Emriana
I walked over to the window and glanced at the view. The sun was at its peak, and there were no clouds in the sky. The people moved quickly between the busy streets looking like little ants from where I was watching.
I left the window and walked over to the large wooden executive desk that faced the door instead of the window. I found the choice odd as I would much rather be facing the nice view whilst working. I could barely see the desk as piles of paper, from letters to maps of different kingdoms, were stacked up.
A shuffling side had me turn my head to the right, and I gasped.
"Akira, don't eat that," I ran over to him as he was about to take a bite out of a plant. He groaned before venturing in the other direction. I sighed as I walked over to the large brown sofa I had been sitting on for a while. I didn't know when he was supposed to be here, but it was starting to take a long time.
I released another sigh as I let myself fall against the seat. My fingers played with the edge of the cushion while I looked around more. The room had a solemn look, looking very neat but cold. The different medals hung on the wall to various kinds of swords were ugly to my taste, I liked paintings and flowers much better. There was even the head of a dead deer hanging on the opposite wall, which I screamed at when I first came in.
"Akira, come here," I called the tiger, who was pacing around the room. He looked like he was getting a little sick of waiting too.
"Sit next to me if you want," I patted the spot on the large sofa, and he slowly climbed up before settling his head over my lap. My hands moved into his pale striped fur, and I caressed him softly as I looked around some more.
Akira raised his head from my lap abruptly and scrutinized the door. A few seconds later, the door opened, and Cassemir walked in with a smile. Akira returned to his previous position, not deeming the man fascinating enough.
"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. These advisers were not letting me leave," he chuckled as he took a seat across from me.
"It's fine," I said, even if it wasn't totally correct. I knew if Zander could be here, he would probably be like, no, it's not, and would glare at him like Cassemir as if he had killed a family of squirrels. I watched my father take curious glances at the animal next to me.
"How are you not scared?" He asked, and I smiled.
"Why would I be? He never hurt me once and has never given me a reason to believe he would. He's the nicest," I placed a soft kiss on the top of his head, and he nuzzled closer to my body, warming my heart. I still couldn't believe he was here.
"Can I touch him?" He asked, a hand reaching behind his neck as if he was embarrassed. It was my turn to laugh as I gave him a nod. He rose to his feet and slowly walked toward us. I saw the hint of nervousness in his eyes as he approached the animal.
"Just go slowly," I took his hand and placed it on Akira's back. His hand was hesitant at first, but after a few pats, he seemed to calm down.
"He's so soft," I nodded, observing Akira's facial expression for hints of displeasure. I might be sure he wouldn't hurt me, but I couldn't promise that to everyone else.
"You should've seen him when he was younger. It was like touching a cloud."
"Emriana, you never fail to amaze me." His words made the smile on my face brighter. He gave him a few more caresses before returning to his seat. He reached for the small table separating us and poured himself a glass of a light brown liquid. It looked a lot like the one Zeke was always drinking. Whisky, was it?
"How are you doing?" He said after a long moment of silence.
"I'm good," I smiled.
"I mean, how are you really doing? This," he motioned to everything around us before gesturing t the space between us, "Can't be easy for you. All these changes and sudden revelations must be hard on you." My smile faltered a bit.
"It is a lot, but it's not too bad."
"You know, you could always talk to me if you need anything?" He asked, and I nodded. He seemed to want to press on the matter more but decided against it. He waited a few seconds before speaking again.
"I have to talk to you about the real reason I wanted to meet with you today," I nodded slowly, a knot forming in my stomach at his sudden seriousness.
"It's partly about what Carlo said earlier," I nodded again as I tried not to think about his cruel words.
"He was out of line earlier and spoke to you in a way he should never have. I talked with him earlier, and I can promise you that you will never be treated like that again."
"Okay."
"You might not know this, but my sons are actually twins, although they don't look much alike. It's not only their looks that are different but so are their personalities. From a young age, I trained both of them and taught them everything they needed to know to become the next ruler of Nelovia. Because they were the same age, I decided to wait until they were grown to see who would better fit the position. Since then, Carlo and Lorino have worked hard to prove to me that they were worthy of the crown," he explained, and I nodded.
"What does it have to do with me?"
"Well... The thing is that your sudden appearance complicates things a little because although you are not the Queen's daughter, you are mine. You are also a year older than them, which makes you their eldest sibling. That being said, according to the Nelovia code, the eldest of the family is the one to become the next ruler, which would be..." he looked at me with excitement while I looked at him in pure horror.
"Me?" He sent me a nod as his smile became brighter.
"I know you will make a great Queen. I know I haven't known you for long, but I saw enough to know you are a good person. You are kind and compassionate, and I know you will treat your subject with respect and love. You have all these qualities that assure me you will fit the position perfectly."
"No," I whispered under my breath.
"No?" He repeated, shocked. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"I-I...c-can't," I said louder, my hands grasping Akira harder. He sensed my panic immediately as he rose to his feet and stood between my legs in a protective stance.
"Emriana, I'm truly sorry to put you in this situation, but this isn't up to your decision," he said, and I shook my head as my breathing became ragged.
"N-No," I repeated once more, and his frown deepened. He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at me with despair.
"No isn't a response when you are royalty. You have to fulfill your duty," I shook my head harder this time, tears threatening to spill out of my eyes. I couldn't believe he was putting me in this position after everything he had told me about my mother.
"I-I'm not r-royalty."
"Yes, you are. It is in your blood."
"I-It might be in my blood, but it d-doesn't mean t-this is what I a-am. I don't know a-anything a-about your world, and I d-don't belong in it," I tried to speak clearly, but the emotions betrayed me.
"What are you— of course, you belong here. It was destiny that brought you back here after all these years. It was your purpose to become our next Queen. You were born for this," I continued to shake my head as he spoke.
"I have n-no interest in b-becoming Queen. Carlo was r-right. I-I'm stealing e-everything your s-sons worked for their e-entire life, and I-I don't even want to. W-Why would you w-want to force m-me when they would happily d-do it?" A few tears escaped the corner of my eyes
"I..." He didn't say anything for a little moment and looked deep into his thoughts.
"I thought you would be happy," he said, "I am literally handing you everything you could ever need," he said, and I shook my head.
"H-How do you know what I need?" I said, and his face fell a little. "You just met m-me yesterday. Y-You barely have g-gotten to know m-me. You already f-forgot about me once a-and you were an hour l-late to our meeting today." Pain flashed in his eyes, but he quickly hid it behind a stoic face.
"I'm sorry. I told you it was because I was busy. It wasn't my fault," I shook my head again.
"M-Maybe, but still—You can't just a-appear in my life and expect m-me to leave everything b-behind. I have a l-life already waiting for me, and I l-love it. You can't do t-this to me." A sob escaped my lips, and he watched me in silence.
Akira rose to his feet and walked out of the room so fast I didn't even get to stop him.
"Emriana... I...," he opened and closed his mouth as more tears spilled out of my eyes. My sniffles were the only sound in the room. I stood slowly from my seat, and he watched me with wide eyes.
"Where are you going?" He stood up quickly as I walked toward the door.
"I n-need to leave," I said as I slipped through the door.
"Emriana, don't. We have to talk about this," his voice was laced with panic, perhaps reliving how it felt when my mother left him.
"I-I just n-need a moment to think," I said as I backed away from him in the hallway. He shook his head quickly in panic.
"No, I can't let you leave, not like I let your mother leave," his voice quivered as if he was about to cry. I kept backing away as I watched him walk toward me. I tried to see where Akira had gone. I needed him.
The few workers in the hallway stepped away from us but lingered by the doors, curious to know what this commotion was.
"What do y-you think she w-would say if she saw y-you right now?" my words weren't meant to hurt him, but they seemed to, and I felt guilty. I couldn't accept this fate.
I loved my life in my little cabin in the woods. I loved waking up every morning and working on my small farm. I loved raising animals and taking care of them. I loved sewing my own clothes. I loved the peacefulness of it and how pretty it was.
"She would be ashamed of me," he mumbled beneath his breath as he sighed.
"Why c-can't you make an exception t-to the tradition?" I added. He stayed silent a moment.
"Maybe... I might have forgotten you're not— I don't know— I could—" His voice faltered as the door at the end of the hallway slammed open with so much force everyone flinched in surprise.
I turned around to see Akira running toward me. My eyes widened as I saw the man following him.
"What the fuck is going on?" Zeke's voice boomed through the hallway with so much authority, Cassemir backed away. The guards were quick on their feet and came to stand before him before doing the same thing to me.
Everything happened so fast I could only stand there in surprise. The white tiger launched himself at the guard in front of me. He yelled as he moved aside at the last moment as Akira tried to bite him. The other guards backed away instantly, not wanting to meet the same fate. Akira circled me a few times, meeting my eyes a few times, making sure I was unharmed.
I looked away from Akira and locked eyes with Zeke. His expression darkened, the blue of his iris becoming a cloudy grey as he eyed the tears on my cheeks. His jaw tightened, and his hand formed a trembling fist as he moved his eyes toward the King.
"Prince Zeke, calm down," Cassemir's voice wasn't so confident, and I didn't blame him. If anyone looked at me the way Zeke was looking at him right now, I would probably die.
"Why the fuck is she crying?" He yelled out as he moved slowly toward the King.
He reached into his belt and pulled out what seemed like a small sword. I gasped, my hand covering my mouth in horror as I watched the guards yell out something before more guards suddenly appeared and stood in front of the King.
I couldn't even do anything. Akira pulled me back like he seemed to understand what was about to happen. What in the world did they do with him while I was gone?
"We were just talking, Prince Zeke," Cassemir tried to explain, but Zeke didn't seem to care.
"What did you do to her?" He yelled, and I could see Cassemir step back. I also saw the slight frown on his face and an inch of confusion.
"You have to calm down," the King repeated, but whatever trance Zeke had fallen into seemed immune to his words.
"Zeke," I yelled, and the room fell silent. I felt the eyes of everyone on me, probably at the fact that I had just yelled at Prince Zeke but also addressed him in such a casual way.
Somehow, I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment. The only eyes that mattered were the dark cloudy eyes that bore into my own. His shoulders moved up and down quickly as the hand on the dagger clenched and unclenched. He looked like a completely different person.
"Emriana, you need to move away from him," a voice came from my side, and I watched the young guard I had met the other day reach for me.
"Don't fucking touch her!" Zeke's voice roared with so much strength that the poor guard fell backward as he tried to scramble away.
Zeke didn't waste a second as he closed the distance between us and yanked me to his side. The protective grip he maintained around my waist seemed a little over the top, but I didn't say anything. I wasn't about to talk back to a man who was about to kill someone a few seconds ago.
"Zeke, you have to calm down," I whispered under my breath, my back still facing him. I knew he could hear me, and I hoped he would listen. I didn't need him to complicate things further for me.
"He made you cry," he muttered through clenched teeth with so much fury it made shivers run down my spine. His hold tightened around my waist like a snake drawing in his prey.
"Yes, but I'm fine." That was a big lie because I felt anything but fine. But if I could get him to calm down, that would be a start. I could sense the hesitation as he slowly released me.
I turned around to face him, and our gazes immediately met. We stared at each other for a long time, and it seemed to help him calm down. His slightly trembling hand reached for the side of my face as he shut his eyes tightly, taking long inhales. The mixed scents of whisky and cologne surrounded me, and I took a subtle inhale of it.
"Are you smelling me, Princess?" He smirked down at me, and my entire body flushed as if he had just caught me red-handed. I shook my head as I looked away from him.
"Mmm," he hummed, tilting my head to his level with the tip of his fingers under my chin. The mischievous glint in his eyes replaced the previous cloudiness making him look closer to his usual self. "You know, if I didn't know any better right now, I'd say you are lying to m—"
"Prince Zeke, step away from my daughter immediately," Cassemir's voice echoed behind me.
I watched the familiar playfulness dance behind Zeke's eyes as he looked between the King and me. He slowly lowered his face to my level and kissed my forehead slowly, his rough lips barely grazing my skin. The action made my heart skip a beat. He pulled away and winked at me before looking back at the King with a smug smile. I didn't need to look to know the King was probably livid. Zeke's grin widening was more than enough proof of it.
"Don't do anything stupid," I whispered as his eyes darted down at me once again. He gave me a toothy grin as he sent me another wink, grasping my hand into his bigger one. Akira let go of me before walking along the side of us as Zeke started pulling me away.
"Thanks for keeping her there, mate," I gasped as I looked between him and Akira in betrayal.
"You!" I started speaking, but he tried to silence me with a kiss. I dodged his lips last second and smacked his arm. He pouted, his lower lip hanging out before he kissed the top of my head so fast I didn't see it coming. I glared at him, which made him smile harder. My entire body was burning as I felt the eyes of everyone watching the scene.
"I said don't do anything stupid," I said again, and he shrugged at my words.
"Prince Zeke, come back right now," I heard my father's voice call out to us, but Zeke pretended he didn't as he pulled me into another corridor. His entire demeanor had entirely changed. No traces of anger was visible on him as he almost skipped like a child down the hallway.
I couldn't help but laugh as I watched him become so happy.
"Does threatening people with a sword usually make you this happy?" I said, and he shrugged before flashing me a dazzling smile.
"For you, Princess. Always."