Moments later, Aardriyah found herself un-braiding her sister's hair from the morning, letting it out into sweeping curls resembling waves on a dark ocean. She added in some pearl clips before tapping the youngster on the shoulder and announcing she was done. Sonas grabbed a small hand mirror and tried her best to see the back of her hair. She beamed with happiness and hugged Aardriyah in thanks before making her way into the bathing chamber.
Aardriyah couldn't be bothered bathing and decided to rummage through her drawers to look over her few pieces of clothing deemed worthy of the dinner ahead. She sighed, wondering if any of it mattered, she could turn up naked and no one would even pay enough attention to her to scold her for it. Though given the odd chill outside, she decided it was best to at least put some clothing on. So, she grabbed a deep blue velvet dress, with simple silver trimmings. She pulled her hair back into a tight bun and slipped her feet into simple black boots.
The royal family had a designated residence on each of their four lands, Veros, Mizu, Hala and Sia. The four periods of the year were divided evenly into three months of thirty days each. The United Water Kingdom Royal family spent The Sowing in Mizu as the land was covered in beautiful blossoms of pinks and purples. They then departed for the Suns Inhalation to spend in Sia as it was the only time of year that was somewhat tolerable in the land of snow and ice. The Harvest was enjoyed in Hala, where the days and nights were full of enjoying the final harvests of the plentiful farms on the lush green land. Then during the cold months of the Moons Exhalation, the family relocated to Veros which was usually warmer than the other lands. Although this year suffered a barrage of icy cold winds.
As the carriage arrived at the lodge, Aardriyah realised she had forgotten what a fete of architectural genius it was. So, she took a moment to admire it once more, as the rest of her family left the small carriage Chastion had sent for them. Old Man Teme nudged Aardriyah and motioned for her to leave, before grabbing his trusty old lantern and following her down the path.
Like most houses on Veros, the royal lodge was coloured only using the water kingdoms preferred palette - whites and blues. The colouring was where the similarities ended though, as she stared up at the three large arches forming what appeared to be the underside of three giant breaching whales. Lapis lazuli weaved its way through the white marble facade, making intricate patterns of waves down the throats of the whale shaped buildings. Marble pillars surrounded the outside of the gardens, while thick sheets of ice made a fence between the pillars. Several large ice spikes adorned the top of the fence. The guards at the gate used their water blessing to turn the ice to water to allow the guests inside, before raising it again. Aardriyah marvelled at their abilities - she had never seen anyone so skilled in water magic they could turn it to ice. She had heard rumours the north eastern lands of Sia had an abundance of the blessed that used water in this way, but it was something she had yet to witness in her life. Maybe this night would be more exciting than she had thought.
The long path to the conical shell-shaped entrance door, was made of white marble and inflected with small blue glass pebbles, continuing the pattern of waves that cascaded down the building. Sonas skipped along trying to only stay on the pebbles and hummed to herself as she did. Large fountains flanked either side of the path and every now and then, they would spurt water across to each other just above the heads of the group. Aardriyah couldn't help the smile now tugging at the side of her face, she was feeling just a little bit blessed to be in such a magical place that so few had the privilege of ever seeing up close. The large shell shaped door at the end of the path opened and a tall, slender, white haired man knelt to the ground with his arms opened wide as he cried,
"SONNNNNYYYY" Embracing his little sister as she finished running towards him. It was uncanny how similar they were in mannerisms and in appearance; Sonas was almost a carbon copy of Chastion. Though Sonas' face still held some childlike softness, Chastion's was sharp and serious. His expression honed through years of political diplomacy and decision making at the highest level. His hair was much shorter than Sonas', but carried the same waves and curls that seemed to bless all Verosian's. As the remaining company edged towards the door, Chastion rose and reached towards his father. Pateras grabbed his son in a warm embrace, patting him on the back while saying,
YOU ARE READING
The Unblessed Child
FantasyThere are two types of people in The New Realm: those who are blessed by the gods of the four elements and those who aren't even worthy of their family name. They are unwanted, unloved and are simply known as The Unblessed. Eighteen year old Aardriy...
