In the kingdom of Bveria, a shroud of misery hung over every corridor of that porcelain palace. Tears were shed and everyone in the castle wore black - suitable for the events that had occurred. The queen had finally passed and she looked so peaceful on her deathbed. Her skin that was once fair, was now a light tint of blue. Ellanora cradled her mother’s frigid hand, trying to be courageous by holding back her tears. She wanted to present herself as how she was portrayed to be: strong, composed, and flawless. All of the elven maids around her were already in hysterics and they didn’t need to focus on consoling her as well. The maids were so lost within their emotions that they didn’t hear the creaking of a door opening. It was him. Ellanora’s supposed husband to be: Aluderon Vestiage entered the room.
He walked in with a stride of overconfidence and his demeanor sickened Ellanora to the core. Ellanora knew in her mind that Aluderon had something to do with this. She couldn’t prove how yet, but she knew he had a hand in this. For now, she decided to stay cordial in front of the maids. He rested his hand on his future wife’s shoulders and spoke softly around everyone who had been dripping with gloominess.
“May the princess and I have some privacy to grieve?” Aluderon said, more than asked, in his low voice.
The maids all paraded out of the room slowly and solemnly, with handkerchiefs in hand, their cries bellowing out into the hallway. Ellanora slapped Aluderon’s hands off her shoulder once everyone had left.
“What did you do?” Ellanora said, seething with rage.
Aluderon chuckled a bit and walked closer to the former queen. He caressed her face and looked at her now slowly decaying body. Ellanora rushed over to Aludeorn with vexation and heavy footsteps. Before the princess could once again slap Aluderon’s hand, he gripped the delicate hands of the princess, and shoved her up against a wall. Ellanora was now face to face with this brute who she had grown too despise. Despite his egregious behavior, his face wasn’t too atrocious and she knew how easily one could get lost in his alluring icy eyes. Ellanora hated herself for even considering that he was attractive especially due to the predicament she was now in. Aluderon formed a malicious sneer and leaned into Ellanora’s ear, whispering her fate.
“You know what this means right? We have to quicken the pace of this marriage since the kingdom will be left in squalor without new heirs to the throne.”
His hot breath lingered on Ellanora’s neck, her pale pointed ears now burning hot with embarrassment. The sheer defeat on Ellanora’s face was something Aluderon gained some sick pleasure in. As Aluderon backed away from the wall, freeing the princesses hands, he began to walk toward the giant marble white doors and before he opened them, he spoke once more.
“I will alert the elven maidens to prepare for a wedding. We will need to start sending invitations and get someone to bless our marriage from a church. So please get some preparations done as well.”
Before he left, he had one final remark to the soon to be queen.
“Oh and by the way, I hope you’re prepared to rule with an iron fist. I plan to have our military increased so we can take control of these wretched lands and make them…well…not as putrid.”
With that, Aluderon left the princess alone in the room filled with anguish and lingering feelings of hatred. Ellanora walked over to her mother’s bed and placed a warm hand on her mother’s frigid ones. Tears streamed down her face and splashed onto her mother’s beautiful gown. The pressure of all these events proved too much for her to bear. The death of her father, the kidnapping of her infant brother, and now the murder of her mother; the queen. Her family’s lineage had dwindled to nothing but herself. Being the only heiress to the Avourel throne made her feel like there was a weight slowly pushing her further into the Earth. Ellanora only wished for her mother to still be present with her at this very moment.
An endless river of tears continued to flow down Ellanora’s face and she lowered her head to where her mother’s heart used to beat. To think she was alive and joking with her just last night and now she is just a lifeless body. Worst of all, Ellanora knew who murdered her and there was nothing she could really do about it. Aluderon would soon become someone in power and already intimidated everyone in this castle. His power of charm, intelligence, and his threatening presence all combined made him a personification of what a king should never be. Ellanora knew should never sit upon the throne alongside someone of ill intent.
Ellanora’s emotions were running high and she felt she needed to escape. This castle bore nothing but horrid memories. This very castle felt as though it was under a curse that could not easily be broken. She knew Aluderon all along wanted to obtain stronger armed forces and by doing so, wanted to conquer lands by coercion. Ellanora wiped her salty tears from her face and decided that she needed to take immediate action. Before she finally left, Ellanora whispered the final words she would say to her mother.
“Goodbye mother, I will do right by you…I swear it!”
With this, Ellanora forcibly opened the heavy marble doors and was met with one of the elderly elven maidens that has always been by her side; Nestor. Nestor was someone who always watched over and cared for Ellanora; someone who was like a grandmother to her. Always complimenting and assisting Ellanora with her many words of wisdom. Her wrinkled face seemed more withered than usual due to her sullen expression. She spoke firmly and honestly, which Ellanora was not prepared for.
“He did it, didn’t he? He killed the queen.” Ellanora at first not wanting to answer and simply looked away biting her lower lip.
Nestor nodded, her head affirming her suspicions to be true. She grabbed Ellanora’s hand very suddenly and she implied she wanted the princess to follow her. Slowly, the elderly elf guided the princess to her quarters. Ellanora gazed at the pearly white castle filled with family portraits and priceless pieces of artwork her mother commissioned local artists outside of Bveria. This castle meant nothing to Ellanora, it no longer felt like her home. The fondness and warmth this place once had was gone and it felt more like a luxurious coffin.
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As her mind escaped, Nestor suddenly stopped in front of Ellanora’s bedroom. Nestor opened the door and Ellanora was shocked to see what was presented in front of her. It was new clothing, a green cloak made of rough material as well as a deep green tunic with plain pants. Brown leather boots were on the side of the bed and a belt with a holster attached which held a uniquely shaped dagger.
Before Ellanora could even react, the elderly maiden huddled over to the window and opened it. The cool spring breeze was inviting and this calmed Ellanora slightly, envisioning the springs she spent with her family. More memories flooded her mind of fond summer picnics with her parents outside the castle and her infant brother attempting to eat every bug that flew around him. Now, those memories were only solidified within her and felt as though they were being sucked into the abyss that was this castle.
“Ellanora, you need to leave this place. Go out into the world, gain a following, and fight for this castle. You are the proper heiress to this castle, Aluderon is a parasite who feeds off of those he can benefit from. Fight for us Ellanora. Do what’s right for all of us…”
Ellanora, confused by this approach questioned Nestor and the suddenness to leave.
“What do you mean Nestor? There is nothing more I can do, he has won. Besides I don’t understand the need to lea-”
Nestor interrupted the princess with what murmurs she heard from other maidens.
“Listen to me, he has been planning this from the very beginning. When your father, the king, had been in power all those years ago, Aluderon being his second in command, had been plotting…”
Ellanora, shocked to discover, remained silent, hoping Nestor would divulge in more detail.
“These are just whispers I have heard around the castle but Aluderon supposedly has outside communications with some very bad people. These scum of the Earth have pledged allegiance with him and over time, Aluderon has accumulated a following that is soon to get rid of everything both the king and queen have worked for and eventually…you.”
Silence lingered among both Ellanora and Nestor. Ellanora, shocked by this discovery, was at a loss for words.
“Nestor, but if I leave, wouldn’t this cause more tension? Wouldn’t that just escalate Aluderon’s plan?”
Nestor groaned at the mere thought but she needed to explain this further.
“Listen my dear princess, this very castle is going to be overrun with criminals and dark forces that will put you in even more danger than you are now. Aluderon has already set his plans in motion, we maidens believe he has something to do with your brother’s kidnapping as well as your parents death. He is not someone to be meddled with. He wants your lineage to disappear and his to rule. You need to gather forces of your own to fight off his secret armies. Escaping will also delay the wedding, which will also place him in a bad predicament. Without the blessing, he will not officially be deemed a king. However, he may already have some plans in place to take this kingdom over by force. Please princess, you need to do this for us and your own safety…”
With this, Ellanora leaned forward and embraced the hunched over elderly maid. Her knees buckled and once more, she weeped into the maidens tiny exterior. Nestor slowly put her ridged fingers through the princesses’ hair and soon joined her in silently sobbing. The embrace seemed to last a lifetime even though it was only a few short moments. Ellanora released her grasp and soon realized the responsibility that was placed on her. With the help of the elven maiden, Ellanora began to strip. Her once elegant yet tightly fitted dress was now exchanged for something that was loose fitting and something that would not catch the attention of many of the commoner folk.
She now gazed at herself in the mirror; she looked as though she was ready to steal from the rich. With this thought, she giggled at the mere irony of it all.
“Princess…there is one last thing you have to be rid of.” The elven maid held out her palms and Ellanora looked back into her mirror.
Her crown, her silver crown crusted with light blue crystals surrounding it. Ellanora slowly placed her hands around the crown and pulled it from her snow white hair. This hurt slightly as some of her hair slightly due to being entangled into a bit of the crown. She examined her crown and gazed upon it once more. Remembering when she was given the crown and remembering her mother’s gentle face once it was placed on Ellanora’s head. How proud her father was that day and how this made the princess feel at the time. With this last hint of heartfelt sentiment, she placed the crown into the elven maiden’s care.
With that, a thud startled the princess. Two wooden blocks were casually resting against her window and Nestor shuffled toward the window. Unlatching the opening, she gently pushed the window open and Ellanora followed to see what this commotion was. Looking down, Ellanora noticed some maidens placed a rather large sturdy wooden ladder against her side of the castle. A chariot awaited her below and Ellanora knew that this was her trusted steed she had since she was a child; “Opal”.
“Go princess, I have already informed the maidens of what will occur. They once charmed by Aluderon witnessed his very nature once they saw he nonchalantly murdered one of our own without any sympathy. You need to do this; for the kingdom of Bveria. We will not let this kingdom fall into darkness and with you gathering the proper forces we need to take over this castle once more! We will also delay this wretched wedding at any cost!”
Ellanora decided from this moment on, she needed to be the princess that everyone expected of her and with this, she went toward the window to begin her descent.
“I will do everything I can to save our kingdom! I will save Bveria!”
Ellanora rapidly went down the ladder and once at the bottom, climbed onto Opal. Ellanora gently tapped the sides of Opal to signal their departure. The horse immediately bucked forward toward the bridge that led to the outside of the kingdom. The elven maidens wish the princess luck in the distance and the hope that her journey provides nothing but solutions for their kingdom that will soon be in turmoil.
“Good luck princess, I hope you are guided by good spirits in your journey…” Nestor said, forlorn and worried for the princesses travel.
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While Ellanora began her journey of escape; something sinister was brewing in a hidden passageway deep within the bowels of the castle. This portion of the castle was not gleaming with white marble and not nearly as glossy. It was dark, covered in filth and dust that had rested there for years. Aluderon dusted off a mirror that had not a single crack in it, but the rust around the glass frame was aged to the point of crumpling.
Aluderon also dusted off a book that had a unique design of grooves and what seemed to be a picture of ruby colored eyes embedded into the book. Flipping through the pages, Aluderon coughed heavily due to considerable amounts of dust that lay dormant within each page. Clearing the cloud of dust by waving his hands through it, he finally found the page he needed to enchant the mirror.
“Convocatio a ælf, hereupon ante mei, I necessitas Elyce, for quod I necessitas to loquor.” With this, the mirror began to glow slightly.
A blurred image began to form in the mirror, the appearance may not have been great, but a sly voice trickled through the glass.
“My precious brother…how is your little take over going without me?” This voice belonged to none other than Elyce, that high pitched tone with hints of mischief with every word he spoke. Aluderon, slightly annoyed at Elyce’s teasing, groaned slightly, but ignored his comment when he addressed Elyce.
“Yes, it has been far too long brother. How are things on your end? You convince that dwarf to join our insurgence?”
Elyce giggled with sick pleasure. “Oh dearest brother, at last we can begin the final step of our plan.”