Charades

Chapter 1

     Alone. That was all I ever felt after the death of my parents. As I laid in bed, my black hair sprawled around me and my hand on my forehead, I wondered what I would do. The prince I was supposed to marry was now with his servant, Helena, and I was happy for them, but my Uncle was furious with me. He desperately wanted to marry me off. And now that Prince Flynn Evans was out of the picture, I feared who he'd pick next.

     "Amara," my servant, Zaha, said.

     I rose to sit and let out a sigh. Zaha stood a few feet away from my giant bed, covered with red silk sheets and an overhead and red curtains. Her hands were clasped together, her black hair in a bun and her dark, brown eyes full of sorrow. Her skin was a light brown, merely a shade lighter than mine.

     "Yes, Zaha?" I said.

     "Your uncle would like to meet with you," Zaha said. "Down in the throne room."

     "Okay, I'll be down in a moment."

     I forced a smile and Zaha bowed towards me. Unease filled me. At the thought of my uncle, I grew worried for what the meeting would consist of.

     Getting up, I dusted off my red dress then. Zaha ran off to do some chores and taking a deep breath in, I made my way out of my room and down the long hallway. The walls were a light gray and pictures of my ancestors hung on the walls. And at the end of the hall, there was a giant, silver staircase that spiralled down to the second floor, and I made my way down it. Everywhere was spotless. So clean, it shone and soon, I entered the throne room nearby.

     The throne room was a large room. It was a room where there was a giant red carpet that started from the door and led to the two thrones that once belonged to my parents. My uncle sat there now and I teared up at the sight of him. Uncle Azad was my dad's younger brother. And ever since my parents were murdered, he took their place, insisting I be married before I dared tried to rule.

     Taking a deep breath in, I walked closer to the gold thrones. Uncle Azad sat in my dad's throne, his arms resting on the armrests and his cold eyes on me. He sat straight and proud, his mouth a grim line.

     "Hello uncle," I said, bowing. I stopped walking at the end of the steps in front of him. "What is this meeting for?"

     Straightening myself up, my eyes met my uncle's. There were a million emotions running through his eyes. Emotions, that left me shuddering.

     "As you should know, I'm deeply disappointed that you didn't marry Flynn Evans. He is one of the most powerful princes and you ruined your chance with him," Uncle Azad said, his voice booming in the throne room. "You are the future Queen of Narakha and to be Queen, you need a man."

     "I'm only twenty," I said. "I'm too young to get married. I can rule on my own."

     "No, Amara. You're a woman and a woman is not fit to rule on her own. You must get married if you dare to become Queen."

     My jaw clenched at my uncle's words. In my city, woman were always thought of as inferior. We were told that only men could make decisions and we were simply trophies men showed off. I hated the thought. Hated how I couldn't be my own independent person. But knowing that traditions were hard to change, I said nothing. There was no way my uncle would be convinced that I could be a Queen without a King.

     "What do you want from me?" I asked.

     Helpless, all I could do was give in. Like I did when my uncle sent me off to win Flynn's heart, once again I was trapped. I was stuck doing whatever my uncle wanted.