Light casted from the sky pierces through the glassy surface. My fingers close around the grass on the margin, merged with rocks just above the undisturbed waters of a crystal lake. The tune of chirping birds mingled with the chattering squirrels in the distance while leaves fissled in the wind.
If I closed my eyes, I could feel my head lighter as if all the worries and fears were taken away from me, as if there were no expectations or hopes for my future, and there was no one else in the world but me.
"I see we share quite a custom."
My eyes open, started, into the real world. I knew that voice. Cunning and puissant, with a roguish trail in his words.
"For the crown's sake!" I raise to my feet at once, my heart skipping a beat. "We must stop meeting this way." But the undaunted mien of the prince offered me nothing but a solace, a warmness, even though the obsidian of his eyes upon me was merely cold.
He nods. "Perhaps you might be right. Yet here we stand." He contemplates the serenity of the nature ahead us. "I wander. Why that might be."
"Be that as it may, I believe I own you an apology."
"An apology?" His voice comes unruffled.
"Indeed. Well, for this morning. I-" A deep sigh rolls out of my lips. "The thought that my earlier observation might have been misapprehended weights on my head."
"If I recall correctly, you were saying I fought well."
"It was what I meant to say, at least."
"Then I assure you there has been no misapprehension on my side."
I smile to myself. "Your opponent, who was he? If you do not mind me prying."
"A servant of the Obsidian's crown, a trusted knight of the King's personal guard."
"I see. A man of proficiency, no one dares to doubt. Nevertheless, it was your blade that rested against his throat if I recall correctly."
A wicked smile plays on his lips. "Size or strength are not what define a champion."
"Then skill must be it."
"No. Not skill." He leaves me curious. "The weapon."
"The weapon?"
"When you find yourself in the battlefield, the weapon is all you have. No size or strength have worth if you can't bring yourself to embrace the weapon as a part of yourself. You must listen to its demands and attend to every plead, because it is all you can trust."
"You remind me of someone very dear to me."
"And who am I to be compared?"
"The Captain of the Aurelian Guard. I believe it is something he would say."
"A clever knight."
"The greatest I have ever knew. And who taught you all that?"
"I taught myself, for the most part, but it is to my Father that I own my passion." His eyes sway with tones of grey. "He presented me with my first sword even before I knew how to walk on my own. A weightless blade that could barely cause any harm, but still forged out of the purest obsidian our kingdom had to offer."
"One might reason that it might seem a precipitated gift on his side."
"It was never about holding a sword, it was about teaching me a lesson." It takes a moment before his eyes reclaim the rightful dim tone of obsidian that gleamed like iron crystals sharpening the contours of his face. "Do you manage the blade yourself?"
The question strikes me like a pointed knife. "Me? No. Not anymore. It is not deemed as princess behavior, so I have heard."
"Being the future ruler of a kingdom has more to offer than balls and feasts. One of the many benefits that comes along with the title is that you are allowed to reform the rules as you see fit."
Gloominess had overcome Aurelia outside these bedroom walls when Crowley knocks on the door.
"Come in," I instruct.
But instead of the butler, a smaller figure walks into the room. "Surprise!" Claire closes the door behind her with a silver tray balancing over her left hand.
"What are you doing here? You should be dismissed for the day."
"Do not trouble yourself. I asked Mr. Crowley if I could come tonight in his place."
"And why is that?" I watch as she places the tray in the nightstand with extreme cautiousness.
"Oh, silly girl, to hear all the gossip that goes around the royals, of course! I barely lay my eyes on you, lately." She sits on the bed next to me. "And don't you think for a moment I did not notice that smile you always carry around now. What happened to no one coming is exciting and worth my precious time?"
I aim one of the feathered pillows at her lap, which she takes into her embrace with a laugh. "Do tell and I will know if you are hiding anything!"
"I made a new friend today, at least, I think I did." She tilts her head. "At first I thought he was dead," I begin to explain as her eyes widen, "but it turned out he wasn't."
"Well, that is a relief."
"His name is Vinson, he is the Earl of Obsidian."
"And how is he?"
I take a moment to measure my upcoming words. "He seemed nothing like the rest of them, Claire. Is it strange?"
"On the contrary." She beams. "I think you have been surrounded by so many people which made of their only purpose in life telling you who to be that you forgot that noble families are real people too."
"Some of them, at least."
"And isn't it a good start?" Laughter fills the room.
"I promised him to help him in his seek for a golden bird."
"A golden bird?" She glares at me in awe. "It is said that whoever finds it has the will of the Gods on their side. It is a very popular tale around the village."
"I oath to know nothing about that but I trust that it will have its fun."
"Well, then. I shall leave you to rest now. Tomorrow is promised to be a long day."
I nod. "Good night, Claire."
My eyelids give in shortly after, my body heavy in wearisome. But as quickly as I fall asleep, the sun rises amidst the light palette colors of the morning sky.
Down the stairs, the constant stir that had taken over the palace for the week prevailed among the servants, preparing Aurelia for another full day before the guests would rise from their sleep.
A procession of carriages rode past the entry of the palace later in the morning through the golden gates.
"Raging waves lashed at the sides of the galleon, crushing anything they could find in their way. Harsh rain fell from the smoky clouds coating the sky in grey shades." Father faced me form the cushion seat opposed to me as the carriage led us through the village. "A man grasped the helm over the deck soaked in salty water, acknowledging that his life and the lives of the hundred men that followed his command depended on it. The captain, your ancestor."
"King Lothar, The Intrepid," I proudly interrupt as I recall the name of its former owner.
He nods. "Shouts of men cried out as the sea dragged them inexorably and swallowed them whole, but the sound was soon drowned by the deafening thunder diving from the leaden mantle hovering above their heads that caused the sea itself to quiver under its domain. Life flashed through their eyes, yet the captain's eyes remained upon the route."
"Was he not afraid?"
"Oh, he was, and there was nothing wrong in admitting it. But he did not let fear overpower his mind, because if he did, the ship would fall without a fight."
"And did it?"
"The tide pulled the galleon away from the fleet in its command until there was nothing for miles but the deep blue of the secretive water surrounding it. The captain barely had time to retaliate when a wave swept all there was in the vessel." My eyes plead him to continue. "A sunbeam pierced through the mantle of thick clouds dissipating in the sky and the monstrous waves rocked now the ship in their peaceful embrace. The captain opened his eyes to face the dazzling luminescence of the sun and quickly got on his feet. Then, from afar, something beckoned for his attention. At first, he thought to be dead, sailing through the gates of his after-life. At starboard! He shouted at his crew, beginning to arise from the floor as well. They bustled around the vessel as the wind blew across what was left of the sails, still enough to propel the ship forward."
The door of the carriage opens in a sudden.
"What was it? What did he find?"
The King offers me a smile. "The heart of Aurelia."
The pungent scent of the Northern waters hovered in the air as I beheld the coast through the glass of the window. The waves swelled and crash softly against the shore as if they brought and told all the secrets of the sea. Lined along the coast, imposing ships floated in the water.
I follow Lawrence though the sandy path of the shore, my feet buried in the warm golden dirt beneath the light of a triumphant sun shining in the blue sky until we faced our guests.
"It is true that the sea is home for many hidden treasures and intrinsic secrets." My Father begins his speech. "Each wave, crashing on the shore in front of us, tells us a different, curious tale of the great crusades that were once staged across these waters. For that, we encourage you to explore its wonders in a route that will take us past the heart of Aurelia, discovered many, many centuries ago."
My Mother takes a step beside him. "And, please, do keep in mind, that the most precious treasures can be as small as a grain of sand." A cunning smile fills her lips. "Without further ado, let us get aboard and bring back the joy that once flooded these vessels."
Her words are cheered before the people part to their ships but before I do so, I look up to contemplate the opulent sailing ship of Aurelia as if the images of that day revived in my head. Four masts concealed the sails, each one higher than the other, as if they competed to see which one could reach first for the sky. The golden draw of a lily in the pale flag of Aurelia fluttered proudly above, and the same shade of gold glided down through the wood, along the railings, and ceasing on the name engraved in the hull - The Deserter.
My feet find their way up the stairs as I climb to the edge of the boat.
"Your Highness." The Captain offers me his hand as I hop onto the lustrous floor of the vessel.
"Captain." I greet the man in a light uniform mantled by a tailed navy blue coat embraced in gold and an imposing velvety hat that concealed the most part of the dark strands.
"Your Majesties." From the other side, Duke Percival addresses to my parents.
"Your Majesties." The woman standing beside him curtesies. "I must offer my sincere apologies for missing the entry of the festivities."
"No need to trouble yourself, Marjery, your husband commented you were not feeling too well."
"I wasn't." A beaming smile appears soon on her lips as her eyes fill with joy.
"The truth is that I, myself, was not acquainted of such news at the time," the Duke intervenes.
"We are expecting!" The Duchess gives peace to our prying minds as she circles a hand around her belly, barely emphasized beneath the emerald vest that swayed on her body in the mild wind.
"Oh!" Mother places a hand over her heart. "What wonderful news, my dear."
The King opens his arms to pull Percival in his embrace as immediately. "Come here, cousin." He pats his back with unmeasured strength. "And may that child always be blessed."
The both of them nod in appreciation with melting smiles on their faces.
As on cue, the commanding voice belonging to the captain shouts like a thunder, "Hoist the sails!" The order echoes through the crew.
"Please enjoy the route and let us speak later about the feast to announce the future Marquess of Aurelia," Mother offers as she treads ahead.
I follow her pace and stand alongside her and The King. Beautiful jewelry adorned her imposing self but a particular ring caught my attention - a jewel of the crown - now held between her two silky fingers. After a moment of close scrutinizing, the sea echoes a soothing splash as the ring drops on the depths of the blue water.
I watch the sea swallowing the shining gold. An old tradition that rewarded whoever paid mind to more than what was right under their noses.
The galleon parts, at last, from the coast. Following its lead, sailed the eight ships across the sea.
ns 15.158.61.12da2
