Memories of Azura

Treasure in the Treasury

This was the nearest I’ve ever been to the King. At first, I thought he was just old but seeing him now seemed to have doubled his age. He looks old, weak, fragile and even if I hate to admit it; he looks dying despite of his commanding voice and regal air.

He gave me his hand and I took it. In his Platinum scepter’s tip was a diamond that served as the key to the keyhole under his cushion. I waited for a click as he pulled the lever. Mechanical crackles of inadequately greased metal rang all over the room. I noticed their family portrait slowly flip like a rotating door on a classic hotel.

It stopped on midway exposing absolute darkness.

The king led me inside as he switched on the lights, illuminating a long brick tunnel. We walked a good ten meters until we reached small rusty metal door with strange orange light illuminating from the inside.

“Are you ready, Lucy?” His hand midway to the door knob, he looked at me deciphering my poker face.

The truth is; I felt wrong- unworthy. I don’t think I deserve this. I’m not even part of their family. “Why are you showing this to me? I’m not even a Dragomir. I don’t think I deserve this.”

“What’s ours is now yours, dear Lucy. The day you came here in our kingdom, dawned your role as Azura’s crown princess. This is just one of its benefits.” He said.

Crown princess? I just let everyone pass when they call me ‘Princess’ or ‘Your Majesty’ because I was with the Queen and Gold but this time, I really need answers to why.

“Why does everyone keep calling me that?” I blurted out forgetting that I was talking to the King. He gave me an awkward look, seemingly uncomfortable of the tone I just let out to him. But before I could apologize, he managed an unexpected answer.

“Because you are. And it will be officially announced at the ball for citizens and neighboring kingdoms to address you the proper way. You will get used to it dear one. Crown Princess Lucy Dragomir of Azura; sounds good to me.” He said as he turned the snake like knob.

I was about to shoot another question but I was distracted by the bright luster of gold and orange that surged from inside the room.

The King ducked to get inside and I followed, stepping on a piece of gold coin that I first saw with the Queen this morning. My eyes travelled from the single gold piece, to a pile of it, to a bag of it, to a sack of it, to a mountain of it.

Everything was shiny, sparkly and gold. A small torch lit proudly in each of the roman pillars and a huge hanging chandelier of bright orange moons illuminated the whole room. I was like in a huge warehouse exhibiting a symposium on how to mess up an entire area full of gold except that the people and the even hall are also gold. Chalices, plates, knives, swords, name it. I even saw a dress. Who would freaking wear that thing?

“It’s a wedding gown.” The king said as he noticed my focused stare. I looked at him to ask who the owner is but then again, he continued elucidating. “Gold’s wedding gown.”

“She’s married?”

“No, but she was bound to.” He answered as we started walking. My eyes started to stray around as my ears were all ears to him. “I was old and weak. When Clarissa died, my Queen Farra and I were desperate to find an heir to the throne. Reece was nowhere to be found so we were left with Gold. So with her as Crown Princess, we had to assure her security.”

So that’s why she was locked inside the castle. It wasn’t because Queen Farra was keeping her from seeing Jocelin.

“That time, Druada was proposing an alliance between our kingdoms. An alliance that can only be sealed with a marriage from both crown heads. We arranged a marriage between both parties but Troy; the Crown Prince of Druada, eventually had a problem.” He sighed as we stopped walking in front the dress.