One of my most cherished memories with my family was picnic day. Well, it wasn't really a picnic but we were able to get away from the palace for some time.
It was a sunny day, with a clear bright sky, and bright green grass. Mother decided to get away from the palace WITHOUT her Arven guards, so she was wearing a little more Silent Stone than usual. We still went with some Sentinels, to ensure our safety, though they had to stay a certain distance away from us. I was nine years old at the time
Father still has some court duties to attend to so he'll arrive later. He's usually busy so it's not that much of a surprise. Ruling a country is hard work.
He told us to go first as to not waste time so we quickly dressed ourselves in plain clothing. There's no use wearing something expensive to a day outside, and we were too excited to spend time on needless dressing. I wore a bright yellow dress (I like yellow), Gisa in a light pink dress, and Mother in a turquoise-blue dress. They were all identical, with woven hats and bows matching our dress colour. We also brought a basket filled with pastries and mini desserts.
We were transported a little while just outside the city, by the mountain with fertile green grass. The air was clean and smelled fresh, like nature and the sun was so bright outside. I remember Shade jumping out of the transport, eager to get outside. He noticed a willow tree at the top of the hill, the ideal place to sit under.
Father finally arrived in his own transport. Even though we are a picture of power in public, we are still human and for the first time in a long time, we look like a normal family. A normal family without the burden of a crown. Father was never a family person but today is different. The even with the weight of the crown on his head, there is no way he won't spend the day with us. We come first as always since we're family.
Father and Mother sit beside each other, both of them keeping watch over us. I think it's calming for them to see us happy, especially Mother. We are a reminder to her, a bright spot in her sea of darkness. Mother has faced evil too many times. Sometimes, I would wake up in the night to hear her screaming from a bad nightmare, and Father trying to calm her down. It used to bother me, but now that I'm older it runs chills down my spine. I don't want to know what happened before.
A little while later, Gisa and I both ran out of energy, breathing hard, after chasing Shade for a long time. He's much faster than I expected, even with a lean physique. We decided to go home when the sun started to dim a little bit. Since Father cam on his own transport, we had two of them. Father and Mother stayed in one and we shared the other. We laughed and joked about everything we saw as a way to pass the time.
Everything went well that day. We had lots of fun and freedom, being not princes or princesses but human beings. And I think it was refreshing. Something to remind me, and keep me comfort for the future.
Note: I couldn't find the actual type of dress they were wearing but if you found the pink dress in the live Cinderella film, that should be close enough.
Elara is blind to the relationship between her parents. She only knows what she sees and due to being a young child, she's too young to know about their past. I don't know if I should make a chapter for this because I haven't actually formulated an outline yet. I'll try my best though XD
I might post a chapter from Mare's and Maven's point of view in that memory but I'm still deciding (highly unlikely...)