Hall of Mirrors

Chapter Two: Hostility

Grasping the Witherwore, River cantered through Forest with her brown mare, Tide, in search of Aleste. She was beginning to worry when she finally came upon Aleste and had to yank on the reins to keep her horse from charging through the clearing. Aleste looked worried. "I was looking for you everywhere! Where did you go?" "I- I met someone, Aleste. A Lady of the Woodlands. She gave me this," she said, handing Aleste the Witherwore. She did not want to share the information Lady Wood had given her, she felt it private. Aleste bit the fruit, looking skeptical. "I believe you're going mad, Riv," Aleste smiled uncertainly. "This is a normal orange, what are you thinking?" River bit her lip angrily. "It was a magic Lady, Aleste, I'm not lying, she was a doe and I touched her and she turned into some sort of dryad! Believe me!" "But this is an orange, not a magic fruit, stop pulling my leg!" "I'm not, I just-" Suddenly it occurred to River that the Lady of the Wood might not want other people to know of their secret meeting. "Oh, nevermind. I probably had a daydream in that clearing and tricked myself." Aleste frowned, then half-smiled. "I think you are quite mad, River," she said. "Hurry and let's get to your Great Feast that Mother is holding, she'll kill us if we're late!" Aleste spurred her horse on and River was forced to follow, lost in a reverie of the mysterious events so early in the day.

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River and Aleste sat down on their smaller thrones to the left and right of their mother, and the Heralds blew their trumpets loudly from the balcony wrapping around the Black Hall. Around the walls of the Hall hung hundreds of Mirrors- war trophies from the Black War fifteen years ago. River and Aleste wore matching robes of simple emerald satin, with gathers at the waist and encrusting of gold thread around the edges. The sleeves were fashionably cut low beneath the shoulder, and the sisters wore elegant veils over their faces and neck. River helped herself to an apple and tasted it's sweet tartness- but it didn't seem as good as it usually was after she had tasted the Witherwore. She looked over at Aleste, who smiled widely. Queen Freia smiled a shiny smile that did not reach her heavily painted eyes and clapped for silence. "Today, friends and Royals, we gather to celebrate our beautiful Princess River's birthday. My daughter has grown much over the past sixteen years, and we toast to her good health." Freia raised her glass and murmured "River." The other people followed suit. "Now, let your Queen make a decree- from now on, I declare Princess Riviera Elaine the First, my one and only heir." There was a collective gasp from everyone in the room. River stole a glance at Aleste, the eldest-and the once-heir. Aleste was looking at River with a mixture of horror and anger. Tears filled her big, water-colored eyes and shone on her cheeks. What did she do to become heir to the kingdom? River was a good year or two younger than Aleste, and half as ladylike. River looked at Queen Freia in horror. Queen Freia did not look at Rivers facial expression and her eyes. Instead, her stoic gaze was fixed upon her entire being, looking her down, and that was what brought River to a stunning conclusion. It was her beauty that made Freia announce a new heir.

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River lay awake in her purple silk-covered four-poster bed, thinking over the insane events of that day. How was she the heir to the throne? Who was Lady Wood? Why did the Mirrors say she was the fairest of them all? She rolled over in bed. Suddenly her comfortable silken nightgown felt rough and hot. Sitting up, she looked at Aleste's bed through her thick, luxurious curtains. Aleste was sprawled out on her pillow, her golden hair covering her face that was stained with tears and angry blotches of color. She was sound asleep. River murmured silent thanks and then returned to her bed. Turning to the wall, she unlatched the large window near her bedside and felt the swift, calming breeze willing her to come out and walk in the dark forest. River took a dark, velvet cloak from her armoire and slipped out the window onto the tree she had so often escaped to. Crawling down the long trunk just outside her bedroom, she finally felt the ground and hopped down. It was dark, but River was totally comfortable with a midnight stroll. Setting off for the grounds just beyond the castle, she decided to keep an eye out for Lady Wood. Suddenly, she heard a swoop overhead and looked up to see Finesse flying down to land on her shoulder. She continued walking, the bird perched on her arm like a feathered black bodyguard. All was deadly quiet. Usually the whooping calls of the forest were all she could hear- tiny chatterings of the small beasts and howls of wolves and bears and large animals, but tonight, everything was silent, too silent. That was unsettling to River. Soon after she got further into the dense forest, she came to a mossy clearing. To her surprise, it looked as if there was a comfortable bed made out of rocks, moss, and soft leaves waiting for her. A curtain of thistles overhung the small, woodland room. And something curious fluttered about the edges of the 'room'. When River looked closer, she saw that they were small people with wings- fairies! They motioned to her, silently fluttering their wings full of light and pointing down at the bed. River smiled uncertainly and lay down. The stones were so soft, and the moss so smooth, she wanted to sleep instantly. Her eyelids fluttered. The fairies swooped in and created an aura of light around her head. River drifted off to dreamland just before one of the bigger fairies materialized into Lady Wood. Smiling softly, she stroked River's face. "Sleep well, young Princess of Endrai."