Stained Glass

Chapter 2

Walking out of her room she was greeted by the Wall of Stories. This wall of stained glass panes had been part of the castle since the very first royal family had it made to bring life to the legends that had been passed down. The glass depicted the magic and myth of the land, with larger than life characters and amazing scenes that stretched the length of the wall. It would take ten of her standing on her own shoulders to even think about reaching the top and all of the servants in the palace standing shoulder to shoulder to reach one end to the other. It was magnificent and she loved seeing it every morning. Beyond the wall of storytelling was her sanctuary, the palace courtyard. It butted right up to the ancient forest that surrounded the kingdom. There were rows of trees and bushes that hid the stone wall that ran along the courtyard as protection. There was one spot near the back where the stones could be pushed away to open a passage to the forests beyond. Genevieve had tried everyday for a month to find that section of the wall before finally giving up and deciding it was just a rumor. A pair of mazes flanked the middle of the courtyard, dumping out their challengers somewhere deep within the woods after one wrong turn. Genevieve had thought that she could find herself a way beyond the wall if she followed the maze, but the thought of becoming lost in the dark forests kept her from finding out. Fountains big and small were scattered around the white marble and stone pathways that made their way through the dark green grass. All of the paths led back to the middle where a giant ancient tree had taken root many years ago. When she was younger she remembers reading a story about how it had been given to the very first king as a sign of peace from an ancient forest creature. It towered above everything and from the top most branches one could see the tops of the buildings of Riverwood down below. Genevieve would climb there and escape from the entrapment of the palace walls and dream of a day when she would be able to venture out into the town and see what she had only read about. Hidden amongst the thick green leaves and the thick branches that held her weight no matter where she stepped she could hide from her life as a princess and pretend she was anywhere in the world. She would look past the buildings and to the sea that separated her home from the mountains far away. She couldn’t see the castle but she knew within the mountains cliffs there was another kingdom, Dragon’s Lair. According to legend there were dragons that lived within the mountains that guarded the treasures of kings past. Genevieve dreamed of going there one day and seeing if these legends were true.

“Genevieve!” a voice boomed from the princess’ left. She turned to see her father, King Desmond, walking briskly towards her. At first glance he was a hard and terrifying man. King Desmond was a tall man with broad shoulders and tanned skin. He had dark black hair that came to just above his shoulders and a thick beard to match. His eyes were almost golden and they were piercing, one look and the toughest of men cowered before him. His voice boomed through the castle and he could command a room’s attention with one word. Anyone who didn’t know the king would assume him a ruler with an iron fist, but those who lived under his reign only knew kindness and fairness. He believed in respect to everyone and that just because he was a king that didn’t make him any better than his subjects. He often had his friends go into the town of Ravenwood and gather information about what the people were having issues with and tried anything he could to help them. He was a smart king and knew how to rule the people with great kindness while still maintaining order. He was well respected by the surrounding kingdoms as well, although the kingdom across the channel hardly ever kept communication with him, though they never spoke to anyone.
“Father” Genevieve smiled returning his loving embrace. He kissed her on the forehead and let her go.
“You’re getting far to old, where did my little girl go?” he asked playfully looking at his only daughter. Genevieve laughed and did a little twirl before curtsying.
“Soon I’ll be ruling the kingdom, can you only imagine?” she giggled before snapping upright as her mother came down the hall.

Queen Isabel was known far and wide as one of the most feared queens of her time. Not because she was cruel or ruthless but because she was far smarter than any man and knew how to outsmart anyone. She always held her head high and showed no sign of fear. Her appearance matched her husbands making them a terrific couple. She had dark brown hair that she kept slicked back into tight bun that rested at the nape of her neck. Her pale skin showed no sign of aging and sometimes Genevieve wondered if it was due to how tightly her mothers hair was pulled. Her green eyes were bright and piercing, making even the most courageous of men break their gaze. She was a handsome woman and absolutely brilliant in all measures.

Genevieve curtsied to her mother, bowing her head and lowering her eyes to the floor. She straightened up and slowly lifted her gaze to meet the queens. A faint smile was there to greet her. Her mother extended her arms to her daughter and wrapped her in a tight embrace. It was unexpected but more than welcomed.
“Please stop growing” her mother whispered softly, kissing her on the top of the head. Genevieve tightened her embrace taking this rare moment for all she could. They let go and stepped back from each other. Genevieve looked at her parents and studied their faces. They were aging, they were tired. She hated seeing this, as the years wore on they had taken a toll on the king and queen. Her birthday marked a point where she needed to find a suitor to help her take over the throne. She knew this but the thought nagged at her, she hated thinking of it. She didn’t want to be married just for convenience, she didn’t want to be auctioned off. She loved her kingdom truly she did, but she also had a mind of her own. She was very stubborn and her parents knew this. They knew how hard it was going to be to bring her into the world of courtship. They knew it would be easy getting her to relinquish her freedom.
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