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Aliyah stepped out of the royal carriage, begrudgingly taking the hand of the footman to help herself down. She wore a simple black dress of mourning. Her black veil hid her red, puffy eyes from the nights she spent crying. Someone came up to her, a high-ranking servant by the looks of it, with a tiara of sorts in their hand. It took her a moment to realize it was for her.
“How must I put that on with my veil?” Aliyah asked, gesturing to the fabric covering her face and part of her head.
“Well, Your Royal Highness, we’d have to take the veil off. Her Majesty, the Queen, requested you wear the tiara immediately,” The servant respectfully answered, bowing to the Princess.
Aliyah sighed internally before unclipping the veil from her red hair. She fixed her hair, eyeing the people who stared at the white highlights in her hair. The last time Aliyah was at the palace was when she was 5, and at that time she had full red hair.
The servant began to place the tiara on Aliyah’s head, but the Princess took it from his hands and placed it on her head. As the man scurried off, Aliyah turned back to the carriage and began helping her siblings off. She felt the stares on her back, shivering involuntarily.
Aliyah patted the back of her youngest sibling’s hand, knowing he likely felt overwhelmed. He was here only 8 years prior, and likely still held some sadness from their parents leaving them in the Academy. Aliyah’s younger brother held little resemblance to the Princess, he had short, ash-brown hair that curled on the ends. The most they shared was their deep blue eyes, which changed color when they used their abilities.
“It’ll be alright, Alexander,” Aliyah leaned in, slightly, to whisper into her brother’s ear.
He seemed a little more relaxed, and Aliyah smiled softly at that. She may not have been able to protect her older brother, but she’d be damned if those stupid assassins would take her younger brother too.
Aliyah turned, stepping in front of her younger siblings, as the palace doors opened. Her parents stepped out, and Aliyah had to fight from rolling her eyes. The King and Queen wore the signature blood-red color of Eldom and had gold accents stitched into their clothing. They wore no black in mourning for their eldest child.
“Your Majesties,” Aliyah spoke up, curtsying to her parents.
She bit her tongue from commenting on the lack of mourning colors in their outfits. Aliyah vowed to herself that she’d chew them out when they were in private. She wouldn’t risk disrespecting her rulers in front of anyone outside of their immediate family.
“Rise my children, let me look at you,” Her father’s voice boomed, she hadn’t even realized her siblings followed her lead.
Aliyah slowly rose, gesturing for her siblings to rise as well. She eyed her parents, warily, taking in their appearance. The last time one of them came to the Academy was the year before. Her mother came to bear news of a betrothal that Aliyah wanted no part in. It’s the reason she decided to stay an extra year and not graduate with her class.
“Well, come forward we have much to talk about,” Her mother spoke with her overly sweet tone.
If someone made candy with as much sugar as her mother forced into her tone, then anyone who ate it would be out of their teeth in 10 minutes. Aliyah bit the inside of her cheek as she walked up to the Queen, hearing her siblings’ footsteps fall into step behind her.
“Aliyah, I see the white in your hair has grown. We should figure out why that is, I’d hate for you to have a full head of white hair before you even give me grandchildren,” Her mother said, twirling a lock of Aliyah’s hair.
“I assure you, Your Majesty, there is nothing to worry about. I have a few theories as to why my hair is the way it is, and none are too horrible,” Aliyah replied, matching her mother’s tone.
“If you two are done with your idiotic discussion about hair color, I’d like to get inside and speak with Aliyah, in private,” Her father said, his deep voice sounding cruel as he eyed his eldest daughter.
“Of course, let’s get inside,” Her mother replied, a flash of fear falling upon her face before it went away.
Aliyah furrowed her eyebrows but followed her parents inside the palace. Her mother took her younger siblings away to “catch up” with them. Alexander sent her a pleading look, and Aliyah mouthed to him it would be okay.
The King led her through the vast hallways of the palace before walking inside one of the rooms. She looked around the office-like room before sitting down in the chair across from her father. Aliyah eyed some of the letters on her father’s desk, trying to glean some information about the state of the kingdom she was now supposed to inherit.
“As you can see I’m swamped with work, and so I need you to take on the duty of planning Amir’s funeral,” Her father told her, gesturing at the stacks of letters on his desk.
Aliyah stared at him, dumbfounded. How could he even ask that of her? It’s like he didn’t care that his son was dead.
“Father…” Aliyah started but stopped, unsure of what to say, before asking, “Why aren’t you wearing any mourning colors?”
Her father seemed confused by her question but answered with a sigh, “I don’t see the point. The day of his death I had found out about his hidden family. I threatened to disown him and he told me to. So, in my eyes he isn’t even my son so I have no reason to mourn him.”
Aliyah felt like he punched her in the gut. Her brother was dead and her father didn’t even think of Amir as his son. It took her a second to even process why her father wanted to disown her brother. He found out about Erik and Lily.
“What did- what did you do to his fiancé and daughter?” She asked, her voice breaking as her mind came up with the worst scenarios.
Her father was a cruel man, a man who wasn’t above killing children. Aliyah didn’t even want to know how far her father would go.
“I had them killed. There wasn’t any way I would let that man continue to infect my kingdom with the disease he gave Amir and likely to their abomination of a daughter,” The King answered simply with a wave of his hand.
He said it like it was easy. Like it was normal. Aliyah felt her throat close up on her. Her baby niece was dead because of her father.
“Lily… she wasn’t an abomination. She was only 1 year old,” Aliyah croaked, tears blurring her vision.
“So you knew? I figured as much, you and Amir were always too close for my liking. You’re supposed to be unemotional. You’re a knight for Ivor’s sake,” Her father said, his voice betraying his growing anger.
“Really? I’m supposed to be unemotional? My brother is dead! My niece is dead! The person who was supposed to be my future brother-in-law is dead! All because of your prejudice and a stupid assassin? It’s okay for a guy to like a guy and a girl to like a girl! You’re wasting resources to kill innocent people when you should be trying to find the person who killed Amir because you know damn well they’re going to come after me next and I don’t think you want my mother to lose two children in a year!” She yelled at her father, standing up as tears fell from her already red eyes.
The next thing she knew she felt a stinging on her cheek. It took her a second to realize she got slapped. Her father- no her king slapped her.
“Don’t you dare disrespect me like that again,” He said before Aliyah walked out and slammed the door behind her.
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