“Good morning, Your Highness!” exclaimed an annoyingly cheerful voice.
A soft groan escaped me as I rolled over in the soft blankets, burying my face inside the cushion of warmth. Morning light streamed through a crack in my curtains directly onto my face; the brightness seemed determined to drag me out of bed. Akilah marched across my carpet and yanked the curtains open, blasting me with more sunlight. I jerked the blanket over my head and nestled myself into the darkness.
“You’re going to have to get up . . . eventually,” she said, taking a few of my blankets and neatly folding them.
“I probably won’t get up on my own accord, but I suppose your insufferably positive energy will drag me out of bed . . . sooner or later.”
Akilah chuckled. She leaped over to my window and grasped at the ribbons, tying the curtains aside and preventing them from swinging shut again. I studied her, admiring how quickly she skimmed over the carpet.
Akilah was fifteen, two years younger than me. She had everlasting energy, with a bounce in every step and a continual melody humming on her lips. She constantly and relentlessly organized things, a skillset I had never picked up on. Even this early in the morning, she wore a meticulously clean red and white trimmed dress—her servant uniform—with her black hair styled in a tight braid down her back. For all the time I had known her, she only wore one stone: sapphires. This solitary stone created a problem. I appreciated having a person around me who could experience happiness and love, but the joy was unnatural. There was no opposite side of the spectrum, just overflowing positivity all the time, turning her personality sickly sweet and somewhat fake.
“Remind me why you’re here again?” I asked, pressing my hands against the sides of my head.
“Lord Cyrus and the king want to meet with you this morning, remember? He sent me in to make sure you get ready according to his expectations.”
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve been desperately trying to purge that from my memory,” I said sarcastically.
Akilah laughed as she hopped over to the side of my bed and gently took my arm. I allowed her to pull me onto my feet again, ignoring the urge to bury myself under the blankets and fall back asleep. She bounded over to my closet and slid it open. “What would you like to wear today?”
She reached into the layers of dresses and pulled out one in particular, holding it out so I could inspect it. It was a dramatic royal blue color, with frills that mimicked ocean waves. It was beautiful, flashy, and expensive, definitely something a princess would wear. In fact, if I were to wear it, I was sure to be the center of everyone’s attention.
So, it wasn’t an option.
“No. Can I pick something else?”
She grimaced. “Seriously? Do you know how much I would give to wear this dress? Why are you so against flashy clothes?”
Akilah didn’t know I was Malopathic, even after knowing me for years, because I couldn’t determine how she would react if I told her. We both thought of one another as friends, but I hadn’t analyzed exactly how she felt about the emotion stones and the guidelines. She always wore at least one of the stones, just like the rules stated. If I told her, she would probably do what everyone else would do: scream and tell the guards, who would ask the king to arrange my immediate execution.
I bit my lip and brushed my hand over the soft blankets of my bed. Akilah still held the dress out to me hopefully, her eyes begging me to wear it. I sighed. “You were specifically ordered to get me to wear fancy things, right”
“Yes,” Akilah answered immediately. “It’s part of my job; now, please wear it.”
Admitting defeat and a little annoyed, I yanked the dress from her fingers. After I had finished putting it on, with Akilah helping me tie up the back, I twirled around for her to inspect me. The material felt comfy and light, like being wrapped in a cloud. I rubbed my hands against the fabric, touching the smooth, delicate folds.
Akilah quietly clapped. “You look stunning! Do you want me to do your hair?”
Wanting to get this over, I shuffled into the room where my grooming accessories lay, although I rarely used them. Akilah trailed behind me and gently pushed me in front of the mirror before I could change my mind.
She snatched a jewel-encrusted brush and expertly led it through my hair. In an instant, she tied up my hair into a bun. It was simple but elegant and kept the hair out of my eyes. Then she set it in place with two crisscrossing pins that sparkled with diamonds.
“Do you want to wear a necklace or earrings or something?” Then she clapped her hands and exclaimed, “Wait! You have a pearl necklace that you like. How about you wear that? The color would match well with your blue dress.”
“Yes, I did have a necklace that I liked. However, it was maliciously destroyed about . . .” I thought for a moment before continuing, “I don’t know, eight hours ago?”
“Oh. What happened?”
“Cyrus got mad at me; that’s what happened.”
Akilah cocked her head to the side, confused. “Really? Wasn’t he wearing a ruby? He usually does.”
“I suspect he wanted to get mad at me.”
“Really? Who would want to be mad at someone?”
You don’t understand. I shrugged. “He’ll probably say something about it when he meets with me.”
When he meets with me, I repeated in my thoughts. He still hasn’t explained the reason behind the requested meeting. Is it going to be very important? Meeting with the king isn’t a very normal thing for me. It’s too formal. Just . . . try to get through it.
“Well, if you don’t have the pearl necklace, do you want to wear something else? Maybe earrings?”
“No earrings, please,” I winced, recalling the day when I thought piercing them was a good idea. “I think I’m ready.”
Her eyes swept over me. “You’re right. You look like a princess for the first time in your life. Now, go out there and make sure your family doesn’t kill you.” Her tone of voice meant for it to be a joke, but it was more realistic than she could have known.
“I’ll try.” I made a beeline for my bedroom door. When I reached toward the necklace stand beside the door, my hand paused. My skin brushed against the cold metal chain as I felt the texture of the metal links. With trembling fingers, I fastened the chain around my neck. My eyes grazed over the hanging jewels: an emerald, sapphire, ruby, and onyx. They were innocent looking and beautiful, yet they had the power to strip someone of what made a person human. I would have to bury my emotions deep inside and pretend they never existed.
I let all of my muscles relax as my breathing became slow and even. The familiar coolness rolled over me like fog settling into a valley. In my head, I repeated the words that were so embedded I would never forget them: Nobody cares. Nobody pays attention. You are invisible.
Exhaling, I pushed against the smooth surface of the door and stepped into the hallway.
Both Cyrus and the king wore stone faces as I shuffled into the meeting room. I forced my expression to be passive and empty like theirs. I selected a seat near the door but not so far away as to draw suspicion. I rested my hands underneath the table so they couldn’t glimpse my clenching fists. Then I spoke in the most neutral tone I could muster: “You asked to see me, Father?”
“Yes, I did.” He nodded his head. “Lord Cyrus and I have something important to discuss with you.”
Right to the point. Typical of him, I thought. My father, Kadar, had ruled throughout the entire war, which had taken quite a toll on him. Trying to seek peace with a more established kingdom was quite a discouraging task, one that many diplomats had sworn off years ago. Any flimsy negotiation usually just fell to pieces afterward. Meanwhile, the war continued to drag on as both kingdoms competed for resources the other needed. Our kingdom had access to many mines filled with metals and precious stones, but Tanum was surrounded by the bountiful Northern Forest, land that we desperately needed access to. It was a recipe for a fight that would never end.
Kadar’s life had been long and stressful. Even with the help of stones muting his emotions, the worry lines etched onto his face were pronounced, as if drawn with a pencil. Having the war last his entire reign, he had gained a reputation of being direct and straightforward, not wasting any precious time.
Cyrus abruptly started talking, dragging me out of my whirlwind of thoughts. “I’m grateful that you fulfilled all of my expectations with your appearance.” He leaned forward to continue. “Syona, as you know, throughout your entire life, you’ve been mostly detached from the events around you. You’re completely oblivious to the rules and customs of our kingdom, and you don’t interact with any political affairs. Frankly, you don’t act like a princess. I’ve also accessed your daily schedule, and you have been given no political or diplomatic experience. You have no knowledge concerning the structure of our government or justice system. Clearly, you are not educated, experienced, or qualified for any of the responsibilities you could have.”
I dug my fingernails into my arm, the sharp pain distracting me. I desperately tried not to let my anger reflect on my appearance. Is this it? A lecture on how I could better fulfill my role as a princess? Does this have any importance?
I voiced my opinion, barely managing to keep the neutral, slightly apathetic tone that all people talked in when the stones nullified every emotion. “Excuse me for interrupting, but what is the purpose of this conversation? Surely you called me here to talk about something other than how I could do better as the princess of Ashlon.”
“Fine. In summary, Syona, despite all of these faults that add up to your overall incompetence . . .”
A twinge of annoyance fired up inside of me. What did he say? Overall incompetence?
“You are the only one left.”
I paused for a few seconds, choosing my words carefully. “What do you mean by the only one left?”
“The only heir left. We got the news last night. Your brother, Prince Davin, was in an accident while hunting in the Southern Forest. The details are sketchy, but it was sunset and very dark. Apparently, one of the other noblemen accidentally shot him with an arrow when they mistook him for a doe. They tried to save him, but he died shortly after.”
“What?” I cleared my throat and tried again. “Could you please repeat that?”
Cyrus placed his hands on the table and glanced over at his brother before proceeding. “Prince Davin is dead. Which means . . . you are the sole heir to the kingdom of Ashlon.”
I felt tears at the back of my eyes, and I strained to rein them in. I was going to lose it. Hot tears were going to spill down my face in plain view, right in front of the king and Cyrus. There couldn’t have been a more sure-fire way to get myself executed.
Davin is dead . . . my brother, my protector, Davin? I refused to believe it. Complicated emotions churned violently inside of me, not only because of Davin’s death but also because of the knowledge that I was now crown princess. I would be the center of everyone’s focus, not to mention that I would have to consistently wear the stones and follow the emotion guidelines to the letter. I wouldn’t last a day, not in those conditions. The cold air in the room suddenly pressed down on me, making me feel vulnerable and exposed.
Say something. I pleaded with myself. Say something, anything! Just open your mouth and break the silence.
“What will my new responsibilities include?” I managed to choke out.
Cyrus stared straight at me, his direct eye contact making the situation a thousand times worse. “Naturally, political lessons and diplomatic protocols will be immediately added to your learning curriculum. You also need hands-on experience, so you will be accompanying your father to all of the diplomatic meetings and court cases. Also, I will be asking Akilah to get rid of all of your plain and unadorned dresses. You are soon to be the crown heir. Act like it.”
“Would you mind telling me when all of these changes will be implemented?” I whispered.
“In one week,” he immediately answered. “When we announce Davin’s death and your official recognition as the crown heir.”
“Is there anything else?” My throat was completely dry.
The king shook his head. “No. You are dismissed.”
“Thank you.” I brushed my cold, tingling fingers against the back of the chair as I unsteadily rose. Before my expression could break, I quickly spun around and walked as steadily as I could toward the door.
“We expect great things from you, Syona,” the king called out. “Don’t disappoint us.”
I didn’t respond. I didn’t even turn around. I grasped the doorknob, my sweaty fingers slipping against the metal a couple of times until I could twist it. I exited the room as fast as I could.
I found myself in a shadowy, deserted hallway. I frantically surveyed my surroundings to ensure the emptiness was real; there was no soul in sight. I resumed my heavy breathing, my mind reeling from the news. My thoughts sped down a river, plunged over a waterfall, and splashed into a pool of future scenarios, drowning in the unknown.
Davin is dead. I am now the heir of Ashlon.
My brain unearthed the teaching Mareena had offered over the years, lessons on remaining emotionless and invisible. I had formed them into a familiar refrain: Nobody cares. Nobody pays attention. You are invisible.
But then a fresh realization arose: Not anymore.
The tears were back, threatening to spill down my cheeks and drip onto the marble. I pressed my back against the wall, sliding into the shadows. Nobody could see me. Now I could display my true feelings.
Wait. No, Syona, emotion is not allowed in the kingdom of Ashlon.
I ignored those thoughts as I sank to the cold stone floor, wrapped my hands around my face, and sobbed.