~𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬~

~𝐨𝐧𝐞~

 ~

The sound of birds chirping about as they perched in the weeping willow echoed throughout (Y/N)'s ears as she drummed her well-manicured fingers against the tabletop.

White, shimmering rays of light gleamed through the tree's cascading leaves, hitting the spot where she was sitting and heated her up to a point where she began to feel nauseous.

She tilted her head, closing her eyes as she attempted to avoid the direct spotlight.

(Y/N) didn't want to keep her eyes pressed shut. As a matter of fact, she loved looking about the garden, admiring all of the hard work the castle's gardeners had put into making it as gorgeous as it was.

She had always appreciated their work, wishing she could join them in planting hyacinths and watering rose bushes.

The princess never could, though. Not that it was an issue, it was just that she had so much work to do these days.

(Y/N) was nearing her eighteenth birthday, which meant she would be old enough to be crowned Queen.

There was a lot of work to be done, preparing to take on the throne.

It was so nerve-wracking, the idea of being held responsible for anything and everything that went on in the kingdom.

Feeling the intense warmth shifting off of her as the Sun made its journey across the sky, she peeked out of one eye, ensuring her safety before letting them both flutter open as she came face to face with the stone wall that the garden table sat in front of.

She quickly turned from the wall as she closed her eyes once more, shielding herself from the one thing in this garden she hated - the picture wall that foretold the prophecy.

Along the wall, there were multiple stained-glass windows. In each of them were pictures of people, telling a story that she dreaded with every fiber of her being. A story that made waiting to turn eighteen all the more anxiety-inducing.

Just as her mind started to retell that story for what seemed like the billionth time, the sound of a porcelain tea set loudly clinking together as it was being carried on a tray took her out of it.

She shot her head up as if being awakened from a horrible nightmare, seeing her caretaker placing a silver tray down in front of her and the seat on the opposite side.

Sci hummed a pleasant tune to himself, a soft smile resting on his face as he always did when thinking to himself. (Y/N)'s bright eyes followed him as he danced over to his seat, bouncing around to the song trapped within his head.

The scholarly skeleton sat down, his eyes gazing fondly upon her with a look of fatherly love. He took the ornamented teapot, carefully pouring a golden-pink liquid into the two identical teacups. 

When the two cups were filled just under the brim, he sat the now-lightened teapot back down with less caution than before. (Y/N) gently nodded her head to him in thanks, taking her cup and pressing the beverage to her lips, a blissful "mmm..." flowing from them.

Rose tea was her favorite. It tasted just as sweet and as fresh as a rose smelled, and the warmth of it washing down her throat always soothed her, especially when she was upset.

"How are you doing?" asked Sci. Though the tone in his voice was casual, the furrow of his browbones exposed the worry and concern he felt for her deep down.

(Y/N) shrugged her heavy shoulders. Her eyes wandered back over to the glass panes to her right. Her lungs let in an excess of air, holding it in for a few seconds, then letting it all out at once in a hopeless sigh.