A dark figure flashed past the long unwinding hall of the castle, followed by two others in swift pursuit. Mel laughed, her dark hair flowing as she ran around a corner, dodging past stunned servants and eyeing several doors alongside each wall to find an escape route that would lead to an eventual hiding place.
"Young Mistress!" came the exhausted cries behind her but she ignored them.The stairs came into view and Mel rushed downstairs, leaving a huge gap between herself and her chamber maidens. More servants darted out of the way, not at all surprised by Mel's carefree attitude. Her chamber maidens chasing after her had become a routine the young lady of the castle was fond of, and what good would it do to help them when the young woman was an exceedingly fast runner.Mel found a door and pushed at it, slipping into a bright room and closing the door shut behind her. She turned around and listened closely with her ear pressed against it, her heart hammering in her chest. Soon enough, the servants came running past, their sandaled footsteps pounding against the carpeted floor of the hallway.Mel chuckled and turned around to face the wide expanse of the room. Bright morning light flooded in through the large open windows, touching the rows of shelves that stood with arranged books on them. Books belonging to her younger brother, Adam. She had never bothered to learn how to read. Most of the women in their domain were not expected to, and she found it very dull for her brother to sit for hours going through several pages of numerous texts and wordings.'What was exciting about that anyway?' she thought."Oh no, not again," came Adam's exhausted groan, and Mel skipped down to the end of the room, sneaking past the last shelf to find Adam sitting by the last window, well hidden by the shelf she had just passed."A fine morning to you too, brother," she greeted him, walking barefoot to wrap her arms around his neck and give him a tight hug from the back.Adam patted her arm and she released him, clasping her hands down on the headrest of his seat. "You and your books," she teased."You're causing an unnecessary burden to your chambermaids. If you wanted to exercise that much, why not ask father to give you a personal trainer and you can run all you want."Mel huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I simply didn't want to get dressed for the day yet. I wanted to see the garden. They would not let me, and you of all people know that father would tell me that would be 'unladylike'." She stepped away from Adam and leaned her back against the shelf.Adam shrugged in his chair, not taking his eyes off his book. "So is your running across the halls of the castle and engaging in a mad chase. I don't know how we've even put up with you for so long."She chuckled. "Don't be ridiculous, brother. I know you all love me."He tsked and shook his head. "Still wonder when that husband of yours would arrive."Mel smiled coyly. "That can't happen."Their father, the lord of the Urn tribe within the Sprite kingdom had owed a high-ranking lord from the Orian kingdom and it was mentioned to have been a debt so heavy, that nothing could cover it. When all hope had seemed to be lost, the Orions had then requested for it to be paid in terms of a favour, and her father, feeling very guilty, decided to put forward his little daughter as a future bride for one of their sons to show just how appreciative he was.But after the agreement, the Orions never returned or asked for their bride, even after Mel passed the mature age of eighteen. They still had good relations with the neighbouring nation, but in regards to Mel, they hadn't requested of her, and she was nearing the age of twenty-two.Mel had at first, looked forward to her engagement. But with no news from the Orions, she had been uncertain about the alliance. With time, she decided to embrace the freedom her peers didn't have since most of her friends were already married and looking after their children. Nothing was seeming to tie her down."I'm free to do whatever I want." Her smile widened. She had initially been lonely, but after seeing the stress and effort it took to raise their children and manage their own households, Mel was grateful she wouldn't have to face all of that for now.Adam looked up at her, his dark brows quizzing. "In other words, you won't wed?""What?" She slapped her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What sort of question is that? Of course, I will. Father will find me a husband very soon.""What about your 'husband'?" he asked, still looking at her.Mel combed her hand through her hair, her other hand still on her hip. "As far as I'm concerned, he doesn't exist. Or maybe he has passed away. If not he would have come to claim my hand a long while ago."Adam sagged against the chair and placed the book he was reading on the table beside him. "Mel…""No, no, Adam." She shook her head at him, a bemused smile on her lips as she wagged a finger in his face. "This conversation is closed. I'm off to sneak away to the gardens before they find me. Have fun with your boring books," she chirped, laying emphasis on the word 'boring'.Adam shook his head with a light frown and opened his mouth to speak before Mel dashed out of the room. It was obvious she would go to the gardens, almost every servant knew that. It pained him to an extent that his sister was more of an airhead and didn't even try to think things over. Even if she had no interest in politics or even learning to manage a household, it was worrying how she saw things. There was nothing funny about her situation and it was high time she knew that.Mel peeked into the hallway through the door and noticing no one around, she exited the library and shuffled upstairs. She hid behind columns, statues, and within corners of the passage to avoid the attention of passing servants before making her way into the secluded wing of her father's castle.She gingerly walked to the door of his study and placed a palm on the golden knob, about to push the door open when she heard voices from within. She then smiled, amused, and took back her hand, deciding to eavesdrop. Who was with her father and what were they discussing in there? She leaned forward and rested her ear against the hardwood of the door."… this… not bode well…""We can't stall any longer, Father. We have to send her there."Mel paused, her cheek glued to the door. That was her older brother's voice. His tone was higher than her father's hushed words. An unsettling feeling rose within her. Whenever her brother's voice was slightly raised, it meant there was something wrong."She may not agree. I can't—"Her brother, Anton, cut in, "You never put her consideration into this matter when you offered her to the Orions. Now that they need their dept repaid, why are you hesitating?""We just need time… persuade her."Anton scoffed. Mel could imagine him flinging a hand at the air, one of his annoying gestures. "Persuade? I know what you're thinking, old mad! She's passing twenty-two soon. Which man here in the kingdom would be interested in wedding a woman past her prime? Drag this out any further and not only might we incur their wrath, but your daughter would also be unable to find a suitable spouse for the rest of her life!"Mel stepped away from the doors silently, dumbfounded as she tried to process the ongoing conversation. What did all of this mean? She had lived most of her life in the castle and its surroundings. It hadn't dawned on her that there was a certain age girls were supposed to be wed. Was that why all of her friends were with husbands? From
"Choice? No choice?" Mel froze. There was something about her brother's demeanour that rooted her to the spot. "Please, at least tell me so I can understand," she whispered.Anton's jaw shifted as he ground his teeth. He cast a quick glance around the chamber.Mel swallowed the lump in her throat and let go of Anton. Taking a step back, she turned around to face the busy servants and she clapped her hands twice, catching their attention. "Excuse us."At her words, the maid stopped what they were doing and scrambled out of the chamber, shutting the heavy doors behind them and leaving the two siblings alone.Mel crossed her arms across her chest and shifted on her feet, eyeing Anton in expectation. "Go on." She nudged her shoulder in his direction. "Speak!""We received a missive from the North, the Orions." He watched her, monitoring her pensive mood closely. "When, Anton, when?" Mel pressed, digging her nails through the sleeves of her light dress into the flesh of her arms. Anton's
"You all must not like me much for me to be hearing of this just now."Harriett started, nearly jumping out of her own skin. "No. No. That isn't true. I… I didn't want you to worry—""Well done, you've achieved what you wanted. Now I'm set to leave, unprepared for what I'm to expect. You must be happy now.""Mel—""Just leave. I don't want to talk to anyone." Mel turned away, giving her mother the cold shoulder.Harriett remained standing still, devastated. Her lips quivered once more and she covered her lips with a thin hand. "I understand."Mel watched her mother leave the room and her heart sank. She remained sitting in a daze, staring off into space as more servants came in scuttling about and running in and out of her dressing room with folds of fabrics in hand as they packed her things and set out the garments she was to wear."My lady," Anna, the older of her two chambermaids whispered at Mel's ear, snapping the young woman out of her reverie.Mel looked around the mess that wa
The Sprite kingdom was the only nation in the whole realm with people born without a connection to spirit animals. They were more in tune with nature itself rather than the beasts of nature. Their lands were the most fertile out of all lands in the realm and the Sprite kingdom was not just the largest nation, it was among the most powerful. They were very good gardeners, and a variety of plantations grew bountifully on their lands.Just like other nations, there were several regions or clans within, which were headed by a clan leader each. The only thing that other nations had was their ability to use attributes belonging to powerful creatures. These were their spirit connections. The strongest clans with the tightest spirit connection were able to transform into their creatures, partially or fully. This, however, didn't stop Sprite from being one of the reigning nations, as they had control over plant life, and this was something the strongest Sprite clans could manipulate at their f
Eustace had apparently turned out to be Mel's mother-in-law and this panicked her to some extent. But the old woman's good graces, soft countenance, and charisma set Mel and her whole family at ease. Although her brother, Enmel, was somewhat aloof, he didn't have much of a presence. The castle received the guests from Orion with morbid curiosity. While Eustace and Enmel were tall and slender-figured, some of the Orions that came to rest in the castle were huge.This left Mel questioning what her husband would look like, but she was too shy to ask the old woman, and Eustace didn't say much about her son. The reason they had taken such a long time to get in contact with Urn in regards to the union was that they had encountered a few inconveniences on their end. That aside from the fact that some of their men had to go deep into the woods to hunt for rare creatures and materials that only appeared during a certain time frame within the span of every few decades.Eustace apologized for t
Mel groggily woke up, her head slightly aching. She shifted on the cushioned surface and slowly opened her heavy eyes.She surveyed her surroundings and realised she had been covered with a blanket while sleeping. Her head was apparently resting on Anna's lap too. She looked up at the sleeping face of her servant and immediately sat up, worried the woman's laps would be sore by now. Anna kept on sleeping, and Mel surveyed the room once more. Eustace was nowhere to be seen and Mel properly sat up, leaning back against the divan. She took off the blanket and wrapped it around Anna.Mel's throat itched and her mouth felt dry. She made her way to the door, about to open it and ask for water when it vibrated with a soft knock and was pushed open."Oh." She stepped back with a start as Enmel stood before her.Her future uncle-in-law regarded her with his usual stoic expression. He closed his eyes and gave Mel a short nod. "My apologies for barging in," he said, his voice low and deep. The
For a swift moment, Eustace was dazed, taken aback by the question. Mel couldn't fail to notice it and she paled, wondering if she had offended the woman.Eustace immediately shook her head, an odd expression Mel couldn't place on her features. Whether it was pity, relief, or surprise, the young woman couldn't tell."I don't know if I should be pleased or relieved about the fact that you do not know the answer to that question," Eustace eventually said. Mel relaxed a bit, but still puzzled, she asked, "What do you mean?" "Mel. I am afraid I am not in a position to answer that. Even if I did, I am not certain I would still tell you." She took Mel's hand in her slightly wrinkled one and gave her a soft, gentle squeeze. "It is not a mental burden you should carry. Just know that we won't blame you for the sins of your father."Mel watched Eustace's hand. "But I am… I could have married someone else…" Eustace sighed and averted her gaze. "It saddens me but you're right. My brother and
The sky had been cloudy the morning they set for Orion, the late afternoon they arrived, and the early evening she set foot on the wide streets of the Grime clan. This led to Mel wondering if the sun ever rose in this part of Orion.Mel was faced with a large domed concrete structure and she faltered behind Eustace. Anna was standing at the closed entrance of the building and her mood visibly brightened when she caught sight of Mel.Other servants moved around, carrying whatever luggage from the caravan into the building. From the corner of her eyes, Mel could catch sight of the peeping masses through the surrounding homes, along with passers-by bold enough to linger out in the streets and stare at Mel with rapt attention and excitement.Mel blushed, not used to all the attention at a go. Anna hugged Mel to her side and gingerly urged her into the building. Eustace walked in after them and paused almost immediately. From the floor to the walls, to the spiralling staircase leading upst