War of Hearts

Chapter 14: Return to Nerea

The first thing Ingrid noticed when she woke up that morning was that the sky was grey.

Normally in a woodland kingdom like Adehane, most days had clear skies with the birds singing as they flew by. But this time, it was quiet and grey. The clouds formed together in a pact to hide the sun. For the first time in weeks, no birds were singing. It was as if the whole world felt just as grey as Ingrid did on the inside.

Ingrid sat up and rubbed her eyes; they felt dry and coarse from all the crying. Her whole body ached, her bones feeling much older than she was. Had she really aged this much in one night? She got up and walked towards the window, looking outside. The fields in front of her castle tower, fields that used to be full of soldiers doing their morning exercises, were empty. She couldn't even see any maids or servants walking along the hallways around the fields. The entire castle felt as if it was stuck in silence. 

As she was dressed for breakfast, Ingrid stared at herself in the looking-glass. Yesterday she looked the same way that she always did, but today she felt much older. Her eyes looked more sunken, her cheeks more pale and hollow. She could still see Isaac standing before her, not even wanting to look at her. It was as if she was just a disgusting monster not even worth looking at for a second.

A lump grew in her throat, and her mind began to race. Really, what did I expect? she thought. He would know that this was all a trick eventually even if the letter was never lost. He would hate me, maybe he never stopped hating me. Why couldn't I have just hated him forever?\

And then in her mind, the Isaac she knew she had grown to love began burning into ashes, like paper thrown into the fire. His smile that just up until recently set her heart ablaze now only made her angry. His smug smirk that began to make her feel weak now only made her feel disgusted. How could she ever be so stupid to think he was anything better than what he really was: her enemy who ordered the deaths of hundreds in a way not five years ago.

He can go to hell, she thought angrily, the sadness in her heart quickly transforming into spite. She didn't even notice that she was done being dressed until the chambermaid gently touched her shoulder. "What?!" Ingrid blurted out in an angry tone, turning to face her. The chambermaid flinched and stepped back, her eyes wide open in surprise. "Y-you are ready for breakfast now with the king, your highness," the chambermaid said in a slightly shaky voice. Ingrid looked at herself once more in the looking-glass. Her cheeks were now a little more red, her eyes less sunken. 

She had always hated him, and she will always hate him. Nothing more, nothing less. 

It was normal for King George to speak casually to his niece and son during breakfast. He would often ask them what their plans were for the day, comment on something trivial like the weather, anything really to make up for the silence caused by two teenagers hating one another.

But this morning was different. The food in front of them, already more lavish than anything anyone else in Adehane could eat for breakfast, looked dissatisfying and gray. The king twirled his silver spoon around the soup in front of him, unsure of what to say. On his left, his son stared at nothing but his plate, eating mechanically in silence. On his right his niece, who often felt and looked like a burning match constantly talking and arguing, had not touched her meal once. She merely stared at her food as if it was a foreign object, completely in silence.

King George cleared his throat as he tried to think of what to say. He was woken up a little past midnight by one of his assistants with a letter from the prince. He had asked why it could not have waited until morning, but the assistant replied that it was urgent news.