Iceborn

Chapter 14: The Iceborn Princess

"Arms up!" Zyra said.

Zi did as she asked.

Zyra stared at her for a moment before coming and stitching up the side of Zi's dress. "Hold still." She said.

"Sorry," Zi said quickly.

Zyra quickly finished and stepped back. "Good." She said.

Zi set her arms down. "Don't you have seamstresses for this sort of thing?" She asked.

"Yes, but I wanted to make sure your dress was perfect for today. You're becoming a princess, after all, we need to make you look the part."

"It's also your wedding day, Zyra. Shouldn't you be worried about that?"

"Everything's under control for the wedding. And even if I were there, it's not like anyone would listen to me."

Zi sighed, looking out of Zyra's window and onto the capital. "Princess Ziarra." She muttered to herself, playing with Koro's necklace.

"Get used to it," Zyra said, now tightening Zi's dress in the back. "That's going to be your title for years to come."

"What's everyone going to think? An Iceborn princess, helping lead their kingdom, I--"

"Relax, Ziarra. They're going to love you." Zyra brushed some dust off of Zi's shoulder and turned her around to face her. "You've got this." She said.

Zi nodded.

"Now come on, they're waiting for us." Zyra grabbed Zi's hand and lead her out to the castle grounds. Zi barely had time to take in the rising sun before Zyra pulled her towards the gate where her father was standing.

"We're here!" Zyra yelled as they continued running, Zi struggling to keep up.

The king turned towards them. "Excellent. Ziarra, I want you next to me." He said.

Zi took a deep breath and stepped forward, staring out onto the crowd gathering in the streets of the capital. The moment Zi emerged from behind the king, there was a gasp, murmurs and whispers breaking out among the people. Zi had to fight the urge to run away, telling herself that it was finally time to fight this battle once and for all.

The king took a step forward, and the crowd silenced. "I'm sure all of you know the story. Nearly a thousand years ago, Iceborn hunting began. This feat drove our country apart, and yet somehow, once the fighting was over, nothing changed. This... tradition, only worsened when I was fourteen years old. My parents, Queen Zyra and King Rumen, were killed by an Iceborn. I was furious and vowed to kill every last one of their kind, no matter what.

"As the story goes, twenty years ago, my wife, Queen Tayla passed away after giving birth to her second child. That was a lie. The child was Iceborn, and to keep her safe, my wife ran away, though she couldn't hide from me forever." The king looked towards Zi, giving her a slight nod.

Zi took a deep breath and also took a step forward. "When I was younger, my mother always told me the dangers of the forest guard, and what they could do to me. I never believed her. Wanting just a taste at freedom, I snuck out one night. I met a boy, another one like me. We were only five at the time, but we became friends almost instantly. For six years, he was my life. My best friend, the person who would help me escape from everything else. But, the forest guard found him and did what they do best. They killed him.

"I was heartbroken, and to make matters worse, it only less than a week later that they found me as well. However, they didn't kill me. Due to orders from the king, they brought me back to the castle. I was scared, I knew this was the end of me. But then the king came and told the guards to never lay a hand on me.