Her eyes felt heavy as she blinked at the blaring sun pouring through an open window sending in a cool breeze from the ocean outside. Asa shut her eyes again from the sheer pain from looking at the sun and she faced her head away from the window. "You're awake! Oh sorry!" Hizashi's voice apologized, hearing her feet clomp to the other side of the room and the window closing shut with sounds of curtains being slid to cover the window.
"You were bleeding all over when we found you," Hizashi said, taking off a cool towel that was on Asa's forehead, "and we also found your mother..." she trailed off as a pair of neat dress shoes appeared at the door through the slits in Asa's half opened eyes. She slowly opened the rest of her eyes despite the protest of her eye lids to see Dorian standing in the door way to her room. Hizashi took it as a sign to leave, so she finished putting away the towel and took her leave.
"I am sorry about what happened, your majesty." Dorian spoke solemnly, not daring to look at her. 'Your majesty,' those words brought back the memories of the battle, the trident, her trident entering her mother's body. She's the queen now. "I can't do it, Dorian." Asa replied through gritted teeth, "I can't be this kingdom's queen when I haven't been the princess I should have. I couldn't even save Shiro back at West Gate so how can I lead a kingdom that only sees me as some trouble some child?" She explained, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.
"I could say the same," Dorian replied still staring off into some part of the room, "I don't know how I can be a king to a nation that probably don't know I exist. That's probably how Taura managed to convince the kingdom I was dead, or non-existent." Asa laid her head back farther into the depths of the pillows until she can hear her own heart beat, "You'll be a great king, I'm sure of it." She told, staring up at the high stone ceiling of her room. "And you will be a great queen." Dorian replied, standing up and then taking his own leave.
"No, my mother was a great queen." She responded to the empty room.
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The sun didn't shine the day her majesty was laid to rest. All of the Aenon Kingdom watched on through windows of homes, the tunnels under the now dark waters of the Main Lagoon, and around the shore lines holding small candles and lanterns. Asa knelt over her mother and placed a small bouquet of white tulips over her mother's enclosed, pale hands.
Her long plum hair was all over the small hand carved boat she was in with small light coloured flowers braided between the strands. She wore a pale lavender dress with flower patterns sewn into the hem of the skirt of the dress to blend in with her majesty's pale complexion. Her expression was serene as if she were merrily in a deep slumber only to awaken the next morning to the shining sun, but her eyes will never meet the bright rays of the sun ever again.
She looked beautiful.
Asa lightly kissed the top of her mother's head and stood off to the side next to Dorian, who stayed for the funeral. The ropes that kept the boat in place were released and the boat began its journey to the open world where archers will light up the sky with her cremation. The citizens holding the lanterns sent them up into the night sky creating a scene of giant fire flies lighting up the sky eternally.
The archers shot their flaming arrows to the boat and lit the boat and body on fire, tears began to fall down Asa's cheeks. "Goodbye, your majesty. Goodbye, Mom."
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"This necklace will look lovely with your dress." The seamstress rang out, attaching a short gold chained necklace to Asa's cold neckline. The seamstress took a step back to admire her work, the young girl she has shaped into an elegant lie. Asa's dress was a pale yellow colour, almost of white with gold lining the hem of the dress. Attached was a long cape the same length of the dress held with gold chains to the dress. Her short, plum hair was curled elegantly with a gold hair clip clasped to the back of her head.
"Nice to see you stayed around this time, your majesty," the seamstress chuckled remarking the time Asa jumped from the third story window after a seaming session. "The kingdom will be lucky to have you leading us." she said before offering her to leave the room. As Asa walked towards the throne room where thousands of peering eyes awaits their new queen, she thought of Taura's truthful words that day on the tower.
She was alone in the corridor and this was her only chance to escape, to be free from living this lie. After the funeral everyone was already preparing the kingdom for Asa's coronation like Queen Amaya's sacrifice for her kingdom was nothing. She took a turn to the main court yard and kept on walking when a couple of guards took sight of her and called out for her to return. Only that she ignored them all.
Dorian wasn't staying for the coronation as her adviser said that he still wasn't to be trusted, which she thought was dumb. Dorian was her only chance to escape and he certainly wasn't the type to say no to her, but she didn't want to leave without someone that truly understood why she was doing all this. The boy with the dark blue hair watched on into the main lagoon from a shaded spot under the trees, his hair blowing softly in the wind. "Shiro?" Asa muttered, when she approached him.
"You look nice." Shiro complimented glancing over her body before looking away. "I can't be this kingdom's ruler, Shiro. I'll only destroy it to its foundations and I know what I am doing is stupid, but I don't care anymore." She explained, turning Shiro to face her, "I know you still don't trust me, but leave with me. You are the only person I know that truly understands how I feel and Dorian is leaving any minute now to go back home. So please, Shiro."
Shiro blinked before ruffling his hair, "you're stupid, princess. And I have no reason to say no, I guess this will be the fresh start I have been wanting..." He agreed, sighing. "I am just sorry that you still can't be trusted, but I'll go with you only because it will benefit my cause. You're my only escape, too I guess."
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"Your majesty..." Dorian grumbled when Asa appeared on his ship with Shiro and explained what she was doing. "Don't call me that, I am no longer a part of this kingdom's stupid monarchy." Asa snapped back, leaning over the railing and peering into the water below. "It's just what happens if someone comes looking for you and hurts my people thinking we kidnapped you?" He snapped back. She turned herself around and glared at him, "I already handled it before," She started, "Our coral weapons can be materialized and disappeared at the snap of our fingers and when they took my trident for examination over my mother's death I stole it back. They will just think I died or something."
"Why, why are you letting Taura win by doing what she wants you to do?" Dorian replied, her face distorted into madness. "I am not letting her win, letting her win is willingly giving up the throne, but remember: I'm dead, that's all part of the plan. Now go before we are caught." Dorian gulped and motioned for the captain to pull the boat out of the port.
Shiro sat on the dock cross legged and leaned his head back against the rails as they made it out to open sea. "I forgot to mention, Asa." He said actually using her name for once.
"Happy birthday."
YOU ARE READING
Loyal Riptide
FantasyCover arts by (Same person.) Wattpad: xEikox Instagram: vintaqe_tea "I can't even step foot outside those walls, so how am I supposed to be queen?" The Aenonians were a secretive race that evolved from the ancient Atlantians after they had their who...
