Even as a kid I hated my name.

Not Sora, that name belonged to me and my mother, who had chosen my name. My first ever maid told me that it meant sky and it symbolised freedom for my mother. What I hated was the other one—the name that came after. Kōrei.

The name that tied me to a father who never truly saw me and a brother who stood in my place. The name that the court wielded against me, like a sharpened blade hidden behind silken words.

I swore, if I ever had the chance, I would cast it away. I dreamt of marrying someone and taking their last name instead. Or I would've chosen my mother's maiden name, but that was lost to time. My father made sure to erase everything about who she was before she became a queen.

Even as a child, Tenji Yōmei was different from the others in court. He was born into a family of warriors, descendants of strategists and commanders who had pledged their lives to the Veozian Kingdom. His father, a man of loyal duty, had died leading a campaign in the kingdoms name, leaving Tenji to grow along side with me in the castle walls.

Unlike the nobles who whispered behind my back, he never once treated me as if I were lesser. Perhaps that was why we became inseparable as kids. He became my closest friend.

It was easy to be around Tenji. When the court whispered, he spoke loud enough to drown them out. When Jacryll smirked at me from across the hall, Tenji stepped closer, shielding me from the venomous glances Jacryll shot me.

"Do you ever hate your name?" I remember asking him as a teenager, now used to the ways of the court.

He frowned. "Why would I?"

"Because it ties you to something you had no choice in." I exhaled sharply. "I hate mine. It belongs to a line of rulers who would rather pretend I don't exist." I shrugged.

"Then take mine one day." He replied simply, smiling at me.

I plucked the last petal from my hands, "and what If I do?" I looked at him with a blush.

Tenji grinned. "Then you'd be Sora Yōmei."

Sora Yōmei.

It felt soft, like the summer breeze on the top of the mountain, like the first breath of wind before a storm. And I loved everything about it. I let myself imagine it, a future of me using that name and I smiled.

——————————————

"Princess Sora."

The instructor's voice snapped me back to the present. The grand hall was filled with the heirs of noble houses, all seated in a careful circle around the texts before us. We had been studying diplomacy, the careful art of words as weapons, though I knew well enough that steel would serve me better.

"Yes, Master Yenzu?" I asked, looking at the old man.

He studied me with a patient expression, though I saw the faintest flicker of disapproval. "You have been quiet. Tell me, if two rulers lay claim to the same land, how might one resolve it without war?"

Before I could respond, Jacryll cut in smoothly. "A duel," he said with a grin. "Or perhaps a wager. Something entertaining."

Laughter rippled through the room. I gritted my teeth. How was someone like him so childish at the age of twenty three when I had been an adult for whole twenty five years.

Master Yenzu sighed. "That is not how kingdoms are kept intact, Prince Jacryll."

"Perhaps not," Jacryll said, leaning back, utterly unbothered. "But it is how they are taken."

I clenched my fists beneath the table. Tenji, seated beside me, nudged my foot under the table, making me smile at him.

"A ruler does not take what is already theirs," I said evenly. "They prove it. Through the will of the gods, through law, through the loyalty of their people."

Jacryll tilted his head, a smirk playing at his lips. "And if the gods are silent? If the law is bent? If loyalty is a fleeting thing, bought and sold like grain at the markets?" He tapped a lazy finger against the table. "Then what, dear sister?"

He was mocking me on purpose, knowing the jabs at me would make me even angrier at him.

 I met his gaze, unflinching. "Then the one who stands at the end is the one who was meant to rule." The laughter stopped and Master Yenzu coughed awkwardly.

"Enough of this. For today, all is done. You're all dismissed." Master Yenzu slammed his hand against the table, making Jacryll flinch.

As the others began to file out, master Yenzu motioned for me to stay.

"Sora," he said quietly, looking around to make sure Jacryll had left as well. "There are other matters to discuss."

"What is it, master?" I asked in worry, thoughts swirling in my head. 

"It is about the king, princess." Master Yenzu went quiet, "He refuses to see anyone but you, we fear his majesty is not feeling well."

I leaned forward, my heart skipping a beat at his words. My father? His health had always been amazing.

"Why was I not notified of this earlier?" I looked at him in anger. If my father had been ill and refusing to see anyone but me, I should have known before even this useless meeting that was more a lesson for Jacryll.

"We did not want to worry you, Your Majesty," he said, his voice careful. "If necessary, you might need to take up the mantle of authority now."

I turned away from master Yenzu in anger, walking fast towards the doors, which were opened for me. Tenji stood by the doors, his gaze on the cobblestone floor, before looking at me.

I could only sigh and motion for my maids to follow me as I headed towards my fathers chambers. The maids followed behind, whispering among themselves but falling silent as we neared the door. I could feel their nervous energy as they all seemed to fear my father.

The guards outside my father's chambers stood at attention as I approached, bowing their heads in respect. Without needing to say anything, they opened the door for me.

The usually well-maintained room looked neglected, the curtains drawn, the furniture slightly out of place as if no one had bothered to tidy up in days.

My father was seated by the window, his back turned to me. His form was hunched, his robes seemingly ripped apart.

"Father," I spoke quietly as the doors closed behind us. Slowly, I opened some of the curtains to get some sunlight in, coughing at the stale air.

"Sora..." His voice, when it came, was hoarse and when he looked at me, he was so pale.

"Father, what's happening? Master Yenzu said—" I knelt by him, grabbing his cold hands into mine to warm them up.

"Why are you here?" He interrupted, standing up so that I fell nearly on my back, "I did not ask for you."

"You did, father," I stood up as father went to sit on his bed now, heavy gasps leaving his lips as he stared at me with... disgust.

"I do not want to see you," He said quietly, but I could feel the anger in his words, "You are just like your mother. I cannot stand to look at you."

My breath hitched, and I froze for a moment, unsure how to react. His words stung more than I wanted to admit. Just like my mother? I had never heard him speak like this until now and that was because he could only speak about Jacryll's mother. Not mine, never my mother.

"What are you talking about, Father?" I asked, my voice trembling. "I'm your daughter. I came because I care about you. We—I—need to understand what's happening. If you're feeling ill, I can call the doctors."

"You think you can understand? You think you're any different? You're all the same, you and your mother. Always seeking control, always pushing for more." He scoffed, "I'm not ill. So stop acting like a goddamn baby."

I bit my tongue, letting the familiar taste of blood fill my mouth as I fought the urge to lash out. I could feel the heat rising in my chest, the sting of his words threatening to tear through me and rip me into million little pieces.

"I will go and call the doctors, father." I answered quietly, bowing before I walked out of his chambers.

Wc:1383
total: 2484