A wreck within

Chapter 3

The gardens of the palace had juicy fruits, flowers with a vibrant smell and big trees who were great to sit under. The gardener had watered the plants. The distinctive smell of wet grass was flooding your nostrils. The King took his only daughter to a walk with him.
He loved Kiara with his whole heart, and he was proud that she was his daughter. Kiara could talk with her father for hours about everything. And that day was no exception. In an hour Harrington would talk to his people. But for him, it was more important to talk with his daughter first.
"Kiara, do you know what a legacy is?" he asked the young princess with his calm and soothing voice.
"I am not pretty sure father. Can you please explain it to me?" Kiara said with her big eyes staring to her father's waiting for an answer. The two of them sat on the engraved marble bench.
"Legacy is planting seeds in a garden you never get to see grow up. Legacy is caring about the impression and how you the world will remember you. And Kiara you are my legacy" He stared at her while holding her hand. His daughter had the same eyes as he.
Kiara was feeling uneasy. Like something bad was going to happen. "Is there a reason we are talking about legacies?" she questioned her father with cold sweat all over her body.
"Yes, my dear. As you know soon, you will become the queen of Celestia." He replied with his booming voice.
"I wouldn't say soon. You have many years ahead of you dad." Kiara said with worry. She did not like the idea of her parents dying before she was older. She had a close relationship with her parents, meaning their death would cost a lot to Kiara.
Her father's face hardened. "You never know Kiara. Let me finish. You, as a queen, will not only lead but you will protect our people. And in our tradition, the King doesn't only take the throne but also the ring". Harrington never showed too much emotion. Only what was necessary to show how he was feeling. That time was no Kiara looked very confused, she put a fake smile on her face. "What ring are you talking about? How and I've never heard of that ring?"
A vague smile formed on Harrington's face "It's the royal secret. A ring that contains powers you cannot even imagine. And it is going to be yours"
"How?" She asked wanting to get her hands on that ring. Kiara was not greedy, and she did not like jewelry in general. But there was something about that ring that made it very tempting.
"When my time comes, in a mysterious way the ring will reach you. And this is how you will know that it is time for you to become Celestia's queen." That subject always made Kiara uncomfortable. She knew that she was the natural heir, but could she live up to the expectations? She did not want to marry, and her plan was to get out of Celestia. But she would never do such a thing. She knew that her parents would support her no matter what but what if they did not? Everything was cool when it is not happening. How does she know that they will not force her to settle down, have a family and become the queen? She never talked about this subject with her parents. And that day she lost her last chance to talk about it.
Amelia joined her family, and the three of them were talking about their plans. Kiara being in the age of 15, wanted to travel the world and experience life. She wanted to spend afternoons with her parents eating ice cream. With nobody caring who they were.
After an hour with her parents, she had to go and get ready. The stylist forced her to wear a pink dress that in her opinion made her look like cotton candy. Her maid combed her hair and made some extravagant braids. After she got ready, she made her way to the royal balcony. She had to stand next to her mother behind her father. That afternoon her mother seemed paler than usual. Her worry lines were visible, and she crossed her arms. Kiara noticed that her fingers were shaking, which made her worry a lot. But she could not show that she was sad. The press was everywhere, they would create a fake story on why she was not smiling. In reality, Kiara was a kid. Not even 16.
Harrington entered the balcony with a big smile on his face. He placed the microphone in front of his mouth. He did not manage to start talking.
A person that nobody could identify shot him on the skull. He fell from the balcony unconscious. Everyone was shouting terrified and crying for help.
Blood was coming out of his mouth and he looked like a lifeless doll. Kiara lost the earth under her feet. Her father was dead. She started crying and sobbing. Her mother was trying to calm her down but with no result of course. Her knees could not hold her standing.
Her protector, her father was dead, and nothing could fix it. For her, nothing could matter from that moment. Not her future and not finding her soulmate. "Kiara, my lady, please go and get some rest" Her maid, Tiana, was always positive. "Nothing is final. We have the best doctors. There must be a way, they can save him. Your father and my King is a strong man. I'm sure he'll make it"
Kiara, as she respected Tiana tried and get some rest. She opened the door of her bedroom. And then she got in her covers not realizing that a small red velvet box was lying on her nightstand.
The young princess realized that she was finally alone. Nobody was around. She could finally let all the tears flow. She started shouting on her pillow with sobs. No matter what anyone told her, The King was dead, and she knew it. There is no bond stronger than the one of a father and a daughter.
A hand touched her shoulder. She was not sure who it was, but something felt familiar about that grip. Like she knew that person very well. But did it matter? She hugged that person very tight. And then it hit her. The strong grip, the wide shoulders, and the faint smell of cheap cologne. "James is that you?"
"We heard the news at home. I came as soon as I could." James said to a worried Kiara.
"I appreciate it, James. What am I supposed to do?" Kiara had puffy red eyes and an empty stare on her face.
He pulled her closer to him and she held her hand. "I don't know but I'm here for you and I'm not leaving you."
Kiara started crying again. She felt sick on how pathetic she could be. Especially in front of James. They were best friends since diapers.
His mother, Natalie and Amelia were neighbors and classmates their whole lives. Natalie had long red wavy hair and sapphire blue. James looked more like his father, as he had inherited his facial features, but he had his mother's eyes. Kiara was always excited when she would play with James and his younger sister Sarah. Her best memories were in his backyard back in Brooklyn.
"I'm sorry James" She placed her head on her knees and sobbed.
"Hey! This whole situation is not your fault. You do not have to be sorry about anything. You did not do anything wrong. You have every right to cry or to scream. If you want, you can even start throwing stuff at me." He tried to soothe her down and an hour later she fell asleep. He left her room as quiet as possible to not wake her up.
On his way out he eavesdropped a conversation their mothers had. "Are you sure that she should come with us?" Natalie asked the queen.
"If they killed Harrington, they would try to kill Kiara. Your family is far more protected!" Amelia said with certainty.
"You have the royal guards!" Natalie said. It seemed a bad idea for Kiara to start a new life after such a stressful event.
"And you are an agent and a spy. Besides Mike is a trained soldier and I trust my life on your hands." Amelia confessed.
"When will we leave?" Natalie questioned.
The widowed queen looked Natalie in the eyes "As soon as the sun will rise"
Kiara did not take the news very well. "Mum I don't want to leave you all alone. Please do not make me go. I need you and you can't get through this by yourself" Kiara cried.
Amelie placed her hands on her daughter's face and wiped away her tears. "It's important for you to stay away from Celestia for a little while until we find out who killed your father. And then you'll come and claim your throne. We'll fix everything, I promise" Then they hugged each other. Without her realizing, Amelia removed the red velvet box from Kiara's pocket.