The Necklace

Chapter 1

The clouds frowned a bit darker, and the sun had completely disappeared from the skies, leaving the land with the soothing warmth of cold air that prepared the way for the dazzling drizzles to fall from the sky.

Everyone was clothed in black as the day had announced itself to be a mournful one; Everia had suffered a great loss. One that could scarcely be replaced. Its loyalty was unquestionable, and its service was unequivocally the finest.

The thunders came to bear witness to the day, and they came with the shimmering rains of drizzle.

Everia and her people stood there, in the aggravating drizzle to mourn their loss.

She wasn't the face of the people, but her effort had been felt by Everia. A simple woman, merely seen by the crowd, an ordinary woman who served with her heart. But once she was seen by the king, the whole of Everia had seen her, hence mourning her.

Eira held firmly unto Thorne, her eyes were locked unto the casket. She couldn't believe a day like this would befall so soon. Wasn't it just the previous day they braided their hair, having their giggles spread in the room's air? There was nothing odd or ill about her. Just that cough...but she was assured it was nothing more than just a cough. Why didn't she tell her she was going to leave? She wasn't ready, she wasn't prepared to let her go, yet it had taken her by surprise;

we don't get what we choose, and we don't choose what we get either;

fate just puts them before you when she feels like it.

Tears streamed down her face as memories overwhelmed her, unconsciously tightening her grip on Thorne's arm, she squinted her wet eyes to only watch the casket and pulled in sobs. Having fun the previous day with her, only to know the next day that it was her last memory of the woman.

The pain of losing one's mother is an unwaning sting, a neverending turmoil that could bifurcate the heart itself.

Irony danced in her mind; Lisa, the one who resuscitated the dying with her healing abilities, had been taken by death, and her abilities weren't protective enough to have saved herself. She had served the royal family, and her time was up, one of the most talented healers the family could've ever asked for, saving the princes and the princess from the deaths that prowled during their births. She was a great deal to them, for, without her, the heirs to Everia would be nowhere to call upon.

Ryker and Lirien stood atop their mighty balcony that served as the podium for the king's declarations and firm avows. All four princes and the princess were also present, adorned in black, and mourned with their people.

The queen looked down, and only saw people attending another ordinary funeral. They didn't know what had transpired in the walls of the castle, and what a great loss this healer was to them and the entire kingdom itself. She stilled herself and tilted her head to glance slightly at her children and king.

"This day, the kingdom of Everia mourns the death of her great asset. A healer who, through her expertise, the heirs of this kingdom draw breath now. Lisa Greenleaf, you will forever remain in our hearts and the heart of Everia. Your sacrifice...service will not be in vain."

She steadily raced her hand past the terrace and dropped the white rose she held from the balcony.

The rose slowly left her grip, and a sense of freedom blew through its petals as it fell through the drizzles. It felt ambivalence; was it sadness, coldness, warmth, or the sense of freedom it felt on its way to the vast ground?

The crowd's faces contorted as twisted masks, pain, and anguish etched on them as the queen's words hung in the air. They comprehended why her funeral held meaning to the royal house. The insight provoked tear-stained cheeks and furrowed brows, and a collective sigh rippled through the assembly like a mournful wave. Heads bowed, and hands rose to cover trembling lips as if to stifle the cries that threatened to escape. The air was heavy with the weight of their shared sorrow, and the drizzle seemed to intensify as if the skies themselves were mourning the loss of a remarkable soul.