Gilded: Prolog

Sometimes, a story of greatness begins in great tragedy.

Prolog

In the beginning, the world was snowy and dead. The Great Wolf was the sole survivor, with no blood to feed on. His last victim had pierced his chest and, as he laid down in the snow to die, the blood in his heart and the snow mixed together. From this came forth The Virgin, naked and pure. The wolf could not bear to eat her and instead gave her shelter and warmth from the storm.

-From the Codex of the Pack, Chapter 1.

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Some great stories must start with great tragedy.

The story of Myridas began with a bloody conflict between humanity and Vampires, shadowy creatures who sought to dominate the continent. The story of the Elehari, pale-skinned folk capable of great magic, began when both sides of this conflict approached to demand magic. The mystics thought their story ended when they refused, their great kingdom destroyed in a fit of vengeance. But, settling into Myradas's southwest tip, a new chapter began in the great kingdom of Casteline.

The story of their princess began much the same, in the capital city of Narrault. The prolog began when her father passed away from an incurable curse. The first chapter opened with murder.

Queen Corrine sensed she was dying. Her aura faded fast, a searing pain spreading through her body. Her ladies continued their weaving and sew work, two guards looking unaware at the door. The youngest lady did finally look up and tilt her head.

"Your Grace?" She asked. "Is something wrong?"

Corrine stumbled away from the desk and let her magic course through her fingertips. The eldest of her personal ladies rushed to her side only to be pushed away. Corrine closed her eyes, coughed, and slapped a hand to her chest.

In a swift motion, a ghostly projection of the queen rose over the Chateau de Aramin, the two-level castle of the royal family. The white marble edifice of wealth and power glinted in the noonday sun, the black parapets freshly polished, and golden embellishments shinning. Corrine looked at it wistfully from above before forcing herself to speak.

"My people… my darling people, lend me your ears… one last time."

The capital's population slowly drew to attention. Their lady looked unwell, her white hair limp and askew from its tight bun, pallid skin looking thin on her bones. Corrine's vision blurred as several people gathered by the gate. She couldn't see their faces, something she now longed for more than anything.

"Let it be known, I loved you all," she said, tears falling down her face. "Love yourselves, never hate. Hate is the poison… of good intentions. "

Blood spilled from her lips. With a cry, she collapsed onto her floor, and the world faded to black. Her ladies rushed to her side and carried her into the bed, the eldest holding tight to her hand. One guard dashed away to find the healer only to return in a state of panic.

"The healer's out in the stables. She'll arrive by the next half-hour-"

"Her ladyship will be dead by that time!" the eldest shouted and gestured to the other girls. "Odette, cold water and a silk cloth. Marguerite, I want a cause for this and I want it now."

One of the girls leaped away and began combing over the room. The other fetched a silk scarf from the armoire and drew her thin fingers up in the air. With a look of deep concentration, water droplets materialized from the air and rushed into the fabric. When Odette placed the scarf on the queen's forehead, Marguerite gave a cry.

"Katia, here!" she thrust a half-eaten tart into the air, now oozing black. Katia frowned and nodded.

"Poison then," she said and put her hand on the queen's stomach. "There's too much life bled from her, but I can make sure she won't suffer for much longer."

Katia closed her eyes. Her aged hands tensed, and white sparks seeped out of her skin and into the queen. Katia instructed Marguerite to fetch a bowl and for Odette to hold the queen's arms. She grabbed them just in time as Corrine started thrashing. Katia dragged her hands roughly up the queen's throat. Corrine gagged, black liquid floating up and out of her mouth.

"Now!"

Odette released her arms to turn Corinne's head. The black liquid dropped onto the floor. Corrine's breath evened out. She closed her eyes. Katia smiled and stroked the queen's cheek.

"Safe passage to Mother Moon, my Lady Of the Light."

The queen exhaled. The door flew open and the healer rushed to the bedside.

"She's left us," Katia said, shaking her head. "We're too late."

The healer, after running her hands over the queen's forehead and neck, nodded. Odette grabbed the healer's wrist.

"You can't do anything?" she demanded. "You have magic, d****t, why can't you fix it?"

"I cannot pull a soul back from death's embrace," the healer said. "She's gone."

The guard captain arrived moments later. He eyed the scene for a mere second before rounding on his men. "I want this room locked down, you hear me? No one gets in or out without my permission."

A large gust of wind blasted open the windows. Marguerite screamed and pointed at the queen's desk.

"Her journal, it's gone," she said.

The captain hardly had time to comprehend the implications. The door behind him opened and A young female darted inside.

"Mama? Mama, you should have come riding with us. It's so lovely on the beach this time of..."

Everyone turned their heads. The princess, with a choked sob, darted into the room and collapsed by the bedside.

"Mama! MAMA!"

---

"Your grace?"

"Hm?" Addy blinked, the memory fading away in a few strokes of her eyelashes. "Oh, um, yes?"

"I'm about done," Ida repeated, continuing the complex hair work. She looked down and clicked her teeth. "Are you excited?"

Addy mumbled a "yes," running nervous fingers through unused strands of her white hair. The Elehari Princess already looked as baby-faced as a young adult could get, with her large, blue eyes, very round face, and her small pointed chin. They'd had to massacre her mother's coronation gown, cutting fabric everywhere to fit her barely curving frame, making Addy feel all the more like a small child playing dress-up.

Ida, so engrossed in making her charge "presentable" for the coronation, hadn't noticed the figure climbing up over the balcony railing and slipping behind the purple curtains. Addy saw movement in the corner of her mirror and felt her body tense. Biting her lip, she looked at Ida with a pressed smile.

"Um, Ida," Addy said. "I believe we left the pins and thread in my bedroom. Could you fetch them?"

"I'll teleport them in a moment. I've almost finished the ribbons."

"But you look so tired, and the magic exhausts you so" Addy pressed both hands together. "Please?"

The governess tilted her head, then sighed in defeat. "I suppose I'll have to," she said, standing up. "The magic's a bit of a strain on me anyhow. I'll return in a few moments, my lady."

After kissing her charge's forehead, Ida walked out of the room. Addy walked to the bedroom door and turned the lock. When the maid's footsteps grew distant, she heard the swish of her silk curtain.

"Kaius, you are an idiot."

Addy turned to see him grinning at her, two fangs poking out over thin lips. Standing on the balcony, bathed in moonlight, Kaius looked just like the heroes in her books: pale, slender frame poised for action; blond hair neatly combed over his shoulders; aquiline face smiling with warmth. How many ladies would die to have the Kaius Veralia, Prince of the Vampire Clans of Issinia, right on their balcony?

Not this one. She grabbed a comb and threw it.

Kai dodged and frowned. "I'm delighted to see you too, your majesty," he said, straightening his vest. " I must say, your ability to lie so easily is fascinating."

Addy groaned, head in her hands. "Did you think for a moment what would happen if someone saw the Vampire Prince waiting at my bedchamber?"

"This is the thanks I get for attempting that heroic 'moonlight entrance' you talk about so much. I can't help it if your nobles don't have a flair for the dramatic."

Addy shook her head. The prince of nineteen years probably knew exactly what kind of rumors would pop up from his escapades, thanks to an intricate knowledge of the noble system he was born into. Just a shame he used this knowledge to rub it the wrong way as often as possible.

Hence, going against all Issinia's customs, his court wear was incomplete. The dark blue tunic was fine, as was the velvet vest, but he lacked the proper surcoat and wore dark pants instead of the usual breeches and stockings.

Addy eyed his new look. "You're serious?"

"The girls like it. The rebellious prince and all that."

"Uh-huh."

Kai gave Addy a once over. "Isn't that your mother's dress?"

Addy looked down at her clothes. They'd altered the mass of pink taffeta with tighter ribbing, a smaller waist, and shorter sleeves. For decoration, white lace now spilled out from the elbows, and a row of pink roses lined the square-shaped neckline.

"It was," she said, sitting down. "Before they gutted it to fit me."

Kai's expression grew serious. He sat down in a chair by the corner and drew closer. "I'm sorry, that was a low blow. How are you these days?"

Addy sighed, and let her arms relax. "I'm… not okay" she said. "I think I'd go with disgusted."

One of Kai's brows rose up. The princess moved her hands over the brocade comforter, clutching the lilac fabric tight.

"I know it's been two years, but it doesn't matter," she said. " It doesn't matter that they moved all my furniture in here, all my clothes, or anything. This is still where she was killed."

"But isn't this normal?" Kai countered. "I mean, mom's furniture's going to storage whenever she lets me have the over-gilded chair that makes me in charge."

That's easy for you to say, Addy thought. "It still feels wrong. Putting me here, putting me in her dress… "

While the miasma of the queen's death had been logged away as "history", it failed to smother 16 years worth of happy memories. Cracks in the white marble, the sleek wooden floors, even the intricate painted ceiling above them bombarded Addy with thoughts of better times.

"My mother told me about the incident, before she passed," Kai said, standing back up. "Quite dramatic."

Addy snorted. "If she'd just laid down, called for help, it would have been better. She'd have been saved." .

"You know, in a way, she made it easier on you," he said. "A public display of a murdered monarch, especially one as liked as your mother, meant her children would be extra loved, right?"

"Are you trying to tell me she committed suicide?"

"N-no, I'm not." Kaius sneezed. "Look, uh, I can explain better when I'm not freezing."

Addy blinked, and looked around. The room was covered in frost now, white sparks leaking off her fingertips. She blushed and brought her palms up. The frost swirled around the room and absorbed back into her hands.

"I'm sorry," she said. "That's the third time my magic has gotten out of my control today. Unacceptable."

"You're stressed." Kai brushed some leftover flakes off his suit. "I was only saying that Corrine made the best use of what little time she had left. A poisoning is usually a quiet murder, right? By making a big scene out of it, she put the palace on high alert, and made the people sympathetic to you."

Addy sighed but nodded her head. "Great at court to the very end," she said. "I don't think I can be that calculated in a pinch."

"Relax." Kai patted her shoulder. "If you wanna feel sympathetic, there's always the charming gentlemen beside you who may very well inherit a war."

Addy felt her blood cool. She narrowed her eyes at her friend. "I thought you had a peace treaty signed."

"So did I." Kai's face hardened. "But we've had a few incidents at the border between Issinia and Trowmere. If Eldric, or my mother, can't keep the more 'patriotic' men to keep quiet, we may very well start another conflict."

She looked up at him, eyes wide. "Do you think you and the humans will ever get along?"

Something strange passed over Kai's gray eyes. Was it hesitance she saw, or something far more strange. The prince backed away and shrugged, looking down at the floor.

"I hope so," he said, voice low. "I really do."

Addy's door knob rattled. This was followed by a panicked knock. Addy turned to warn Kaius only to find that her friend MIA. Vampire super-speed struck again.

The door clicked open. Ida pocketed a spare key and grabbed Addy by the shoulders. "By the blessed spirits, child, why was the door locked?" she said. 

"And why is the window open?"

"I needed air," Addy said, her smile stretched wider than normal. "You have the pins, right?"

Ida pursed her lips. Addy stared back at her, unfazed, and Ida finally shrugged in defeat. "Sorry for the wait. They were in my quarters, it turns out."

Addy nodded and pulled Ida back to her dressing stool. Ida smiled and took Addy's hand.

"I'm sure you're happy to be rid of your old nanny," she said. "But thank you for letting me dress you one last time, dear. I always remember the moments like this."

Addy's chest tightened. The elder woman had been what her people called a "soul-shield," the magical guardian of the young nobility. After watching and guiding the young girl for 18 winters, separation felt like losing a much-needed limb.

Thus, Addy knelt down and put a hand on her shoulder. "You come see me anytime, Ida," she said. "I can always make time for you."

Author's Note

Wanting to know:
-How well does this grab you?
-What would make it a better hook?
-What works and doesn't work for you?
-Did I miss any grammar issues?