Reverse Perception

Coronation-Xandria

"Xandria stand up straight. "

"Yes mother. I say spitefully with gritted teeth. 

The blow of trumpets sound the entrance of my father and Queen Pollina. I try my best to walk gracefully with them to the throne room are the dukes and duchesses are awaiting to meet their new king and princess.  

"Your majesty" , says a tall and thin man who I'm assuming is her manservant , He places a kiss on her pale fragile hand as a sign of respect towards the higher power. Queen Pollina makes her way to her golden throne that had plush red cushions from the back to the seat. My father sits down on his equivalent to her throne. I stand next to my so called "mother".

The audience of dukes and duchesses bows before us and the shriek of the queen's voice pierces my ears "all rise" she says. 

They all rise like minions under her rule.  My father rose and Queen Pollina  introduces my father as King Brostal. She then introduces me as Princess Xandria, the new heir to the Turonian throne. The coronation erupts into cheers and exclamations of well wishes and soon to be drunk fat dukes. All the while I'm sitting here on display for all the princes from the other provinces like an auction piece. To hell with them, I didn't ask for this. I storm out of the main hall with Pollina's scorning eyes following me on my way out. 

To hell with her too.

I crash into my room and shove my face into a pillow and scream an endless stream of curses at Pollina. By the time my 20th birthday comes around i'll just be a showpiece available for any prince that offers a good enough advantage to the useless politics being done around here. Not like its going to help stop the plague that sweeps the town below the cast every winter. The plague my real mother never got over and died from. The plague that turned my mother into the reason my father married our known to be corrupt queen to keep from going down in class.

I hear the door close not realizing someone had come in. I lift my head ready to scream at the intruder of my personal brooding at everything, I hold my tongue when I see the familiar scaly face of my best friend and technically handmaiden Knana. Most think the Allavites are less than equal to the humans with their beastial appearance attributed to the reptilian skin and tail and color changing eyes. I happen to think she makes more sense than anyone in this forsaken castle, full of backstabbers, spies, and liars.

"Pollina sent me to make sure you were okay and not off causing trouble to the guests" Knana says "I have to thank you, saved me the trouble of serving more spirits to more insulting Northlanders."

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just despise this place and loathe the people in it.  Do you think you could sneak me some spirit? We could share it. "

"You know I don't touch that stuff.  I'll get punished if you're found drunk."  

"I'm sorry Knana, I'll try almost anything to take my mind of this place that torments me. "

"You know there are people out there have it worse than you. Some are left without mothers or fathers thanks to that horrible war. "

"I know I just really detest this hellhole."

"Come back down to the party before Queen Berina looses her marbles."

"That witch is way past losing marbles, they've disappeared."

"Enough now. Lets go." 

We exit my room and head down the marble staircase that leads to the throne room.  Each step of my compact heel clacking the polished floor. I lift up lengthy  dress up just slightly so that I don't step on the ends.  The alpine wooden doors face me as I push them open revealing the drunk people before me and a flaming angry queen. I dodge her gaze by deciding to try and mingle to at least satisfy her pompous standards. 

As I walk through trying to wade through all of the unpleasant company and drunk lords of manors and families I don't care about, a guy about my age comes up and asks for a dance, I recline and he drunkenly says something about how I'll want more than a dance later.. ugh disgusting. I find my father among the crowd and hope wells up in me and i feel like I might be able to make it through this, then I see him surrounded by dukes and earls and who cares who else all sipping on half empty glasses of firewine. 

I can't take this, being the desires of ugly drunken princes and being isolated from my father by the political circle that is supposed to now be our entire lives. I'm getting out of here. Now.

I swim through the alcohol smelling pompous tubs of lard towards the main door and just make it. A guard steps in front of me and asks me "Princess where do you think you're going" 

" I'm feeling ill and if you don't let me outside right now I'm going to stain your shirt and your job" I spit out.

He moves aside and I push the door open, immediately reveling in the fresh air rushing into my nostrils. Then I run as fast as I can. And I don't intend on looking back, ever.