Throwing stones

chapter one

Chapter 1

My father called my brother, my sister, and I to the drawing room.

My brother arrives first, staying true to his nature. He's always early, early to training, to classes, even to banquets. I, on the other hand, am not. All of the advisers and teachers tell stories of how we are opposites, but not all of those stories happen to be true.

I walk into the room with my little kathiern on my arm. We were having a tea party, just ourselves, before being called to this distaful place.

Maps line the walls, trophies of game line the tops of bookshelves and books of battliestratige line all four walls of this place. This room shows trophies of death, and like my father reasons "any young lady would have a faint heart here".

"Now that we are all here, father, why did you summon us?" Valerin inquisitid.

"Do you ever just wait for him to start a conversation, Valerin," I say in an annoyed tone.

"I received a letter from the north, the letter has a golden seal meaning that even the high king approved of its contents," our father said, not bothering with mine or my brother's rudeness of before. He always has done that, dismissed us when we said nothing of importance.

"What was in the letter, father?" Kathiern asked in a hushed tone while letting go of my arm to sit down and rest her now shaking legs.

"It is a marriage proposal for one of our family's daughters. The wedding will be held in the capital, after they will take you to the north with them."

I already know what's coming nexts, I know it will be I that is sent and not kathiern.
"They have asked for kathiern because her and the duke are of the same age, but we havearrangedd for Myrthle to go in her place. She's too sick, you understand."

My father looks at me as heartless as his eyes have always been. My name might be mythle, but to him, I might as well have been named thistle. We have always clashed, and now I get to be sent away.

It's not that he doesn't love me, nor is it different for my family. The harsh truth is that they just love Valerin and Katherin more. They need it, and I have never asked for anything different.

While my mother and the maids might say my father doesn't love me less, they have never been able to deny how he is always displeased with me more than my siblings, his love is all I ever wanted but throwing stones in the water doesn't mean they will skip.

"When do you wish for me to head off, father?"

"By the end of tomorrow night."

"Then I must pack tonight, I'll be on my way, I bid you all goodnight."