The Glass Dagger

Chapter 1

Scattered drops of water dusted the window panes, warping Eloren’s view of the world beyond the carriage window. The rain didn’t bother her. In fact, the moody gray sky reminded her of home and helped calm her tattered nerves. Her brother, the king of Rhiu, spoke so highly of the wealthy kingdom of Palondria that Eloren had come to expect the very roads to be paved in gold. Arriving at her new home to find it cold and gray was actually quite comforting. Maybe she would have a place in this strange new kingdom after all. 

The carriage bumped over a stone and Eloren grumbled to herself, rubbing her sore behind. After days of travel, the princess was exhausted. Even sitting on the velvet cushions of this posh carriage, waited on hand and foot by her travelling companions, was getting old. Rhiu, her homeland, was far behind her now, as was everything that was familiar to her. She had not even been allowed a maidservant to accompany her on the long journey. Her most recent companion had fallen ill and her brother feared that the plague would travel with her and wipe out Palondria as it was currently devastating Rhiu. So she made the journey with a group of unfamiliar men and the young ambassador Lyatt, who had arranged for her to marry the prince Akkan. This was the first time in the young princess’ life that she had been entirely without female company. She had been alarmed that her brother would agree to such arrangements, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Her brother was likely thrilled that he could marry her off at all, considering the pitiful state of her homeland and the death of her first betrothed. 

The kingdom of Palondria had until recently only been a minor trading partner of her homeland. Why a kingdom as large and powerful as Palondria would want the youngest daughter of a tiny Northern land ravaged by recent plague and financial instability was beyond her comprehension. But no one else questioned the decision. In fact, the ambassador Lyatt seemed to be in such a rush to finalize the deal that Eloren imagined the whole country holding its breath for the wedding day. She could hardly complain. This wedding might just be the only way to save what was left of the devastated Rhiu. Fate had left Eloran young, unwed, and of royal blood with no other prospects in sight. Perfect for a rushed marriage to save a desperate royal family. 

She knew they must be desperate. She had overheard Lyatt speaking with her brother about the need for a hasty marriage. The current king of Palondria had fallen ill, and it was feared he would not last the winter. By law his successor could not rule without a queen. So the king's advisers had shipped her in like a boatload of foreign furniture.  They had to be certain the heir had a bride before the king passed on.

There came a knock on the window. Eloren gathered up her skirts and hugged herself against the sudden cold as the carriage door slid open and the young ambassador leapt from his horse into the carriage without making the driver slow. She chuckled at his theatrics as he took a seat on the bench across from her, sliding the carriage door closed as he did. He wore a goofy grin that betrayed his desire to show off. Despite his lofty position as an ambassador, Lyatt didn’t seem to be much older than she was. He was a lively and friendly young man with messy golden hair and bright blue eyes. 

“We are now approaching Gavenden, the capitol city.” Lyatt informed her, readjusting the fabric stole he wore wrapped around his ears and chin. “If you look out the window here in a moment you will see the spires of the Oracle’s Shrine.” Eloren leaned forward in excitement, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sacred building. Palondria was home to one of the largest shrines in the world. Unlike most of the other shrines scattered about the world, this one was large and grand enough to offer worship to all five of the sages. The shrine in Rhiu was only dedicated to a single sage, and was a mere shed in comparison to the palatial grandness of the Oracle’s Shrine. 

The princess gasped in awe when the carriage rounded a bend and the enormous, breathtaking city of Gavenden spread out before her. Even beneath a cloudy sky, everything in the beautiful city appeared to glow, as if the sages themselves resided within the walls.