"Crowns topple easily. Thrones crumble like dust. Hearts cease to beat. Thorns draw blood."
In a country torn into two, there should have been no room for mistakes. Especially not at the very core of the royal family. That was what she was. Yes, a...
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It was difficult. To live, that is.
Some days, Irina found it difficult to wake up due to how much time had passed. The events of the Ravkan Civil War, the building of the Little Palace, the coronation of King Igor Lantsov all seemed as if an eternity had passed since these happened.
Yes, there were some things that remained constant such as her duty to the Grisha and her love for Aleksander. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with. The leaders of the Second Army, formidable and unbeatable. They were greeted with respect, adoration, and even the occasional fear.
What was once a mere hundred Grisha became hundreds, thousands as they traveled all across the world to be a part of a world that accepted them and helped them improve their power. A chance to fight for a noble cause and be part of something greater.
Of course, being Grisha came with its own disadvantages, especially powerful ones whose ability ran through their veins like a life force. With Irina's power and her ties to Aleksander, she had managed to stay the same despite the generations passing by.
Even so, there are some things that people fail to consider. Immortality came with eternity yet it also came with reality. Not everyone is immortal. Not everyone can live forever.
It was painful to watch all those that she loved pass away from this life. The first was Vasilka, the little lion cub that grew into a beautiful lioness. She had loved the Little Palace's gardens, running into the Grisha who trained there, causing mischief wherever she went. They had found her sleeping peacefully in one of the flower bushes, only this time, she did not wake.
Irina had sobbed over her small form before she conceded to having her buried in the gardens she loved so much. In honor of her darling companion, she had all the animals released. The royal zoo was to be no more. It was the right thing to do. Caging such creatures who deserved freedom was cruel. They all deserved to be free, as Vasilka now had the freedom.
Dima and Igor soon followed. They had all lived long lives but in the end, death took them. Their skin wrinkled and their bodies weak while she and Aleksander stayed the same. If there was anyone present at their bedside, it would have been an odd sight to see indeed but they all knew it was just the princess with her guard, the princess with her little brother.
Dima had passed due to sickness. A plague that had swept the kingdom with hundreds dying. He is survived by his sisters and his children. Irina did not even have time to say goodbye but he had left her a letter telling her not to worry and that he would still guard her even through death.
As for her little brother, Igor. Her remaining family. The boy she had watched gracefully grow into a man who did not discriminate nor is prejudiced against those different. She had watched his hair turn gray, and his eyes develop wrinkles at the side. Yet despite the changes, she could still see in him the boy who loved to eat sweets too much that his cheeks became covered in sugar.
