Part Two

Aquamarine

I swim through the corridors of the palace, my little sister, Sapphire, trailing behind me.

Wait up! she squeals, her dark blue tail flapping frantically as she tries to keep up. I grin and slow down, but only slightly. We keep swimming, Sapphire making gleeful little sounds as we dash through corridors filled with corals and pearls. I turn a corner, and crash into someone.

Your majesty!! This is no way for a queen to act! My chief advisor, Matira, glares at me.

I apologize, Lady Matira. I was engaging in some playful activity with my sister before tonight’s meeting. I say. She nods briskly and takes my hand.

Creek and I have something to discuss with you before the meeting. She explains as she pulls me towards the noble’s chambers. I sigh. Sometimes I wish being queen did not require so many “discussions”. They believe I am less capable than I am, simply because of my age. It’s so frustrating! We arrive at Creek’s room, and we swim inside. Creek is one of my senior advisors, and my third in command. Creek gives Matira a knowing look, and she nods.

Your highness, we have a slight change to make to tonight's schedule. Creek says.

I’m listening. I reply, looking into his deep green eyes. He looks away, meaning that this change will probably interfere with the meeting tonight.

The Crown Prince of Alawraith is hosting a ball tonight, to find his queen. Creek explains. I already know where this is going, but I feign confusion.

What exactly are you suggesting, Lord Creek? I stare him down once again, but this time, he holds my gaze.

Perhaps, he begins, You would consider attending this ball. I glare at him.

Absolutely not! I’m not about to give away the entire East Sea to a human prince! I exclaim. Matira swims forwards.

My lady, please. Alawraith is a very powerful kingdom, and it would do good to strengthen the alliance between the land and the sea. There has been unrest in the coastal villages, and this may be the key to stopping it. She pleads.

The unrest is exactly what tonight’s meeting is for! I argue. You’re asking me to destroy months of careful planning for something that we don’t know will succeed! We’re not even sure that he would choose me, if I were to attend! The tips of my tail turn red with fury.

Your majesty, just think about it. Please. Creek looks at me one more time. I glare and exit the room, heading straight towards my own chambers. I flop down on my bed and sigh. I don’t want to give away my power to a king. I don’t want to marry a stuck-up prince. Sometimes I just wish I could be just a normal girl, a commoner who could live in the sea and explore. But I can’t. I would have to leave the kingdom in Sapphire’s hands, and she’s only eight. I can’t break her freedom. So I’m stuck here. I guess being the ruler of a land kingdom wouldn’t be so bad. I get off of my bed, and approach Creek’s room once again. I knock thrice, and step inside.

My lady! Have you decided? Matira asks hopefully. I nod.

I have chosen to attend the ball on one condition. If I am selected by the Crown Prince, we will be married as soon as possible. Then, exactly one month after he becomes king, my husband will have a tragic accident, resulting in his death. Understood?

Coriander

Ugh. Another ball for my cousin, Prince Golden, tonight. My aunt and uncle are hoping to find a wife for him this time. The only problem is, he’s an insufferable snob who only cares about his hair. He sits across from me, daintily nibbling his prime rib while a servant combs his curly golden hair. There is a quiet conversation going on between my mother and my aunt, Queen Annalyn. They’re discussing their gowns for the ball and the jewellery they will be wearing. I pick at my food, looking for something that isn’t meat related. Sadly, even the salad has chicken mixed into it. Sigh. It’s like the king is just flaunting the fact that he’s the only one in this kingdom rich enough to get meat, aside from the farmers and butchers, who supply him with it. I spear a piece of lettuce with one of my forks (I’m not sure which one) and take a bite. I know I’m probably stretching the rules of vegetarianism, but I’m hungry and this is the non-meatiest food on the table. King Francis laughs heartily at something my older brother, Basil says. The laugh seems forced, though. The king and my brother have a complicated relationship, for my brother resents the Crown Prince, as Basil would have been the heir if the prince had not been born. This angers the king, as he believes his son has more right to the throne than my brother. But they must be civil with each other. If Basil were to show disrespect to the king, he might be hanged for treason. If the king were to anything to Basil, his sister, my mother, would be heartbroken. So there is a thick line of tension between the two of them, but neither of them are brave enough to cut it. I look around the table once more, briefly glancing at my little brother, Hawthorne, until my eyes land on the queen’s necklace. The color-changing jewel in the center is a pale green, which means she’s probably st-

I wake up in my room, on top of my bed. There’s stains from what is probably ranch dressing on my shirt. I hate it when this happens. I get off of my bed and change into a different shirt.This one’s a deep wine red, and it’s what I’m wearing to Golden’s ball. Speaking of His Royal Snobbiness, he barges into my room.

“Awake yet, cousin?” he asks, smirking. I glare at him, and he puts up his hands in defense.

“No need to get defensive, cousin. I was just checking on you, to ensure that you were still attending the ball, even with your condition.” Golden grins, very amused. I should probably explain what’s going on. When I was a couple of weeks old, my aunt and uncle had this gigantic party to celebrate, because my parents wanted everyone to know that the kingdom had a new, special child to praise and adore. They invited everyone from here to the East Sea, except for one fairy, who my parents had never been particularly fond of. When the fairy figured out that she wasn’t invited, she very logically decided to blame the baby, and so I was cursed with what the Royal Physician calls “Fairy-Induced Narcolepsy”, meaning I randomly fall asleep at any time, in any place. My siblings and cousins think it’s hilarious, the king thinks it’s annoying, and my parents constantly wish that they could’ve had a normal child, like Basil. There’s a shout from down the hall, and Golden steps towards the door.

“See you at the ball, cousin.”

Aspen

“Your Majesty?” I ask, glancing at my stepmother, the queen of Aeris.

She gives a slight, frustrated smile, “You know you don’t have to take care of me, Aspen. I’m fine on my own.” I nod, handing her a bowl of soup. “Aspen.” She sighs.

“If you’re so healthy, mother, I’d like you to walk around the room.” I say, helping her stand from her bed. She’s not even fully standing yet, but she’s leaning heavily on me.

“Fine.” She says, sitting back down on the bed. I give her a weird glance, she never gives up this easily. Its… concerning.

“A-are you ok?” I ask, tucking her in.

“I don’t know. Look, I’m… I don’t want you worrying about me too much. So… you go to the ball.” The ball? I stare at her, wide eyed. Something is definitely wrong. The ball. Prince Golden’s ball.

“No way.” I growl, stepping back. “I don’t care if you’re dead or dying, no. Prince Golden is a... a--”

“He is the crown prince of this Kingdom, and eventually your ruler.” She poutes, adding, “And I’m quite offended that you don’t care if I’m dead or dying.”

“Mother, I’m sorry, but there is no way that I’m attending Prince Golden’s Ball. And you know I care about you.”

“Aspen, go to the ball.” She repeats, relaxing back into her bed. Her breathing quiets until it’s hardly audible. Then I realize it’s not audible.

“Mother?” I ask, tears welling in my eyes. “Are you-- are you…” I don’t want to say it. She lies on the bed, still unmoving, her breathing gone. I let out a wail of despair.

I’m going to the ball. I have to, it was my stepmother’s last request.

Golden

Tonight will be the event of the year! At sunset, in the Grand Ballroom at the Palace of Alawraith, there will be a ball, in honor of the amazing Crown Prince…. ME! We’re having lunch in the Dining Room, a simple meal of prime rib, fresh sashimi, and a couple of salads, made of the finest meats and vegetables. There would have been lobster, too, but Father says we have to wait until tonight. Hmph. I wish we weren’t too poor to have lobster every meal, but Father says we will just have to make do with the kingdom’s treasury, a mere $900,000,000,000,000,000,00. I hate living this cheap life. I take a tiny bite of the prime rib, savoring the meaty flavor, while my servant boy combs my beautiful hair. I should really start looking for a professional to do this, for I really shouldn’t give an unskilled laborer such an important task. Mother and Auntie Rose are both discussing their outfits for the ball, but I pay them no mind. Women are such boring creatures. I keep eating, and one of my younger cousins turns to look at me. I think his name is Hawky or Harry, or something like that.

“What do you think of the meal, Prince Golden?” he asks. I open my mouth to reply, when suddenly there’s a horrible clatter. Another one of my cousins, Coriander, is face-down in his salad. Probably fell asleep again. It’s horribly annoying when he does that, as it is quite hard to draw attention to yourself when everyone is fussing over the guy who passed out at the table. A few of the servants pack him up and carry him off to his room, while I sit at my place, rolling my eyes.

“He’s being such a drama queen, don’t you think so?” I whisper to Hawky. He seems a bit taken aback, but he still nods.

“Yes, Prince Golden. I agree.” I nod, and Hawky grins at me. My hair-servant finishes brushing my hair and whispers in my ear.

“It is time to get ready for the ball, Prince Golden.” I groan. Dressing is such a torturous activity. The hair-servant pulls me to my feet, and together we go to my chambers, where I spend a full hour getting dressed, putting on the proper makeup, and preparing my hair. It pays off, though. When I gaze into my beloved mirror, I see that I look even more gorgeous than usual, which is really saying something. A soft knock sounds on my door, and Mother comes in.

“Could you go check to see if Coriander is awake?” She asks. “He needs to get ready for the ball.” I nod, but inside this single request has made me furious. Why should I, the Crown Prince of Alawraith, have to go wake up my sleepyheaded cousin? I stand up and grumble all the way out the door. Oh, how I look forward for the ball, when everyone will truly know how wonderful I am.

To be continued…….