The Tragedy of Juvia and Gray
The sun shone through the glass pane window and reflected on the pale, ivory skin of a young maiden sitting across a huge mirror. She goes by the name of Juvia; the only child and heiress to the throne of King Capulet. She stares at her reflection, her pale complexion a strong contrast to her dark blue eyes. Her maid combed her hair that is the same shade of her eyes.
"Princess is anything the matter?" her lady-in-waiting asked; continuously combing her hair.
Juvia looked up; seemingly awoken from the trance she put herself into. Lately she has been distracting herself from so many things. Her royal duties as princess and as daughter have all been neglected with the princess choosing to dine in her chambers for the past week. "Oh… there is nothing to be covertly concerned about, my dear lady Lydia", she answered with a weak smile. "It's just the past few days, I have been thinking. In a few months' time, I will be introduced to the council and the kingdom as a lady. I am not sure I can bare that responsibility yet. Even more so, to be dealing with suitors as my father would want to have a ruler and to make alliances as quickly as possible."
Lady Lydia stopped combing Juvia's hair and placed her hands on the princess' shoulders; she leaned closer and looked at the princess through her reflection in the mirror. "You are more than ready, princess. The teachers and scholars have educated you well and Madam Lavonne has done everything in her power to teach you proper etiquette as did she your mother and other royals, and you did well in her book."
Juvia held her hands together and clasped them in front of her. "Really?" she gushed and spun around to meet her lady and best friend. "She said that?" Juvia stood up and held Lydia's hands. "I am at the top of her list? Me?" Lydia smiled and nodded. "Oh. She does not know!" Juvia giggled and pulled Lydia around spinning them both in circles.
"Oh! Princess! Stop!" squealed Lydia over the sound of their laughter and footsteps.
"Y-your Highness." a female squeak came from the doorway. Lydia and Juvia stopped and turned to face the speaker. Two of Juvia's handmaidens were standing at the doorway. "Lord Ralph, the royal messenger", she formally introduced and a man dressed in red with a hat and a huge feather bobbing on top of it entered. Both Juvia and Lydia straightened up.
Two taps of his staff on the floor and he starts speaking, "Your Royal Highness, His Majesty the King wishes to inform you that he will be leaving for Spain a day from now and would want your presence at the family banquet for dinner later tonight". Two taps on the floor.
"Please tell His Majesty that I will be present at the banquet tonight. That will be all." Juvia answered with a curt face. The messenger bowed and spun on his heel.
The moment the messenger stepped out, Juvia spun around and dropped on the bed. "Father's leaving again! He's always on these trips and mother again will be alone". She placed a hand on her forehead. "Do sit down, Lydia." Lydia sat on the bed beside Juvia. "Ladies, find a seat". She commanded and two of her ladies sat at a table across each other at the corner of the room.
"There, there, Princess" Lydia tapped Juvia's hand. "His Majesty has long since made the kingdom a peaceful place for us all. He has been doing his duty for more than a decade now. His father before him has fought a good fight to save us all from the grasps of the Ice Kingdom and—"
"Oh, hush now, Lydia!" Juvia answered back. "I know this story by heart! I am just fed up that father still has to keep on travelling. For all I know, he is having a mistress and mother will be stripped off her title! I saw how miserable she is, the dark circles under her eyes do not lie! She has lacked sleep for so long already, I'm afraid her health is waning!"
"Princess! Please! You do not know what you are talking about. His Majesty has been very troubled and as his beloved, Her Majesty shares the same sentiments. They are both troubled", Lydia said solemnly.
"Why, Lydia?" Juvia asked. But Lydia refused to answer and instead chose to look outside the window. Juvia understood that they are sworn never to speak of what they know. And she felt betrayed that her best friend would do that to her. Nevertheless, Lydia was only doing as what her title commands her to do, despite the closeness that they both shared and Juvia clearly understood that. She made a mental note to ask her parents.