"Princess!" She sighed, almost fainting on the spot. "Do not frighten me so! Must you always wake so unladylike?"
She mumbled an apology, looking around the room. "How..?"
"Oh." she smiled knowingly, "Prince Gelane and his friend Mr. Warring brought you here." Her eyes twinkled. "I wonder how they found you?" Melora ignored her last comment knowing full well what it had meant.
"What happened to my clothes, Moranne?" She inquired irritably as she noticed the flowery silk nightgown she wore.
Moranne frowned. "Oh I got rid of those dreadful things. And I laid out something for tomorrow night's dinner that was a little more appropriate."
"Dinner?" Melora inquired as she searched under her bed for her clothes chest.
"Yes, of course." Moranne rolled her eyes. "Tomorrow is the feast to honor the Council. How could you forget? You were there just this morning."
Her muffled voice shot back from underneath her bed. "Oh you know I don't bother with those social show-offs."
The lady-in-waiting kneeled behind her mistress and spoke more firmly.
"But your father insists. Anyone who is anyone will be there, and it
would be a disaster if the king's only daughter was holed up in her
chambers."
The Princess popped her head back out from underneath the bed. "And when have I ever complied with anything he insisted upon? Besides, I do not care for socializing with those arrogant-"
Moranne gave her a look.
"Forget not your position."
She added slyly. "He told me not to let you out of my sights until the morrow."
"Hmph." She returned to her searching. She soon found what she was looking for, and emerged with her spare traveling clothes. It was a floor length, plain white tunic that was open on the sides. She also pulled out a black belt and her spare black knee-length boots and dusted them off.
"They're old, but they'll do." She said triumphantly.
Moranne stared at them in horror. "Princess no!" She ran across the room and attempted to pull them from Melora's hands. Melora got up quickly and darted out of her grasp.
"You can't wear that! Do you want to dishonor your father's good name?"
She turned around with a mischievous grin. "I'll wear it tomorrow too if you like it so much."
The Princess twirled around, once again eluding Moranne's outstretched hands, then quickly darted into her dressing room.
"YOU CAN'T WEAR THAT TO DINNER!!" Moranne screeched.
"Who said I was going to dinner?" She yelled back as she slammed the door in Moranne's face.
"Oooohh! That girl!" Moranne stomped her feet loudly. "You're going to be the death of me-!"
After no reply, she threw her arms in the air and paraded out of the room huffily. She called back in to Melora as she was leaving,
"You ARE going to dinner if I have to have your friends drag you there!
All of the important people will be there, INCLUDING the fathers of your
friends and the whole Council. I'm assigning the kings best guards to
personally keep you contained until then! You just try and leave this
castle!" She slammed the double doors shut and left, probably to tell her
father about her difficulty.
----------------------------------------------
Though the Princess only meant to give Moranne some trouble, the woman kept her word. Everywhere the Princess stepped, a guard lagged not more than twenty paces. She may have gotten some pleasure out of upsetting Moranne and disobeying the king, but for sake of her argument, she would toe the line. She might be sassy and a bit wild at times, but she was also level-headed and knew her boundaries. There were more important things at hand...
The king had summoned her early that morning, so at about 9:00 she arrived
in her father's personal quarters. The guards bowed her in and she walked
into the foyer where she was told to wait by Chaupon who acted as her
father's mediator. The king's personal chambers were huge; there was a room
for everything. His sleeping quarters and his lounging room opened up into
each other; his office and advising rooms were connected through large double
doors that opened up into the bigger waiting and foyer area. He also had a
training room and a room for each one of his advisors and personal guards.
All these room were attached to one another somehow, and was all that
consisted of north wing of the castle.
Instead of waiting for the king to be notified of her arrival, she followed Chaupon into the king's office. Here, he received instruction from his advisors, reports on all the going-ons in his kingdom, and did all of his paperwork. He was here most of the day, except for when he heard petitioners from other cities and kingdoms, and when he held meetings with some of his other high officials.
The king looked up from his papers as Chaupon opened the doors. Instead of announcing her, he simply nodded and closed the doors behind him. Melora bounced into a seat in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing as she folded her hands in her lap and waited for him to speak first. After a few moments, the king sighed, then removed his reading spectacles.
"How are you daughter? It has been quite a while since the castle has been graced with your presence. Don't tell me the only reason you are here is to petition the Council?" She picked up a note of doubt in his voice as if he didn't believe her motives for being here.
"I'm doing quite well, thank you. I was sent here by Master Benshe on special orders. The request I submitted, however, is of my own."
He nodded his head slightly and laid the papers he held in his hand down on his desk. "Have you had much trouble on Balderia?" This time he sounded hopeful. She hated to be the bearer of bad news.
"It looks as if we are losing the battle there. It could be remedied, but I doubt it will come to pass."
He shrugged his shoulders slightly and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "I trust you are well-kept?"
"Just fine thank you." She pursed her lips. The conversation was drawing to
a close. She was not much of a conversationalist and he didn't seem to have
much to say either. Why did he summon her if only to attempt at idle banter?
Their relationship hadn't been as clean, now that her mother was gone, and
she found that as she grew older she really didn't have much to say to him
anymore.
He opened his mouth as if to say more, but she cut him off. "Is there a particular reason why you called upon me?"
"Do you have something better to do?" He replied.
No, I just don't want to be here she thought inwardly. If her master hadn't been so adamant about their new plan, she would never have come back.
"No."
He nodded his head again. "I do have a few things I would like to discuss with you."
He continued on. "These are unstable times for the Alliance. The balance of power is shifting from the Cetra population to the select few. Some believe this to be in better interests considering the given situation. Others think it an omen for what is to come."
She knew what he spoke of. Master Benshe had been preparing her for years,
without her father's knowledge of course, for the day the skirmishes between
the Jenova and the Cetra would end, and the main war would begin. It had taken
her much mental and physical discipline and much time and many failures, but
she was beginning to see the changes in herself and in the corrupted people
around her.
He took a deep breath. "I think what you are doing is...good. You are using
your talents to serve your kingdom and that is something to be recognized.
However, you are the last remaining heir to the throne of Cailiris. There has
been much talk of competition for the throne. I would like to believe that
you and someday your children would continue the line, but there are changes
being made that I have no control over."
Now, her curiosity had gotten the better of her. It seemed that this was to be another one of his behavioral speeches, but..something was wrong.
"What has changed?" she inquired.
"As I said before, this is a delicate time. Some cannot be trusted. I'm sure you know this. When it's time for the crown to be passed on, I would like it to be in the hands of someone I trust."
She nodded in agreement. They had been over this before. Why was he repeating it again?
"What has changed so much, that you call me in here unexpectedly, and speak as if it is hard for you to say?"
"You are my daughter Melora, and I care for you, but you have also troubled me much and rebelled against any rule or law that you saw fit. That is unbecoming of a princess and unacceptable for a queen. I'm sorry that this has to be forced upon you but I have no say in the matter."
"Nothing is to be forced upon me. I may have had my share of trouble with
the Council or I have not upheld all the prim and 'proper' behaviors of a
delicate woman, but I cannot be someone I am not. I am not a delicate woman;
I am Gushido and I am the daughter of a king. There should be nothing wrong."
"You know I have always supported who you are. But I never condoned your escapades or your travels, because it took away from the time you should be here with your education and instruction."
"I have learned more abroad than I could ever learn here."
"Which may be true. But your place, Melora, where you belong, is here."
"And how would you know where my place is?" She countered.
"You are a princess."
"So I have to be tied to a throne?" She stood from her seat. "Marry and bare children, and live by someone else's rules? What of my desires? Who will help those who cannot help themselves?"
The king sighed heavily. "Leave that to the men, daughter."
"Why does it have to be this way? My own father, telling me I'm not allowed to be who I want? Why are the Cetra men those chosen-"
The king interrupted her. "I didn't make it this way! These are laws and
traditions that have been held ever since the beginning of our people!
You can't ignore the fact that men are born with offensive power but lack
the ability to cultivate and heal as the women do. Ask your Gushido spirit
if you will. These are the truths Melora and you cannot deny them."
She put her hands on his desk and leaned over. "But I-am-different. The prophets say I'm special. That I possess something that not many women before me have."
"I am sorry daughter." The king said sadly as he shook his head slowly.
"I have tried to appeal this. I have called in my last favor. We all must
abide by the same rules. If we do not stand together, we will fall apart.
What our people needs now is unity and you must be the one to bring it to
them."
"What other options do I have?"
"There are none. The law states that if there is no living male heir, the female heir must marry on her sixteenth birthday and bride and groom must receive the title of king and queen."
The Princess punched the desk in frustration. She turned her back to her father and said in between clenched teeth, "I won't be dictated to. I am not a possession."
The room was quiet for a while. The ticking of the clocks could be heard
from all the way out in the foyer. She kept her back to him, angry at what
he had said, but knowing full well it wasn't his fault. If anything, he had
stood up for her with the risk of losing his reputation and his popularity;
and she believed he had lost them both.
"What of you?" She finally said quietly.
The king shifted in his seat, then stood and walked to the window. He
put his hands behind his back and breathed deeply before he spoke. "That's
why I want you here, daughter. Because if you don't take the throne.
someone else will."
She turned around shocked. "But! You are king!"
"I know, I know." He waved his hands. "I have been slowly losing my influence over the Council, and now apparently over my own kingdom."
"But that's against our laws, our traditions! They can't dethrone a king!
Especially one as good and just as you are!"
The king turned around to face his daughter. She looked him in the eye.
"Do you really believe that?" He asked tentatively.
"Of course I do! And our people love you! I won't let this happen!"
"There's nothing you or I or anyone can do about it. Once the Council has decided that is the end of it."
He turned from his window to look at her. It was the most miserable she had seen him since...since her mother had died. He had never been as stricken as that day. Until now. She cast her eyes downward.
"This is my fault isn't it?" She agreed with herself. "If I hadn't been so much trouble, you wouldn't be on the chopping block."
"No Melora," he said firmly. "This is NOT your fault. Like I said
before, this has happened slowly. The corruption goes way before my time.
It was...inevitable."
She swallowed hard. Exhaling slowly, she walked slowly out of the room.
Before she got to the doors, her father called to her.
"Think about this before you make any rash decisions. Take some time alone if you like."
"But the guards have been on my tail all day," she said sarcastically.
"How am I supposed to do that?"
Her father replied teasingly. "Do I really have to tell YOU how to elude my guards?"
"No, I guess not." She laughed lightly. Then she turned somberly and departed from the king's chambers.