Royally His

2. Royalliers

Song: Warrior by Beth Crowley
You fascinated me, cloaked in shadows and secrecy
The beauty of a broken angel
I ventured carefully, afraid of what you thought I'd be
But pretty soon I was entangled
You take me by the hand
I question who I am
Teach me how to fight, I'll show you how to win
You're my mortal flaw and I'm your fatal sin
Let me feel the sting, the pain, the burn under my skin
Put me to the test, I'll prove that I am strong
Won't let myself believe that what we feel is wrong
I finally see what you knew was inside me all along
That behind this soft exterior, lies a warrior

"Never trust any Royallier. If mortals are fuelled by ambition, Royalliers are much worse. They used to be altruistic beings that dedicated their lives to keep our planet going. But frustration with the system of the things, with the fact that we go unrecognised and that humans continue to disrupt the planet, has morphed into extreme hatred. Right before I left, they were falling over themselves to wrestle for the throne. They all wanted the crown. Some wanted it so they could order a war against mortals, others wanted to enslave all them. They were relentless to get to their goals."

In the summer of 2008, Glacia's mother had told her more stories of the "Royalliers", the beings that she had lived with in the past. These days, she was starting to let Glacia in on more of her recounts, even the ugly ones, like these.

The little girl tugged her blanket closer, frightened that it had morphed into a nightmare. "But you told me that they wore pretty dresses and stayed in an elegant palace." She quaked.

"Yes, they lived in a place of beauty. And many of them were beautiful, as are you; but..." Livia looked to the side, averting her eyes to the floor. "It was all just a disguise."

"You said it was your wish for me to go back to them someday."

She looked at Glacia sadly. "It both scares me and comforts me for me to wish something like that. You have an incredible gift, Glacia. One that cannot be matched by a typical Royallier. I believe you're set for something great; to change the Royalliers. This is important you see, if they keep up with this, we might have a war on our hands."

"If you wanted me to go to them, then why did you leave the palace with me?"

"I... I had to get away from some things. And also, I didn't want you to be influenced by them. I wanted to raise you safely first. Having powers like that, a lot of people would want to use you, Glacia. And they're deceitful enough to think of some brilliant ways to get their way, and they could make you into one of their puppets."

She kissed me on the forehead, appearing to be very sorry at having to tell me such a cruel bedtime story. But I get it, I just couldn't grow up to be one of those ordinary girls who were told about a perfect world, to get them to sleep. There is no perfect world, and my mother made sure I understood that, lest it get me more hurt if I didn't.

"Royalliers would be kind enough to stab you from the back. In reality, they'd get you to cosy up to them, crawl under your skin and break you apart from the inside, where it hurts most."

***

"You don't have to support her, you know. She's good enough to stand by herself." Asher told Luke impatiently.

Luke ignored those words, his arms still on Glacia's shoulders. Thanks to Asher's healing, the girl was able to stand now. She had a tremendous amount of willpower that accelerated the process. She could even push the stony doors open, sliding into a smile of satisfaction.

Glacia was spellbound. The interior of the palace was even more stunning than the exterior. The floor decked with a full red carpet, the walls coated in a similar, regal shade. The reception area branched out into a maze of halls that were adorned with brilliant jewels. The chandelier hanging from the high ceiling was clad in at least hundreds of crystals and precious stones. Everything here was plastered with expensive items, far above what the richest of mortals combined, could afford.