The Crown's Reflection

Chapter One: Dream Come True

"Wherever there is light, look for the shadow. The shadow is me." -Anais Nin

                                                                        ---

Elsea couldn't move. Her legs were frozen, her eyes unable to look away from her sister knelt in front of the queen. Saph's face was dipped humbly, causing golden locks to fall in a curtain around her face. Run. Elsea's legs refused to move, her eyes glued to the crown as all it's jeweled glory slowly descended onto Saph's head. She raised her head, and as her hair parted to reveal her face, the crowd bowed deeply, so low that their noses brushed the marble ground. A sea of bent backs stretched before her, and she smiled maliciously, revealing razor sharp teeth and blood-red eyes gleaming with greed and hunger.

Elsea shot up in bed, sweat plastering her hair and dress to her sleep-warmed skin. Gasping breaths flooded the room, and Elsea took a moment to gather herself. The dreaded coronation had finally arrived, and soon the dreams that plagued her would become reality.

A polite knock broke her thoughts, and she dragged herself out of bed, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes before she opened the door. Audra, -her maid- held what appeared to be a huge bundle of colorful dresses, in all sorts of cuts and styles.

Yet none of them were purple.

Something deep inside her chest twisted. Only the queen herself could wear purple, but it was tradition that the heir would wear a beautiful purple dress on her coronation day, one that had been passed down for many generations. It's just a color, Elsea told herself fiercely. But it was perhaps the most valuable one, representing pureness, wealth, royalty, and power. The word resonated deep in her gut, an all too familiar yearning.

"Today is an important day for Asteria, and everyone needs to look their best," Audra announced, handing the princess a crimson dress with a high neckline and a long train. Reluctantly, she took it, panic settling in on the fact that suddenly, everything was actually happening. The one thing she'd known her entire life, yet she was still the most unprepared for.

A few dresses later, Elsea chose a long sleeved forest-green gown, with a simple backless cut and a pair of leaf earrings to match. It was exquisite, the velvet slipping over her body softly like a glove, but Elsea hardly cared anymore. She dimly glanced at her reflection as Audra pulled back her hair, sunken dark circles under her eyes and the way she slumped self-pitying. She drew her shoulders back, arranging her features in a cool detachment, hiding any leaking emotion that could betray her thoughts. Audra twisted her hair behind her head, pushing a forked green pin to hold it up in an elegantly rolled bun. A hairstyle not meant for a crown. Elsea's fingernails dug crescent marks into her palm, her hands clenched in a fist of white. She had to stop. Everything was a brutal reminder of what was to happen today, and what she would endure after. Memories flew through her mind, each one a stab in the chest.

Writing in a worn notebook laws she could never pass.

Reading in the corner of the ballroom while nobles swarmed around her twin.

Pressing her ear to the door of important meetings, discussing pressing issues in Asteria.

Seeing potential suitors try and catch the eye of her sister, a wide berth around Elsea.

Staring at herself in the mirror and wondering if her parents wished they didn't have twins. Because they only wanted one.

Listening to people gush over what a great queen Saph would be, and asking Elsea if she agreed.

Sneaking into her mother's room and trying on the crown, just to see how it looked on her.

And now, all she could do was walk in her sister's wake, pretending they were all bowing to her. She would slowly start to fade into the background, forgotten, a brief mention in Asterion history books. Being forgotten was like you never existed at all. Saph would absorb the attention, and Elsea would be stuck being "the second in line" or "Saphira's little sister". Even now, some people were surprised to learn that yes, there were two heirs, and they were in fact twins. By the time Saph retired, her children would take over the throne, and Elsea would be too old to be queen. Kings and princes didn't have much power in society, even if they were married to a queen. Rather, the queen was the one with all the recognition and power, marrying only to continue the line of royalty.