"Princess Iggy! Wake up!"
Iggy was woken by her maid, Violet, shouting at her and banging her fist at her door.
"Alright, alright," Iggy groaned sleepily, "I'm up."
Iggy sat up in her four-poster-queen bed and rubbed her eyes. She had just been dreaming of flying through the clouds on a Pegasus and she had reached out to touch a cloud when Violet woke her. She had been free for the first time in her life, in a dream.
I know, she thought, It's SO sad I'm only free in a dream. But it's Mother's fault. SHE'S the one who makes me stay cooped up in the castle. She only lets me out with, like, FIVE GUARDS just so I can go to the stables and be with the Equines.
She closed her eyes and pictured the perfect Pegasus. Just hers; no one else could take it. (Of the three breeds, she'd always preferred the Pegasi.) She would have freedom on her Pegasus, and that definitely wasn't something anyone could take. Not even her mother, Queen Inoa of the Eastern Realm, the biggest of the four kingdoms.
Iggy would love a silver or white pegasi with black socks and a black mane and tail, and she wanted a mare. She guessed it would be alright to have a stallion, but she really, REALLY wanted a female pegasus. She also would like for her mare to have spirit, not like some of the pegasi she'd seen be tamed. THOSE pegasi would just give up after a few weeks, and she wanted her Pegasus to be a warrior and fight for as long as she could.
But it wasn't a guarantee, people said that the Pegasus chose you, you couldn't choose the Pegasus. Iggy hoped that at LEAST, a female Pegasi would choose her. A female Pegasus that MAYBE had silver or white fur. A female Pegasus that MAYBE had black socks and a black mane and tail. A female Pegasus that MAYBE had spirit. She hoped.
She wondered what element she would have. When a Pegasi becomes a fully grown Pegasi, the element that had been sleeping in their bodies wakes up. It could be any of the four elements, fire, water, earth or air. It was even rumored throughout the castle that there was a fifth element, the element of the stars, and people rumored to have had it could speak to dragons and control all the elements.
Speaking to dragons would be AWESOME, because some people believed dragons weren't the brainless, ferocious, murderous creatures people said they were. Those people said they were just like humans, had emotions, friends and queens. And Iggy believed that. Her teacher, one of those people, had told her all his experiences with dragons, how they built their own palaces and the expressions they had.
Her friend Auri Ralston, Captain of the Island Watch, (the Island Watch was the patrol that would patrol the outer islands and shores of the Eastern Realm to watch for invading ships,) who was exactly two years older than her, had said she'd also wanted a mare, but she had been chosen by her stallion, Nacio, and Auri loved him a lot. So, there was a possibility she wouldn't get a female. But she could still hope, right?
"IGGY ESMERALDA THUNDERSTRIKE!" Iggy was slapped out of her thoughts by Violet's roar. "You get out of there RIGHT NOW!"
"Coming!" She cried back, leaping out of bed as fast as she could. In her hurry, she tripped over her boots and banged her head against the side of the bed. She cursed under her breath and stood, rubbing the back of her skull.
Iggy glanced around her room for some clothes to wear. (She couldn't go to breakfast wearing her NIGHTGOWN!) To her left were the doors which led out to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, and to her right was her bed, and beyond that her dresser, which was crafted of white oak wood. A rectangular mirror hung above the dresser, and she saw herself reflected back at her.
Iggy saw her same messy brown hair that fell to her shoulders, her large, bright blue eyes, her small nose and her pale skin. Everyone in the whole castle said she was beautiful, but she guessed that was just because she was their princess, and they COULD NOT insult her.
Besides, she didn't care about that. She didn't care about what everyone thought of her.
Iggy pulled up her hair into a messy bun, still leaving some hair hanging down to her shoulders. She went over to her dresser and dug through the drawers and soon found her favorite outfit, a tunic with gold and green swirls and just plain trousers.
Iggy wasn't like most princesses. She really, really didn't like dresses. Or jewelry. Or really anything having to do with princesses.
First of all, dresses were so itchy and uncomfortable. (And don't forget how tight!) Second of all, too much jewelry was so heavy it got in the way of doing anything. And being a princess meant way more classes. Etiquette, history of both the Arus Empire and the Four Realms, self-defense, knife fighting, (Mother insisted she learn it,) politics, rank, chores around the castle, (Mother says people do their work better if you watch them,) math, reading, science, and Equine and dragon studies.
Iggy pulled her shirt, pants, and horse boots on, (usually she wore them just to annoy her mother, but today she was going to see the Equines!) And just as she was clipping on the only piece of jewelry she wore, a locket with the only picture of her father she had, when she heard neighing and people shouting from the courtyard.
The Night Watch is back! She cried, (to herself,) bristling with excitement.
The Night Watch was the patrol that went out to protect every inch of the Eastern Realm at night, since they needed to be ready for anything, including night attacks and ambushes.
The Island Watch was the second patrol that patrolled the kingdom's outer and inner islands and shores, watching for attacks from other nations by sea.
And the Land Watch would be setting out soon. The Land Watch was the patrol that patrolled the Eastern Realm during the day, and in Iggy's opinion, the most important watch of all.
Her brother, Prince Mako Thunderstrike, was the Commander of the Ground and Air armies. So, he had to go with every single patrol that went out. He barely got any sleep, and sometimes, she worried about him. She wondered if he was in good health, or was he tired? He only got two-hour naps every once in a while.
Iggy rushed to throw open the balcony doors and charged on to the balcony. She could see the Night Watch riders tying their Equines to poles on one side of the courtyard and beginning to remove their Equine's armor to take to the armory. She searched the line of Pegasi, unicorns, and alicorns for her brother or his Pegasus, Ukko. When she didn't see them, she guessed he had already put his armor away and taken Ukko over to the stables.
Iggy sighed. She loved her brother's Pegasus, Ukko, a chestnut stallion with a black mane and tail, a white blaze and turquoise wings.
Her brother would take her on rides on his Pegasus, (despite her mother's discontent,) the closest she ever got to riding her own mount, and she loved it every time, no matter how many times he took her.
Of course, she always found time between her lessons every day to visit the Pegasi in the stables, though that just wasn't the same.
"Hi! Iggy!"
She looked around in confusion, wondering who the voice belonged to. Had Violet come into her room to check on her? She didn't think so. As she searched for the source, the voice called out again.
"Look down here!" The voice advised. Iggy peered off the edge of the balcony railing, into the courtyard below.
Her face brightened instantly when saw who it was. Auri Ralston, Captain of the Island Watch. Her best friend, (a relationship her mother disliked). Also a common villager that had somehow become captain of the Island Watch.
The Island Watch must be ready to set out soon, if Auri was already in the castle courtyard.
OR she came early to say hello to me. The thought that her friend had given her any thought, at all, made her heart warm.
Auri was standing below her balcony, grinning up at her. Her Equine, a unicorn, Nacio, a dark bay stallion with a light brown mane and tail and a white snip, was standing beside her, chewing on Auri's hair. Iggy had learned he had an odd habit of doing that.
Both were fully armored and ready to go, with Nacio fully tacked as well, his reins in Auri's hand.
Auri herself was a young woman, sixteen years old. She had long, golden hair that was constantly covered in pegasus saliva after Nacio's chomping. Her eyes were sea green with gold flecks and her skin was lightly tanned.
"Oh! Hi, Auri! Nice to see you! What are you doing here?" Iggy called down.
"I'm good. I wanted to say hello before I set out. So, hello! Anyways – Ugh, Nacio, sweetie, I told you to quit doing that." Auri said, waving her hand at Nacio's nose, trying to get him to stop chewing on her hair.
Iggy giggled, covering her mouth.
Poor Auri. I wouldn't want my beloved Equine chewing on my hair, either.
"What're you laughing at?" Auri demanded, who had finally succeeded in getting Nacio to stop chomping on her hair.
"Nothing," Iggy assured her quickly. Auri eyed her suspiciously, but after a few tense minutes she smiled and patted Nacio's snount.
"Okay, I'll let you off this time." Auri said grinning up at her. Suddenly, one soldier broke off from the others and rushed towards Auri, whispering something in her ear. Iggy watched as Auri's eyes widened as she listened to what he had to say. She wondered what had happened, and why he looked so horribly nervous. Now that made her worried.
As the soldier bolted away again, Iggy leaned forward on the balcony railing, resting her head on her propped elbows.
"What happened? Is everything alright?" She asked, feeling a little odd since she was a princess, and she could order Auri to tell her what was going on. But Auri was her friend, and friends don't order each other around. It just wasn't right.
Auri forced a smile, and almost succeeded at looking cheerful again, but she looked paler than usual, so Iggy wasn't fooled.
"It's fine. Everything's fine." Auri thought for a second before adding, "I'm sure you'll learn about it later."
"But what if I want to know now?" She demanded, since she really wanted to find out what had made Auri so worried. Nothing hardly EVER made Auri worry, and if it did, she was really good at hiding it. That meant, if the alarm was showing on her friend's face, something really, really bad had happened. And that made Iggy want to figure it out NOW.
Auri sighed.
"I see that you are not giving in, my princess." She said, switching into captain mode, all laughter gone from her face.
This happened when Iggy switched into princess mode. She didn't actually mean to, most of the time. It was basically her royal training. Her shoulders snapped back, her chin lifted, and her voice became cold and commanding. Iggy, for one, didn't like when it happened. Mainly because she couldn't control it.
"Oh, sorry," Iggy said, sighing and letting her shoulders slump. "I did it again, didn't I?"
"Indeed." Auri still wasn't out of captain mode, and Iggy was sorry to see Nacio had also straightened and managed to look the tiniest bit regal.
She was even more sorry when Auri turned stiffly and led Nacio to the other side of the courtyard, where the Island Watch was waiting.
Great. Now I've offended my best friend and I won't find out what's wrong. Until breakfast, anyway. Sigh. My life is just utterly miserable. WAIT. BREAKFAST! I'm late! Oh, Mother's going to kill me!
Iggy scrambled up and raced back into her room. She'd have to apologize to Auri later. Now, she'd have to make sure there was no tombstone in a graveyard somewhere that said:
Iggy Esmerelda Thunderstrike
Our beloved princess
Daughter of Queen Inoa Livi Thunderstrike and King Claude Tali Thunderstrike.
Cause of Death: Being strangled by her mother when being late to breakfast.
Yep. Her mother was VERY scary when ANYONE was late to ANYTHING. So, off to breakfast then. Hopefully not to death, though. But of course, if Mother didn't kill her, Violet would. Her maid wasn't a fan of her being late either.
Not that Violet didn't like her, she'd been taking care of Iggy since she was three. And to Iggy, she was like a second mother. Whenever the REAL one was busy in her meetings or work, Violet would take care of her.
Speaking of Violet, the head maid was in her room making her bed, like Iggy told her NOT to do, since she could do it herself. But Violet always insisted it was her duty to do all the princess's work, but thankfully she'd listened when Iggy told her not to help her get dressed. Now, she was probably the only noble lady that wore pants in the entire KINGDOM.
Violet was a tall old lady with the classic black and white maid's uniform. Her silver-white hair was pulled up in a tight bun on top of her head. She was the oldest maid in the castle, so that was why she was head maid, the woman in charge of all the other girls and work schedules.
She had finished tidying the sheets and turned around when she spotted Iggy, frozen in the balcony door.
"There you are," Violet said, her voice brisk and strict, with a hint of a northern accent. "I have been waiting for you for a total of ten minutes! Do you know how late we are? Oh, your mother is going to behead me this time! Come, princess, quickly now, for I fear I will not be the only one to suffer Her Majesty's wrath."
Violet put a hand on the small of her back and steered her out the room toward the hall.
Iggy sighed and rolled her eyes. She WAS used to this by now, since Violet did this every morning.
The two guards on either side of her door straightened as they passed.
Supposedly, they were there to "protect" her and make sure she "didn't get into any trouble." Iggy, for one, didn't like them there. Protect her? Seriously? They hadn't considered the fact someone could just climb in from the balcony? She was only three floors up from the courtyard below, after all. Also, what were all the self-defense lessons and hours of aching muscles for if she couldn't use them?
One of the armor-clad men, her personal guard, stepped away from the other. His name–she thought?–was Kye Raee.
He went with her everywhere, and they barely spoke to each other. Well, he barely talked to her. Iggy tried to make conversation with him, but he didn't respond back.
The longest sentence he'd made was lecturing her when she snuck out since it'd rained so she hadn't been able to see the Equines. Obviously, she had to go see them. Maybe his silence was a royal guard thing. Or maybe he was just a quiet guy.
Kye was tall and broad-shouldered and muscular as you'd expect the princess's PERSONAL GUARD to be. His hair was a bright gold that looked like he'd never brushed it, and its color made his sky-blue eyes stand out.
His armor was a polished silver with the royal emblem on the breast plate, a rearing alicorn in front of a sword clashing with a jeweled scepter, representing the Eastern Realm's wealth and power over the other kingdoms. Kye's own sword was slinged on his side, with a dagger strapped to his thigh.
So there they went, the three of them, walking down the long corridor. The maid urging them along, the guard silent and cool, and the princess somehow still half-asleep and looking bored.
After many hallways and arches and two spiral staircases, they reached the ginormous Dining Hall.
The Dining Hall was by far the largest room in the whole castle.
The ceiling was arched and tall windows lined the wall on one side, their tops four or five feet from the ceiling.
Two large, double doors were wide open, and a table nearly as long as the hall took up most of the floor. It was covered in an endless amount of food.
The table was pulled up against the wall, so people who worked in the castle could just come up and grab a bite before going back to whatever they were doing. Later, it would be pulled into the middle and chairs would be added as normal.
Guards, gardeners, maids, butlers, and all kinds of servants were coming in through the double doors and other entrances and clamor and talk filled the hall.
As Iggy came down the grand staircase, with her guard and her maid at her side, everyone quieted. She was a princess, after all.
Violet nudged her back with one finger and Iggy sighed. She straightened and lifted her chin.
Everyone bowed at once, (or curtsied, depending on their sex,) and cleared a path for them to walk through to a door on the far wall of the Dining Hall.
That door, of course, led to the royal's private dining room. Since there were no chairs at the long dining table, they couldn't eat there. Plus, the hall was too stuffed to eat in and everyone was always eating on the go. The royals had to have peace and quiet to eat, anyway.
Violet stepped aside and gave Kye a curt nod and the guard walked forward and opened the door for them. He stayed outside to watch over the entrance as the two women headed inside.
The person inside looked up immediately as they came in.
"At last!" Queen Inoa cried, her quill pausing on the long scroll she was writing on. "I thought you would never come."
The queen of the Eastern Realm was a beautiful, elegant lady with bright golden hair that was braided and then wrapped into a bun on her head and bright green eyes that looked like emeralds.
Iggy rolled her eyes.
"Mother, I can't just skip breakfast!"
"Can not. It is cannot." The queen of the Eastern Realm corrected. "I do not see how you even learned that commoner language." Queen Inoa huffed, putting her quill down and standing up. "Your tutors would never teach you that, at least, I hope not, and you have barely been out of the castle except when you go visit the horses in the stables." Her mother pondered, tapping her chin and looking Iggy up and down.
Iggy was about to interrupt that they were unicorns, pegasi, and alicorns, NOT horses, but her mother kept going.
"Did that commoner captain teach you those words? Oh, I knew I never should have listened to your brother and let her into the Royal Guard, but I was half-drunk when he asked me so I suppose I couldn't help it…"
Iggy sighed. Her mother seemed to be talking more to herself than Iggy now.
She also wanted to point out that Auri has been the best candidate for captain of the Island Watch. Her flying skills were superb, her leadership undeniable, and she was excellent with the sword. But it wasn't usually wise to interrupt the queen while she was talking, even if she was Iggy's own mother.
Iggy glanced around the royal private dining room, with its table that was two large for two people, (her brother barely had time to eat with them), it's large, elaborate windows on the east side of the room, and the bright white marble fireplace and floor.
There was a door on the far end of the room, leading to a passage that went to the kitchens where a line of maids and butlers would come and serve lots of food that no one would finish.
Iggy focused back on her mother, who was still talking to herself on the subject of Iggy's "inelegant" speech.
Iggy snorted to herself.
If only she knew. Iggy pretended to be sick (she was friends with the royal physician) and then snuck out of the castle to see the city outside and observe how life was in the common people world.
Iggy would dress up as a regular person and wiggle under her bed, press her hand against a spot on the marble floor, slip into the secret passageway she'd discovered when she was nine, and exit outside the castle walls.
While Iggy was in Arithbrair, she made friends with the common folk, shopped in their stores, and generally lived the life of a normal person. (Other than the fact that she was so clean and brought way more gold coins than any common person would make. Ever.)
Iggy preferred the city life to the castle life. It wasn't nearly as boring. Everyone always seemed to have to do there. A chore, job, or some kind of work. Everything there was go, go, go. Iggy liked that. In the castle, all she had to do was go to her many classes, and it could be exciting sometimes, (especially in dragon and Equine studies,) but mostly it was SO boring.
Queen Inoa crossed her arms over her chest and scanned Iggy up and down. She had just seemed to register what was in front of her eyes.
Inoa did this every morning, analyzing Iggy's clothes, hair, and literally everything else. Iggy made sure to stand tall under her mother's sharp green gaze.
"Anyway, enough about that." Her mother said briskly, stepping closer. She looked down her nose at her. "Iggy Esmeralda Thunderstrike. What. Are. Those?" She pointed at Iggy's feet.
"They're my Equine boots, Mother," Iggy said pleasantly, smiling aggressively (yes, it did look a bit crazy) and crossing her arms to match her mother's pose. "You know that."
You complain about my boots every morning. She thought, quirking an eyebrow at her mother.
Iggy wore them every day, one, because she usually went to the stables right after breakfast, (her only free time,) and, two, annoying her mother was her absolute favorite thing to do.
Iggy was actually really proud of these boots. They were always clean, (she left them in the hallway before she went to bed, and the maids always cleaned them,) and they were very pretty.
The boots were dark gray with black soles. Sweeping gold-embroidered swirls and patterns decorated the heel and ankle, and they reached just above her ankle.
Her mother hated them so much, she was always half afraid Inoa would order the maids who cleaned them to get rid of them.
Iggy knew the only reason her mother disliked them so much was because they didn't fit with her expectations of what a "proper" lady should wear and they signaled Iggy wasn't a normal princess.
Queen Inoa wanted her to be perfect. And wearing boots didn't exactly fit into those expectations.
Inoa's gaze traveled upwards, and Iggy watched with great satisfaction as her mother noticed she wearing trousers and a tunic instead of an elegant, colorful gown. (Like she was supposed to.)
The queen scowled at her. Iggy sweetly smiled back. This moment, every morning, was what she waited for EVERY day.
Besides, wearing a dress was hot and uncomfortable, especially since noble women had to wear them every day, even in summer. Plus, wearing a dress was SO tight. Corsets. Ugh. Ever wonder why noble ladies have such small waists? That's why.
Iggy barely ever wore a dress unless, (three reasons,) one, if she absolutely had to, like at a ball or something. Two, if she actually liked the dress (which rarely happened.) Or three, she was meeting someone important and had to look good. (Like a duke or count or marquis or baron…)
Oddly, Queen Inoa didn't comment on her tunic or trousers. Instead, she went straight for her hair.
"And what is with your head?" Inoa huffed. "Did your maid not brush it? And who, in all the realms, did your hair?"
Iggy frowned as severely as she could, even though she felt she would burst laughing any second. She hadn't brushed her hair on PURPOSE.
"Whatever do you mean, Mother?" Iggy asked innocently, "I did my hair myself. AND brushed it. Do you not like it?"
Queen Inoa narrowed her eyes. Like she was silently saying, "I know what you are doing and it is not working."
Iggy narrowed hers back.
Her mother sighed.
"Why, Iggy? As heir to this kingdom, it is your duty to embody the duties of that station. And it would be better if you could look the part. The nobility could start to question your right to the role if you keep doing—," she gestured to Iggy's clothes for a moment, struggling for the word, "this."
"Technically, I'm the spare. And better for whom?" Iggy asked coolly, breaking her innocent facade,"For me? I don't think so. And, besides, the noble houses are all stuck-up, arrogant prats who care more about their money and power than their people. Who cares what they think?"
Her mother gasped and hissed in a hushed tone, "Iggy Esmeralda Thunderstrike! You cannot say things like that! Who knows who could be listening." She paused. "And where on earth did you learn the word 'prat'? No one in this palace should ever teach you such vulgar language." Queen Inoa looked around scaldingly at the room as if the walls themselves could tell her.
"Well, it's not like there aren't worse words I could say," Iggy muttered to herself, "That one was nice." Her mother shot a glare her way, and she met it at full ferocity with one of her own.
"Who are we calling not-nice words?" Asked a familiar, male voice. As he spoke, Iggy heard the doors close behind her.
Iggy spun around and launched herself at the man behind her.
"Mako!" She cried, grinning as he caught her and hugged her close. The edges of his armor dug into her front and side, but she didn't care.
"Hey, Iggy," her brother said, chuckling and he released her from his hug.
Prince Mako Claude Thunderstrike was sixteen and only two years older than her, but he was almost six feet tall and quite broad and muscular. He had their mother's golden hair and their father's blue eyes and handsome profile. With a straight nose, sharp jawline, and full lips, he was probably the most desired man in the kingdom. He was also commander of all the armies in the Easter Realm, Equine and human.
But he hadn't gotten the job from the bias of their mother, as most thought. Inoa wasn't that kind of queen or mom. He'd gotten it through hard work and skill. And Iggy loved him for it, even if that was the reason she hadn't been able to see him when she was younger.
"My queen." Mako said to Inoa, bowing.
Iggy resisted the urge to roll her eyes because he was bowing to their mother, for magic's sake. She sighed and stepped aside to let him walk towards the queen
"Yes, Commander? What is your reason for coming here this morning?" Queen Inoa asked, sitting regally back in the chair she'd been sitting in when they'd first come in.
Iggy looked on hopefully. Maybe he'd come to finally eat breakfast with them, after so many months? In full armor with a sword strapped to his side?
Her hopes for that were crushed when Mako dropped to one knee in front of her and bowed his head.
"A troubling report from the Island Watch today." He said without raising his head.
Queen Inoa's forehead furrowed, and she looked up towards Iggy.
"Let's take this to the War Room, Commander," she said, locking eyes with Mako nodded and stood up, and Inoa followed suit.
As they started to walk to the door, Iggy stepped into their way.
"Hey, wait, I want to listen too!" She snapped, glaring up at both of them. This is MY kingdom, too, you know! I should know what's going on. Iggy opened her mouth to say something else, but Queen Inoa was already shaking her head.
"No. You will stay here and have breakfast. That is final."
"But, I—," she started, but Inoa interrupted her.
"No buts. Stay. Eat."
With that, the queen and commander walked around her Mako shooting an apologetic look over his shoulder as the doors shut behind them, leaving Iggy feeling discarded and alone.