Five soldiers plus the Captain that pulled me from the battlefield escorted Mykar and I back to the Capital. We pressed on for four days, stopping only briefly during the day to let the horses rest, eat, or drink. By nightfall, we rested for only a few hours beneath the stars, eating whatever the soldiers managed to hunt in nearby fields. Since returning home two days ago, I have isolated myself to my chambers. Partially to avoid the wrath of my mother in particular– though the locked door won’t keep her at bay for long– and to sleep off the lingering excitement of my first real battle.

Blinding light rips me from my odd, shadow-filled dreams as the curtains pull back with a metallic screech of protest from the support bars. I groan into my pillow, pulling the thick fur lined blanket over my head. “Go away,” I say, though my voice is muffled and thick with morning grogginess.

“I’m afraid I cannot do that, Your Highness,” says one of my servants, Vyra. Though she feels more like a friend after all her years working for my family, she still insists on putting her duties above our relationship. “Your mother, Gods bless our Queen, arranged for a lesson with Master Gorwin today prior to breakfast and court,” she says simply as she whirls about the room.

Sitting up and letting the covers fall to my lap, I stare at Vyra with narrowed eyes. “How did you get in here, anyway? I locked-”

“-the door?” she finishes for me, her eyes glinting with amusement as she smirks. Vyra walks over to where I sit in bed and brushes my hair from my face before squeezing my chin gently. “I have the key, Your Highness,” she says.

Frowning and crossing my arms over my chest, I fall back against my pillows. “Lose the key,” I say with a tired sigh and a roll of my eyes, though I’m not serious. Vyra only chuckles in response as she moves to rummage through my wardrobe.

After she pulls me from bed, she manages to get me into a hot, honey and sage scented bath for the next hour. As I bathe myself, she washes and combs through my thick, curly hair. When we’re finished, she prepares my gowns in my main chamber while I rub oil in my skin. Returning to my room, I slip into the gown she chose for me, with minimal help.

Vyra chose a lovely golden gown made of silk. She laces me into the tight corset, the fabric embroidered with intricate leaf designs. Tiny milky-white pearls lay sewn into the dress like little stars. While the long and full skirt is adorned with the same leaf embroidery, it lacks the pearl features. The sleeves of the dress are sheer and soft, ruffled at the shoulders and synching lightly at my wrists.

While she twists and braids my hair, I attach pointed silver ear-cuffs over my ears. While I love the intricate silver design of the jewelry, I mainly use them to hide the small deformity in my left ear. While my right ear is just as pointed as other elves, my left is ugly and small– blunt in shape like a human. After securing the cuffs to my ears, I pick through the rest of my jewelry box before grabbing a dainty topaz pendant. Vyra, now down with my hair, helps me clasp the necklace around my neck. Finally, I slip on several small, stacked rings on my fingers as my servant tops my head with a tiara. It’s quite simple, encrusted with diamonds along the front. Though I don’t wear them often, it’s expected of me with a court appearance later today.

Before long, I wander the halls at a lazed pace. While the palace has always felt too large and cold for my liking, I feel content in the halls surrounding my chambers. Each hall is open, the painted marble ceiling supported by ivy-covered columns. To the right, I can see the bustling city outside of the walled grounds. The tip of the upper-class homes are multicolored and stand tall against the rest of the buildings, smoke emerging from their chimneys. Further towards the heart of the city lies the marketplace square, the vendors already settled in the booths by this time of morning. On the other side of the square are small independent shops, smaller homes, and roads leading to the agricultural fields. If I squint, I can make out the grove of trees that hide Mykar’s home, in which he dwells with his mother.

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I make a note to visit the market this afternoon before court, the urge to peruse the stalls for trinkets, yarns, and fabrics burning a hole deep within my stomach. Later, I’d have to run to Mykar’s home and discuss whatever mother says over tea. No doubt, his mother would have me help grind the herbs for their potions, though I loved helping the short-statured elven woman with her duties around their apothecary.

By the time I make it through the maze of halls and to my mother’s lounging chambers, my feet and calves ache in protest. Already, the mid-morning bell sounds from outside, signaling the approaching afternoon court. Pushing the large oak doors of her rooms open, I pause in the doorway as the guards bow.

“Good morning,” I say with a dip of my head, my eyes trained on my mother, Queen Thasinia Drakus Moroe, as she sits upright in her chair, embroidery needle in hand.

Her eyes glance up from her project and look me over before her lips purse and she sets her things down with a huff. “Go on and sit, child, we haven’t got all day.” She lazily motions to the chair across from her, separated by a small circular table covered with plates of various foods.

Maneuvering across the room, I sit in the chair and grimace. It’s wildly uncomfortable, to the point in which I question my mother’s sanity for being able to sit here day in and day out. Already my back aches, but I keep quiet. Best to avoid mother’s anger streak, despite her current quiet demeanor… I know venom-laced words lie beneath the surface, just waiting to emerge from the depths.

“Have you anything to say?” she asks after an extended silence, her warm golden eyes narrowed as she glares at me. Were it not for her permanent scowl and my gray eyes, we would look almost like twins. We both have the same wide almond shaped eyes, just a hair too far apart. While I got my wide nose from my father, mother passed on her full lips and high cheekbones. Where her face is heart-shaped, mine is a little more squared thanks to my father’s strong, prominent jaw. Neither of them have an ear deformity like mine.

“No,” I respond eventually, daring to look her directly in the eye. The anger emanating from her crashes into me like a wave, but I hold steady.

She sucks on her teeth and closes her eyes, her lip curling. “No more archery, not for a fortnight,” she says, her eyes opening as she glares past me and at the guards. “Escort her everywhere and if she so much as looks at a bow, burn it.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” they say in unison.

My heart shatters in my chest, and I pull my lip between my teeth to keep from retorting something that’d only get me further in trouble.

“You’re not to see that little alchemist boy either,” she adds with a roll of her eyes. “He’s nothing but a bad influence on you. My little Eilae, off in battle because of some boy.”

Unable to contain myself any longer, I shoot up from my chair and point a finger in her direction. “Don’t you dare bring Mykar into this!” I say through clenched teeth, my voice shaking. “He is my best friend, and as a matter of fact– I dragged him to the battlefield. It was entirely my idea.”

She scoffs, glaring at the finger wagging in her face. “And why would you go and do that, dear?”

“Because they’re my people. How can I expect them to fight for me, for the crown, if I won’t lift a finger to help them fight the wars we wage?”

Mother sets her project down and clasps her hands in her lap. “Watch your tone,” she snaps at first. “You are their princess, your job is to sit in the throne room and look pretty until your father and I die. Then, it’s your job to marry a well-off man and look pretty next to his throne while he rules.”

Tears bite behind my eyes, my throat constricting as I take a step towards the door. “That is not the life I want,” I spit, whirling on my heel to storm out of the doors as the guards open them. “I will not sit idly by while my people die over a border dispute.”

“And where do you think you’re going?” she calls out down the hall, no doubt waving to the guards to follow me.

“To do whatever I please."