Saraiyu

1- Seis anhos después

"Jairo come here, your bride is arriving," Eduardo informed him.

Jairo didn't turn around or acknowledge what his cousin said.

"Jairo! You haven't seen her in 6 years. She's fifteen now, aren't you curious of how she looks like?" Eduardo asked excitedly. He was excited about the young crown princess' arrival.

Maybe Eduardo can marry her and I can keep being free. He is only one year older than her. It would work out better for them than with us. Prince Leonjairo thought bitterly.

The crown prince had forgotten long ago about his old playmate and even older fiancée. They were engaged before she was even born, he was barely 4 years old.

"C'mon Jairo. Everyone is greeting them in the front," Eduardo said, ushering him out.

Her whole life people had told her she was a commoner, she was adopted by a servant of a noble. She had milked cows, fed chickens and replaced bedsheets all her life, thinking this was her only future. Then, when she turned 9 she was told she was the crown princess of Itslí and engaged to the crown prince Leonjairo of Suliná. He was four years older than her and was apparently a looker, but then all royals were.

She wasn't told this because people thought she should know, she was told this because she was found kissing a stable hand. Her caretaker, Inés Urbán was shocked. And promptly told her of her real identity, and sent her off to Itslí to learn to be a princess for the next six years.

Lárima was brought out of her memories by the carriage halting jerkily. She had much to learn about being a princess even after she was taken to her mother's castle for six years.

Hopefully the castles of Suliná  weren't as scary as was rumored. It was said there was a little boy who haunted the hallways and asked for some blood in the nicest ways possible. Those who spoke of him disappeared and sometimes were never seen again, some were left at the castle gates, dead and mutilated.

Lárima was terrified. At least she had some support. She made friends with some of the nobles daughters at the Itslí palace. They would be her Ladies in waiting.

Someone opened the door of the carriage, she didn't look at who. They offered their hand as she stepped out of the carriage on her own, stumbling a bit when she got down.

A snicker came from the person to her right. She quickly took notice of his stretched out hand and blushed a bit.

She stretched out her hand and took his in hers.

"Hello," she said looking into his eyes. They were a very clear blue with a dark outer rim. He had light brown hair and was wearing a smile on his face.

"Mii'an Ke delisha!" He responded. (Look how beautiful she is!)

Larima looked down bashfully and curtsied a bit. Not many people knew the language of her birth country. They all usually spoke Danlica a mixture of Spanish and Portuguese, a language that arose after the apocalypse. Her country spoke a more rare and different language.

"Mani Señor, thank you," she responded to his compliment.

"Call me Eduardo, por favor," he replied winking and bent down, kissing her ring on her right hand.

"chi," she said, looking away. (Ok or I get it)

The palace was no small matter and it took her full attention to just take a glimpse of it. Eduardo led her forward by the arm and she looked around amazed, trying to soak it all in.

The Castle was huge, perhaps bigger than the one in Itslí. The one of her empire had its walls painted a metallic silver and deep blue. This one was painted emerald green and metallic variations of gold and copper. It was truly amazing. There was a long path leading to the grand entrance, a fountain in the middle with the path curving around it. People lined the road, leaving a pathway for the royals to come out. They would not be overshadowed by a guest.

Eduardo led her forward a bit more then let go of her hand, took a step back, and bowed. He then turned and walked off to a distance unseen by her.

Then the king and queen were announced. Drums announced their arrival. The King came out first leading his wife, the Queen on his arm. Behind them their "internal advisors" followed. That was just a fancy term for lovers. The advisors stepped into the flanks of the king and queen.

Everyone bowed prettily and the commoners dispersed. The king and queen walked up to Lárima and her ladies who had joined her silently during the big scene.

"Ah hello princess Lárima, I've heard much about you. Tell me is it true you were a commoner until you turned 9?" The queen asked.

"Yes, your majesty," Larima said and curtsied.

"I heard you kissed a stable hand is this true?" The King's advisor asked disdainfully.

"Yes, it was quite a good one too," Lárima said defiantly and annoyed with the interrogation.

"Yes, yes this is all and well, but I was thinking you wanted to be introduced to your future husband?" The king said impatient with the small talk.

He gestured for the drummers to announce the crown prince's arrival. Each title had a specific drumming pattern.

Crown prince Leonjairo of Suliná came in looking dark and handsome as the stories said. He had some of his mother's dark coffee colored skin, made lighter by his father's lighter honey tone. He had curly hair and a swagger about him that screamed confidence and power.

Lárima was immediately intimidated.

He bowed and then she curtsied and they stared at each other a while. He was trying to gauge her and she was trying to see if there was anything friendly about him at all.

She couldn't find anything.

He saw she was unnerved and too young and naive to be in this castle of treachery and lies.

Little did the whole lot of them know that soon enough Little Lari would learn to be a beautiful and cold ruler.