Rebellion

Chapter 1

 Aurae's POV

   I'm tired of fighting.

   I'm tired of pretending.

   I'm tired of this. All of this.

   I'm tired of fighting everything...my family, my power. I'm tired of pretending to be the king's perfect daughter, the dutiful sister to the four older brothers her mother raised before her tragic death. I'm tired of my life...of how I must live, day after day after day.

   I want to give up, to let go. I want to live like all of the other eighteen year old girls in the kingdom. Go to school, meet a boy, fall in love, raise children, live happily ever after. But instead, I'm thrust into a life of pain and darkness.

   No one knows what it's like, and it's best that way; nobody should have to suffer like this. My father doesn't even seem to care that his only daughter is crumbling before his eyes. He's perfectly alright with watching his sons use her, to their own benefits.

   My eyes flutter open to meet the soft yellow of the morning sun peeking through my curtains. I let out a sigh, stretching my legs before flinging my covers off. My toes hit the cold, hard ground first, the feeling moving on the rest of my feet as I stand up wearily.

   Another day in the castle, what a joy.

   I shuffle across the hardwood floor, my eyes adjusting to the light quickly. I had hardly gotten any sleep last night due to my constant nightmares. After waking up in a puddle of sweat for the fourth time, I gave up on sleeping and resorted to reading a book for the next few hours until it was time to get up.

   My bedroom is flooded with light, thanks to the beautiful sunlight streaming in through the few windows. It's a soft glow that pairs up nicely with my pale, creamy pink walls. I have always requested that they be sky blue, but my father insists we keep it the horrid pink shade. Although the room is big, like most in the castle, it's nearly empty and bare. My four poster bed sits in the middle of the room, pushed against the right wall. A shaggy white rug sits on my floors as well. A small nightstand sits on either side and my dresser and huge mirror on the left wall. Two medium sized windows are on the front wall, but white, silky curtains are draped across to keep it dark. Not that it matters, I hardly get sleep anyways. A white wooden door sits on the left wall to the right, leading to my spacious bathroom. I head there, pushing it open to reveal my glimmering bathroom.

   The white tiles are cold against my bare feet as I step inside, leaving the oak flooring behind. On the sides of my bathroom are granite counters with a sink on each. Toiletries and belongings are scattered haphazardly across the white. My mother always did love white, but I myself prefer black. My shower is on the left, the bathtub on the left and around the corner is the powder room. No windows, for privacy matters.

   After using the toilet, I wash my hands and face before heading back out into my bedroom. There, on my bed, sits my massive snow leopard, Everest. Weighing at 80 pounds, he is massive and lean, yet full of thrumming muscles. Stretched out across the white covers, his bushy tails flicks in the air slowly as his striking blue eyes watch me. He has long, thick fur, the base color smoky gray with white underparts. Black and dark gray open rosettes are scattered all over his agile body. A black nose and pointy cat ears make his face quite distinguishable. With teeth long and sharp, he makes quite the predator. Massive furry paws contain long, sharp claws as well. He moves across snow swiftly and silently, thanks to the pads on the bottoms of his paws.

   "Good morning Everest," I mumble groggily, scratching the back of my head. My wavy light brown hair falls to my elbows, all matted and tangled thanks to me rolling and tossing in bed all night.