A Different Place

The same morning a few hours before, another young lady woke up not to the sound of chirping birds, but to the noise of her father yelling at a servant early in the morning. Situations like these were very frequent in this mansion, she already had gotten used to them. The only peace and calmness came when her father was out of the house for a few days.

Not only her father did not love her but also hated her for not being born as a son. The only affection she received was from her mother, which was closer to kindness than love.

She lived silently and no one was caring about her. She looked much younger for her age, although she was twenty-five years old, she had the looks of a seventeen years old girl. Her pale brown curls of hair complemented the slight shadow of sadness hidden behind her brown eyes. She smiled not quite often giving fewer chances to see the spark of happiness that lightened her pale face. She was slender and was not tall but anyone could not deny her beauty.

Not long after she got dressed and started reading a book, she was called for breakfast. She did not quite like the mealtimes at the mansion as she had to sit with her father at the same table. She used to avoid her father all the time and was careful not to do anything that caught his attention as it was his habit to yell at her in every possible instance.

Her mother in contrast was a quiet, calm lady who was adored by everybody in the house. This huge difference between the personalities of the wife and husband always made the residents wonder how they managed to live together this long.

Everyone at the mansion called her father "lord Fearyan" and her mother "lady Elindella". At the breakfast, lord Fearyan asked lady Elindella "did you look for a suitor for Vianelle?" Yes. Her name was Vianelle and this was the worst conversation she could ever face.

She was quietly having the meal being careful not to make any sound and her eyes were fixed on the meal. Her mother answered "yes. I'll tell you soon about the progress"

Lord Fearyan honestly did not have any concern about finding someone good for Vianelle, he only wanted to get her married to someone and get rid of her. Then he said "I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble if you were a man. I would have had a successor" frowning at Vianelle who was leaning her head as low as she could as if she wanted to hide her face. There were thousands of times she wished she could disappear into thin air.

Anyhow he did not talk rudely to lady Elindella often more because of his inability to find faults in her than of love for her.

Soon after the breakfast was over, Vianelle hurried back to her room in search of comfort from her books and music. Every time she got scolded or got upset, these were her closest companions that consoled her. As usual, after she went to her room, the maids could hear the most beautiful yet sorrowful tune that was coming from her harp. She did not cry; instead, she let her heartfelt sorrow flow through her tender fingers onto the strings, making them lament.

While she was playing the harp, her mother walked into the garden to her favorite spot, a bench shaded by a huge tree that bore thousands of purple-colored flowers, that almost looked like a purple cloud from a distance. It was mid-spring and the morning was bright with the breeze carrying hundreds of scents of flowers that bloomed in her garden. It was especially her garden as she was the one who took care of the garden and managed the maintenance. Her pleasure was walking in the footpaths between flower beds and enjoying the cool shade of huge trees.

Vianelle also loved enjoying the beauty of the garden but she rarely left her room, due to the fear of walking into her father. She was seen outside only on the days that lord Fearyan was out of the mansion.

The morning was very pleasant with the warm sunlight, but the lady who was sitting on the bench under the shade of the tree seemed to have a different feeling. Her gaze was fixed on the falling flowers in the wind and her eyes had a very dull look. If her feelings were defined more clearly, they were regret and loss that were haunting her every day for a long time.

Sometimes she continuously stared at the blank space as if she was expecting someone to appear in front of her or waiting for someone to come. It was only her that was alive on the earth of the very few people who knew the cause of her pain.

It seemed that the dreadful experiences she had to face and the sorrows she had to endure made her look older than her real age. Although there were few wrinkles on her forehead, the cascade of golden hair which she braided tightly, and the bright spark that appeared in her blue eyes when she smiled told that she used to be very pretty.

Let's allow her to enjoy the silence and take a look at what lord Fearyan was doing after breakfast. He went straight towards his chambers which were in the Southern part of the mansion, opposite Elindella's chambers that had windows opened to the garden.

The styling of his chambers should be mentioned here as it took the attention of everyone who entered there. The main chamber was decorated with all kinds of weapons that were fixed onto walls. The rest of the spaces on the walls were covered with paintings of wars, fire, and victory. These exhibits seemed they were receiving good care as they were wiped regularly and maintained accordingly. There was a divan covered with a skin of a leopard which complimented the overall vibe of the chamber. All these decorations which gave the air of a war museum supplied explicit references to the desires of the resident there.

One of the habits of the proud owner of these chambers was to take a look at the weapons every time he passed by. Similarly, while passing by, he touched a shining blade of a dagger smirking at the largest painting there depicting a large kingdom burning in flames. The reason for him to hurry back there was that he received a message in the middle of breakfast that one of his messengers had come to meet him.

"So, what was their response?" asked lord Fearyan in a loud voice from the man standing in the middle of the room approaching his chair by the table.

The man seemed to be hesitating to answer, but said in a low voice, "lord Fearyan, I beg your pardon. They didn't accept your gifts and informed you that they want to continue the unattached policies between the kingdoms regarding the matters concerning the possession of the throne as followed since the beginning".

The sudden hit on the table by his fists made a loud sound shaking the things that were on the table as well as the guards and the messenger who were standing in front. He was very angry with the royals of the Eastern Kingdom for refusing his request for support for him to pursue the throne and re-establish the Northern kingdom.

The Eastern kingdom was reigned by the descendants of the rulers of fire who were known for their great armories and war power which were hardly used.

"I knew they'd be this cowardly! Still embracing a useless rule!! I'll show them my power" said he with gnashed teeth and clenched fists while storming out of the chamber.

After a few minutes, he was seen riding horseback, escorted by guards heading out of the mansion towards the woods. Hunting was his only joy either in happiness or in anger. Everybody there knew seeing him going hunting, that he was definitely angry as happiness was something that hardly came to him.

Having seen him leaving, Vianelle knew that he would be out the whole day and sometimes a few days and came out slowly intending to read her book in the garden. She took her book and headed to her favorite corner of the garden, which was at the far end. It was a cool place under a tree covered by a well-grown vine with white flowers where there were no sounds other than the chirping of the birds.

On the way, she saw lady Elindella sitting, while staring aimlessly at space and thought not to disturb her as it was her habit. But that day, lady Elindella saw Vianelle passing by and called her, "Vianelle, are you going to read the book? Come here, I want to talk about something important".

Vianelle was slightly surprised that her mother did not usually call her to talk about important matters. She went there, sat beside her mother, and asked, "mother, may I know what is it?"

As in many of the situations, Elindella felt sorry for Vianelle as she could not love her in the way that a mother should love her child. But every time she sympathized with her and was kind to her. "Are you sad? Don't mind your father's words, that's his nature" said she looking at her sad eyes.

Vianelle answered with a sudden light of happiness, "No mother I'm fine". Although she did not receive much love from her mother, Vianelle loved her mother for always being kind to her.

Elindella said "I looked for someone for you from the Southern kingdom. He is the eldest son of an aristocrat there", knowing that Vianelle would never refuse what she proposed. On the other hand, it was difficult to find someone for Vianelle due to the history that had intervened with their family.

She continued to talk without pausing to hear what Vianelle was thinking, "you are turning twenty-five next month and it's almost late and you must get married soon. It was hard to find someone for you and you know any royal family would not accept anyone from our family. So, this is the best proposal you've got".

"I agree with anything you decide that is suitable for me", said Vianelle knowing that she could not expect more here. She was already prepared to accept anything destiny would bring her without opposing or fighting. She knew that she had nothing to lose and she would get to be free from her father which she was thankful for.

Elindella was satisfied with Vianelle's answer and stood up to walk towards the mansion leaving the girl alone with her thoughts.

Elindella was the youngest daughter of the king of the Southern Kingdom and they were the descendants of the rulers of wind. After the death of the king, his eldest son, Elindella's oldest brother, Haolmar became the king. Princess Elindella was married to prince Fearyan who was the eldest son of great king Elthorn of the Northern kingdom. The royal family of the Northern kingdom descended from the rulers of light who were the most powerful on earth thousands of years ago. Prince Fearyan was the heir to the throne before everything changed many years ago.