By Rania R.
This is the first chapter in a series called, “The Fractured Oath” which the Buchhof Bulletin will publish in installments throughout the year.
By Rania R. and Eva H., Grade 8
Chapter One
She flipped another page, reminding herself how much she hated the noise, eyes drifting towards the stained glass window, imagining herself out in the rain rather than the lecture hall. The pattering outside drowned out the sound of her governess dragging on about merchants and trading. She was the heir to the throne for Minerva’s sake, the next empress of the three continents! She should be learning to rule, how to maintain peace or how to act.
She felt a twinge of pity for the eager students in the hall, wanting the “glory” of becoming a trader. She couldn’t help but smirk. Edmee continued to daydream, her mind drifting off carelessly, until she felt a sharp sting on her arm. She looked up to see an unpleasant governess looking down at her with glaring eyes. “Miss Arcadia, these maps and lessons will serve you well, even on the throne.”
A classmate snickered, and then stopped abruptly after a cold glare shot from Edmee. No one wanted the responsibility of the throne in their hands, an impending doom waiting for her. She quickly faked an apology and acted like she was listening again. After the governess dismissed them she was the first down the spiral staircase to the foyer of the library tower.
She saw her bodyguard, Augustus. A stout man with a bushy mustache, and he always had a smile on his face, contrasting his monotone voice. He politely greeted Edmee, taking her books and notes from the day.
“Thank you dear sir,” Edmee said. “Shall we? I do need to be somewhere.”
Edmee covered her shoulders with her cardigan, uninterested in having a conversation, but remained ladylike and kind. One must practice for the future, she thought. Augustus nodded as his smile flickered slightly. Edmee walked through the courtyard, under the arches representing the words that Mervane worshiped: Intelligence, Balance and Logic.
Augustus walked beside her in the pouring rain, protecting the papers as though they were his own child. Non-royals weren’t allowed to be under the arches of Mervane. They arrived at the grand door of the castle. Edmee chuckled quietly as she saw her books and paper undamaged by a single drop of water while her trusty bodyguard looked as though he had taken a dive in the lake. She curtsied to the bodyguard in thanks. The grand door opened slowly showing the great hall of the castle Anaeth.
Basalt columns on either side let light shine through the great windows. Stone figures overlooked the tables where scholars, nobles, and students were seated. The throne at the end of the hall, majestic as though the metal was a waterfall embedding itself inside the marble floor. Red leaves roofed the throne. That was the throne she would one day sit on. A crown made of golden leaves and crystals sat on a woman’s head. Although her mouth was curved upwards, her aurora colored eyes pierced anything that came into their view. As they caught Edmee, they softened. Edmee’s hands waved at her mother, smiling brightly.
The Empress stood from her chair of fire and water, gliding towards her daughter. Her black robes waved behind her. As Edmee broke into a curtsy, her mother stopped her.
“Please Daphne, how many times must I tell you, you don’t need to curtsy.” She paused. “How was the lecture?”.
“Very interesting, we learned about maps and geography, Edmee lied. And no doubt it is very important for my future.”
Her mother nodded.
“If you would excuse me mother, I do need to review my notes and books.
Approvingly her mother nodded once again. Edmee strode past, Augustus following her.
“Augustus, could you please put these in my room?” Pointing at her lecture materials.
He agreed, bowing then left down the stone hallway.
She stayed in the hallway for a couple of minutes, looking out the windows at the city below, before walking off down the stairs, the opposite way Augustus went. She started to get dizzy from the twists and turns of the hallways, the same beige stone and teal details. She finally arrived at the stables, majestic steeds towering over the workers, waiting to be ridden. She turned around the fence corner walking towards a dark brown horse. The horse bowed his head, waving his platinum mane.
On his saddle, her crimson robe. As she flung her robe across her shoulders, the stallion broke into a gallop. The rain spread across her hood, turning the fabric into the color of blood. The horse pushed on, puddles of muddy water splashing under his hooves. She looked up, the sun shone out of the dark clouds, rays focusing on her destination. Her horse gradually slowed into a trot and finally stopped. In front of her was a fortress. No, a city. A city on an island surrounded by water of a mystical blue. The city seemed as if it was floating, trees and foliage covering the bottom of the fortress as if they were clouds. Right in the middle of the island was a large circle, a waterfall running out of it, spilling into the lake below.
She had found it on a ride the week before and it had poisoned her mind ever since. As she stepped forward touching the water, something pulled her in.