DRAFT Mirys: The Green Prince I

Chapter Two: Ouroboros

This room. The Grand Room. The room where the Council of the Twined meets, each royal sibling sitting in their rightful seat around the Ring table. If one were to observe the room itself, they would notice that the large rectangular room had a ceiling higher than any ceiling on this floor of the castle— higher even than the ceiling of the ballroom. The ceiling was arched and laden with vividly colored tiles in a rich pattern across its body. The arches ran down from the ceiling to columns affixed to the walls, ribbing the room. In the center of the space was a moderately sized table in the shape of a hollow circle, surrounded by six chairs, two of them draped with ornamental silks and laces to signify celebration and importance.

Young Mortier's eyes, the color of fine chocolate from Morrin, landed on her twin brother in the left-most empty chair, and then followed the ring of the table around to her other older siblings. Six chairs, six young rulers sitting in the long-since relinquished seats of their forebears. Their mother and her seven siblings. Her eyes found Kessian's head as she stepped forwards to sit to his right.

Then her eyes found Iligor to Kessian's left, her next oldest brother; slender and draped in furs, with a tamed goatee and wavy black hair combed back over his ears, cushioning a silver and emerald crown composed of two twisting bodies of silver snakes with gems tucked into the folds of their crossing bodies. He was nineteen cycles old, with eyes as brown as those you might see in any child of Tilian and Forlan. Kinder than any of his siblings, but he was a child of lesser responsibility to match.

Across from him sat Uedien, the second youngest sister; just as slender as Iligor, and thirteen cycles old. Long raven hair lay flowing down her shoulders like liquid night spilling over shadow-fallen ground. She wore a dress of long sleeves and long train, black as night and embroidered with silver, each crossing of silver thread on the bosom of her dress punctured with a small emerald. Her cheeks were rosy and her smile was soft, if a bit vague at times. Hiligan often had to help her with her studies, though Hiligan had endless patience for his siblings. A crown of snakes sat upon her head as well, this time two snakes biting the same green jewel in the center.

To fair Uedien's right sat Hiligan, the second oldest sibling. He had a black beard as long as his hair, reaching down to his shoulders and pulled into a careful braid in front. He was chatting with a few nobles from his seat, a goblet in his thick black-gloved hand. He was tall and muscular, though his middle was a bit round. He had scars from the battles he's lead against Barlden, the Crow King of the Grescian Plains, back when the two kingdoms were fighting. His laugh was infectious, though, and it pushed a grin onto Mortier's own face as she watched three of the people speaking with Hiligan laugh with him. Upon his head was a crown of silver latticed snakes, so thin that you wouldn't know them to be snakes unless you were close. Slotted in along the top of the crown were green gems in the eyes of each upward-curling snake.

Filling the last seat at the Ring table was Jaldien, Hiligan's twin sister. She was twenty-three cycles old to match Hiligan. She was of broader stature to match him as well, with hair that stopped when it curled inwards along her chin in a neat line. Her crown was silver spikes, snakes weaving through and around them, draped in fine chains that hung down around Jaldien's head and dangled with little green tear-drop gems. Jaldien was the head of the Ring table, and the eldest sister of the six siblings. She took their mother's place at the table, and Hiligan took the seat beside her. Together they made decisions for the kingdom as their siblings one by one grew old enough to also join. Jaldien was merciful but responsible, and knew the boundaries of herself and her people. What the kingdom was capable of, and what she would not stand for. Jaldien has always had Hiligan's support, and Hiligan Jaldien's. They could often be found together, and Hiligan was always the best at making Jaldien smile.

Each sibling, now, sat at the Ring Table.

Each seat was finally filled, after a little more than a Tion— ten Moon Cycles. Around the room were curved tables and benches from which all seated could see the Ring table in the room's center. These benches were less permanent, but often present nonetheless. These curved tables formed a segmented series of circles that got broader the further out they became. Mortier couldn't decide on what to look at, but lifted her head upwards to see Nima and Ysrand standing behind her chair, talking quietly. They both turn their gazes down when they see the contortion of the finely-styled head, and offer up warm smiles. Both Nima and Ysrand had been serving her since her birth, and often accompanied her on her antics. Each Sibling had a personal servant and guard, and to be without them was a rare occurrence. Mortier spotted Gjirdir and Berlorn sitting at one of the closer benches as well, giving and receiving a smile from them both.