Red Pureblood

Chapter 2

After hearing my father's orders, I dragged myself towards the room I was using. Being the seventh daughter was boring, I was the freak of the forest, my sisters hated me on the best days and wanted me dead on the worst, but there was a good part, I was the only one who had a room to myself.

I closed the curtains of the room and stripped off the red hood...that damned companion. My paternal grandmother, one of the elders of the council, had told my parents when I was born that the color red would protect me from the monsters of the dark forest, that I should wear it at all times, since I didn't carry the faerie's essence, whatever that was.

I removed the dress and couldn't help but observe the pale body. No matter how long I stayed in the sun every day, no color filled me, all attempts to dye my hair came to nothing, as it returned to its original color. So everyone gave up and made me wear the red hood. On each birthday, I received a new one.

I washed myself with the water they had left in the room and slipped into the twilight dress.

The bust was a dark blue speckled with small crystals that gave the illusion that they were stars in a night sky, and the skirt came down in shades of orange. A maid came into the room with flowers in a basket. Blue flowers for my hair that night.

The female worked on the strands without saying anything to me. In a way the silence was comforting. I was about to break it when she announced the end of the hairstyle. I kept to myself the idea of faking a stomach ache to stay in the room and put the red cloak back on, leaving the hood away from my head.

That was a gift, according to my mother. At parties and gatherings in our house, I could wear only the cloak and leave the hood off my head, but only when I was not alone.

As soon as I was ready, I headed out of the room and towards the stairs. The stone steps were clean and the failing wooden banister was polished. I sat motionless in the chair furthest away from all my sisters, Mom helping them put loose strands of their hair back in place.

I remained invisible, drumming my fingers on the wood of the chair, searching for some way to control my mind that was working on ways to escape from that environment before the prince arrived. My thoughts dissolved when a servant entered the room announcing the prince, my mother signaled in exasperation for us to get up.

I stood at the end of the line, Wammy at the opposite end, in order of age we were in that damned shoulder to shoulder staging. I kept my eyes on the entrance door, my sisters were moving restlessly, then he entered and I was sure that even the prince heard the shriek that Grisinia muffled.

He was tall, taller than my father, his torso was covered only by a strip of cloth that crossed his body, exposing much of his dark muscles. The prince's hair appeared to be dark blue, his eyes were like two pools of blue water. He wore short pants that left his ankles and feet exposed, the skin of his legs was covered with green scales.

My sisters and I bowed, and my father stepped forward:

"This is Wammy, my eldest daughter." Wammy stepped forward and bowed again, flashing the prince a seductive smile.

My sister had pinned flowers from the banks of the river in her hair, and wore a flowing green dress that gave the impression that she was wearing a part of that river. I bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt to contain my laughter.

"Linea, the second eldest," my father continued, Linea took a short flight forward, exposing the wings she was so proud of. Her dress was a light lilac shade that flared out over the water. Her dark skin like our father's stood out in that dress, as did her red hair.

"Grisinia." As soon as her name left my father's lips, Grisinia stepped forward and bowed. Her dress was red, perhaps my sister wanted to attract attention to herself in the face of so many dresses in shades that resembled water.

I would say she was the smartest among my sisters, if the prince wanted a bride who reminded him so much of water, he would surely marry a mermaid.

"Teser" my sister walked forward and bowed, her dress was as dark blue as the ocean. Teser's skin glowed naturally, her ears were highlighted, her hair was curly and had a shade of brown from willow bark, and kept up, leaving her with the beauty of her face completely highlighted.

"Eredra." Unlike the others, my fifth sister took a shy step forward, she kept her golden eyes on the ground as she bowed, her green hair was tied over her left shoulder, small white flowers were placed there, highlighting that shade of green. She wore a dress whose bust was green and the skirts were blue.

"Dandra," whispered my father, "my sixth sister came flying forward as well, her black hair was loose and curly, her dark skin kept covered with dyes that adorned every not-so-subtle curve of her features. Dandra's dress was a light shade of gray that reminded me of the rocks in the riverbed.

"And finally, the youngest, Blaidd," he murmured.

I stepped forward, staring into the prince's eyes, and the male held my gaze. Then I bowed my head.

"Seven daughters... that is indeed a rare event in our people," the prince said.

"Yes, Your Highness, my girls are my miracle," mom said.

"May we have dinner?" Dad asked.

We all sat down at the table, for a long time my father and the prince discussed the peace treaties between the mermen and the mermen that many considered underwater mermen. The prince smiled without answering when my father asked if a marriage of his to a noble mermaid would bring him closer to the throne.

The dinner went on and throughout it, I was stuffing myself with food while avoiding talking, as my sisters tried to attract the prince's attention to themselves. My parents called for calm whenever one of them said something inappropriate, isolated from everything, I could clearly see the prince's preference for Eredra.

At the end of dinner, the male signaled for one of his guards to bring something and he passed each of my sisters handing them a gift. In my turn the male smiled in a restrained manner and when I grasped his hand to receive the necklace, the scream was narrowly arrested when the piece touched my skin.

Faeries are allergic to iron, it burns the skin like it is on fire. For a moment I wondered if the male had given me an iron necklace, but that was not the case.

"Blaidd?" my father called out, he was probably the only one who had noticed something strange about me.

"Yes?" I retorted in a hoarse voice. I pulled my hand away and put the necklace inside the pocket of my dress.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," I replied with a smile on my face.

The male kept his eyes on me for a little longer and whispered:

"Be careful, Miss Blaidd. No matter what world you live in, the seventh daughter will always be hunted."

Something cold seemed to run through my back as I heard those words, even though my body was stiff, I managed to nod in understanding.

The guards escorted their sovereign out of our house and my sisters took a deep breath relieved to finally be able to relax. Wammy and Grisinia stood side by side admiring the prince's beauty and I sat back in the lone chair.

My father came over and held my wrist to examine my marked palm. "Let me see the necklace," he asked, handing me a handkerchief, and with the help of the tissue I picked up the necklace again and handed it to my father.

"Where are you going?" Mom asked as he hurried to the door.

"I have a meeting with my mother. Things to discuss with her."

Without any further explanation he left. I stared at the females studying me, my sisters already wearing their necklaces given to me by the Mermaid prince, but I remained still and my eyes dropped to the burn marks on my skin.

"Blaidd..." Mom started, but I interrupted her: "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep."

Leaving them behind, I headed for the top of the stairs and only took another breath when I closed the bedroom door behind me.