The carriage Acaila was in rattled and shook as the horses sped over the bumpy road on the path to the Kingdom of Black. Their journey had so far taken three days, as they had to frequently stop in order to give their horses rest. Luckily, Acaila knew, after aiming a quick question at the coachman, that they would be there shortly.
In the carriage with her sat one of Acaila's sisters. They had attempted smalltalk the first day, but they both quickly found out that they didn't have much in common, and the two days that followed were characterized by no other sounds than the ones that came from the horses.
Suddenly the ground under them changed and the carriage stopped rattling. Both of the girls sighed in relief and shyly smiled towards each other.
Acaila looked out the window and was pleased over the change of scenery. "We are on a main road now, I believe we are closing in on the castle," Acaila shared.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually can't wait to arrive in the Black. I can't stand another hour in this dreadful cage," her sister complained.
Acaila nodded and voiced some words that were in total agreement, although they were not at all the truth. Acaila dreaded arriving in the Black. She did not at all look forward to meeting the princes, knowing that she would inevitably be forced to marry one of them someday. Knowing her father; rather soon than later.
It was no secret that Acaila was not the favorite child. Of course, none of the siblings received any love from the king, but as far as Acaila was concerned, none other than Acaila received hate.
When she was a newborn child, she and her mother were sent to her uncle to live there for four years. She couldn't remember much of the time she spent there, but she knew her mother died from a disease, and after that, she got sent back.
Acaila didn't even meet her father the first year of her stay. In fact, she didn't meet him until she mastered a particularly difficult task in healing. When the king heard what she had done, he had summoned her to his office, cut her arm and tasked her to heal herself. Which she did.
The carriage came to a halt and when Acaila peeked out of the window again she was facing the castle in the Black. She had been there twice before, but the weariness and dark glamour of the building still managed to impress her.
"It's sort of creepy-looking isn't it?" Her sister mumbled, but Acaila had no time to answer as the doors to the carriage were opened. They were escorted to their separate temporary rooms, where they were to get dressed and ready.
Their fathers most recent lover had chosen the clothes all his daughters were to wear on this particular night, as he had correctly assumed that all the princesses would try to repel the Crown Prince in an attempt to spare themselves a few years of agony.
The dress Acaila was to wear was made out of a dark blue fabric. Luckily, the color didn't enhance any of her features. Her eyes were of a much brighter blue and didn't at all match the color of the dress. Also, her hair was white, in accordance to the white mark on her palm. A brighter color would have suited her much better, but on this particular occasion Acaila was quite content.
That was, until she tried it on. The dress clung to her body and gave the outfit a sense of indignancy. She didn't at all feel like a mighty and powerful potential crown princess. She felt downgraded and objectified.
Her temporary servants, as well as her chambermaid helped her finish up. They didn't do anything with her hair, but they made sure to cover every visible patch of her skin in jewelry.
When they were finished, Acaila looked in the mirror. She felt that she definitely could have made herself look both royal and attractive. Nonetheless, she was content with the outcome, as her goal was not captivating any of the princes. At least not that night.
She felt a jab of guilt in her stomach as she came to think of Francis. The way he had looked at her, and the moments they had shared, or almost shared. Acaila wasn't even sure she loved him, but she did trust him. Lately it had become increasingly difficult to differentiate between the two.
"My lady, an hour has almost passed since the ball was to begin. I believe you have waited long enough for your entrance to be anticipated, but not so long that the Crown Prince would have right to be infuriated."
Acaila heard her father's counselor talk, but she had started to feel nauseous, and was therefor only listening with one ear. "You think it is time for me to join the party?" Acaila asked.
"If you hurry out now, you can enter with Reed. He has come along to accompany his sisters," The counselor continued. Acaila couldn't suppress the smile that broke out on her face. She could survive being with his biological sisters if that meant that she could stay by his side.
Acaila walked into the hallway where her three sisters and Reed were waiting. She was happy to see that she wasn't the only one in an infuriatingly tight dress. Reed on the other hand, did not seem as content with the outcome.
"You look beautiful," Reed's youngest sister, Tavia, said.
"Me? I was just pitying you for being the Kings least favorite. He must be eager to get you married away, the way you look." Acaila smiled.
"I'm not sure if that was a compliment," Tavia sighed with a shy smile painted across her face, and in that moment it struck Acaila that Tavia was the youngest of them.
The age difference between Tavia and Crown-Prince Lawrence would be about five years, and although that was nothing compared to how young most of the princesses were when they got married away, Acaila could understand why Reed was so worried about them.
"Off we go then," Reed declared, he held out an arm to each of his biological sisters. Acaila made eye contact with her remaining sister and they shared a moment of envy before they proceeded walking down the corridors and into the ballroom.
The lighting in the room was breathtaking and Acaila was instantly reminded of what element the Black kingdom's royals were in control of. It seemed as though balls of fire were floating around the ceiling, illuminating the magnificent paintings that decorated the room.
Acaila instantly located the people responsible for the magic. A group of middle-aged men were stationed along the walls. Their hands were quivering, and their bodies were swaying totally out of tune to the music.
Somehow you could just tell that they were performing magic. Their hair was obviously black and Acaila drew the conclusion that they were Crown-Prince Lawrence's bastard uncles, or possibly great uncles. Whole-borns were likely invited to the party, not stationed along the walls.
Acaila could hear her younger sisters whisper amongst themselves, pointing out oddities and soaking in the presence of the most attractive royals.
"Acaila, can you recognize anyone from your birthday?" Reed asked, slightly turning away from his sisters and towards Acaila.
She peered around the room, quickly glancing the faces of the people closest to her. "I'm tempted to say that the two men by the piano are the Brown-Brothers, Campos and Kasdahn. And I'm almost convinced that the girl over there is Palae, Princess in the Grey. Other than that, I am completely and utterly bewildered."
"I suppose friends of the White aren't necessarily friends of the Black." Reed responded.
"You don't say," Acaila replied dryly as Reed turned towards Oriann and Tavia again.
"There you all are, I was just out looking for you," a voice hummed from behind Acaila's shoulder. They had been unintentionally blocking the entrance, and the sound from the music and consistant chatting in the ballroom had allowed Lawrence to sneak up on them.
Acaila turned and bowed. "Congratulations, My Lord," she said, and the others followed her example.
"I hope you enjoy yourselves. My Kingdom's friendship with the White is quite valuable." He lied, and the whole group of them noticed how he and Oriann had maintained eye contact.
Lawrence turned to leave, but Oriann nearly shouted, "was it easy to kill your brother? Did he even fight back?"
Lawrence looked at her again. "He left his mark," he hissed.
Oriann looked crossly at him. Reed tried to nudge her into silence. "You're welcome to see it, but I'm not comfortable getting undressed in public," Lawrence continued.
"I'm not sure I'm interested, Your Highness," Oriann responded.
"I didn't think so either. I can tell you're the type of girl that's afraid of fire," Lawrence concluded and strode off to some other guests.
"I am not afraid of fire. Can you imagine being so arrogant? He even called the Black Kingdom his kingdom. Its not like he's king yet." Oriann rambled. Reed peered nervously around, as if someone else could sneak up on them anytime.
"Promise me you'll be more careful, Oriann. You have no idea how dangerous he is," Reed mumbled.
"And I suppose you think you do know?" Oriann asked.
"I knew Thomas, he had plenty of stories to tell," Reed answered in a whisper, finally directing his attention towards their group again.
"You met him once!" Oriann sighed and rolled her eyes.
"I met him once in public. I met him once, as far as you know. Stop being ignorant and listen to me!" Reed scolded and Oriann visibly shrunk. Having Reed yell at you was no pleasant experience.
Acaila locked eyes with Tavia and nodded towards a table with drinks. Tavia followed Acaila as she started walking over. Leaving Reed with their other two sisters.
"I don't think he even noticed me," Tavia sighed.
"Me neither," Acaila responded, filling two glasses with the substance that carried the sweetest aroma.
"Is it a goal to be noticed by the Crown Prince?"
Tavia and Acaila turned towards the voice. A man with silver hair and equally pale eyes was facing them.
"It's not what I'm aiming for at least," Tavia responded.
The man chuckled but Acaila held her breath. If he was a friend of the Lawrence, they would surely be in trouble.
"I'm sorry, I'm not sure we've been introduced," Acaila said, changing the subject before anyone else had time to speak.
"Heturain. Crown Prince in the Grey." The man responded.
"You are the brother of Palae?" Acaila asked.
"You know her?" Heturain answered with a nod.
"I am Acaila. Member of the Crown Division in the White," Acaila announced. "She visited when I turned eighteen."
Heturain smiled softly. "Acaila. A pleasure to finally meet you. I have heard rumors of your brilliance with a blade. A rare talent in the white."
Acaila was unsure if he was flattering her or implying that she was only talented within the White. "I am led to wonder how these rumors have reached you ear,"
"I have been on the lookout for a teacher,"
"I thought the Grey was a nation of teachers?"
"Swordsmanship is the specialty of the Brown. I am sure you are aware of our tense relationship?"
Acaila did not doubt this information. She knew of the tense relationship, as a consequence of the Grey refusing to marry Palae off to a brown prince of low rank.
In the Grey, princesses were of more worth than princes. It would not come as a shock if Palae was to be married off to Inc or Reed, depending on which of them inherited the throne. At that point, Acaila had somewhat given up on being crown princess herself.
"If I were only as talented as you seem to think I am, I would have offered you lessons," Acaila said. She had come to notice that his eyes were not only extremely pale, but also misaligned.
"I'm convinced that Your Highness is simply being modest. Nonetheless I am sure you are aware that I rarely take anyone's word for granted. I believe I would enjoy a friendly duel, if that is not too much to ask?"
"The Crown Princes of the Grey are welcome in the White whenever they would like to come," Acaila responded politely, and earned a smile from Heturain.
"I'm sorry, but are you blind?" Tavia, who had remained quiet throughout the entire conversation, asked.
"That is correct," Heturain answered. His body had stiffened and his voice sounded tense.
"Tavia, I think Reed is looking for you," Acaila quickly said, and Tavia took the hint, obediently setting off towards the safety of their brother.
"I'm very sorry, My Lord. She is still young. 15 actually," Acaila apologized on behalf of her sister. Heturain instantly broke into a smile.
"Please, call me Heturain. Titles lead only to unnecessary distance. I noticed that you said that your sister is young, are you much older than her?" He asked, and Acaila smiled warmly, she even tilted her head, forgetting he would not be able to see her do it.
"I'm turning nineteen this spring," Acaila said. "And you, Heturain?"
"I recently turned twenty," he responded and a smile broke out into his face. Acaila couldn't help but notice his dimples and the layers of creases around his eyes. He had a very contagious smile, and Acaila wished they had not been interrupted.
"Lady Acaila," Kasdahn said as he walked up to them and bowed. "Prince Heturain," he continued and nodded in his direction.
Heturain looked offended, as if he had seen Kasdahn's discreet hint of rivalry.
Heturain bowed deeper, made up an excuse to retreat from the scene, and walked over to his sister.
"It feels like an eternity has passed since your birthday last spring. How are you?" Kasdahn asked.
"I'm fine thank you, and you?" Acaila responded.
"I'm doing quite well. How is your training going? You're still content with the last blade i forged?" Kasdhan asked, inching closer to Acaila.
"It is definitely living up to it's expectations," Acaila answered with a nod.
The blade he had gifted her for her birthday was the best she had ever used. It was as if he knew what the perfect weight and length of the blade would be for her. Acaila had come to wonder if one of her instructors had indulged in conversation with him.
"I brought a few others if you are interested? A token of our friendship of course, to no expense." Kasdahn smiled and almost completely closed the distance between the two of them. Acaila could smell a discreet yet distinct stench of alcohol growing stronger the closer he moved.
"I'm not sure I'll have time," Acaila said. "We have quite a busy schedule the upcoming weeks," she continued.
"I brought them with me. Surely you'll have time?" Kasdahn insisted. "Where there is a will there is a way," he pointed out.
"I think that is the point. She does not want your company brother," Campos declared. He had walked up to the table with drinks sometime during the conversation, but had not engaged in the conversation until now.
Campos put his drink down and signaled for Acaila to do the same. "Will you dance with me?" Campos asked, bowing slightly and holding a hand out for Acaila to take.
Relieved, Acaila accepted.