When the first rays of sunlight struck the snow covered mountains of Adamite, the city of crystals commenced its blinding glistening. Everything from the smallest homes in the main village to the colossal palace of sapphires was entirely made of crystals.
The Sapphire Kingdom sparkled and cast distorted rainbows upon any surface due to the refraction of the sunlight. The addition of snow, added to the dazzling image of the scenery.
The people of the kingdom, the elf race, began their daily tasks. The blacksmith commenced his hammering on an anvil to produce the most intricate and useful tools and weaponry. The baker fired up his ovens to bake his breads and sweets. Children started waking up in their warm homes and their parents began their jobs. The elders and most magic proficient alchemists, worked on their experiments and advancements.
One could say life was serene in this delightful land. However, within the diamond encrusted walls of the sapphire palace, life started in quite a different manner.
Maids and servants hurriedly scurried along the large hallways of the castle, drawing every curtain, lighting the chimneys, and preparing breakfast for the soon to be awakened prince. The night shift guards retired to their homes, and the day time ones took their places. The animals of the stables were fed and the royal garden trimmed to perfection.
Inside the tallest tower of the palace, the prince's bed chamber was still dark. The sound of light snoring and sleepy mumbling in the room was a sign that the young prince was still not awake.
"Prince Artemis?" A young handmaid knocked politely on the Prince's door.
Artemis rolled over in his sleep and sank further into the silk and swan feathered bed.
"Your majesty, you must get up now." The maid knocked again. Seeing as there was no response, she said: "I'm coming in your highness, please pardon me."
The handmaid entered the obscure room and went to the curtains covering the light from the balcony doors. She drew them open and the golden sunlight streamed to flood the room. Instantly, the light bounced off the walls and illuminated the different amethysts, diamonds, and sapphires of the room. With the light, one could appreciate the decor of the prince's room.
There was a polished deep indigo anatase desk filled with parchment scrolls, scattered ink bottles, and peacock plumes. The stool was made of the finest sheep wool in the kingdom and covered with hand embroidered silk of intricate designs.
The walls were covered in spider web silk and had columns of aquamarine crystals every few distances. There was another, more elongated, desk opposite of the prince's bed that was filled with alchemy instruments and
potion making tools. Chests with valuable objects, sapphire and gold candle chandeliers, and filled onyx bookshelves were also present.
The prince muttered his protests from the sunlight as he turned away and placed the pillow on his head. The maid approached the prince, her long red hair done into a braid and her green eyes shining. She was dressed in the customary white dress for maids and her elvish ears were adorned in golden earrings.
"Your majesty, the sun has risen. You must get ready for your meeting with the ambassador of Ezamore at once." The maid gently lifted the pillow.
"That's today, Dia?" Artemis turned over to face her, eyes squinted.
"Yes your highness."
Artemis rubbed the tiredness in his eyes away and inhaled as he lifted his thin frame from the bed. Dia picked up the light blue robe of the prince that was draped over an armchair and put it over him.
"I will get the bath water ready your highness." Dia bowed her head respectfully and scurried away to prepare the bath. Artemis yawned and small tears prickled his eyes.
He was a slender man of milky white complexion. He had grayish freckles dotting his shoulders and his cheeks.
Artemis's eyes were a sky blue color so pale that they looked almost white when the sun reflected on them. Matching to his overall appearance, his shoulder length straight hair was a pearly white. He had features, such as a small waist, that have gotten him mistaken for a female in the past, but he was so used to that he'd take it as a compliment.
Only Sapphire born citizens held crystalline appearance. In other words, the physical characteristics of the people and their sovereign were marbled and had reflective properties just like a crystal.
Dia returned from the bathroom and led Artemis to it. He settled down in the warm ivory bath tub and shivered at the cool air hitting his bare shoulders. Dia helped the prince bathe and she laid out his ceremonial royal clothes out on the bed.
"I will be outside if you need me your highness." Dia bowed as Artemis stepped out of the bathroom.
"Thank you Dia." Artemis smiled and the maid closed the door of his chamber.
Artemis dressed himself in a long sleeved lilac tunic that trailed behind him. Dia returned to the room and helped Artemis add the ornaments of his dressing. She tied a violet sash around his waist and adjusted the sleeves that started partway through his shoulders. She added a thick gold necklace with a large turquoise bead in the middle, and placed matching earrings on his ears.
Dia then brushed the prince's smooth ivory hair and tied spherical shaped
sections of his length in leather straps to form a braid. She lined his eyes with black, brushed his pale eyebrows, and applied beeswax on his pink lips. Then, she added a comb with a gold-embroidered midnight purple veil that extended to slightly less than the length of his tunic. Next, she placed the pearly white slippers at his feet.
She finally dusted his shoulders and cheeks with a thin layer of iridescent flakes. The Prince was finally ready in his regalia, only his crown was missing now.
They stepped out of his bed chamber and the first guards to lay eyes upon him immediately kneeled in his presence.
"Your highness." They greeted in unison as Artemis passed.
Artemis nodded politely at them and continued his stroll down the hall. They reached the throne room where his crown was heavily guarded as it sat on a maroon cushion inside a glass cover.
It was a cultural belief that the crown of the prince of the Sapphire Kingdom was forged and blessed by their goddess Luna. Thus, only the prince was allowed to touch it. If anyone other than him did so much as lay a finger tip on it, they would be damned for eternity for defiling a sacred object.
Artemis lifted the glass covering and placed it on the ground. He lifted the crown made of silver and gold adorned with the finest sapphire crystals, and placed it on his head.
Magically, his crystalline glow was accentuated and he sparkled in the
morning light. All the guards, maids, and servants in the vicinity instantly bowed to their knees at the majesty of their prince.
Just as the prince settled in his throne, the presenter from the Ezamore
Kingdom was allowed inside by the front guards. His trumpet blared through the throne room and Artemis winced slightly at the loud noise.
"Announcing the ambassador of the Ezamore Kingdom, Lord Cinis Zeelbran!" The presenter stepped to the side and a tall, broad man walked in.
The man's skin color resembled the one of ashes. The hair on his head was made of red fire, and he had equally colored stubble around his jaw and lips. He was wearing the ceremonial armor of the representative of the Ignis royal family. The sclera of his eyes was black but his irises were a glowing yellow with rogue pupils.
"Your highness Prince Artemis!" Lord Cinis exclaimed in a robust voice and kneeled before him. "I bow as a sign of respect to your authority and your Luna. I hope this morning has been treating you well, your majesty."
"I am pleased to make your acquaintance Lord Cinis." Artemis rose gracefully from his throne and descended the stairs of the dais towards Cinis.
He extended his left hand to him and Lord Cinis took it in his gruff ones and
brought the royal ring, that has been passed down in the Lyra family for
generations, to his lips.
"Breakfast. Shall we?" Artemis smiled as he motioned for Lord Cinis to stand up.
"Of course, your majesty." Lord Cinis agreed and followed after him.
The two men went to have breakfast inside a gazebo centered in the royal
gardens. Their dishes were specifically prepared for the occasion, mixing traditional Sapphire cuisine and Ezamorian.
As they delighted in their foods, the
ambassador began discussing the reason for his visit.
"Prince Artemis, I have been sent here in representation of my king Ignis to
formally discuss the approaching wedding ceremony of you and the princess." Lord Cinis started. "I presume you have become of age correct?"
"Precisely." Artemis replied as he wiped his hands on a napkin. "I'm currently twenty years old."
"My, you look so young, your highness. Not a single sign of age has befallen your image. Then the engagement shall be made official as soon as possible. The king would like to consult with you if it is possible for the princess to visit your kingdom in the coming week."
"Tell him she can visit whenever she is ready. She's always welcome here."
They made a toast to the coming ceremony and to bless the unity of the two royals. The visit didn't stretch out long, since only formalities needed to be addressed. When Lord Cinis left to return to Ezamore, Artemis went to his tower and sighed deeply after closing the door of his room.
"Damn this tight sash and necklace." Artemis grunted as he undid the knot of his sash and the necklace.
While he appreciated the effort his handmaid made in choosing his outfits, Artemis hated wearing his ceremonial royal dress for longer than an hour. But his kingdom was very proud when it came to tradition. Everything was ceremonial here, from the way people had to greet each other to the way the prince must provide hospitality to visitors and dress.
Elves believed their prince emanated divine power, that the Lyra family was handpicked by Luna to lead them.
Artemis removed all of his royal clothing and changed into looser ones. He wore his white bell-bottomed pants and a light blue, neck halter top. He swung his cape over his shoulders, made of wool and bordered in fur, and slid his feet inside short boots.
He tended to other smaller matters that needed his attention for the rest of the morning, and conversed with the most knowledgeable scholars.
After noon, Artemis had to attend a class with the royal historian to learn about one of the major kingdoms of Adamite.
Artemis sat on a desk in the castle's library and scribbled notes on parchment as the elder scholar spoke.
"Lamia, is the Latin word for vampire." The old man said as he held a book in his hands. "The kingdom is estimated to be located south of the territory of our kingdom."
"Estimated?" Artemis blurted as he wrote on his parchment.
"Yes your highness. No one knows its exact location given it is hidden in the
deepest part of the Dark Forest. In fact, some speculate the kingdom doesn't exist at all, that it only exists in a different dimension to ours."
Artemis frowned in suspicion. That was one odd description for a kingdom.
"In the year 176, the Sapphire Kingdom and Ezamore were at war with Lamia." The professor continued. "In 180, Ezamore and Sapphire formed an alliance to unite against Lamia, and it was sealed with the marriage of the Ezamorian Princess and the Sapphire Prince. Hence, the reason why it is your turn to marry in three months time."
"Why were we at war with Lamia?" Artemis questioned.
"There were several reasons. For example, the vampire king wished to expand his territory, wiping out entire clans, and stealing resources from our kingdom and Ezamore. Vampires are vicious creatures, your highness, they must never be trusted. Before the war started, Lamia and Sapphire were business partners, in fact. We supplied our knowledge of magic and they produced intricate artifacts. There's little on the subject, but at some point, Lamia produced a transportation gate that was to be used to travel to the equator of Adamite."
"Where to exactly?"
"It remains a mystery, your majesty. But according to the knowledge the elders have, they wanted to colonize young sprouting races that were appearing there to use as labor."
"Why was our tie broken then?" Artemis tapped his fountain pen on his desk.
"Vampires were discovered to be preying on our species somewhere down the line, your majesty. They would hunt elves down for their blood. It wasn't just for satisfying their hunger, but also to use in experiments." The elder explained and closed his book. "They betrayed us by getting expensive magical supplies from us and paying with the death of countless members of our species."
Artemis frowned and continued taking notes, but as he learned about this vampire kingdom, he couldn't help but hate the creatures already. They seemed to always wreak havoc without any concern for how they affect others. What kind of selfish, heartless bastards were they?
Towards the conclusion of the lesson, Artemis learned the name of the current king of Lamia. His name, King Hades Crow.