The archive of the forgotten

The duchess

I sit down on the hard stone bench under the oak overlooking the lake with it's beautiful waterfall. I take out my bun and shake my my head so my black hair falls down onto my shoulder, I look at my powdered face in the lake and see someone I do not know. I smile at her, she is beautiful, she looks like my sister. I take a deep breathe but forget I am wearing a corset which causes my lungs to cramp up. I sigh in frustration and grab a knife from the boots I am wearing. The other girls say I shouldn't be wearing shoes like this but I hardly fit into the satin or silk slippers they are wearing. I look at the calm blue water and stand up. I look at the beautiful lilies which seem to be floating on top. I smile, my father would always entertain us with his powers and lilies, he made something I would call a lilylatern. A lily which could float and was magically glowing. I know how to do it.

I hear noises not far away so I decide to look follow my ears, I have always had the curse of curiosity. I smile as I look at him, his half long brown locks accidentally tucked into the back of his suit, while they barely reach that length. My hair almost reaches the ground, which is highly unusual but my father always forbid me to cut it, all the buns I am wearing make it too heavy for me. I look as he tries his best to stab the target. After a while he gives up and takes off the mask covering his face. "You fight like a girl." I say while I adjust the tone of my voice. "You fight like a girl, your royal highness." He says. I laugh, "Than I would be your grace." "I always forget you are a duchess." I smile, "That I am a member of your staff doesn't make me respect you dear prince Azul." "I appreciate that duchess Cassia. But if I fight like a girl you must fight like a boy." I smirk and step on a sword which launches it in the air and I elegantly catch it. "Okay impressive, still, I wasn't asking for some acrobatics." "If you go on like that it'll be you instead of the target." I say while hiking up my skirt. The prince is flustered as I tie the skirt in a way it won't restrict me. "What is is prince? Never saw a pair of legs? Because I swear I saw you with a pair yesterday." I say with a sarcastic tone. He laughs and quits staring. "Watch and learn." I whispers as I demolish the target in under a minute.

"Wow....." I smile, "See, anyone could do better." "I get it Cassia, I am not much of a fighter you know that." "Fair point, except that you also suck at healing, reading and writing." I say with a smirk. "Not everyone reads like you Cassia, most people aren't the head of the royal library department." I nod slightly. "Shall we walk a bit Cassia?" "I shall listen to you, right Azul?"

"Cassia?" "Hm?" "How come you wear a different style dress than the other girls?" "It is the style from my mother's homeland, the land of Orgin of the Art. The war we are fighting the cold countries for." "Why do you have such black hair? And those....beautiful eyes." I laugh and notice I should've worked on laughing elegantly. "Because my mother comes from the land of orgin." I say again with a smile. "Back in the land of orgin even the women possesed the art right?" I nod, "Here in the west they sometimes strip a women of her art if she immigrates." "Did your mother....?" I shake my head. "But she had to promise not to teach her daughters." He nods. "I have never seen you with your hair down before." I nod and smile. "Pretty impressive isn't it."

We walk into the stables, "What are you planning?" I ask while putting my hair back into a bun. "I'd like to go riding for a bit and as I am your prince you shall listen to me shouldn't you Cassia." I laugh and nod slightly, his eyes light up. I look at his beautiful face as he smile and turns around to get two horses, I catch a flutter in my heart. I bite my lip, it wouldn't be possible. Normally it wouldn't be but this situation would only make it harder. I cannot fall in love with him, but as he walks up to me with the two horses I can't help but smile. One pitch black and one brunette, although I am not sure whether to call it that for a horse. I step onto the horse. "Aren't going to ride sidesaddle?" He asks. "do you think I enjoy doing everything twice as difficult? No of course not Azul! Do I ask you that?" He chuckles and shakes head.

After a while we are slowly riding through fields. We step off our horses and look at the even bigger lake here as the bright sun warms our faces. "Cassia?" I look at him "Yes?" "I have fallen for you." I looks down, "I am only a duchess Azul." "You are intiligent, beautiful, a good sport, you are funny, you care so much about people, you give so much love Cassia." "I cannot be what you need Azul....I am not good enough...." I say with tears in my eyes, "I cannot be the thing you need, although I would love to be." "But cassia....you are all that I need." he says as he grabs his royal signet ring and throws it into the lake. "NO!" I say as I try to stop. "I am not worth it Azul, I have flaws, I am not what the way you see me... I am a cowards, I am broken, I am nothing like you!" I scream. "I beg you do not destroy your love by loving me!" He nods and walks to the pier on the lake. I turn around and walk away when I hear a crash and a splash. I turn around to see the pier broke. I immediately run to the lake and jump in, Azul cannot swim.

I can hardly see through the indigo blue of the waters so instead of giving up I close my eyes and cocetrate. My hands begin to glow and the water carries me towards Azul's limp body. I hold him tightly and let the water carry us to the shore. "Azul?" I say while I hit him in his face. He doesn't respond "If you don't wake up I will kill you!" I scream as I am scared, angry and hopeless. He coughs out some water. "Azul!" I say while I hug him. "How does that work? How could you kill..." "Doesn't matter, you're here." "What happened to your voice?" He asks a bit confused. "That must be the water in your ears." I say as I change my pitch immediately.

I dry my face with a my hand when I notice the colours of my makeup on my hands. My breathing stops for a second. I turn my face away from him and hide beneath my long hair. I try to find a way to avoid him seeing my face like this. We sit in the sun for a bit as Azul takes off his shirt and puts it on a tree branch to dry. "You'll catch a cold, at least take off your upper layer. I have you're not shy about these kind of things Cassia." "I cannot take off my clothes in front of you your highness, it would be a....a.....a scandal." I say. "You don't care about the things Cassia, please, you'll get sick!" He says while putting a hand on my shoulder and I finally turn around, revealing the masculine face I have hidden under make-up. "I CANNOT TAKE OFF MY CLOTHES!!" I scream in his face, but he only brings his face closer to mine and puts a hand on my cheek. "I know you are a boy. I know you use the art, you were born to fight but you don't want to be fodder in the war because your mother wasn't western, Cassia" He says as he opens my dress. "Cassius....." I correct him as our lips brush and he unhooks the busk of my corset. "Cassius....I like that more." he whispers

I couldn't find good titles so please help! I really like this so I might work with this a bit more