She felt blessed, like the Stars themselves had granted her this. There was no limit, no rules or constraints. She was boundless; she was home, safe and secure in his unbreakable embrace.
~
Shackled in an abrupt and demanding upbringing, Althera is...
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She remembered the woods well. Though they weren't always green and healthy, the everlasting smell of fresh water and grass never faded. No one really ventured out into the woods - not alone, anyway. But things were different for her. She'd found the woods as a second home for her where she could rethink the possibilities of life and distract herself from all the political affairs she had to deal with. It wasn't easy being the eldest daughter of a king and the heir to the kingdom's throne.
She had suffered a lot these past few years, and she was still suffering, day and night, though no one noticed. They never noticed how she felt on the inside. Maybe it was because she always put on a dazzling smile in public and in private. It'd become a habit of hers now after all those meetings with lords and other nobility. She'd been successful in charming most of them into thinking she was a well-behaved young woman and a practiced princess with everything she could ever wish for.
It was true that she had everything she would ever want - more than she would want, actually. Towers of shoes, pretty gowns, and sparkling jewelry sent from people all across the kingdom tackling for favor from her - which did somewhat flatter her - all topped the list. But it wasn't what she desired.
Unlike her younger sister, Tyrasenne, who was always doted on and earned nothing but affection from her parents, she was a mere symbol or stature put out on display to show the people of the grace, honor, and elegance of the kingdom's royal family. She sometimes found herself jealous of Tyrasenne, which would be a shock for anyone other than her miserable self.
With dull brown hair and brown eyes, Tyrasenne was never sent out to do business with other lords. It should be a good thing her sister was so boring- that way, she would be able to win favor and be more popular amongst the people without competition. Even though her younger sister was like that, and sometimes more jealous of her than most, she was also primmer and more proper than she herself. It would normally be infuriating knowing someone was better than you in one way or another, but she didn't really care.
Sure she wanted all that attention and was more than delighted with it. But soon it grew uninteresting and she was exhausted of being rounded up by the nobles and lords into starting conversations and small talk. She was known to be influential on her father, the king, which was why she always received letters from the kingdom's citizens every morning on complaints and protestations against this and that. Tedious and repetitive was an understatement.
Sometimes she felt trapped. Other times she felt lonely. They were two different things, and it had taken her quite a while to find the contrast between them. When she was a girl she would always play in the gardens with her sister. Swinging, skipping, talking, running – anything. But her sister ignored her now, even when she desired Tyrasenne's company. Ever since her father first ordered her to be shipped off to another kingdom to do business with the dukes there, the relationship between them had broken. She was rarely at home, and her sister rarely had time to play, though she wouldn't really call it playing anymore. Tyrasenne aspired to be like her older sister, so he took more classes on history, languages, and beauty and fashion. As time passed, she was more educated than her. But she didn't mind. She'd grown tired of everything to do with royalty. She just wanted to be a regular woman like any other.
