Watch it Bloom

Chapter 1

A ring adorned hand was held up, gesturing for silence. It took a moment for the boisterous voices to halt. Black tasseled hessians sounded rhythmic taps through the hall. The delicate gold embroidery of twisting vines joining with budding flowers of a black tailcoat blinked in the light cast by flickering torches.

"Excuse me, please," Satin grey eyes swept across the room, daring anyone to object to her departure. She spied several disapproving looks, primarily from the seats of her council along with the visiting nobles of nearby forts.

Sentinels stationed on either side of the door pulled at the worn bronze of the handles. The doors that towered over even the tallest of her men swung open silently on their hinges. New light was cast into the dim hall that was lined with nobles and advisors lounging comfortably on their exquisitely decorated divans. The last that was seen of her was the gold of her circlet, peeking through short cropped short amber locks at the back of her head as she was escorted by a single guard down the passageway.

It was insensitive of her to march out, abusing her power as Empress. However, her head was spinning. After the day of guiding her troops through the red tinted grass of a battlefield from dawn until dusk, her patience had worn too thin to constructively hold a formal meeting. She would discuss tomorrow's plans with Acacius, her captain, in the early hours before even a silver lining of sunlight crept on the navy canvas of the night sky.

It was almost tranquil to be on the battlefield in the dark of night. Bodies had been cleared so the fear of treading on semi-conscious soldiers that would unexpectedly grab her by the legs was eliminated. You could not tell the viciously sword-hacked grass had turned crimson, its roots absorbing the spilt blood in the absence of rainfall. There was a soft rustle of the wind against her trailing coat that joined with the sound of long grass swaying on the far edge of the plain. Had it not been for the lingering metallic scent of blood mixed with sweat, she would have easily imagined it to be a leisurely stroll through a desolate village for her short holidays in which she had been permitted by her uncle to spend afar from royal duties in the wild, open countryside. 

She found herself stopping quite literally a step away from death. A tree, bearing the scars of blades being viscously or perhaps experimentally hacked into its thick wood marked the line between the two sides of war. It was customary to halt fighting as soon as the sun dipped below the horizon and the light of day died. It was dishonorable to fight under the cover of night. There was an entire volume of books dedicated to the extremely specific exceptions to the universally accepted rule. She was almost certain the only reason the policy was yet to be broken was because no one had found it in themselves to read the full extent of it.

In any case, it had never occurred to her to launch a night attack on anyone. Men, she thought to herself, can hardly keep a battle line in clear day let alone in the night.

She was took a tentative step back to avoid any misunderstandings and furthermore an arrow loosed into her chest. Customs were taken seriously on a battlefield.

"Halt!"

Instinctively her hand flew to her side, reaching for a grip on the hilt of her sword. She cursed under her breath violently. No weapons were permitted at the meeting. She had forgotten to retrieve it from her chambers back at the fort.

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A/N~

I'll improve the cover and description soon I, just wanted to get this up. It's going to be a bit sappy maybe even slightly cliche but I love the idea I have in mind. I hope I'm able to execute it nicely. I'll try to keep up with updating this.

I would appreciate some constructive criticism, suggestions etc.

     ~V