The princess who would trade gold
578 Words
Morning light spilled through the tall windows of the Ilugo palace, gilding the marble floors in honeyed warmth. Aristine stood before her mirror, adjusting the amethyst pendant at her throat. The reflection staring back was no longer the frightened princess of Silvanus — it was a woman ready to build her own empire.
Her marriage to Tarkan had been sealed with ceremony and silence. The court watched her with suspicion, whispering that the foreign bride would never survive among warriors. Aristine smiled at their doubt; she had survived worse.
Tarkan, ever the soldier, spent his days in council and training. He was courteous but distant, a man of few words and many thoughts. Aristine respected that. She did not need affection — she needed space to work.
In the quiet hours, she explored the palace grounds, learning the rhythm of Ilugo. The people were strong, practical, and proud. They valued trade almost as much as battle. Aristine’s mind began to turn. She had seen visions of gold coins and bustling markets during her journey — perhaps her Royal Sight had been showing her the path forward.
One afternoon, she visited the armory. Rows of gleaming blades lined the walls, each forged with Ilugo’s signature steel. Aristine picked up a dagger, its balance perfect. “This could sell for a fortune,” she murmured.
The blacksmith laughed. “A fortune? It’s just a weapon, Your Highness.”
“Not if you sell it to nobles who’ve never held one,” she replied, eyes glinting. “To them, it’s art.”
That night, Aristine drafted her first plan — a venture to export Ilugo’s craftsmanship to foreign markets. She would turn the kingdom’s pride into profit.
When she presented the idea to Tarkan, he listened quietly. “You want to sell weapons to nobles?” he asked, brow raised.
“I want to sell beauty disguised as strength,” she said. “And I want to make money doing it.”
For a moment, Tarkan simply stared at her. Then, a slow smile curved his lips. “You’re bold.”
“I’ve had to be.”
He nodded. “Then let’s see if your boldness can match Ilugo’s steel.”
Together, they began to build the foundation of her enterprise. Aristine used her Royal Sight to predict market trends and demand, while Tarkan provided access to craftsmen and merchants. Their partnership was pragmatic, but beneath the surface, respect began to grow — a quiet understanding between two people who had learned to fight for their own freedom.
Weeks passed, and Aristine’s venture flourished. Her designs — jeweled daggers, ornate hilts, ceremonial blades — became coveted across kingdoms. Gold flowed into Ilugo, and whispers of the “Princess of Trade” spread far and wide.
Yet success brought envy. Rival nobles sought to undermine her, questioning her motives and her foreign blood. Aristine faced them with calm precision. “I may be foreign,” she told the council, “but gold speaks every language.”
Her words silenced them.
As the arc closes, Aristine stands on the palace balcony beside Tarkan, watching merchants unload crates of gold and steel below. The wind catches her silver hair, and she smiles — not as a princess, not as a wife, but as a woman who has turned her vision into power.
“Forget my husband,” she whispers again, though now the words carry a different meaning. “I’ll go make history.”
- Writer
