Razljubit

  The sun was hitting on my face with a fierce intensity, leaving no other option, I have to wake up and start the day. I almost forgot the reason that leads me to keep the curtains opened the last night. Today was the day I was waiting for since a long time ago.  I put myself in the beautiful navy-blue dress that I have selected the night before, and I combed my brown hair as I appreciate my reflection in the mirror. -Lady Mercia, is time to…- Clara was saying as she entered the room. She stopped in the middle as she saw me already out of my bed. Clara was the maid of the house. She was young for the job, but very responsible and committed to always giving me and my brother the best care without making us spoiled kids. She had a shoulder length cut and her ashy blond hair was always out of her face by the help of a giant piece of fabric that she always wrapped around her head. She was shorter than me but very strong and impressively agile for her chubby complexion. I always remember the fear that I felt when she finds out about our whereabouts with Baltazar.  It was funny to remember that, because the woman of that scenarios has nothing to do with the teary woman in front of me. -Oh, my beautiful sweet little lady, look at you! - she said as she came closer to me and hug me tight- You look so splendid, I can not believe that I raise the future queen of the nation! -Clara please…-I said out of breath- I can’t breathe…  -Sorry darling- she said as she wiped some tears out wit her hand- It’s just that some time ago you were I child playing on the garden, covered in mud, and now you are leaving to the castle…You can not blame me for being emotional.  I smile as Clara took my hair between her hands. -Common lady Mercia, sit so I can do your hair and makeup. I obeyed and let Clara take care of me for probably the last time.                                                                                          *** My father was sitting in front of me on the carriage, looking through the window. He didn’t say anything since we start the trip but I know that a lot of thing must be going though his mind right now. Anyway, I let him be and I focused on what was going to happened: I was going to met the prince. Finally. Since I was a little girl, and I really mean little (maybe less than a year) the king of the nation made a pact with my parents. I was going to marry their son and be the next queen. It was a convenient agreement for both sides. My father, the best business man of the south region will have exclusives contracts with the crown for the eternity to come, and the king could rest knowing that by this alliance the separatist movement of the region will lose all the force. Being the next queen would have been a motive to any other family to treat their daughter as a princess, but my father and my mother decide to give me the most normal life that anyone on my family could aspire to have. I was raised with my brother in equals terms. We both have the knowledge to be the next heir of the mercantile empire that my dad keeps for the family. Me and Baltazar were always present at the sign of the treaties and were teach to how to deal with money. Even after my mother death, my dad keeps training us to be the next heirs of his kingdom. It wasn’t until I was 11 years old that I discovered what I was supposed to be in the future, it was my own father who told me during a dinner like if was something that he forgot to mention before. I start to study to be the best queen I could ever be. I start asking my father to bring books about war, about politics, about power, about trading (I have to admit that the training in business that my father already gave me made this field a lot easier to understand), and a lot of other things. I learn the etiquette of the royals and the best behavior for a queen. I always liked to be prepared for everything and this wasn’t an exception. But being a queen wasn’t my only future role. I would need to be a wife too. And I have to be the best wife ever. For that, I ignore every single guy that show some interest in me, I keep them away and rejected them when was necessary. I also knew that I would need to leave my town in the future, so I was polite and kind to everyone but I didn’t make close friends (relationships of any kind could cloud your sense and make you do really bad mistakes). I was loyal to my husband since the moment I knew I have one, and I tried to understand how guys brain works by looking at my dad and brother. I have spent years learning how o be the perfect queen for the nation, and the perfect wife to the future king. I was prepared.                                                                                             ***   When the carriage came to a stop my father was the fist one to go out, not before looking at me and asked “Are you ready?” to which I smiled and nod. Of course I was. The castle in front of me was huge, with a lot of towers, it was made of a shiny material that reflects the light of the dusk. We were in the royal island, the place were only the royal family and their guests could stay for more than 24 hours. Fully guarder bridges were all around, conducing from the island to different parts of the surrounding city. We passed by one of them when we arrived, but I was sleepy and didn’t notice that we had already arrived, and for security reasons, the curtains of the carriage were kept close. The way to the castle was surround by the greenest grass I have ever see, and in front of us, blocking the path, were a tall man, in his fifties with tan skin and silver hair, in all black and silver clothes, surrounded by a lot of guards. -Leon, my good friend- said the man approaching my father. As he passed by the guards, they put themselves in firm position, ready to attack in any emergency- How much time without seeing you- He said as they shake hands- And this must be the little Varena- he said as he looked at me. I responded with a subtle reverence when I realized that we were talking directly to the king. It could be surprising, but not anyone could know how the king looks like. His face was portraited and fully appreciated at the coronation day, but after that, the king always uses the eternal helmet over his face, so I didn’t even imagine that he would present himself in such a vulnerable situation. -You have grown up so much, and look so much as your mother, lady Mercia. Leon must be proud of having such a beautiful daughter. I tried really hard not to flinch at the mention of my mother, and not to roll my eyes at the suggestion that my father should be proud of my beauty. As if I did something to get the genes I had. -A lot of time indeed, your majesty- intervened my father as he noticed my discomfort- And I’m pretty sure that your son is not behind my daughter in the grow up matter. Where is the prince?   For a moment, a vein popped up the forehead of the king, but with a head movement the king covered it with his silver hair. -He is…. I jumped as a black smoke start appearing at the king’s side and a form materialized in less than one second. I assumed that the guards were going to do something but they didn’t even flinch. The next second a blonde boy was standing at the king’s side, with the same skin color and height of the king. He was using black pants and something that look like a silver linen shirt. His hair was kind of messy and his sleeves were roll up. -Hi father, sorry for being late. What do you need me for? - he asked as he looked at the king. After that, he noticed our presence and immediately look straight at us, putting himself in firm position and remaining quietly, even when I could see that a lot of doubts were passing through his eyes. - Leon, Lady Mercia, let me present you my son: Merek.