Princess of Erodaire: Part One by christinetran |  |
I sat by idly upon my
golden throne and stared woefully at the young Lupe before me. His fur was ragged
and decorated with clumps of dark mud, and his left ear had a fearsome gash
running across it. The Lupe's eyes were upon the floor, and his paws were tied
in chains. By his side stood two menacing Grarrls adorned in their magnificent
suits of armor, and their large claws tightly gripped equally large metal spears.
My eyes once again fell upon the Lupe before me, and I sadly noticed the fact
that his paws were shaking in fear. I glanced away quickly, for I wasn't able
to look upon this sorrow any longer.
"He shall be sent to the dungeons," a booming
voice yelled out. My eyes glanced up awkwardly and I met the stern gaze of my
father. His moldy green skin shone dully in the shine of the hall's marble surroundings,
and his eyes glinted dimly as they stared at mine. The pair of scaly wings which
grew out of his back flapped once before they settled themselves upon his back,
and the kingly crown upon his head shone just as blandly despite the jewels
embedded within.
"I second that command..." I whispered hoarsely
and looked upon the face of the Lupe which I've just condemned to certain death.
He was looking at me with eyes which were filled with the doom which lay before
him, and his mouth was slightly agape in shock. I looked down once again, for
I could not bear that look any longer. For although I've seen that expression
upon the many other faces of other Neopians, I was not used to it yet, and I
never will be.
"You heard our orders, now take him away!" my
father's booming voice rang out and echoed upon the walls. Although my eyes
were cast upon the floor, I was still able to vividly imagine the two Grarrl's
extend their free claws and hastily grab the squirming Lupe. I was able to see
the Lupe as he desperately tried to escape the grip of the two Grarrl's, but
he and I both knew that his struggles were in vain, for once the King and the
Princess gave the order to cast you away into the dungeons, you would never
see the light of day for many eternities. My hands gripped the edges of my throne
as I patiently awaited the words which undoubtedly were to come out of the Lupe's
mouth.
"How can you condemn me to death after you swore
to protect us!" the Lupe cried out as he was both dragged and pulled along the
floor. He looked back at the Mutant Draik form of my father and at the Maraquan
Draik form of I, but he did not see the faces of a kindly king and a philanthropic
princess. Instead, he saw the menacing glare of one who was so tainted and abused
with the loss of loved ones that compassion did not exist within his soul, and
the pained eyes of one who was blind to all except for the love which she had
for her father.
I watched calmly but with a hurt heart as the
Lupe was dragged out of the Grand Hall and down the corridor which led to the
fateful dungeons of death, and it was then that I allowed the tears which I
constantly held back to fall forth upon my face. With wavering footsteps, I
walked out of the room and towards no appointed destination.
The enormous windows which were shielded with
lace curtains fluttered before me as I walked down one of the castle's many
corridors. Everything about me was shining with a bright and calm light, but
that warmth stopped the moment it touched my pearl skin, for the cold within
me blocked out all signs of amenity.
If you had not guessed yet, I am a princess
of a kingdom, and I am the daughter of a cruel king. This certain king's name
was King Alastare, a name which fits him in many ways, for in our language,
the language of the Erodaire's, Alastare means 'one who's heart grieves yet
stays strong'. My father has met many tragedies within his life, and I, being
his daughter, had to share the burden of these pains with him. Even though we
both had to go through the same loss of loved ones, for some unknown reason,
King Alastare became as bitter as an unripe lemon... bitter enough to hurt those
whom he had sworn to protect.
As I continued to walk and dwell upon these
thoughts, I soon found myself in a circular room at the west end of the castle.
Many windows bordered it's walls, and cushioned, velvet seats arranged themselves
handsomely upon the floor. I sat upon one of the seats and stared out at the
backyard. Large fountains of gold grew out of the ground, and lovely bushes
and trees bordered the stone walks of the yard. I caught glimpses of some Blumaroos
and Aishas as they ran about, tidying up the place so that the castle's yards
had not a speck of dirt.
I glanced away from these sights and stared
at my hands which lay upon my lap. The rings and jeweled bracelets hung from
my arms until I was practically buried in them, but I did not take them off
despite the fact that I looked like a princess who only wants to flaunt her
richness at the underdogs of society. Instead, I kept them on, for they belonged
to my mother, and they were the only thing left which I could cherish and hold
close for my father, King Alastare, burned her other possessions, stating that
it 'pained me to look at them'.
"It pains me as well, Father," I whispered to
myself, "but you do not see me rushing off to melt these jewels into a liquid
and throwing them away, do you?"
I loved my father. I loved him more than I love
myself, for he was the only family which I had. All my other relatives had perished,
and he was my only blood relative whom I could trust. Even if he is a tyrant
to the kingdom and it's inhabitants, I still loved him like any daughter would
love a parent.
"He was hurt.... he lost nearly everything which
he held close," I whispered once again. This was true, for my father's parents
and siblings were assassinated. Because of this, my father became king before
his time and led our kingdom of Erodaire to victory against our enemy. Although
we won the battle, my father became wounded by an arrow, and wasn't able to
fulfill his duties as king...
"And then he met Mother," I said as a rare smile
found it's way to my lips. My mother was a maid of the castle, a caretaker,
and she was the one who had to nurse my father back to full health. Eventually,
they joined together under the both bright and cold stars of the month of Celebrating.
Under their rule, the kingdom of Erodaire flourished into a golden paradise.
My parents were fair and reasonable, kind and merciful, and life was perfect.
It was around this time that I was born, and things couldn't have been better...
so, instead, things turned worse. I shut my eyes in pain as these thoughts came
rushing back. "I miss you, Mother..."
"Princess Andra, it is time."
I looked up hastily and knocked all of the daydreams
within me quickly away. Looking up, I met the eyes of one of my maids, a starry
Draik, and she was beckoning to me with both her eyes and hands.
"It is time, Princess Andra. The ball is about
to begin," the maid said and placed her hand upon my shoulder. "Get dressed
and ready."
I nodded in response while my eyes looked out
the window. The sun was gone, and the warm rays of light which were just there
moments before had disappeared. I had not realized that I had just spent my
entire afternoon dwelling upon the past, for I did not remember ever getting
a glimpse of the sun as it hid itself behind the horizon.
"My lady, Princess Andra, come with me," the
maid spoke once again and her hand gripped my shoulder tightly. I looked down
at the jewelry I wore upon my hands for a split second, an image of my mother's
face shadowed my mind quickly, and then I stood up and followed the maid down
the corridor.
Moments later, I found myself within the ballroom
of the castle. All the wealthy citizens of the kingdom of Erodaire were gathered
in this room, laughing and talking joyously. I looked around, trying to catch
a sight of my father within the joyous crowd. But, instead of finding him talking
to his people, I found him sitting upon his throne in solitude. His head was
upon his hand, and his eyes were glazed over with a smokish color as if he was
blind to reality and lost within the depths of his mind. My heart tugged at
my mind as I debated with myself on whether I should comfort my father or just
leave him be, and I quickly chose the latter.
After making my decision, I walked towards the
snack table of the room and took a glass of Rose Wine, sipping it occasionally
whenever I felt restless. Following this routine, I hastily devoured over thirty
glasses of rose wine, and I still felt as restless as ever. Everyone about me
looked so happy and untainted by hurt that I knowingly knew that I didn't belong
here. The only reason I stayed was because I was the Princess of Erodaire, and
leaving a party of this significance would seriously afflict both my and Erodaire's
reputation... not like Erodaire's reputation was already ruined by my father's
tyranny.
To be continued... |
