"When Orion Godwyn drowned the Kingdom of Floren in blood, he marched through the smallfolk first. Little by little his darkness and corruption spread, leaving the lowborns to defend themselves. The starvation was the worst of it, not the bloodshed or the hundreds of souls being lost but the hunger. Their bellies were so empty and bones so frail, that they began to feast on themselves. It was barbaric, it was one of the worst things mankind can do. To consume another's flesh, to strip one of his skin and bone without questioning the soul inside is an evil that cannot be forgiven. And yet, those who thought the former King of Floren, Coran Godwyn, an unworthy king who had left his people to die, well, they did not care about consuming their loved ones. Those of the kingdom who did not side with either Coran or Orion were called Souleaters. For when the rumble in their bellies was too much to bear, they consumed another being. The Souleaters were all sentenced to death after the ascension of King Airen," I inhaled deeply after I finished speaking, my hands trembling slightly as I told the story to my niece, Liana.
Liana looked up at me from her position on the ground with big, curious eyes. Her eyebrows were furrowed together and her tiny nose scrunched up. The weak smile on my lips could not be contained as I watched her process the information.
"They truly ate people? Even their loved ones?" Liana asked me with a small gulp after. She was a curious girl of only ten summers and despite her age, she was extremely clever.
I nodded slowly to her question as an answer before speaking, "They ate the children last," my words left her mouth agape and her eyes wide. I often didn't like retelling the story of war, it brought me back to one too many bad memories but I can never say no to my niece.
Besides, five years had passed since the war. Five years since I had slain my uncle and my brother became king. Floren had flourished since then, things felt normal. The land was bright with greenery and its flowers bloomed brightly, the smallfolk no longer starving but full and plump. Nobody spoke of the Souleaters, Airen, my brother, had forbidden it.
He didn't like hearing the retellings of the war in general, but especially the Souleaters. Though I don't like hearing about the war myself, I never would have forbade talking about it. And anyway, the people of Floren have not forgotten what happened. The forest remembers.
Liana sighed before quickly standing up, shaking off the dust that had collected on her pale pink dress. Her hair was in two braids with flowers entwined in them. I had a similar hairstyle but I opted to leave my hair down, two small braids in the front of my face and tiny flowers braided in them. Today was my sixteenth nameday and for the first time in five years, I was enjoying my nameday.
I gave Liana a pat on her head and sent her away, she quickly gave me a hug around my waist and scurried off. When my niece left, I too began to make my way out of my chambers. My legs led me to the gardens, filled with flowers of different origins. The gardens were able to maintain such beauty because of the work of pixies. As I admired the small hideous pixies working their way around the gardens, zooming past with their little wings, my brother darted towards me.
"Quite useful when they aren't blabbering, are they not?" Airen spoke first with his crown made of twigs, flowers, and a sapphire in its center shining brightly in my eyes. He was my older brother, my only brother now since the rest were murdered. Airen is only twenty summers but the stress of war and being a king has left him aged.
"I suppose so. At least they aren't trying to drown any smallfolk in rivers anymore," I smiled between my words as I nodded toward the pixies. Airen let out an airy laugh before falling silent. The sun was setting, painting the sky in deep shades of pink, blue, and orange. During the war, there never were beautiful sunsets. Smallfolk used to say the sky was cursed to be gray and dull because our kingdom had wronged the old fae.
"Aeverie," Airen began, his voice faltering. I looked up at his face, his skin being illuminated by sunbeams and eyes, which are usually a shade of dark green, now lighter. "I wanted to tell you this before the feast tonight, in private. Truthfully, I just didn't want you to lash out at me in front of everyone," at Airen's words, I tilted my head and quickly placed his hand in mine.
"Is something wrong?" I asked him in worry but he quickly shook his head. My eyebrows furrowed as he began to take a step back, his hand leaving mine. Airen ran a hand through his hair and inhaled deeply before speaking,
"You are of age now and I have agreed to a proposal for you."
My face fell emotionless and my ears began ringing. I can't quite tell if I'm more angry or disappointed but what I do know, is that I wanted to hit Airen. And so, I did.
Airen barked in pain as I slapped him over and over again on his arm, "Enough!" he shouted as he attempted to run away but I was quick on his trail. "It is treason to strike a king!" Airen yelled out as my fingers locked into his hair, dragging his head down toward my level.
"Who?" Was all I asked as I stood there, breathless.
"Do you promise not to hit me again?" Airen spat out as he looked me in my eyes, his own squinting shut in pain from his hair being harshly pulled by my hand. I nodded quickly, slightly loosening my grip.
"Prince Aemond Targaryen," and then I began to hit him again.
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It was without a doubt that my nameday had been ruined. My brother announced my betrothal and the entirety of the kingdom seemed to celebrate it. I did not. Food tasted sour in my mouth, wine tasted like water, everything seemed to have gone wrong. I was Aeverie Godwyn, the savior of this kingdom. Smallfolk raise altars in my name. A single touch of my hand on a lowborn child was considered a blessing from all the old gods, fae, and the new.
And now, I had been reduced to nothing more than a peace offering, an alliance to Westeros. Needless to say, I was not joyful at all by the prospect of marrying anyone, especially a Targaryen prince.
When the celebrations ended, I stood on my balcony and watched the floating lanterns rise into the air slowly and gracefully. The lanterns glowed brightly with my house crest on it and it was as though thousands were rising into the air. Lanterns are lit every year in honor of my family, they are lit only on our respective namedays.
And when we die, only one lantern is lit and that lantern is lit by whomever is the ruling king. Usually, I'd be smiling in joy at the lanterns, but tonight was not one of those days. Instead, I wished I got to make a lantern. It is said that if you write on a scroll and attach it to your lantern with a wish, it'll come true. Right now I wish I wasn't being married off, right now I wish I wasn't me. But nonetheless, I carry on and slam the doors shut to my balcony. Quickly I undressed and lay in my bed, my eyes shutting slowly.
