Legacy

3. A Crowning Hope

The rock made a loud splash as it hit the calm water. Raina had never been so furious and humiliated. She had spent the entire day polishing weapons and cleaning the stables. Raina pelted another rock, cursing under her breath. No one else had to fight Antonio for their knighthood, so why did she?

Raina had wandered into the deepest parts of the forest surrounding the Order, her place of refuge. The trees formed an undisturbed radius for miles, and no one could hear her screams of frustration except for a few frightened creatures. Raina's reflection stared back at her in the lake as she fell to her knees, exhausted from her emotions. For a second she saw her brother's face in her own, and it seemed like he was the one standing there, not her. Raina pulled out a golden circle-shaped object from her pocket and clicked the button that opened it up to a picture of her family. Her father had the dark features characteristic of the Aragonians: ebony hair and olive eyes. On the other hand, her mother had the light hair and eyes, characteristic of the northern kingdoms she was descended from. Her brother was darker than Raina herself, but they shared the same pointy facial features and oval face shape. Her brother's kind eyes seemed to transcend time, and she felt he was right there by her side. But there was another person in the picture, someone she didn't recognize. A little girl with a toothy smile on her face squeezed her brother's hand, and she wore a puffy dress with her hair done into an elaborate braid. Her sparkling brown eyes gazed into Raina's soul. Surely that girl couldn't have been her?

"Oh don't look at me like that," Raina muttered and snapped it shut. Her heat panged in her chest as she quickly shoved away the memories. She was not that girl anymore, and she had promised herself that she never would be again. Not after that night. It was better that she forgot.

Raina drew her arm back to throw the picture, but she couldn't follow through. Her fingers clenched the object even tighter, and finally, she resigned and placed it back on her person. She could hold on just a little longer.

There was a sudden rustling of leaves, and Raina listened as the steady pattern of soft footsteps crept closer.

"Go away," she groaned at Antonio's reflection in the lake. "I don't want to talk."

Antonio ignored her and sat on the soil next to her.

"Just so you know, I didn't come here to apologize."

"Well, I hope you didn't come for an apology cause you're not getting one," Raina huffed.

"No, I know you're too stubborn to ever admit you're wrong," he chuckled. "Just like my son when he was your age."

Raina perked up at the mention of his son. It was a touchy subject for Antonio, a subject forbidden by anyone to mention or even allude to. Raina had made the mistake of asking about him in her first few weeks living with him, and she learned quickly never to do it again. The only thing she knew was that he used to be one of the most skilled knights in the history of the Alton Order, trained by Antonio himself. Then he left one day, and no one dared speak of him again.

"He was passionate, tactful, and had all the makings of a knight of legends, but power is useless if you don't know what do it with it. I failed to teach my son what honor meant, what responsibility came along with his strength, and in that respect, I failed too. I just want you to realize that battles aren't always won with the sword."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not your son," Raina quipped. "I'm different, and you should treat me different."

"You're right, you're not my son. You are much more important than that. You're the last heir to the throne, and it's my job to protect you. I can't do that if you're constantly running off!"

Raina let out a sardonic laugh. "An heir to what? An heir to a kingdom that doesn't exist anymore? I'm no princess, and it's about time you stopped treating me like one!"