At the same time, in a nearby kingdom, two people stood in front of an old wooden door. The rust on its locks had made it impossible to open. One of them was a young woman who turned 21 only a month ago. Her companion was a middle-aged man. Despite his age, he was clean shaven.The woman pointed a finger on the locks. They snapped in half and fell on the floor. The door creaked open.
The room was dim. Dust clung to the ceiling and the gla.s.s displays. It looked like it hadn"t been touched for years. The woman stepped inside. She scanned the area.
The hexagon shape of the place was familiar. Its once mauve ceramic walls were worn out by time. She lifted a hand. One by one the torches lit to life. The royal treasury shined once more.
The heels she wore clacked on the marble floor as she glided around the collection set on the tables, the pillars and the shelves. Gold, silver, diamonds, rubies, sapphires and more crafted into various jewelry and accessories: necklaces, rings, bracelets, hair pins, tiaras, crowns and scepters to name a few.
At the back of the room was a gla.s.s display perched on the wall. Inside was a scepter, a crown and a stone. The crown"s frame was made of pure gold. It had two rows of diamonds on both sides. They grew bigger as it reached the middle. The centerpiece was missing. What was in its place was a band molded into teardrop with spherical hole to hold the last piece once it was inserted.
The tip of the scepter was shaped like a tulip. Thin gold bands crusted with small diamonds seemed to sprout out of the rod. Bundle of leaves encircle the roots of the petals. At the top of them sat a miniature replica of the crown beside it.
Underneath these two was where a white unpolished stone sat on a its own shelf.
This was what the woman was looking for. Behind her, the man stood patiently. He observed the young woman. He hadn"t seen her for over ten years. She had inherited her father"s height but she had her mother"s smooth white skin. Her straight black hair was woven into an intricate hairstyle on top of her head. A few strands fell on the sides of her face, adding more to her allure.
He watched her open the case and waited… but the miss didn"t make a move.
"Why does this even exist?" She whispered but her small voice echoed around the room.
"It"s a gift from your grandfathers, Your Highness. Blessed with the power to rule over the kingdom. This was created when King Andre had you and your sister from two different women. Your grandfathers loved you both very much" the man began to explain. Compared to the Princess, he had a lower intonation and spoke more clear-cut, "In order to do what is best for the kingdom, the stone shall turn green when touched by the rightful heir after she turns 21."
Princess Alkas let out a breath. This was an important moment for her. Her mother"s words replayed in her head.
Make me proud my daughter, she said before the princess left on her voyage back to her father"s lands. Her mother"s eyes full of pride burned in her mind. Her heart drummed inside her chest.
"Your mother had done her best to keep Aurae from the brink of destruction as its former Queen. Despite the death of your father, the court had kept her in an important position because of her promise of your return" Rowan frowned when he noticed the Princess" hand was trembling, "Do not be frightened, my dear. I shall accompany you every step of the way. You are King Andre"s and Queen Calla"s daughter. No one in this land shall question your t.i.tle."
Alkas held her hands together as if in prayer. The open sleeves of her maroon gown slid to her elbows. She closed her eyes and gulped.
May Luna watch over me, she chanted. Then, eyes open, Alkas reached out a hand for the stone.
…
…
...
"It"s white" she choked. The shake in her hands intensified. With her other hand, she entrapped the stone. It still didn"t change. Tears began to form in her eyes.
No… this cannot be… it cannot be true…
All of her life, Alkas had only one goal… to be Aurae"s Queen. She clutched the stone close to her chest. Her upper body bent forward. Her knees gave in. Over and over, the Princess questioned her ident.i.ty.
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If she wasn"t Queen, what would that make of her?
"Your sister…" Rowan exclaimed breathily. If the stone was white, it only meant one thing.
Alkas stilled at the mention of her sister. Slowly, she straightened up. When the Princess met Rowan"s stare, the once dejected eyes were cold. Rowan was dumbfounded by it. He remembered that Princess Alkas pampered her sister endlessly when they were little. He thought she"d be happy or surprised at the possibility.
"My sister is dead, Prime Minister" Alkas sneered, her words penetrating as they came out, "There has been no sign of her since that day. Are we to hold off the kingdom without a proper ruler? For a brainless fantasy that she is alive?!"
Prime Minister Rowan bowed his head. Change had surely been part of the Princess" time away from the palace. The tragedy had incurred a price on her views of the world.
"Princess Ariene"s disappearance has been dismissed by the court many years ago. It was fruitless. Your marriage to Crown Prince Tylen shall ent.i.tle you to the throne. That is what the court has decided" Rowan reminded. To prepare for any casualties, the court had set out preventive and countermeasures. As the Crown Prince, Tylen was high in power. With no other heir to take over Aurae, the marriage would symbolize a union of both kingdoms. Thus, it would secure the throne to Princess Alkas.
Alkas placed the stone back on its shelf, closing the gla.s.s display. The Prime Minister was right. The only way was to move forward.
She cleared her mind and steeled her nerves. Her movements became stiff and robotic. Hands still on the display, she turned her head to side to peek at the Prime Minister.
"But they"re expecting me to be only one left. The stone is white. Wouldn"t this cause rebellion?"
Rowan stepped forward, "This shall remain a secret. We"ll have an imitation made."
Alkas faced him fully, golden eyes gleaming.
"Thank you, Prime Minister. I shall remember your words well" she smiled and walked to the entryway. The hairs on the back of Rowan"s neck rose. A cold wind inside a windowless room touched his ears. He winced. Then, he looked at the stone with a face of longing. Princess Ariene was alive. She had survived. That alone gave him inexplicable joy. He prayed for good health and a long life ahead of her.
Princess Alkas did not wait for Rowan. Neither did she look back. Her mind began calculating. Crown Prince Tylen was on his way and the coming banquet will be used to announce their engagement. There were preparations to be done.
She was to be Queen and nothing will stand in her way.