The War of Four

Chapter 2

"Must I go?" Korri grumbled.
"Yes Korri, we went over this." Orion said with a sigh, smiling. He leaned against her closed bedroom door as she changed into the dress the palace servents had picked out for her.
"But I hate these stupid balls. Its just a bunch of fancy woman in massive dresses struggling to keep air in their lungs pretty much the whole time. Then we have all this food set out and it's hardly touched! Sometimes Skia don't even dance to the music, they just stuff their noses in their stupid textbooks." Korri stated. Orion chuckled.
"They're not that bad. What about Elisabeth? You like talking to her."
"I do, but she's not coming."
"Why not?"
"Liz said she'd be faking sick. Lucky. I would too if I hadn't faked the last three balls."
"Three? I thought you only faked two?" Orion said with surprise.
"Nope. I said I was going to see the medic then I went and hung out with Gadrian." Korri explained, speaking of one of the royal guards whom she loved to talk to.
"Little rascal" Orion sneered jokingly. He stepped aside as he heard her turn the knob. She opened the door and stepped out. His eyes widened, the dress was beautiful. It started out as a light lilac color then came down like wisps of fog as it faded to a dark purple. The dress had light purple sleeves that faded dark toward her wrists. It was a little big on her but still sleek. It didn't have layers upon layers of ruffles like other dresses. It was simple yet elegant. It complemented her dark ebony hair that had been heated and twisted into spiral shaped curls that stopped at her shoulders. Short golden horns were beginning to grow from both sides of her head and could just barely be seen over her hair.Her wings that protruded from her back through slits in her dress were as dark as her hair with streaks of silver among the crisp black feathers. They laid relaxed against her back. Korri was small for a thirteen year old. She constantly raided the palace kitchen for snacks yet never seemed to lose her small stomach. Another unusual trait was her arms and legs. They weren't thin like the rest of her, they were almost strong looking. Orion hardly saw her work out, she mostly slept or read while he sparred. Occasionally she would join but she was a very poor fighter. She looked up at him with her bright, golden yellow eyes that shone with a fun-loving glow. Korri gave a sarcastic bow, rolling her eyes.
"You look beautiful." Orion said softly, smiling warmly. Her cheeks flushed a rosy red
"Shut up, I feel silly." Korri said, shoving him playfully. "You only say that because your my brother..."
"I say it because it's true." Orion assured, grabbing her hands and squeezing them lovingly. He was around six years older than she was and was several inches taller. He was slightly above the average male height at five feet, four inches for Skia were generally quite short. His eyes are darker than Korri's and instead of silver streaks in his midnight-black wings they were speckled with a pure white, resembling a starry night sky. He has scholarly long arms and legs and has to wear glasses when reading. He used to read extremely often when he was younger but he was finding it harder and harder to find time to now that his hours were being consumed by balls, council meetings, and battle training. Which admittedly, he was quite awful at. Zarook had an acceptable army, but Skian people were not warriors. They enjoyed creative pleasures. Their villages bloomed with scholars, artists, musicians, alchemists, and philosophers. They survived wars as skilled bowmen and women, but they did not often anger the other nations purposely so they had managed to stay out of battle for quite some time. But what was brewing between the four kingdoms was something no one could escape. A great war that was like a rope pulled taut. Day by day it was being pulled tighter and tighter and soon would come the time when it could be stretched no longer and snap. With Garrin apt to be the first to attack, Amerestia would be thrown into a great battle like it had never seen. Many philosophers doubted any nation would be able to come back from it fully and have yet to see how this disastrous battle could be avoided, for it was very likely it couldn't. The Welniks were constantly stepping over their boundaries and attacking Garrin in small hoards. Garrin was supposedly planning on pulling away from trade with Kahiit and everyone knew Garrin had their eyes set on Zarook territory, wanting to make an expansion, most likely though brute force. When all nations were angered, every able bodied Skian, age sixteen or older, would be forced to fight with Orion and the current king and queen at the head of the army. This worried many. Skian typically used their bows strictly for hunting deer and other woodland creatures that lived in the dense forests of their territory. Orion saw how quiet Korri got when the war some scholars were calling The War of Four was mentioned. He could tell how worried she was for him. He knew she didn't want him to go but he had no choice. He was to be king in a short two years and there was no way he could abandon his people in such a manner. Orion was incredibly glad Korri would not be old enough to participate in the battle when it came. She would be sent into heavily guarded stations on the outskirts of the nation by the sea with the rest of the children, the sick, and the elderly. He didn't know how he would live with himself if she was slain by the hands of a barbaric foreigner.
Korri pulled her hands away, taking note that he was deep in thought. She reached her hand up and flicked him hard on his forehead.
"Snap out of it you big nerd. You look so dark and broody." Korri mocked jokingly. He chuckled and rubbed the spot where she'd flicked him.
"It least I'm not a little brat like you!" He laughed, shoving her. She snorted with a laughter and shoved him hard back. Orion smiled at how much he loved hanging out with her. She didn't often use her large vocabulary like the council members and philosophers he spoke with. She used simple words and incorrect grammar, it kept him from becoming too serious. She grounded him in a healthy balance between maturity and immaturity he needed to stay sane. He took her hand again.
"Come on, we are going to be late." Orion said. They started walking down the corridor.
"You say that like it's a bad thing." Korri said.
"You don't want to see our cousins?"
"You do? They despise us" Korri exclaimed.
"That's a strong way of putting it..."
"That's an accurate way of putting it" Korri corrected.
"Alright, alright. So they don't exactly see us as family..."
"They think you shouldn't be heir because we were adopted. Just because we don't share their stupid Noble blood. Like that even matters..." Korri grumbled, her fists clenched. Anger replacing the silly mock in her voice.
"You're not going to hit one of them are you?" Orion asked with a smirk, trying to bring humor back into the conversation. Korri snorted again.
"Please! You know I couldn't win a fight against a child to save my life. I just wish they'd treat you with more respect, you're going to be king whether they like it or not, you're a genius. And they should be judging you by who you are instead of by the blood in your veins, and who you are is kind, funny, and absolutely brilliant." Korri said, smiling up at him. Orion gave her hand a small squeeze of gratitude, his heart warming.
"Thanks sis."
They reached the massive doorway that led to the ballroom. The door was polished oak outlined in silver. The oak was covered in carefully carved floral designs much like the engravings along many of the walls in the palace yet still creatively unique. With each curve of a flower and twirl of a vine one could feel the passion the Skian artists had put into their work. Orion pushed the door open and held it for Korri.
"After you ma'lady" Orion said in a fake deep voice. Korri snickered.
"Why thank you kind sir" she responded in an equally deep and odd voice. Music played, indicating what should have been the start of dancing yet few occupied the floor as Korri had predicted. The king and queen sat at the far side of the room at the end of a large table beside their many siblings. Orion and Korri moved towards them. Every time they entered the ballroom Orion was still taken aback by it's beauty. Tall stained glass covered the side of the room, looking out into the thick Zarook forests that covered the land.         
      The thick forests were what gave Zarook the nickname of ShadowLands, for the canopy of leaves that seemed to extend across the whole nation save the beach at the edge of the land blocked out the golden orange rays of the sun. Casting Zarook in shadows and darkness.      
       Expertly crafted stone pillars spiraled up to the ceiling where pictures of ancient philosophers and other great works of art depicting animals and hunters were engraved into the ceiling. Dark wood tables stood by the edges of the room in orderly rows. Orion and Korri reached their parents table and hugged them. Their mother looked at Korri.
"I'm so glad you could make it Korri, for a moment I thought you had suddenly come down with another illness." The queen said, smirking. Korri's face suddenly flushed with color.
"Couldn't I have at least brought a book? Many others are reading through this dreadful ball, can't I?" She asked.
"Korri... We discussed this. You are-"
"A princess who must obtain high standards... Ya, ya. You've told me before." Korri interrupted.
"And you failed to listen when I previously shared my final answer with you." The queen said. Korri clenched her jaw, taking her defeat silently. It was quiet for a moment.
"I'm going to get something to eat since no one else will." Korri stated suddenly, turning and walking away. Orion sat between his father and uncle. He watched his mother's sister who had been listening in on the argument intently start to speak.
"You know... There's a reform school for girls like her. She'd stay there overnight for a year, though she might have to stay longer considering her great sarcasm and disgraceful rebellious attitude. She would be taught proper manners and behavior. I sent my Annabeth there and she came back a perfect Noble... Well almost. She's still a disappointment to be honest, nothing like her older sister, but much better than before. Perhaps they can make some improvements with that girl... Oh, I'd also recommend losing her nickname, it only further encourages childish behavior. Perhaps it is time to begin addressing her as Korrena?" She suggested. Orion wrinkled his nose, about to say something to defend his sister when his mother suddenly piped up.
"Korri is perfect the way she is. She loves her name as do I, and I have never once thought of her as disgraceful." She stated firmly. "You will never speak of my daughter in such a way again is that understood?"
Her sister frowned but nodded. "Of course my queen."
"Good." The queen said, her face set in a irritated scowl. The king grabbed her hand. She smiled at him and relaxed.
Meanwhile, Korri made her way to the large tables set with an array of every kind of delicacy Skian chefs had to offer. Korri reached over to grab something.
"Well, well. If it isn't the Mud Princess. I'm truly overjoyed you could come, we were greatly concerned when you didn't arrive to the last ball... Or the two before it."
Korri stopped at the sound of the cold and sarcastic voice. She turned to see none other than Patricia. She attended every ball with incredible punctuality. She practically slept in her dresses and hardly ever went outside, as shown by her pale brown skin. She knew every bit of gossip that has ever gone around, storing it in her photographic memory. Patricia ate sparingly so her stomach was quite small. Her wings were a pure, elegant white and her eyes were a dark ebony. Patricia's shiny midnight black horns were quite large for her age and much she was much taller than Korri. Her golden hair was pulled into a large tight bun with a decorative dark pink flower sticking out of the side of it.
Korri could already feel anger bubbling inside of her. Ever since she was a little girl, Patricia and her three main friends; Elana, Victoria, and Belle, who constantly followed in Patricia's shadow, had teased Korri constantly. Taking every opportunity to mock her in some way each time they crossed paths.
Korri's fists clenched as she turned to face Patricia.
"Leave me alone Patty." She remarked with a smirk.
"Do not address me by that awful nickname you insufferable wretch" Patricia snapped, raising her voice slightly. Korri snickered, she loved getting under her skin.
"Go dance in that suffocating straightjacket and impress your mommy."
"At least I can say my mother is impressed with me, I don't believe you can. You don't even have a mother." Patricia retaliated.
"Yes I do, and she happens to be your queen so I'd show a bit of respect." Korri spat.
"Stop kidding yourself darling. She's not your mother. You and your imbecile brother were abandoned, the only reason your here is because of pity. Do you really think she's proud of you? She tried to teach you to be proper but it's impossible. You're a street urchin, and the street is where you belong." Patricia stated. Korri's nails were beginning to dig into her flesh she was clenching her fists so hard. Patricia's friends snickered then quickly stopped as she continued.
"In fact, I think there's only one person who's just nearly as disgraceful as you. That little ignorant cousin of mine... Elizabeth. I almost wish she were here, don't you think she'd enjoy the color of my dress?" Patricia mocked, twirling in her dark navy blue dress. Her friends laughed. Korri was now fuming with rage. Elizabeth was blind, she's been so since birth. They clung to each other since neither fit in with the crowd they grew up around.
"Shut up, now." Korri ordered. Patricia stepped forward until she was inches from Korri.
"Or what? You'll cry? Go ahead, cry little Mud Princess." Patricia teased, more laughter came from behind her.
"Get away from me." Korri said firmly.
"With pleasure. You smell like a horse stable." She said with a grin, backing away. Korri looked down at the floor.
"Oh, I just remembered something. I was going to mention my mother will be suggesting you go to a reform school even though I think it would be a waste of money. You could spend your whole life there and never learn anything about being Noble, because that's not what you are, is it? It's what the queen wished you to be, but I guess you'll just have to keep disappointing her like you always have. Anyway, I best be off. That incompetent sister of mine is still slouching," she grumbled, looking over at a table behind her. "I simply can not believe I'm related to such a pathetic Noble. But at least she's not as bad as you, I'd absolutely die if you were my sister, I'm sure your brother must feel that way."
"My family loves me, just the way I am." Korri said firmly.
"They have very low standards dear." Patricia said with a cruel smile. Korri looked back down at the ground as Patricia walked swiftly away to torment her younger sister, her giggling group of friends not far behind as always. Korri walked away from the trays of food and sat at one of the tables, no longer hungry. She wished Liz would come, they were always there for one another when Patricia came around to belittle them. She gazed over at her brother. He was trying hard to look interested with the conversation going on around them. He caught her stare and smiled to her, giving her a small wave from across the room. She waved back.
"How are you?" Orion mouthed. Korri shrugged and lied.
"Good" she mouthed back. He looked back towards their many aunts and uncles as they awaited his input on the conversation of philosophy he was hardly paying any attention to. Korri sighed. The peaceful banter would soon switch to a heated a discussion on the upcoming war. A battle of what was the wisest option in the upcoming fight. Zarook government was built on wisdom. Only the brightest of the Nobles led. Only the smartest students became rich. Korri constantly felt incompetent because of this way of life. She wasn't brilliant like the Noble Skian. She more enjoyed pleasurable reading than informational and found her classes quite boring. She hates math and statistics, instead she spent her time painting and flying through the vast forests. But she knew her family loved her. Despite what Patricia said she could see it on her parents eyes, and could see it gleaming in her brother's. They truly loved her. Which is why she avoided conversation on the War of Four as much as she could. It greatly worried her. Korri looked towards her family again. She couldn't imagine living without them, she knew in her heart she'd do whatever it took to keep them safe. Even if it meant breaking the kingdom's laws...