The first time she visited the palace, Alti was fourteen.
Her father was being promoted again as an adviser to the king. Their family would be moving into one of the luxurious houses surrounding the palace, reserved for those closest to the royal family.
There was a small feast to welcome them and Alti sat with the children of the king's advisers, council members and the young relatives of the King.
The Prince was there, laughing with his friends. Ifika was beside her, tasting the different foods and for once, not pestering her. The air was festive and the music, lively.
Alti was genuinely enjoying herself.
In a few minutes, she'd made some friends. What she seemed to lack in looks, she made up for in wit. People tended to like her immediately she began speaking.
Someone beside her said something she found very funny. Upracious laughter and undignified snorts escaped from her mouth. Her sister pinched her, reminding her of where she was.
She noticed the stares and sheepishly coughed, looking down at her lap.
“Peculiar,” she heard someone say.
Looking up, she noticed it was the prince, a lanky boy about her age. Her face must have been confused because he explained,
“Your eyes.”
It was the first time anybody had called them that. Eerie, yes. Strange, yes. Haunting , yes. But she'd never heard anyone call them peculiar. For the first time in her life, she was proud of them, was not ashamed of them. The Prince had noticed her eyes. If she could help it, she would never blink again.
Her heart beat faster as she looked away from him awkwardly.
YOU ARE READING
A Tale Of Queens
General FictionAlti is a hard woman. Raised as the scapegoat daughter of two social climbing parents, there is absolutely no other way that she knows how to be. Sa-Alti is named for her mother. In many ways, they are similar. However, the newly crowned Queen find...
