Two guards are
stationed there. When they see me, they open the gate and swiftly close it behind
me. King Malik sits tense on his gold-encrusted, quartz throne, his hands gripping
the edge of the armrests. His bright green eyes acknowledging my arrival.
On the King’s left side, Princess Irene sits on her throne, her hands folded
presentably on her crossed legs and her eyes focused on the door. On his right, a
throne sits empty without a member. It belongs to the Prince but he’s not here at
the moment. I kneel down on one knee and bow my head in respect.
“You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?” I ask without looking up.
“Indeed, dear Eleanor. You may rise.” He replies with a soft smile.
I glance in the Princess’s direction, and find her looking at me as well. We lock
eyes for a moment before she breaks it and looks to her father instead, who
proceeds to speak.
“It seems to me that you know my daughter, do you two talk?”
It takes me a moment to process his question.
“No, Your Majesty,” I choose my words carefully. “We talked just earlier, but we
never spoke before that. However, I admit, I’ve seen her in many places but don’t
bother to say anything. I assume Her Highness has better things to do.”
With that, I look over at Princess Irene again, this time holding her gaze until
the King breaks the moment.