The Voice of Ash

Chapter 7

A few minutes later, Katyra made her way into the carriage. At first, she looked at the ground, trying to hide her tears. But when she saw me, she raised her head, and tried her hardest to look brave. I smiled at her efforts; my younger sisters possessed a strength that many people much older than them didn’t have. They had to, they were princesses after all. That’s what they were born to do.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, all of us thinking of our looming fate. How much would our lives change under Ealdo’s rule? That was a question that none of us could answer quite yet, because quite frankly, we hadn’t a clue. Our lives might not change at all; it could be like nothing had happened. Yet at the same time, we could find our lives flipped upside.

Finally Sayla asked, “Where’s Circe?”  And we all looked around for our other sisters. Circe was always late, it’s just who she was, but it was rare for her to be this late, especially to something like a coronation.

“Probably fixing her appearances like she always does,” I said, trying to lighten the mood of the carriage. That was Circe for you. She was what everyone thought a princess was. She was constantly checking her appearance. She wore outrageous gowns and was always draped in jewels. Circe, with her big blue Auvidan eyes, and her long golden hair, was one of the prettiest girls in Auvida, maybe even farther. And she knew that, oh she knew it quite well. She was always jealous of me, because no one would marry a second princess until the eldest was married. According to Circe, I wrecked her life, because she said no one would ever want to marry me. Circe’s whole goal was to marry well and become a queen.

Finally, Circe’s arrived. As suspected, she was dressed in an extravagant lavender gown, and covered in jewels. There were rubies woven into the fabric, and diamonds hanging from her ears. Pearls were woven into her hair, and she wore a large amethyst necklace. On her head was her tiara, with the C embroider on it. Hers was slightly smaller than mine since her rank was slightly lower than mine.  She scoffed when she saw me, with my simple necklace and earrings.

When Sayla saw Circe, she opened her mouth to say something. However, one glare from Circe caused her to close it. Clearing my throat, I spoke for Sayla. Unlike my sisters, Circe did not scare me. “What took you so long Circe?”

“I was getting ready for the event to celebrate our dear brother’s rise to the throne,” Circe said in a sweet voice. I knew instantly it was fake. There was hate behind every word she said. That was how it had always been with Circe, and part of me wondered if it would ever be better.

“Well you might have delayed our carriage and we could have been late to the coronation,” I pointed out.

“They wouldn’t have started without us,” Circe spat, and with that, she turned to the window and did not speak another word. I tapped on the roof of the carriage, signaling to the driver that we were ready to go. Obeying my command, the carriage began to move.

The coronation was to take place at the Hall of Glass, where they had been taking place since the Kahlins first began ruling Auvida all those years ago. The Hall of Glass was, like its name said, a long room with glass mirrors covering the walls. The glass was said to show the king the many sides of himself and to help him to rule. I didn’t know if that was true or not. I closed my eyes remembering when I made this same journey, only last time; it was to see my father crowned.

Soon the carriage rolled to a halt. I could hear the cheers of the people who were waiting outside for us. Following traditions, anyone could come and see the coronation. It was one of the public’s only chances to see the monarch, and I had a feeling they would not give that chance up.

I stood and exited the carriage first; my sister’s following behind me. I plastered a smile onto my face, and began to wave. The people cheered when they saw me, one of their beloved princesses. I climbed out of the carriage and ran to the rope that was holding the people back. I shook hands and tried to touch as many of the people as I could. To them, it was a great honor.