A Letter with a Rose

~Chapter 1~

  "Ugh, why must we study so much?" Maylea heaved as she slumped back in her cushioned chair.

  "Sit up," The male seated beside her hit her arm with a book, "If you want to be a ruler one day you need to study."

  Maylea's round eyes narrowed as she sat up and opened her book again. She and her twin brother, Sean, have been sitting in the palace extravagant library for what felt like hours. Both reading books about the history of their kingdom in Estana and other kingdoms. The wooden table in front of the twins was covered with worn out books. The old shelves stood proud and loomed over the room, leaving space to view the cathedral ceiling painted beautifully with tiny details. The grand windows which rounded at the top, let the sun cast its warm rays into the room. One of the windows was open, allowing a warm breeze to blow the sheer white curtains back and forth.

  The textbook Star was reading went into great detail of how the country of Estana was founded and how the Estanians, led by Maylea's grandmother, built their kingdom from the ground up. She was always amazed by her grandmother's power over the kingdom. Being such a sensational ruler, the citizens had a higher level of respect for the royal family even after Lady Irene passed away. Some of the respect was lost when Maylea's father married into the family and became lord due to his cruel and unjustifiable actions. The kingdom lost allegiances with other kingdoms overseas. Maylea's mother, Lady Ariel, eventually divorced her father and she never saw him again. After the reign of her father, Maylea and her family continued to seek forgiveness and trust from the people and old allies, in spite of many troubling complications that stood in the way. Lady Ariel remarried to a more respectable and compassionate man which resulted in the youngest sibling's birth, and more bliss within the people. The eldest son married and had a beautiful son. The young couple were crowned the Lady and Lord of the Estanian kingdom and continued to progress in regaining faith and relations by traveling to other countries close by, creating new laws or removing old ones, and reopening the trading ports.

  The kingdom followed different laws than most other kingdoms. For starters, the Lady or women of the royal family had the higher power and is given the upmost respect. Maylea being the eldest daughter of the royals meant she had as much power as her brother's wife did, only being absent of the title of Lady that she believed one day she would claim.

  "Pardon me, your majesties," a knight stood in the entrance of the library, "It is time to prepare for greeting the visitors."

"Thank you, Sir. We will be right out." Maylea gestured her hand to the knight. After closing the book and setting it on top of the pile of other novels and works, Maylea stood from her seat and softly nudged the twin. The two walked out to a grand hallway. Just like the windows in the library, only being slightly taller, the windows glistened with the sun's rays, illuminating the lengthy hallway. Vines covered with climbing roses draped over the edges of the outer rim of the window outside, peaking into the hallway view to absorb the light. The princess admired the view as she strolled on the carpeted flooring besides her brother.

  "Who is visiting again?" Maylea glanced over at the taller man.

  Sean sighed, "If you plan to be Lady someday, you should really try to remember who is visiting your kingdom."

  "I do try! It is not my fault so many people visit the palace."

  "The Duke of Ravaryn City."

  "Really? But the Dark Forest always prevented us from communicating with them."

  "Not precisely; they did not communicate with us because they feel they are better off without our kingdom's assistance. Yet their crops are struggling due to the rocky soil over in that region. So, they rely heavily on trade, but with other kingdoms overseas."