The Blood Stained Crown

II

Present time

"Happy birthday, Seraphine! We bless you with happiness, wealth, longevi-"The sisters were in the middle of finishing the word when the queen butted in. "Right!" She spoke into the microphone. "We are celebrating my oldest daughter's birthday, and following up this year, my three other daughters will have their birthdays as well, let us all wish them well!"

"Which reminds me, next year you all will come of age for the Crown Festival, where we would need to crown the next queen. The Queen smiled at her daughters.

A unknown feeling came over Kiera. She was the youngest, and therefore, not likely to be crowned. She glanced towards Seraphine. She stood tall, and looked like a proud peacock. Kiera stared at her dear sister in disdain. Of course she loved her sisters. But sometimes, they appeared too proud for her liking. 

Anastasia appeared excited. "Really, Mother? Time flies so fast! But I thought coronation only begins when one is nineteen. Seraphine is only sixteen. We still have three years."

"Yes, the coronation does only happen when the person getting the crown is nineteen. However, there will be fierce competition over who gets the crown. After all, only when the heir to the Crown turns nineteen will the coronation finally take place. It is not confined to the oldest. It is open to all children of the royal family, including the cousins, but since we only have one bloodline, it is to be decided between the four of you."

Another strange feeling started kindling in the three princesses. A feeling... of hope.

After the celebration was over, the Queen gestured towards her children. "Come, normally it is tradition to bring you all to see the Crown once you turn sixteen, so you know what you would see during the Coronation."

She led the princesses down a winding stairway in the East Wing of the palace.

She took out her key, then turned it in the lock at the door at the end of the stairway.

Inside, right in the middle of a circular room with crumbling walls, sat the Crown.

It was an exquisite ebony black tiara, adorned with captivating dark green emeralds and glossy black gemstones. The refined accessory beautifully balanced sophistication and an alluring sense of mystery. It captivated anyone that looked upon it. The sisters were not immune.

"It's beautiful!" cried the four of them at once. 

"Yes, but only one will come to wear it. I was lucky, since my only competition was my sister, who somehow died, so I came to be the heir to the Crown. It is up to the four of you to decide which head it will land on. Know that regardless of your decision, I will support all of you." The Queen smiled, then gestured for them to go out, and locking the door.

The Queen continued rambling on and on until they got back to their suites, but hardly any of them registered what she said. Each were too immersed in their own thoughts to care.

"Three more years to the Coronation..." Adelaide murmured, hardly looking where she was going.

"Adelaide, you can't seriously be thinking about the Crown, can you? We know that the Crown exists, but honestly speaking, you're the youngest, you can't take the crown away, can you?" Seraphine laughed. "After all, I'm more deserving of it. I'm the oldest, and took care of all of you!"

Seraphine gave a tinkling laugh and strode down the hall in her party gown.

Seraphine looked back to see Adelaide gone, and quickly slipped into her own room, changed, and quietly stepped down the corridor to Anastasia's room. 

Anastasia looked up from her book upon seeing her sister enter. What did she want? She thought. "Yes, Sera? Need anything?" "Anast, I'm worried."

The smile slipped from Anastasia's face. She knew what was coming...

"I'm worried that the two younger ones are getting caught up in this Crown business...I don't want our relationships to be tarnished because of that dazzling prize for the kingdom."

"Well, don't worry, those two are just not mature enough to understand how dangerous the crown business is, aren't they? We knew from that story onwards that it was not a myth, didn't we? I just hope we can avoid it."

Seraphine nodded then said,"If there's nothing else I won't be bothering you anymore, Anast." She said and stepped out.

"You sure won't be bothering me much longer, Sera, you sure won't..." Anastasia muttered under her breath once the door closed. 

A grin came to her face after that conversation.