Burden Ridge

Burden Ridge Dagger

The sun gleaming in from the curtains by the balcony filled my eyes with light. I laid upon my pillow, on top of my bedspread and blankets. An echo in my ear caused me sit up and gaze around. I rubbed my eyes, seeing merely the blur of the world. Someone appeared to talk as the noise was muffled. Blinking, I shook my head and tried opening my eyes anew. A palm was swinging in front of my face as my vision blurred in and out of focus.

"Ayeth." My sister's voice peered throughout my ears I squint and look up to her. "Oh, Ayeth, you're all right, are you not?" She queries, her looming red and white Crowning ring set on her finger and her tiara set upon her crown along with her brilliant drapes hanging down from her fragile body.

"I am well, sister." I return and I notice an instantaneous pain on my cheek, my head is spun and my palm instantly flies up to my face.

"Then why Ayeth, why were you dilly dallying around in the wood instead of being at my crowning?" Her tone sounded genuinely upset. That's when I recognized the blade that wavered from her hip. The Burden Ridge Dagger.

That dagger has been in the family for generations. Thousands upon thousands of Queens and Kings were murdered brutally, struggling to protect that stupid dagger from slipping into the grasp of Odelia and their ally, Merchanberg, who was a part of our kingdom before splitting, and settled over hundreds of years assembling a thicket and wall to keep us out. Now, that dagger has settled into my dear eldest and most naïve sister, Avice. With the downfall of my sister, our respectability and our kingdom is bound to collapse with her. My eldest sister is the most narcissistic and foolish ruler this kingdom has ever had, and that's saying something, my uncle was a ruler too.

Honesty, if you ask me, I assume they have all gone crazy because of the lead that's in their hats and wigs that they wear so proudly. But nobody ever listens to Ayeth, even though I'm always right.

I can't help but gawk at the dagger, wishing it were me that had it swung so exquisitely on my waist. I let out an exhale and scanned back up at Avice, who now is offering me a hostile face.

"All right, my Queen, the Princess needs some rest, and you asking her many questions clearly is not benefiting." Meriall. I observe my sister grab my hand and brush her thumb against it.

"May her health prosper." She responds, and I can't help but notice the ravenous look she takes in her eyes.

A little to the left, no, right? More shading down the middle of its blade, The handle, a leather, no, Corrected Grain Leather. More red tint, like the soldier's blade back in the forest, wait, the soldier where is she? I find myself once again getting up from my bed, leaving the hide and the lead on my bed for me to come back to later.

I pass down the halls, quiet, too quiet. Passing the portrait of my mother, father, Avice, my eldest brother: Togan, me, and the twins. I step back admiring the fact that the artist and my parents had somehow got all of us to stay still for that long. I, in the picture as a small child with my black hair in a slick bun looking thing, with a small ball-like dress that hit the floor. My teeth a ratchet mess and my freckles popping out like daisies in the spring.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" I jump and look beside me to see Jaymes. "How's the foot?" He asks looking down upon bare feet, the left one with a long white bandage tucked in so my foot could barely breathe. I smile and grab his hand.

"It's fine," I say then, instantly remembering the soldier. "Where's the soldier?" I ask abruptly and let go of his hand. His face turned solemn.

"Ayeth, she couldn't be on the castle grounds, a soldier from the rival kingdom," He says peering down at the floor.

"Jaymes-" I start before he interrupted with...

"They hung her." I felt my heart drop and my eyes water. One word shot through my skull. Murderer.