The Heir of Red and White

Chapter One: Aiyana

I barely felt the sting of the needle.

     I stood before my mirror, encased in yet another dress made of stark blue chiffon and silk. Despite the sapphires already studded along the bodice, I watched in silent revulsion as a maid nimbly added another layer of embellishments to the sleeve of my gown, noting how unnatural the color looked against my skin.

     In the castle, I had only worn garments in various shades of red or pink.

But I wasn't in the castle anymore.

                A wave of uneasiness washed over me as my gaze swept across the room. Every crevice, trim, and finish were adorned in shades of cobalt or steel. The color of the walls was like the muted tones of a storm, the silk sheets a reflection of the polluted oceans. It was as if Duchess Azure wished to imbue her essence into every part of the manor. Ensuring we never forgot where we were.

And who was in charge?

     I had just begun to count the stark blue gems scattered across the ceiling when a sudden pinch jolted my attention. I glanced down at my arm and noticed a small pool of blood had swelled on the skin of my wrist, tingeing the edge of my sleeve crimson.

     The world around me fell away, and like the calm before the storm, my heart ceased to beat in my chest. It didn't matter that the scratch had been relatively painless, or that the wound had been small. All that mattered was that there was blood, my blood, staining the cool expanse of my gown. And despite the incredible urge I had to look away, I could do nothing but watch as it dripped to the hardwood floor, helpless against the cascade of chills that slithered down my spine.

      Thankfully, I was not the only one terrified by the sight of my own blood.  The maid who had been tailoring my dress had taken one look at my arm before retreating to the other side of the room and collapsing onto the floor.

          "I-I-I'm sorry your highness. Please, don't--" Tears flowed freely from her eyes as she cupped her hands over her face and convulsed with barely repressed sobs.

       The radical transformation from a quiet, reserved servant to the weeping mess before me was enough to jar me from my thoughts, and I found it easier to ignore my delirium as I knelt beside her.

     "It's okay. I'm fine." I reached out to grab her hand but quickly thought better of it. I may not have wanted to punish her for such a simple mistake, but I was royalty. And she was a vermin.

           "Princess, may I come in?" Cienna called as she knocked against the suite door. At the sound of her voice, the young girl froze, terror etched into her irises.

           "Just a moment!" I called back before turning to the maid with my eyes wide. "You need to stand," I told her. She stared at me blankly, but I assumed she understood the gravity of the situation, so I turned my back to her and rushed toward my vanity. I grabbed ahold of a wet cloth and scrubbed the blood from my sleeve, goosebumps skating over my flesh. But even after I had washed the lace clean, the girl remained kneeling on the floor, her eyes dazed.

            "Stand up!" I demanded and she jerked at the tone of my voice. Her gaze focused on the severe plains of my face, and she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes.

            I swiveled around, kicked the needle beneath the bed—because Cienna seemed to notice everything—and did my best to clean the blood from the floor. By the time I was finished, the maid had managed to collect herself and I immediately moved through the antechamber to open the door. Cienna stood in the alcove of my suite with a puzzled look, her matted gray hair a mess around her shoulders. Despite the circumstances, I smiled, relieved at the sight of her familiar face.