Throne of the Beasts ✔️

Birthday

"Eliza! Eliza!"

I woke up groggily after my mum had yelled at me a stern, "Get up ye shtate!" And whipping my mattress with a strip of leather. What a wagon. I got up finally, desperately trying to keep warm after putting on the dress my mum made for me last minute. It was beige, like every other item of clothing, with a white band around the waist. It was ripped in places and the stitches were coming up, but it was better than my milkmaid gown.

I put my tangled ginger locks in a loose braid- I wasn't good at doing hair, and used the water from the bucket to splash my face. It wasn't much better, but it helped. I walked out of my room. "Well, I'll be," my mum gasped, rushing up to me. I smiled at her and flipped my hair. "Aren't you the cat's pajamas?" She tucked a loose tendril of hair behind my ear, causing me to blush.

"Aww, I bet the boys outta think you're a real feek!" My pa yelled from the door way, strolling in. I smiled at him too. He put his hand in my hair and shook my head, messing it around. It didn't matter though, as it looked no different. "Good luck, lass," my mum whispered to me on my way outside.

It was my birthday today- my sixteenth. It was somewhat exciting, but then again, not, because of the ceremony that took place.

The ceremony is an event where, once you are of age, meet your spirit animal after the shaman chants in an ancient dialect. Either you get an animal, a bird, a mammal, a reptile or an insect, or you didn't. I was most likely going to get nothing, as it ran in my family.

Your animal is what determines your rank, wealth, and even relationships. If you got a bird of prey, you were royalty, and was adopted as the King or Queen's child. But in today's case, the next person who got a raptor would be queen, since Prince Henry's father had recently died, and he had taken over. If you got a bird like a sparrow, than you got to be a duke or duchess.

Mammals, typically bears or horses, were either fighters or workers. Reptiles generally have more spiritual ties, and since reptiles were rare, they would become the next shaman. Finally, if you got a bug or nothing, you'd be like my family. Lowest of the low, only fit for work everyone else refused to do.

As I entered town, I was greeted with genuineness, a wave or a smile, maybe a "hello", but that was it. I was still thought of as the farmer's daughter or a peasant, even though I technically didn't have a rank yet. I nodded back at them.

The center of town was bustling with people, all ready for the ceremony that was to take place. Markets were set up, even an entertainer was there, singing tunes and strumming his harp. It was all surreal, as my parents could never afford any of this, and I never had an actual birthday celebration.

An old man grabbed me by the arm. I jumped, then realized that it was the shaman, pulling me towards his tent in the exact center of town. Everyone settled down, food or drink in hand.

The shaman clapped twice, and began chanting. "Lig spiorad an ainmhí a aimsiú!" The crowd began to chime in except for one. My eye caught a hooded figure, adorning brown robes. As soon as she saw him though, he ducked below the audience's heads. I paid it no mind, though, as everyone else got louder and louder. I suddenly felt a weird sensation in my chest, like an empowerment of some sort. This went on for a while, and I felt like my heart might burst after all of the tension building up. Was this normal? Loudly, the shaman shouted, "Teacht anois!"

Suddenly, I felt a huge release as something heavy landed on my shoulder. My eyes were clamped shut, and I didn't dare open them. The crowd let out "oos" and "ahhs", and finally curiosity got the better of me. The peoples eyes were locked on my shoulder. I heard a light rustle and a low "Hooo..."

In disbelief, I swiveled my head and saw a massive brown owl perched majestically on my shoulder, preening its feathers. "Get down you fools! Bow before your new queen!" Someone yelled, and unanimously, they got to their knees. I was still agape at the handsome creature on my shoulder.

I pried my eyes away from the beast and looked at my, I guess, new subjects. I threw out a little wave of shaky dismissal, and like ants, they all dispersed. It was almost like magic, or I had the audience in a trance.

The shaman tugged at my arm and turned me around, making my new companion clamp it's claws into my flesh. "Sorry, your majesty." He bowed. It would take a while to get used to being called ' your majesty' or 'my queen' and such. "Shall we be going?" He questioned. I then realized that he had been talking to me. "Uh, y-yeah."

He escorted me out through a back alley, and I caught a glimpse of the same hooded figure. I put my hand up, but he disappeared again. Hmm. Finally outside the borders of the city, a carriage looked like it awaited me on the dirt path.

I was graciously helped inside, and my bird was put inside a cage. As I got comfortable, I heard a screech as a hand wrapped itself around my waist, and pulled me towards them. I could see the eyes of a hawk, then the blue eyes of another as a familiar man pulled me forcefully in for a kiss.

It was then it had reoccurred to me that I would have to marry King Henry.

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