*Please listen to the playlists I've given in the excerpt chapter.

"Soul meets soul on lovers' lips"

꧁-꧂

"Your Highness! Your Highness!" the royal maid around her 20's came running shouting across the castle and halted in the middle of the grove.

"Quit shouting Bertha, I wouldn't be surprised if the castle guards could hear you yelling," said a grave and calm voice slowly.

"And you know, the primary entrance to the castle is a good 5 kilometres away from here."

The owner of the voice shifted her gaze upon the maid who was panting heavily and asked, " Now, What is it you wanted to tell me so desperately?"

Her eyebrows writhed in curiosity. Her lucid pale green eyes, clever and curious, reminded one of the dew drops on fresh leaves on a wintery morning, glistening like pearls every time sunbeam fell upon them.

Her lips were like the soft ridges of dunes in the desert of twilight that quivered when parted, like raindrops gently descending over pink petals.

Strands of her mid-back length light brown locks gently fluttered from the cool evening breeze.

A tired nonetheless bold figure, standing in the twilight like a divinity. Scarcely anyone was unable to recognize the only successor of the royalty of Cressida, Princess Y/n Windsor.

It was indeed, ambiguous to find a woman who carried herself with so much wisdom and ferocity in those days. The aura she sustained was more than enough to announce her presence symbolizing flair and prudence. A divinity that had grown on either goodwill or hostility of the mass.

The maid named Bertha breathed heavily and showed a roll of parchment with the regal seal of Cressida that she was clutching in her hand.

"Father has sent a message, I see. What is it?" Yn put her archer and arrow down frowning scantily.

"Princess- His...His majesty has settled upon your wedlock with the Royalty of Antares," the maid hesitantly spoke as she was well aware of the princess. Her likes, dislikes, everything was at her finger's end. It was a matter of fact that she was acquainted with Yn's immense hatred towards 'Men'.

Bertha stole a glimpse at Yn only to find her stern face.

Yn picked up the archer again but this time along with 3 shafts. She faced the bird marionette that was quite 10 meters away from her. The bird had a tiny eyelet in place of its eye which was her aim to hit.

She closed her eyes and stretched all the 3 shafts and aimed the eyelet. The shafts pierced the eyelet in a jiff and stuck in the centre. She opened her eyes which were now rejuvenated with apparent satisfaction of her very triumph.

Bertha entirely forgot about the matter she had come to tell Yn and kept gazing at her. Not that it was the maid's first time watching her archery, but the more she saw her, the more she looked up to her.

Her chain of thoughts got broken by Yn's voice.

"Give me the letter." Yn reached out her hand. Bertha quickly handed her the letter and once again fear grasped her as Yn started to unroll the parchment.

"Hmm... Father has summoned me to his palace. We shall get going now," she rolled up the parchment and stated sternly.

"Yes-Yes, your highness," the maid acceded even though thousands of questions were rushing through her mind.

Yn handed the archer to a keeper and began heading straight for the Royalty's palace as the sky turned inky dark.

༺༻

It all had started 13 years ago.

From her very childhood, the little princess had witnessed the discrimination between men and women. From a queen to a maid, from a mother to a daughter, every girl and woman had been dominated and suppressed like slaves.

Women had been defiladed, treated like broodmares since their birth, deprived of the light of pedagogy, used as means of satisfying the physical needs of men and still were.

Even Yn's mother, the queen of Cressida had been a queen in name only. There had been no place for her in the royal court and things did not face the slightest change after 13 years.

All those propensities and prejudices had greatly affected the 8-year-old girl.

As days passed by, loath and disdain had been all she could have felt against the opposite sex and this perception had grown even more, towards every man including her father.

Anguish, wrath, grief all those emotions had collided and burned the serene soul and fragile heart of that naive girl.

Nonetheless, a new soul gradually had taken birth from the ashes. A resilient heart, undefeatable, ferocious and prudent soul had been designed.

Yn Windsor, daughter of Francis and the to-be ruler of Cressida.

Gradually the tale of that ferocious woman had spread all over the Southeast continent and so many other provinces. Hence, the story had been embroidered so many times by masses that no one could tell what actually she had been like.

For some, she had been nothing but a misandrist, for some, she had been just a pretty, elitist, peevish girl. Only a few had believed her to be a pioneer, a god-sent envoy perhaps, who had held the capability of bringing changes in the medievalism of that time.

But it had not been only her exceptional beauty and personality that had caused many potent rulers to seek an alliance with the Cressida ruler. Literate women, as well as skilful fencers, had been dime in a dozen those days.

At the age of 10, the undeclared battle had begun, between Yn and the prejudices of that time. A battle to pursue her dreams, to explore all the branches she had been keen on, to make herself competent for the throne, the crown, the people of Cressida. The threads of an invincible passion had been woven since then, to attain her formidable quest.

As a matter of fact, the inquisition towards her never died to date.

༺༻

Yn and Bertha reached the king's palace. They entered the portal as two guards bowed to Yn.

Soaring the staircases with numerous thoughts swivelling inside of her head, Yn found Bertha and her standing in front of the private chamber of the king.

"You wait here," Yn told to Bertha and went inside the chamber.

"You summoned me, father?" she asked stiffly. A remarkable thought was surmised then by many- 'A daughter seeks for her father's shadow upon her till her latter breath.' However, the incredible notion to Yn, such as it was, had no significance and was entirely irksome and lethal in all prospects. Her father wielded a valuable place as a nobody in her compassion.

"Oh yes! Come inside Yn. I reckon you've already got the pleasant news of your betrothal with king Arthur of Antares?" He rejoiced.

Francis Windsor, father of Yn and royalty of Cressida had settled upon his only daughter's betrothal without considering asking for her consent.

"Yes, I just got your letter." She pursed her lips showing the parchment in her hand.

"Very well! I've called you to inform you that the grand betrothment will take place 3 weeks later on Thursday. The reason for the delay is, that I want my only daughter's wedding to be the grandest wedlock of the centuries. And for this purpose, Antares king will be arriving here with some of his kinsmen and allies."

Yn didn't seem to be too pleased with the news like her father. She stiffly sighed and tilted her head to the right as a sign that she had heard him.

Francis's eyes turned grave and he then spoke again, "And I want you to inhibit any sort of displeasing conduct in front of the royal guests, especially in front of your in-laws."

Hearing it, Yn couldn't help shooting her head at her father. She narrowed her eyes and said in a cold drawl,

"And may I ask how do you define the word Displease?"

"You'll restrain from showing off this attitude of yours." He pointed his index finger at Yn. "I do not want the royal guests to get the faintest idea about your graceless rebellious self."

"Well. I might try but I certainly can not give you my words." She spat through her gritted teeth.

"Once you are married to the young king, your coronation will be held as soon as possible," he continued as if he had not heard her.

Yn was about to say something but stopped when she heard about her coronation. Her eyes blazed and her heart gave a bound hearing him.

A dream that she has been cherishing for a decade, was about to come true.

But no sooner had her heart was getting filled with a pleasing warm feeling, than her father again filled her with coldness. She clenched her jaw and her hand formed a fist digging her nails into her palm.

"After that, I and your mother shall be enjoying our remaining days in exilement, far from the castle and bustle of this region. I anticipate You and Arthur will aptly govern the kingdom."

"What is the significance of me and Arthur?"

꧁-꧂

*So this was the first official chapter of "AOTA". Hope you liked it. It's a story from the 18th century It's not intended to offend anyone. Pardon me if you felt offended by any part of the product.

-pride