The waves rocked the wooden boat back and forth, the storm growing stronger and the thunder shaking the sea. Small lights swung in the cabin and objects were thrown around the room where a princess was huddled on her bed as her handmaiden and best friend did her best to catch the more expensive and breakable objects before they fell to the floor.
"Why did we even have to come?" the princess asked as she wrapped her arms around her legs.
"This trip has been a long time coming," the maid said as she caught a glass bottle of perfume before it shattered on the wooden floor of the ship, "your father could not have put it off any further."
"I don't see why not," the princess whined, "my father is quite good at buying time."
"Yes, Your Highness, but His Majesty had already bought as much time as he could. You have been of age for over two years."
"And what of it?" the princess snapped her head over to her maid who was placing the glass in an open dresser surrounding the breakable objects around soft linens. "Father knows how much I hate the cold and yet he still makes me travel to the coldest regions of the world to marry some prince I know nothing about."
"Your father made the betrothal agreement when you and Crown Prince Helia were mere infants. I don't think your father knew how much you would grow to dislike the cold. The marriage between Prince Helia of Hademort and Princess Krystal of Linphea will be an advantageous one."
Krystal sighed as she pulled her knees even further up to her chest, "You are so lucky that you don't have to do any of this, Flora. That you can marry for love."
Flora sat down on the edge of the bed, the breakable objects in the room secured in a safe and padded spot. She placed a tan hand on Krystal's knee.
"You know that marriage is not in my future, Your Highness. I am meant to serve you and then serve your children until I die. That is my role as your handmaiden and as the Guardian of Linphea."
Krystal turned to look at Flora, a pang of sadness covered her pale features.
"Life is so unfair."
Flora giggled, "Yes, Your Highness. But I say that you can either make the most of it or wallow in self-pity. Besides," Flora stood up to grab Krystal's things for bed, "I have heard that when it snows on Hademort, the ground glistens like thousands of diamonds have scattered throughout the pure, white snow."
"Always so poetic, Flora." Krystal rolled her eyes as she watched Flora lay out her sleeping gown. Krystal did her best to gracefully rise to her feet but the rocking of the boat caused her to stumble.
"Careful, Your Highness." Flora walked over to help Krystal stabilize on her feet.
"Thank you, Flora. I don't know where I would be without you."
A small blush colored Flora's cheeks as she held onto Krystal's forearm.
"And I don't think that I would be able to do this on my own." Krystal continued as she found her balance on the rocking boat, preparing herself so that Flora could change her, "I have heard that King Azrael is a cruel man. I heard that prisoners are sent to the mines in the mountains and are never heard from again. That Queen Viviana had been poisoned by King Azraell's men on his orders after she could not conceive again after Prince Helia was born. And I heard that Prince Helia is just as cruel. Will I face the same fate as Queen Viviana if I fail to produce an heir?"
"Rumors are terrible and are not to be believed, Your Highness." Flora began to untie and loosen Krystal's lilac corset that covered a sheer off-white gown.
"Princess Diaspro says that it is true."
"Princess Diaspro is a prevaricator and loves to exaggerate." Flora scoffed as she slipped the corset from around Krystal's waist and removed the white gown.
"Well, how do you know that what she says isn't true?" Krystal turned to face Flora as Flora placed her sleeping gown over Krystal's naked body. "You have not met them."
"I have not." Flora replied, "But I think that it is better to meet someone without judgment. Let the person speak for themselves."
Krystal slipped into bed and under the thick layers of lavender-colored bedding, "But what if they are as bad as Diaspro says?"
"Then as the Guardian of Linphea and the Handmaiden of Princess Krystal, First of Her Name, I-"
"And best friend." Krystal smiled up at Flora as she put away Krystal's clothes, "You forgot best friend."
"Yes, that too, Your Highness. I will find a way to allow you to escape." Flora went over to the small lantern in the corner of the room that hung from the ceiling. It swung in time with the rocking of the boat. Flora caught the swinging lantern and blew out the candle, submerging the room into darkness with the silver light of the moon providing a soft glow through a small window.
"Now, sleep, Your Highness. We will be arriving in Hademort tomorrow and you will want to be prepared for whatever evils that might come your way."
"Ha ha," Krystal sarcastically laughed as she settled into bed, resting her head on the fluffy pillows, "very funny. Goodnight, Flora."
"Sleep well, Your Highness."
Opening the door, Flora left Kyrstal's chambers and made her way down the stairs to the bottom of the ship to the servants' quarters to prepare for bed and the next day. A day that would change the course of her life.
There was a loud tapping on the dark oak doors awakening a slumbering prince as the first light of day streaked through his bedroom window.
Helia grumbled as the knocking continued, wondering who could possibly be knocking at this early hour. He had always been a morning person but never waking at such an ungodly hour.
"What is it?" Helia called out to the person knocking on his door.
"Your Highness," a weathered voice called out from behind his door, "we must prepare you for today."
Today? What was so important about today? Helia turned in his bed, placing his pillow over his head as he did his best to fall back asleep for at least a few more hours.
As if reading his mind, the man answered Helia's unsaid question, "Princess Krystal will be arriving in the early afternoon and your father wants you to greet her at the pier."
Helia groaned. Oh yes, Princess Krystal, his bride, would be arriving today. She was finally coming, two years later than expected but Helia did not mind. Better late than never.
He knew that the day would come eventually. The day where his duty to marry a princess from a far-off land, produce an heir, and wait until his father died before he would eventually ascend to the throne was put in motion. His life had been all about waiting and today, something was finally happening.
Rolling over to the side of his bed, Helia placed his feet on the fur carpet that covered the cold stone floor of his bedroom. He ran his pale hands through his long, dark hair before rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Reaching out beside him, Helia found the warm black robe that hung from the post of his bed and wrapped it around his bare torso.
"Come in!" Helia finally called out to the person on the other side of the door.
The oak door swung open and a small, older man walked in through the door carrying a pile of black cloth. Helia groused as he saw the familiar military-style pins on top of the fabric, letting him know that his father had expected him to wear something formal. Of course, meeting the woman who would soon become his bride was a formal affair but his father would not waste an opportunity to show the strength and might of Hademort; to intimidate the people who would soon become family. To show that Hademort was the superior country and that Azrael was in charge.
"His Majesty also requires your presence at breakfast, Your Highness." the old man announced as he entered further into the large bedroom, placing Helia's clothes on the small table in the corner of the room next to the large wardrobe.
Helia stood up from his bed and slipped on a pair of wool slippers, providing a warm barrier to the cold stone as he made his way over to a table that held two glasses and a decanter of whiskey that had been left over from the previous night. Grabbing a glass, Helia poured the amber liquid into the clear cup and threw the liquid to the back of his throat.
"Your Highness..."
"You said that my father wanted to meet me for breakfast," Helia poured himself another shot, "best to come prepared."
"But Princess Krystal-"
"I don't need a lecture first thing in the morning, Saladin!" Helia slammed the glass down onto the silver tray on the table. Taking a deep breath, Helia straightened his back and shoulders and turned to look at the old man. "Thank you for waking me, now leave so that I may prepare for the day."
Saladin gave Helia a look of sadness and pity as he turned on his heels and made his way to the large doors of the bedroom.
"His Majesty expects you there within the hour."
When the door shut behind the old man, Helia brought the glass up to his lips and drank down the amber liquid left inside that had not splashed out when he had slammed it against the tray. Swallowing the whiskey, Helia looked at the beautiful crystal glass, wondering if Princess Krystal was just as beautiful. He had heard stories of her beauty and the beauty of the lush and green Linphea. He felt bad that someone like her would now have to spend the rest of her life in the cold and bleak land of Hademort, living under the rule of his father.
Helia set the glass down carefully on the silver tray and walked to the corner of his large bedroom to grab his clothes that sat on the small wooden table. He made his way into the bathroom to the side of his room and set his clothes on the marble countertop next to the large washing basin. He took off his robe and sleeping pants, standing in the nude and looking at his reflection, hating how much he looked like his father. The same angular jawline, razor straight nose, dark hair, and pale skin.
He had always been told that he had his mother's eyes. Blue like the color of day transitioning to night and the same discerning yet gentle gaze.
Helia exhaled before grabbing a black towel and got ready for the day ahead of him.
Heavy boots hit the stone floors of the palace as Helia made his way down the long corridors from his room to the main dining room. He walked ramrod straight, his hands behind his back as he walked with strength and grace; just like his father had taught him. Dressed in his formal attire of all black. Black leather boots, black trousers, and a black buttoned coat over a black shirt. Silver pins covered his breast and his hair had been pulled into a low ponytail.
As he approached the large wooden door of the dining room, Helia could hear the bellows of his father's commands at the servants of the palace. He stopped before taking in a deep, calming breath and placing his hand on the cold, black, metal handle of the door. He pressed down, pushing down the handle and swinging open the large wooden door.
The smell of salted meat and bread rushed through the air and into Helia's nose. The dining room had been cloaked in an ominous dimness as the only light had been the sun peeking through the slender windows surrounding the large dining room. A large black, wooden table stood in the center of the room and King Azraell, his father, had taken residence at the head of the table.
Helia heard the door shut behind him as he stood still at the foot of the large dining room table, waiting for his father to acknowledge him.
"Prince Helia." King Azrael's deep voice greeted Helia unenthusiastically.
He had also inherited his father's voice, a deep and smooth sound, sure to seduce any being into the trap that he had set out for them.
"Your Majesty." Helia formally greeted his father. One of the many practices that had been beaten into him by his father at a young age.
"Sit, boy."
Helia took a seat at the foot of the table, opposite his father. He hated it when his father had called him that. Twenty-six years old and his father still insisted on calling him "boy" as if he were some petulant child, spitting out the insult.
"I never thought that Titus would ever send his daughter." Azrael scoffed as he cut his breakfast, "I was looking forward to sending a legion to Linphea and giving him a piece of my mind."
Helia sat quietly as he filled his plate with the food that had been set on the table. He knew better than to argue with his father, both of them knowing that Queen Rachel had been ill and King Titus had been preoccupied. Helia couldn't blame him for keeping Krystal as long as possible. King Titus knew what Hademort was like, and prolonging his daughter's misery was a wise choice. But all things had to come to an end and everyone one day must face their inevitable fate.
"You two should have been married and her belly filled with your royal seed, pregnant with your third child."
Helia wanted to gag. Third? In only two years? Had his father only thought of the princess as a royal breeder?
"Your mother had been pregnant right after our wedding night and..."
At the mention of his mother, Helia knew to tune out. His father never followed up any mention of his late mother with a compliment or a fond tale of their time together. All of the stories that he wanted to hear came from the older members of the palace staff, their recollection of his late mother being more palatable than that of his father's.
Helia nibbled at the piece of salted pork, thinking about how the people of Linphea were vegetarians. What would Princess Krystal and her entourage that she brought from Linphea eat? Vegetation rarely grew in Hademort other than potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables that could survive the cold. It was bad enough that Krystal and her servants would join a palace that held his father in a land that was foreign and frigid, the least that Hademort could do was make sure that they were fed.
"...bunch of tree fuckers."
Helia was brought back to his father's ramblings and insults about the people that would soon become his people. Why had his father agreed to the betrothal if he had thought so low of Linphea? Wouldn't have Dyamond been a more agreeable match? His father had gotten along well with King Zane and Queen Eira and they had a daughter his age, Icy, but Helia had heard that she could be a real witch.
"Eat up, boy." Azrael pointed to Helia's full plate with the tip of his knife, "You are to set out with the rest of the guard to the pier to greet your bride. You will not embarrass me by showing weakness due to an empty stomach."
Helia looked down at his plate and stabbed his fork through a pile of eggs.
"Yes, sir."
"What is that?" Krystal sneered as she pointed to a navy blue wool dress that Flora had held in front of her.
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Flora asked, "It's a dress."
"But it's so dark and thick."
Flora dropped her arms, the dress falling at hip level, "I will not have you freezing in the gowns that you used to wear in Linphea. The seamstress packed warmer gowns and navy blue is one of the colors of Hademort. It would do you well to make a good first impression and part of that good first impression is not catching frostbite."
"And what about you?" Krystal asked as she arched an eyebrow and looked at Flora's gown. A simple blush pink gown made of a light tulle material that wrapped around her bust and abdomen before flowing down to her feet, a gown not made for the blistering cold of Hademort.
"Do not worry about me, Your Highness. I have my cloak if I become too cold."
Krystal huffed before she rose from her bed and held out her arms, allowing Flora to begin dressing her.
"It itches...and it's heavy," Krystal complained as the thick wool hit her soft and pale skin.
"I am sorry that you are uncomfortable, Your Highness." Flora apologized as she began to tighten and tie the sleek ribbon of the tan corset that sat on top of the dark blue gown.
Flora continued to dress Krystal in silence, Krystal looking out of the small window of her room on the wooden ship. After months of being at sea, she would be landing in Hademort. Today was the day that she would be meeting her future husband and the future King of Hademort. It finally hit her that she would be the queen of a land that was so different than the one that she grew up in.
"What if they don't like me?" Krystal's usual confidence was overtaken by the fear of inadequacy.
"Why do you say that?" Flora asked as she began placing jewelry on Krystal, the silver of the jewelry gleaming under the light that came in through the window.
"I don't know these people and they don't know me. What if..." Krystal took in a deep breath, "what if I am not good enough? What if the people don't accept me as their queen when the time comes for Prince Helia to take over the country?"
Flora's hands stilled over Krystal's body after fastening a necklace around her pale neck. Flora thought about what to say to try to appease the young princess.
"If I may speak candidly, Your Highness," Flora waited for Krystal's approval that quickly came with a soft nod, "you are one of the kindest, caring, smartest, and most beautiful people that I have ever met. The people of Hademort and the prince himself would be fools not to accept you and fall in love with every part of you, Your Highness. You will be an amazing queen to whoever is lucky to have you."
Krystal smiled, a blush covering her face in deep pink.
"You are wrong," Krystal remarked.
Flora looked at Krystal, confusion marring her face.
"I am afraid that you have just described yourself, my dear Flora."
Flora threw her head back with a laugh before resuming her preparation of Krystal. Twisting Krystal's hair up into a sleek bun in the style that the women of Hademort wore their hair. Flora soon felt a chill creep onto her skin, sending a shiver down her body. The sound of a bell could be heard on the deck of the ship followed by the thundering sound of feet running along the wooden deck, preparing the ship for docking.
They were here. Finally having reached Hademort.
Krystal turned to face Flora, grabbing tan hands in hers. She exhaled and her breath hung in a soft cloud in front of their faces.
"We're here," Krystal whispered, closing her eyes and preparing herself for what awaited them on the shore.