Aliyah breathed heavily as she made her way through the different halls of the palace. Tears were falling down her eyes and she was gaining weird looks from servants and nobles she was passing by. It didn’t take long before she ran into someone.
Aliyah began to fall before she was caught by strong, somewhat familiar arms. She felt her tiara begin to fall and the person who caught her grabbed that as well. Aliyah looked up to see a very familiar curly black head of hair.
“Milo?!” She exclaimed, her sorrow temporarily forgotten.
Aliyah quickly stood, graciously taking her tiara from his hands. She gave him a small smile, looking up at him. His dark brown eyes seemed to be looking at her face with worry.
“Your Royal Highness, are you alright?” Milo asked, using the title jokingly.
“Yes, I-I am quite alright. It seems I’m slightly turned around, I haven’t been here since I was a child. Do you know the way to my room?” Aliyah answered, glancing nervously at the people around them.
“Of course, I was going to find you to inform you that your father placed me as one of your guards,” He answered, offering his hand for her to take.
“Did he? That’s quite the promotion, I’m proud,” Aliyah replied, placing her pale hand in his light-skinned hand.
“Yes, it was a welcomed surprise, to say the least. I hope I can protect you from whatever dangers lie in your future,” Milo said, leading her through the halls.
She made a mental map in her head, knowing she couldn’t always rely on Milo to be her guard. It was an awkward walk, but she didn't make conversation. Despite being old friends from the Academy, Aliyah was still Milo’s superior and elder even if it was by a year.
“It seems you’ve grown shorter, Your Royal Highness,” Milo blurted out, bumping her shoulder lightly.
“Oh really? I think you’ve just grown taller, knight training has had its benefits for you,” Aliyah replied, lifting an eyebrow challengingly.
“Maybe you got shorter and I got taller,” He said, chuckling before dropping her hand.
Aliyah looked at him, confused, he’s never that uptight. Sure, he can be serious but Aliyah has never seen Milo so cold. She looked around and her eyes regretfully landed on her mother’s back. Aliyah rolled her eyes before fixing her appearance.
“Your Majesty,” Aliyah and Milo greeted, bowing their heads to the Queen.
The Queen gracefully turned to the pair, her eyes resting on her daughter’s tear-stained face. Her mother sighed, seemingly disappointed, before walking inside the room. Aliyah followed her mother, nodding to Milo as she disappeared inside the room.
“Yes, mother? Is there a reason for this most unwanted visit?” She asked, her eyes glancing around the room.
The faint smell of blood filled her nostrils and she immediately wanted to throw up. Images flashed through her mind of the event that conspired here. Amir’s death played on a loop through her head. When they finally stopped, Aliyah was curled on the floor crying.
“Get up. You had to see it, stop being weak. If you ever want to rule with a firm hand you will have to be numb to death. Did they teach you nothing at that Academy?” Her mother said, standing over her daughter.
“As if you would know anything about the Academy. As if you would know anything about me! We were conditioned to be weapons with no emotions. I was lucky I turned out how I was! Amir was the only person who cared about me! He may not have been there physically but at least he spoke to me even if he didn’t need anything! You’re nothing, you’re not even a mother. Grandma would be disappointed in you,” Aliyah spat at her, staring up at the woman who birthed her with enough hatred to bring down a country.
“Do not talk about my mother. You don’t know anything, especially not about me,” The Queen replied coldly.
“It seems we have something in common aside from our looks,” Aliyah stated, shaking my standing up.
“Well, I’ll tell you something. Your father plucked me right from my graduation at the Academy and married me not even 3 weeks later. I never even met him, but being loyal was enough for him,” Her mother stated, grasping Aliyah’s chin and forcing her to look into her mother’s eyes.
Aliyah was shocked, to say the least, her mother always seemed so soft. How could she have gone to the Academy?
“Then you know how bad it is there, Amir was the only thing that kept me from losing my humanity. Why would you send us there?” Aliyah whispered, the pain evident in her voice.
She had to know, she needed to know why someone who knew what happened there would send their kids there. Aliyah had to know what made her mother so heartless to the children she gave life to.
“He threatened you, and you were only a few days old,” The Queen answered, a single tear falling from the woman’s eyes.
“He…? Who’s… oh. Him, did he force you to not properly mourn Amir as well? Did that bastard, who dares to call himself my father, even tell you about how he killed your granddaughter? Or how I have to plan Amir’s funeral?” Aliyah prodded, wrenching her chin from her mother’s grasp.
“Yes, I know everything, and it’s in everyone’s best interests if this information never comes out,” Her mother answered, her eyes cast downward.
“Right… everyone? Or just his? He doesn’t deserve to be a king, he doesn’t even deserve to be a father. I don’t understand how you sit idly by while he ruins everyone’s lives, but I guess it comes with the Academy training. Always loyal to your king before loyal to others,” Aliyah said, venom lacing her words.
She was broken, it was plain to see. Her world crumbled and each time it tried to rebuild itself her parents destroyed it again. Aliyah couldn’t even cry anymore, it’s like she ran out of tears.
“Just get out,” She said, not looking at her mother.
Aliyah heard the sound of heels clicking on the floor before hearing the door open and close. She let out a breath, using her fire to light the candles around the room. Aliyah played with the fire on her fingertips, trying to calm herself down.
“This place already sucks,” She whispered, snuffing out the flames on her fingertips.
Aliyah took off her tiara as she made her way to the window, making sure it was locked. She placed her tiara on the table beside the window before walking towards the bed. Aliyah lay down, staring at the ceiling as she tried to think of how to begin planning her brother’s funeral.
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