CHAPTER3
1780 Words
Princess Elohra
I stood at the entrance of the palace with my mother when the rulers of Solara arrived.
The golden banners of their kingdom outside the palace gates, announced their presence before the palace bells did.
When they descended from their chariots, I stole a quick glance at my mother.
She stood tall, unmoving, with her crown gleaming on her head.
King Elion was the first to greet her, followed by Queen Helizah.
They both greeted her with that polished politeness of royalty.
After the King and Queen greeted us, the Prince- Prince Cassian- stepped forward.
He bowed deeply with one fist pressed to his chest, "Princess Elohra, it is an honor."
His voice was calm and steady; proof of years of preparation for leadership.
"The honor is mine, Your Highness." I replied, curtsying.
My mother led us to the receiving Chamber where the Queens and King discussed the upcoming wedding and politics.
After a long hour, the Prince and I were left alone to bond, according to our tradition.
I did not want to speak alone to my future husband for the first time in a room where politics was discussed.
So, I led him through the eastern corridors to the palace's balcony.
It was the only place where I got the chance to forget that I was a Princess and I wanted to share it with him.
Cassian stepped behind me with his hands clasped behind his back.
I noticed how his eyes widened a bit in admiration of Veloria.
"It's beautiful." He said, quietly.
"Your people are fortunate."
I smiled, unable to stop myself,
"They are my heart."
I loved talking about Veloria and so, could not resist the smallest opportunities to do so.
He passed me a small smile, "A leader must love their people deeply. Without that, a crown is nothing but weight."
I turned to him, "Tell me about Solara."
I had seen pictures of the Kingdom and heard stories of the prosperity of their lands but I had never been there.
His eyes lit up when he spoke of Solara.
I watched as he zoned out and started speaking of border treaties, rebuilding villages and all the vision he had for his Kingdom.
He was going to be an amazing King, I could already tell.
"I look forward to strengthening our kingdoms." He concluded.
"Together, Veloria and Solara will prosper."
I nodded and then waited.
For something else.
I refused to admit what it was that I waited for.
When it never came, I felt tears sting my eyes but quickly blinked them away.
He reached into his pocket and brought out a small case.
Inside, was an emerald necklace.
"May I?" He asked.
"Sure." I forced a smile and nodded, pushing my hair to the side.
"This is a symbol," he said as he wrapped the necklace around my neck.
"This necklace symbolizes strength and stability. Exactly what we will become together."
"Thank you." I touched the beautiful stone.
"It is beautiful." It was, however, this was not what I wanted from my soon-to-be husband.
Not once did he speak of us.
Not once did he mention my happiness.
Prince Cassian was good, he was kind and he was dutiful.
Too dutiful- so dutiful, he refused to see anything but he Kingdom.
My mother was wrong.
Prince Cassian was not going to be an amazing husband, only an amazing ruler.
And I was never going to be truly happy as his wife.
The next morning, bone chilling cold forced my eyes to open sooner than I would have wanted.
"This chill," I heard one of the maids murmur as she drew the curtains.
"it's unnatural."
She was right.
Today was the last day of the Silver season and usually, it was never this cold.
If anything, it was usually warmer and that was precisely why we held the Winter Benediction Ceremony today.
"Good morning, Princess." They all greeted when I got out of bed.
I looked over one of the maids, at a mirror.
The edges were almost completely covered in frost.
"What the hell?"
The beauticians spent a lot of time preparing me for the ceremony.
My gown was ivory silk, layered with silver and red embroidery that perfectly matched my jewelry.
The bodice fitted perfectly and the sleeves were designed as frost-like patterns trailing down my arms.
My red hair, with my jewelry, earned me compliments from my maids.
Against the pale fabric of my dress, the firestones looked almost defiant.
I looked like a bride to be but at the same time, I looked like I was ready for war.
"Princess," a maid handed me my last accessory.
"Thank you." I took the mask.
My mask was carefully crafted with white enamel and silver filigree that curled upward like frost touched wings.
Tiny crystals and small firestones lined the edges, catching the light every time I moved.
When I placed it over my face, I barely recognized myself.
I looked like the ice prince's lover from my book and at the same time, I looked like the third Queen of Veloria known for her exquisite war outfits.
"My dear," My mother's voice startled me.
"Good evening, Mother." I turned around and curtseyed.
"You look..... radiant." She held my arms, staring at me with so much love and adoration.
If only she wasn't Queen.
If only she was allowed to love me without having to love her Kingdom at the same time.
"Veloria will remember this day for centuries." She blinked repeatedly, fighting to hold in the tears brimming in her eyes.
"I wish father were here." I swallowed.
I hated how the mention of his name broke my mother but I wished he got to see his little princess become a bride.
"Sit," She helped me sit.
"I have something for you, from your father."
She clapped and a guard brought a small treasury box on a pillow.
"What's in there?" I eagerly took the box from her and placed it on my vanity table.
When I opened it, tears filled my eyes.
"Oh, Father."
There were ten scrolls and different gold jewelries in the box.
What caught my attention, was the purple hairpin.
He had gifted it to me on my tenth nameday but every time he trained with me, I always lost it.
And he would always find it and return it to me.
I thought I had finally lost it after our last training session before his death but he had kept it for me.
The image of my father returning my hairpin made me cry.
"He wrote to you every time he went for war." I heard my mother sniff behind me, crying too.
Unfortunately, he never returned after the last war so the only letter I got was the news of his death.
"You should keep these until after the ceremony. You don't want to mess up what the beauticians have done." She gently touched my face.
"Your father will be proud beyond words of the woman you have become. I know because I am too."
Unable to control myself, I engulfed my mother in a hug and cried uncontrollably.
"I love you, mother."
"I love you too, my Elohra." She kissed my cheek.
"We should head out now. Everyone is waiting." She broke the hug after a while.
We left the palace together and rode to The Aurelian Hall.
Every royal wedding in Veloria was held there.
When the door to the hall opened, we were welcomed by a sea of mask and silk.
The chandeliers have been beautifully lit up, further beautifying the hall.
Soft music drifted through the air as my mother and I took our places at the high table.
"You look beautiful tonight, Princess Elohra." Cassian complimented me as I sat beside him.
The Solarachs had arrived earlier as the visiting Kingdom.
"Thank you, Your Highness. You look rather dashing, yourself." I smiled and dipped my head a little in a bow.
"People of Veloria," The entire hall went quiet the moment my mother rose to speak.
We were all listening when the air suddenly shifted.
Cold swept through the hall like a living thing.
A cold unlike anything I had felt wrapped around my body.
I looked down from where I sat and immediately noticed the man who had just entered.
Tall, broad-shouldered, head held high.....
The man entered as though the world bent to make space for him.
He was dressed in a midnight blue coat embroidered with silver thread along the cuffs and collar.
They swirled around the cloth like creeping frost.
A white cravat laid against his throat, pinned with a diamond shaped ice blue metal.
Like everyone else, he had a mask on too.
The icy blue accessory annoyingly concealed the upper part of his face.
It was almost identical to mine but without the firestones.
His hair stole the spotlight, alongside the air from my lungs.
His hair was the palest gold, almost white.
It effortlessly glowed under the light of the chandelier, reminding me of the way snow glowed under the moon.
I had no idea why, but his hair looked so familiar.
Even though he was seated far away from me, among the nobles, his presence felt familiar.
I kept gaping at him shamelessly until he looked at me.
Even then, I was too stunned by his beauty to look away.
His eyes fell below my face.
I followed his gaze and found him staring at the emerald necklace Cassian had gifted me yesterday.
Suddenly, cold curled around my neck, forcefully tugging at the emerald necklace as though it was being pulled by an unseen hand.
I gasped, my fingers flying to the necklace only to find frost already forming along the gold chain, despite the hearth burning in the hall.
The cold disappeared the moment his eyes returned to my face.
His gaze lingered on me for another heartbeat before he averted them to my mother who was still speaking.
"Is everything okay, Princess?"
When I looked at Cassian, I saw a mixture of concern and annoyance on his face.
"I've been speaking to you for nearly a minute."
He scanned the hall with his eyes as if searching for the reason for my distraction, "Is everything okay?" He repeated the question.
"Well, yes." I tried hard not to look at the impossibly beautiful noble.
"I apologize for my distraction, Your Highness."
We continued speaking while I tried to pretend my pulse wasn't still thundering for the noble.
Something about him felt so familiar so I concluded that I wasn't going to end the night without speaking to him.
- Writer
