Yelena
The very next morning of her birthday, Yelena was already packed and ready to set off to Valken. The ball was in 5 days and they had a 2 day journey ahead of them. There were no carriages in Hesteria hence all the people were skilled in horseback riding. Yelena would be taking the bare minimum with her; a gown for the ball, a few basic everyday clothes, her hunting gear and weapons, a generous pouch of gold coins and enough leftover food from the banquet to make the journey.
Soren was with her, along with 2 of her best trained personal attendants, Jean and Tia. Yelena had hand picked them for their specific skill sets that would prove useful to her quest for revenge.
Tia's family were originally Valken nobilities who were framed and exiled from Valken for tax fraud. Hence Tia knew the ins and outs of navigating the Valken social hierarchy. Yelena, who didn't have an ounce of Princess behaviour training in her, needed all the help she could get from Tia.
Meanwhile, Jean had excellent information gathering skills due to her busybody personality and petite frame that allowed her to crawl and hide in the tiniest of places to eavesdrop on others. Nothing in the palace happened without Jean finding out about it. Jean even managed to find out about the true cause of Queen Rosalind's death even though that knowledge is still considered a well kept secret from the public.
Giving her horse Maddie one last her brush, Yelena heard her father's telltale heavy booted footsteps coming down the pavement of the palace entrance.
"Yen, I want you to have this. It was my father's before me and I know you will put it to good use." In his hands, the King held a small gold handled dagger with a red jewel embedded in the hilt. The symbol of a stag rearing up on its hind legs was embossed on the sheath in gold - the crest of Hesteria.
Her father was giving her a family heirloom. Unsheathing the dagger, she found it to be lighter than she expected, the twisting blade sharp and polished. The perfect tool for an assassination, she thought. Strapping it to her waist before launching herself on her father for a hug, "Thank you father, I will cherish it and use it wisely."
"Be safe Yen, don't forget to write your old man letters. I love you so much baby girl."
Slightly grimacing at the old baby girl endearment her father used to say, Yelena replied earnestly, "Love you too father."
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The journey was largely uneventful. Just Soren nagging her about all the possible things that could go wrong when they reached.
The closer to Valken they got, the colder the air became as Valken was a mountainous region, making for an excellent natural terrain defense against external attacks. However it was also the reason that the kingdom is unable to produce enough food for their growing population and had to resort to relying on trades with Hesteria.
Soon, they reached the imposing outer fortress gates of the Valken Kingdom. Tall stone walls lined the natural mountainous borders. Large turrets peppered the tower walls and many soldiers were standing guard on the towers. One of them bellowed down towards Yelena and her entourage, "Halt! State your purpose and present your proof of identity."
"Princess Yelena Freyandria Hesta of Hesteria, here to attend the annual bride candidate ball." Yelena spoke confidently, holding up the Hesteria crest plate her father had given her as proof of identity.
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The guards looked mildly surprised and suspicious before eventually opening the gates to let them in. Yelena didn't blame them. This would be the first time any Hesterian princess attended the ball in a long time as all the recent previous decendants of Hesteria were either princes or princesses who married within the territory. This was just fine by Yelena though, since if she manages to play her part well, then the Valkens would never know what to expect from her and would never see what hit them until it was too late.
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Yelena hated to admit it but she had severely underestimated the weather in Valken. The frigid cold air made her feel sluggish and soured her mood greatly. Hesteria was warm even in the winter and the clothes that she brought along with her but nowhere near thick enough for Valken weather. At this rate she would spend the whole ball with her teeth chattering and frostbites on her extremities.
Having suffered enough for 2 days, Yelena eventually decided she needed a walk and a shopping trip to warm up the day before the ball. She asked Tia and Soren to accompany her to the heart of the Valken city where there would be many merchants selling fine cloaks and plush woollen garments to solve her predicament.
Yelena had never been outside of Hesteria territory before, but even she could recognize the architectural marvel that was the Valken palace. Massive stone columns, expansive pristine marble floorings, giant carved statues at every corner and the big wide church windows that spanned the entire height of the walls everywhere, made Yelena feel especially small and even more cold and lonely in the palace despite its ethereal beauty. 'How could anyone ever feel at home here?' she thought as she, Soren and Tia made their way across the royal gardens towards the exit to the heart of the city. Then again, she had never felt really at home in her own palace either. They had burnt her true home to the ground and her mother with it. That reminder banished any sense of sluggishness she ever had, and suddenly she felt warmer than before.
It was approaching the end of autumn now, and most of the foliage in the royal garden had already given way to the coming colder season. However, tucked in the middle section of the garden surrounding the fountain centerpiece was a vast display of blooming winter rose bushes in every array possible; darker plum shades, vibrant yellows, bright whites and a whole array of pinks peppered the area.
Feeling bold, Yelena snuck closer the one of the bushes and gently plucked a single white rose. She didn't know if she had broken any Valken rules of not picking flowers from the royal garden but she simply didn't care and proceeded to carefully stick the white rose into her hair. "How do I look?" She asked, turning to Soren and Tia.
"Very pretty, princess! It suits you w-" Tia was cut off by Soren's exasperated remark, "Like a thief parading around with stolen jewelry."
Laughing cheerfully, Yelena smacked Soren on the arm lightly and, feeling more spirited already, skipped down the stone steps to the exit in a very un-princess like manner.
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In the distance, shaded by a low hanging oak tree, a tall male figure sat in a secluded gazebo. He had seen the princess and her antics in the garden and the thought of confronting her for her trespasses briefly crossed his mind. That was the late Empress' winter rose garden and yes there was indeed punishment for plucking said flowers.
However, he found himself rooted to the spot, hypnotised by the sight of princess. Her scarlet wavy locks of hair blew in the cold autumn wind and bounced every which way around her slightly tanned skinned face. The colour more vibrant than even the reddest rose in the garden. The white rose tucked in between her ears contrasted with the bright red of her hair, reminded him of blood on the snow in the battlefields he frequented. It was a morbid comparison for something so beautiful and he quickly shook the thought away.
He wasn't close enough to really get a glimpse of her face but the pure sound of her unreserved laughter like the crisp chime of church bells made him almost want to crack the slightest smile. He didn't though. He didn't even know which kingdom's princess she was.
Every year during this time, he was usually in a foul mood, dreading the tradition of the annual ball. He had no intention of taking a bride anytime soon and was tired of the many princess over the years vying for his attention just for political gains. And yet this time, watching the girl skip her way out of the palace, he felt himself looking forward to the ball tomorrow night just a little bit more than usual.
'The late Empress probably wouldn't miss a rose or two.' he thought with the ghost of a smile on his face, before rising from his seat and walking back into the palace.
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