Blood Inked

Chapter 2.. Some Gifts are Precious

Seven more days to the Princess Yurla's ball.

Seven days more and her everything will become a painful memory.

Adria staggered under the weight of the gifts cleared by the palace warlocks. Presents for Princess Yurla have been arriving steadily and the palace was in an uproar receiving guests. The planning and preparation for the upcoming celebration parties was excruciatingly tedious. After attending to the Princess for the day, the Chief maid assigned some tasks to Adria to help the palace maids.

She had never felt so exhausted in all her years. Last night, she had barely gotten two hours of rest before being summoned by the palace warlocks to receive the gifts that had passed the clearance tests. Adria could not understand why anyone would want to harm a vulnerable Princess like Yurla. She had caused no harm to anyone, but then evil did not need a reason to be evil. It was its nature.

"Your Highness, a lot more gifts came in the morning." She called to the Princess as she walked into the room.

The sight before her almost made her drop the stack of gifts she held. The Queen and the Princess sat engrossed in a conversation at the receiving table. It was the first time she had seen them so enamored and in agreement about anything. A gift slid to the floor and they both turned to her, finally noticing her presence.

The Queen grinned a little, "twenty lashes for that," she rose to her feet and addressed the Princess. "I trust you will give some consideration to my advice Yurla, times have changed. You are about to be Crown Princess, you cannot be perceived as a weak, naive child."

The Queen walked past her barely glancing her way; Adria suppressed the shiver that was coursing through her body. It was impossible to be in the Queen's presence without feeling cold. The Queen was a cold woman who was either feared or revered- usually feared.

 Adria could not remember a time when she had liked the Queen. She would always be thankful to her for saving her from her previous master, but then she had the ability to be as cruel as the witch. It was the soul linking to Princess Yurla that had saved her from a future of less pain and anguish.

The similarity between the Princess and the Queen was astounding. It was so much that they could pass for sisters. Queen Yasmine had retained her youth despite her current age. Although Princess Yurla had her mother's looks, the difference was that the Princess's beauty was heightened by innocence, purity and love, while the Queen's beauty had become hardened and had blue ice for eyes- she was like a frozen flower. Yurla was truly the Jewel of Valngasia.

Princess Yurla hurried to her in excitement. "Spill the gifts on the bed, I wish to open them now."

"It is not your birthday yet,"

"I know Adria," She laughed. "but I can't help it if the gifts came early."

They spent the rest of the morning unwrapping the gifts. The last gift to be unwrapped was a red heart necklace with the Valngasia crest etched on it. Adria stared in awe transfixed by the intricate beauty of the necklace.

"You have it." Yurla said enclosing it in her palms,

"I..I most definitely can't Princess," she pulled her hand away and dropped it as if it had burned her.

"Yes you can, I have several prettier ones and as a Princess I can't wear glass. No matter how pretty it is, I can only wear gems." She handed the necklace over to Adria, "ugh. It is red, I never wear this shade of red."

Adria smiled sadly and wore the necklace, "Thank you, Princess Yurla."

"I have to prepare to meet the marked Princesses." Yurla said with a fallen expression "We are having luncheon together."