The Unlikely Queens

One

"Do you think Father will be happy to see us? He could be terribly busy." I ask Eleanora on the second day of our journey.

"Of course he'll be happy to see us," Eleanora smiles. "He has not seen us in a week. And he will be touched that we traveled all the way to Buran to visit him." She answers.

Our father has been away for a week in the Kingdom of Buran, discussing trade with the Sultan on behalf of King Charles of Asnor, our home. We have been traveling to see him for two days now and we are mere hours away from reaching Buran.

I gaze out the carriage window at the tall grass and yellow and white flowers. This is Eleanora and I's first trip to Buran. Neither of us have ever been anywhere except Asnor. We are determined not to leave, as it is the place of our mother's birth. Our mother died giving birth to Eleanora twenty three years ago. I was only two years old. Our father hasn't remarried and we both certain he never will.

"I wish we were there," Eleanora sighs and slumps in her seat. "I do not think I can take another minute of this."

It is getting quite tiresome, sitting here all day long and painfully bouncing about whenever the carriage runs over a bump. And my sister and I love each other, but we're getting quite bored with one another. We spent all day yesterday playing cards because there is nothing else to do in such an enclosed space.

"Just a few more hours." I tell her.

"You said that four hours ago." She huffs.

"It is not my fault we are not there yet." I cross my arms.

"I know, I know. I just want to see Father."

I look out the window again and watch the ground pass by. The dirt road suddenly changes to cobblestone, a bridge. I glance ahead and see the square tops of the elegant buildings of Buran. Standing proudly in the very middle of the kingdom is a thin, tall building, towering above everything else.

"Look!" Eleanora beckons me over to her window. I move to the other side with her and I press my face close to hers. Among the beautiful green hills and luscious trees sits the Sultan's palace. It is so big my eyes can barely take in all of it. The outside walls of the palace are decorated in  mesmerizing gold, yellow, and orange mosaic tiles that glint against the sun. The towers of the palace pierce the sky with their proud points.

"It's beautiful." I say in awe.

"I have never seen anything so big." Eleanora whispers.

"I cannot believe Father has been staying there. It must be like a fairyland inside." I smile.

"I hope we do not meet the Sultan right away. I look awful." Eleanora looks down at her dress.

"Oh, please. You look perfect. Definitely not as if you've been traveling for days, like me."

I take in her immaculate blonde, almost white, top knot and pink dress. I rake my fingers to untangle my wild red hair. Our mother was a red head like me, but Eleanora was born completely different. While we were growing up people questioned if we were really sisters. We did not look anything alike then and we still do not now. She has blue eyes and I have hazel.

"You look gorgeous as well. I have always been jealous at how good you look in brown. I could never pull that color off." She motions to my favorite brown dress.

We look out the window again and see we are nearer to the palace. The carriage enters the kingdom and we pass by the modest one story houses with gardens and horses in small stables. The farther we travel the farther apart the houses become, turning into mansions and small palaces. In a few minutes, we enter the countryside. I glimpse out the window and take in the high hill the palace is mounted on. The front of the carriage hitches upward and we're jostled around for a moment before the path smooths out. As we get closer, the sun seems to shine down on the palace more than it did before and the tiles sparkle so much I squint my eyes against the light. Eleanora and I smile at one another, as if we both know something wonderful is going to happen there.