The Oppressed Queen

Chapter 3

I spent most of my day reading under a tree outside, enjoying the warm air on my skin. I had a fitful night of sleep, with the image of my death still replaying in my mind. The betrayal ran so deep on so many levels, and I silently took each blow without even a word. It’s unlike me, but then again, she outsmarted me when she took him to bed the night before the wedding. When I choose one of the other three, I will ask my father not to reveal who I have chosen until my wedding day. She’ll still go through with her plan to mate with Kyro, but it will blow up because he is not who I’ll be selecting, even though I know both realms are anticipating me to do so. Stork is the air realm, which my father is from. It is not unusual for someone from Xen to choose a mate in Stork because the air realm is most like the spirit realm where we live.

Now that I know the truth, I can plan and prepare to leave. I do not wish to remain here in Xen, because all this place brings is pain and misery. Nothing will change even after I’m wed until Phoebe or I give birth. Father has already decreed that the first princess to give birth will inherit his throne, meaning if Phoebe gives birth first, Kyro will be the new King of all the realms, but if I manage to produce an heir first, my husband will become the new King. One thing Phoebe doesn’t know yet is that you need a special elixir to conceive. Depending on the realm we are mating with, it is what decides the elixir and the frequency of use.

To gain an heir from Kyro, she’ll need a potent elixir, which they’ll drink every day. Even after she conceives, she’ll need to continue to drink it to keep his seed viable. For though air is similar to spirit, our powers carry strong magic within, which will attack the seed before it can begin to form an offspring, and if you fail to take the elixir after you conceive, then our magic will attack the offspring as if it were a virus. And the seed from an air realm descendant is air; the elixir turns it into a usable seed. Even my mother is unaware of this, for her mother crafted the elixir and served it to her with her morning breakfast until I was born. My grandmother tried to give them more children, but my father changed his drink preferences and refused to drink the elixir my grandmother served him as a herbal tea.

My grandmother shared all her knowledge and gave me the knowledge that was passed down through generations. I know which elixir is needed for each realm, as well as the duration of time each elixir is needed. Tonight, I will cast another seer spell to see what the future holds if I marry Calder of Qador. The water realm is said to be like the air realm with similarities to the spirit realm, though I do not see how this could be. The elixir for the water realm is thicker than that of the air realm, but still needs to be taken through the entire pregnancy for similar reasons to those of air.

I find myself knocking on the door of my father’s trusted advisor, Fennarion Glimmerfell. Fennarion was trained by the advisor to my grandfather and has vast knowledge of history within the realm. If anyone can answer my questions, it is him. He opens the door and steps aside. “Princess Mira, what do I owe this visit to?” The old man asks, pulling out a chair for me to sit.

“As you know, my eighteenth is approaching, and father wishes me to choose a husband. He presented me with photographs, but jumped around when telling me the names of my options. He specifically went in the order of Stork, Qador, Gorthen, and Shaden. I was curious why he would do that when the order of the pictures was Stork, Shaden, Gorthen, and Qador,” I explained.

“I’m sorry, dear, can you be clearer on your question?” Fennarion replied.

“If I were to choose another option aside from Stork, which realm would be more desirable to Xen and why?”

“Stork is our first and most desired realm. Have you chosen differently?”

“I have not chosen at all yet. I am weighing out my options, but I want to know why Stork is being pushed over Shaden.”

“Your father is from Stork, as was your great-grandfather. For many generations, we have been led by a king from Stork. Even in the one generation where the Valariel family produced a male heir, he married a woman from Stork. It is easier to train and work with an heir from Stork as they are more agreeable people.”

“Have there ever been anyone from Shaden or Gorthen?” I press more. “I know my grandfather was from Qador.”

“Then you know that it was challenging for your great-grandfather to train and guide your grandfather in the way the realms were ruled. Not to mention how different your father and grandfather were. They butted heads more often than not, and many of us feared the transfer of power was going to be less than desirable, we’ll say,” Fennarion explained.

“You’re avoiding my question. I think Ignacio has an intriguing look, something about his photo has me curious about what mysteries he holds,” I lie watching him shift in his chair uncomfortably.

“The last time an heir from Xen married an heir from Gorthen, we suffered a draught caused by the fire realm setting every crop on fire. Forcing us to be more dependent on Gorthen. It was that generation that was the beginning of the suffrage of Xen for a decade, until their final lineage gave us seven Valariel heirs, and the youngest of the seven, married to Stork and delivered the first child, shifting the right to rule back to Stork. That was the great-grandmother of the male Valariel, whom you directly descend from, for his eldest daughter’s eldest daughter was your great-grandmother,” Fennarion explained. “Gorthen has a long history of producing menacing heirs. I beg of you to reconsider.”

“And Shaden?”

“Shaden has never produced an heir worthy enough to catch the eye of a Valariel. They are meek, with no promising futures. Shaden is known as the poorest realm around. No, if it is not Stork, the only one who will do will be from Qador. Qador has equal funds, and they are tolerable,” Fennarion states firmly.

“I understand. Thank you for your wealth of knowledge and guidance.” I curtsy to him before exiting the study. Now I understand why my father listed my options in the order that he did. He was trying to influence my decision. Unfortunately for him, Grandmother proved to be a better teacher than he will ever be.