The Princess and the Bard (Royals of the Realms #1)

Chapter One: Meet the Bards

"That's quite the sensible response. But will you be able to choose someone else, with his music stuck in your head as it's been these last months? Even I can tell that his talent is immense, and I don't have a musical bone in my body."

Alori sighed, crossing her arms. "Must you continue needling me about this?" A strained smile crept past her defenses. "Let's just hope the rest of him hasn't suffered as a result of carrying around all that talent."

Hamoni grinned. "I can agree with that." Her hand slid off the princess' arm, repositioning itself at the small of Alori's back, urging her granddaughter forward with firm, gentle pats. "Come now, we mustn't linger. They're waiting for you."

♫♫♫

Sunlight poured into the concert hall, washing the spacious theater in soft buttery tones. The bards stood on the stage, forming a line that made up the twenty-one man group which had been curated for the future queen's assessment some time ago and without her input.

The bards bowed upon Alori's entrance, drawing her eye to hair of varying length and texture, ranging in color from palest blond to gleaming, raven-wing black. A few of the lowered heads boasted unnatural colors– cherry red, orange, blue– the vibrancy garish under the unforgiving noonday sun. As they stood back up, their arms falling to their sides, each one regarded the princess and her grandmother with a certain degree of interest. At least a dozen of the bards appeared as anxious as Alori felt, their jaws and fists clenched, their arms pressed close to their sides. A handful refused to meet her gaze, while others were more relaxed, offering her nods and amiable smiles. Two in particular caught Alori's eye, but she wasn't convinced it meant anything or was necessarily a good sign. 

They were on opposite ends of the lineup, each with something different about his expression that made him stand apart from the rest. The man on the far left side of the stage was so tall he would have stood out regardless, due to his ungainly stature and dyed blue hair, but it was his lazy, bored posture that rankled. This one reminded Alori of a skinny reed curving in the wind, his expression sardonic, his dark eyebrows quirked. He was like every haughty nobleman she'd ever met, the picture of spoiled insouciance, looking for all the world as though she were wasting his time.

Alori wondered if his apathy was directed at her, at being made to preen before her like a painted dovecock. Perhaps the rest of them felt the same way, like shiny trinkets in a shop window. If that was the case, she couldn't blame them for their wariness. Tradition and custom weren't often fair anywhere on Eala. 

In most countries, like Cardosia in the south, kings ruled and their sons were given their choice of spouse. A Cardosian prince might as likely marry a royal from another land as a commoner from his own. Cardosians had no magic in their native bloodlines, so any country they aligned with would be a weak alliance compared with the Ville-Realms. But things were different here. Five hundred years ago the goddesses of Eala descended from the heavens, granting magic to certain chosen women of the holy lands that came to be known as the Ville-Realms, in an effort to ward off demons who had encroached on the holy city of Saseum. This magic came in three primary forms, known as ERA magic, consisting of the Elemental form– the primal magic of Eala itself; the Runic form– the magic of symbols and idols; and the Arcane form– the magic of scribing and recitation, spoken spells and incantations in the old language.

Some of the women proved to be proficient in all three forms of magic, while others excelled at one or the other. Together with the kingsguard of the bygone era, the early mages succeeded in pushing back the darkness. After that early victory over demonkind, women came to rule the Ville-Realms exclusively. Their queen was the chosen of the goddesses, the most powerful human mage on Eala, the Shieldmaker. The magical barrier the Shieldmaker cast over the Ville-Realms protected all within its vicinity from the unspeakable creatures of the five hells, but it was a taxing spell to uphold alone. In time queens began to favor musicians as lovers and consorts, utilizing the bards' music as a natural conduit to enhance their magic. Eventually, predilection became custom and for as long as Alori could remember, the crown princess had always married a bard.