Chapter Text
I stare at myself in the mirror and ponder my looks. I am 20 years old, and thankfully look my age. I have bright red hair. I have heart-shaped lips, an omen of a fruitful love life. I wish. In my 20 years of living, I haven’t even so much as kissed a boy. My whole life is a bad omen, though, so I don’t blame anybody for avoiding me. I touch the pearl necklace around my neck. It was a gift from my grandmother before she passed. It’s because it reminded her of my eyes. I’m not blind, despite how white my eyes are. My grandmother got it from her mother, and her mother got it from her mother, and etc,. It only affects the females of my father’s bloodline, so my father just has blue eyes, like my grandfather. Other than my eyes, I’m beautiful. I have moisturized, golden skin, a slim figure with a triangle body shape.
A knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts. I spin towards the large, dark oak door and twist the doorknob. On the other side is my father, Emperor Orion of the Sun Empire. Like me, he has a sharp jawline and fiery red hair despite his older age. He’s 54 years old, but his few facial wrinkles make him look much younger. A blessing, they call it. He smiles fondly at me, showing off his pearly white teeth.
“Solana, my amazing daughter,” his voice is low but soothing. It’s scary when he’s talking to any enemies, and they think he’s baby-talking them. Hilarious, but terrifying. Especially when the threats start over it.
“Father, what is it you require of me?” Despite him being my father, I try to remain formal with him. No one, not even my own parents, is allowed inside my built-up walls. I don’t even let anyone into my chambers. His smile flickers. He’s a very powerful man. Just a snap of his fingers could exile me to the coldest region of a faraway empire. It’s only that fact that keeps me from breaking any rules.
“We’re holding a ball in one month, I hope you’ll attend.” He smiles wider. He knows I will, I have to. I have no choice, after all. In a world of white and black, he’s as white as his teeth. I smile a small smile and retreat back into my bed chambers. I close the door and slide down it. I sigh softly as I think over everything. A ball in a month. He must have some sort of announcement that he wants everyone to hear without being boring. It must be a very big announcement.
I walk over to my window as I admire all of my books and decor. It’s a simple bookshelf, but it’s filled with astronomy and academic literature. I wish my father would let me study like scholars, but he said I have no need for it as I’ll just marry someday anyway and all of my talent will be wasted. I think it’s a bullshit excuse to keep me unschooled and under his thumb. I have a basic education and comprehension of topics, but I want to know everything about the world. Instead, I was taught the language of the Moon Empire, our greatest enemy. Lunarian is a beautiful language, I just wish the country it’s spoken in was more… democratic.
My room is also littered with Sun drawings and paintings I’ve made and hung up myself. I have multiple flower pots, a tomato vine running up my bed frame, and rose bushes on one side of my room. I personally planted and watered all of my plants. I prune and pick my many plants.
I open my black curtains and look into the courtyard. We’ve recently had new knight recruits, and some of them are real smoke shows. I sigh softly and open my window. As the fresh air comes in, I swear I can hear my plants take a deep breath. I feel bad. I haven’t opened this window in about a week, but that’s because it’s been smoky outside from all the fires in our forests. Of course, I made my father donate some money, about 20 grand, to our firefighters to buy new, better working equipment. I personally have donated 20 grand to multiple different activists against climate change and pollution. Most fires have been put out, and the smoke is going away because of our recent rain and windy days. Thank Goddess Cressida. She’s our Goddess of the Sky, which includes weather.
Anyways, back to these dashing young men… They’re all sparring with one another and learning different moves. My eyes catch onto a knight- no. A man. He has short, blond hair that looks soft, his eyes sparkle like emeralds in the bright Sun, and his body. Oh, God, his body. His muscles contract and expand with every move. He looks like a fucking God. His body is sheening with sweat and, much like the others, he’s not wearing a shirt. His biceps bulge as he swings at his opponent. I fan myself and blame the Sun glaring down at me as a reason why I feel so hot. His eyes glance in my direction, and I almost melt at the heat in his eyes. I quickly close the curtains and calm my racing heart. I will not fall in love with just the look of a man. Especially not a knight.
I peel off my chiton and turn on my TV. Truly, what a marvelous invention. I sit down on my soft, circular rug. I find a pilates workout I like and start it. It doesn’t help with the heat, but it calms down my racing thoughts.