Lillium Wilt

Chapter 2

"Don't you think this might be a bit much?" Chrysalis groans as her mother places another flower into her long blonde braid. A beautiful small lily, set in a makeshift bouquet within the centers of the strands that meet to form the crossovers.

Queen Zerene chuckles with an elegance that almost sounds insincere. "Not at all, my love. It's not every day your daughter meets with suiters." Three of them, to be exact.

The princess sighs. "When I said I would be open to the idea of an arranged marriage, I didn't think you would take it to heart so quickly." She wouldn't deny there was some intrigue to the idea. Mysterious princes from far-off kingdoms were coming to win her over. It was like every romance story she had read, making it somewhat bearable to withstand her family's excitement.

"Time is never to be wasted. Nor are opportunities for grandchildren," her mother replies, the sound of a grin in her tone unmistakable towards the end. Her sister in the island kingdom of Emsvay already had three. She had reminded her of that fact in every letter sent back and forth. Zerene was patient, though. However, patience was wearing thin.

"Mother..." she sighs, "I'm not ready for that. I'm a few years short of thirty and want to experience far more than..." She motions with her hands while still sitting properly, to the rest of the room. "All this."

After adding the last flower and being satisfied with her work, the queen releases the princess's hair and puts her hands on the sides of the chair to lean against. The queen released the princess's hair, put her hands on the sides of the chair to lean against, and said, "You will have plenty of time." Many things were thinly veiled insults, not necessarily to her daughter, but she found herself the target of a few of them.

Those whose wings resembled such fragile creatures like theirs, butterflies... They expected their actions to meet certain standards. Graceful. Never a harsh word or movement, gliding across the castle on the cliff side.

The princess bites her tongue. Not wanting to start a fight with her mom on this day, instead, she finds another subject to turn to instead of her desire for adventure. " Well, could you at least give me an idea of who I'm going to be meeting downstairs?" Her eyes drift over into the mirror off to the right of her. Glancing at the braid, she pulls it over her shoulder to run her hand over it.

"Of course, keep in mind, your father has selected two of them."

"I already don't like the ones he's chosen," she says with a huff.

Zerene rolled her eyes before pulling over another chair to sit facing her, going over her face to make sure her makeup was perfect. "You know your father only wants the best for you, but he has to keep the kingdom in mind. As well as you." She licks her thumb to wipe away a smudge hardly noticeable on the corner of her eye. Stray eye shadow had made its way down after a series of eye-rolling that was unaccounted for. "As our only child, your father must also give his approval to the man you choose as your husband."

"So as long as it's one of the three, I should be okay?"

"Well, not necessarily. Not only are these princes trying to win your hand, but they must also prove their worth to us," she explains, as if it's standard protocol everyone should have been aware of.

It is news to the princess, though. "So, I could fall in love with someone just to have them taken away for not being good enough for you and Father?"

"Well, yes."

"that's not fair."

"Life isn't fair when your blood is royal, dear. Unfortunately, a fact of life. Do you think your father was my first choice?" She asks with no shame in her voice. The frustration of what could have been had faded away long ago. She was fine with taking her place in society, to do what her people needed of her.