~2~

on the first day, things were great. Ivory woke up in the Same Old Country Manor that she grew up in; the place she called home. she played with the nyad's the dryads as they tended to the grounds in the morning and afternoon. and that evening, she would sit in her bay window beside her bed and watch for any sign of her sister, for she and gone off to fight in the war and still had not returned.

on the second day she explored the manor revisiting all of her favorite hideouts as a child. crawl spaces, cupboards, even the secret passages that her father didn't know that she knew about. the days were growing shorter and colder and so her mother had asked her to stay inside. so Ivory had spent most of her day in the library, hunting for new books I have not been there when she left six years ago. and once again after the sun had set and her sister had still not returned Ivory had sat in her window and watched and so she could not keep your eyes open any longer.

on the third day, however. Ivory had originally planned to visit the small village just a few miles away with her mother. But when she made her way down into the dining hall there are three people waiting the large table instead of two.

Olivia was still in full uniform. She sported the colors of Eirian; dark gray and Dusky blue. And her black hair was pulled back into a low ponytail as the harbingers always wore in battle. She looked much older. She was only 3 years Ivory senior.

Olivia's face was thinner as well, enter eyes not their fathers.

Ivory once believed that she had her father's eyes, but she only had their Stone Gray color. Over time she learned she actually had her mother's eyes. Her mother's eyes were full of hope and life and beauty. Whereas her father's had drained of those things long ago. And now when she looked into the eyes of her half-sister, she knew that there is no hope for life or beauty left in those dull gray eyes.

Ivory's mother had beckoned her over.

"Your acting odd." Said her mother has Ivory sat down on her left.

" it's nice to see you again ivory" said Olivia, and she smiled, well sort of. It was a different Smile than the one that ivory knew. It was almost sullen. Like the one their father wore whenever he wanted them to believe that he was fine.

"You too," ivory said, as she let her gaze fall to the food that had just been placed before her. Breakfast Ivory and Olivia seldom spoke. And even if ivory wanted to say something she wouldn't be able to get a word in. Olivia and their father talk to you about the last moments of the battle until their food grew cold.

"Er, girls..." said their father as he wiped his face with his napkin and tossed it back down onto his still full plate. "As you know, the war had not gone as planned. The Queens have fled and now sacrifices must be made for the good of Eirian. As you are the daughters of a Lord, you two will have to make some sacrifices as well."

" What kind of sacrifices?" Asked Olivia.

" all necessary ones. "

" but one of you will have to make more of a sacrifice than the other" said Ivory's mother, and immediately, ivory knew that her mother was talking about her.

" ivy," her father began. " A seer from Clarion had foreseen the ending results of the war before the last battle had even begun. Before you arrived, the Cardinal had delivered the post as he always does on Wednesdays, and in it was a letter from a woman named Josephine Breyer, and she claimed to be a prophet. Breyer had already anointed five new rulers to take the Queen's place... and you were one of them."

Ivory stared blankly at her father as she let what he was saying sink in. And when they did Ivory could feel the blood draining from her cheeks, and her stomach twist itself into a painful knot.

Queen? Her? But she was only twelve years old, how could they expect her to rule a country?

" well as I said," her father started as if reading her thoughts, "It won't be all up to you. There will be four other Queens to help you..."

But Ivory had stopped listening. She could already feel anxiety taking hold of her. She was deep in her head, and she needed to get out before she overwhelms herself.

"Do you need a minute?" Asked her mother in a tone like honey.

Ivory nodded...At least she thinks she did. Everything after that was a bit of a blur. And the next thing she knew, she was at her window once again, looking out over the grounds and watching the nyad's and dryads play together.

What if she fails? What would become of her then? What if the people don't want to be ruled by a twelve-year-old girl? What if the other queens hate her?

Ivory squeezed shut her eyes until she began to see stars. And when she opened them again, nothing had changed.

For the first time since returning home, Ivory wished she could leave.