Warmonger. That is the word that often reaches her ears in stage whispers regarding the prince of the neighboring kingdom.
She remembers meeting him once, ten winters past. Having just been introduced to the high society, it was expected of her to know every name and face. He’d shown himself... uninterested. The void left behind by the eye he’d lost in one of his wars still fresh. People thought he would have slowed down after being so close to death. They were all wrong. Under his lead, the Fey army waged many battles. And won them all.
For the sake of peace, this is the man she’ll marry. This is the man who will hold her life in his hands. As a princess, her duty is to leave behind everything she’s ever known and ensure someone else’s bloodline continues, all the while abandoning her own.
Her family’s rule could be considered the opposite of the Fey’s. War has always been something to avoid. Her father is a diplomat through and through - reason why their kingdoms never engaged in combat themselves. But it does not make him a weak King. On the contrary, he is feared exactly because he does not need to go to war to condemn those who stand in his way. A master tactician, he is as generous to his allies as he is ruthless to his enemies. And he’s seen the possibility of real peace in giving away his daughter’s hand to the Warring Prince.
The Princess is quiet throughout the ride towards the castle. It is not unusual, as she is a serene soul in nature. But the guards who have shielded her for years can see through it. They too are wordless in the face of separation. The sound of rain lifts her gaze from her hands and paints a slight smile across her ruby lips. As the carriage draws to a stop and she steps outside; however, she schools her face and stands tall, fighting the urge to look up to the weeping skies for she knows the umbrellas are already waiting for her. All she wants is to run out to meet the rain, feel it against her skin, but those days are in the past.
Her dark purple dress is striking under daylight; the colors of her house are all tied to the night. One might expect her to cut a somber figure while always dressed in shadows, but she is still radiant in them. With her mother’s golden hair and her father’s forest eyes, she is known as the Eve’s Dawn Princess. She wears their emblem with pride one last time. Soon enough, it will be her husband-to-be’s colors she drapes herself with.
His presence is not expected at the entrance, but she goes to his encounter without remarking upon it. Gracefully, she offers him a curtsy, looking up at him through a curtain of long lashes and placing her hand atop his with a matching smile. “Princess Alicia Fiorella Sophia Eve.” His suggestion is also a wild deviation from royal customs, and she can feel her guards’ worried eyes upon her figure. But she is tired. And going with him sounds much better than all the fanfare that is supposed to happen. “Of course, Your Highness.” She agrees, leaving both of their courts to deal with the details.