The Price of Peace

It's what's inside that counts

"To meet, to know, to live and then to part, is the sad tale of many a human heart" ~ Coleridge.

27 years ago I lived in a castle on the planet Lemigion which was the second largest planet in the 9th galaxy, almost three times the size of planet Earth.

................................................................................................................................................................

It was a late autumn morning. Gentle sunlight shone through the clouds turning the leaves atop the canopies  a soothing shade of chrome. The snippy winter breeze had been blowing for days, winter was coming and it was only a couple of weeks until the weather got unbearable. A twelve year old princess pulled the the quilt over her head and buried her face in to the pillow, with  no intention of facing the day ahead of her.

The royal family of 'Sadaires', a planet twice the size of her own were to be visiting that day to sign a peace treaty and solve the ongoing war. This wasn't the first time they tried to come to an agreement, every generation tried and every debate ended in deadlock followed by a curse laden tirade and arguably murder. After centuries of bloodshed most couldn't event remember how the war started and the rest lost too much to care.

A sharp knock on her bedroom door made the princess peak out from under her covers. 

"Princess Zelia!" It was Sebastian, the royal butler, "Your mother wants you down in fifteen minutes, Alana has kept a tray of eggs and cookies for you to break your fast. Please do not be late."

The moment Zelia could no longer hear his retreating footsteps she did the most elegant thing thing any other twelve year old would do; she buried her face into her pillow and groaned. As much as she wished to stay there all day, the little girl knew that there was no arguing with her mother. Dragging herself off the bed she managed to stumble into the washroom.

Dressing for a formal event had never been a something that came naturally to her, but this peace treaty was important and for the sake of her people she had to try.

Thankfully, one of the maids - Alana had kept a dress ready for her. It was a ankle length, fern green gown made from liquid fabric, the long sleeves were wide at the the wrist and gradually narrowed towards the upper arm. The dress was plain yet elegant with a delicate albeit broad silver belt secured around her waist, the belt was made of a network of tiny silver swirls which dipped a little towards her navel.

"This would look a lot better with a cape" she whispered to herself before dashing downstairs to the main hall.

The main hall was a rectangular room with a high ceiling, the castle entrance was at the beginning and the door the throne room at the end. Along the sides was a narrow corridor separated by tall marble pillars with ballads in the old tongue inscribed on them. The doors were made of dark wood and on them the names of all the minor kingdoms were carved in their native language.

The king and queen stood at the bottom of the staircase with their three other children; two boys and a girl.

The King was lord Richmon of Lemigion, from house Korand. A broad man of fifty two, his age just beginning to show in this streaks of grey hair. He had a blank face just like any other man with hands as filthy as his were. The traditional long blue royal robes did little to make the tiny man look taller than his slender wife.

Her highness Persephone from house Cejore was a foot taller than her husband, she was twelve years younger than the king with not a single sign of her age showing, despite bearing four children. Her straight cyan hair fell over the shoulders of her sleeveless ivory gown. Persephone was a complicated woman whose mood swung from 'Kind as fairy' to 'I will boil you in furiyan drool and make a hat out of your skin'.