Temple Of Chaos

The First Princess of Cornelia

Princess Sarah had been a girl of legend since her birth. The first princess to King Cornelia and his Queen – the long-awaited heiress to the most powerful throne in all the land. No other place on the green earth had as much influence as the glistening kingdom and, thankfully, its sovereign sought peace above all else. And so, peace flourished under their steady hands.

Yet, as the Queen grew older, there was no sign of a child.

The people feared the collapse of their kingdom. They feared a monarchy would arise outside the reach of the King – another family less peaceful, less practiced, might steal the throne and all its power. With no successor, the world would be at the mercy of strangers upon the King's eventual death. The King assured his subjects against this; he would protect Cornelia in both the present and the future.

"Trust in your King," he spoke to them, atop his stone balcony, looking over the crowd in the square. "Your kingdom shall never fail you, just as I shall never fail you."

Yet unrest stirred, despite all attempts to dispel it.

Until, finally, the Queen's belly grew.

The months afterward were filled with gleeful preparation. News was spread, tentatively at first, and then joyously throughout the town. Rumors of all sort were spread – a prince or a princess? – and even those within the castle couldn't help but fuel the village gossip. The Queen took care not to show herself unless necessary; after all, the people were plenty excited enough without seeing her in maternity gowns.

Finally, the fated day arrived. After hours of arduous effort, Princess Sarah was revealed to the kingdom. The King and Queen stood proudly atop the balcony, the infant princess swaddled in blankets and nestled in her mother's arms, blinking her blue eyes up at the evening sky.

"Listen to them, Sarah," her mother whispered to her, and the baby cooed at her mother's voice. "These are your people. One day, you will stand before them here as their Queen." Pressing a soft kiss to her brow, the Queen stroked the princess' round, pink cheeks. "And what a beautiful Queen you will be."

                                                                                  ❖ ❖ ❖

"Shinryu has returned?"

"Hush, child!" Ms. Evelyn turned sharply away from the bookcase to face the princess, irritation in her wrinkling features, but beneath that, a blanket of caution. Staring hard at Princess Sarah, now a young woman of fourteen, with flowing blonde hair and eyes like a summer sky, Ms. Evelyn heaved a sigh before returning a thick tome to its proper place on the shelf.

"You must be careful saying such things out loud. People might hear you."

"No one is here save us, Ms. Evelyn."

"You do not know that. This library is well trafficked." Ms. Evelyn clapped her hands together, specks of dust flying into the dimly lit air. "Besides... It does not do well to speak of tragedy so freely."

"But I wasn't—"

"That's enough, child. You must return to your studies."

A frown creased the princess' features as she watched her tutor turn her back to her and traipse down the corridor toward the classroom. Many said such an expression didn't suit her fair features, and so she tried to appear calm and serene whenever she found herself in public. With Ms. Evelyn, however, one of the few people not required to treat her like a fragile royal, she could show her emotion rather freely. "But who am I to hear this from if not from you?" All but stomping after her, Sarah balled her hands into fists at her sides until she stood beside her desk in the classroom. "Father is too busy, and Mother refuses to discuss it with me. I certainly can't ask any of my handmaids. Who is to tell me?"