Arts mom

Artemis' POV

    "You won't be able to give your people a rightful heir."

     My mind blanks as I look at her, frowning  slightly at the words coming out of her mouth because really, it just doesn't make sense.

    "There are no laws that prohibit myself from being with my Knot and continuing with the Crown. There also isn't any law that decrees that I needed her in order to take my rightful place as the Crown Princess. Therefore, regardless of who my Knot is, I should be able
to have both, and not fall privy to whatever agenda you've come up with to maintain power." I tell them, my voice still steady but my hands shaking more than ever.
  
    "There are no laws no, but you need to have an heir, otherwise what use are you to the Crown?" I watch as the Head Fire Fearie explains, picking her teeth with a small dagger making me want to come across the fancy table and punch her in her throat.

    "It doesn't matter if I can have children because there are plenty of ways for me to produce an heir. Jasper can have as many kids as he wants, no matter who his Knot is. There is adoption, there is grooming and there is foster homes. To you, fostering may not be a noble cause, but there are plenty of ways to get a royal child as the next heir." I tell her, trying to stand strong. I can feel Briana looking nervously at me, and those behind me are still and silent.

    "Artemis." I turn my head and find the Spiritual Faerie looking at me, her pale eyes making sure to hold mine. "You don't need your own heir to take over the throne at all. It can very well be your brothers child." She tells me with a soft nod and I turn towards my Aunt and mother in defiance.

     "Faeries are the most progressive species in the world when it comes to Soulmates, platonic relationships and sexual expression. People look up to our administration, our Court and me as Princess because they're able to do what they please without fear. And you are telling me that as one of the most important people in this city, I'm unable to have one basic right?" I can feel flames dance along my fingers, rage starting to win our over shock, and I can see a few people noticing.

      "Yes. You are unable to have that privilege because you are one of the most important people. You may remain close behind closed doors, but you will need to find a husband." My Mother says and I feel my back straighten painfully as I try to comprehend that shit that just fell from her lips.

    "You intend to pass me off on to some man, someone that I have no attraction towards and have my breed with him in order to produce this city an heir when one of our advisers, the most important one here, said that I personally don't need to produce an heir?" I step forward then, and I can feel the air in the room get tighter and the flame around my fingers get larger as I stare down my Mother. I've always shrunk away from her out of fear, out of remorse and embarrassment over the way she despised me so. But I never thought it would go this far.

     "I intend that you will do whatever is necessary for your people. I am still the Crown and what I say, is what goes. Don't forget that you're merely a little girl playing dress up in the closet mommy gave you. In three days time we will start looking at viable options."

   And with that, I watch as sorrow, rage and disgust rack through me as my Mother, the women that pledged to take me into her care and hold and make sure always that I was alright, walks away from me. After destroying any hope that's I have about not only finally taking my rightful seat as Crown Princess, but my only shot at being happy with someone who cares.

   One by one, everyone else in her team gather their skirts and things around them, some not even able to look me in the eye as they pass by me and walk towards the door.

    I watch as Princess Lucile and Suzi walk past, my cousin looking a little pale as she passes me. She hesitates for a moment to say something, and I glare at her but before the words can work themselves past her lips, her mother calls her back to her side, the words getting swallowed back down before she turns to leave.
  
    Once they're all gone, the guards right behind them, I walk towards the table, pulling out a chair as I sit down, no longer worried about my posture or how my hair looks.

   I hear talking behind me, and shuffling all around, but I don't listen to it. Instead I stare off into space.

    After a few seconds, maybe even minutes, the chair next to me gets pulled out and a body gets dropped into it. When I turn my head slowly, I see the green dress and turn back away, not wanting to see whatever is in her eyes right now. We just sit there next to each other in silence, me staring off into the vast world that continuously wants to fuck me over. And her.... I don't know. And I'm not sure that I want to.

    After a little while, I'm the first one to speak, my voice tired and strained as tears struggle to fill my eyes and voice as I hold them back.

   Appearing weak will almost make all of this worse.

    "I guess you stayed for no reason." I tell her, still refusing to meet her eyes and she's quiet for a moment, shifting a little as she thinks of a response.

    "No. Not for no reason." She tells me and though I don't ask her, she answers the unspoken question between us. " Has it always been like this?" She asks me softly and I don't even have to ask to know what she's talking about and I smile weakly to myself.

     "No. It's gotten worse as I've gotten older. Mothers always baby their sons to the point where they go out into the world and their Soulmate has to finish raising them. The daughters always have to worse. I guess being the next in line, I would be the one pampered and favored. But I guess not." I tell her, but before she can answer, I continue, anger burning through me the more I think about it. "Who the hell does this, Briana? They want me to breed with a stranger, to Marry a stranger in front of the whole kingdom. I'm an embarrassment to them." The last words are whispered and I can feel years begun to leak over.

     Bri is silent and I laugh to myself a little bit, thinking that it's hilarious that I thought for once, everything would finally fall into place without a fight.

    It was a dumb thought.

    An ignorant one of anything.

     A mundane hope that things will get better when I'm anything but normal.

     "I wouldn't ask you to stay for that. For us not to be seen out in public. For you to have to watch me be forced to Court a man period, or anyone other than you. To have to see me..... impregnated like some animal on a farm." I sneer in disgust.

    A hand gets set into my lap, and I look over, confused at the gesture, only to find Bri looking at me calmly, no negative emotions on her face at all as she looks at me.

    "I can't let myself leave you alone to deal with this. You'll need me. It would be fucked up for me to leave you." She tried to tell me and I laugh to myself at the irony of her words.

    This whole situation is fucked up.

    I turn my head and find the room empty, not even a guard standing around and I frown until Briana speaks up, explaining where everyone went.

    "Jasper left when everyone else did. He didn't say much of anything. The guards are standing outside. Percy and walked to your rooms to tell Annabelle the news." She tells me and I nod along though I don't really care about them.

    For once I want to be selfish.

    I just want someone to be allowed to love me.

    I guess even love is subjective in the face of hatred.

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So how do you guys feel, What are your thoughts? I think i'm going to eat behave I haven't eaten anything since around two o'clock yesterday and I'm hungry. I'm hoping to get out 6 chapters today though 8 would make me happier.

Thoughts?

Comments?

QOTD: Did you guys watch the live action Mulan?