veiled hearts

one

The moon hung low above the velvet sky as the cold air of the winter caressed my skin. I wanted to go outside, to feel the winter burn all over my body, but I was not allowed to even step out of my chambers this late at night. Yet every single night, whenever the moon reached the clouds, I felt the need to escape, yet so far I couldn't. It was almost impossible for me to get anywhere near the entrance of the castle.

"Together in faith, we will rise,"

"Lyra," I sat on my bed, staring at the big mirror that was placed in front of me. I was quite lost in my thoughts to the point I forgot Sadira and I were present in the same room.
Sadira Williams was my best friend. The only one allowed to see me unmasked. This wasn't her royal position, of course. I was barely allowed to have friends, but I could sort of consider her my friend. She was The Maiden, the one who always had to remain near the princess in case she needed any personal company. In this story, I sadly am the princess.

"You're doing it again." She pointed out.

"Doing what again?"

"Letting thoughts rule over you." She sighed. This had been at least the third time she had reminded me of such, this same week.

Her shadow moved on top of me, her body behind me as she fixed my hair. "You look beautiful," Her eyes were lost in my loose curls. "So sad that no one will see this beauty in the masquerade."

Her voice sounded almost worried, which didn't make much sense. No one ever saw me. Mostly because I wasn't allowed out of the castle, and if I ever went out of my room, my face had to be partly covered. Only my brown eyes were able to encounter my surroundings, nothing else shall ever be out. But it didn't truly matter if they saw my face or not in the masquerade, because my presence wasn't even allowed at the party. I was allowed to greet the guests, but right after that I had to part to my chambers for the rest of the night.

"Well, it's a masquerade, Sadi." I slightly giggled, my eyes still set over my own reflection, sort of peeking towards Sadira's tan face, "No one's face will be visible, I should be thankful that for once in a lifetime I will be able to reveal the lower part of my face." I could lie and say I liked this fact. But nothing would be better than this, so I truly had to be thankful. Sometimes I simply wished to go out and feel the outside air brush my cheeks. Not always the air within the stone walls of the castle blowing my lashes.

"I will always be against the rules set upon you."

"You can't say that! They're set by the gods themselves to keep me safe."

"Yeah, right," Sadira's tone wished to mock. Maybe she was right, maybe these weren't true. But it was all about faith.

"I do think so," I said, my gaze lowering towards my lap. Nothing more than a rough sigh of mine sounded in the room for a couple of seconds. I perfectly understood Sadira's beliefs, but they hurt me. I was the princess, after all, the princess chosen by the gods to help our kingdom rise. I found her words insulting every once in a while, but I wished to say nothing because she could always bounce back, making me realize things that I simply should not.

"Maybe someday-." She stopped for a bit, hesitant about her next words, but then she opened her mouth again. "—You'll be able to experience the real world." Those words hit like a dagger shoved right under my heart. "Maybe after you become a Divinary."

"I don't think so," Thinking of becoming one of those cold-hearted people only made me shiver. Never had I looked forward to it. I, of course, would like a personal interaction with the gods, but the way they turned out... The way they suddenly felt like a whole different being and acted as if they were now indestructible, scared me. It truly did. They, perhaps, could do as they wished, but I was the princess, to add up, the chosen one. I wouldn't have the freedom that the others have.

"Maybe someday after your ceremony, we'll be able to go out to bars, and casinos. Just to play around, almost giving away our lives merely to have fun." She was right about giving away our lives, it would be quite dangerous.

"That's just foolish,"

"Nothing's more foolish than your rules,"

"I've understood. I may suspect you're against them," I responded jokingly. A short cackle evaded Sadira's lips, but she soon covered her mouth to silence it.

"I suspect you may be a bit right. I just imagine if you turned out like Daphne. 'Look at me, and my beautiful man, Davin," She mocked, putting up a foolish pitched tone to sound like her, "'He was my reason of divinitry!' Poor thing, his face imprinted with trauma, causes pity to my heart!" Soon enough, both of our peals of laughter absolutely took over the room. Of course, they weren't too loud, but it was late at night, Sadira was supposed to be in her room, and I had to be asleep.

"Don't make fun of her, at least she had the opportunity of choosing her man!"

"But did he?"

A knock on the door soon emerged, which made both of us react frightened. "Hide on the corner, I will answer the door," I demanded, biting my lips to hide my laughter.
Before standing to open, I moved the sheets around, so it looked like I had already been laying down.
I felt like answering the door with my sleeping dress on would be inappropriate, so I grabbed the first coat that I saw lying near where I stood. Opening the door this late at night sort of frightened me, my fear of the dark had never parted since I was a little girl. "May the gods guide you, princess." I heard a familiar voice speak the second I opened the door.

"Oh! Eiran!" My personal guard. "You frightened me,"

"My greatest apologies, dear."

Even though we knew each other since we were very little, I still covered my face whenever I faced him. I could of course choose, I could allow him to see me, but it had become so characteristic for me to cover my face that my actions came before my reflections sometimes, so I simply chose to cover my face before him too for the last years. The corridor wasn't entirely dark, some candles were lit to guide the guards that stood near each needed door.

"You have been heard, Lyra." Oh, gods. "The lord wishes to meet you in his office by tomorrow before noon." Someone, wake me up from this nightmare.

"Shall I escort miss Williams back to her room?" After he spoke, he couldn't help it but grin. Eiran, as my friend, would sometimes tolerate my mischiefs.
I looked at Eiran in awe as memories tickled my thoughts, I remember seeing him train to become a guard. He used to always promise me that he would become my personal guard, back when we were little, that he wanted to guide me and protect me because he felt that I was special. When I turned 16 he realized he was right. I turned out to be very special, maybe more than him and I would have liked.
He wasn't more than a handful of years older than me, his emerald eyes glistened towards the part of my face he was allowed to see, a little dimple dipped on his cheek, oh I loved seeing it.

"Sadira," I called out silently, she walked towards me, sort of hesitant but seeming sure of herself. Eiran bowed the second he saw her. "May the gods guide you, Maiden." He softly spoke.

"No need for that," Sadira snapped, she didn't like formalities for the most.

"Goodnight," My friend's eyes met mine for the last time that night before she made her way to her room.
And now I couldn't stop thinking about the terrible things that were possible to happen the next day in the office of The Lord.