I
“They keep calling me special, but what’s so special about me?"
Elarelle tilted her chin to the left, away from the fond caress of Prince Ashin. Her cheeks had a rosy blush where his fingers had stroked. She tried her best to keep a straight face. She needed answers.
“What about the fact that thousands of girls have thrown themselves at me, but I only have eyes for you?” Prince Ashin replied, flashing his usual mischievous grin.
Elarelle knew he was a Casanova, but that did not stop butterflies from flying into one another in her womb-space.
“I am serious. What’s so special about me?” She threw a stern glare at Prince Ashin, hoping to keep his passions on a leash before they got out of hand. “I’m just the daughter of a farmer who works one-hundredth of the land of a small castle Lord. Not even a Prince like you.”
“Adopted daughter.” Prince Ashin’s tone become more sombre.
“Still his daughter, what’s the difference?”
After a moment’s pause, Prince Ashin looked to his left and right before bending to whisper in Elarelle’s ear. “My father says you are the princess that was promised, in the prophecy books of old.”
Elarelle wanted to burst into loud unladylike laughter, but resisted the urge to in front of the Prince of the Mighty Kingdoms. A farmer’s daughter still had to retain her dignity, no doubt.
“Is this what you tell all the girls?” Elarelle whispered back. A giggle or two escaped her sumptuous lips.
Without warning, Prince Ashin’s hands flew up and gripped her shoulders. The tightness of his grip jolted Elarelle out of her hilarity and she gazed, wide-eyed, into his black eyes. “You wanted me to be serious. I am not a liar.”
“Then prove it.” She retorted, trying in vain to wiggle out of his hold.
“Give me a kiss first.”
II
After spending a delightful evening together, Elarelle and Prince Ashin stood side by side facing the Sea of Mirrors. The huge pool of water stretched further than their eyes could see; Prince Ashin’s flaming torch only shed light a yard-length away.
No one except the males of the Royal Family could enter the cave of the Sea of Mirrors, its entrance being heavily guarded. Intruders faced summary execution.
However, Prince Ashin was too elated at finally winning Elarelle over that he did not object much to her demands. Elarelle had insisted that he keep his end of the bargain, to reveal to her the truth of her parentage.
“We go, at the height of the full moon,” Prince Ashin had said, “where the guards on duty are half-drunk. For twenty years, none has dared to disobey the King’s edict. They will never expect this.”
And so here Elarelle was, sneaking past sword and spears and the drunk armour-clad men that wielded them.
“It’s…so beautiful.” The waters, which had the glossy sheen of pearl and moonstone, were perfectly still. Elarelle gaped in awe.
No ripples could be seen on the surface of the Sea of Mirrors, yet. Prince Ashin recounted to her that ripples only appeared during scrying. “Shall we start?” Elarelle asked, transfixed by the beatific sight and eager to witness more.
Prince Ashin nodded slowly. He was about to utter the magic words when the sound of clanking armour and furious bellow sounded from behind them.
“Witch!”
Thanks to @shadowspub for the fiction prompt: "They keep calling me special, but what’s so special about me?"
Hope you've enjoyed reading this fantasy short story! ♥️♥️
Image Source: Timo Volz, Unsplash
