Crowns of Flame and Ice - Book One

(1) A Castle of Spite and Hate

The warmth from my duvet was threatening to become suffocating now, but I didn't care. I'd been lost in thought for over half an hour after I'd tried stretching my arms and opening my eyes in an attempt to clear the sleep from my body, only the silver of my ring had caught my attention when it glinted in the sunlight. The silver body of the snake curled and coiled around my finger, the intricate scales etched into the silver. It was a day by day reminder that I was alone in this castle, in this world. The day I had bought it was the day my mother had made it clear she would always choose him and that even though I was her daughter, she would never choose me. The king of Vauxhaven was cruel with his people and children, he seemed to especially delight in keeping me locked up in this cruel castle of hatred. My mother and sisters were like him too, cold and vicious with their words. Mother wasn't as cruel as her husband, but she'd never speak a bad word about the man. The serpent represents eternal love and I thought it'd be fitting for a girl who never has had and never will have that eternal love to have it coiled around her finger, like it was just out of reach, like if she could just escape the stone castle maybe she'd find it. My mother hated the ring, of course, they both did, which I honestly found hilariously ironic and just made me like it even more. Truth be told they hated everything I did, everything I wore, everything I was, I tried my best to keep myself on a tight leash by wearing the vile pretty gowns to public events and not revealing anything of what my heart wanted to show the world of myself.

Deciding despite the autumn chill creeping in now it was nearing winter it was starting to get too uncomfortable trapped under my duvet with my thoughts, I fling the duvet off my lap and slide my feet into the slippers sat next to my bed. As cool air slinks past my exposed legs and chest I realise the staff in the castle hallways most likely wouldn't be too thrilled if I sauntered into the kitchen wearing my oversized black silk nightshirt and black lace thong so I shrug on a floral chiffon nightgown and plop myself onto the stool in front of my dressing table. The state of my hair in the mirror resembled what could only be described as a bird nest after my nighttime activities of rolling around in bed trying to find that perfect position. The book I was currently reading had me absolutely hooked and after a night of declaring 'one more chapter' while tossing and turning in an attempt to find a comfortable position to read in my long, normally silky, ginger hair was all frizzy and matted. Sighing, I begin to gently tug out the knots with a comb wincing when it snagged. My green eyes sparkled as the sun cast lines of glittering light across my face, shining a spotlight over my delicately arched ears. Magic had been deplenished thousands of years ago and yet my ears were a reminder of what I once could've been, powerful and strong. While some Fae traits still remain, I couldn't conjure the strength to reduce houses to rubble or live long enough to see the world over and over again. Did I want that immortality now? An eternity of being stuck in a castle full of spite and hate wondering whether I'd ever get the chance to see the sunlight dance across the Sevian river. No, no I did not want that to be my eternity.

The realisation had me shaking the thought from my head and strolling over to the large floor-length window framed by a pair of grey curtains. The sun was sending streaks of gold light into my room so bright I had to squint to look out at the view. The vast green expanse of our lands went on and on and on, I hated it. it was a divider between me and the place I wanted to be, the city. far away in the distance, I could see the Sevian river snaking its way through the city like a wall between the mountains and the forest and the city beyond. I longed to go to the city during the day so I could see what the shops and busy streets looked like in the sunlight and whether the music was perhaps a little more cheerful compared to the dark, lustful music of the night. no one knew about the nights I snuck out into the city disguised to be anyone but myself, only my two friends Rosie and James knew after they'd caught me sneaking in through my window one night. James, the captain of the guard, had been told that someone was sneaking into my window one night after Rosie, my servant, had spotted someone sneaking through the garden. I'd almost knocked over a potted plant by my window because I was so startled when I saw them and it was only once I'd explained who I was did they stop threatening to have me thrown in front of the king and then beheaded. Both Rosie and James hadn't stopped apologising and I'd just stood there laughing until my jaw ached, they only joined in when I told them of my adventures into the city.

my gaze drifted to the wall of many many bookshelves opposite the window, each shelf lined with all of my favourite books and decorated with little trailing plants. sighing as I notice my peace lily next to the shelves was dramatically withering, I scoop up the watering can and head down the hallway on the way to the kitchen. the eyes of each photo seemed to follow me as I walked past, these paintings made me cringe every time I saw them. Each one told a story of a cruel queen or king that did whatever it took to gain power - lies, torture, betrayal and heartbreak. it made me hate my status as a princess of Vauxhaven and hate being called the daughter of the king even more.

before I took the last step around the corner to walk towards the kitchen doors I heard the sound of hushed whispers, quietly enough that my feet didn't move any further and I peeked around the corner. I resisted the urge to shift on my feet as I noticed my father and James whispering about something both with faces of stern concentration. My father, with his cold features, long brown hair and untidy short beard kept glancing around in a way that told me this wasn't just some ordinary security update. Despite James being unusually taller and larger somehow seemed to be smaller than my father, something in the cruel calculating way my father held himself and the fact there was still joy in James's eyes that my father hadn't yet touched. what were they talking about? I wasn't aware of any upcoming gatherings and if there was a safety concern I would've been told. That had only happened once, I was very young and I'd hidden myself and a book in one of my secret hiding places during a ball. A huge group of armed attackers had infiltrated the event and when someone came looking for me to go into hiding, they couldn't. my argument was that I was technically already in hiding if even the people who lived here couldn't find me. Unfortunately, my mother hadn't seen it that way and had banned me from training for a month. it wasn't my fault they planned to attack us just as the next book of my favourite series had come out, how was I supposed to know?  I couldn't hear what they were saying but I knew it was serious when James hurried off after bowing deeply at the waist, I wouldn't ask James about it, I knew he wouldn't tell me anything. Princess or friend, his loyalty was to the king. I'd made that mistake once after I'd caught him walking out of a secret meeting when he'd told me he was on patrol that day, he'd given me a sorry smile with a sideways glance towards the king that seemed to say 'i'm sorry, I promised the king'. I didn't blame him, not when he'd given up so much for this position, so much for this role that always seemed to pull him away from the things that he loved. I'd always thought James was too good for this castle, too full of kindness, but then I remembered he had a certain skill set that made him a terrifying opponent in battle. James was unnervingly huge, his shoulders threatened to block him from walking through most doorways and he always had to duck when passing through, he was also extremely good with weapons and hand to hand combat which made him an excellent partner in the ring. But despite all of that, he was still kind, honest and loyal with an unwavering sense of ambition that had made me want to be his friend.

When the coast was clear after my father had stalked back down the hall with two heavily armed guards following him I slipped into the kitchen intent on getting some breakfast. my usual breakfast consisted of porridge with chocolate spread followed by a mug of peach tea but as I couldn't find Rosie I made my own breakfast and I had to run back up to my room with the scorching bowl and mug threatening to burn my hands while precariously balancing the full watering can across my wrist, my mother would've probably scolded me for doing something so wholly undignified for a princess, should've gotten a tray. Unfortunately patiently waiting for the food to cool wasn't my strong suit when I reached my room so I strolled over to the bookshelf wall to find a book to read today and water the lily. The pitiful thing had always been one of my favourites despite the fact it had only ever flowered once when I first got it. Rosie had once said that it reminded her of me, the way the deep green leaves dramatically slumped whenever it wasn't given enough water or food. I'd thrown a book at her head, ensuring it narrowly missed, and she'd laughed herself hoarse. Chuckling at the memory I poured the water into the pot stopping when I noticed it pooling in the bottom of the clay saucer.

I had a few books I'd pulled out from the library to choose from, tales from forgotten worlds, princesses whose lives were so far from the truth and badass assassins with lives of love and regret. Technically speaking I wasn't allowed to remove the books from the library and move them to my own personal shelves so I always ensured I read these ones quickly before the grumpy librarian noticed and reported back to my father. Of course, she'd know it was me when I was the only person who read books from the fiction section, the time of the other residents in the castle way too important to waste on things that never happened. Tugging on the spine of a particularly interesting looking book and tucking it under my arm, I shuffled my way over to the small breakfast table by the window and start eating my breakfast.