The place where the world stopped was not so strange, but the vertigo was overwhelming. The girl could not decide whether or not it would be wise to jump. She was thrilled but she was also afraid. She clutched her head as she tried to steady herself. Maybe twirling too close to the edge wasn’t such a bright idea after all. But she couldn’t help it. After years and years of disenchantment and discontent, she had finally found the solution. She had finally found the key. And that too, right under her nose.
“Princess Sienna Valdez, heir to the throne of Zandoria, daughter of his Majesty, Emperor Miguel Valdez, ruler of the seven seas and the seven realms, owner of…."
“Cut. Cut. Good Lord, cut.” Sienna snapped, interrupting the Seer. “Seriously, Duvall, I’ve heard that chant a thousand times over. I might as well drop dead.
“Sienna!” Emperor Miguel barked. “What’s with this nonsense?!”
“Honestly Dad. I promise we can survive without having to go through that agonizing chant a million times over.”
“It is His Majesty to you.” Miguel seethed with gritted teeth. Taking a deep breath, with an evident effort of taming his fury, he continued “Now, you will apologize to the Seer and the Council for such an unmerited outburst.”
Sienna was awash with shame. She had honestly forgotten that they weren’t alone and that they were before the Council. Her mother had always scolded her for her inability to think before speaking. And kept reminding her that as the heir to the throne of Zandoria, it was expected that she think more and speak less.
Turning around, she could already hear the snickers of the Council and the sneers, the mocking glances, and the spiteful stares. She knew they didn’t like her. She knew that they would prefer her mother’s newborn son as an heir rather than her. They already viewed her father as weak and she knew that his insistence on her apology was his way of telling the Council that he still had her in line and that he wasn’t weak.
Well, she wasn’t going to prove otherwise so she proceeded to give a half-hearted apology to the Seer and the Council for her “unruly” behaviour. But she couldn’t bear their upturned noses a second longer so bowing hastily to the Emperor, she ran out of the Throne room.
She knew fully well that this action of hers had just nullified her apology and that even without turning, the Council will start berating her father for the umpteenth time on why he would entrust the future of the seven realms and seas into the hands of an ‘unweaned teenager.’ But she didn’t care.
To be honest she had stopped caring long ago when she found out that no matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, she would never be good enough for the Council or the people. That her flaws would forever be highlighted and her strengths neglected. She was not yet eighteen, yet she was the best archer in all of Zandoria. It was something she didn’t take lightly. But even that was arrogantly dismissed by the Council.
Right from when she could remember, she was brought to the knowledge of her unfortunate fate. She’d never had a normal childhood. She didn’t even know what it meant to be a girl. She remembered being caught by her instructor in the meadows on the night of her sixth birthday, dancing with the flowers she’d plucked, on her hair. She had proceeded to give her ten solid spanks with a paddle on her calves before being whisked away to the castle’s library to read ‘The Art of War' for the tenth time.
She knew there was no escaping her fate. So she endured the gruelling lectures, the midnight sword drills, and every ‘heir’ activity they imposed on her. But sometimes she just found herself erupting like this time. She knew no one would save her. And she knew that though her father loved her, he’d never dismiss the Council even when they made snide remarks about her. The Council consisted of the fiercest, wisest and most loyal of men so like it or not, he couldn’t do without them.
Making her way to the Seer’s lair which was her secret hideout, she looked warily at the vials that contained deadly potions. She knew enough not to touch them but she couldn’t help admiring them. After a while, she grew bored and whipped away to look at something else. Only, by doing that, her dress pushed one of the vials down, emptying its content on the floor.
She gasped in horror not for what she had done but for the wide, gaping hole now in the middle of the room. She drew back, dizzy with disbelief as she peeped in and saw what looked like another realm. Could she switch realms? Would she finally be herself? Would she finally be free? She thought about the one person that this act of hers would break and decided that he would survive her absence. Though she won’t survive his. However, her mind had been made up. So, taking a deep breath, she jumped into the hole.
To be continued.....
This is my submission to the Dreem-WOTW S2-R3 hosted by Dreemport. All Rights Reserved. Copyright©️ Jhymi || 2023
