The Heiress' Tale

Chapter 1- Nadalah

I pressed my lips into a thin line as the priest gave the benediction. The salt from the seawater stung my eyes and i could barely make out his slow droning over the roar of the waves.

"Nadalah. Your veil." my handmaid Tara mouthed to me. I reaches up and pulled the black thin lace material over my face.

Looking up at Frazier Manor high up on the cliffs, I spotted a little figure with wild coppery red hair gazing down below.

My sister Elora. she was too young to attend the ceremony. I heaved a small sigh and turned back attentively as the priest continued.

"We may not know why Raoul took his life..." I sucked in a painful breath as I heard those words.

My hands reached up to clench the necklace of abalone shell that my brother Raoul had given to me. 

Raoul would never take his own life. I thought angrily.

He was the heir to the Frazier House, Protector of Darya. He knew his duties.

He loved all of us...

"May the waters accept his body and take him home." The priest ended mournfully.

I shut my eyes tightly because I couldn't bear the blank look of sorrow on everyone's faces. I felt a hand on my arm. Tara, telling me to let go.

Not today, Nadalah. Not with this much people watching. I steel myself.

I took in a deep breath and opened my eyes as I was announced Heiress to the Frazier fortune.

I walked up the raised platform and nodded at the priest who stepped down for me with a solemn bow.

I bowed first in front of my people before turning to where my parents sat.

I knelt in front of my stepmother Adrielle first.

"Bless the Heiress" she whispered and placed a kiss on my forehead. I stiffened as I could smell her sweet scent of honey and lemons up close.

"Honor to the Matriarch" I replied tightly as I rose.

If only Mother were here...

I knelt next in front of my father. Tauran Frazier; Head of House Frazier and ruler of Darya, my kingdom.

"Bless the Heiress" he said handing me our symbol- Poseidon's trident with the sea dragon wrapped around it. I clutched the slender piece which was surprisingly light in my hands.

i squinted slightly to admire the glint of the white... is this bone?

"Kraken bones" my father whispered to me through clenched teeth and twinkling blue eyes.

"Strength to the Patriarch." I murmured as I eyed the trident suspiciously.

Rising slowly, I addressed the people with the best in-control voice that I could muster.

"People of Darya!" I began. "I accept your blessing as Heiress to the Frazier fortune. I swear to do everything in my power to make sure we are never lacking..."

Pause for effect..

"I will follow the footsteps of my father, as well as the ones before  him. Come dawn tomorrow, i will be hosting a towns meeting so you can put forward your issues."

I allowed a small smile as there were murmurs of agreement. Even the Council of Darya seemed impressed.

"I thank you all for your comfort and support during this trying time. Raoul's death will be very hard to get over and... although I cannot be him... I'll do my best."

There is a sweet calmness in the air and I shiver slightly as everyone bows.

"Bless the Heiress." They say in creepy unison

That's when it starts...

I thought i imagined it at first, the faint whistling sound that was beginning to sound like a piercing howl. All of a sudden, the waves crash simultaneously, deafening me and drenching me at the same time.

I looked around with my hands clutched tightly to my ears, the trident on the floor- forgotten in panic. Strangely, everyone is bowed and frightinly still.

Except one.

A tall figure with the same coppery red hair as Elora's.

I gasped in horror as the unmistakable sea-green eyes of  my brother meet mine.

He smiles and gives me a two-figured salute but when I blink, it's all gone.

"Nadalah." my father said drawing me back to the present with his calm voice. I blink at him trying to decipher if he saw anything as well, but his expression is blank.

Shakily, I dismiss the gathering and stay back to think when the outcrop is cleared.

Am I going crazy?  I think clutching at my hair in frustration. These visions would only add to my problems right now.

"If only Mother were here" I whisper to the waves. 

I head back to the Frazier Manor pausing only when I the soft trot of a horse. 

"Miss!" i hear a deep voice call and i still mid-stride.

The rider is tall and his dark skin and even darker eyes tell me he's a foreigner.

"I hate to be a bother miss, but would you be so kind as to offer directions to the Frazier Manor?" The foreigner asked while trying to steady his uneasy horse.

i allowed a gentle smile. "Of course, I am headed there myself."

I walked on a few miles in front of the foreigner.

"Why would a beautiful lady like yourself be out alone in this frightful weather?" The foreigner inquired raising his head to the darkening skies.

"You flatter me sir. you do not see my face yet, you assume i am beautiful." i answer expertly avoiding his question.

"You're not from around here, i can tell."

He chuckles a bit and sighs.

" You have a keen eye miss. I bring news from Zerae to the Fraziers."

A shiver runs down my spine at the mention of the central kingdom.

There hasn't been news from Zerae in decades. This must be urgent.