I once believed I could witness every existence possible. As an heiress, things I didn't have to witness simply didn't matter. Some say knowledge is power, others say it attracts death. That's why we as humans always choose ignorance over knowing for knowing never brought anything good.
Though interestingly father has always said that the fear that comes from the unknown has always been humans greatest flaw. As an heiress, a flaw is inexcusable and a weakness I couldn't afford. Naturally I myself faced such fear I never shouldn't have thought so lowly. At least now I understand why it's humans greatest flaw.
Eyes, blue as the sky that bores down their baseborn capital, remains unmoving from the barely formed clouds of the midmorning. Her free wild golden hair cascades down her mid back, shining from the burning sunlight, barely moving from the little breeze that passes through the huge open window she peers out of.
Repeatedly blinking away flashes of nightmares that kept her up the whole night like a premonition, she instinctively gripped at her emerald amulet dangling from a dark rope around her neck for a sense of comfort.
"Your royal highness?" The servus requested for attention, kneeling behind her with their head tucked down. She lets out a small hum giving the servus permission to continue. "The king is ready to receive you."
Her hand tightly curls on the stone arch window in silence letting the servus shuffle nervously behind her before she waved a hand of dismissal.
She looks at the opposite way the servus scrambles away from, landing her gaze on the huge bronze door with inscribed stone archways guarded by the Praetorian Guards.
Gathering her wits and courage she marches up to the door with a straight posture, her blue light chiton fluttering behind her. The royal guards opened the door letting her pass wordlessly into the barren room except for the two souls occupying it at the moment as the guards closed the door shut behind her.
"Your majesty." She greets, gaze firmly planted at the artistic mosaic below awaiting the order of the sitting king in front of her that continues to let the deafening silence hang heavily as he assesses her, making her fidget away from his judgeful view using the hand where her gold signet ring is worn.
Finally the sound of his toga shifting from the movement of his hand raising, acknowledges her. So in quick succession she walks up the stairs of the platform to his sitting form, taking his elevated bony wrinkly hand in hers and proceeds to lean down to kiss his cheek and later takes a step back down all while keeping her sight locked to the ground.
"My news for you is best if you are looking at me my dear." He coaxed shakily with only a sliver of authority.
She slowly raises her gaze up from the gold curule chair he hangs onto, to the white tunic and purple toga hanging from his bony figure, his thin light brown hair hides near identical eyes like hers if not for the lack of life from it. The only thing amiss was his weaving gold laurel crown that he had always adorn since the decline of their family's popularity.
"I know you are rightfully aware of the reputation of our kingdom's mandatory military training." The king utters looking down at her daring her to object.
Ah so that is what this is about. Renata sighs looking back down smiling politely despite the bitter taste. "Yes I am fully aware that after this coming 18th birthday of mine I will be undergoing the said law."
"Actually there is an adjustment to that my love." She looks up surprised at the happy note of his voice. "There is a calling for you." The king opens his arms, smiling softly, dazing Renata to walk up to him.
Perhaps I don't have to undergo the mandated military training. She reluctantly smiles back at her father, letting him hold her arms softly.
"Renata, know that I have done everything in my power to pull you out of this." Renata's smile drops at her father's sincerity that oozes with ominous comfort.
"You remember what happened to the vacation I allowed away from here, just for you?" Her father queried, appearing earnest.
"Of course… how could I forget such an event like that in my familiar life?" Renata's eyes grew misty, throat clogging wishing for her father to embrace her than the cold clutches on her arms.
"No, No, No— What happened to you was a blessing, a gift!" Her father's eyes widened with life. "YOU can see. YOU are leading the balance back. YOU can redeem us from the gods wrath." Her father squeezes her arms with starling strength.
"Wh-what are you talking about?!" Renata demanded thinking that maybe madness had truly taken her father in those moments when her father looked around in a crazed manner looking for non-existing presence.
"Father…" Renata softly calls raising a hand to cup her father's hallowed cheek to wake. Renata's father catches her approaching arm pulling her sharply towards him, almost making her crash down to him if she hadn't caught herself against the armrest.
"A chaos brewed silently throwing our world off balance—Dangering our kingdoms! It's all because of them!" Her father spitefully whispered. "It was never us! It's the unseen's fault!" Her father madly declared with relief.
Renata fearfully looks at her father's mad eyes and tries to wrench her arm free from her father's bruising grip.
"LISTEN TO ME! I'm your king!" Renata flinches frozen at her father's booming voice.
Her father tugs her arm back whispering lowly, eyes dim. "You will train the ways of war for two suns then you will go willingly to the newly formed militant's first gathering, formed by different kingdoms." Each word brought tears to Renata's eyes, filling it but never letting it fall.
"I don't have a choice… don't I?…" Renata chokes back her sob with a sniff. Standing up, her father's eyes finally soften letting her go.
"No, my love." Her father stands groaning with great difficulty, taking Renata, holding her close when she tries to distance herself.
"I really did everything I could to leave you out yet it remained fruitless." He whispered earnestly with a tinge of regret, laying Renata's head on his jutting bony chest embracing her. Despite only hearing his rattling breathing Renata can't help but snuggle to seek his unreturned warmth. Her wished hold brought nothing but dread to her deprived heart.
Renata peels herself off her father's arms feeling smothered by it.
"Is that all your majesty?" Renata sniffs backing away back in the form of a proper princess. While her father topples back to his curule chair wheezing.
"You'll go to the training camp three stars from now." Her father pants and said no more with a wave of his hand in dismissal, his eyes unfocused.
"May the gods grant you a longer life, King Matias. " Renata tilts her head at a degree, walking backwards with no more acknowledgement from the king.
Renata turns around to pull the rope attached to a bell outside for the guards to open the bronze door when the king calls her by her name, halting her movement for escape that she barely turns her head to signify her attention.
"Speak of this to no one." The king's weak voice carried through the silence. His daughter looks at his pitiful figure before pulling the rope not needing to respond for the king's sane mind no longer occupies the room.
Renata in a daze lets her feet carry her away from her father's suffocating audience room. Leading the balance back? As ridiculous as that is, leading the militant at the helm will greatly favour their family. Being hailed as a hero will paint even the vilest creature as cleanse, that she knows.
I really did everything I could to leave you out yet it remained fruitless. Renata scoffs at the blatant lie of the so-called king. Nearing her study, Renata passes some patrolling praetorian guards along the way as she continues to reminisce with building tension.
Know that I have done everything in my power to pull you out of this. What power? The power you so heedlessly grasps at? The power you exceedingly lost the moment I was born? The moment none of your children was born a male? Power that you will regain by sacrificing me?...
Renata spitefully curses her father, opening her study's door before the standing royal guard can, she slams the door shut watchful for any servus shadow inside.
Renata heaves eyes scanning her finely decorated study trying to stop the itch but her feet pulled her to the small chest on her shelves and before she knows it she's already kneeling beside the couch in front of her study table used for hosting audiences now ripped apart with cotton spilling out all from her dagger's sharpness that continues to go rabid as she slashes and stab. Whereas her study table took a swipe from her removing the objects laying on it making them fall to the ground with her inkwell spilling on her red carpet with intricate designs.