Melior of Milana

One

I open my eyes just as the sun is rising and sigh. For a moment, just one moment I want to enjoy the morning before I am forced to face the harsh reality facing me. I had promised them I would give them my decision today. I had requested a little time. Just a little time to enjoy my freedom until my seventeenth birthday. Well, today is the day I turn seventeen. I think and feel the panic building again. They know I have no choice but to agree to their preposterous suggestion. If my kingdom is to survive I have to agree to the marriage. King Phillip will be sending his messenger today with the formal proposal. I am to feign delight and surprise and accept at the first opportunity. I feel my anger building again at this trap set by my high council. They think I am still a trusting naive child willing to do their bidding. They have no idea what I am capable of doing. I need more time. I have to think of some way to delay the engagement.

I get out of my warm bed and shiver as the chill in the air hits me. The fire is almost out in the fireplace. I put on my thick robe and stand at my window. I lift the curtain and look outside, sure enough, my kingdom is awake. My town is bustling with excitement on my birthday. Today is my birthday. My people love me. They are looking forward to celebrating this day without having any idea of the heavy toll it brings me. I take a deep breath to calm my nerves. I need to think. I need to get away from here. Before I can reconsider, I transform into a sparrow and fly out of my window and far away from the castle. The further I fly from the castle, the lighter I feel. Escaping the clutches of life is always so liberating. I circle above the forest.

The famous forest is said to define my family's history. It calls to me today as it calls to me every time I am near it. I have avoided entering it my whole life. It is said to be the source of magic in our kingdom. It is also said to be the source of all the troubles in our kingdom. I have spent the last twelve years of my life trying to be the perfect queen. I had been promised freedom on my seventeenth birthday.

My Minister and General had promised me that the day I turned seventeen, they would hand over the affairs of the kingdom to me. Trusting them, I had spent every waking hour of my life training until there was no man or woman warrior more skilled than me. I had studied every book in the castle library ranging from history to politics. However, just three days ago, as I had been preparing to take over from them, they had informed me I had no option but to marry the man of their choice if I was going to give my kingdom a chance to survive. All of our funds were gone. The castle treasury was bankrupt. We did not even have supplies to feed the kingdom for this coming winter. Like a hero in shining armor, King Phillip had sent an emissary indicating his interest in marrying me and combining our neighboring kingdoms. Needless to say, my advisors were thrilled. They had practically accepted on my behalf. No one cares that King Phillip is in his fifties, and older even than my father would have been had he still been alive.

As I think of this betrayal by my high commission, I feel furious and before I am aware of it, I land on the ground and enter the forest in my human form.

At first, it feels like every other forest I have been to. However as I walk deeper into the darkness of the woods, I start feeling it. I feel a pull calling me deeper. I keep walking until I am at the center of it. This is supposed to be the exact spot where my father had found and adopted my brother Ethan. A few years later, it is said that he met my mother here and fell in love with her upon setting eyes on her. I roll my eyes as the legends whispered about my family run through my mind. It is officially forbidden now to believe in faeries. Our kingdom has found its new religion now, one that denies the existence of magic and faeries. Now they are called demons. All magic is considered evil.

My family's history is said to have been greatly exaggerated. And yet, no one enters this forest. I am probably the first one in my kingdom to enter it since my father did years ago. I walk to the center of it and sit against a tree. Once the deep magnetic pull fades away, I admit to myself that I like it here. It is calming. I feel a frisson of fear as I imagine what my people would do if they ever found out the truth that I am not entirely human as they believe. I have something in my blood unlike anyone else amongst them. Whether it is faery blood or demon blood I am not sure of. What I am certain of is though that if any of them find out my true abilities they would not hesitate a moment before burning me alive or something equally cruel to get rid of me. I shake my head to shake off the melancholy. It will do me no good to think of the problems ahead of me. I need to think of solutions instead. I need to find a way to raise funds in my treasury without having to promise myself to Phillip. I need to find solutions. With this thought, I stand up and start walking towards the sound of water. I am thirsty and can hear a stream nearby.