۵ Chapter Four ۵
1000 Words
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Chapter Four
blue blood
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⌇The Queen's Veil⌇
Ashai ran her fingertips through Moonlight's silver mane. He gently dug at the snow floor, revealing small blades of grass.
She stroked his nose and his neck, and gently tapped his sides.
"Shh." She whispered. "What do you think, huh? Queen Ashai Percevale..." She slumped against his neck. "It doesn't sound right, does it? Or is that just because I'm not used to it?"
She wiped a tear that escaped from her right eye and stepped away from Moonlight. "Goodnight sweetheart."
Boots trudged through the snow behind her; the sound of twigs snapping and leaves breaking.
"Is that how it's supposed to be now? We're supposed to bow and call you our Queen?" A male voice snarled.
Ashai turned to face him in the darkness. A posse of four people cloaked in furs stood before her. She knew them - they were people she had followed into the Champions Ring three moons back. They were citizens of The Queen's Veil.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and into the large braid. "I never asked for this." Her eyes met the shine of the thin blades attached to the boys' hips.
The single braided, ginger-haired girl took a deep breath as snowflakes fell onto her dark furs. "We are here for confirmation."
Ashai frowned. "Confirmation?"
Only a torch held by the smaller blonde girl lit the area. The snowflakes melted into the warm, yellow light.
"You know the saying, right? Royalty bears blue blood?" The largest boy said. He held the small, thin sword in his hand tightly that was once attached to his hilt.
Ashai sighed. "I already checked yesterday...and, well I can only confirm the rumours are true."
The boy narrowed his sapphire eyes. "Well, I'd like to see with my own eyes."
"I can show you, if you must know. Hand me that knife." She gestured to the small dagger the ginger girl held in her hand.
The boy was taken aback. "No way. I will be the one to find out." He grit his teeth. "Do you know what else they say about Princesses?" He took a few steps forward in the deep snow.
Ashai held her chin high. "What do they say?"
"They say they taste like sweets and spices. They say that once you've had a Princess...you can never visit a brothel again."
The second boy laughed along with the other. "You must be freezing in only that nightwear. You're practically begging for us to warm you up, aren't you?"
Ashai chuffed. "I never get cold. And you're wrong." She said, staying calm. "I'm not a Princess. I'm a Queen. I'm the rightful Queen."
The boys exchanged glances before bundling into an explosion of howling laughter. "Even better."
The two boys took a few steps closer before one of the girls, the blonde one, took his arm. "Leo, you said we'd only cut her. She will even do that willingly!"
The boy, Leo, shrugged her arm off of him. "Don't touch me, Sienna. I'll do what I want."
"And what is it that you want?" Ashai asked with a narrowed expression.
Leo smiled slyly. "You, my Queen. After all these years...you."
He reached forward and grabbed the scruff of her neck, and held a dagger to Ashai's throat, which kickstarted the second dark-haired boy to grab her arms behind her back.
"Get your filthy hands off of me. Don't you dare touch me. The Warchief will have your hands!" Ashai warned, desperately struggling free from their grip.
"Well, where's your Warchief now? Sleeping...like everybody else in The Veil. You're alone in this darkness." The second boy laughed.
Ashai grit her teeth. "He's your Warchief too, and you are disrespecting him!"
Leo chuckled. "Rune, shut her up."
Rune lifted his thin sword above his head, ready to swing it down onto Ashai - knocking her unconscious.
"Remove your hands from your Queen immediately!" A voice called through the darkness.
Ser Topaz stood tall, holding his great sword at the ready.
"Laying a hand on your Queen is punishable by death. I suggest you remove yourselves now and run along home before I carry out the sentence myself." He warned.
The four of them, wide eyed, ran into the distance almost instantly at the sight of his sword. Sienna dropped the torch to the snowy ground, leaving a yellow hue against the snow.
Ashai looked up, trying to remain calm, yet had an obvious shake in her voice. "They weren't going to do anything to me. They were all talk, no bite."
Ser Topaz raised a brow and sighed. "He was holding a knife to your throat. You can not be certain about mercy, my Queen. Word will spread and the Fire Lord will eventually hear of your survival from the siege. He will see you as a threat to the throne. He will want you dead. You cannot trust anybody."
Ashai furrowed her brows and slumped in posture. "What happens now?"
Ser Topaz gently pulled her into a protective embrace. "I will always be here to protect you. I will never leave your side. I vow to keep you safe until my dying day...if you will have me."
Ashai smiled gently and pulled away. "You have never left my side for as long as I can remember. Of course I will have you."
"Good." He smiled. "Then you must get some rest. We ride West tomorrow - towards the elven capital of Llorva."
"Why?"
"The elves were good supporters of your father, and your mother. They are one of the most affected by the Fire Lord's reign. We need their support." Ser Topaz furrowed his brows. "He burned their sacred Jade Forest to the ground. All that stands is dust and ash. A wasteland stands in the shoes of what was once a beauty."
Ashai nodded. "I thought elves were mythical creatures."
"They are..." He chuckled. "...Just like you and I."
- Writer
