Early morning in the palace seemed to be very busy. As the screams and cries came to an end, everyone grew quiet. An impatient figure burst through the door and shouted, "How is my wife?"
"Her Majesty is healthy... but..."
"What?" the king shouted; his restlessness apparent.
"It's a PRINCESS!"
Everyone was in shock, holding their breath. No princess had been born for generations.
"So what? She is still my child. Is she healthy?" He cradled the infant to his chest.
"The princess is healthy, Your Majesty," the doctor replied.
A tiny thing, exactly like my queen. Black hair, brown eyes, and again, so tiny. Am I holding her properly? Even though it was his third child, he had no idea how to care for a new-born. He looked at his wife's face, which was covered in sweat and tears.
"My love, thank you. Please rest. I will look after you both."
She smiled and drifted off to sleep. It had been a long, hard morning for her.
"Now, for the princess's name," he thought. Why was it so difficult? No one had expected to have a girl in the first place, as it had never happened before. "I will wait until the queen wakes up; it needs to be done properly. Let the princes know they have a sister now, but don't let them in just yet. I don't want them lazing around for this reason. Prepare everything that needs to be done. When the queen wakes up, everything must be ready."
He began giving orders to everyone, but then he wondered something: Why isn't she crying?
"You said nothing is wrong with the princess. Why isn't she crying like the other princes did when they were born?"
"It's not necessary, Your Majesty. She doesn't have any other health conditions," the doctor replied, trembling. He didn't want to face the king's wrath.
"Fine. It's a happy day. I don't want to spill blood."
And that's how I was born as the princess of the Ashyn kingdom.The whispers in the court were subtle at first. Some said that I was a sign from the gods, a blessing, while others claimed I was a curse. For years, the royal family had only borne sons. The Ashyn kingdom had always been ruled by kings, and the notion of a princess was foreign, like an uncharted territory no one wanted to explore.
If I were to talk about my father, he is a ruthless man who loves to go to war for fun. He had to fight for his throne against his brother, and most of the time, he ended up poisoned. Now he is immune to any poison. He enjoys killing—maybe even loves it—until he met my mother. So, at this moment, the scariest person in the world is my mother. She is the only daughter of the Duke of the North. How they met is another story. Let's concentrate on mine first. My parents named me Elysia and you can call me Elie.