a kingdom of light and lies

i. chapter one

The stone castle at the heart of the royal city Lumine looked heavenly, surrounded by wild woods and high cliffs in the back. Except for Aeryn Nystrome, everyone living within the city's boundaries believed it was. Aeryn was the princess of Lumine, the daughter of King William and the now-dead Queen Anne. Since her mother's death, which had taken a toll on her, her father, and the rest of Lumine, she hated the castle's eternal hallways and grand rooms.

She knew her way around by heart, knew where each room was and where the secret passageways were concealed within the walls. She had been taught to do so. She needed to know her way around whether it was for fast escapes or a small assignment given by her father.

The castle had never appealed to her, but the grounds surrounding it had always intrigued her. She enjoyed being outdoors, regardless of what she was doing, in this case practicing with her father.

They had a training location that was far away from the castle. Willows encircled the clearing, which was still green except in the winter when it was blanketed in white flakes. In the spring, colorful flowers sprouted along the edge. The fragrance of new grass and the sounds of birds chirping filled the air, but then a loud clang reverberated across the clearing as King William and Aeryn's swords collided.

Aeryn twirled around to strike her father's chest as the two royals drew back their swords, but the deafening clang was heard once more as he blocked the sword with his pointing down with both hands on the handle. She immediately turned and whipped her sword around, only to kick the man in the chest, knocking him to the ground. She took a step back, then dashed forward, leaping with her sword raised over her head. She whipped it down, but the king was able to block it once more. Aeryn pressed harder, her father's sword slowly leaning closer to his face.

With a defeated but playful smile on his face, William said, "All right, all right, I yield." Aeryn gave him a sidelong glance but drew her sword away.

She smashed it into the ground and reached out to her father with her hand. She smirked as he sighed and stood up with the help of her hand.

"You're getting better," he said. "It seems you followed my advice."

"That I did," Aeryn said with pride. She was always incredibly proud of herself when she was able to correct a mistake or follow someone's advice.

"All right, I believe we should be heading back. I have a busy day ahead of me," her father said.

Aeryn gave him a puzzled expression. What did he mean by that? He couldn't possibly be talking about another day-long meeting with another kingdom, she thought. But she brushed it off as they walked out of the clearing and saw their horses snoozing. Aeryn grinned and dashed off to shower more love on her Icelandic, Belle, as she would normally do.

She approached Belle and began gently stroking her hair. In answer, Belle nuzzled into her hand.

"Hello, Belle," she said. Aeryn climbed onto her back with a smile on her face. As her father mounted his horse, she cast a glance at him. He clicked his tongue and his horse trotted towards the grand castle. She sighed as she followed after him.

She had a strong feeling her father was going to be extremely busy that day, so she knew where she was heading once they reached the palace. She could see the castle coming into view, and her eyes fluttered closed with a smile gracing her lips.

She opened her shining grey eyes as she heard her father's horse halt. She stopped Belle as well when she saw they were at the stables. She hopped off the white mare and turned her attention towards the castle.

"You make your way up to your room and wait for breakfast. It should be finished shortly."

Aeryn turned to her father. "Yes, Father," she replied.

She glanced away, turning her back on her father, and made her way towards the castle's entrance.

She sighed as she raised her eyes to the cast-iron gate that stood in the way of the entrance. The gates opened on command, and she walked inside.

The exterior of the castle was the only part she could tolerate. The off-white brick and glossed windows had always appealed to her. She liked how the healthy vines wrapped themselves around the tallest towers, and how the water in the fountains and man-made ponds glistened in the early sun. The gold designs on the archway, where the door rest was placed, really stood out.

She waited for the guards in their white and gold uniforms to force open the gate, allowing her to step inside.

The interior of the castle was similar to the outside. The interior was light and airy but had a high-end feel to it. The foyer was enormous, with an off-white, polished marble staircase on either side. The stairwells' golden candelabras kept blazing flames in each corner. A gleaming diamond-encrusted chandelier glistened in the light as it hung from the ceiling. Bunches of tiny white flowers and the greenest vines and leaves adorned the banisters.

Every floor had balconies, and the main part of the castle had lavish paintings of the royal family and Lumine's beginning on the ceilings of each hallway. White satin carpets with gold embroidery covered the stairwell and hallway floors.

The doors to the grand throne room were in the center of the room. The ballroom, which was used as a dining hall when Lumine wasn't hosting balls, was on the left side. Aside from the outdoors, her favorite spot was the library, which was off to the right.

Reading literature was one of her favorite pastimes. Some of the civilians frowned upon this, but she didn't mind. When it came to being royalty, she loved it and it gave her a sense of peace.

She knew she couldn't go there yet, but she came to a halt once more, her eyes fluttering shut as she considered the towering rows of volumes waiting to be opened. She pondered the scent, the feel, and the way the text appeared to be perfectly aligned on each page.

She broke into a speed and began sprinting to her room, not wanting to waste any more time. No matter how hungry she was, she just wanted breakfast to be over with. She only desired to enter the library and spend the entire day there.