🗝

C H A P T E R    E I G H T

"Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future."

-Walt Disney

CHAPTER NINE

I glanced out the window, Thunder and lightning flashed around, what was supposed to be, a beautiful morning sky. Tomorrow was the Silver Moon ceremony, the day I'm marked an Ivory, but with the storm brewing, I don't think any type of celebration would be possible. People hurriedly ran around carrying plastics and clothes to cover the decorations, guards stood under the shades and all the staff carried umbrellas while passing the compound.

Lightning flickered, followed by thunder. The day was raging in protest. Against what? No one would ever know.

"I wasn't scared!" Bree ran to my side near the window, along with a slightly alarmed Conroy.

"Neither was I." He claimed, as he looked out of the window fearfully. "We just came to keep you company."

I shook my head, rain was my second favourite thing about nature, after midnight skies, I wasn't afraid, I was awed at how such a thing that could cause so much destruction could be so calming to hear and see. So calming to watch when your life is being turned around, a distraction that could take all of tomorrow's worries away.

The day's protests grew even louder.

But with all the things going on in my life and future, the rain was my escape, a temporary diversion from the real world.

Ever since Bree started staying in the castle, she and Conroy have formed a close-knit friendship, he always went to check up on her after his post outside my chamber and sneaked her food when he got that chance, you could say that Bree was living the life of a princess. They could always be found together not that I minded, it gave more time for me to research on who Edelynne Cassida was, and the mysterious identity of Georgia Waters.

"Miss Bree, if I may have a word with Her Highness?" Henri bowed and raised a questioning eyebrow at the sight of Bree clutching my side as if her life depended on it.

"Err, How come only Willy-Willow gets a guard outside her door?"

"If you'd like I can ask Colonel Richett to dispense a guard for you-"

"Yes!" She jumped up and yelled. "Please!"

"Of course, definitely not scared." I muttered, trying to make myself smile, Bree just scoffed and went outside.

"Uhh, which way is my room again?" Henri gestured to Conroy who eagerly walked Bree to her chamber.

I looked out at the storm again, the sky was dark and gloomy, completely covered with grey clouds, hiding the sun.

Whenever it rained at home, mum and I would catch all the different insects that crawled inside for shelter, we'd scoop them up in a bottle and show father when he came back from work. I frowned at the distant memory.

I had asked Bree about my parents, she said she visited them a couple of times, mother was a sobbing mess and father threatened everyone I knew to reveal anything about my disappearance. I asked Bree if they would have seen the announcement, but it would have been highly unlikely, news reached late to the Ambers.

"How far have you come in your studies?" He asked, noticing my tired expression.

"Very. Memorised all the 12 laws of the Medii Aevi and the branches of the 7th law." I replied dully. My studies were the only thing keeping me away from finding out about Edelynne. "I completed the four stages of battlefield training yesterday and now all that's left is reading about the different era's of Mithalore."

Henri nodded, satisfied. "Good, you're doing exceptionally well. You won't be getting married anytime soon for sure." He said in an attempt to lighten up my mood, but I just shook my head.

"I thought I could do it Henri, things have gotten so hard and complicated, not how I envisioned this to be." I kept staring at the rain. "Bree's back, and it only reminds me of my past life. I've never studied in my life, yet here I am reading my eyes off, and not to mention my transition phase, from Amber to Ivory."

The last part stung the most, it was like I was betraying my kin, my family. Leaving behind all my memories and happiness living my life in simplicity and moving on to something more lavish.

Henri put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. "It's not about what you are, but who you are. Physical traits don't determine the morals you've grown up with." He took in a breath, closing his eyes and listening to the drops on the window pane. "I know, and I suffer from the same. Everyday I wish I could find peace with the Ambers, but my childhood wasn't like yours, and for you, it is a blessing in disguise, a unique trait only you possess. Sympathy."

I let a tear drop fall as I reminisced on all my memories being an Amber, the early morning walks to selling grounds, family night dinners, helping Mother with the sewing and terrace talks with father, funnily enough, I even missed the familiar smell of my room, and the old battered terrace I spent all my time sitting on.

Henri's fading footsteps brought me back to reality, one that I did not want to face.

●・○・●・○・●

"Princess Willow, what do you think about this one?" A castle seamstress brought me another exquisite dress option for the ceremony, she was an Ivory. "Lots of lovely designs and the fabric is light enough for you to move around easily."

"All right." I said, my head rested in my palms, dress shopping was the last thing I wanted to do, I sell dresses not buy them.

Behind me, Henri seemed to notice my disinterest. "Patrik, may I have a word with you?" Patrik was at the corner of the room talking with another official, he quickly ended his conversation and followed Henri out.

The seamstress clapped her hands in delight, "Now, how do you feel about this dress for the coronation?"

A surge of pain travelled through my forehead. Coronation. Becoming an Ivory Queen. Ruling the Ambers, my family.

"I can't do this right now." I snapped at the innocent seamstress and ran straight out of the room, pushing past Henri and Patrick on the way out.

My feet seemed to know where they were going, because before I could comprehend, I was outside, on the steps behind the castle.

Thunder continued to roar and a blinding flash of lighting jumped from cloud to cloud. The rain was heavier and I was just a few steps away from getting completely drenched. The days protests did not stop yet, and neither did mine.

"The rain's nice. A calm setting to read in." A voice piped up from near me, Pierre sat at the corner of the steps, with a book open in his lap. "We never get much rain in Coslitus."

I looked at him, trying to see past him and find a motive for him to talk to me, but I found none.

"Have you noticed how it always rains when there are storms or hurricanes? It's to provide some calm in distressing times, we all need some calm in our busy lives." He murmured to himself, his eyes now glued to the book in his lap. I found myself taking a seat next to him, listening.

A large crash of Thunder roared from the sky, I jumped back a little, but Pierre just smiled. "Thunder's nice too, some suspense. You never know when it's going to roar next."

"How come you want to talk to me now?" I asked softly, my voice could barely be heard from all the rain. "You rarely spoke at all the entire week you stayed here."

He straight into my eyes. "Yes I am quiet, but I am not mindless. I like to observe and judge a person's character, which is what I've been doing with you." His eyes sparkled with curiosity. "Tell me, is it true that you are an Amber, by far I can't see a single drop of royalty in you."

My eyes widened, he knew. I was desperate to lie to him, my brain was giving me all sorts of excuses to give him, but my heart was beating in a completely different direction. "Yes." I admitted. "I was raised up as an Amber, but according to the council I am royalty."

He nodded his head, a little surprised with all the information. "So all this." He gestured towards the castle and maids. "... Is your first time?"

I smiled. "It is, and honestly, I'm really not fond of it." Pierre paused and took my appearance in.

"You know, Willow." He said my name for the first time, "You were a lot more different than how I thought you were."

I gave a light laugh. "How so? Enlighten me."

Pierre smiled proudly, happy to be able to use his talent. "Well you were very nervous at the tea party you hosted, you only talked when you had to answer a question and never really started a conversation of your own, but always put on a confident mask, even though you were afraid, which led me to believe that you were more of a shadow than a sun."

I leaned in closer to hear what else he had to say.

"But when I saw you sneak into a guarded chamber, I knew you were not the shy girl I assumed, that night you were reckless and not afraid at all. You were burning with curiosity, and grit."

I smiled at his sharp observation, when I need answers, I have a way of getting them, I suppose. Something I've developed as an Amber.

He watched the rain fall. Smiling every time Lightning striked and thunder roared. "And then, when I let what happened that night slip at breakfast the next day, you relentlessly started prying information off me, which led me to a new assumption, well more a fact, you're stubborn. Very stubborn. I find it hard to believe anyone could possibly bear your stubbornness."

I giggled. "It's true."

"After that I caught glimpses of you in the hallways or during dinner, you seemed sure and always carried yourself with confidence, like at the announcement yesterday, if you were nervous then, I don't think anyone could see it." He briefly glanced at me and then back at the rain. "But then, today, I saw you run out of the castle, stressed out and worried, which led me to my final assumption, you're an Amber, you feel your emotions, something that most Ivories never do."

I was touched at how accurately he described me, this must have been how he was able to deduce it all so carefully.. "That was amazing." I stated. "And here I was thinking all you could do was read."

He gave an amused smile, "I don't think I want to hear your assumptions about me."

"I don't think you do either." I joked, my attention shifted when Henri's figure came out of the doors. He held an umbrella.

"Your Highness, Patrik and I have a proposition, if you may." He inclined his head inside.

I got up and brushed the dirt from my skirt. "Of course." I took one last glance at Pierre and left with Henri.

●・○・●・○・●

"We know the position you're in, isn't very...agreeable, and we know that your time here is a lot more valuable than any of ours."

"Ok." I replied, oddly wishing I was sitting beside Pierre instead of talking to Henri.

"Your studies are taking a lot of time right now, and so Sir Jeoffrey has agreed to stop at where you are in politics right now. You may study the rest as self-study after the coronation, as extra practice whenever you want to brush up on the subject. But for now, to check your progress... Sir Jeoffrey has asked you to prepare an essay on the era's of Mithalore and submit it before noon."

"Does this mean I'm free now? I won't have anything to do till dinner?" This much idle time was never given to me before.

"Of course." His eyes wrinkled as he smiled. "I can't imagine the stress tomorrow will be bringing to you, a little relaxation never hurt anybody, and trust me, things like these wont exist once you're Queen."

I nodded hastily and ran towards Ryke's office, the library, leaping with joy. The thunder stopped roaring, the protest was over, now it was the sun's turn to shine with pride.

"RYKE!" I yelled, forgetting how deserted and silent the library is.

Ryke was sitting on the reception desk sorting through some papers before he jumped at my sudden yell and all the papers scattered away. Fallen on the floors.

Ryke pushed his ready glasses up his nose. "Silence is golden. And it's also the golden rule of this library!"

"Willow!" Astrope's adorable voice sang as she leaped into my arms. "Daddy sent you some books before, and I picked them all out!" she beamed proudly.

"Really?" I asked and twirled her around in my arms. "Thank you!"

Ryke cleared his throat. "I think Willow is here for a particular reason, isn't that right, princess?"

I placed Astrope down and looked at Ryke with pleading eyes. "I need you to write an essay on the era's of the Mithalorian Empire. Sir Jeoffrey is going to grade me on it, and I really need this done fast!" I begged.

Ryke looked at me. "You want me to do your homework?" he scoffed, carrying the stack of papers that he neatly piled after picking it up from the floor. "I'm Chief Historian not your essay writer!"

"I know." I started. "It's just that, I need the essay finished so that we can search for the woman related to Georgia Waters, her name is Edelynne Cassida."

All the papers dropped from Rykes arms, his eyes filled with pure rage. "Edelynne Cassida?"

I nodded, taking a few precautionary steps back. "I sneaked into the Ex-Queen's chamber and found a box with her name on it."

His eyes seemed to return to its normal sparkle of curiosity. "A box? Show me."

"Well, it's actually in-"

"Willy! There you are!" Bree strolled into the library, as if she owned it, which she did not. "I was looking for you!"

"Bree!" I yelled exasperated, the past few days, she was full of questions and never bothered to follow any of the castle rules. She always snuck out past curfew, and never listened to any of her maids. "You're not allowed in here!"

Bree rolled her eyes and spun herself on the chair behind the receptionist's table. "The guard outside didn't seem to mind."

Naturally, Xander was on duty today, his partner was on a break.

"Anyway, I came here because your maids were looking for you, they were cleaning your room and found this box under your bed, they were going to hand it to Henri, but I took it, I was going to visit you anyway, so I thought why not?"

Bree threw the box across the room and I, thankfully, caught it. "Be careful, Bree! This box is important!"

Bree paid no heed and continued spinning around the chair, sometimes it felt like I was her babysitter instead of her best friend, not that I minded, I know she'd take a bullet for me, and she knows I'd do the same.

"Is she a Queen too?" Astrope reminded me of her presence and pointed at Bree.

I shook my head. "Just a stable girl." I teased.

"Excuse me! I'll have you know that your butler said that I was an honorary guest at the castle!"

I ignored her and handed the box to Ryke, as she left the library, like me, Bree wasn't fond of libraries either. "This is the box, it's locked, and there was no key anywhere near where I found it."

Ryke looked at the box closely and brushed his fingers over the designs. "I know who she is." He said and placed the box down on a table.

"Astra, darling, can you go to the reference section and get the green book under the criminal records shelf?"

I had to remind myself how long Ryke worked here, and how he must have organised the books himself to know which shelf they were all on.

Once Astrope got the book he flipped a couple of pages and paused on one, his eyes scanning every line. "Edelynne Cassida, hired assassin, paid to kill Prince Alaric's former wife who's name and identity remains unknown." He read. "Edelynne successfully killed King Alexandro IV's exiled wife, a few days after the birth of her child, who was assumed to be killed along with her mother. The Queen's identity was not yet revealed to anyone by the king, sources affirm that he was meeting her in secret and had eloped a few months after."

"Who is Prince Alaric?" I asked

"King Alexandro IV's brother, he died of a heart attack when the news of his wife being killed came to him, I have his whole biography if you'd like-"

"You can pack it for me later, if I'm not wrong, Edelynne Cassida is an assassin and killed my mother?" I questioned, my heart was beating much faster.

Ryke nodded his head, and motioned Astrope to leave the room, things like these were not really compatible with four year old minds.

I was stunned, the box belonged to an assassin, the assassin who assassinated my birth mother. "So Prince Alaric, is my father?" I asked expectantly. I was getting somewhere.

"No." he cleared his throat, "It says here that your mother was pregnant before meeting Alexandro IV, your father still remains a mystery."

"So, maybe I can ask Henri to check which male shares most of my DNA through blood tests!"

"Er-no..." He reads a few pages further. "Apparently, your mother was foreign, not from Mithalore, so your father could be anyone in the world." He flipped a few pages again.

"Why was his wife exiled?"

"She was not of royal descent of course." He pushed his spectacle further up his nose. "No King can Marry a Queen who isn't a relative to royalty, so instead she was exiled and killed."

I collapsed on a nearby chair. "I am assuming that I was the child who was thought to be dead?" my head was in my hands.

"Not quite." He replies, "I am fairly positive it's you, though I'd need more evidence to prove it. Even if you were, how could you have possibly escaped an assassin? Then again, none of the facts I'm retelling have been re-checked, for all we know the Queen couldn't have been pregnant at all."

My head was spinning and I tried to keep the blur out of my eyes. "So my birth mother really is dead, and all I have is the box of her assasin?"

"I'm afraid so," he confirmed. "Unless this has nothing to do with you. For now, it's a theory but if you can find a key to the box, we may be able to find something to lead us somewhere."

"I found it in her chamber." I replied, standing up. My legs planted firmly on the floor, but my knees were wobbly. "There was no key, do you think you could break the lock?"

"I'm not a locksmith, and I can't just hand in an assassins box to any locksmith either. The key wouldn't be in the chamber either."

"Why not?"

"Did I not mention that this box belongs to an assassin who's been hired many times before her job to kill the Queen? She's trained, and not a simple fool like the Amber folk."

I sealed my lips shut at his insult, he was my hope in getting this mystery solved.

"She wouldn't leave a key with the box, that would be too simple, and I'm fairly certain she wouldn't leave a box in a chamber either. I'll have to examine this box closely."

"But-" I started, a question popping up in my mind. "If no one knew who the Queen was, why is her chamber here in the castle?"

"Prince Alaric built it in memory of her, apparently there are secret tunnels and pathways that lead outside the palace, but the room's been searched thoroughly, and it could just be a rumour." he murmured, his eyes running around the designs on the box.

I nodded, mentally taking down notes. "Ok." I glanced at the box on the table. "Do you think that whatever is inside the box, could have out potential answers?"

Ryke looked at the box as well, thirsty for knowledge. "I can tell you what. I'll try and research as much as I can about Edelynne and Prince Alaric and your mother. If I find answers I'll write to you, for now-" he ran over to a shelf and fished out three books. "You better finish your essay and come back again when you've gotten new information."

I nodded, and turned around, ready to leave when I noticed a book. I peered closely at the shelf and brushed my fingers against a specific book, one that I've seen before, peeking out from the organised line of other books. "Can I borrow this?"

"This library belongs to you, no need to ask." he smiled back.

●・○・●・○・●

I left the library after a while and walked to my chambers. The new facts started to sink in. My birthmother was murdered, I was never meant to be alive, I have her killers box and no-one in the kingdoms knows anything about this. I realised that I hadn't seen Conroy after he walked Bree to her room, but I didn't question it. He must have a lot of preparations to do for the Silver Ceremony as well.

I left the box with Ryke, no one ever came to the library after all, so it would be very safe there, I had Rykes undying loyalty with me, he faithfully served King Alexnadro, and if he wants his position to be permanent, he was in debt to me.

"Ah! Willow!" Queen Roalie's happy voice echoed from the hallway. "I haven't seen you since the announcement, dear!"

I blushed. "A lot of things happened after the announcement.'

"I heard." she nodded. "Your friend is living with you now, and... tomorrow is the ceremony?"

"Yes, yes it is." Sadness sweeped into my reply.

"I know, this must be very overbearing and exciting, oh the nerves I got when I received my powers were uncontrollable,and it's only fitting that you feel confident and well dressed when you're experiencing this important day, non?"

"Yes, I suppose."

"Good! I hope you don't mind, but I have requested the council to let me design your ceremonial dress... of course if you'd rather I don't, it all alright, I can-"

"No, no!" I waved my hands. "I would love to see Coslitus' designs! You alway look so dashing everytime, I do hope you'll be able to work your magic on me."

"Oh of course dear!" She blushed slightly. "I better get to work then."

As soon as I got to my chamber, I rushed to my desk and grabbed whatever papers and pens I could find and began with my essay. My history books were spread open, along with extra pages torn from files and folders and the books Ryke had taken out for me.

●・○・●・○・●

"Done! Done! I'm done!" I skipped joyfully to Henri, who was instructing the maids on where they should be for tomorrow's celebration. "I'm finished! Am I free now?"

Henri opened my essays and skimmed through my research. "Oh, alright. But just until dinner! You can't exhaust yourself too much before tomorrow, you have responsibilities!"

I bounced up and down in glee. "Thank you so much, Henri!" I gave him a hug and pranced back to my room.

"My, I've never seen her so happy." One of the maids commented.

"Neither have I." Henri replied.

I sat down at my desk. My history books were closed, but a new book was open. The book I

Folklore and Ivory Folk. Written by Hensworth Zoden.

The very same book I had given off to those twins to sell, life has a queer way of giving back to you, even if it means taht you'd have to magically find out you're the next in line to the throne.

I lifted up the book, smelling its pages, my life and future would be changing, but my passions and memories will always remain. Nothing and no-one can take these away from me.

What are your favorite colors?

Mine would be lavender and matte black