The Four Kingdoms of the Four Seasons

Chapter 4 - Selection Day - Part 1

ARYA'S PoV

            I opened my eyes to another day. Ouch! The numbness in my body is worse than yesterday. Thank you, master!

           I'm currently lying in my queen-sized bed. Thinking about my busy day. First of all, today is my birthday which means my cousins will come. Second but not least, it's my ninth birthday which means Selection Day, today is my first chance finding my fae stallion. I wonder if I'm one of the lucky ones to get their fae stallions on the first chance.

            In every minute Myriel, my maid and Arundra, my lady-in-waiting, could storm in to wake me up and get me ready for my Selection Day. We grow up close together with Myriel. She is three years older than me. Her mother was my mother's head maid who went to the Realm of Peace before her child was four years old. Since then my mother took care of her as she was her own. So, she is kinda foster sister. But we treat each other like true sisters. Arundra is the daughter of my mother's best friend, High Fae Alice. She is way older than us, only one thousand years before her coming of age ceremony. She is famous in all the royal courts for her intelligence, perfect manners, graceful dancing skills, queen of the art of conversation and her sirenic singing voice. She is the definition of a perfect court lady. Well, she is the one tasked to train me to be also the definition of a perfect court lady. As you can tell she isn't in an easy situation with me.

"Good morning, your highness!" – and speaking of the devils, here they appear.

"Myriel! Arundra!"– I called out on a scolding voice.

"Forgive me, your highness. I'm mean Arya." – curtsied Myriel. 

"That's better how many times I told you to quit the formalities if it's only the three of us."

           Myriel finished her curtsy, as she raised her head, I saw her grinning.

"Oh for fuck's sake! I fell to it again!" – I shouted as I throw my pillow on her. While she laughed, she lifted her arms in order to dodge the flying pillow.

"Arya! Myriel!" – Arundra scolded us.

"Arundra for the Goddess' sake quit being a marble statue of perfection. We know your..." –  The same pillow I threw, hit me right in the face. I was shocked, NO SHELL-SHOCKED. Arundra the perfect court lady deliberately threw a pillow in my face. Arundra was just as shocked as Myriel and Myself. What seemed to be an eternity of silence and watching each other with wild open eyes. We finally burst out in loud laughter. Even Arundra laughed for his hurt content without restricting herself to discrete giggles as a court lady should have.

"Khmm. Lady Arya, it's time for your lady's toilette!" – I never successfully persuaded her to quit the lady title before my name when it was only us, but it was already a miracle she quit addressing me the perfect way as your highness or princess Arya Al Golbahar.

"And there you go back to your stoic perfect marble self."

"Oh we will never forget that your perfect composure cracked today!" – exclaimed Myriel laughing.

"I officially...announce today's...day as a national feast!!!" – My sentence was interrupted by my hiccups because I was laughing so hard. Arundra was giving us a death glare, which immediately froze our laughs in us.

"Sorry, you are right. I will be late, and my siblings and father will kill me."

Half an hour later, in direction of the Spring Royal Stables.

           Myriel and Arundra have chosen a white tailored shirt with baggy-sleeves and which lives my shoulders freely. A dark brown arm guard covered my forearm until my elbow. On the top of the shirt tailored decorated dark brown leather multi belted corset embraces my torso with a big silver belt on my hip. I'm wearing lace-up long black leather riding tights with a throwing knife harness on the upper part of my left leg. And a belted folded over dark brown cuffed leather boots.

            It is a great attire for hunters, riders, and adventurers. The girls did a really fine job. They know that I want to become a war lady, an adventurer, a free spirit wandering to faraway kingdoms. And this attire they made for me reflect all my dreams, hopefully my future self. Thank you girls, I truly love you!

           I was walking in the direction of the Spring Royal Stable. The stable boys were busy taking care of their jobs. I greeted them and told them to continue whatever they do. A royal wasn't an unusual sight in the stables, so they continued their work without feeling unpleasant.

"Morning Hans!"— the person I greeted jumped a half tour and cried out in surprise.

"Ahh! Princess, you scared me out of my skin!"– Hans von Pferde, is the manager of the Spring Royal Stables. Since hundreds of generations, his family was tasked to take care of the horses and the Spring Royal Stable. His family is one of the human family serving the royal family for hundreds of years. And for their loyalty father give them a noble title a long time ago. Now the Pferde family is a house of Counts. Hans knows me since my birth and I think I shortened his life spawn a few times, because since I could crawl, and father brought me with him one time to the stables. Father had to put me down for a few seconds on a haystack, he didn't know I could crawl. For the first time, I crawled and fell into the box of my father fae stallion, Thunder, known for his bad temper towards anyone except my father. It was Hans who discovered me in Thunder's box and dangerously near to his hooves. Thunder didn't let him any closer to me. Hans stopped trying to reach me in fear that Thunder would step on me. So, he was running to search for my father. However, even my father couldn't come near me. Thunder refused to cooperate with his rider. It was unusual behaviour from a fae stallion. Since then I was always out in the fields running with the fae stallions of my brothers' and father's or spending time in their boxes. I was a true nightmare for Hans who always worried about me and the hot-tempered stallions. 

"Sorry, Hans. Are my brother's and father's horses ready to ride to the layer of the fae stallions?"

"First of all, Good morning your highness. Secondly, Happy Birthday, princess! Thirdly I wish you a lucky Selection Day. Now to answer your question, you came early! The stallions are still outside in the fields. Would you help us bring them in?" – Fae stallions are stubborn beings, they follow without question only their riders' instructions, so it's really hard to get them to cooperate with you if you aren't their rider. But isn't the case for me.

"Of course, gladly!"— I shouted and was on my way to the fields.

–Author's note—

SNEAK PEEK OF THE NEXT CHAPTER

"Sometimes I'm sad because I can't communicate with you through an emotional bond. I'm jealous that is something only you can have with your riders."— I got reassuring neighs. – "I hope my companion would be as nice to me as you are guys."— Hunter stepped closer to me in a way I was against his breast and hugged me with his neck in a reassuring way.

What do you think of the story so far?
Do you have any questions?
Feel free to ask them. I would be more than happy to answer!

See ya in the next chapter!

—End of Author's note—