Enjoy.
---
“Don’t cry, my darling, don’t cry, it was just a bad dream” cooed the young mother to her crying little one as she held the girl gently to her bosom. The mother’s eyes were troubled, their blue depths fogged with worry and fear of the faith that she had had and her daughter had now inherited from her. It was not the girl’s destiny to live the easy life of a princess, and then a queen like her mother before her. She was a princess, and would be a queen when she grew older, but easy her life would not be.
The queen stroked the soft black hair on her little girl’s head soothingly, soon calming the princess and leaving her to nibble on the solid golden bracelet on the wrist of the stroking hand.
“Just a bad dream” the soft voice repeated, trying to convince it’s owner that that was really all it was. She took off the bracelet and lay it in her crib, and with it the sleepy girl whose chubby hands grasped around it to resume the nibbling. “In love with jewelry already…and how lovely it will look on you” the queen smiled.
The royal lady took docile steps away from the crib, the hem of her dress swishing and dragging over the marble floors. She sat down at the escritoire in the corner of the richly colored room, opening a drawer and taking out a book, freshly bound with golden thread and a dark red cover. The book had white, empty pages, meant to be written on by the future owner when she would be ready: once she would reach the age of sixteen; no sooner, no later. 'Aine' it said on the cover, an embroidery of curly golden letters. And beneath it, in the same letters, 'Book of Dreams'
Slender, soft fingers caressed the curves of the letters as they had just caressed the young child’s baby hairs. The queen sighed, opening the dairy and gently folding the first page back to leave it forever unwritten. She took a quill and dipped it into the dark ink. “Where do I begin to tell you…”
--- Five years later ---
"My Queen..." A man in his late fourties called as he strode out of his study behind the great hall of the royal libraries. He had a worried look on his face. "Reinierd's forces are attacking the premises as we speak, M'lady. It's not safe for you to be here."
The young queen looked up from the book she had thoughtfully taken off the shelves. She looked weary. "Oh, Damenstrius, you know how much I resent staying in my quarters all day."
The librarian sighed, a slow smile creeping into his features. "Yes, M'lady Lianna, I know..." he said, gently taking her elbow and guiding her back towards the door. "But it's much safer to stay there. I can bring you some books if you like. I also found a lovely set of tales you could read to your daughter." he said in an attempt to cheer her up. She was beginning to lose hope, everyone could see. Her heavenly blue eyes had begun to lose their brightness. Damenstrius hated to see her so sad. She had carried on the task of her husband so well since he died, defending her kingdom and raising a child all by herself. Damenstrius helped where he could, but his attempt to cheer her up did not seem to help much this time.
"I'm tired of it all, Damenstrius..." Lianna said as they walked back towards her quarters. "This war, I'm tired of it. It never ends." she sighed.
Damenstrius frowned with worry. "Of course it will, M'lady. Of course it will. Why don't you just get some rest, you deserve it, and you'll feel better in the morning. Sleep does wonders, I promise."
"You would look after Aine if anything happened to me right?" asked the queen suddenly, stopping him in the corridor, just around the corner from her room where they were still out of earshot from the guards. She turned him towards her and looked at him intently, eyes prying, searching for honesty in the older man's eyes. She needed an honest answer.
Damenstrius blinked, caught off guard and confused. "Of course, M'lady." he said, clearly. "I'd protect her with my life, you have my word... but nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe here, there are a thousand guards and an army of knights here to protect you." he said, "And there's always me. I'll protect you, too." he added, only half serious. He meant what he said, though he knew there was no way he could possibly protect the queen from Reinierd's men if the royal knights were defeated. "Get some rest, M'lady."
Queen Lianna smiled at the librarian, but her smile was overshadowed by a beautiful sadness. "Thank you, Damenstrius." she said, bowing her head to him as she backed away from him and then turned, disappearing around the corner. Damenstrius stared at the empty space where his beloved queen had stood a moment ago. What was with her lately? He shook himself, frowning, and left.
The guards stationed in front of the queen's door bowed low as she strode past, while one of them opened her door for her. She paid them no heed and paused as they closed the door once more as soon as she had entered her chambers. She glanced to the door to her right, behind which, her five year old daughter lay sleeping peacefully in her bed. Barely making a sound, the young queen moved over to the door and opened it soundlessly, a beam of light falling onto the sleeping girl's face. She did not wake. Making sure not to wake the girl up, the queen sat down on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep for a while with a soft smile on her face. She looked so much like her father. If only he had not died before his time, everything would've been alright. "I love you..." the loving mother cooed quietly to the little girl and kissed her brow. There was no motion, not a stir in the peaceful face. Lianna stood and walked back to her own chambers, casting a look back at the bed just before she closed the door.
Now she would follow her librarian's advice. Without taking the time to exchange her daily attire for her nightgown, she rested down onto the bed and closed her eyes with a sigh.
---
"Lianna." he said. "What are you doing?"
She looked over her shoulder, her hair swept up by the wind that blew from the valley below. "I'm tired. It's never going to end."
He looked worried, tentively taking a step forward, an aching fear gripping his heart. "Yes it is, Lianna. You'll get through this. You're stronger than this. Your kingdom will survive him." he urged, holding out his hand to her. It was shaking. "Reinierd is a coward. You'll win."
Lianna looked back at him, tears brimming on her lashes. "I can't. It'll end with me." she said, and took a step forward, where there was no more rock to support her. Down she plunged, into the deep, with only the solid earth below to catch her.
The queen stroked the soft black hair on her little girl’s head soothingly, soon calming the princess and leaving her to nibble on the solid golden bracelet on the wrist of the stroking hand.
“Just a bad dream” the soft voice repeated, trying to convince it’s owner that that was really all it was. She took off the bracelet and lay it in her crib, and with it the sleepy girl whose chubby hands grasped around it to resume the nibbling. “In love with jewelry already…and how lovely it will look on you” the queen smiled.
The royal lady took docile steps away from the crib, the hem of her dress swishing and dragging over the marble floors. She sat down at the escritoire in the corner of the richly colored room, opening a drawer and taking out a book, freshly bound with golden thread and a dark red cover. The book had white, empty pages, meant to be written on by the future owner when she would be ready: once she would reach the age of sixteen; no sooner, no later. 'Aine' it said on the cover, an embroidery of curly golden letters. And beneath it, in the same letters, 'Book of Dreams'
Slender, soft fingers caressed the curves of the letters as they had just caressed the young child’s baby hairs. The queen sighed, opening the dairy and gently folding the first page back to leave it forever unwritten. She took a quill and dipped it into the dark ink. “Where do I begin to tell you…”
--- Five years later ---
"My Queen..." A man in his late fourties called as he strode out of his study behind the great hall of the royal libraries. He had a worried look on his face. "Reinierd's forces are attacking the premises as we speak, M'lady. It's not safe for you to be here."
The young queen looked up from the book she had thoughtfully taken off the shelves. She looked weary. "Oh, Damenstrius, you know how much I resent staying in my quarters all day."
The librarian sighed, a slow smile creeping into his features. "Yes, M'lady Lianna, I know..." he said, gently taking her elbow and guiding her back towards the door. "But it's much safer to stay there. I can bring you some books if you like. I also found a lovely set of tales you could read to your daughter." he said in an attempt to cheer her up. She was beginning to lose hope, everyone could see. Her heavenly blue eyes had begun to lose their brightness. Damenstrius hated to see her so sad. She had carried on the task of her husband so well since he died, defending her kingdom and raising a child all by herself. Damenstrius helped where he could, but his attempt to cheer her up did not seem to help much this time.
"I'm tired of it all, Damenstrius..." Lianna said as they walked back towards her quarters. "This war, I'm tired of it. It never ends." she sighed.
Damenstrius frowned with worry. "Of course it will, M'lady. Of course it will. Why don't you just get some rest, you deserve it, and you'll feel better in the morning. Sleep does wonders, I promise."
"You would look after Aine if anything happened to me right?" asked the queen suddenly, stopping him in the corridor, just around the corner from her room where they were still out of earshot from the guards. She turned him towards her and looked at him intently, eyes prying, searching for honesty in the older man's eyes. She needed an honest answer.
Damenstrius blinked, caught off guard and confused. "Of course, M'lady." he said, clearly. "I'd protect her with my life, you have my word... but nothing is going to happen to you. You're safe here, there are a thousand guards and an army of knights here to protect you." he said, "And there's always me. I'll protect you, too." he added, only half serious. He meant what he said, though he knew there was no way he could possibly protect the queen from Reinierd's men if the royal knights were defeated. "Get some rest, M'lady."
Queen Lianna smiled at the librarian, but her smile was overshadowed by a beautiful sadness. "Thank you, Damenstrius." she said, bowing her head to him as she backed away from him and then turned, disappearing around the corner. Damenstrius stared at the empty space where his beloved queen had stood a moment ago. What was with her lately? He shook himself, frowning, and left.
The guards stationed in front of the queen's door bowed low as she strode past, while one of them opened her door for her. She paid them no heed and paused as they closed the door once more as soon as she had entered her chambers. She glanced to the door to her right, behind which, her five year old daughter lay sleeping peacefully in her bed. Barely making a sound, the young queen moved over to the door and opened it soundlessly, a beam of light falling onto the sleeping girl's face. She did not wake. Making sure not to wake the girl up, the queen sat down on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep for a while with a soft smile on her face. She looked so much like her father. If only he had not died before his time, everything would've been alright. "I love you..." the loving mother cooed quietly to the little girl and kissed her brow. There was no motion, not a stir in the peaceful face. Lianna stood and walked back to her own chambers, casting a look back at the bed just before she closed the door.
Now she would follow her librarian's advice. Without taking the time to exchange her daily attire for her nightgown, she rested down onto the bed and closed her eyes with a sigh.
---
"Lianna." he said. "What are you doing?"
She looked over her shoulder, her hair swept up by the wind that blew from the valley below. "I'm tired. It's never going to end."
He looked worried, tentively taking a step forward, an aching fear gripping his heart. "Yes it is, Lianna. You'll get through this. You're stronger than this. Your kingdom will survive him." he urged, holding out his hand to her. It was shaking. "Reinierd is a coward. You'll win."
Lianna looked back at him, tears brimming on her lashes. "I can't. It'll end with me." she said, and took a step forward, where there was no more rock to support her. Down she plunged, into the deep, with only the solid earth below to catch her.
©2006-2007 ~Fayestardust
No comments:
Post a Comment