Ayra woke with a start to blinding light as the blinds were thrown open. "Good morning your highness" Gregory smiled in a much too chirpy voice for the current hour. "Morning Gregory" Ayra grumbled as she buried herself into her covers. She heard Gregory chuckle. "Breakfast is in 15 minutes, your parents require you to be present this morning". Ayra grunted in response. She waited until she heard his footsteps dispear down the coridor before she emerged from her covers. It was typical of her parents to call a family breakfast at 7am on a Sunday morning. They seemed to exist to be a consistant pain in everyones arse.
Ayra sighed, it was no secret her parents rule was a controversial one at best. She heard them described a many things, tyrants, racist, souless. Not to their faces, that would not have ended well. To her they were cold, demanding and unforgiving. Nothing was ever good enough. Even her sister Valencia, who was a close to perfect as one could get struggled to do anything that reached their parents unreasonable standards. Ayra fought back the resentment and shook the negative thoughts out of her mind.
She showered and dressed quickly and sprinted to the dining room. "You're late" said a cold sharp voice from within the dining room. Ayra's eyes found the owner of the voice, her mother. "Sorry mother, I overslept" Ayra replied evenly taking her seat at the table across from Valencia. Lenci gave her a sympathetic look. The tension was broken swiftly by the kitchen hands brining out their breakfast. Ayra picked at her eggs and bacon anger swelling up inside her. Lenci met her eyes and shook her head ever so slightly as if she could tell how Ayra was feeling. Ayra found herself pushing down her anger for the second time that morning "What is wrong with me?" she thought. She closed her eyes passing it off as hormones.
"Now, Valencia how have your grades been with Mrs. Jarvis?" her mother asked referring to their tutor. Lenci didnt falter. "Perfect as far as i know mother" Lenci replied. The queen nodded. "Ayra, yours?". Ayra cringed. Crap! "Ahh, hmm, fairly good i guess mother" Ayra said hoping that her mother had not done any research. Queen Liliana smirked. "I see. Well if you are to be the next queen Ayra, I expect a little better than fairly good". Ayra nodded not trusting herself to speak. "I think we shall increase your studies, your sloppy by nature, hardly queen material, but the law dictates the line of succession...." her mother said coldly. Ayra sat at the table speechless. Lenci raised her eyebrows but didnt say anything. "Valencia, you are to continue your studies as usual, now I have a meeting with that wretched president Baron Stearn" and at that the queen swept out of the dining room without so much of a glance back.
The King cleared his throat and picked up a finance report off the table he had been reading and left the room as well, leaving Lenci and Ayra sitting in a weary silence. Ayra sighed and shook her head. "I should go Lence, I need to get out of here and clear my head" Lenci nodded as she started on her breakfast.
Ayra left the castle through the kitchen door. It was the servant entrance, one that she could sneak out of without too many questions. She was supposed to have been studying the policy and law of the kingdom, instead she headed out of the palace gates and toward the city square.
