No Crown, No Glory

Chapter II

"Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you shall find" _The Bible

The sight of her estranged brother unsettled her. For the princess, it was like she was seeing a ghost, for she only remembered the young boy he once was. Like she kept telling herself, meeting this new version of her brother would be a good thing, perhaps it would allow her the closure she never got. She swollowed.
It would be somehow awkward, but she had been preparing herself for that moment for over the course of ten long years. She wasn't quite sure the reason for her nervousness, but it was creating a feeling of ice in the pit of her stomach that was leaving her uncomfortable, her heart beating unbelievingly fast.
On the other side, Aideen was beyond excited. The great prince of Aeronia was standing right ahead of her, a sight worth staring at, with his well-built muscles and so tall she had to raise her head to eye him. However, he was staring at his sister, Arielle, never once looking at her, or at his parents, who had risen, the queen muffling the sounds of her quiet sobs with her delicate hands, the king hardly staring at him. Like the princess, they were all looking at a ghost, except Aideen. For the maid, this was the very first time, a scary one too, because no matter how the stories, chants or tales described him as a character, those could never compare to the reality that she was seeing.
The prince slowly approached his father, whose face was struggling not to smile or cry, or do any facial expression that could give in any sign of the quiet grief they felt during these years. Arielle felt it as if it was a slient betrayal on their part. Her brother left a tall, but soft kid, to return a massive, muscled soldier. It had to affect someone, but it seemed as if her parents tried to hide it from their son. The firstborn. The only kid they were really proud of.
It affected her.
Her eyes never left her brother as he stood against the king. There was no exchange of words Arielle could hear, but the silent communicated was there, she could feel it. The King quietly smiled, the corners of his mouth trembling as the Queen stood also, behind him. She held the sight of a loving mother so good one might actually believe she remained one after the departure. It was such a beautiful reunion that it was almost sad she wasn't a part of it--but Arielle didn't feel like cutting in.
So, the princess only watched.
There was no denying that he looked like any other guard, or Knight, holding the third highest rank in the Kingdom. His dressing was a fit bronze armour with the weapons attached to his body. His hair looked the same, grown to his wide shoulders and as caramel-brown colored as hers was. His eyes though, --despite only seeing them for a minute it was enough time to spot the huge difference.
They were blank. Emotionless.
So different from the lively eyes of a grey-eyed child. She missed him.
The King put this big hands on the young soldier's shoulders. His son looked so much bigger that it almost surpassed him. It reminded Khrysaor of his younger days, before all the responsibilities and duties fell over his shoulders, the same ones that had once carried a spear just like Elijah's. Or the arms that swore to protect his subjects, had once just carried a big, round shield with the lion of Aeronia painted on the center. It felt like the memory was worlds apart.
"Welcome home, son," The King said, passing his son to his crying wife, who held him for dear life in those thin arms of hers like he was a small child. Her delicate hands carassed Elijah's cheeks, feeling the rough shape of his light beard growing under her palms. All the sadness, pain and distress that she had felt all those years fell down as the tears slid from her eyes to her cheeks. Still, she managed to smile and release her child as Elijah comforted his mother by patting on the back.
It was obvious to Arielle, who knew him better than anyone, how uncomfortable Elijah was with the reaction of his parents. Finally, his eyes returned to her, and he actually smiled. Somehow, it wasn't what she expected at all, despite what the King and the Queen wanted to believe. Something was wrong. She could not pinpoint what.
She felt herself move despite having no recollection of wanting to. Her legs took her to near her brother, who had raisen his arms to hug her. Although she had a prior bad feeling, she was geniuinely happy to see her brother again. And so, she would gratefully hug him. She opened her arms too. In a split second, all she could feel was her brother's arms wrapped around her and the scent of spices filling her nostrils.
She buried her face in his shoulder, breathing him in.
Then, she felt something strange, something that made her feel at peace and make her head go quiet. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to dwell in the moment. The princess felt her brother's heartbeat steady against her chest. It was something she had carved for so long that she didn't know what to think. What to feel. Was she happy? Was she sad? Was she hopeful? What could she expect? Re-meeting him? Maybe.
It was then that Elijah retracted himself from her embrace. Their eyes met again; Cold silver against warm red. In reality, it scared her though; usually, his eyes would say everything. Now, they were blank. Was he as happy and relieve as she was?
He smiled. "Hello;" He finally spoke to her. She smiled back to him: "Hi"
They held each other's eyes long enough to be awkward for the rest of the people standing with them in the room. On one hand, Aideen thought it was rather beautiful their small, but meaningful reunion. Over the years, she had seen and heard every bit of Arielle's longing for her brother, --but, more than that, for a complete family. It made her smile that could be able to witness that, however, the others that remained on the other side of the door, which by the looks of the Knight standing in between, he seemed worried.
"I missed you;" Arielle blurt, rushing herself to say it before he left, and she had no chance to work up the courage to say it. Her cheeks warmed up, feeling the worries in her head suddenly disappear.
"I missed you too, sis," --Elijah said it back, returning then to near his parents. The King, after the sweet moment that almost made him tearful, send the other soldiers in, which were waiting outside, roasting in the warm temperatures of the desert, stuck in their bronze armours.
One by one, they followed, positioning themselves in a straigth line, before meeting the King. It was an important proceedure, that required the presence of both royals, but no court, which would unavoidably come later. It was a typical ceremony to make the training's finale official, and the title therefore handled.
Each one, dressed to fight, kneeled in front of the King, who then held up a sword with both of his hands.
Arielle had heard of it before; it was made to be ceremonial, a sort of ritual to be an official knight, a title worth killing for. Many paid well for it, others hoped their sons would get through what the princess learned to be a process of selection.
In addition, they would be relocated to a Camp outside Aeronia's borders, a harsh training that no one actually knew what went there--except for those who went through it--or the ones running it.
Finally, after what were ten years of ancient secrecy, they returned. But they returned different. Changed--and not only physically.
That part of the ceremony was the most known, though, according to what the princess had read. The King gave out the title by making a sort of ripping motion with a legendary sword, as gold as the King's own eyes, which, she heard, were a trait of the Nasryn Royal Family for years. Seeing it in paintings was one thing; The real one was much more beautiful and magestic. A magnificent piece of art made almost entirely by gold. A piece that was carried around for centuries.
And so it went; Arielle saw with her own eyes what she was barely told for ages. It was nothing of special really, the part of being a witness was what excited her the most.
Since she was young girl, she dreamt of being on their place. Train for years to defend the Kingdom's borders, being shaped into someone young children would look up to, fight the dangers and hold weapons that would never touch her hands. Being the subject to many legends, stories and songs, which would soon spread into the whole continent. But moe than that, she wanted to be able to fight for her kingdom, to protect those who inhabit it. It was her duty as a member of the royal family, and it was frustrating to her that that dream was so far away.
To others, it may sound foolish; Arielle knew that. Watching the whole ceremony happen before her eyes made her wonder through her deepest desires and wishes, never once looking at Aideen, who stood rightfully by her side. But it was something that was impossible, she knew it too.
Aideen, however, did not find it any more special than Arielle did. The maid looked sincerely dumbfounded, lost really. It was almost like she thought it was strange, but Arielle didn't give it too much thought.
The Queen, also, held a restrained smile. It seemed the choice of many to hide their worries and mingling. Her heavy eyes settling upon her son made the princess's heart soffocate more, the desire of being in his place suddenly bursting through. The others, though, did not spare a single look at their watchers, but would care enough if one of them were important nobles. It almost seemed as her cue to leave, but she decided to stay, if only to look at each soldier and see the lines that years of hard work sculpted on their skull.
Averting her eyes, the princess turned away to look at Aideen. The maid quickly nodded, and they started walking away from the scene.