Within a Wing Beat

Persephone's Garden

It was the early hours of dawn when Cluethael awoke, the sky was still dark but the stars had disappeared. The covers whooshed past her as she tiptoed out of bed, the stone cool under her feet; she picked up a loose shirt from the night before and put it on, as well as a fresh pair of britches and her boots. Once everything was properly laced, she braided her hair into a tight braid around her head and made for the window.

The view out her window was breathtaking, she took a deep breath and leapt, the sheer drop from the window to the violently thrashing waves below. The ocean and jagged rock below were fast approaching when she opened her wings and took off in flight, her wings cutting through air like a knife through butter. She carried herself higher and higher seemingly feeling lighter with each flap of her leathery wings, she breathed in the air feeling it become colder with each breath she took.

The beating of wings and the rushing wind was all her ears could hear as she soared ever higher into the headwinds, the clouds leaving cool wet residue on her skin as she passed through them. The vast expanse of the ocean that seemed never ending, contrasting with the soft pinky orange hue of the oncoming dawn was something that never failed to take her breath away.

Flying had always soothed her, she couldn't imagine not being able to just take off for a while, throwing duty and caution to the wind. Though in a way she never got to do that, for her mother was a queen and she was a princess, duty was a heavy burden she would always have to carry. And she was raised to do her duty and keep her family safe; a sudden twist in her stomach that she had never felt before broke her thought. It felt like someone had released butterflies from a cage into her stomach.

'Home' she thought, 'It's time to return back home' .

She had just made it through the window when her older sister burst through the door with an excited cry, "Today is the day my little love! How are you feeling?" she beamed, rushing the young girl who had been mere seconds away from being caught. Her mother thought her 'Too young to fly without a chaperone' , she thought it was stupid, she was ten and two now, she was practically an adult! She thought bitterly.

She nodded in acknowledgement to her sister "Yes, today is the day, I do not understand why everyone is so passionate about it. I will not marry a prince and spend the rest of my days in a castle!" Cluethael huffed, crossing her arms. Her sister sighed and sat down on the settee across from her.

"I know, I understand. I felt the same way when I had to marry my own husband. But remember through adversity grows strength, and it is not so bad; truly." her sister tried to gently break the news to her that sadly, there was no wriggling her way out of it this time.

She looked back at her older sister, Emerie was everything that she wanted to be, she was a lady commander of her very own legion of warriors, how could she know? She didn't want to live the life of a Westerosi princess, she wanted to fight and die on the battlefield and live a life that her kin will tell stories about through the ages. Her sister came and left as quick as an autumn breeze, she opened the door and turned around grinning as she did so, "You know, you would do well to close your window after you leave, you never know who might come in while you are away," and with that, she left.

The sun had just started to appear in all its golden glory in the sky, the ocean getting that almost iridescent colour to it as the sun beamed down, and on the horizon she saw a ship with large black sails and an emblem she couldn't make out just yet. That feeling came back to her again, this time it settled like a heavy stone in her stomach, 'maybe it'll be heavy enough that when I move I'll stay stuck to the sill forever' she thought.

The comfortable silence she had found herself in was broken by a knock on her chamber door, she knew it would have been a handmaiden her mother sent for today.