The Hard Decision

The silhouette of the moving shadow under the flickering flames of candlelight, that hung on the palace wall made my existence evident along the long pathway that led to the palace meeting room.

Soft sound from the sole of my shoes against the tiled floors sliced through the eerie silence that bathed the hallway. My hands were clenched to the fabric that covered my figure, which prevented the hem of the red gown from falling off onto the cold floor.

I, Princess Genieve Sullivan Antonelli who was called Eve for short, was for the first time, taking the brutal fate of destiny into my hands.

Our Empire, which was widely known as Bladimor, was treacherously located at the heart of a mountain. Of course, it was magically situated in a place where Its beauty and glory were made a public display to any prying eyes.

My Father, King Antonelli, with the support of his advisors, ruled this prosperous land. A land of riches and honor. A land that was surrounded by mountains and rivers. A land that was blessed with many beautiful flowers, plants, and animals. A land that was known for its abundant crops, fertile soil, and lush forests. A land that could support its people for generations to come without any problems.

My mother was the only wife of my father. Not until he married another… And from that day forward, everything changed.

A week before my coronation as the crown princess, my mother was accused of having an affair with the palace butler.

What a crazy notion.

I knew my mother loved my father with the last piece of blood in her heart. As a child who was fond of the mother, I knew what she was capable of. Yet, the king was quick to believe that his wife had betrayed him.

Before the Butler was brought for trial, his head was found hanging on the statue right outside the palace, while his headless body was found in the kitchen.

Weird right?

Rumors spread around Bladimor that the mother of the soon-to-be crown princess was caught in an illegitimate affair, and the butler had killed himself out of guilt, and the inescapable fate that awaited him. My coronation was canceled, and my mother's title was taken from her, only to be handed over to my father's second wife.

A few days after she was banished, her torn clothes which were painted in blood were brought by one of the imperial guards who had gone out to check the lands.

Things just happened to quickly.

'She is dead'... ' A beast must have torn her apart'.... ' That's how the gods punish all those adulterers' were the words that flew around the empire for two months.

In all those moments, I was shattered, Broken, and Tattered by the cruel words of the very people my mother selflessly protected.

The truth behind the incident was perfectly covered by those who orchestrated such a plan. And I vowed I would clear my mother's name and bring those people to justice...

And when the werewolf King of Crodentia, who was the ruler of the all-powerful Caliphate of the six regions, was bent on conquering the world with his armies of werewolves, I saw the opportunity to rewrite my mother's story, reclaiming what was mine, while saving our beloved empire.

I knew our people had betrayed my mother, but I wasn't going to pay them with an eye for an eye. That was one lesson my mother taught me.

The glistening diamond crown of the princess belongs to me... But after the incident, it was given to my step-sister who wouldn't give a second thought if she was given the opportunity to make me disappear from this world.

I was going to recover what was mine. Far be it from me if I ever give up on this conquest…

Maybe, if the gods were to bless this journey I'm about to partake in, who knows if I might return with something greater than my feeble expectations?...

The door to the meeting hall creaked open as I walked through the doorway, entering into the light that illuminated the room.

There, my father sat, seated on his ornate throne, looking at me with an emotionless expression. His dark brown hair framed his face and fell elegantly across his broad shoulders. His skin was almost translucently pale, which signified how old and degenerated he was becoming with each passing year.

His council of eight advisors stood at attention, in two vertical lines on both sides of the elevated throne before him. They were dressed in purple robes with silver embroideries.

They all seemed to be having a heated discussion in hushed whispers amongst themselves.

'Brood of hypocrites veiled under the glamor of their fake personalities' I hissed incoherently, taking a few steps to the middle of the room.

Their attention shifted towards me immediately, as I stepped closer. It made me sick to watch them all smile with false benevolence, despite their selfish desires. They paraded themselves as the wisest in the empire and yet, all their wisdom and knowledge deserted their brains at the moment my mother was accused. They were willing to throw wonderful advice concerning the empire that fattened their individual pockets in return, but they never put their wisdom to use during my mother's chaotic moment.

Fools, I'd rather say.

"Father," I started, bowing in respect toward him. When I straightened myself back upright, the advisors began murmuring in surprise, their voices rising in volume. I could see how miserably they failed to conceal the shock on their face.

I smiled, pleased with my accomplishment. If nothing else, these fools had good manners.

Father," I continued. "I apologize for intruding. And I wish to speak to you regarding a matter of utmost importance," I said calmly as I looked back at my father.

He didn't utter a word in reply, instead raising his hand for quiet.

"Speak, Eve. Whatever it is you wish to tell me, I shall listen," he spoke in his gravelly voice, not even bothering to look at me again.

"It concerns the situation we are faced with. I'm aware that in the next few days, our empire will be invaded by the caliphs". I paused, waiting for my father's reaction.

As expected, his reaction wasn't pleasant. There was a tense, serious, and deep frown on his wrinkled forehead.

"That is the matter of concern that I and the advisors of the Imperial Court are discussing. What business does the shameful princess who has an adulterer as a mother have anything to do concerning my empire?" His tone held no inflection as he spoke those words. He just stared at me silently; his eyes boring holes into mine, as though trying to burn me in order to read what was hidden beneath the skin.

Waves of anger seeped from my veins, boring into my skin as I swallowed down the lump that was lodged at the base of my throat. I tried my best to calm myself. How dare he call mother an adulterer?

"Yet the disgraceful princess of the empire who's the daughter of a shameless king, is willing to provide solutions that will save the empire you're trying so hard to protect" I spat venomously, clenching my fists to contain my rage.

He ignored my comment completely while his advisors were thrown into an endless void of Shock, confusion, and disbelief.

Sorry, I was not the usual type of princess where her entire life was being pulled by strings of puppeteers. Neither was I the weak, miserable, waiting for a love-or damsel in distress type.

I'm more of a woman whose life has been molded into a ball of fire. Strength. Courage. I was the captain of my actions. The pilot of my words and thoughts.

Heaven be damned if I showed any sign of weakness to these people standing in the courtroom. Thanks to them, they made me what I am today.

"I have come with a proposition to stop your greatest fears, father..." I stated boldly, as I met his stare with equal intensity.

For a minute, it seemed like the courtroom itself was holding its breath, listening intently to every little word that I said, hoping for the first time that I would make a decision a legal princess to the empire would have to make in perilous times like this.

"You have to win them in their own game, father .... Offer them peace instead of the war they sought for".My father remained silent, but the advisers' shocked expressions told me what I wanted to know.

" A marriage between our empire with the caliphate will maintain the peace you wish for many years. Check the advantages of having them at your side. Perhaps, our empire won't bow to their sovereignty, nor are we doing so to any other king or nations that might arise in the future".

The advisors whispered to one another, clearly confused with the direction I proposed for us to take.

"I don't care what you think. The kingdom needs to survive." Was all I answered them in my cold, icy tone.

Finally, father nodded his approval but something unreadable lingered in his eyes.

Knowing what that expression meant, I let out a small sigh before I knelt before my father. No, the king of the Bladmior empire and his council of advisors.

'This is for you, mother. This is for us, and this was for our empire's survival". ' I whispered mentally to my mother's memory, who now rested in the arms of our ancestors... Perhaps, if the rumors about her death were true though.

" I, Genevieve Antonelli, is forever willing to be the bride to a prince from a foreign land and a different race. May this marriage of alliance bring us both happiness". I declared, bowing my head.