#tower princesses

[1mmko]

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[the-emerald-siren]

Tower Princesses- Greil and Mathrius

Inspired by prompts found on @crypticdatesuggestions blog.

She watched with laughter in her bright blue eyes as she watched yet another race for their life away from her tower. Three in one month, things were exciting. At what sounded like an incoming storm, she slipped down from the where she had perched on the stone railing of her balcony, taking a moment to shake out the deep blue gown that she had chosen to wear today. With a bright smile spread across her sun freckled face she made her way to the only real door in the entire stone built tower. She paused just outside her room, remembering that she should probably take her heavier cloak, he would grump at her if she didn't. Reaching in she snagged the black winter cloak, even through it was a bright sunny day, she could feel the first touches of the chill of winter creeping it's way into the stones of her home, chilling her bare feet as she made her way up the spiral stairs towards the roof. Her name was Greil,  Princess of the Ularn Kingdom and for the last 16 years of her life, she had called the Tower, her home.

Making her way upwards, her fingers trailed along the wall while her free hand clutched the cloak and her mind wandered. There was much she didn't remember of her life before coming to The Tower, such as why she had been sent here. She barely remembered what her mother and father's faces looked like, but that was a memory she didn't mourn losing, it had been almost 15 years since she had received a letter from them. What she remember was her older brother....or maybe a sister? That part was hard, but she remembered looking up to them and smiling while with them. She also remembered her mother's large belly and occasionally she wondered if she had a younger sister, or brother.

The large sloppily painted green door greeted her at the top of the stairs, the only door that led outside The Tower. Greil couldn't help but smile proudly at what had been her first, and in her opinion, most majestic artistic master piece since coming here. The green didn't reach all the way to the top of the door, but even his off handed teasing comments didn't make her want to change it, and the large time worn paint drops upon the floor just made her smile. As she pulled from her memories and thoughts she unlocked the heavy door and pushed it open, silently gasping when the bright sunlight washed over her.

The roof was her favorite place to be, so much so, that he had built her a simple lean too that during the summer and spring seasons she happily occupied over the interior of the Tower. With bright glittering eyes she extended her barefoot forward, and was, as always, overjoyed to feel the soft thick grass under foot. It has been 14 years since he had brought the earth and seeds to the roof, all to see her smile. With a full step she was standing in the grass, her toes flexing and enjoying the slight chilled feel of the soft blades.

"You should be wearing your cloak.....and your shoes."

His voice made the air vibrate and warm, drawing her attention from her feet upward to the blue sky above and to the great dragon that circled lower and lower as he aimed his landing to be a gentle as possible. With a smile and playful extension of her tongue she slipped beneath the roof of the lean too for him to land without concern of stepping on her. As she waited for him her gaze sweeping the inside of the small summer home, taking in all she would need to pack and take into The Tower before the first snow fell while her fingers gently swept her wild blonde hair into a tail at the base of her head. The feel of the slight shake of the ground and the growl that vibrated the air around her, drew her attention out too her, the smile returning to her face as she ran out to greet him.

His name was Mathrius, and he was The Ancient of the Dragons. As he settled, his head lowered to greet her, his maw gently touching the grass as she ran too him, throwing her much smaller body upon the top of his maw in the best embrace she could manage in this form. Even with the rumble of affection that rolled from him like distant thunder, still he chided her. "Greil, how many times have I told you that when the Northern winds come, you shouldn't run around without your shoes off. You'll get sick my little Amare." She smile, her eyes glittering in innocence and laughter as she nuzzled the top of his warm maw, enjoying the temperature difference between his warm soft scales and the chilly air that surrounded them. After a moment, she slipped down his muzzle, letting him lift his head to properly look at her and her hands be free. In swift fluid movements she began to sign to him, speaking to him.

"Oh Mathrius, you know how much I hate shoes. They are too, confining. Isn't it bad enough that I stay in The Tower at all times?" she asked, a soft pout forming on her lips as she looked up at him. She couldn't help the soundless giggle as he huffed at her, sending warm air washing over her, lifting her dress slightly and her hair up. She knew she had won. "I'll go pack my things to move down." she signed as she lightly spun on her heel and moved to the lean too again, gathering the few items she wanted and needed. It had been 14 years since she had been able to make a single sound, still as quiet as a mouse. Greil, was mute. The illness had been hard on her petite 12 year old frame and in her last letter to her mother, she had told her of the illness, and had asked to come home, that is when the letters had stopped coming. If it hadn't been for Mathrius, she knew she would never had survived.

"Gather you bow as well. There is an ice rain coming this night." With a nod and smile she gathered the finely crafted bow and her quiver with the small pack. The weapon had been his first gift to her after she had healed from her illness, and after years of practice, she found the art of the bow, to be her most comforting past time.

"Will you be coming down with me, or do you need to do another round?" she asked, her fingers moving fluidly as she skillfully balanced her items on her shoulder.

With a soft rumble once more his large head dipped, and softly brushed against her side in a reassuring way that she wasn't sure was for her, or more for him. No matter the reason though, it made her smile.

"I want to do one more sweep before joining you. There have been more than ever, I want to make sure that none are laying in wait within the forest." He paused, his deep emerald eyes gazing down at her, making her feel as though he wasn't just watching her, but watching her soul as well. "Greil, My Amare, you know if this was any other situation, I would take you with me..." he trailed off as she stood on her toes, laying her hand a moment on the front of his muzzle, silencing the great dragon in front of her before falling back onto her feet to speak to him.

"I know Mathrius. I know, really. It is alright, just come back safely too me." A soft smile followed the end of her sentence, her hands lowering as she placed a gentle kiss to his maw causing him to growl softly in return.

"I will always return to you My Amare." he rumbled as he gently put his head to her form a moment before giving her a soft nudge as he backed up as far as his large body could, opening his wings and taking off.

Greil watched in admiration as his deep dark green scales shimmered in the sunlight as his powerful leathery wings lifted him high into the air. Ever since she had met him, she had found him to be more beautiful than anything she could ever imagine, his scales shimmering in the light. Once he was too high up for her to watch properly she made her way back into the tower and to the main room she used when she wasn't on the roof above.

The room was large and circular in shape, the once cold and harsh stone walls, long worn and covered in trinkets and drawings given to her by Mathrius and encouraged by him. Taking a moment she hung up her bow and quiver before settling her items and looking around the room fondly. The years had been hard on her, she would never deny that, and for a very long time, she had stayed in this room, too lost within her own thoughts and sorrows to even leave the bed, but it was Mathrius that had brought her back to life. The loss of her voice had been a strike to her heart, a strike that had only grown and festered when her letters since telling her mother that she was feeling ill, were never answered. She had faced early on in life, that she had been abandoned here, but now, now she didn't care. She had moved on, and embraced her life with Mathrius. After lighting the fire and opening the large reinforced balcony doors for Mathrius' return she took a few moments in taking stock of everything she had in her room. A huff escaped her and frown touched her lips as she examined some of the too worn blankets, winter clothing pieces and coats too small. She knew she would have to ask Mathrius to bring her new items, meaning he would end up being away longer. That knowledge alone made her shove the items back into the trunk, that was a problem for tomorrow. ------- The night was cold, but comforting as she stayed nestled within her self made nest on the large bed, the oil lamps above providing the needed light for her to continue to read, it was a struggle, but she was determined to remain awake until Mathrius returned. Just as the words upon the pages were beginning to grow fuzzy the sound of his wings and feel of the cold air swirling. A tired smile spread upon her lips as she closed the book and put it upon the pile beside her bed, her gaze turning to watch the open balcony, watching as he began his landing 'dance' as she called it.

Mathrius circled, his dark scales glinting from the fire's light as his enormous form passed the smaller opening before he carefully braced his talons on either side of the balcony, and his form began to shrink. A gift of the Ancient Dragons was form manipulation. Some took advantage of this, masking as other races to hide, or interact with them, but not Mathrius. Never had he been comfortable with any form, but his own, but to share his time with Greil, he would allow the manipulation of his size...to a point. With a heavy thud he landed upon the balcony, shaking off the feeling, his form now just small enough that the could fit comfortably within the room, once he settled.

After a moment he saw her watching him, her gaze amused. A chuckle escaped his chest as he walked carefully into the room and her, his head dipping down and nuzzling her "You should be sleeping, my princess." he teased as he settled and curled around her comfortably. Greil rolled her eyes as she snuggled down into him as she signed too him. "You know that I don't sleep until you're home." she said as she yawn and settled down, the exhaustion of the long day finally taking her. "I love you Mathrius." she signed, her fingers tiredly moving against his side.

With soft huffs he extinguished the lamps, his eyes softening as his head lowered again to her, his maw softly touching her cheek "I love you too Greil."

Everything could be dealt with, tomorrow.

[aqueenconquers-blog]

She is the oldest of the Tower Princesses.

Not in age. She is only just over 100, and that is no age at all.

But she found her Tower when she was 37. There was grey in her hair before it changed. She has the marks of a hard life on her face.

And the Tower Princesses age slowly. So slowly. And the next oldest, after her, is 22. Not a one of them looks like she's out of her 20's.

The first time she went to the Gathering, all the other girls (and they are mostly girls, not women, at least to her) stared. They had never seen someone like her. Someone sitting in the window of a tower, with grey visible in her hair, which has not yet begun to come in properly.

To them, she was old. Which was hilarious.

At the time, she was 50. And the youngest in age at that Gathering, other than herself, was 79. A big eyed teenager with hair made of metal, named Steel Strong.

They are still confused by her, even after all these years. Her hair, made of porcupine like quills, is not good trading material really, but the other towers visit frequently for the smallest reason. Curiosity (for there is a certain amount of curiosity innate in them) mostly. And just occasionally, for advice.

She doesn't mind. It's something she can offer, the knowledge that comes from years living on the ground. She can explain things that have puzzled them. Like why their parents or husbands or owners did what they did.

She tries not to think about it all. She might have the curiosity, but she hasn't learned the chill that they have. Her body might be the oldest, but her soul isn't.

And she tries to forget that when she looks into their faces.

[aqueenconquers-blog]

Nothing can live in the Towers. Nothing but the Princesses that are bound to them. They have no pets, no plants, nothing. The Towers sap the life away from anything that comes from the outside. The only company that they keep are the Mirror Girls that sometimes choose to take up residence in the Towers. They aren't from the outside after all.

There is one exception. The plants that grow from the hair of some of the girls. Flowers and herbs and creeping vines. They can be carefully clipped from the ever growing tresses and potted. They flourish in the Towers. Made of living metal and stone and nature. And that makes those Princesses valuable to the others.

Shining Light smiled at her new plant. A delicate little lily, growing from a bronze stem with orange citrine petals. Brilliant Bouquet had promised her that it would continue to grow and flower as long as it remained in her tower.

Shining Light certainly hoped it would. She'd traded an entire shawl made of her glowing strands of hair for it.

With a final touch to the petals, she picked up the porcelain pot and moved it to join the rest of her garden. If she was lucky, her Tower would be willing to travel to the North to meet with Rainbow Ringlets. She'd need to trade with her to get Iridescent Orchid to trade in return. Curse the trading chains she needed to do to get her flowers. But she wanted to have the finest garden of the Towers, second only to the Queen's.

Of course, no one other than herself would ever see it.

But... perhaps after her garden was perfect, she'd see about finding a Mirror Girl to keep her company. She could put her in the garden so someone could admire her creation.

She set the lily next to its more natural counterpart, just in front of the tulips she'd gotten from the same Princess. (Many of them traded with Garden Glory. She was the only one with a variety of natural flowers growing from her hair.) That done, she sat herself down on the mossy floor (another trade) and closed her eyes, breathing in the scents of her garden.

[aqueenconquers-blog]

She was alarmed when her hair started to come in. Before, it had been a sort of average shade of brown. Nothing particularly special. But a few months into her stay in the Tower, it was no longer growing in... hair. The first time she looked in the mirror and saw the change, what was emerging from her scalp was shimmering ever so slightly in a creamy rainbow of colors. It was also the texture of the clay that used to squish between her toes when she walked by the river bank. Very clearly not what should be growing from her scalp. As time went on, the strands seemed to clump together at the root, becoming as thick as her pinky. The colors were no longer just a sort milky rainbow, but distinct, each broad strand with its own color and pattern. Blue and purple and gold and more, all with shifting flecks of every bright color the world seemed to offer. And her hair just... kept growing. Eventually all the strands which had contained her old hair fell out, leaving only the ever lengthening mass of impossible hair. Five of years in, her Tower (which she now knew was called Im'aish'im'rin) began to loop the thick braids it had been putting it in from the beginning around the top of her head and down the sides. That was when she got her name. Opal Loops. She knew by then that her hair was no longer hair. It was a storage place for her Tower's extra magic, allowing it to keep ever increasing amounts of power. But that didn't stop it from being beautiful. And it was beautiful. It went perfectly with the white gowns her Tower dressed her in and each strand was a work of art. In fact, that's what she turned them into eventually. An obsidian blade from one of the other Princesses let her cut it and gold from her own Tower (not as fine as what one of the other Princesses could give for her, but she didn't have anything to trade for that yet) let her make the settings. Im'aish'im'rin was nice enough to provide books that let her learn to make jewelery, but much of the work was by trial and error. Lots and lots of trial and error. But her hair grew quickly and she had ample time to practice. And practice might not make perfect, but it certainly made improvements. The alarm that came from when her hair changed into a certain satisfaction that it was so beautiful, and could let her make such beautiful things. She was no longer the scared young woman that had run away from a horrible husband. She was Opal Loops, the Tower Princess and she was scared of nothing. ...Although many years later, she was a bit alarmed when the delicate tracery of opal began to expand outwards from her eyes...