Dawn of Blood and Magic

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 5

"Your Highness, your father would like you to join him for the council meeting," Adika's maid Silvie said from the foot of her bed. Adika popped up with joy.

"A council meeting? Is he allowing me to observe one today?" Silvie nodded as she looked through Adika's armoire."If so, we better not keep poor old father waiting," Adika hopped off the bed and made her way to the bathroom.

"His majesty has simply stated to summon you. He gave me no additional information on the circumstances of your meeting."

Water came rushing down from the showerhead. It's been a while since she had a quick cold shower rather than a long calming bath, but she was in a rush to get to the council meeting. It was the first time her father had given her permission to listen and sit in one of these meetings. Not that she hadn't listened in on a few, from below the table or through the tunnels occasionally when she was feeling restless. Or on occasion when she gets away from her tutors and no one is paying attention to her at that moment. Or not really caring and ignoring her presence. When she needs to distract herself from the overarching fear of her life she tends to find ways to see what she can fix for her people when she eventually gets it to a position of power, where people would listen to a word out of her mouth. The water hit her face cold yet again, dragging her out of her thoughts. She was reminded she was a girl, no one would ever take her seriously in the sense of the deep-rooted misogyny in this kingdom. Especially in the palace, none of her generals was going to follow the battle strategy made by a young, naive, inexperienced girl. Neither were her advisors going to agree about plans on how to improve the infrastructure of the poor and how to increase the economy and the revenoire made by the palace. Even if they were backed up with the years of data that she had collected ever since she had the idea that she was going to be next in line for the throne. All that potential, gone. Just because of how she was born. A factor no one could control. Now was not the time to contemplate the injustices and the prejudices on women in the kingdom. Now was the time to understand the schematics of her future council.

↣↣ ⇼ ↢↢

Adika quickly dressed and started a fast-paced walk towards the council room, which ended up turning into running towards the room. Flying through the corners as she quickly approached back into a walk as she arrived near the wooden double doors. Adika smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt as she pushed through the wooden doors. The meeting room was adorned with charts and graphs. A large circular table stood in the middle, with all the seats filled except for one. The one next to her father. The room was more aimed at functionality over aesthetic which was a first for the castle. Adika had grown up in a silken wonderland, she had assumed that her ancestors had some weird obsession with silks and vibrant colours, but this room had completely warped the idea of the frivolous setting she was so used to.

"How nice of you to join us, Adika," her father's voice rang out, he patted to the seat next to him, as a gesture to sit by him. That was her mother's seat. She must have been sick today, Adika thought. That must be the only reason she was allowed to sit in for this council meeting. Adika made her way to the seat, reminding herself not to go too fast or too slow. She mustn't let them think that she's anxious nor that she is excited. She plopped down onto the seat next to him as she surveyed those surrounding her. Adika recognized most of the faces mainly from banquets or balls she had attended growing up. Hell, Adika remembered a few of these men who had offered their sons up for her to marry. However, one of them in particular caught her eye. A man in the corner had come up to her many times at banquets. He was respectable according to her memory. He hadn't preached about how any of his sons would make an excellent ruler, no, she had remembered that he had said that his son would make an excellent husband. Though little, it had been a stark difference from what she was used to. Maybe this meeting won't be as bad as she thought.

↣↣ ⇼ ↢↢

Gods were she wrong. The meeting was utter chaos. Policies were being flung into conversations that had nothing to do with the policy in question. They were bringing up war plans and battle plans to contradict the idea of helping the poor escape poverty. Adika had sat back, her mouth shut as she was told to do, as were the guidelines she was given so she could sit in. These men were honestly children, Adika thought. They had no idea of what her people were going through. That was until she realised neither did she, she had never been able to go out of the palace, not unless it was official business to other kingdoms. Even then she was confined to a carriage ride there and then locked into yet another beautiful prison disguised by expensive architecture and frivolous entertainment. Adika hadn't popped off yet. That was to come after they had brought up the question of who was next to take the throne. Well more like who she should marry.

"I got word from a minister from Aldovia, he says that the king is looking for a suitable bride for his youngest son," One of the advisors said, "He has no claim to the throne but Aldovia has piles of goals filling the royal banks. The boy is said to inherit half of it as compensation for not being given the chance to grace the throne."

"How much money has he been promised?" The king asked unconvinced, "Is a measly pile or would it actually affect our economy."

"Ah, it's around 25,000,000 lakhs," the advisor replied, "as a minimum value at that."

"That would essentially be the answer to our money problems," another ambassador said wide-eyed, "It would be able to further our military's resources as well."

Are they actually talking about marrying me off as some sort of pawn? Right in front of me? Adika thought. At least she would be put to good use for once then. She always knew she was destined to be nothing more than a pawn in some political agreement. It would be great for the economy, it would definitely help Haider and Zahrah. Ultimately that would be great, even if she wouldn't be able to put any of knowledge to play, but her kingdom comes first. She rubbed her ring finger if they went through with this that would soon be occupied with a gold metal trapping her in a loveless marriage. It wouldn't be the first time that a princess has done that. Adika knew that those princesses generally emerged with bruises that had not been there the last time she had met them. It was a common occurrence, but she still wished she had been given the chance to experience first love, no matter how short it was. Zahrah may be the hopeless romantic with her nose stuck in a book, but Adika had always wished for some sort of love that was written in the books Zahrah had read to her. The ones which would cause a sparkle in her eyes as she weaved a wondrous story around her. The one that causes images to dance around Zahrah, images of longing stares between unrequited lovers, ones that would cause chills to creep up her spine, which would reappear when she would catch a glimpse of Haider fixing up something in the hallway when she passed by to go to her tutors. She noticed how oftentimes his hair would shine as it caught the light, brightening up his eyes as he listened to obnoxious guards talking down at him. The smile he gave every time he spotted her, whether it be from across the banquet hall or from across the tunnels they hide in. Adika's eyes widened, what about Haider. She quickly shook it out, Haider wasn't interested in her no matter how many jokes he made about a romance with her or the amount of flirting that happens. He never would be. She might as well go through with this, it's beneficial in a sense. It wasn't like anyone was going to announce their undying love to her any time soon.

"Prince Rhys has been invited to the ball, along with other suitable candidates for the throne," an advisor said, "Princess Adika will minger around them, however your majesty it's up to who would actually want to wed her."

"And that would easily be the hardest part," the king agreed, rubbing his forehead. Adika's face dropped. The undisguised insults were the last straw. She stood up from her seat and ran out through the double doors, horrified that her father thought of her as a mere object rather than his daughter. No one believed she would ever find love or be wanted. She was done with this shit.

"Adika! Come back here!"