Rise

Nix

My parents are stubborn, and a nuisance in my horrid life. It's been a few days, and my parents won't even bother to look my way. I'm pushed out of every military meeting, diplomatic meeting, even court meeting that has been held in our throne room. So while I waited to bagger them outside of the meeting, I stayed in the study, helping Tae stack and organize shelves upon shelves of books. Also, looking up old lore involving every kingdom since Y100. It is surprisingly a newfound comfort of mine. We talk and mess around in the dusty old room while I try my hardest to forget my duties that Rise is making me do. Come on Nix, it shouldn't be this hard to forget. You do it on a daily basis with everything else; why can't you forget about this?

"Tae! Will you come to get this book? You put it in the wrong spot and I can't reach it!" I yell loudly, letting my voice carry through the old study. It was barely a minute before I can feel his cool arm brush against my skin. He reaches higher than I ever could, pulling the book into my hands.

"Thanks." I nod to him. He does the same before pointing to the clock and moving to the next row of books.

"Oh shit, thanks. Okay, I will be back later tonight." I scramble for my bag, placing the book on one of the tables. I rush out the door and stumble down the flight of stairs, all the way down to the first floor of Neadora.

"Thank you all for coming, please think about negotiating with Silva about future trade deals and meet with Esma before the end of the week for your answers, then we can act accordingly." My mother's voice flows out into the hallway, even through the closed door of the throne room. I guess they are getting out early, that good considering the last meeting ran hours after its due date. Dresses in all different colors flow out of the doorway, chatting away about some new scandal. My parents are the last to leave the room. I shuffle up to them, bowing as low as possible. I can feel them eyeing me, with disgust or something else; I don't know.

"Mother, father," I mutter, raising my chin to them. When they both nod, I stand, following behind them as they walk down the hall and to the right.

"Ah Nix, on time as always. Maybe you should use some of that punctuality for the study lessons we provide for you. You know, we had to convince one of the top tutors from Ignis to stay here. It wasn't easy, and you still decide to skip on classes and hide in your room."

"You are right, mother. I apologize and will start using my lessons accordingly. But I am afraid that is not what I am here for. I wanted to talk to you about what I have been coming down here for the past couple of days for-"

"Please, let me stop you there." My father stops, turning to me in a quick swivel motion.

"Nix you have been bothering us with this idea that investing all of our resources into the war will be a good thing. In what world do you think that is the right choice?" He towers over me, trying to keep any sort of fear or power that he can muster over me. I clear my throat, tucking a small piece of hair behind my ear before speaking.

"Stop me if I'm too frank, father, but weren't you the one who said I was not allowed to sit with you on council meetings, or even allowed to stand with you in front of the court? Thankfully, I have done some research of my own, instead of attending lessons." I turn to my mother, no matter what my father's opinion is on the subject. My mothers vote is the only thing that matters.

"We have all heard about Adara's arranged marriage before running off to that ragtag group of ingrate terrorist. It was a sign of weakness. They are in need of money and more power to hold up a crumbling city. More and more Silvians are flooding into their country to fix their mistakes, but it's over. With one last push, giving it our all they will fall." I try and get out everything I have been accumulating from the news broadcast and all the time at the study.

"Well, what about Unda, or Silva? We would be fighting them with nothing left." My father interjects, my eyes linger over to my mother. She stares at me, her eyes unnerving and unmoving.

"That's the thing; Ignis may be weakening but they are a respected country. Once they drop, the others will have no reason to fight." I sound too optimistic, adding fuel to a fire that they are ready to snuff out with cold words. My mother blinks, slowly but surely, then turns to my father

"Algor, will you meet us at the dinner table? I need to clear a few things up for Nix." She says, motioning her head down the hallway. Father nods, swiveling back around to take off into a stride. When he disappears behind the door of our private dining room, my mother takes my arm in hers. We move in a different direction, passing the throne room and to the left wing of the lower level. This is where many of the decisions involving the country take place. The feeling I get when I enter this wing is a real fear. I've never been here, it's unnatural.

"Your father is blinded by rage you know?" She mutters, her eyes traveling along the paintings of past kings and queens. I snort at her comment.

"You don't say?" I mutter, tucking my hands into my sleek black pants. The sounds of our heels hitting the floor echo the halls, the only sound that causes us to slip into silence. She turns to the last painting that decorates the wall. A picture of my grandmother and grandfather.

My mother gets her looks from my grandfather. His blond hair and cold, calculating eyes give me the same feeling as hers. It's unsettling. My grandmother, on the other hand, passed down the grace and power my mother has passed down to me now. They both stand next to one another, hand in hand while my grandmother cracks a crooked smile. She may have been ruthless but it's relaxing to know that people in the Bruma family aren't frigid every second of the day.

"but he is also right. If Ignis is already falling apart, why not play the waiting game? And if we do happen to bring them down for good, what makes you think that Silva or Umor will back down?" she questions. It's a test for sure, one that I don't know if I'm ready to answer.

"If we wait, it makes take years, decades. They could rise from their troubles at any moment. We need to hit them in while they are down or we won't be able to hit them at all. Ignis is the oldest country in our world. It's respected by every country by us, its as old as time and when its gone, no one would dare mess with us." No reaction. As per usual.

"there will never be another opportunity like this in your lifetime." I continue. The statement hits her hard. My mother's eyes widening as she clears her throat, tucking a piece of her greying hair behind her ear. She understands that her time is fleeting and soon she won't be around to call the shots, that frightens her. Her whole life has been this wretched kingdom. It would almost be a blessing if she didn't see it fall. A blessing that I will not give her.

"I will speak with the war council and try and get you a meeting with them within the week." She speaks plainly, almost bored with our conversation. Something that I hate to admit, but have picked up from her through the years.

"Thank you mother, I will not let you down"

"No, you will not. I will not have a daughter that would let my kingdom or me down." Her eyes move from the painting to me, boring into my soul like some sort of monster. She sighs deeply and begins to move back down the hallway, her eyes moving past her own painting.

"You know, you remind me much of myself when I was your age." she forces out, even it's hard for her to admit. I stop at her portrait.

She couldn't be more than seventeen, her face still glowing the radiance that only women my age have. Her pure blonde hair sticks out behind the plain black background, but blends in with her porcelain skin tone. Her eyes, ice blue and always cold, glare at the photographer with a fire that almost evens out her cold demeanor, almost. Her dress is modest, a long sleeved turtle neck made of lace. Each design is its own unique snowflakes; it's a blinding white, making her look sickly. Behind her, my father holds onto her waist loosely. The look in his dark eyes manages to make my skin crawl.

"I was full of anger, defying my parents because I didn't want to grow up. Then one day it just hit me. If I didn't grow up then I won't be letting my mother or father down, but myself. My future children." She says softly, her demeanor changes to more like a mother than a queen. She grabs my hand, slowly lacing our fingers together before pulling them apart and lacing her own back in place.

"I hope you had the same revelation, Nix." She speaks her voice hardening once again before finally walking away.