The Last Princess

Chapter 9

"So? How is it?"

I stared.

Ivy, who had just spoken, waited for me to answer.

When I stared blankly back, she sighed dramatically and gestured to Forreston. 

I turned my glare to him.

All I could see different about his appearance was that he was wearing a blue suit. It was sky blue with royal silver designs threaded in.

I shrugged. "What?"

Ivy sighed again and handed me a picture through the bars. I looked at it curiously.

It was a picture of the royal family, back when Dad was alive and I was only a baby. Ivy and Dad were standing in the back. Both of them were holding babies. Forreston and I, I supposed. In the middle was Laurel, who I only knew from photographs, with her long, light brown hair, which a crown should have sat upon, and dark, cocoa brown eyes. Next to her was Sylvan, her rare honey blond hair shining through the picture, and her green eyes, so like mine, twinkling. On Laurel's other side was Olive, again with rare, light blond hair and dark green, almond-shaped eyes.

Next to her was Ash, with light brown hair like Laurel's, and green eyes like Sylvan's. She looked about eight. Next to Sylvan was her favorite (that's what she used to say) sister, Willow, with dark brown hair and green eyes, like Sylvan's, Ash's, and mine. Next to Ash was the sixth sister, Holly, her light brown hair matching Ash's, and her dark green eyes a replica of Olive's. And beside Willow, barely able to stand, about two years old, was my closest sister, Juniper, her light brown hair like Holly's and Ash's, and her gray-blue eyes standing out.

My eyes fell on my parents. Ivy was wearing a dark black gown, looking like she had been forced to hold that smile on her face. She had passed her black hair down to none of us, but Sylvan, Ash, Willow and I had inherited her bright green eyes.  She was holding a small baby. 'Probably Forreston,' I thought. But upon closer look, no. The baby had a tuft of vibrant red hair so like her father's. Which meant...that was me.

And Dad? His red hair was shining. I was the only one who had inherited it. He was holding a larger child with black hair, exactly like Ivy's.

Forreston.

And he was wearing...he was wearing a blue suit exactly like Forreston's. No, not like Forreston's, I realized. It was the one Forreston was wearing.

Realization shot through me and I straightened up, looking directly into Ivy's eyes.

She smiled.

Forreston smirked at me.

"Divine, isn't it?" Ivy cooed. "So like his father."

Forreston smirked wider.

Before I could retort, Ivy added, "He's going to wear it for the coronation."