Aithne

ℂℍ𝔸ℙ𝕋𝔼ℝ 𝟙

           Locked away in my room I read books, about pirates, fae, adventures, and sometimes love, but mostly of the world outside of the castle, of people talking with each other, of working, of making friends. I painted the forest that I could see outside my window, it looked like a whole different world. The green of the trees looked breathtaking, even the sky looked more blue in the forest than it did in the village. My room was huge. My bed was a king size on the far left of the room, a small balcony was at the back of the room, and my dressers and vanity were at the far right. My paintings were all over the walls, ceilings and the floor. Two guards were always stationed outside my door leading to the long hallway. I had to be escorted everywhere in the castle, and I was not allowed to even think about going outside of the castle gates, I was allowed to walk in the garden if 6 guards were with me. My parents were always WAY over protective of me for as long as I could remember. I was their only daughter after all and the heir to the throne.

" Miss please stop moving" the maids asked as they pinned an extravagant summer dress. But I couldn't. I was too excited, I kept bouncing and fumbling with my fingers. It was my first day in 18 years outside of the castle, I was to meet the townsfolk, for in 2 years I was to be queen. I looked into the mirror, my pale face practically glowing in joy. My red hair nice and wavy cascading down my back and ending at my hips, my right green eye shone like an emerald in the light that came through the open window, and my left brown eye always reminded me of the earth with a tiny bit of gold hidden beneath the soil. Because my skin was rather pale with hints of blush always on my elbows, knees, shoulders and cheeks, my freckles that covered my whole body, with quite a lot on my face, stood out like someone splattered brown paint on a white canvas.

" OW!" I yelped as one of the maids accidentally poked me.

" I am so sorry miss" she apologized, with a hint of fear in her voice.

" No, no it's fine. It was my fault I'm just so excited" I reassure, her face looking relieved. All of the workers here in the castle have to go through some training and have to swear that they will never tell a soul that I live here or even what I look like until i'm 18. If they do I never see them again, they also have to make sure no one gets into the castle.

The dress was a pale lilac that flowed just above my ankles, the soft silk was so nice and comforting. I loved the length of it and how it flowed in the breeze, but I absolutely hated the long neck that completely covered my neck almost choking me, and the sleeves were loose at the shoulders but way too tight at the wrist, which is kinda weird for me cause my wrists are on the tiny side and nothing was ever tight on them. I went to my mom in her room, my bare feet quiet on the cool marble, and asked her if she was the one who made it so tight and restricting.

" Yes I did, I thought it would make you look better, and it did." she said, she was always trying to make me as pretty as a doll. She took a deep breath as her maid pulled the corset tighter on her, I was glad I didn't have to wear one. I tried one on my 17th birthday and I almost passed out due to lack of air. That was not fun.

"Aithne, please put on some shoes for once" my mother told me.

" Only if they are the comfy ones" I say.

"Fine" she agreed "but not the ones that let your toes stick out"

" Yes ma'am" I yell from down the hallway, my guard's stomping behind me.

I slip on my black flats as the guards knock on the door.

" Princess Aithne, it's time to go"

" coming!" I reply excitedly as I open the door. When I step out of my room one guard walks in front of me and the other behind. I meet up with my mother and father in the foyer, my mother takes one look at me and quickly puts a dark purple veil on me to cover my face, she does this everytime I went outside, even in the garden. " I'm just not ready for everyone to see your beauty" she'd always say. And I understood, kind of, I'm just used to it now to be honest. I could see through the veil. But just barely, everything looks blurry and purple, like a blueberry smoothie and you're looking at it without glasses.

" Valerie" my father warned " we are going to be late, stop babying her"

" sorry Victor" she apologized and went back to his side. My father was always rather intimidating but when he wasn't stressed or going out he would always paint with me, but he always made me feel uncomfortable while playing with me, while my mother was always sweet and doting with me but she was always obsessed with appearances, with how I look around her and with how she looks around me. I peered at my mother one more time under my veil and smile, she had gorgeous brown hair that cut off right at her shoulders and was always straight, her eyes were also beautiful, they were the colour of polished sapphires. Not a single freckle on her barely wrinkled face, she always looked serious and "queenly" with gentle creases on the side of her eyes that crinkled when she smiled. My father on the other hand had extremely gray hair that was combed back and fell to his ears, his eyes looked like a sad cloudy sky all the time, he too had very limited wrinkles and no freckles. He never looked kind and he was kind of scary, always had a faint scowl on his face. He had a slight beard as well but funnily no mustache to match, it looked ridiculous to me. I felt a nudge and quickly dropped the purple cloth over my face once again as the ginormous doors opened for me for the first time, and I saw hundreds or even thousands of curious people gathered around the front of the castle.