For once, all was quiet. No maids or butlers knocking at her door, no suitors proclaiming their undying love, no Goddess trying to commune with her. Nothing to distract the girl from her quiet observation from her balcony, and nothing but the cool night air to keep her company as she did so. The silence was beyond refreshing, something she relished in and welcomed with open arms. Tonight was the exact opposite of the previous, and the break from the court intrigue was rare and welcome.
"You're more than just a princess Elisabeth. You are a symbol and a powerful one at that. Your ears, your tail, your eyes, your power... You being the child of the Goddess is something you didn't choose, but is something you must embrace. Why can't you understand that?"
A symbol. That's all she was to the world. She was just the symbol of a nameless Goddess, a fate she was assigned at birth. She was a power play for her country, a bargaining chip in negotiations, and a prize for foreign princes to swoon over. Even at the age of sixteen, which wasn't too uncommon, she was practically being sold off to the highest bidder for marriage. Many had applied, and all had been denied. Not by herself, but her "father." The king had been looking for something in return for her hand in marriage, and none of the candidates had anything he didn't already own.
With a defeated sigh, the girl walks back into her home, shutting the glass door of her balcony behind her. The large mirror of her vanity caught her attention, her ears twitching in annoyance at the sight of herself. She hated how she looked, and she hated what she was.
Nonetheless, she found herself approaching the mirror, running a hand through her silvery white hair with a sigh. Some nights she wished she could just remove the ears from the top of her head, wishing that she could somehow look more normal. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of cyan, not to mention slitted like a cat. Their over sensitivity had saved her life on more than one occasion, but while they were practical, they brought attention to her. Attention she never asked for, and attention she'd never wanted. Her tail, long and the same color as her hair, was another of these cat like features, though this was much easier to hide.
She spent many nights scrutinizing her appearance. Those that knew her well knew that this was one of her more common activities, though such individuals were incredibly rare. She was known for her loneliness, for her dismay at her status, and overall just... Unhappiness.
That same unhappiness was what caused her to knock on the wall next to the door of her room, walking away from her vanity with the natural feline grace she was also associated with. Usually there was someone outside her door standing guard, and while they usually spoke of how she should be more safe and avoid the balcony, she accepted any company she could. Quiet was good, but loneliness was even more overpowering.
"You're more than just a princess Elisabeth. You are a symbol and a powerful one at that. Your ears, your tail, your eyes, your power... You being the child of the Goddess is something you didn't choose, but is something you must embrace. Why can't you understand that?"
A symbol. That's all she was to the world. She was just the symbol of a nameless Goddess, a fate she was assigned at birth. She was a power play for her country, a bargaining chip in negotiations, and a prize for foreign princes to swoon over. Even at the age of sixteen, which wasn't too uncommon, she was practically being sold off to the highest bidder for marriage. Many had applied, and all had been denied. Not by herself, but her "father." The king had been looking for something in return for her hand in marriage, and none of the candidates had anything he didn't already own.
With a defeated sigh, the girl walks back into her home, shutting the glass door of her balcony behind her. The large mirror of her vanity caught her attention, her ears twitching in annoyance at the sight of herself. She hated how she looked, and she hated what she was.
Nonetheless, she found herself approaching the mirror, running a hand through her silvery white hair with a sigh. Some nights she wished she could just remove the ears from the top of her head, wishing that she could somehow look more normal. Her eyes were an unnatural shade of cyan, not to mention slitted like a cat. Their over sensitivity had saved her life on more than one occasion, but while they were practical, they brought attention to her. Attention she never asked for, and attention she'd never wanted. Her tail, long and the same color as her hair, was another of these cat like features, though this was much easier to hide.
She spent many nights scrutinizing her appearance. Those that knew her well knew that this was one of her more common activities, though such individuals were incredibly rare. She was known for her loneliness, for her dismay at her status, and overall just... Unhappiness.
That same unhappiness was what caused her to knock on the wall next to the door of her room, walking away from her vanity with the natural feline grace she was also associated with. Usually there was someone outside her door standing guard, and while they usually spoke of how she should be more safe and avoid the balcony, she accepted any company she could. Quiet was good, but loneliness was even more overpowering.
