The Crown's Reflection

Chapter Two: Burning instead of Drowning

"She was like the moon-part of her was always hidden away." -Dia Reeves

                                                                       ---

Elsea had no idea what she was doing. All she knew was that she couldn't watch the crown descend on her sister's flawless golden head. She cursed ferociously as she tripped over her skirts in an attempt to flee up the stairs two at a time. Her hands were grasping the doorknob to her room when the cheers started. A stone plummeted to her stomach and she practically threw herself into the room, slamming the door behind her hastily, muffling the sounds of celebration. Flowers were probably being thrown into the air. Her sister was probably blowing kisses and waving gracefully at nobles. Her mother was probably beaming proudly, perhaps even bestowing a rare sign of affection and kissing Saph on the cheek. 

It was all too much. Elsea couldn't imagine a life after today, a life full of pretend and shadows. She was a bundle of dry firewood, thrown into an icy river. She had so much potential, but it was extinguished and wasted. She could be burning instead of drowning. She couldn't suffer another day of being the spare, of trying to be happy for her sister. There must be another way out of this. Elsea was suddenly struck with a wild, brilliant ploy. 

She

could 

run.

Start a new life and hide her identity. Somewhere where no one would expect, far away from the palace. Great forests, she could go to Raveene. Raveene was another kingdom, but it might as well have been a different world. Elsea had never been outside of Asteria, but she'd heard all about the busy, flat terrain, a place where the poor and middle class mingled. Shops and houses were crammed throughout, quite the opposite of Asteria's quiet open territory. Thoughts pummeled her as her mind raced, fragments and pieces of ideas rushing into her head. Her heart pulsed rapidly in excitement and exhilaration of what she might do, at the idea of possibly being free. Until now, Elsea had never considered another option, had never even wondered if there was one. Her foolishly hopeful self had always been fixated on becoming queen, that she never fully accepted that it was impossible. With renewed determination and resignation, Elsea started to prepare for the long trip through the forest, her mind abruptly made up. 

                                                                         ...

A water satchel, for collecting river water. Sourdough bread and dense nuts, snuck out of the kitchen. A purse full with gold coins, jewels, and expensive necklaces and earrings. A ceremonial sword hidden underneath a plain brown dress, given to her for her thirteenth birthday. A map of the four kingdoms stolen from the library folded in her black cloak. A small kitchen knife tucked into her black boot, just like the fantasy characters in the books she read.

And ten thick, beloved books. Elsea wrung her hands, knowing that she couldn't bring them all. After a few moments of debating, she grudgingly took two, giving the rest a sad, longing look. One was a handbook that identified edible plants in the Asterion Forest, so she could forage for food. The other was The Kiss of Deception, about a princess who was also a runaway, but with two young mysterious men accompanying her. Elsea had borrowed it from the castle library yesterday, and she couldn't bear to leave it behind when she only had twenty pages left. Elsea knew she had to hurry, it was only a matter of time before someone realized she was missing. With no hesitation, Elsea made to swing herself out the window, before she realized a slight problem. She had no room to use her hands, because they were carrying the books. 

"What am I doing?" Elsea muttered to herself, before dropping the books out the window, wincing when she heard them smack the ground thirty feet below. It was painful, but it was the only way she could bring them. Her hands freed, she began a descent down the castle walls, using her boots to gain leverage on the thick vines that crawled up the stone. After shutting the window closed, Elsea breathed deeply, feeling as if she was breathing for the first time, crisp sweet air lapping against her nostrils. It took no time at all to reach the bottom, her hands and feet expertly scaling down the wall, finding the grooves and indentations easily in the ivy. Gingerly, she retrieved her poor books, relived to see that there was no permanent damage  done.