The Heir of Promises

Prologue

Lukas Herron, the most liked person in Halsister. His Black hair and blue eyes are all anybody looked for on the streets, everybody knew him, whether it was as the prince, the future King, a friend, a lover, no matter what, he was known. and Lukas loved the fame. Everybody who passed by him would whisper sweet words to their friends, and wherever he went, his sister Odessa would tag along. Lukas and Odessa had an unbreakable bond, they would do everything, and go everywhere together. There wasn't a big age gap between them, only two years. Odessa, unlike Lukas, had piercing green eyes that made any man fall at her feet, not that she ever plans to do anything with her power, that is. Odessa was never known to be a very cheery person, she was quite stubborn and got angry when she didn't get her way, normal younger sibling behaviour I suppose. When Odessa wasn't with Lukas, she was with her best friend, Sylvanna. Sylvanna had curly Black hair that went to her shoulders, she was the Princesses maid, but they go further back than that. Sylvanna's mother worked for the kingdom and Sylvanna would often go with her mother into the castle, and she would play around with Odessa. Sylvanna did not care about Odessa's title or rank in the royal family, and she had always appreciated her for that. They became close friends and when the Queen asked if Sylvanna wanted to be Odessa's personal maid, she didn't think twice about saying yes. Odessa obviously didn't approve of her answer, because she did not want Sylvanna to be enslaved to the family forever, to have to do whatever she asks, to get her ready, and to never be free to do as she likes, but Sylvanna didn't care, she just wanted to be able to talk to Odessa every day, and if that meant being trapped in this magical glass castle forever, so be it. Odessa never made Sylvanna do anything, they would usually do it together, and together they caused mayhem. They tormented Lukas, would often play pranks on him, and when all three of them hung out, it would be utter chaos. When Odessa and Sylvanna were 18, They went out for a ride on their horses around the countryside, they usually went to the country, to get lost in the wind and trees, to walk through the forest without any worry in the world, to forget life. It was on Odessa's 18th birthday when Sylvanna told her that Lukas and she were together, like dating together. nobody had ever seen Odessa smile as big as she did when Sylvanna confessed that. Turns out Odessa had always wanted them two to be together, because if they got married, Sylvanna would be free of her entrapment, and she would be Queen of Halsister, and that made Odessa over the moon. The kingdom frowned upon this odd coupling, some would whisper and ridicule Sylvanna, by saying outrageous comments like, "our future Queen should not be some poor beast" and "that girl is just a maid, nothing more than a slave to the Princess." Anybody who said that on the street out loud had some guts, but those guts would be ripped out by Lukas, and their eyes would then be plucked from their face by Odessa. They did not care who and what titles these people had, but if they put down Sylvanna, they would not see the sun rise the following day. It only took a few years for Lukas to take Sylvanna to a quiet and peaceful area, where he proposed with a big diamond ring, that had a gold band and a love poem engraved on the inside of it, Sylvanna quite literally screamed yes, and they did not return to the castle until night fell. When they arrived back at the castle, they both went and told Odessa the news, who almost fell off her bed onto the cold floor. Odessa started crying because she was so happy for them, and especially for Sylvanna because she would be free, she would not have to work for the castle anymore, she would not have to be forced to get her ready anymore, that was all Odessa ever wished for, and thanks to her wonderful brother, it had come true.

It took months of planning for this wedding, because this event would be the biggest thing that has happened to this kingdom in decades. all everyone ever talked about was the future Queen and King of Halsister, the streets would also buzz over the fact that they have all seen the Princess much happier and more vibrant over the past few weeks, although she still denies any man who gets drawn in by her eyes. The set wedding day draws closer and closer, and Sylvanna is spending more time away from Odessa then she has ever done. She is so busy with getting her dress tailored, and planning out her appearance, that she just has had no time for visits, Lukas on the other hand seems to have all the time in the world for visits, because he is now nervous. he knows that he should be overconfident and boasting about his beautiful fiancée and soon to be wife, but instead he is spending his nights in Odessa's room. Lukas is contemplating if it was right to push Sylvanna into the royal family so quickly, to plunge her into politics like she is not a real human. Odessa assures Lukas that Sylvanna has never been happier, and she does not care about the politics, and being pushed into the royal life so quickly, and Odessa tells Lukas that all Sylvanna ever wants is to be happy, and that he has given her that. She tells him that he shouldn't be so worried, although Odessa admits to Lukas that there is something on her mind as well, other than the wedding. She tells Lukas that she fears there is someone coming after her, and when Lukas asks her to elaborate, she tells him that she has been hearing strange noises in the night, like someone is whistling a lullaby to her. and that she frequently sees this one man who is always looking at her, even when she is not looking back, and her appearance is hidden. Lukas becomes worried and forgets about all his earlier problems and asks for a description of this man. Odessa says that she is not going to give a description, and when Lukas annoyingly asks why, she says that he will become to fixated on finding this guy to worry about the wedding. He is still confused but Odessa just orders him not to act on it until he is happily married, and that his number one priority, is Sylvanna, and should always be Sylvanna, from now on.

The day of the wedding rolls around and it was huge. with white streamers all around the kingdom leading up to the castle. little girls all wear flower crowns and do their hair like Sylvanna does in everyday life, and little boys wear tuxedos that reminds everyone of Lukas. Sylvanna is dressed in a tight flow white gown, and there are little embroidered snakes that remind her of her country's traditions, which would be to have real snakes trail behind her, though that is not allowed in this kingdom, so she must make do. she was criticized about her dress, that this is not normal and that she should be following this kingdoms rules, but because she was the future Queen, the guards restrained them and after the first few restraints, nobody cared to order her change into a more traditional wedding gown. Her hair was specially made into dreadlocks that flowed past her shoulders, her veil covered almost all the hair anyways, it ran long down her back and off her dress. Lukas was dressed almost the same as he usually does, but to please his fiancées traditions, he also has embroidered snakes into his tuxedo. His usually scruffy hair has been combed back and his shoes are shiny enough that you could see your own reflection in them. Unsurprisingly, Odessa was asked to be the maid of honour by Sylvanna which she of course agreed to. Odessa looked exotic, she made sure that she wore whatever Sylvanna sked her to, and Sylvanna wanted Odessa to look like her home country. so her hair was tied up in a bun, which was held together by a snake designed clip. and her outfit was a tight green dress, that had a big snake picture drawn across it. She also wore Sylvanna's mothers snake bracelet, Odessa tried to turn it down, but Sylvanna insisted she wear it, and so Odessa did just that and wore it with pride. Odessa's face just added to the look, her verdant eyes blended perfectly with the outfit, and the snake inspired makeup made her look quite intimidating, so nobody even dared to say anything but sweet words about her appearance. The wedding was as traditional as ever, apart from the outfits, of course. it was done in the kingdoms church, and like always, everyone had to pray to Valas as they took their seats. Valas was the Goddess who watched over this Kingdom, and it is rumoured that if you don't pray to her in churches, bad luck will be bestowed upon you and your family. The ceremony was wonderful, tears were wept when the vows were read, and when the pastor said "you may now kiss the bride" the whole room erupted into applauses and cheers as Lukas lifted and kissed Sylvanna as lovingly as ever. Nobody could beat their love story, and their love will be written about for centuries, about how the Princesses maid became the Queen of Halsister.

Lukas and Sylvanna went all around the world for their honeymoon, they went to the hot land of Kiloma, where if you don't wear shoes, the skin of the bottom of your feet will burn off quickly. Then they went to Naomisa, which was Sylvanna's homeland. Lukas learnt more about his wife's traditions, and he also held a snake for the first time ever. in Naomisa, snakes were the native reptile and almost every house had a snake as a pet, it was good luck to own one, so Lukas vowed to buy a snake and send it back to the castle for Sylvanna. Their honeymoon was sadly cut short however, when Lukas was sent a letter and called out to the front lines where a battle had erupted on the outskirts of the kingdom on the border. Sylvanna was forced to stay with Odessa and told her all about her travels to these places, and new worlds that she had never even heard of. Odessa told her how boring home has been without them both, and she also updated Sylvanna on the creeper that has been watching her. She says that this guy still follows her around and he broke in the other day to just watch her sleep, she awoke that night to the guy standing above her, whispering words that Odessa refused to repeat aloud. Odessa told Sylvanna that she tried to scream but nothing came out of her mouth, and that when the guy noticed her awake, he fled into the darkness and into the streets. Sylvanna asks Odessa if the guards had arrested him, but she just replies saying that he has not been seen since that awful night. Sylvanna can't believe what Odessa had told her, and she promises that Lukas will find this guy when he returns and make him pay. but Odessa feels something was not right that night, and as Sylvanna slept, Her Husband, the Prince and future King of Halsister, died on the battlefield. and a piece of Odessa's heart was broken along with it.