Render Me Starless

♛ | Chapter 11 - "the rose with thorns"

Tension was not something I had ever experienced with Orion before. Sitting in this awfully silent car told me I never wanted to again. Should I apologise for asking, or would that make things worse? With some more thought, I decide against it. I don't think he'd appreciate it.
We had been in the car for a while now and I didn't have the courage to ask him how much longer.

Minutes pass by in a mocking silence. The trees start to thin even more and the road slowly fades as Orion takes a certain turn. Soon enough, golden gates appear that are attached to low stone walls. At the top of the gate is a symbol I  had seen countless times at the castle; a crescent moon with a star attached on the bottom. I finally tear my eyes away from the symbol as we come to a halt just outside the gates. Orion swiftly gets out without saying a word, the slam of the door booming in comparison to the quiet songs of the birds. 

I frown. He was clearly still upset about the mention of his mother and I can't help the guilt as it increases. I knew I had nothing to do with his mothers death but it upsets me to see him down. He was always calm and collected. Never happy or sad. Till now, anyway.

I climb out of the car as well, joining Orion in front of the gates. I hear muffled shouting before a loud click sounds and the gates start to open inwards. The first thing I notice is the flora. "Woah," I murmur. There were plants everywhere and rows and rows of crops. Ranging from apples to lavender, it looked like the large land held about everything the earth had to offer. "Welcome to Lyra," I mutter to myself, recalling our earlier conversation.
"Village of agriculture," Orion adds before he walks inside the still opening gates.

Perhaps he wasn't as upset as I thought. I shrug to myself, walking after him. We're instantly greeted by what looks like guards. They have black uniforms that consist of black long sleeved shirts that were skin tight. It almost looked suffocating. The material was one I had never seen before, similar to a glossy nylon. The pants were slightly baggy till it was cuffed at the bottom where it was decorated with gold thread in swirls. Their black combat boots shinned in the suns light and my eyes go to the golden crest in the middle of their chest. The crescent moon and star.

The females bow deeply. "Prince Orion," They welcome him in unison, still bowing.
"Guards of Draco," the Prince greets and the two mages stand upright. Their eyes then flitter to me and I automatically offer them a smile. "The location of Monte?" Orion all but demands, voice as cool as ever. The guards instantly look back at the man besides me. "Lord Monte is in his study, Your Majesty," the taller one responds, bowing her head slightly. No more words are exchanged as the Prince stalks off. I offer the curios guards a swift smile before following after the obnoxious man.

"What are the symbols for?" I ask once I've returned to his side. The orange pathway was lined with crops and I could see greenhouses in the distance. "It's The Throne's crest." I nod in acknowledgement, taking in the small hut like houses that dot the straight land. There were no hills in sight. It was so different to the kingdom. I had gotten so accustomed to the usual dark hues that seeing all the orange and brown was refreshing. Directly ahead stands a double story house with a wrap around porch. The white wood was chipped in a loving way and surrounded by all the nature, it was a serene sight.

Wordlessly we make our way over to the largest building for miles. There was the occasional male or female guard but despite that, the land was asleep. That was until a certain screech. "Father, I will not!" Birds that were perched atop the rail of the porch scatter. My eyebrows rise slightly at the feminine yell. "This dress will suffocate me before I even get to meet the darn Prince!" The same voice yells after a few seconds. I turn to look at said prince's reaction and wasn't surprised to see none at all. We continue walking up the stairs and pause at the front door.