When we prepare to meet the Fiyori, I prepare myself completely, as if I am going to a banquet with a king. My princess outfit is a light blue leotard-like piece with a silver skirt, long and delicate made of sheer and cotton. A silver crown and two silver lines on each side my face, glittering, and telling of the battles I have seen and won. I have gold plate armor clamped to each forearm as a finishing touch. When I look in the mirror, I am satisfied; it is said that our women are of legendary beauty. Perhaps I am. When I enter the living room, River weaves around me excitedly. 340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqb2aTzCZZb
As I pass my mother's room, the door is open, and she is standing in front of the mirror. She is even more breathtaking than I. Her hair, unlike mine, is down, long and flowing. Her tawny skin shimmers, and her red skirt is long like mine but has two slits in each side. Her top is cut off by a thick golden rope belt that holds a sheathed knife. She turns to me, comes, and silently takes the crown off my head. She replaces it with a sparkling crown decorated by amber stones.
"It was my first crown when I was your age." She cradles my face in her hands. "You still look like you did when you were born."
She looks toward the bookshelf in her room. I have never been in my mother's room. It would be disrespectful to go uninvited. She normally keeps the door closed; perhaps it is her place to unwind and forget about her duties. Just be herself.
On a shelf, she has a picture of me as a toddler and another of me as a baby. I do not look much different. She is holding me in one picture; my cheeks are more rounded, and my soft brown hair is pulled into a topknot with a jeweled bow. My brother is in another picture with us. Wren. He is smiling, and his silver birthmark makes him look tougher than he actually is, or was.
Yet another picture is my mother with her third child. My brother, Makai. He is in my mother's arms and looks up with these big grey eyes. His father is in another picture with my mother. Richard. Richard's own golden eyes are stunning against his caramel brown skin and delicate brown curls. Richard was the younger cousin of Lady Mariah. He stole my brother from us and took him back to the Canvasi, his people. My people killed him with a spear doused in oleander. Nevertheless, he had one of the fastest horses known, called Storm, and escaped back to his people, who attacked us on the border.
"Do you miss him?" I ask.
"Sometimes."
My mother turns to leave, and her hair sweeps around her, so black it makes the ravens jealous, so say the elders.
"Come. Our guests are here."
I hear the horses outside. The Fiyori are known for their horsemanship. They ride some of the swiftest and wildest horses there ever were.
When we get outside, Aunt Genevieve and Kimberly meet us. Kimberly smiles excitedly, hope burning in her brown eyes. My grandmother and grandfather also join us, dressed in their matching amber colors.
"Queen Esmeralda," Lord Alden of the Fiyori greets. He studies us. "Where is the girl?"
He is accompanied by his oldest son, Lance and Lance's twin sister, Ariel. Garrett stands beside my mother; being the head warrior of our village, he is willing to protect her with his life.
"We will talk first," the Queen demands.
"What is your proposal?"
"Our land is dying, and we need your help."
"How is your land dying?"
My mother motions for Vegas, who returned this morning from a journey back to the Distance Colonies. He steps forward.
"You are the foster brother of our prince," Lord Alden notes.
"Yes, and I have much to tell you."
Vegas explains everything like he explained to us, and Lord Alden listens in silence.
When Vegas is done, Lord Alden replies, "It is a considerable plan. The king has stolen our oldest son, Armott, and will not allow him to come home, especially with the new war effort. You are right to say that we do not approve of the king. They threaten to take more of our children. We will join you, and we will help you."
If the warriors behind him disagree, they do not say anything. As is characteristic of the Fiyori, they remain silent. But their silence does last long. All of a sudden, we are under attack. Before I know it, I am thrust to the ground, but when I open my eyes to take in my attacker, I do not see a Fiyori staring back at me. It is a Marshlander, my own people. A warrior named Bradley.
He is shoved off of me by Lance, who disappears into the trees. I wonder if our traitors expected the Fiyori to be here; if they still decided to attack knowing these conditions, they are not very wise.
I take but a second to recover from the blow and find an abandoned spear. I shove it into the closest person I can find, but it is hard to tell which are the traitors and who is on our side. I cough a little; I can feel the effects of hemlock. My body cramps, but I work through it; it will take a while before my body adjusts. Hemlock is highly toxic in high concentration.
I stumble to our cottage to get my bow and arrows, but I cannot make it through the battle. Avi caws to get my attention then drops another spear at me. This one is tinged with hemlock.
"Thank you, my friend," I mutter, and I look to find the next person. I see Jack hovering over Garrett. I rush forward with the arrow poised, but before I can reach him, I am intersected by my brother.
"Popplar warned us," he huffs. "I brought back up."
More of my people pour into the village. Jack calls off his traitors, and some of them escape into the forest. My mother sends warriors led by Ian after them; they will not make it. I turn from all of them and throw up: my body ridding itself of the poison. When I turn back to the scene before me, it is a nightmare. At least fifteen bodies litter the area. My people. A few Fiyori.
"It looks as if you have other matters to attend to," Lord Alden murmurs through his loss. He motions for his warriors to remount. "I will send someone to meet you at the border with fresh water and food in the morning."
"Thank you," my mother replies.
"I am sorry...for..."
"Thank you," my mother murmurs; even she cannot put up a facade for the pain of this attack. She motions for Maia to be escorted to her people, and the Fiyori collect their dead. If what I have heard from the elder is true, they will release the horses of the dead to run free in their memory.
As they turn to leave, we identify our own dead warriors. My grandmother and grandfather were escorted to safety by Garrett. My brother is okay, though he has a slight limp. Aunt Genevieve joins my mother in directing the remaining warriors. Ian returns with his crew of men and reports that they have finished what they were supposed to. We have lost even more tonight. First, our land. Now, our people.
Avi caws from a tree beside Sundance. It is a slow caw that makes my throat close and more vomit come up. Sundance flies around a lifeless body with the same caws.
"Please, no! Please no..."
I am running and screaming and crying and kneeling beside my cousin. She has an arrow through her chest. I pull it out to find that it is laced with a nightshade mixture; I recognize the smell.
"Kimber..."
She coughs and sputters as blood pools in her mouth. I hold her head in my lap. Her eyes are dilated with distress.
"Kimberly! Please...just hold on...Help!!!! Auntie, Mama, Grandmother...help!!!" I wail.
Barely breathing, she whispers to me, "I love you, sister. Please, make your reign something different. And please find love. Find someone to grow old with. Do not live this life alone. And tell Popplar I would have chosen him; my heart..."
She presses something into my fingers, and I hesitate to look at it. A ring. He must have slipped it into her palm just earlier today in the clearing. It shines amber and gold. Kimberly slowly fades in my arms, and then she shutters. 340Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrZMi6N6jf
"I love you," I whisper, squeezing her hand in mine. "I love you so much, Kimber. I promise I will not fail you, and I will not fail our people."
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