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Impressions
30/06/2011
Aughrayiah huffed as Chandillia dragged her through the corridor in excited haste. If only she had known that her younger sister, Chandillia was up to a new trick. “How did I get caught in this?” she asked herself as they reached the end of the corridor. The beautiful mouldings and the excellent color scheme were left in their lonely dismay as the princesses rushed to their destination. The older of the two princesses sighed in resignation as she watched her younger sister knock on the door before them. It was the room for the palace’s latest guests, the Vitaes. When it opened, her eyes were met by ones filled with bubbling laughter. Below those expressive eyes was a smile befitting a princess. Aughraysiah felt more at ease despite her earlier apprehension. She smiled at the lovely face before her, “Hello, my sister and I wanted to welcome you and your family to the palace.”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Princess Vox, the youngest of the Ekroy siblings, wasn’t particularly bothered by the angsty teenage tension filling the sitting room of the Vitae’s quarters. Her oldest sister, Aughraysiah, was staring in disgust as Dolores, the elder Vitae sibling, showed everyone his already chewed peanut butter sandwich. It was still in his mouth. Chandillia was laughing unnaturally at Dolores’s antics while Iacto, Dolores’s younger sister, successfully redirected Aughraysiah’s attention.
Vox cocked her head to the side as she watched them; so did her new friends. None of them really understood what all the fuss was about. Granted, Lady Dicora Vitae made sure only Vox could see her new friends, three grey-skinned boys with shining white irises. They had already shown her their favorite pets and taken her on a tour of the boat they came on, which she had to promise not to tell her father about. Vox didn’t question why the older ones couldn’t see her friends. She liked having them to herself. “Even though Iacto is just like my friends, she isn’t any fun. I hope she only tries to play with the older ones,” Vox thought in disdain as she observed her older sisters and their strange interaction with the palace guests.
What she didn’t understand was the strange feeling she got from watching Aughraysiah and Dolores. Aughraysiah didn’t like him. She knew that much from her older sister’s stiff back -- well stiffer than usual. She also noted the way Aughraysiah was purposely keeping her back to him. “Is Dolores bad?” Vox thought as she observed her sister. As she was about to get up and question her sister, one of her friends tapped her shoulder, he was pointing to a shining light that was floating into another room. Intrigue overcoming her desire for answers, she took a final glance at Aughraysiah before telling herself: “I’ll ask later.”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Royal Palace - 02/07/2011
Aughraysiah hated how she looked. The mirror didn’t show her what she wanted to see. Her skin wasn’t the right shade of green, not deep and lush like her sisters, which resembled the vegetation of a flourishing rainforest. Her eyes were too small. Her lips were too small. Her jaws were too wide.
“How can a princess be so ugly?” She thought sadly as she fixed the line created by the dried foundation she’d caked on her face about 30 minutes ago. “I can’t stand how I look. Chandillia and I look so different.” Strangely, Aughraysiah’s hatred for her looks only seemed to fuel her vanity. She stood primping for another 30 minutes before finally feeling satisfied with the state of her face.
“I’ll be early for the party regardless,” she told herself as she turned toward the bedroom door. Aughraysiah prided herself in knowing that she had a hand in making every treat her younger sister would be enjoying at the party. As she left the room, she worried about the state of the decorations, which she had checked 3 times before leaving to get ready. She was entirely unaware of the relief that flooded through her parents every time she proved that her jealousy of her little sister’s looks had no bearing on their relationship. Aughraysiah loved Chandillia with all her heart. “If anyone is to be blamed for our difference in looks,” Aughraysiah told herself, “I’ll take it up with the blasted gods who decided I should look like this.”
The sheer blinds sweeping the threshold to the ballroom caressed the hands of the guests as they stepped into the light of Chandillia’s birthday party. To the left of the entrance, mint green mouldings embraced ivory walls, attempting to acquaint themselves with the maroon drapes which were pulled back to reveal Chandillia’s portrait. The picture of the lush princess in a deep mauve dress was bound by a brilliant intricately designed gold frame.
In front of the portrait stood a table overflowing with gifts of all colors and sizes brought by the guests in hopes of wiggling their way into the royal family’s good graces. Below it, the floor lay, as green as leaves of a healthy guava tree. Unlike the fruit tree’s leaves, however, the floor was made of plexiglass, reflecting the scene above it in a world filled with guests in a ballroom all its own behind a shining viridescent veil.
Following this world to the other side of the ballroom would lead guests to the still empty thrones where the King Vimor, Queen Serin, and their children would survey the party’s proceedings. There really were only two thrones. Still, they were flanked on each side by two sangria chairs lined with silver carvings depicting the phases of the moon. The thrones themselves were the same shade of purple as the chairs, but covered with rather than lined with moon carvings that were gold instead of silver. In addition, the backrests of the thrones, the only parts that remained bare (and rightly so), each came to a peak on which stood a likeness of the full moon made of black opal.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Dolores grinned lustily at the stunning portrait hanging on the wall behind the table of gifts. She was pretty, if a bit young. “Doesn’t matter,” he murmured, “a willing woman is a willing woman.” Just as the words left his lips, trumpets blared directly behind him, causing him to grab himself tightly. He hadn’t noticed the heralds rushing into place to welcome the royal family -- he could not remember their name. Once he was past the initial shock of the fanfare, he snickered. “I should at least learn her name before I sleep with her.”
“I do hope you’re speaking of the crown princess and not her child of a sister,” Dicora whispered testily behind him. Dolores jumped for the second time that evening.
“Mother, why do you sneak up on me so often?” he whined. “A party is no place for such antics.” Dicora raised an eyebrow at the admonishment.
“Bow,” she ordered suddenly. Before Dolores could even ask why, he was being grappled at the collar and belt by invisible hands and thrown into a posture of obeisance by force. Next to him, he eyed his mother bowing elegantly. Despite the undignified treatment, his curiosity overcame his resentment, and he raised his eyes to catch a glimpse of the princesses. He’d heard that the crown princess, though quite skilled and well-favored by the people, could not match the younger one in beauty. All he saw however, were the side profiles of two lavishly adorned and very short children.
“There are four of them?!” he gasped a bit two loudly, earning him a smack behind the head. He bit his lip as his vision darkened. The pain steadily grew in intensity before suddenly subsiding, leaving him more than slightly disoriented. Breathing deeply, he clenched his fists and pressed his lips together in an attempt to stop them from trembling as he thought, “That was entirely unnecessary.”
© River R.
Aughrayiah huffed as Chandillia dragged her through the corridor in excited haste. If only she had known that her younger sister, Chandillia was up to a new trick. “How did I get caught in this?” she asked herself as they reached the end of the corridor. The beautiful mouldings and the excellent color scheme were left in their lonely dismay as the princesses rushed to their destination. The older of the two princesses sighed in resignation as she watched her younger sister knock on the door before them. It was the room for the palace’s latest guests, the Vitaes. When it opened, her eyes were met by ones filled with bubbling laughter. Below those expressive eyes was a smile befitting a princess. Aughraysiah felt more at ease despite her earlier apprehension. She smiled at the lovely face before her, “Hello, my sister and I wanted to welcome you and your family to the palace.”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Princess Vox, the youngest of the Ekroy siblings, wasn’t particularly bothered by the angsty teenage tension filling the sitting room of the Vitae’s quarters. Her oldest sister, Aughraysiah, was staring in disgust as Dolores, the elder Vitae sibling, showed everyone his already chewed peanut butter sandwich. It was still in his mouth. Chandillia was laughing unnaturally at Dolores’s antics while Iacto, Dolores’s younger sister, successfully redirected Aughraysiah’s attention.
Vox cocked her head to the side as she watched them; so did her new friends. None of them really understood what all the fuss was about. Granted, Lady Dicora Vitae made sure only Vox could see her new friends, three grey-skinned boys with shining white irises. They had already shown her their favorite pets and taken her on a tour of the boat they came on, which she had to promise not to tell her father about. Vox didn’t question why the older ones couldn’t see her friends. She liked having them to herself. “Even though Iacto is just like my friends, she isn’t any fun. I hope she only tries to play with the older ones,” Vox thought in disdain as she observed her older sisters and their strange interaction with the palace guests.
What she didn’t understand was the strange feeling she got from watching Aughraysiah and Dolores. Aughraysiah didn’t like him. She knew that much from her older sister’s stiff back -- well stiffer than usual. She also noted the way Aughraysiah was purposely keeping her back to him. “Is Dolores bad?” Vox thought as she observed her sister. As she was about to get up and question her sister, one of her friends tapped her shoulder, he was pointing to a shining light that was floating into another room. Intrigue overcoming her desire for answers, she took a final glance at Aughraysiah before telling herself: “I’ll ask later.”
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The Royal Palace - 02/07/2011
Aughraysiah hated how she looked. The mirror didn’t show her what she wanted to see. Her skin wasn’t the right shade of green, not deep and lush like her sisters, which resembled the vegetation of a flourishing rainforest. Her eyes were too small. Her lips were too small. Her jaws were too wide.
“How can a princess be so ugly?” She thought sadly as she fixed the line created by the dried foundation she’d caked on her face about 30 minutes ago. “I can’t stand how I look. Chandillia and I look so different.” Strangely, Aughraysiah’s hatred for her looks only seemed to fuel her vanity. She stood primping for another 30 minutes before finally feeling satisfied with the state of her face.
“I’ll be early for the party regardless,” she told herself as she turned toward the bedroom door. Aughraysiah prided herself in knowing that she had a hand in making every treat her younger sister would be enjoying at the party. As she left the room, she worried about the state of the decorations, which she had checked 3 times before leaving to get ready. She was entirely unaware of the relief that flooded through her parents every time she proved that her jealousy of her little sister’s looks had no bearing on their relationship. Aughraysiah loved Chandillia with all her heart. “If anyone is to be blamed for our difference in looks,” Aughraysiah told herself, “I’ll take it up with the blasted gods who decided I should look like this.”
The sheer blinds sweeping the threshold to the ballroom caressed the hands of the guests as they stepped into the light of Chandillia’s birthday party. To the left of the entrance, mint green mouldings embraced ivory walls, attempting to acquaint themselves with the maroon drapes which were pulled back to reveal Chandillia’s portrait. The picture of the lush princess in a deep mauve dress was bound by a brilliant intricately designed gold frame.
In front of the portrait stood a table overflowing with gifts of all colors and sizes brought by the guests in hopes of wiggling their way into the royal family’s good graces. Below it, the floor lay, as green as leaves of a healthy guava tree. Unlike the fruit tree’s leaves, however, the floor was made of plexiglass, reflecting the scene above it in a world filled with guests in a ballroom all its own behind a shining viridescent veil.
Following this world to the other side of the ballroom would lead guests to the still empty thrones where the King Vimor, Queen Serin, and their children would survey the party’s proceedings. There really were only two thrones. Still, they were flanked on each side by two sangria chairs lined with silver carvings depicting the phases of the moon. The thrones themselves were the same shade of purple as the chairs, but covered with rather than lined with moon carvings that were gold instead of silver. In addition, the backrests of the thrones, the only parts that remained bare (and rightly so), each came to a peak on which stood a likeness of the full moon made of black opal.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Dolores grinned lustily at the stunning portrait hanging on the wall behind the table of gifts. She was pretty, if a bit young. “Doesn’t matter,” he murmured, “a willing woman is a willing woman.” Just as the words left his lips, trumpets blared directly behind him, causing him to grab himself tightly. He hadn’t noticed the heralds rushing into place to welcome the royal family -- he could not remember their name. Once he was past the initial shock of the fanfare, he snickered. “I should at least learn her name before I sleep with her.”
“I do hope you’re speaking of the crown princess and not her child of a sister,” Dicora whispered testily behind him. Dolores jumped for the second time that evening.
“Mother, why do you sneak up on me so often?” he whined. “A party is no place for such antics.” Dicora raised an eyebrow at the admonishment.
“Bow,” she ordered suddenly. Before Dolores could even ask why, he was being grappled at the collar and belt by invisible hands and thrown into a posture of obeisance by force. Next to him, he eyed his mother bowing elegantly. Despite the undignified treatment, his curiosity overcame his resentment, and he raised his eyes to catch a glimpse of the princesses. He’d heard that the crown princess, though quite skilled and well-favored by the people, could not match the younger one in beauty. All he saw however, were the side profiles of two lavishly adorned and very short children.
“There are four of them?!” he gasped a bit two loudly, earning him a smack behind the head. He bit his lip as his vision darkened. The pain steadily grew in intensity before suddenly subsiding, leaving him more than slightly disoriented. Breathing deeply, he clenched his fists and pressed his lips together in an attempt to stop them from trembling as he thought, “That was entirely unnecessary.”
© River R.
