Soul By Soul

Chapter 3 (part 1)

Chapter 3-

Arden’s POV: (Evencin)

This is it, tomorrow I’m 17 and that gate is going to open and be flooded by a wave of suitors. As if I’m becoming the Queen anytime soon. I flopped down on the bed, feeling the hard wooden frames beneath the mattress dig into my skin. My tensed muscles eased and my shoulders relaxed. A few strands of red brown hair escaped my braided up do. I suddenly realised that my dress was too itchy and my face felt way too hot. I gazed at the high cream ceilings that were slightly covered in a veil of cool soft silk that strung across the dark mahogany bed posts. My eyes closed, I listened to the faint shouting of the men that were working on fixing the stone walls that surrounded the Kingdom. My father wanted the most protection for the ceremony that was to be held the next day.

“Arden?” I could recognise that sweet voice anytime, I bolted up and went over to unlock the window that  revealed the beautiful Daniry Woodland. The Elf Lords dwelled there, and so did my most trusted friend, Eleanor. Eleanor was a cute sweet girl with jet black hair and pretty dark brown eyes. She was the daughter of one of the most powerful people in the Daniry Woodland. We met when I was five, when I decided to get lost in Hethel Forest. She helped me out and she taught me many interesting things about the woods. It was one of the best day of my lives. I felt free. Even though I am the most rich and can have anything I want, I sit in a golden cage. And a cage is still a cage. Especially when my father learnt about my little adventures and doomed me to be stuck in the tower forever.  She was slightly shorter than me but the most nimble person ever. I watched expectantly as a hand grabbed the ledge of my windowsill and her body swung gracefully over. Six years ago when she was still a young amateur at hunting, she had her first visit to my room. However, I had kept many vases of pretty red flowers on the windowsill to catch the morning sun and she unluckily got hit in the head with one of them. From that day on, I never kept anything on the windowsill.

I watched as she got on her knees, colourful ribbons settling around her, and put her hand to her heart, a way of greeting royalty.

“Oh stop it, Eleanor! Grene is not even here.” Grene is my governess, all she thinks about everyday is etiquette and how my actions must become lady-like, especially because I will be a very big subject as of tomorrow. As if having ten knights following me everywhere I go wasn’t bad enough.

“I think I saw your dress.” She looked up to me and I merely smiled. The celebration was going to be very elegant and the grand hall is going to be as filled as ever. I will be watched intently by so many people, some probably praying to the almighty that I will accidently trip or make a scene that will be the next biggest headline in the Larendelc Era Times newspaper.

“Arden, do you want to go to outside to get some air, it’s quite humid in here.” I immediately jumped and a smile spread over my face. I turned my back to her.

“Let me change first!” She hesitated but after a few moments of silence, she walked over to me and carefully undid the silver buttons of my green gown. It slipped down and pooled at my feet. My half naked body met the cool air and I felt less suffocated. I reached under my bed and pulled out a pair of black slippers and a black suit. It was like a shirt and a knee length skirt adorned with many stones. It was a gift from Eleanor. She said the stones come from a faraway world that her father visited. After slipping the light garments on, I pulled on a heavy cloak that concealed most of my body, to hide my true identity.

Jumping out the window which was seven levels high, I landed with a silent thud, the grass cushioning my fall. Eleanor landed beside me, her dark hair floating in one piece together. A knight was about to round the corner, it was a good thing I had a significantly better sense of sound than most elf tellas (a term used to describe elves younger than the age of 17). Eleanor took my hand and we lept over the wall and proceeded to sprint through the Daniry Woodland. I looked up into the sky and watched as the two moons, rose higher into the sky. I wonder what is up there, and what it is that makes me feel so connected to the smaller moon. I shook my head, focusing on evening my breath and making sure I don’t step on any Ivylings. If you anger a single strand of ivy, the entire root will send all of it’s Ivylings to trap you.

There wasn’t a single sound of elf presence. Not even the beasts of the night made any sound. The Daniry Woodland have never felt so lonely. Maybe they recognise my presence like the maids as they flinch when I stand behind them. Even my mother did not see me very often. I had already forgotten her voice. She never spoke to me ever. My father loved me dearly. He had given me a choice of becoming the queen, even though I was younger than my sister, Sabrina. In this world, you could have as many wives as you wish, my father had two, my mother being the second queen.

When my father proposed to me the idea of the queen, the first queen Kelia glared at me while Sabrin tensed and looked down at her feet that weighed her body to the ground because of the many golden anklets that stacked up to her knees. But I could never miss that deathly stare that burned into my face from my own mother.

We had reached a clearing and we sat down on a fallen log, resting our legs from the run. Pulling out a dagger, I engraved my initials into the tough wood. AAR. Eleanor then did the same and left a simple E in the log, not bothering to put her last name because of how hard it was to engrave into the arrogant wood. We stared at the sky, watching as the small moon changed to a light pink, to a purple, and then to a blue. It was always like this. We would stare out at the sky and catch our breaths, while we get lost in infinity.

Waving goodbye to Eleanor, I hastily climbed into my windowsill and fell into my room. I layed there on the cold marble stone, closing my eyes and letting my shaky breath start to slow down. I always got down pretty well, but climbing back up was the worst part of the day. It was nice and quiet.

My eyes flashed open and I shot up when I heard a cough be emitted from behind. My back was to the door, I looked out to the Daniry Woodland, admiring the lights that twinkled in the horizon. But reality was standing right behind me, there was only one person that frozen voice belonged to.

“Princess Arden Amara Rose?”

 

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The maids went crazy the next day, my hair was tugged on and my I was forced into a gown. It was a white sheer material that was cinched at my waist and flowed out like a flower. It was strapless and was embedded with many precious silver stones and jewels. My hair was put into a thick braid and left down to hang by my waist. Jewellery and many little trinkets were forced onto my arms and weighing down my bare feet. By the end of the process, my arms were red and my neck felt hot. My legs were scratched and my head was dizzy.

Grene stood up from the stool she was sitting on the entire time while watching me get tortured. She had become nice enough not to tell my father about last night’s little run. However, she had become more cold towards me, as if her usual frosty self wasn’t enough. She wore a cream coloured gown today. Her hair was put into a tight clean bun and her face was lightly doused in makeup. She took my hand and held it tightly. I refused to show pain on my face. She then yanked my arm and pulled me to the Grand Hall’s giant gold doors.

This is it.