Avala

My arms were heavy, it felt like they had been sewed to my mattress, my vision and head were stuck in a place far away from Melar, the ground on which I was standing on was tottering, the breeze of sea air was dancing over my skin, I was shrouded by stardust.

The night sky throned over me like the king of a wildling tribe and I was sunken into his beauty. He would be the death of me that was certain, but the calm of the sea reassured me over the fact that it was worth it.

What better way to die than under the starry sky?

I wanted to touch the brightest star, I wanted to mold with it even may its heat burn me to ashes. I wanted to become the beauty of it and I wanted to hold it dear to me, but I was still standing on a ship's rail heading nowhere.

I was intrigued by where the ship who bring me to which adventures would await me, a kingdom of stars perchance? Or the battle of cold November mist?

My mind contained so much consciousness that I knew I was dreaming and I was determined to stay asleep. I wanted to see a castle made out of star dust.

.

However I was sleeping in a castle made out of iron and someone was very eager to get me out of my silky bed. Voices were rushing to me from very far away and when I started to slip out of the obscure cloud of my dream, although I tried everything to resists, I was back in my room.

My body still felt as heavy as multitudinous stones, I would have given everything for another couple of minutes, but the voice that was repeating my name was agitated and loud. Senses started to leave the ship, I have been standing on and returned to me.

"Princess Avala, you have to wake up!". With the little force in my body I fumbled for a cushion near me and threw it into the direction of where the voice was coming from.

Master Eachann had told me that before our time people used to have mechanic devices that would produce sounds in order to wake the people up. Just a simple touch could stop the device from ringing and therefore most people overslept. Throwing my cushion was my kind of stopping whoever tried to wake me.

Astonishingly I felt cold hands on my arm. My servants never touched me unless it was important. As I finally opened my eyes they fell on a ruffled Edan Duncan. I was quite pleased with the fact that I might have hit him with a pillow.

"I'm not standing up, sleep gives me the little bit of salvation that I crave. We are all doomed to die anyways, I decide to spend my time with things I enjoy - which sleeping is a part of them. Goodbye, Sir Duncan", was all I had to say to him.

Regularly I would have mumbled drowsy, but Edan Duncan's presence had made me alert. I couldn't really focus on my surroundings, for the look on his face I had to compose all of my concentration.

"There is no need to ravish me with your existential humor today, your serene highness. My visit is of tremendous importance", he informed me.

I wasn't really sure whether he was incredibly nervous or furious, his whole body seemed to be shuddering due to tension. And all of a sudden the pieces started falling into place - well so I thought. Keeva was finally going to be queen of Melar, Teliassen, the big scary North and own the estates of 'whatever' and 'I don't care'. But could dear precious Edan Duncan really be so upset that I was a little late to my sisters coronation? And why wasn't he not just bawling at some maid to wake me up and get me ready? What could have set him off so much that he appeared personally.

I glanced at his face, his pale skin was reddish, his round eyebrows raised and his jaw clenched. He was hesitating to tell me something significant.

Edan was wearing dark wool trousers and a claret shirt under a metal vest. He would have looked like every secondary guard in the castle, but a little golden butterfly pin separated him from the others, he was a knight of the order of the butterfly, a queen's knight, or in this case due to the death of my mother knight of the crown princess.

He had the typical build of anyone who had been in the teaching of captain Adalsteinn, broad shoulders, muscular arms, little to no brain cells (well at least according to me), tough his skin was spotless, I asked myself wether he was vain enough to shave every morning or if he was so babyfaced that the only thing standing out was his dark mole on his cheek.

He took a deep breath and looked at me directly before he spoke, "Keeva is gone. I looked everywhere for her, but I couldn't find her. She has either been abducted or she bolted."

He didn't took his glance of me as I didn't respond. If Keeva really had run away, why was she of importance, why wasn't he out there looking for her like a lost treasure, how was I supposed to know of her whereabouts? Being the sister of a crown princess, was more or less like being strangers with the same last name, we never have been particularly close and Edan certainly knew that.

His amber eyes looked at her inquiringly and with a clumsy insecurity of formality he asked me, "She wasn't here? She didn't talk to you? Also never during the night payed you a visit?".

I numbly shook my head, the mess of blonde hair freeing themselves of my bun and started dangling over my shoulders. It seemed like he got what he wanted and made a rapid movement towards the door that I almost couldn't comprehend.

"They are going to come and query you in the next couple of minutes, get dressed", he advised me before heading out of the door.

"Thank you for your wise counsel, Sir Duncan", I added hoping he still would hear my comment.

I slumped back into the comfort of my bed and stayed motionless. I wished I could have fallen asleep again, but my mind was contaminated by Edan Duncan on a solo action and the lack of concern I had for my sister.

.

The whole castle had fallen into turmoil. A tense calm was reigning in my chambers, people with  downtrodden voices had asked me endless questions that wouldn't help them remotely, they were being considerate, trying to spare me a little and left me alone after a while, probably thinking I needed the time to worry about being  the last remaining member of my family.

I leaned my head against the wall of my oriel window and observed endless guards combing through every place. I could see captain Adalsteinn with her red armor walking over the patio about three hundred feet under my window. Her dark hair was tied back, she strode towards a couple of guards and gave them instructions. I only could imagine the stern look on her face that made nobody even dare to disagree with her. I asked myself how many bodies Moira Adalsteinn had walked over, how much blood she had spilt to only now call herself captain.

I took my glance off the woman and riveted on my hands. There were tan, just a light sight of the blue of my veins but barley visible. I was relieved that my fingers did not touch when I put them around my wrist.

A mellow knock on my door teared me out of my thoughts. The door handle was pressed down. A sweet figure appeared, her hair was curly and she had dark skin, Lady Colia Adalsteinn had much resemblance with her mother, except that her facial features were as soft as a raindrop.

Colia never had seen a battle or had been near it, she had decided to not wear the armor, but serve the crown as a maiden, a highborn maiden, which included having a privileged life in a pretty room with a pretty sight, attendance at royal balls and education in subjects that she preferred.

Her voice was as melodic as the song of a nightingale, "Princess Avala, your presence is wished at the council".

It was less of a wish more of an order which she executed for my uncle. My uncle who had taken the throne after the death of my parents, being the illegitimate child, he always had hard time being king. They all just waited hungrily like wolves for the day Keeva would come off age and retake the throne. I gave Lady Colia nod and left my window.

.

I followed her into the council hall, a dozen of people waiting inside for me. An insignificant amount of eyes were on me, till I sat down. I was sure they were full of pity. Colia sat down next to Lady Brynja, one of the more vital handmaiden of my sister. I was surprised to see a hasty smile on Brynja's face when she noticed Colia's presence.

Normally Brynja's emotional range went from vexed to disgusted, there were little interactions I had with her before and I had the intention to stay that way. Brynja made a face as if she was constantly suffering, and I reckoned maybe she was; maybe Keeva had a weakness for broken things.

I sat down opposite of my uncle, who had an earnest look on his face. Near him sat captain Adalsteinn and some white middle aged men with probably relevant names that I didn't bother to recall, among them was a younger familiar face. Edan looked like if someone had hit him in the pit of his stomach, his mouth pinched, his hands resting on the rowan table.

My uncle cleared his throat to get everyone attention, "In the name of Ruadh Doughlas I declare this emergency council meeting as opened."

I always thought it was ridiculous how aristocracy treated names. Arthus the Wise, Donnalbain the Great, in the name of Ruadh Doughlas, a 'I declare this meeting as opened', would have been more the sufficient.

"Crown princess Keeva Regani Doughlas is still remaining missing, although there are signs of how she went astray. There is a hidden path leading out of the castle, which there are traces of someone having used it recently. There are no signs of an abduction, or traces of used violence. We are currently proceeding the assumption that crown princess Keeva must have left deliberately", his voice resonating through the council hall.

There they had it , their little experiment had gone wrong, it had started to bite back.

My uncle proceeded to lecture everyone and talked about how our security should be improved, the faults of the staff and what a shame the whole thing was.

After a while I started to zone out, I took a gander at the red apple which had been put in a lovely little basket on the table. I didn't feel adressed by the words my uncle spoke, so I decided that a snack was probably not the worst idea, hence I had to stay in this room for the next couple hours anyways. I reached out and took the fruit into my hands, but the red color had been a fraud, it was half-rotten. I could detected a small hole, a worm must have started to inhabit it. The vermin had drilled itself into the flesh and forced me to put the apple back on the table.

Unforeseen my name was mentioned, not by my uncle but by captain Adalsteinn. "Princess Avala will start her take up her training in the next couple of days".

My training for what? Finding my sister?

Before I could ask was the captain interrupted by a brittle voice who corrected her, "Crown princess Avala, I'm afraid".

I stared at Brynja, this couldn't be serious. The waves of realization of Keeva's absence hit me all at once.

"You cannot be serious, your excellency. She has been gone for a day and you are already talking as if you  could exchange us like a pair of shoes.", my voice was serious, but also visibly upset.

I was not going to play jester, while my sister was having the time of her life.

My uncle tried to downplay my harsh words, "What princess Avala meant to say that she is deeply worried for her sister and will certainly take up the duties that her sister performed in the meanwhile."

No, princess Avala means what princess Avala says.

"For now she is dismissed, Sir Duncan will accompany her to her chambers".

I was on edge and gave my uncle the most forced passive aggressive smile I owned and stood up. Edan seem as if he was sunken into his chair, but still managed to get up and escort me outside. I wondered what he did to be cast out together with me.

The big wooden door creaked loud as it closed behind us. We both stood there and looked at each other. I noticed another small mole on his skin this time on his neck. The situation became slightly awkward, so I decided to break the silence.

"What did you do to be kicked out so easily?" I asked him with a vague crooked grin.

"I definitely didn't disrespect valuable council members in a room where thousands of my ancestors sat before me. You know for being said to be the meek frail little sister of the crown princess you do have a sharp tongue", he responded simply and began to walk towards the direction of my chambers.

"Brynja isn't a valuable council member, she is a lucky choice that Keeva made. A toy she can play with if she wants to and leave as quickly again, as this situation shows perfectly. She has no idea where she is, neither do you. Great friend, right?" my eyes searched his, but he was averted.

"So you think I'm one of Keeva's toys? You also don't know where she is", he answered. The maroon colors of our emblem was gracing the walls, as we past them.

"Yet me and Keeva are bound together by blood."

Edan didn't reply, he continued to strode with his head held high, I had hit a weak spot.

"Meek and frail you say? That's hilarious. I didn't know I was racking peoples brains. That fits perfectly the indulgent princess and the warrior queen, I'm sure that would have sounded fabulous in history books", I told him and crossed my arms over my chest.

"You keep acting like this is all a joke, didn't you just see how serious this situation is. If she doesn't return - ", he had raised his voice and stopped mid sentence to not create more damage, but he didn't need to I knew what he wanted to say.

If we don't find Keeva it's going to be me who takes the throne.

"Maybe the situation is just odd for me, you must know Sir Duncan. The world is so uninterested in me that I stopped intressing myself for the world."

Irritated he opened the door of my chamber so I could enter my room.

"Goodbye, Avala", were his last words before he sprinted back into the direction of the council halls and left me alone.