Court of Chaos

1. Begin

It was dark.

The massive throne room was empty, save for one daring soul tucked away in the darkness. A figure emerged from behind the shadows of a tall white marble pillar, taking a gracefully slow stride towards the dais at the centre of the expansive room. Atop the raised platform was a most powerful weapon that could be wielded by only the most cunning, careful, and victorious individuals; the throne. An inanimate object seeming to be so deceivingly simple had been the cause of centuries of bloodbaths and betrayal, driving all those who yearned to sit upon it's jewelled likeness to do whatever it took to claim it as their own. And once and if the contender was successful, they were promised a lifetime of wariness and mistrust to anyone who neared them for as long as they sat on the throne; a period of time that was commonly relatively short despite the high price it demanded to obtain it, let alone keep it. The silhouette's movements are fluid and almost dance like as it reaches longingly at the seat's armrest. It gleamed in the sliver of moonlight peeking from behind a curtain. The shadowed hand ran it's fingertips along the cold and golden surface of the frame, trying to take in and memorize the grooves and detailing through only touch. A soft sigh breaks the silence of the room, barely an echo as the figure suddenly grips the top of the chair, fingers curling and gripping tightly to the throne like an iron vice.
"Mine", the melodic voice whispered in a harsh tone. "This kingdom will be mine."

                          ~☆~

"Father please, you've got to be joking right? This is a prank; please tell me this is a prank." A young woman stands abruptly from her seat, one hand running through her dark tresses as the other waves around frantically. She begins to pace around the room. Across the table sits her father, a modestly bearded man in his early fifties with silver eyes that mirror those of his baffled daughter. He purses his lips and lets out a deep sigh, rubbing a hand behind his neck.

"Serena my child, you must understand. You had to have known this was coming for some time now, you're turning twenty three in four months time for crying out loud. You are five years well past marrying age. If I postpone this any longer it will reflect poorly on not only you but me as well. Can you imagine the gossip the court's been chittering on about since your last birthday? They'll start to think the the daughter of the Crown Prince's advisor will grow old never having married, surrounded by cats!"

Serena huffs and recollects herself, sitting back down in her seat after having paced the room a couple times. She picks up her teacup, watching the smoke of the heat dance across the surface of her drink.
"Who cares what those nosy pompous clowns think? It's not like they're the ones getting married here. Besides Father, I'm completely happy as I am as a single woman. Why is there always such a fuss about whether or not a lady gets married? It's not like there's an ongoing shortage of babies in the kingdom. And what's wrong with cats?" She takes a sip only to recoil at the sudden burn on her tongue, losing her composure again.

Serena's father goes the massage his temples, "You know why you must marry, it will benefit our family and it will please the royal family. Those gossips are able to ruin us if we don't establish our strength in this court and we continue to avoid your marriage."
"But I-"
"Serena."
"Father ple-"
"End of discussion. You more than anyone are fully aware of the importance of roles at court. You know yours." She lowers her gaze and replies "I understand", obviously discouraged and not having yet accepted her fate. Serena knew her role very well and why her father had to do this, yet it didn't make the reality of it any easier to process despite having known her fate ever since she went to her cousin Joy's wedding. She remembered being in awe as the beautiful bride walked down the aisle, each step bringing her closer and closer to becoming a wife at 17. Joy wrote to her in letters with words of nervousness and self doubt at the beginning of the marriage. As the years went on, Joy told her how incredibly in love she was and how wonderful her marriage was. Although her cousin's successful union brought her peace of mind, Serena knew that not all brides would be so lucky to receive a happy ending. She had heard the stories. She had seen the well concealed bruises and looks of pure fear at the slightest sudden movements. She knew better.